Michelle and I are sending our prayers to those affected by the severe storms in Tennessee, especially to those who… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 03, 2020Posts Tagged ‘tornado
31
Aug
17
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****
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President Obama greets residents during a visit to the tornado devastated town of Vilonia, Arkansas (Pete Souza)
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3:30 EDT: President Obama Makes a Statement, Vilonia, Arkansas
Live streaming from Arkansas here – thank you JER
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28
Apr
14
Rise and Shine
President Obama greets members of the audience following his remarks at the Oakley Lindsay Center in Quincy, Ill., April 28, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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The Philippines is 12 hours ahead of EDT
In the morning, President Obama delivers remarks at Fort Bonafacio
Later that morning, the President participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery
The President travels back to Washington, D.C.
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President Obama arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines
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Amita O. Legaspi: US, PHL Sign Agreement For Increased US Troop Presence
Philippine and United States officials on Monday signed the agreement that will allow an enlarged rotational presence of American troops in the country, hours before the arrival of US President Barack Obama. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador Philip Goldberg signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The ceremony lasted for not more than 15 minutes. The two officials left did not take questions after giving short statements. Finalized after eight rounds of talks that began in August 2013, the new accord grants US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, the right to construct facilities, and pre-position equipment, aircraft and vessels. But the pact rules out permanent basing, as the Philippine Constitution bans foreign military bases in the country unless covered by a treaty.
According to a fact sheet provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the pact has an initial term of 10 years and was signed as an executive agreement within the scope of the Visiting Forces Agreement that had been ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1999. In his speech, Goldberg stressed that the agreement will not pave the way for permanent US military presence and the reopening their military bases in the country. “The US does not intend to establish permanent military presence in the Philippines…it will not reopen US bases to enhance our defense relationship,” he said. Goldberg said the agreement will support the long-term modernization of the Armed Forces and will help it “maintain and develop additional maritime security, maritime domain awareness and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capability.”
More here
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President Barack Obama and Philippines President Benigno Aquino III speak at a joint news conference at Malacanang Palace in Manila, the Philippines
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President Barack Obama signs a guestbook as Philippine President Benigno Aquino III stands by in the Malacanang Palace in Manila, the Philippines
President Obama delivers a speech as Philippine President Benigno Aquino III smiles during a state dinner at Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines
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President Obama accepts the Order of the Sikatuna from President Benigno Aquino
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Robert Calandra: Once Opposed To ACA, Now A Convert
Dean Angstadt fells trees for a living. He’s a self-employed, self-sufficient logger who has cleared his own path for most of his 57 years, never expecting help from anyone. And even though he’d been uninsured since 2009, he especially wanted nothing to do with the Affordable Care Act. “I don’t read what the Democrats have to say about it because I think they’re full of it,” he told his friend Bob Leinhauser, who suggested he sign up. That refrain changed this year when a faulty aortic valve almost felled Angstadt. Suddenly, he was facing a choice: Buy a health plan, through a law he despised, that would pay the lion’s share of the cost of the life-saving surgery – or die. He chose the former. “A lot of people I talk to are so misinformed about the ACA,” Angstadt said. “I was, before Bob went through all this for me. I would recommend it to anybody and, in fact, have encouraged friends, including the one guy who hauls my logs.” Angstadt called Leinhauser. The political odd couple talked a bit before Angstadt mentioned he was having trouble breathing. Leinhauser, 55, a retired firefighter and nurse, drove him to a doctor’s office.
“Dean only saw a doctor when he needed to because it made a big difference in his finances,” Leinhauser said. From time to time, Leinhauser would urge Angstadt to buy a plan through the ACA marketplace. And each time, Angstadt refused. “We argued about it for months,” Angstadt said. “I didn’t trust this Obamacare. One of the big reasons is it sounded too good to be true.” Leinhauser went to Angstadt’s house, and in less than an hour, the duo had done the application. A day later, Angstadt signed up for the Highmark Blue Cross silver PPO plan and paid his first monthly premium: $26.11. Angstadt’s plan kicked in on March 1. It was just in time. Surgery couldn’t be put off any longer. On March 31, Angstadt had life-saving valve-replacement surgery. “I probably would have ended up falling over dead” without the surgery, Angstadt said. “Not only did it save my life, it’s going to give me a better quality of life.” “For me, this isn’t about politics,” he added. “I’m trying to help other people who are like me, stubborn and bullheaded, who refused to even look. From my own experience, the ACA is everything it’s supposed to be and, in fact, better than it’s made out to be.”
More here
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Reuters: U.S. Sanctions Russia Over Ukraine
The United States froze assets and imposed visa bans on seven powerful Russians close to President Vladimir Putin on Monday and also sanctioned 17 companies in reprisal for Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. President Barack Obama said the moves, which add to measures taken when Russia annexed Crimea last month, were to stop Putin fomenting rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Obama added he was holding broader measures against Russia’s economy “in reserve”. Among those sanctioned were Igor Sechin, head of state energy firm Rosneft, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. A Russian deputy foreign minister was quoted as expressing “disgust” at the White House announcement. The European Union, with more to lose than Washington from sanctions against Russia, a major energy supplier and trading partner for the EU,
is also expected to announce new penalties after member governments reached a deal, diplomats said. The United States will deny export licenses for any high-technology items that could contribute to Russian military capabilities and will revoke any existing export licenses that meet these conditions, the White House said. It was the third round of sanctions that the United States has imposed over Crime and troop build-up on the border. All the sanctions have been aimed at individuals and businesses. “Russia’s involvement in the recent violence in eastern Ukraine is indisputable,” a White House statement said.
More here
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TPM: Obama Pledges Federal Help After Deadly Tornado
President Barack Obama is sending his deepest condolences to those affected by a deadly tornado that ripped through Arkansas. Obama says he wants everyone affected to know that the federal government is on the ground to help. He says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will work with local officials. Obama says, quote, “Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes.” The president is also praising the heroic efforts of first responders and neighbors. A broad tornado killed at least 11 when it sliced through suburbs in Arkansas on Sunday at the start of the U.S. tornado season. Another person died in Oklahoma.
More here
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Statement by the President on Yom HaShoah: whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi…
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@NSCPress (@NSCPress) April 28, 2014****
BREMMER: Russia Is Looking For Any Excuse For Trouble In Ukraine businessinsider.com/what-russia-is… via @BI_Defense
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Jens Nilsson (@jensa2000) April 27, 2014****
Washington Post: Ukraine Mayor Shot; US Announces New Sanctions
The mayor of Ukraine’s second-largest city was shot in the back and pro-Russia insurgents seized more government buildings Monday as the U.S. hit Russia with more sanctions for allegedly fomenting the unrest in eastern Ukraine. Armed insurgents tacitly backed by Moscow are seeking more autonomy in the region — possibly even independence or annexation with Russia. Ukraine’s acting government and the West have accused Russia of orchestrating the unrest, which they fear Moscow could use as a pretext for an invasion. Hennady Kernes, the mayor of Kharkiv, was shot in the back Monday morning, underwent surgery and “doctors are fighting for his life,” city hall said. Kernes was a staunch opponent of the pro-West Maidan movement that toppled President Viktor Yanukovych in February and
"Russia has only a 2.9% share of global gross domestic product. This is only 6% of NATO's GDP." themoscowtimes.com/opinion/articl…
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Michael B. Kelley (@MichaelKelleyBI) April 26, 2014was widely viewed as the organizer of activists sent to Kiev from eastern Ukraine to harass those demonstrators. But he has since softened his stance toward the new Kiev government. At a meeting of eastern Ukrainian leaders and acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk earlier this month, Kernes insisted he does not support the pro-Russia insurgents and backed a united Ukraine. Kharkiv is in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia gunmen have seized government buildings and police stations, set up roadblocks or staged protests to demand greater autonomy or outright annexation by Russia. But unlike the neighboring Donetsk region, Kharkiv has been largely unaffected by the insurgency and Kernes has been credited for this. Its regional administration building was briefly seized earlier this month but promptly cleared of pro-Russia protesters.
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Calling all teachers! You're invited to a Teacher Appreciation #WHSocial hosted by Dr. Biden: wh.gov/Social http://t.co/r7BKuhI3Mf
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Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) April 28, 2014****
Rep. Michael Grimm, R-NY, has been taken into custody to face federal charges. bit.ly/1nVsCVG
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WTOP (@WTOP) April 28, 2014****
Jonathan House: U.S. Pending Home Sales Rise 3.4% In March
A gauge of upcoming home sales ticked higher in March after eight straight months of declines, a sign the sector could be pulling out of its malaise. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted index of pending sales of existing homes rose 3.4% in March from February to 97.4. That was more than the 1% increase forecast by economists and placed the index 2.6% below its 2001 benchmark level. The report showed home sales perking up after suffering in recent months from an unusually harsh winter weather as well as declining affordability.
The spring buying and selling season is crucial for the U.S. housing market because many families prefer to make a move to a new school district by the end of the summer. Pending home sales provide a more timely gauge of market conditions than some other indicators as they tally sales at the moment contracts are signed. Sales typically close one or two months later. “After a dismal winter, more buyers got an opportunity to look at homes last month and are beginning to make contract offers,” said National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.
More here
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For those who criticize #Obamacare insurance subsidies, remember: You're probably getting subsidies via your employer on.freep.com/RYj42j
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Jill Lawrence (@JillDLawrence) April 27, 2014****
Scott Brown dodging Obamacare questions in NH -- via @ThePlumLineGS washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-lin…
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Jonathan Cohn (@CitizenCohn) April 28, 2014****
Greg Sargent: Scott Brown’s Obamacare Repeal Follies
Here’s another sign that the stance on Obamacare held by many GOP Senate candidates — whether you call it “repeal,” or “repeal and replace with something-or-other to be specified later” — is becoming increasingly unsustainable and could get harder and harder to explain as these campaigns intensify. In a weekend interview with WMUR, Scott Brown — who is running for Senate in New Hampshire — attempted to explain his stance on health care. He endorsed the general goals of protecting people with preexisting conditions and expanding coverage to those who need it. But he then denounced Obamacare as a “disaster,” citing the usual litany of Obama tyrannies and horror stories often hawked by Republicans. So, how would Senator Scott Brown go about accomplishing the goals he says he supports? Well, he urges reform on the state level.
New Hamsphire recently moved forward with its version of the Medicaid expansion. Brown supports repeal — which would do away with the expansion — and yet to my knowledge, he has not taken a position directly on the expansion when asked. Repeal would scrap Obamacare’s consumer protections and other efforts to expand coverage. Brown (who supported Romneycare in Massachusetts) appears to think federal reform should be repealed and replaced with state level reform. Until he says otherwise, that seems to mean he doesn’t envision a federal “replace” plan.
More here
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Get upset about the interpersonal racism revealed by Bundy & Sterling but the structural racism allowed by the Supreme Court matters more.
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Touré (@Toure) April 27, 2014****
State Farm is pulling its sponsorship of the Clippers. Wow. Others expected to do the same.
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Nick Fasulo (@nickfasuloSBN) April 28, 2014****
Race card - n. that thing Republicans want you to get in order to vote
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(@LOLGOP) April 27, 2014****
On This Day
First Lady Michelle Obama watches as students from the Ron Clark Academy perform at the unveiling of the Sojourner Truth bust at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC, April 28, 2009 (Photo by Samantha Appleton)
President Obama greets various 2009 State Teacher of the Year winners during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on April 28, 2009
President Obama speaks to employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at FBI headquarters in Washington on April 28, 2009
Students from the Ron Clark Academy perform for First Lady Michelle Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during the unveiling ceremony of abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth in the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington on April 28, 2009
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President Obama greets workers and invited guests after speaking at POET Biorefining ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri on April 28, 2010
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President Obama greets cast members from ABC’s sitcom “Modern Family”, including Julie Bowen, center, and Sofia Vergara, right, in the Oval Office, Saturday, April 28, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama arrives at the 2012 White House Correspondents Association Dinner
President Obama laughs during the 2012 White House Correspondents Association Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on April 28, 2012
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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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21
May
13
This and That
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Steve Benen: We talked earlier about Oklahoma’s junior senator, Republican Tom Coburn (R), announcing last night that he will only support federal disaster relief — for his own constituents — if it’s financed by comparable spending cuts elsewhere. But what about Oklahoma’s senior senator?
Republican Sen. James Inhofe, like Coburn, has opposed emergency aid in the recent past, including voting against a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy. This morning, however, the conservative senator said that was “totally different”.
More here
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Only on CNN: Wolf Blitzer: “You’ve got to thank the Lord for that split-second decision.” Woman, in OK: “I’m actually an atheist.”
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) May 21, 2013
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Now Obama has WEATHER WEAPONS? This is a million times worse than the last thing about Obama although I forget what that was.
— Thanks4 Sharing Jerk (@Thx4SharingJerk) May 21, 2013
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WH: As the Senate debates bipartisan immigration reform legislation, the President and the Vice President hosted a meeting today in the Oval Office with young immigrants, also known as DREAMers, as well as with the siblings and spouses of undocumented immigrants. The meeting was an important opportunity for the President and the Vice President to hear directly from people whose families are affected daily by our nation’s broken immigration system.
More here
President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with DREAMers who have received Deferred Action and U.S. citizen family members of undocumented immigrants, in the Oval Office, May 21 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Socialist stock market soaring to new historic records. S&P 500 hits 1672, Dow at remarkable 15,400. #obamasfault
— Steve Weinstein (@steveweinstein) May 21, 2013
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It being Gallup, you know yourself, it’s probably a 96-year high:
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In case you missed it, SmartyPants on the, well, interesting background of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim:
….. The next place a little curiosity might take you is to wonder just who this Stephen Jin-Woo Kim is. As even I was able to find out from a simple look at Wikipedia, he was an employee of a federally funded research and development center that consulted with Rumsfeld via the Defense Policy Board – which was chaired by Richard Perle. In 2008 – just before the Obama administration began – Kim went to work for the State Department. One might be curious about that…..
More here
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20
May
13
In times of despair
Smartypants: ‘A teacher’s love’
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Teachers as heroes-again. Teacher used her body to shield students as OK tornado strikes.
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RosY (@RosalyndDoneghy) May 20, 2013Teachers lay on top of kids to keep them safe. Teachers, y'all, are so awesome.
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(@txvoodoo) May 20, 2013
Chat away
20
May
13
In our thoughts and prayers…
Moore residents share their story of survival
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Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary school
20
May
13
We’ve Got Your Back Oklahoma
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WH official on Tornado: The President has been notified by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco
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Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 20, 2013BREAKING: Obama direct FEMA to get "all available assistance" to the Okla. disaster-hit area: yhoo.it/163mJkD
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Yahoo! News (@YahooNews) May 20, 2013WH official: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has spoken with Governor Mary Fallin to make sure there are no unmet needs
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Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 20, 2013WH official: the Administration and FEMA stand ready to provide all available assistance in response to the severe weather.
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Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 20, 2013*********
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Best way to help tornado victims is to donate to the Red Cross at redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999. #okwx
— Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 20, 2013
21
May
12
Joplin
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Marines salute President Obama as he arrives by helicopter at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to board Air Force One for his departure to Joplin
President Obama exits Air Force One on his arrival at Joplin Regional Airport
…. greeted by Missouri Gov Jay Nixon
…. greeted by Joplin Mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean
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Washington Post: President Obama will address Joplin High School’s graduating seniors in southwest Missouri late Monday, marking the one-year anniversary of the devastating tornado that destroyed an enormous path through the city and claimed 160 lives.
It was graduation night on May 22, 2011, too, when Joplin High School and more than 7,500 other buildings were destroyed by what has proven to be among the deadliest and costliest tornadoes in United States history….
….. Obama is expected to commemorate the losses as well as celebrate the success of the recovery effort so far in Joplin, where a temporary high school was set up at a local mall in time for the start of the 2011-12 school year.
More here
Aerial photo taken June 1, 2011 of tornado-damaged Joplin High School
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….. at Joplin Regional Airport
…. greeting class Seniors before attending the 2012 Joplin High School commencement ceremony
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President Obama wears a wristband with the word “Willdabeast” on it during the national anthem at the 2012 Joplin High School commencement ceremony
The Obama Diary 
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