Rise and Shine

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama leaving Germany, June 19

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Today:

President Obama has no public events scheduled

9:45 AM: VP Biden delivers remarks at Esperanza’s 2013 National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast

4:15 PM: VP Biden travels to Las Vegas to deliver remarks to the League of United Latin American Citizens Youth and Young Adults Awards Banquet

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Home

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“Mr Sunshine” 😎

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Bild is kind of the German equivalent of The (British) Sun, but you can’t but smile at some of their front pages. I mean, ‘Kiss me Angie”? is their take from yesterday? 😆

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I assumed “Eine Bombige Rede” meant ‘get out the naughty mats’, but no, it’s less important than that, something to do with nuclear disarmament

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NYT: President Obama is preparing a major policy push on climate change, including, for the first time, limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing power plants, as well as expanded renewable energy development on public lands and an accelerated effort on energy efficiency in buildings and equipment, senior officials said Wednesday.

Heather Zichal, the White House coordinator for energy and climate change, said the president would announce the new policy initiatives in the coming weeks. Another official said a presidential address outlining the new policy could come as early as next week.

More here

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oh look, Obama’s approval rating up since March in Pew poll. boy, that’s really making Beltway headlines today….; http://t.co/4MZN5urV2i

— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) June 20, 2013

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What?!

Link

Thanks ChristiMTL

bonjour – rise and shine

…. with French President Nicolas Sarkozy

…… with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G20 Summit in Cannes, France

….with Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard

….. greeting Canada PM Stephen Harper as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono looks on

…. with British PM David Cameron

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If, like me, you’re struggling to understand exactly what’s going with Greece, Kevin Drum has a brilliant post about it all at Mother Jones (here) – as recommended by Steve Benen

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Gallup

Thanks Desertflower

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AP: Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a hopeful sign that the job market might be picking up.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications dropped 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000, the lowest level in five weeks. It’s only the third time since April that applications have fallen below 400,000.

Economists were encouraged by the drop, though they cautioned that the trend would have to persist to signal real improvement.

More here

morning people

More Pete Souza photos from the visit here

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Today (All Times Eastern):

11:10 AM The President visits Northern Virginia Community College

11:30 Delivers remarks on the importance of training and preparing our workforce to compete for manufacturing jobs across the nation.

3:0 Delivers remarks at an event honoring Auburn University’s 2010 BCS National Championship

4:40 Meets with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

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Attendees dine during the State Dinner with President Barack Obama and Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, on the South Lawn at the White House

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Thank you Proud!

funniest. comment. ever.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao arrive for a State Dinner honoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House

yardarm756: “Oh LORD, Mitch “The Turtle” McConnell just walked in the dinner with an Oriental lady. Is that legal in Kentucky?”

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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his wife Carole Geithner

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi with her husband Paul

Singer James Taylor with his wife Caroline

U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey and his wife Deanie Dempsey

Chief Justice John Roberts with his wife Jane

Austan Goolsbee, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, and his wife Robin

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her husband Steven Schultz

ABC News host Diane Sawyer

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks with US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao

state dinner

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wait for the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer on the North Portico before a state dinner at the White House, June 7

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‘America Celebrates Our Chancellor’

President Barack Obama presents German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

greetings, germany

dinner is (almost) served

First Lady Michelle Obama talks to a group of girls at a dinner preview for an official state dinner for German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, June 7

donna’s day!

Thank you donna dem 4 obama!

willkommen! (videos added)

Children hold German and U.S. flags as they wait for the start of the State Arrival ceremony where President Barack Obama will welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House

President Obama pulls a small step out of the podium for German Chancellor Angela Merkel