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European Council President Donald Tusk, President Barack Obama, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker arrive at a press conference for the joint press statements followig a meeting during the NATO Summit
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President Barack Obama meets European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Federica Mogherini
President Barack Obama observes a ceremony to honor NATO soldiers killed in the line of duty prior to the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the Warsaw NATO Summit
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President Barack Obama and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda attend a press conference following a bilateral meeting
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President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and National Security Advisor Susan Rice are seen before the meeting of heads of state of the North Atlantic Council (NAC)
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President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron
The Family Picture
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Barack Obama, and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda
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The Obama Diary 
I am so proud of our President !
OMG!! My first first!
Congratssssssssss Anna…. 😀
❤️🌹⭐️⭐️⭐️🌹❤️
Well done, Anna Luc!
Congrats on your first first, Anna Luc, and I’m proud, too! When I see him here and abroad, a sense of calm just comes over me.
Thank you, NW, for giving us more news than the “news” media!
Congrats Anna Luc on your very first FIRST 🎉🎉
I too am so proud of PBO and I pray for his strength ❤️
NW, thank you for being here for us {{{love}}}
Thank you, GGail.
Thanks so much for the round-up, NW. This summit has been overshadowed by events here in the U.S. so I’ve missed a lot of the day’s progress. So great to find it all in one place right here.
You’re welcome, Meta.
this use of a bomb to kill Micah Johnson…is not sitting well with me…why didn’t they take him alive…i believe that to kill him using a bomb is beyond everything….
I’m trying to grapple with this, trying to put myself in those officers’ shoes. There was a horrendous volley of bullets for a long time as they searched for the shooter. They knew that several of their own had been hit. I can only imagine the adrenaline that was flowing through their bodies. At one of the pressers, Chief Brown said they felt they had no choice. Does this mean the gunman was continuing to spray them with bullets as they negotiated? Was he being excessive violent to the end? Did they feel continually threatened and scared of being hit again and again? I don’t know. I’m not condoning what they did, just asking questions about what might have motivated them to do take this drastic step, what made them feel they couldn’t do anything less. I hope at some point these questions can be answered and the public will know more.
this is why the use of military weapons do not belong in the hands of anyone but the military….if they do not know how to handle a situation like this then they need more training…i believe that once they knew the identity of this man and that he was a black man…they knew that whatever they did to him would be accepted…the police handle white gunmen differently then they due gunman of color…like that time that another blk military man did something similar in Cali…when they had him pinned down in a cabin…they set the cabin on fire….yet a white gunman here in my area who had killed law enforcement was taken into custody alive…white men get taken alive…black men get burned alive in a cabin or blown to bits….
blowing a man to bits….is not acceptable
I agree. It would be an emotionally satisfying act for law enforcement, but does it serve justice? Does it set a new precedent? I share your unease. We need more information and I hope we get it.
I agree, the use of this is disconcerting but I do not fault the police. I am not far from Dallas and could not stop watching last night, particularly after my daughter called me crying at 1:00 am, worried about the world for her children. The gunman continued to occasionally fire at the officers, there were no less than 3 press conferences during the time of the stand off where the Chief laid out what was happening. He had a military level body armor on him, was using an assault weapon, and because of the corners and his location they could not get a shot at him. This went on for HOURS and they gave him the option to surrender. He said he would not do it, he’d rather die. It sounded like he had fired something like 60 rounds on the videos, many of the victims had multiple gunshot wounds as they did in Orlando. Given the fact they had taken 3 others into custody for questioning without any violence done to them, he could have come out alive. He chose not to. I don’t think we are in any position to second this decision given the amount of time this went on and the options he was given.
Thanks FoxfireTX, for this information, it does put a different light on what they were dealing with.
One other thing I forgot to mention. He also had advised the negotiators that he had placed bombs all over downtown Dallas. They evacuated a 20 block area. After hours of searching, they did not find any bombs but when they searched his house today they found a ton of bomb making materials. This could have been so much worse. I suspect that was a big part of what drove the decision on timing. It was around 2:30 am when the robot went in. The ATF had bomb sniffing dogs on the street all night and into today.
Also, after watching the coverage here today, I really don’t think there was much they could have done to stop him. He had been planning this for quite some period of time, and apparently worked out on hills, etc and a gun range here. He also had a “combat journal” he was writing. They found a ton of ammo, guns, military body armor and more. It looks like he was just waiting for the “right” moment. Had it been further down the road, bombs may well have been involved. No sympathy from this corridor. The chief noted last night that during the conversations he was laughing and extremely cold in his manner.
Possible effects of PTSD. But, we’ll never know.
We can surround locations with SWAT vehicles, we can wait-out land squatters with guns, but, we, are left with no option but to kill this time with a bomb?
Nope, not understanding this explanation – at all.
I’m curious. Were you upset that the Orlando shooter was killed? I don’t recall hearing any objections at that time. As to the use of the robot, from my perspective all guns are killing machines. That is what they are designed for. What is the distinction between the two in your mind?
Had the bomb threat not existed, I’m not sure they wouldn’t have waited him out. They certainly did not seem intent on killing him for the sake of killing him.
One thing I have talked to my husband about, he is a Veteran, is all the young men coming back from tours overseas then discharged and expected to get back into society without long term help. The Rep congress keeps cutting vet services. This young man got lost in the system. After all you said I am thankful there wasn’t more loss of life.
One of the more interesting facts Marilyn that is not in the national press is that apparently he was employed as a mental health aid, I believe working with children. And the way this Congress continues to cut and try to cut veterans’ services is nothing short of a national disgrace.
Thank you foxfire for your on-the-scene report. It has puzzled me how little information has been shared with the public, especially because of the volatility of the situation. Perhaps– hopefully– the intent was to defuse the heightened tensions, but so many suppositions and inventions crept into the conversation that we no longer knew what to believe. In any case, TOD reports and discussions are the sane center of everything political for me. We can disagree, misunderstand, and still share ideas and feelings here. And as usual, it’s where the best info can be found.
It is strange, I think they are trying to deny him the publicity he obviously sought. I have very mixed reactions to robots being used this way, another weapon of war on our streets. But until we get an assault weapons ban reinstated (aren’t I the eternal optimist!) I am for just about anything that will save more lives.
he chose not to?????..(it appears that the man may have had a mental illness}…
so that is the reason to blow his body to kingdom come…i think that if had been a white man it would not have happened…
i cannot accept military weapons in the hands of the police….we are not at war with American citizens….
if the p[police could not handle this situation…then they need to bring in someone who could…..
I agree PF, I also am having a problem with the bomb, but I also understand what Meta is saying. I want to hear more about the reasoning.
Quite an impressive collection of Pictorial Historical Excellence. Fantastic, NW.
Congrats, Anna Luc on your Gold ⭐
That time the Clock is right twice in a Day.
Nena, Republicans seem to be talking almost exclusively to their base these days, as if they had lost track of the fact that the majority of Americans don’t share their deep hatred of Hillary Clinton and don’t appreciate their time and money wasting witch hunts. Having a big majority in the House has inured them to public opinion. They believe that all they have to do is keep feeding red meat to the right wingers who elected them in their gerryrigged little precincts and the rest of us can be damned. I hope this bubble mentality proves drastically wrong come November.
YES! The thing I find fascinating is the more they go after her the more public opinion (and hopefully votes) move in her favor:-)
My TOD Peeps,
Love’s in Need of Love Today and Forever…….
http://gratefulness.org/light-a-candle/
I get the feeling todobots are not the only ones in this world who cannot seem to take our eyes off Barack Obama! 👀👁😶😇😌👁👀
Ha. Just so they don’t get in our line of vision, we’ll share him!
Livestream: http://www.bet.com/shows/don-t-kill/town-hall-live.html
I so loved this from Jimmy Fallon – and so calming at the minute – especially what he says about 2016 -play it all.
The youtube versions seem to be blocked – I hope this link is OK
http://www.videobash.com/video_show/james-taylor-romney-amp-bain-381351
THanks for the great details of the President’s day.
You’re welcome.
NerdyW, THANK YOU for your terrific and consistent effort in keeping the TOD train on track! Know that it is appreciated even when we don’t say much. My hope is that you get as high a level of satisfaction from your labour as we do from its results.
Good night, TODobots. The last couple of days have been quite silencing …. for me. What do you say in the face of this seeming unrelenting violence when you know the GOP Congress is not willing to act?
May everyone here experience a restful night’s sleep.
Thank you, VC.
Wow! Thank heaven for TOD! Much needed post. Mahalo.
😀
❤ ❤ My very dear Chips (in case you are looking over my shoulder, as you were often wont to do) …
"Good Night & God bless you. I trust you know that you are often in our thoughts"
Night all, thanks, Nerdy. Always.
late at night here, but want to share this article about the candidate who is running against tulsi gabbard in the primary. long shot, but at least she’s getting the issues on the table.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/longtime-fighter-shay-chan-hodges-takes-hawaii-rep-tulsi-gabbard-n599371
THE NATO LINE UP……………THEN THE LIGHT ENTERS..HE HAS A HARD TIME STANDING STILL DOESN’T HE?..LOL! I LOVE MY PRESIDENT..WHEN HE WALKS IN..THE ROOM CHANGES…NO MATTER WHERE HE HAPPENS TO BE…………………………………………
I’M OFF THIS MORNING TO A FUNERAL FOR THE GRANDPA OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY..WHO PRAISE GOD FINALLY PASSED AFTER YEARS OF SUFFERING WITH ALZHEIMERS……………..MAY OUR PRECIOUS LORD BE WITH ME TODAY AS I HOPE TO PROVIDE A SHOULDER FOR TEARS FOR THIS AMAZING FAMILY….WE TAKE THEIR GRANDSON TRAYVON OUT FISHING AND TO OTHER EVENTS..MY BROTHERS KEEPER WITHOUT QUESTION!..WILL CHECK BACK LATER ON THE ENERGZER’S JOURNEY..<3
Good morning TOD
Just imagine if they are all educated ….
…. and the horrible consequences if they are not …
I’m sure she wishes all she had to do was VOTE to preserve and nurture her freedom ….
Take care everyone …
This photo is so beautiful, it’s almost a work of art–courage, love, tenderness and strength–it’s all there!
Yes, indeed, JackieG!! Thank you and good morning 🙂
Morning TODers. Off to do morning errands, but wanted to leave those of us who are hurting from all the tragic events of this week with one word, “Courage.” It’s going to take all our strength, collectively and singly, but we will not be defeated.
New post.
https://theobamadiary.com/2016/07/09/early-bird-chat-787/