First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to Native American youth at the first White House Tribal Youth Gathering. She told hundreds of Native American youths that they are all precious and sacred and that “each of you was put on this earth for a reason”
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Brooke Overturf, of the Navajo Nation from Window Rock, Arizona, listens to First Lady Michelle Obama speak
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More than 1,000 Native American children gathered Thursday for the first-ever Tribal Youth Gathering at the White House, where first lady Michelle Obama called them precious and sacred members of society. “Each of you was put on this Earth for a reason. Each of you has something that you’re destined to do, whether that’s raising a beautiful family, whether that’s succeeding in a profession or leading your community into a better future,” she said. “You all have a role to play and we need you.” The first lady touched upon the historical struggles of Native Americans: being forced from lands they had lived on for generations, requiring young people to attend boarding schools designed to strip them of their cultural traditions and outlawing their religions and traditional ceremonies. She urged the individuals to learn about their elected officials, and run for local, state or federal office if they aren’t satisfied with their current efforts. “Make no mistake about it, your customs, your values, your discoveries are at the heart of the American story,” she told the crowd. “And yet, as we all know, America hasn’t always treated your people and your heritage with dignity and respect.”
The meeting was part of President Barack Obama’s vow to remove barriers that make it hard for Native American children to succeed. The children came from 230 tribes in 42 states to attend the inaugural summit and meet with the first lady, cabinet officials and members of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. They planned to discuss issues ranging from cultural protection and revitalization, to tribal justice and economic opportunity. Along with the meeting on Thursday, the White House announced several commitments aimed at ensuring Native children can thrive. DOI will issue $995,000 to be distributed to 20 tribal colleges and universities, and will award seven tribal applicants a total of $1.45 million in new funding to build their tribal education departments. And in September, there will be a second Native Languages Summit to identify ways to preserve and revitalize Native languages.
More here
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Wearing traditional regalia Little Bear Johnson, a member of the Kickapoo Nation, who is from Shawnee, Oklahoma, dances to a pop song
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The #GenI #NativeYouth Challenge received more than 1,500 inspirational stories from across America: go.wh.gov/PWKjwz
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The First Lady (@FLOTUS) July 09, 20151st Ever WH Native American Youth Conference: 1000+ young ppl - Most inspiring group I will speak w/ all year. #WHTYG http://t.co/pgc87jHKyP
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Cecilia Muñoz (@Cecilia44) July 09, 2015A personal letter from @POTUS #WHTYG #NAJA15 @najavoices http://t.co/eE5v9acQAL
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Paris Burris (@ParisBurris) July 09, 2015****
Gusccavedo Harrison of the Navajo Nation who is from Chinle, Arizona, cheers as First Lady Michelle Obama mentions the Navajo as being among the Nations present as she speaks to Native American youth at the first White House Tribal Youth Gathering
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#NativeYouth are future leaders – let’s knock down barriers and open doors to support their success.SJ #GenI http://t.co/f03Yku3Ick
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Sally Jewell (@SecretaryJewell) July 09, 2015Great to see 1,000+ #NativeYouth from #WHTYG. I encouraged them join our tribal ecoAmbassadors prog & #ActonClimate. http://t.co/wQeMFHALod
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Gina McCarthy (@GinaEPA) July 09, 2015****
Not going to lie at the #WHTYG #GenI @MichelleObama made me almost cry with her hug and speech. ❤️
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malia who? (@malianoheart) July 10, 2015Thank You @SecretaryJewell @SecretaryCastro @GinaEPA for all that you do for Native Youth and Indian Country! #GenI http://t.co/YVMVr3zJEf
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Rory Wheeler (@roarasaurous) July 09, 2015****
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#WHTYG #GenI FLOTUS: vote by vote, eagle feather by eagle feather: countless acts of defiance fueled great movements http://t.co/zJvUbnmEOg
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NCAI (@NCAI1944) July 09, 2015"Make no mistake about it, your customs, values and ways are at the heart of the American story!" - @FLOTUS #WHTYG http://t.co/5E7PittbmP
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Gen-I Challenge (@Gen_Indigenous) July 09, 2015Michelle Obama's words to the tribal youth gathering at the White House are amazing. Giving me chills. #WHTYG
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Aura Bogado (@aurabogado) July 09, 2015****
Shasta Dazen of Whiteriver, Arizona, who is the 53rd Miss Indian Arizona, and Deandra Antonio, right, both of the White Mountain Apache Nation and who serve on the White Mountain Apache youth council, take pictures of First Lady Michelle Obama
President Barack Obama hugs Victoria Bellucci, a 2014 graduate of Huntingtown High School in Huntingtown, Md., after she introduced Obama to speak at the White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Bellucci played four years of women’s varsity soccer where she was a team captain and an All-State selection. By the time her high school and club soccer careers ended in 2013, Bellucci had suffered five concussions. President Obama was hosting the summit with representatives of professional sports leagues, coaches, parents, young athletes, researchers and others to call attention to the issue of youth sports concussions.
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President Barack Obama talks at the White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit. Listening is Dr. Gerard Gioia
President Barack Obama is introduced by Victoria Belluci of Huntington, Md. at the White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit. Listening are moderator Pam Oliver and Dr. Gerard Gioia
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The commander-in-chief wants to know more. President Barack Obama called Thursday for more robust research into youth concussions, saying there remains deep uncertainty over both the scope of the troubling issue and the long-term impacts on young people. “We want our kids participating in sports,” Obama said as he opened a day-long summit on concussions at the White House. “As parents though, we want to keep them safe and that means we have to have better information.” The summit signaled an effort by Obama to use the power of the presidency to elevate a national conversation over youth concussions. The White House brought together representatives of professionalsports leagues, coaches, parents, young athletes, medical professionals and others for the event.
"Sports teach us about teamwork and hard work and what it takes to succeed not only on the field, but in life." —Obama #HeadsUp4Safety
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2014Obama, an avid sports fan and father of two daughters involved in athletics, highlighted millions of dollars in pledges and other support from the National Football League, the National Institutes of Health and others to conduct research that could begin to provide answers and improve safety. Among the financial commitments is a $30 million joint research effort by the NCAA and Defense Department and an NFL commitment of $25 million over the next three years to promote youth sports safety. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can be caused by a blow to the head, or a blow to the body powerful enough to jostle the brain around inside the skull. Nearly 250,000 kids and young adults visit hospital emergency rooms each year with brain injuries caused by sports or other recreational activity, the White House said.
More here
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"We want our kids playing sports…as parents though, we want to keep them safe." —President Obama #HeadsUp4Safety
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2014****
President Barack Obama shakes hands with former football player Lavar Arrington, as former professional soccer player and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman watches
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President Obama told a White House meeting of athletes, coaches and medical experts Thursday that there are no “solid numbers” on the extent of the concussion problem in football and other contact sports. “We’ve got to have better research, better data, better safety equipment, better protocols,” Obama said at the first White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit. While “sports are vital to this country,”
"That’s what today’s about—let’s give parents the information they need to help their kids compete safely." —President Obama #HeadsUp4Safety
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2014Obama said, society needs to make sure that young people “are able to participate as safely as possible.” The purpose of the summit is to look for better ways to determine the severity of head injuries that could affect the brain, and how to treat them. Moreover, adults need to discourage a “suck-it-up” culture that encourages young athletes to pay through pain, Obama said.
More here
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President Barack Obama speaks at the White House Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit. Pictured from left to right: LaVar Arrington, former NFL linebacker; Victoria Bellucci, a high school soccer player from Huntingtown, Md.; Taylor Twellman, former professional soccer player; Gen. Ray Odierno, Chief of Staff of the United States Army; R. Dawn Comstock, who runs the national high school sports injury surveillance program called High School RIO; Gerard A Gioia, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National Medical Center, Pam Oliver, a reporter with NFL on FOX
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Youth sports concussions draw Obama's attention, #NCAA and Defense Department launch $30M effort: apne.ws/1ivCnGf
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AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 29, 2014****
@petesouza: Pres Obama meets w mayors from across the country to discuss reducing youth violence
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President Obama’s hand is grabbed by students after he spoke about the rising costs of student loans at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, April 24
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A student reacts to President Obama acknowledging her ‘happy heckles’
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Students huddle outside Carmichael Auditorium at UNC-Chapel Hill in the morning to see President Obama speak in the afternoon
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Video of the speech asap (and it was sublime) – and more photos soon
President Barack Obama meets with his National Security Staff in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Nov. 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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The First Lady Honors Arts and Humanities Programs for Youth
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If, like me, you’re struggling to understand exactly what’s going with Greece, Kevin Drum has a brilliant post about it all at Mother Jones (here) – as recommended by Steve Benen
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Thursday:
CET (Central European Time) = – 5 hours Eastern; – 8 hours Pacific
7:25AM THE PRESIDENT arrives Cote D’Azur Airport, Nice, France
9:30AM THE PRESIDENT arrives in Cannes and is greeted by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France
9:35AM THE PRESIDENT attends a bilateral meeting with President Sarkozy
10:50AM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany
12:10PM THE PRESIDENT meets with L20 International Labor Leaders
12:50PM THE PRESIDENT arrives Espace Riviera and is greeted by President Sarkozy
1:00PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a working lunch with G-20 leaders
2:30PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a G-20 working session
4:05PM THE PRESIDENT participates in the G-20 family photo
4:30PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a second G-20 working session
7:25PM THE PRESIDENT arrives Espace Riviera, Cannes
7:30PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a working dinner with G-20 leaders
On Friday, the President will meet with newly re-elected Argentine President Cristina Kirchner
The President will hold a news conference on Friday before he returns to Washington
Thanks Meta
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Steve Benen: ….. “It’s safe to say Speaker John Boehner does not agree with President Obama’s suggestion on Tuesday that Americans are better off now than they were when he took office. “Are you kidding me?!” Boehner said loudly in response to a reporter’s question on the comment.”
…. Obviously, national conditions aren’t close to where they need to be. …. Maybe, if guys like Boehner would start passing jobs bills and stop holding the economy back on purpose, the public would start to feel like the country is on the right track again.
But for those who take reality seriously, there’s no real question as to whether the country is better off now than in January 2009:
Then the nation was hemorrhaging jobs; now it’s gaining jobs.
Then the economy was shrinking; now the economy is growing.
Then the American automotive industry was on the verge of collapse; now it’s starting to thrive.
Then taxpayers were sending money to Wall Street; now taxpayers are being paid back.
Then Osama bin Laden was targeting Americans and our allies; now he’s dead and al Qaeda’s leadership has been decimated.
Then U.S. troops were headed into the Middle East in greater numbers; now they’re headed home with their heads held high.
Republicans, including John Boehner, drove the United States into a pretty deep ditch during the Bush/Cheney era, and conditions are still pretty ugly. That doesn’t change the simple fact that the nation is much stronger now than the day the president was inaugurated ….
Full post here
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The GOP’s racial confusion:
AP: A third former employee considered filing a workplace complaint against Herman Cain over what she deemed aggressive and unwanted behavior when she and Cain, now a Republican presidential candidate, worked together during the late 1990s, the woman told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She said the behavior included a private invitation to his corporate apartment.
The woman said he made sexually suggestive remarks or gestures about the same time that two co-workers had settled separate harassment complaints against Cain, who was then the head of the National Restaurant Association.
Full article here
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Washington Post: Car buyers were out in force in October, snapping up trucks and SUVs and taking advantage of deals on Japanese cars.
U.S. car and truck sales were expected to top 1 million in October, a surprising number for a month when sales are usually slow. When adjusted for seasonal factors, that would be the best pace since the Cash for Clunkers program in August 2009.
Full article here
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Mediaite: In a Quinnipiac poll taken Oct. 25-31, embattled GOP juggernaut Herman Cain continued to show amazing staying power …. (but) The real news from this poll, taken before most of the fallout from Politico‘s alleged sexual harassment expose, might be that some rays of sunshine are finally hitting President Obama.
….. President Obama gained six points on his approval rating … and is now beating all Republican challengers by margins of 5-16 points. The President has seen steady progress in the polls since rolling out his American Jobs Act in September, taking it on the road, and taking the fight to the Republicans who oppose it.
Elsewhere in the poll, Democrats opened up a lead on the generic House ballot, beating Republicans 42-36, after tying them at 39 in October.
Full post here
Also, the President is up to 45% approval with Gallup today – that’s a rise of seven points in two weeks 😉
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Wait – Suskind said the Obama administration didn’t like women much:
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AP: Michelle Obama has presented national arts and humanities awards to 12 community-based, after-school programs, including for at-risk kids.
The programs use dance, theater, writing, music, history and other art mediums to inspire teen moms and other young people and help them reach their potential. The first lady said at a White House ceremony Wednesday that the programs show that the arts are a lifeline – not a luxury – for many of these kids.
Most of the participants graduate from high school or earn a GED and go on to college.
The 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards are presented on behalf of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with three national cultural agencies.
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President Obama leaves Andrews Air Force Base en route to France
First dog Bo finds a shady spot on the South Lawn of the White House, June 8
Looks like Bo was exhausted after the previous day’s meetings:
Kalpen Modi (White House): Yesterday afternoon, I had the privilege of leading a meeting with 10 incredible young Americans who had participated in the “100 Youth Roundtables” Initiative and came to Washington….
….Halfway through the meeting, President Obama dropped by (with Bo in tow), and after meeting everyone, took a seat and talked about a range of topics: from the economic situation to climate change, education, incarcerated youth, Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, the Social Work and Reinvestment Act, and civic engagement….
More here
Thanks Debz!
First lady Michelle Obama helps paint a mural a a youth center at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, May 19
Obama White House.gov WH Tumblr The People’s View Smartypants Steve Benen