The President And First Lady’s Day

President Barack Obama stands with Helen Loring Ensign, 85, from Palm Desert, Calif., after awarding the Medal of Honor posthumously to Army First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for conspicuous gallantry during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House

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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at a ceremony to present the Medal of Honor posthumously to Army First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing for conspicuous gallantry in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. First Lieutenant Cushing received the Medal of Honor for his actions during combat operations in the vicinity of Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863

President Barack Obama stands with Helen Loring Ensign, 85, from Palm Desert, Calif., after awarding the Medal of Honor posthumously to Army First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for conspicuous gallantry during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. With them, from left to right, are Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Army Secretary John McHugh and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald.

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing is pictured in a military academy graduation photograph dated 1861, obtained on October 28, 2014. President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Civil War artillery officer the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. award for bravery, 151 years after Cushing was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.

President Barack Obama stands with Helen Loring Ensign, as the citation for her relative, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing is read

Margaret Zerwekh of Delafield, Wis. raises her hand as she is acknowledged by President Barack Obama during a ceremony awarding the Medal of Honor posthumously to Army First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for conspicuous gallantry. President Obama acknowledged the work of Zerwekh, a 94-year-old amateur historian from Cushing’s hometown who painstakingly researched his story and lobbied Wisconsin’s congressional delegation for decades

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during a special daytime workshop for high school students from military communities in the greater Washington area

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Willie Nelson, right, and fellow panelist, songwriter Ted Peterson, left, hip hop recording artist Common, second from right, listen as Army Sgt. Christiana Ball responds to a question

The President and First Lady’s Day

President Obama shakes hands with military service members prior to a meeting with military senior leadership at the Pentagon on October 8

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President Barack Obama meets with senior military leadership at the Pentagon in Arlington (Photo by Pete Souza)

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President Obama participates in a conference call with state and local officials to discuss the Administration’s domestic preparedness response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, at the White House on October 8

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Text of Remarks by the President in Conference Call here

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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, President Obama and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey sit in a meeting with Military Senior Leadership at the Pentagon on October 8, 2014 in Arlington, Virginia. The President met with the military leaders for an update on the battle against ISIS.

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Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and President Obama greet members of the military after attending meetings with military leadership at the Pentagon

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Thanks to @FLOTUS Michelle Obama for being on #TeamWendy! http://t.co/HqG2kDBbdb

— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) October 8, 2014

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First Lady Michelle Obama hosts a Fashion Education Workshop at the White House. The workshop was to connect students with leading fashion professionals to show what to take to succeed in the fashion industry

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Text of remarks here

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First Lady Michelle Obama hugs Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue magazine, after she was introduced by Wintour during a session of a Fashion Education Workshop

Fashion stylist Mary Alice Stephenson attends a session of a Fashion Education Workshop

First Lady Michelle Obama introduces Chelsea Chen, who won a design competition

 

Fashion designer Jason Wu applauds First Lady Michelle Obama as she hosts a luncheon and panel discussion

Fashion designer Phillip Lim takes a picture of First Lady Michelle Obama

Fashion designers Edward Wilkerson (L) and Thom Browne (R) applaud First Lady Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama hugs fashion designer Naeem Khan during a fashion construction workshop session at the first ever Fashion Education Workshop in the State Dining Room at the White House

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with young fashion design students

First Lady Michelle Obama visits the “Wearable Technology” workshop. Wearable technology is the integration of technology with fashion, like boots that charges cellphone, bras that detect cancer, compression shirts that monitor and record your heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature

Soulsville, USA: The Workshop

Sam Moore, of the legendary group called Sam and Dave, and Mavis Staples, of the Staple Singers, enjoy a light moment during the Memphis Soul Workshop in the State Dining Room of the White House. Mavis had mentioned that it was easy to transition to soul music from gospel music by substituting ‘baby’ for ‘Jesus’.

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Next up:

7:30: The President and First Lady host a concert celebrating Memphis Soul music as part of their “In Performance at the White House” series

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Justin Timberlake congratulates Sam Moore after he performed “Soul Man”

This and That

Musicians Mavis Staples and Justin Timberlake listen to first lady Michelle Obama during a Memphis Soul music workshop in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 9

Musicians Samuel Moore, Mavis Staples and Justin Timberlake

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Coming up:

2:0: Vice President Biden Speaks at a Law Enforcement Event at the White House

7:30: The President and First Lady host a concert celebrating Memphis Soul music as part of their “In Performance at the White House” series

Both on White House live

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Link

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Senator Tim Kaine: Nearly four months after the horrific Newtown shootings, the Senate is poised to do something that hasn’t been done for a long time in Congress – actually have a meaningful floor debate on reducing gun violence. Some senators and lobbyists are trying to make sure that no vote can take place. This should outrage the strong majority of American citizens who believe in reasonable gun rules to protect public safety.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and 11 other senators have promised to filibuster any discussion of gun safety rules. Instead of just voting against restrictions they don’t like, they are trying to block any vote whatsoever….

…. There are those who believe the National Rifle Association and its allies are so powerful that no legislation will pass. But the power of the organization’s leadership is vastly overrated. I’ve run three statewide races in the NRA’s home state. Its leadership campaigned vigorously against me each time, spending nearly $800,000 against me in my 2012 Senate race. I won all my races anyway.

Full Op-ed here

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Read here

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Steve Benen: I’ve long believed we can learn a lot about politicians by how they conduct their campaigns. Candidates who are honest and above board before the election tend to be honest and above board after the votes are tallied. Those who choose to be dishonest and sleazy during the race are often less than forthright once in office.

And if this adage is true, we’re learning some unsettling things about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell…

More here

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Greg Sargent: …. The suggestion by the McConnell campaign that Mother Jones engaged in “Watergate-style tactics to bug campaign headquarters” is intriguing; it constitutes a suggestion that Mother Jones broke the law. To my knowledge, the McConnell campaign didn’t provide CNN with any evidence of this. (The Mother Jones story only says that a “recording” of the strategy session “was obtained by Mother Jones.”) It’s a serious charge, and if it were made without evidence by the campaign of the Senate minority leader — perhaps the most powerful Republican elected official the country — it’s a big deal.

More here

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The People’s View: How Obama is Vastly Expanding the Social Safety Net

Since late last week, we have been fed a steady diet of grandma on catfood and the eeeebil Obama that is trying to make that happen. As usual, focusing on the method of inflation adjustment (that isn’t simply applicable to Social Security but all of government), our venerable Leftist talking heads are missing the forest for the trees. Well, more like they’re missing the forest for the branches. While people are howling at a revised method of calculating inflation, they are completely missing broader perspective on how this president is devising a more expansive social safety net.

So let’s get some perspective. This president has expanded the social safety net in more broadly than anyone since the passage of Social Security – through health care reform, through expanding children’s health insurance, through student aid expansion and through Medicare reforms. Let’s talk about those.

More here

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Thanks Donna

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NYT: David Axelrod, the political strategist behind the rise of President Obama, has signed with Penguin Press to write a memoir, the publisher said Tuesday morning. Release is slated for fall 2014.

More here

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Yikes:

Independent (UK): Lady Thatcher’s death could propel The Wizard Of Oz track “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” to the top of the charts.

Those who saw her death as a cause for celebration have prompted a download surge for the track.

Within 24 hours of the former Prime Minister’s death, the song had risen to number 9 in the iTunes best-sellers chart. It reached number 2 on the Amazon singles download chart.

More here

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Guess who’s paws? twitter.com/petesouza/stat…

— petesouza (@petesouza) April 9, 2013

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Text of remarks here

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In July, Rachel Robinson will be ……. 91. Incredible.

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks alongside actors Harrison Ford and Chadwick Boseman as she welcomes high school and college students from across the country for a workshop with the cast and crew of the film 42

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Heads Up: First Lady hosts ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ workshop

11:0 EST: First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts an Interactive Student Workshop with the Cast and Crew of the film Beasts of the Southern Wild

White House live

rise and shine (and heads up)

White House live

CNN live streaming

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James Fallows (The Atlantic): … but then he gets a chance to sing at the White House tonight, doing Sweet Home Chicago with Mick Jagger and also B.B. King?? Jeesh, talk about being the most powerful man in the world.

…. The guy does have a charm that is hard to imagine the Santorums or Romneys ever matching ….  for extra enjoyment check out the shots of White House chief of staff Jacob Lew bopping in the background. A real hep cat, for sure!

More here

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AP: A surging Rick Santorum is running even with Mitt Romney atop the Republican presidential field, but neither candidate is faring well against President Barack Obama eight months before Americans vote, a new survey shows.

Obama tops 50 percent support when matched against each of the four GOP candidates and holds a significant lead over each of them, according to the Associated Press-GfK poll….

….. Obama holds an 8-point lead over Romney, 9 points over Santorum and 10 points over Gingrich or Paul…. Notably, the survey showed the president dominating among independents, a group central to Obama’s 2008 victory, whose support for him had faltered in recent months. According to the poll, 6 in 10 independents would choose Obama over any of the Republicans.

More here

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MSNBC

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Marquette: President Barack Obama leads each of his Republican rivals in Wisconsin, according to the new Marquette Law School Poll. Obama leads former Senator Rick Santorum 51 percent to 40 percent and leads former governor Mitt Romney by 53 percent to 38 percent. In January, Obama’s lead over Romney was 48 percent to 40 percent. The president holds a 52 percent to 36 percent lead over Rep. Ron Paul and a 56 percent to 33 percent margin over former Speaker Newt Gingrich.

More here

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Esquire

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Charles Pierce: It should be A Very Special Episode, this Wednesday night’s season finale of the 1,329,465,771.5 Republican debates. They should invite the whole cast back, all the people who left the show for their own spinoffs, the way they brought Rhoda and Phyllis back when Mary Richards got fired at WJM. Look, here’s Herman Cain, and there’s Michele Bachmann, and there’s Rick Perry, stumbling and falling into the potato salad. And there’s the formerly invisible Jon Huntsman. Who knew he was so tall?

More here

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The Week

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Chris Matthews video here, Ed Schultz here

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TPM

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Steve Benen: Last week, the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman Darrell Issa, held a one-sided hearing on contraception access, featuring an opening panel of five conservative men – and no one else. Democrats on the committee had invited a witness, Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, but Issa refused to allow her to participate.

House Dems aren’t taking “no” for an answer …. Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that a Democratic panel will meet this week to hear testimony from just one witness: Sandra Fluke….

…. There was, however, an unexpected twist yesterday afternoon … the Republican-controlled Committee on House Administration has refused to allow the hearing to be televised ….. what is it, exactly, about Fluke’s perspective that has Republicans so concerned? The law student wants to share the story of a classmate who lost an ovary due to an ailment that could have been treated with birth control.

Full post here

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Morning everyone 😉

singing the blues

First Lady Michelle Obama hosts a student workshop called “At The Crossroads: A History Of The Blues In America” at the White House. On stage with Obama are (L-R) musicians Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Shemekia Copeland and Keb Mo. The event is being held in recognition of Black History Month as part of the “In Performance at the White House” series.

from the coal mines of kentucky to the california sun….

**** The concert airs on PBS Wednesday, November 23 at 8 p.m. ET ****

President Obama delivers remarks before a “celebration of country music” concert at the White House

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More here

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Tuesday:

9:35 AM The President departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews

9:50 Departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Manchester, N.H.

11:0 Arrives in Manchester, N.H.

12:15 Delivers remarks on the American Jobs Act

1:20 Departs Manchester, N.H.

2:55 Arrives at the White House

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President Barack Obama looks at a photograph of Kate Puzey as he greets her brother, David Puzey, and other guests in the Oval Office, Nov. 21. The President signed the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011, which improves the preventative measures and the response of the Peace Corps in cases of crime and sexual assault of Peace Corps volunteers.

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night everyone

President Barack Obama meets with staff in the Oval Office, May 11. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Thursday:

The President’s town hall from today airs at 8:00 AM on CBS

In the morning, the President will deliver remarks at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast at the Mellon Auditorium.

Later in the morning, the President and the Vice President will meet with the Senate Republican Caucus in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to discuss his legislative agenda and look for common ground on important issues

In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will honor the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS in the Rose Garden.

Later, the President will meet with the Congressional Black Caucus.

Later in the day, the President is interviewed by Telemundo.

Afterwards, the President will be interviewed by KINC Univision/Entravision Las Vegas, WLTV Univision 23 Miami and Telemundo Dallas.

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Thank you sooooooooo much again to everyone who donated to Obama/Biden 2012 through The Obama Diary page on OFA – we reached our $1,000 target last night, just a couple of days after setting the page up, which was completely brilliant 😉

Some of you very kindly got in touch today to ask me to up the limit from $1,000 so that they could donate too, so I’ve done that – thank you again.

I’m going to spare you all these reminders about the fundraiser, I’ve just put a link to the OFA page in the sidebar on the right, so if you ever have a spare $10 or so and feel like donating that would be great.

The legend that is Meta also has a fundraising page at OFA – here – which is heading towards $5,000. You’re a star, Meta.

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This is for Suzanne:

Music: Nocturne by Secret Garden

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I’ll post videos from the Poetry night at the White House as soon as they appear on YouTube

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See you tomorrow 😉