Rise and Shine

President Barack Obama participates in a high level meeting on Libya at the United Nations in New York, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2011. Pictured with the President, from left, are: Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)

11AM: VP Biden delivers remarks highlighting the launch of the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs.

11:30AM: VP Biden attends the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue.

12:20PM: Pres. Obama arrives in Kansas City, Mo

1PM: First Lady Michelle Obama hosts a luncheon at the White House in honor of the winners of the 2013 National Design Awards.

1:50PM: Pres. Obama delivers remarks at the Ford Stamping Plant.

2:55PM: Pres. Obama departs Kansas City, Mo., enroute to Washington.

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https://twitter.com/CallOut4/status/380019157200154625

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NYT: Administration Presses Ahead With Limits On Emissions From Power Plants

A year after a plan by President Obama to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants set off angry opposition, the administration will announce on Friday that it is not backing down from a confrontation with the coal industry and will press ahead with enacting the first federal carbon limits on the nation’s power companies.

The proposed regulations, to be announced at the National Press Club by Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, are an aggressive move by Mr. Obama to bypass Congress on climate change with executive actions he promised in his inaugural addressthis year.  In her speech, Ms. McCarthy will unveil the agency’s proposal to limit new gas-fired power plants to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt hour and new coal plants to 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to administration officials who were briefed on the agency’s plans. Industry officials say the average advanced coal plant currently emits about 1,800 pounds of carbon dioxide per hour.

More here

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I remember how the folks on food stamps cost our country trillions by selling bets on bad mortgages to suckers. Glad they're being punished!

— L O L G O P (@LOLGOP) September 20, 2013

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Working America Blog: Actual Accountability: CFPB Fines JP Morgan Chase For Fraud

Great news from the Consumer Financial Protection Board today. JP Morgan Chase, a major credit card issuer, has been hit with a $309 million fine for defrauding customers. More than 2 million customers will get refunds for unfair fees imposed by JP Morgan Chase. In addition, JP Morgan Chase will be required to audit its own procedures and present evidence to the CFPB that it has stopped the practices that led to the fine—specifically, billing customers for services they weren’t being provided.

This is precisely why the CFPB exists. JP Morgan Chase was breaking the law and getting away with it. The amount of money being taken through these fees was small enough to not be worth suing over individually, but in the aggregate, it represented a big transfer of money—illegally!—from customers to their credit card company. There was a time when, even if they noticed it happening, customers wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.

More here

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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/381034909835329537

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Jonathan Bernstein: No More Magical Thinking About The Presidency

It’s an annual ritual: we get to late summer, something goes wrong for Barack Obama, and the press piles on. This time it’s Syria — Obama is getting widely criticized for vacillation and changes of course. Here’s a rule of thumb: If you want to criticize Obama’s handling of process, then make sure you do it right. Don’t turn process criticisms into an excuse for mind-reading or magical versions of the presidency.

Another problem arises when analysts get process completely wrong. See, for example, a Politico article called “What’s Wrong With President Obama?” We get process criticism on Syria and on the Fed chair choice with a bald assertion that if only Obama was tougher, something would have been better (it’s not clear exactly what, or how).

For another example of getting process wrong, see Matt Miller’s column yesterday. Miller is explicit about some of his policy preferences: for gun control; against the Bush tax cuts; for a jobs bill. But he manages to attack not the opponents of those policies (that would be mainly Republicans in Congress) but Obama for “blinking” and “losing his nerve” in trying to get them done. But it’s nonsense to claim gun safety legislation failed in the Senate because Obama lost his nerve. It lost because the votes weren’t there. This is just magical presidency thinking, where it’s assumed that any president can get any policy he wants simply by wanting it enough.

More here

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Thanks @IAmKidPresident for inspiring teachers and students to make the world more awesome! http://t.co/0rhI1KOBvP –mo

— First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) September 19, 2013

HUGE thank you to Mrs. @FLOTUS for sharing the student & teacher pep talk!! WOW! But thank you most of all for believing in kids every day.

— Kid President (@iamkidpresident) September 19, 2013

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Greg Sargent: Really?

Another key finding from this week’s Washington Post/ABC News poll: Do you think the Republican leaders in Congress are doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to compromise with Obama on important issues? Too much: 10. Too little: 64. About the right amount: 23. An astonishing 72 percent of independents say Republican leaders are doing too little to compromise.

Does anyone imagine Republicans won’t be seen as the unreasonable party here? Things will probably look even worse after the government shutdown fight. But then we’ll only be gearing up for another one in which the threat to the economy is far more serious, and the demands even crazier. Really? This is how it’s going to go? Okay.

More here

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PHOTO: VP thanks @MedStarWHC doctors and nurses who care for patients injured Monday at the #NavyYard pic.twitter.com/7bh2Q4lNry

— VP Biden (Archived) (@VP44) September 19, 2013

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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/380889945667170304

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Rob Capriccioso: Obama Nominates Native American Woman To Federal Bench

The president announced September 19 that Diane J. Humetewa is a nominee for the U.S. District Court for Arizona. She is a Hopi citizen, and from 2002 to 2007 she served as an appellate court judge for the Hopi Tribe Appellate Court. Obama has previously nominated one tribal citizen to serve on the federal bench, Arvo Mikkanen, of the Kiowa Tribe, but Republican senators successfully blocked that nomination during the president’s first term.

If Humetewa can pass muster with the Senate Judicial Committee and Arizona’s senators, then she will have the distinction of being the first Native American appointed and confirmed to the federal bench by Obama.

More here

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President Barack Obama participates in the CNBC Town Hall Discussion on Jobs with John Harwood at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Chat Away

Some afternoon inspiration….

Rise and Shine

Joe Paulsen, White House Advance Office site lead, holds the curtain for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they are introduced during the Pritzker Architecture Prize award ceremony at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., June 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

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President Barack Obama greets a group of Wounded Warriors in the Cross Hall of the White House, June 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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This is a MUST read because this is what hate looks like and this is what we must fight against everyday.

What Happened To Black Wall Street On June 1, 1921?

SF Bay View: Black Wall Street, the name fittingly given to one of the most affluent all-Black communities in America, was bombed from the air and burned to the ground by mobs of envious Whites. In a period spanning fewer than 12 hours, a once thriving Black business district in northern Tulsa lay smoldering – a model community destroyed and a major African-American economic movement resoundingly defused.

President Barack Obama talks with Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council Director, following a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, June 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Rise and Shine

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Today:

The President has no public events scheduled

12:30: Press Briefing by Jay Carney

1:0: Attorney General Eric Holder briefs the press

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Steve Benen: …. based on preliminary accounts, the Justice Department didn’t eavesdrop on journalists’ phone calls, but rather, obtained logs showing incoming and outgoing calls, as well as the duration of those phone calls.

And why was the Justice Department doing this? In part because congressional Republicans demanded a full-scale leak investigation and DOJ officials took the request very seriously….

A year ago last week, the AP reported on a foiled terrorist plot that the Obama administration had successfully prevented. White House critics were outraged, accusing the administration of boasting about its counter-terrorism victory for campaign purposes, including leaking classified information…..

…. As of last night, as the story drew serious questions from the left and right, the GOP was left in the awkward position of arguing that it wanted the Justice Department to do everything possible to root out national security leaks, except what the Justice Department ended up doing to root out national security leaks…..

More here

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By the end of the day, Obama will have been in a surveillance van outside @ap headquarters with headphones on, munching on a box of donuts.

— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) May 13, 2013

@quadcitypat @angryblacklady @ap in a hoodie watching it all go down via drone

— Arrogant Demon (@ArrogantDemon) May 13, 2013

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ThinkProgress: ….. Last year, the Associated Press reported that an Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula plot had been foiled, thanks to a timely intervention on the part of the United States…. Why that drew the attention of the Justice Department, however, is that the CIA was the one who foiled the plot, which the AP report made clear….

…. by reporting the CIA’s involvement in foiling the plot, they put AQAP on notice that the CIA had a window into their activities. The AP’s reporting also led to other stories involving an operative in place within AQAP, and details of the operations he was involved in. That operative, it was feared, would be exposed and targeted by AQAP as retribution for siding with the United States…..

More here

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So do y’all understand? AP is trying to cover their ass because they leaked CLASSIFIED info re: Al Qaeda. But somehow they’re the “victim.”

— April(@ReignOfApril) May 13, 2013

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You know the way everyone chuckled yesterday at Darrell Issa saying on Fox that “an act of terror is different to a terrorist attack”? Well – and I’m not making this up – Glenn Kessler at the Washington Post has given President Obama four Pinocchios for saying he described what happened in Benghazi as an act of terrorism, because Kessler agrees with Issa – calling something an act of terror is completely different to calling it a terrorist attack.

The best line in Kessler’s gobsmacking piece is this:

“During the campaign, the president could just get away with claiming he said “act of terror,” since he did use those words…”.

If you’re repeating something that is true, you’re getting away with it?

Oh boy.

PS As Media Matters reminds us (and see video on top):

On September 13, 2001, former President George W. Bush described the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as an “act of terror”.

But, you know, that was different.

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Every time I see Darrell Issa, I think of his background as a suspected criminal & alleged car thief on.msnbc.com/10Efck9

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) May 13, 2013

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‘As for Cheney seeing Benghazi as “one of the worst incidences” he “can recall”.. I’m curious if Cheney recalls 9/11’ maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/…

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) May 14, 2013

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Rise and Shine……

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Walter Cronkite had almost finished broadcasting the “CBS Evening News” when he received word of Martin Luther King’s assassination. His report detailed the shooting and the nation’s reaction to the tragedy.

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Just after MLK murder 45 years ago, unpublished LIFE pic of personal contents of his still-open briefcase:

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Women’s History Month at the White House

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Women’s History Month Foreign Policy Panel discussion

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White House Hangout: The Maker Movement

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White House innovation advisor Tom Kalil joins a Google+ Hangout to discuss the Maker Movement with leading innovators and Makers from around the country

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Earlier this month, President Obama met with 40 of the Nation’s top scientists and engineers—discoverers of new drug candidates to treat common cancers; inventors of tools to help surgeons in the operating room; developers of complex algorithms that can help robots navigate; and more. All of these innovators were finalists in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search competition, and all of them are in still in high school.

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Chelsea Clinton: If women matched mens’ employment rates in America, the GDP would rise by 5%

Getting to the STEM of gender equality

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President Obama discuss the importance of Passover and is hosting an Easter prayer Breakfast on Friday

Rise and Shine……

Revealing that Politico explicitly says its goal is to drive conversation among DC elites — not to inform the public.

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 Jim VandeHei at the 1:00 minute mark

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Tina Brown: News has lost all integrity

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Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) has a gay son, but refuses to back gay marriage.

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His son makes a its gets better video http://t.co/Blr7nNJCsL

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Cardinal Dolan: Church needs better outreach to gays

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Prop 8 & DOMA Late night round-up

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Egypt’s Jon Stewart still getting laughs amid turmoil

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Rise and Shine

BizJournals:  To commemorate the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released a story bank featuring stories of successful prevention initiatives in action from around the country.  Many of the stories focus on Community Transformation Grant (CTG) awardees, and show how this new program, made possible by the ACA, is already helping to improve the health of Americans.  CTGs are one of the hallmark programs of the ACA’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is a dedicated investment in community prevention and state and local public health programs and workforce.

Read More Here

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Biden Not Giving Up On Assault Weapons Ban

AP: The White House is still pushing for an assault weapons ban, Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday, even though Senate Democrats all but sealed its fate by dropping it from the gun-control package they plan to consider next month. “Attitudes are changing,” Biden said in an interview with NPR News. “The president and I are going to continue to push, and we haven’t given up on it.”

“I don’t see this as there’s an automatic endpoint, that, OK, there’s one vote, this is it, fails, now we move on,” Biden said. “We are going to continue to push for logical gun-safety regulations.”

Still, Biden acknowledged that if Congress expanded background checks but failed to adopt the assault weapons ban, the White House would not consider the broader effort a failure. “That would be gigantic,” Biden said.

More Here

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U.S. President Barack Obama views the Dead Sea Scrolls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool

In this handout image supplied by the Government Press Office of Israel (GPO) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and U.S. President Barack Obama visit the shrine of the book on March 21, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.

U.S. President Barack Obama greets Theresa Hannigan from New York, who is wearing a ReWalk bionic walking assistance system, at an Israeli technology exhibition at the Israel Museum on March 21, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu view a robotic snake used in search and rescue at an Israeli technology exhibition in the Israel Museum on March 21, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and U.S. President Barack Obama visit the shrine of the book on March 21, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel.

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President Obama Visits Israel Museum’s Shrine Of The Book

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First lady Michelle Obama talks with Jorge Ortiz during her visit to the Fisher House, located at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Wednesday, March 20, 2013, for a pre-Easter celebration with military families and children. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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First Lady Bears Gifts To Military Families

 AP:  Michelle Obama marked the first day of spring with an early Easter celebration as she handed out holiday treats to military families and children.

The first lady stopped by the Fisher House at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Wednesday as families decorated Easter cards.

Mrs. Obama, accompanied by first dog Bo, carried a basket full of cookies made by the White House pastry chefs in the shape of the Portuguese water dog.

She also brought tickets for the families to attend the White House Egg Roll on April 1.

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Anthony Robinson gets close to the Obama family dog, Bo, as first lady Michelle Obama watches during her visit to the Fisher House, located at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Wednesday, March 20, 2013, for a pre-Easter celebration with military families and children. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

First lady Michelle Obama shares a laugh with, from left, Sanae Bright, Kerry Bright and Ashanti Ferguson, during her visit to the Fisher House, located at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Wednesday, March 20, 2013, for a pre-Easter celebration with military families and children. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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AP:  The nation’s views on gay marriage are more favorable in large part because of a shift in attitudes among those who know someone who is gay or became more accepting as they got older of gays and lesbians, according to a national survey. The Pew Research Center poll also finds that a large group of younger adults who tend to be more open to gay rights is driving the numbers upward.

Overall, the poll finds 49 percent of Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, and 44 percent opposed to the idea. That’s more people now favoring gay marriage than opposing it. A decade ago 58 percent opposed it and a third supported it.

The 49 percent who now support same-sex marriage includes 14 percent who said they have changed their minds.

When asked why, almost one-third say it’s because they know someone who is gay — a family member, friend or acquaintance. A quarter said their personal views have changed as they thought more about the issue or just because they’ve grown older and more accepting.

More Here

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The GOP’s Self-Refuting Argument On Guns

Greg Sargent: The argument that we don’t need expanded background checks because “criminals don’t respect the law,” i.e., they won’t submit themselves to a background check, is a common one among the “gun rights” crowd. But this argument is self-refuting. It is actually an argumentfor expanding background checks, not against it. Here’s why: The loophole in the background check law — which the new proposal would close — is actually a leading reason why those who are prohibited from having guns are able to continue not “respecting the law.” The loophole in the law is a key reason they are able to get guns while not submitting themselves to background checks under the current system.

If the loophole were closed — and private sales were subjected to a background check, which law enforcement officials and other experts believe will severely limit the ability of criminals and/or traffickers to get guns — it would, in the view of those experts, become a lot harder for criminals not to “respect the law.” That is an outcome Boehner presumably wants. The fact that criminals don’t “respect the law” is why we need expanded background checks in the first place. The broader point here is that there’s no coherent policy argument against expanding background checks. That’s why Boehner accidentally admitted that background checks are good policy. That’s why the argument that we should not tighten up the law because criminals don’t obey laws is self-undermining. And that’s why opponents continually resort to the false claim that expanding background checks will create a “national gun registry,” when the law explicitly prohibits that outcome.

Read More Here

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All Times Eastern

11:00 AM	11:00AM: President Obama delivers remarks to the Israeli people. 11:00AM: Vice-President Biden joins New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall to discuss gun violence.
12:00 PM	12:00PM: VP Biden delivers remarks at the 2013 Irish America Hall of Fame luncheon.
12:10 PM	12:10PM: President Obama meets with U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv and U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem staff.
2:10 PM	2:10PM: President Obama delivers remarks at a dinner hosted by President Peres.

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Rise and Shine…..

PRESIDENT OBAMA IS WATCHING THE TOD CREW WITH AN EAGLE EYE……SO EVERYONE BEHAVE!!

Vice President Biden will be holding down the fort… until President Obama gets back.

H/T  TODer @Arapaho415 https://twitter.com/arapaho415

Pope Francis meets Vice President Joe Biden and his sister, Valerie Biden Owens, after his installation Mass at the Vatican on Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

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PRESIDENT OBAMA CELEBRATES WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AT THE WHITE HOUSE

http://wh.gov/sPD6

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the Women’s History Month reception in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2013. Standing at right are First Lady Michelle Obama and Amanda McMillan, who introduced the President.

President Barack Obama and Dr. Jill Biden welcome Cathy Russell to the stage after the President announced her nomination as Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues

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Rise and Shine Weekend edition……

President Barack Obama works on his State of the Union address with staff in the Oval Office, Feb. 12, 2013. Seated, from left, are: Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications; Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau; and Cody Keenan, Deputy Director of Speechwriting. Photo Pete Souza

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VIDEO ACCOMPANYING PHOTO SHOOT AND INTERVIEW WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA & PRESIDENT OBAMA

http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/michelle-obama-leading-by-example/#1

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H/T TODer Hopefruit

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NOMINATE A HERO FOR THE 2013 CITIZENS MEDAL

http://wh.gov/oAzC

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PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ITINERARY FOR NEXT WEEKS MIDDLE EAST TRIP

 Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor: 

The President will arrive in Israel on Wednesday of next week.  He will begin his program with an arrival ceremony at the airport with both President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu.  Following that arrival ceremony, where each of the leaders will speak, the President will view an Iron Dome battery.  The U.S. investments in support for the Iron Dome System has been one of the clearest manifestations of our support for Israel and its security.  We’re very proud that the Iron Dome System has saved numerous Israeli lives in helping to deal with the threat from rocket fire.  The President’s visit to the Iron Dome battery, again, is a signal of that continued support for Israel and its security, and the close relationship and partnership that we have on the security issues.

Following that, the President will have meetings throughout the afternoon with both President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu.  First, he will meet with President Peres at his residence.  The two Presidents will have a chance to spend some time together and make statements as well.  Following that, the President will go to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence, where he’ll have a chance to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, followed by a press conference, and then followed by a working dinner.

The President and Prime Minister Netanyahu, as you’ve heard us say, have spent more time together one-on-one than, frankly, any other leader that the President has spent some time with since he came into office.  They’ll have an opportunity to have a very wide-ranging discussion on the various issues — security, political, and economic — that I referenced earlier.  And that will conclude the President’s first day there.

The next day, Thursday, the President will begin by going to the Israel Museum.  At the Israel Museum, he will view the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are a testament, of course, to the ancient Jewish connection to Israel and, frankly, a marvel that the Israelis have restored within the Israel Museum in a very substantial, impressive way.  So the President very much looks forward to the opportunity to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Following that, he’ll be visiting a technology exposition, also at the museum, in which he’ll be able to see some of the remarkable signs and technological progress that’s been made within Israel, some of the remarkable innovation that is helping to fuel the Israeli economy and, frankly, the global economy.  And it’s also the foundation of significant U.S. and Israeli economic cooperation.  And I think, again, seeing the ancient connection through the Dead Sea Scrolls and then the future that is being forged in Israel through the technology exposition I think will be a very powerful experience.

Following that, the President will travel to Ramallah.  In Ramallah, he will have a bilateral meeting with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.  And then the two leaders will have a press conference and then they’ll have a working lunch together.  Again, the United States has supported the significant institution-building that the Palestinian Authority has undertaken in the West Bank.  It’s a chance to discuss our continued support for the PA, as well as to discuss ways to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace going forward.

Following the working lunch, the President will join Prime Minister Fayyad at the Al-Bireh Youth Center, also in Ramallah.  Again, this is an opportunity for the President to see firsthand some of the work that’s being done to develop institutions on the West Bank, and also to meet with a range of Palestinian young people and hear directly from them as well.  So that will complete that portion of his time in Ramallah.

Then he will go to the Jerusalem International Convention Center later that afternoon, where he will deliver a speech to the Israeli people.  The speech — frankly, the President very much wanted to have the opportunity to speak not just to Israelis, but to Israeli young people, so we’ve worked to help build a crowd that will bring in a significant number of Israeli university students from the many universities that our embassy partners with within Israel.

The President’s speech I think will focus on the nature of the ties between the United States and Israel, the broad agenda that we work on together on security, on peace, on economic prosperity.  And I think he’ll have a chance to speak to the future of that relationship, so discussing not just the nature of the challenges that we face today, but where the United States and Israel are working to move together as we head into the future of the 21st century.

Following that speech, later that night, the President will be hosted at a dinner by President Peres.  And President Obama was honored to present President Peres with the Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, last year at the White House.  Now he is very much looking forward to having a dinner with President Peres and a broad range of prominent Israeli leaders at the state dinner at the President’s residence.  And then, that will conclude the program on Thursday.

On Friday, the President will begin his day by going to Mt. Herzl, where he will lay a wreath at both the graves of Herzl and Rabin, speaking, of course, to the significant contributions that both of those huge figures in Israeli history and Jewish history — to their contribution.

Following those wreath-layings, he will visit Yad Vashem and tour Yad Vashem, and have a chance to lay a wreath and make remarks there, of course, marking the very somber and powerful history of the Holocaust.  The President was able to travel there previously in 2008 as a senator and was very deeply moved by that experience, and it’s an important opportunity to once again mark that particular tragic element of our shared history.

Following the visit to Yad Vashem, the President will travel to Bethlehem where he will tour the Church of the Nativity.  Both Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity are obviously very important sights in the West Bank — important to the Palestinian people, also important to Christians in the region and around the world.  And so it will be a very powerful experience for the President to be able to have the experience of touring the Church of the Nativity and observing firsthand that history and experience.

That will conclude the President’s time in Israel and the West Bank.

He will then travel to Jordan.  And that afternoon, after he arrives in Jordan, there will be an arrival ceremony.  Then he will have a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah.  The two leaders will have a joint press conference.  Then that night, the President will be hosted at a dinner by King Abdullah.  And he will be spending the night there in Amman.

Then the next morning, the President will travel to Petra, which is obviously a sight that the Jordanian people are very justly proud of.  And so he’ll have an opportunity to see something that is of great value to people all across the region and particularly in Jordan.

And I anticipate an agenda that will cover regional security issues, the situation in Syria, the very significant refugee challenge within Jordan, the Israeli-Palestinian issue and our ongoing support for political and economic reform in Jordan.

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President Obama fantasizes about sitting in a cafe and wearing a fake mustache in Israel during an interview with Israeli Channel 2 ahead of his trip to the Middle East next week.

Full 20 minute interview: 1rst minute is in Hebrew

http://www.mako.co.il/news-military/israel/Article-1a3e0235a0a6d31004.htm

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A SOBER ASSESMENT FROM CHEMI SHALEV http://t.co/z437icjdAq

WILL PBO FINALLY CRACK THE ISRAELI CODE? http://bloom.bg/10RVmHf

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PRESIDENT OBAMA IN CHICAGO TALKING ABOUT ENERGY POLICY

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President Obama seeks to use oil and gas money to develop alternative fuel cars

http://t.co/QstHkaaSIE

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http://t.co/P9IwrzwOSL

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http://t.co/xH1CoZok7P

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In U.S., nuclear energy loses momentum amid economic head winds, safety issues http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/2013/03/11/fb6d61c2-715e-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html

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JAY CARNEY IS ENJOYING LIFE THESE DAYS

 

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First presidential press conference held 100 years ago – CBS News Video http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142891n

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GOOD MORNING TOD! HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, LOVELPLAINS

Rise and Shine

 

WH introduces a “Being Biden” series, telling stories behind photos taken through the years
http://

http://http://www.whitehouse.gov/being-biden
http://www.whitehouse.gov/being-biden

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SOS Kerry Speaking Norwegian 4 2 Secs, lived w/ his father in FS. By my count that’s 6 lang so far

http://t.co/NnCH1FWtZK
Jen Psaki training to take over SOS Kerry’s press secretary

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/psaki-in-training-for-state-department-job/2013/03/11/404c42d6-8a5f-11e2-8d72-dc76641cb8d4_blog.html

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White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett with the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project team

http://wh.gov/ooaB

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Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s cruel budget knocks 40-50 million people of health care

http://t.co/OMHklrA4px TOON PROVIDED BY SWBLUEGA
Cable Obsessively Covers Cuts To WH Tours, Virtually Ignores Cuts To Programs For The Poor

http://thkpr.gs/ZCcivf
White House Points To Republicans Bemoaning Sequester Back Home

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/white-house-points-to-republicans-bemoaning-sequester-back-h
Justices warn spending cuts put critical legal services at risk

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/politics/supreme-court-spending-cuts/index.html

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Solar power has record year in 2012, with total U.S. capacity surging 40%, despite setbacks

http://t.co/7pfA7wL0p9
Last year @ENERGYSTAR certified buildings helped save $2.7 billion in annual utility bills
http://t.co/LGKhAVbF3D
PBO approved 1100MW of new Solar on fed land, more power than Nuclear produced in 30 years.

http://t.co/tQGVeqkEBj

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Healthcare Providers and Health Information Technology Infographic, part of the Stimulus

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Iraq War: 190,000 lives, $2.2 trillion up to 6 trillion eventually affecting Veteran’s benefits

http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-war-costs-u-more-2-trillion-study-144627599.html

Brown University Study: http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2013/03/warcosts
Command threat advisory, sent by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. after Karzai remarks.
http://t.co/nicimOUBiq
MoD admits campaign in Afghanistan is ‘an unwinnable war’ Damming report

http://t.co/fnLXTAK1D6

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@scottprouty (47%) Videographer has received death threats and legal bills,may have to move.
http://t.co/XoI0BaEQHH
If you would like to help him out here is the link to his legal fund http://www.gofundme.com/1ix17c

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Pres Obama tomorrow visits the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois for a speech on energy policy at 230pm/ET.

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GM TOD, WP was invaded by the Matrix yesterday on my end, and ended up erasing my thread 4 separate times……. I hope this turns out ok for everyone, I was not going to waste another god knows how long trying to post this again. I do not know how this will show up, their may be some glitches, please be patient with me I’m running blind on this one…………Thanks LovelyPlains.