2020 was a year of uncertainty and unrest. But it was also a year where hope led the way, as new leaders stepped in to confront challenges with hard work, creativity, and empathy, and showed us how hope can turn anguish into action.
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) August 17, 2021
Read our 2020 Annual Report to learn more:
Posts Tagged ‘report
18
Oct
16
Early Bird Chat
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All Times Eastern
9AM: President Obama welcomes Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Mrs. Agnese Landini of Italy
10:05AM: President Obama holds a meeting with Prime Minister Renzi
11:40AM: President Obama and President Renzi hold a press conference
1:30PM: Vice President Biden hosts a luncheon in honor of Prime Minister Renzi
6:45PM: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host a State Dinner and reception in honor of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Mrs. Agnese Landini of Italy
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09
Dec
14
A Tweet Or Two
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/542496980853731328
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https://twitter.com/alexisgoldstein/status/542361149095051264
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He expresses discomfort and at the same time we’re also meant to believe he was ignorant of the torture. The word of the day is BS
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Paul Davidson: Local Government Hiring Picks Up
After laying off workers through most of the recovery, city and county governments are adding jobs at the fastest pace in five years, providing support for the economy’s overall payroll gains. Stronger economic growth is driving higher municipal revenue, allowing local governments to add police officers and firefighters, reopen shuttered parks and make long-deferred street repairs. “We’re beginning to see cities and towns coming out of the Great Recession,” says Neil Bomberg, a program director for the National League of Cities. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, notes that total U.S. payroll gains have topped 200,000 each of the past four months.
Local governments are on more solid financial footing in part because of a gradual rise in home values that have boosted property tax collections, says Michael Pagano, dean of the college of urban planning and public affairs at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Earlier this year, Columbus, Ohio, passed an $807 million operating budget, its largest ever, that restores six recreation centers that had been open part-time to full-time status. The city’s finances have been stable since it raised its income tax to 2.5% from 2% in 2009, says Dan Williamson, spokesman for Mayor Michael Coleman.
More here
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10
Jan
14
Rise and Shine
On This Day: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk towards the White House after observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Arizona shooting, on the South Lawn, Jan. 10, 2011 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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Today:
The President has no public events scheduled
12:45: Press Briefing by Jay Carney
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USA Today: Obama to visit North Carolina next week
President Obama will prepare for his Jan. 28 State of the Union speech with a visit next week to North Carolina. Obama will travel to the Raleigh-Durham area on Wednesday for an event on the economy, the White House announced Thursday.
More here
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6.7% unemployment rate is lowest since Oct. 2008, more than five years.
— Neil Irwin (@Neil_Irwin) January 10, 2014
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Steve Benen: December job totals disappoint
…. The new report from Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the U.S. economy added only 74,000 jobs in December, far below economists’ expectations. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.7% – its lowest point since October 2008 – but that appears largely to be the result of people dropping out of the workforce.
…. this is an initial estimate, which will be revised twice more, and may end up looking far less discouraging than it does right now. Indeed, the revisions from October and November showed an additional 38,000 U.S. jobs that had been previously unreported.
…. For congressional Republicans to undermine the economy on purpose by cutting off extended unemployment benefits makes it that much more difficult for the job market to return to where it needs to be.
All told, so far in calendar year 2013, the economy added 2.18 million jobs, while the private sector alone created 2.21 million jobs.
Full post here
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The U.S. has now had 46 consecutive months of private sector job growth and created more than 8 million new jobs. http://t.co/MTZ4XLEZxb
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 10, 2014
Before Obamacare, 7 million private sector jobs lost. Since Obamacare, 8 million private sector jobs created. http://t.co/MTZ4XLEZxb
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 10, 2014
The US has recovered nearly all the jobs lost during Bush recession but the population has expanded so we still need a lot more jobs.
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 10, 2014
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Steve Benen: Putting 2013 job totals in context
December’s job totals were clearly a bitter disappointment, but now that we have 12 months of job data, we can ask a different question: how did 2013 shape up?
In all, the U.S. economy added 2.186 million jobs last year, while the private sector created 2.213 million. Looking back over the last couple of decades, that means when it comes to the overall economy, 2013 was the best year for jobs in the United States since 2005 and the second best year since 1999.
That’s right: last year, the economy created more jobs than seven of the eight years Bush/Cheney was in office….
More here
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Brian Beutler: Most important political news this week: New report kills GOP’s radical agenda
Christie and the bridge is big. But Obamacare driving down healthcare inflation is even bigger. Here’s why.
The furthest-reaching political news of the week has nothing to do with who clogged the George Washington Bridge or what Robert Gates thinks of Barack Obama’s completely justifiable skepticism of David Petraeus and the war in Afghanistan.
It came in a seemingly boring actuarial report from a government agency most people probably have never of, showing that for the first time since the 1990s, total U.S. healthcare spending grew at a slower rate than the U.S. economy at the beginning of the current decade.
This sounds like the kind of thing only wonks and other nerds care about, which is probably why it didn’t become a #hashtag meme on Twitter or whatever, but the implications of the great healthcare spending slowdown are vast, and have thus reignited a long-simmering academic and ideological debate over whether, and to what extent, Obamacare deserves credit.
More here
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Before #Obamacare, patients with serious illnesses would reach their lifetime health care spending limit: http://t.co/VqaWRwXwJg #TBT
— OFA (@OFA) January 9, 2014
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Paul Krugman: The Medicaid Cure
Something really interesting is happening on the health-care front: costs are rising much less rapidly than anyone expected. This is good news for the budget; it’s also good news for Obamacare. There was much skepticism about promises that health reform would “bend the curve”, reducing cost growth; well, the curve is bending, and it’s likely that the cost control measures that are part of Obamacare (and have been in effect for several years) are part of the reason.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned much, however, is that another aspect of recent developments — the rapid rise in Medicaid enrollment, despite Republican efforts to block it — adds to the prospect of continuing good news on health costs.
More here
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Greg Sargent: Steve Beshear: Don’t fear the politics of Obamacare, Dems
The rollout of Obamacare in Kentucky may represent the most interesting experiment in the politics of health care in the country right now. Dem governor Steve Beshear is perhaps the most outspoken defender of the Affordable Care Act in the south. This, in a deep red state where the reform known as “Obamacare” is deeply unpopular; where the leading foe of the President’s agenda is on the ballot this year; and where the need for reform is urgent.
In an interview today, Beshear offered fellow Dems — red state and otherwise — some startling advice: Stand up for Obamacare because it’s the right thing to do. What’s more, Beshear insists, Republicans are wrong: the health law will be a political positive for Dems next fall.
“We’re doing the right thing,” Beshear told me. “That’s the most important point here. The people of America, and the people of Kentucky, deserve access to affordable health care. For the first time in the history of this country, we have a tool that allows us to accomplish this goal.”
More here
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FACT: Lifetime limits on health care spending are gone, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. pic.twitter.com/bgACzeKyaB
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 9, 2014
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LA Times: Remember the deficit? It’s melting
The capital may be enduring a brief spell of record-low temperatures this week, but the federal deficit continues to melt away.
According to the latest figures from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the red ink for the first quarter of fiscal 2014, which began Oct. 1, dropped by almost 40% compared with the same period a year earlier.
The deficit has gone down so much that the federal government actually ran a surplus for December — a one-time occurrence that resulted from some special circumstances but still an indicator of the rapidly improving state of the government’s finances.
More here
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The New York Daily News isn’t often linked here …. but if you missed it, the editorial on Christie is a bit of a must-read: here
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The Wire: The Four Key Questions Chris Christie Didn’t Answer at His Press Conference
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie held a lengthy press conference on Thursday aimed at answering questions about his administration’s involvement in the sudden decision to close traffics lanes in the town of Fort Lee last September. But a number of critical questions went unanswered.
Background: The closure of most of the on-ramp lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York the week of September 9 meant a massive traffic back-ups in Fort Lee, slowing emergency vehicles (with dangerous effect) and delaying commuters. The town’s mayor, Mark Sokolich, wrote a letter on Thursday of that week, suggesting the closures were punitive.
At the time, two Christie appointees ran the Port Authority’s New Jersey arm, both of whom have resigned. One, David Wildstein, had his emails subpoenaed, revealing that Bridget Anne Kelly, deputy chief of staff to Christie, told him shortly before the traffic change that it was “time for traffic problems in Fort Lee.”
Christie’s press conference lasted about two hours, but there remain some outstanding questions….
More here
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Pretty sure Rachel Maddow just turned everyone’s theory of Christie’s Bridge-gate on its head. Very persuasive: http://t.co/o4zOu8Vtcp
— Jonathan Shainin (@jonathanshainin) January 10, 2014
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Read Steve Benen here on Rachel Maddow’s Bridgegate theory
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TPM: New Jersey Residents File Lawsuit Against Christie Over Traffic Jam
Six New Jersey residents have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Chris Christie, the state of New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and others over traffic jams in September.
The suit filed in federal court Thursday appears to be the first civil claim over traffic jams that appear to have been caused as political punishment for the Fort Lee mayor.
The plaintiffs want it certified as a class action.
More here
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Charles Pierce: Big Chicken Exposed
…. I spent a couple of hours watching his bop-til-you-drop press conference this morning, and I came to the following conclusion.
What a fking poltroon.
…. The basic theme of the press conference was that Big Chicken was responsible for one thing and one thing only — of trusting people who preyed on his well-known innocence and his extensively documented and deeply held faith in his fellow human beings …. What a world it is when a man cannot trust the hacks whom he appoints to serve him. Jesus H. Christ in the HOV lane, Nixon threw Haldeman and Ehrlichman out the windows with more compassion and fellow feeling than Christie demonstrated yesterday.
…. the simple fact is that Big Chicken remains a bully, and now he stands exposed as a coward, as most bullies are, and an entirely self-centered cad. “You need to understand this,” he said. “I am resolved to do the job, but I am a very sad person today. A person I gave a high public office betrayed me. I might get angry later. But I am a sad person today.”
In so goddamn many ways.
Full post here
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ThinkProgress: All-Male Congressional Committee Considers Imposing Far-Reaching Abortion Restrictions
On Thursday morning, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice held a hearing on HR 7, the “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act.” That subcommittee, which is headed up by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and comprised of 12 other male lawmakers, is deciding whether to advance sweeping restrictions on abortion coverage that would make the procedure less affordable for women across the country.
Abortion opponents are relentless in their efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars don’t end up financing abortion services. But HR 7 is actually deceptively titled. Under the guise of preventing federal money from covering abortion, it would actually have dramatic consequences for the insurance industry and the tax code as a whole, potentially creating a society in which private insurance no longer includes abortion care.
More here
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This @WhiteHouse video sets the record straight on the #polarvortex: http://t.co/CdjCy5yTqi #ActOnClimate
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) January 10, 2014
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MoooOOOooorning!
03
May
13
Rise and Shine
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All times Eastern:
10:15 AM: The President delivers remarks at the Anthropology Museum, Mexico City (White House live)
10:30: VP Biden and Sec of State Kerry deliver remarks at the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) Memorial Plaque Ceremony at the State Department (White House live)
12:25: President Obama meets with Mexican entrepreneurs
1:25: Departs Mexico City
4:0: Arrives San Jose, Costa Rica
4:35: Meets and greets with United States Embassy personnel
5:40: The President and President Chinchilla hold a bilateral meeting
6:30: The President and President Chinchilla hold a cultural event with Costa Rican youth
7:15: Press conference
7:30: VP Biden speaks at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s 2013 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner (C-Span)
7:35: President Obama participates in a photo with Central American Integration System leaders
9:0: Central American Integration System leaders meet for a working dinner
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Bloomberg: Employment picked up more than forecast in April and the jobless rate unexpectedly declined to a four-year low of 7.5 percent, showing the early stages of government budget cuts failed to destabilize the U.S. labor market.
Payrolls expanded by 165,000 workers last month following a revised 138,000 increase in March that was larger than first estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 90 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected a 140,000 gain. Revisions to the prior two months’ reports added a total of 114,000 jobs to the employment count in February and March.
More here
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A snapshot of U.S. job creation in 2013: 165K jobs added in April; 138K in March; 332K in Feb.; 148K in Jan. on.mktw.net/16yqBcq
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) May 3, 2013
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Steve Benen: After the discouraging jobs report a month ago, many were eager to see the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning to see whether the jobs market would bounce back or continue to deteriorate.
For now, it looks like the former. The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in April, more than expected, and overall unemployment rate dropped to 7.5%, its lowest point in four-and-a-half years. As is usually the case, there was a gap between the two major sectors – America’s private sector added 176,000 jobs last month, while spending cuts caused the public sector lose 11,000 jobs.
…. February was revised up from 268,000 jobs to 332,000, making it the single best month for job creation since 2005 (excluding temporary Census hiring). March was also revised up, from 88,000 to 138,000. In other words, as of this morning’s report, the previous two months added an additional 114,000 jobs we didn’t previously know about.
More here
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QUICK. Find bad news. RT @jimpethokoukis: Breaking: US April Jobs Report: 165,000 net new payrolls; 7.5% U-3 unemployment rate
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 3, 2013
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Good thing Detroit did not go bankrupt. American Auto Industry Has Best Performance in 20 Years bloom.bg/1047AX0 via @bloombergnews
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) May 2, 2013
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05
Oct
12
This, That and the Other
@OFA_VA: Some of these folks have been out here since 9PM last night. Excited? We think so.
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George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, Oct 5
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Paul Krugman: …. Today’s full-scale freakout over a decent jobs report is a sight to behold …. it’s ridiculous to imagine that the Obama administration could arrange (on short notice, no less) to cook the jobs numbers. The sheer logistics would be impossible, plus these are civil servants who have to live under both parties.
…. The thing is, although such antics are funny in a way, they’re also menacing. By attacking anyone who presents awkward facts, the right exerts an intimidating effect. It won’t get the BLS to retract today’s jobs report, but it might bully news organizations into avoiding objective economic analysis, and maybe even into blurring their reporting right now.
So this is crazy and stupid; but it’s also scary.
More here
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Steve Benen: The death of a talking point
If I had a nickel for every time Mitt Romney has said the unemployment rate has been above 8% throughout the Obama presidency, I’d have, well, nearly as much money as Mitt Romney.
Today, however, the talking point died. The unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, dropping from 8.1% to 7.8%.
Full post here
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BuzzFeed: Romney Misstates Reason For Unemployment Rate Drop:
“The reason it’s come down this year is primarily due to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work.”
But the labor force has actually grown since the start of the year….
More here
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Greg Sargent: Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee has drawn national attention to Ryan’s Medicare plan. One measure of this: Rob Zerban, the Democrat challenging Ryan for his House seat in Wisconsin, has been able to raise some $770,000 for his race — outraising Ryan himself.
According to the Zerban campaign, 84 percent of his contributions come from outside Wisconsin, underscoring the intensity of feeling among Democrats nationally towards Ryan and his plan.
In this context, the new ad that Zerban is set to run against Ryan is worth watching….
More here
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Scout Tufankjian for Obama for America
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Next:
2:30: President Obama delivers remarks at Cleveland State University in Ohio
The Obama Diary 
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