A True Comforter-In-Chief

Barack Obama with a victim of Hurricane Sandy. https://t.co/R4AUr7INMM

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with a victim of tornado in Joplin, Missouri. https://t.co/oU3zt3rjxi

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with a victim of tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. https://t.co/yxTCNgGpwl

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with a victim of Hiroshima. https://t.co/jChuRqnd7i

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with a victim of Aurora shooting. https://t.co/KnSOb0nNfo

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with relative of victim of the Washington Navy Yard shooting. https://t.co/0KQ1EVE2ne

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with relatives of Emilie Parker, who was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. https://t.co/Smx7fgEGza

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with Mark Kelly, husband of Gabby Giffords. https://t.co/JfclNZVH2F

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with a family member of a coal miner who died in the Upper Branch Mine explosion in West Virginia. https://t.co/bQ6O4PblV7

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama meets with families of victims of the San Bernardino shooting. https://t.co/JfohD8PK2s

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with Diane Wall, whose husband Glen Wall died on 9/11. https://t.co/MW9LN1pky2

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with victims of flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. https://t.co/yBuP8MWPk4

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

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Barack Obama with victims of tornado in of Vilonia, Arkansas. https://t.co/Cu1insqr5Z

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

Barack Obama with Gabby Giffords, innocent victim of gun violence. https://t.co/TJLepMoh7X

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Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) August 30, 2017

President Obama Honors The Minnesota Lynx

President Barack Obama holds up a team jersey as he hosts a ceremony honoring the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx in the East Room at the White House. Minnesota Lynx defeated the Atlanta Dream last October to win their second WNBA title in three years.

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Minnesota Lynx women’s basketball player Maya Moore, right, pretends to take notes as President Barack Obama jokes that by now Moore has her own wing in the White House, standing next to teammate Seimone Augustus, during a ceremony honoring the WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx women’s basketball player Maya Moore reacts at right as President Barack Obama jokes that by now she has her own wing in the White House

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Josh Lederman: Obama Fetes Minnesota Lynx For Wnba Finals Win; Says Team Is A Good Example For His Daughters

President Barack Obama is praising the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx for setting a good example for his daughters and for girls across the country. Obama is honoring the team’s victory in the WNBA Finals in a White House ceremony. He says when young women play sports, they do better in school. Obama says the Lynx had something to prove when they started the season. He says, quote, “You succeeded.”

Obama commends the team for helping students with reading and raising money for breast cancer research. Obama says he can’t remember how many times star player Maya Moore has been to the White House following victories. He’s joking that she has her own White House wing.

More here

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Rise and Shine

Two years ago today, one of Pete Souza’s very great photos: “The President had attended the fourth grade closing ceremony for his daughter Sasha at her school in Bethesda, Md. As he was departing, he noticed some pre-school children peering out of a window at a child care facility adjacent to Sasha’s school so he walked over to say hello to them.”

If the Greenwald Groupies were putting a caption on the pic, it would most probably read:

‘OMG™! Illegal surveillance!’.

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President Obama talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, June 8

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Today:

PDT

10:25 AM: President Obama departs Palm Springs, CA

EDT

5:55: Arrives The White House

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Just posted an epic summary of how the NSA story is falling apart by the hour. thedailybanter.com/2013/06/nsa-st…

— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 9, 2013

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ZDNet: The real story in the NSA scandal is the collapse of journalism

Summary: A bombshell story published in the Washington Post this week alleged that the NSA had enlisted nine tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple, in a massive program of online spying. Now the story is unraveling, and the Post has quietly changed key details. What went wrong?

More here

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I sense a great disturbance in The Twitter. Its as if millions of media voices discovered they just got played, then suddenly fell silent.

— eclecticbrotha (@eclecticbrotha) June 8, 2013

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I missed most of the news and developments yesterday, so flicked through the Twitter machine this morning to read what people were saying. And I see the Greenwald Groupies, urged on by their Dear Leader (and his personal fundraising campaign), now fear that Koch Boy will be taken out by evil Obama.

No, really.

Their fears were heightened when The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons tweeted this (and, needless to say, it was breathlessly retweeted by Greenwald):

In Dulles UAL lounge listening to 4 US intel officials saying loudly leaker & reporter on #NSA stuff should be disappearedrecorded a bit

— Steve Clemons (@SCClemons) June 8, 2013

“OMG™!!!!!!!!” was the gist of the Groupies’ reponse.

But Clemons then admitted he couldn’t actually identify the four people, and only had poor quality pics and audio (yes, he secretly recorded them, possibly illegally so, depending on that state’s laws – oh, the irony) so, not unreasonably, @BoloBoffin asked: “If you can’t identify them, how do you know they are US intel officials?”

Or, at the very least, wait until he could confirm they were intel officials before tweeting what he did? You know, journalism.

Soon after, Clemons began watering down his original tweet:

@billbindc other possibilities are that they could be top intel guys at private firms (see INSA dinner list) who were former intel staff

— Steve Clemons (@SCClemons) June 9, 2013

In other words, he had no clue who these people were – but his original tweet did the trick, it was RTed almost 1,000 times, got him lots of attention and earned him the love of Koch Boy and his sheeple.

If they were intel officials, did Clemons not consider the possibility that they might also be dufuses loudly talking macho crap in an airport lounge because they’re pissed off by Koch Boy’s attempts to damage intelligence gathering efforts on terrorist suspects? Or does he think they were loudly discussing in an airport lounge an actual plan to, um, ‘disappear’ Koch Boy?

Yep, this is where the Groupies are at.

Which takes us to….

Rise and Shine

Elsheba Khan at the grave of her son, Specialist Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, in Arlington National Cemetery – he died on 6 August 2007 in Baqouba, Iraq

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Today:

9:30: The President and First Lady host a breakfast in honor of Gold Star Families

11:0: The President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The First Lady also attends

11:20: The President delivers remarks

White House Live * C-Span

12:20: VP Biden and President Santos Speak to the press, Bogota, Colombia (Audio only at WH Live)

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The Oklahoman: President Barack Obama came to Oklahoma on Sunday to comfort grieving families, laud the work of emergency responders and offer assurances that the nation stands ready to assist with recovery from last week’s deadly tornadoes.

…. He also talked with Moore School Superintendent Suzy Pierce, Shelley Jaques-McMillin, principal of Briarwood Elementary, which also was badly damaged, and several others, including Scott Lewis, who was able to get his son, Zack, out of school and into a storm shelter in the nick of time.

“He just wanted to speak to the boy and tell him how brave he was,” Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said. “Told us everything will be OK. And he reassured us. We told him how great FEMA was and the first responders.”

…. Afterward, the president met in private at the station for about 30 minutes with several family members of the children killed at Plaza Towers.

More here

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President Obama’s motorcade exits the tornado ravaged Plaza Towers Elementary School after visiting with residents and families in Moore

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“When we say that we’ve got your back, I promise you, we keep our word.” —President Obama today in Oklahoma: at.wh.gov/lpMQt

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 27, 2013

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National Memo – Five Great Signs for Obamacare

Republicans have tested the limits of hyperbole in attacking Obamacare. You can’t really top then-Minority Leader John Boehner warning that passage of the Affordable Care Act would be “Armageddon.” Well, we’re still here.

…. There’s no doubt that this new system that requires a health care marketplace to be set up in all 50 states will be complex and onerous to put in place — especially with Republicans purposely trying to engineer a disaster. But they’ve set expectations so low that there’s a good chance Obamacare will actually impress, especially in the blue states that are taking advantage of the landmark law.

….. Here are five auspicious signs for Obamacare

More here

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Consumer confidence soars to 6-year high, backed by job growth, rising home prices. Consumers unaware what a bad job Obama’s doing, says GOP

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 27, 2013

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NYT: The state of the economy is far from ideal, but some very definite positives are brewing. It’s not just that we are continuing to recover from a deep recession; we are also seeing signs that America’s long-term future may be looking up, too.

The case for optimism is hardly open-and-shut. The economy’s problems include high unemployment, mediocre productivity gains and stagnant or slow-growing earnings for most income classes. Still, let’s consider five indicators that the future is starting to brighten:

More here

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California reminds us: The first step toward a balanced budget is getting Republicans out of office. fb.me/Fgm97vsR

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 26, 2013

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You’ve got a friend

President Barack Obama hugs Amy Simpson, principal of Plaza Towers Elementary School, outside what remains of the school following last week’s tornado in Moore, Okla., May 26 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama wipes away tears after speaking with Amy Simpson

President Obama in Moore, OK

President Obama embraces a school official as he views the devastation of the Plaza Towers Elementary School

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Transcript of remarks

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…. embracing Plaza Tower Elementary School Principal Amy Simpson

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…. with Gov. Mary Fallin

 

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Students, teachers and parents from Plaza Towers Elementary reunited for the first time since the tornado

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President Obama in Oklahoma

President Obama is greeted by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin upon arrival at Tinker Air Force Base

All times EST:

1:45: President Obama views areas and visits families impacted by the tornadoes and thanks first responders (White House live)

2:15: Makes a statement

4:50: Departs Oklahoma

Live streaming from KFOR & News9 – KOCO Oklahoma will also show the 2:15 statement

Also try CBS and CNN

Coming Up: President Obama visits Oklahoma

President Obama leaves the White House for a trip to the tornado devastated town of Moore, Okla., May 26

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All times EST:

12:50: President Obama arrives in Oklahoma

1:45: Views areas and visits families impacted by the tornadoes and thanks first responders (White House live)

2:15: Makes a statement

4:50: Departs Oklahoma

Live streaming from KFOR & News9 – KOCO Oklahoma will also show the 2:15 statement

Also try CBS and CNN

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President Obama walks with Col. Greg Urtso to board Air Force One, May 26

Rise and Shine

Four years ago: President Obama and VP Biden escort Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the East Room of the White House where the President introduced her as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, May 26, 2009 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Today (all times EST):

9:45: President Obama departs the White House en route to the Oklahoma City area

12:50: Arrives in the Oklahoma City area

1:45: President Obama Views areas and visits families impacted the devastating tornadoes and thanks first responders (White House live)

2:15: President Obama makes a statement

4:50: Departs Oklahoma

7:30: Arrives at the White House

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Monday:
 
9:30: The President and First Lady host a breakfast in honor of Gold Star Families

11:0: The President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The First Lady also attends

11:20: The President delivers remarks

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The Week Ahead:

Tuesday: The President will visit the Jersey Shore to view the rebuilding and recovery efforts underway following Hurricane Sandy’s devastating impact along the coastline last fall, including the efforts by local businesses to prepare for the 2013 summer season. The President, joined by Governor Chris Christie, will visit with families and business owners. On Tuesday evening, the President will deliver remarks at the AAPI Heritage Month Celebration at the White House.

Wednesday: The President will travel to Chicago for DCCC events. He will remain overnight in Chicago.

Thursday: The President will return from Chicago and attend meetings at the White House.

Friday: Meetings at the White House.

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Comforter-in-Chief:

….. comforting people at Holt Elementary School in Holt, Ala., April 29, 2011. The President and First Lady traveled to Alabama to visit storm damaged neighborhoods and meet with families affected by deadly tornados (Photo by Pete Souza)

…. meeting residents during a tour of neighborhoods impacted by the deadly tornado in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

“When Moore gets hit, we come back stronger”

Stories of survival surrounded by a landscape of tragedy

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A before and after view of Briarwood Elementary and Plaza Towers Elementary from aerial views

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Diana Palmore and her two children survived in Plaza Towers Elementary School

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Denisha Woodcock looks for children’s toys around her home, damaged by Monday’s tornado.

Oklahoma City Thunder visit tornado victims in hospitals

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