On This Day: President Barack Obama listens during a meeting with aides on Air Force One en route to Beijing, China, Nov. 16, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Today
10:05 PM EDT: The President arrives at the White House
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The Week Ahead
Monday
The President will attend meetings at the White House
Tuesday
Participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Office
Wednesday
Hosts “ConnectED to the Future”, a conference with superintendents and other educators from across the country who are leading their schools and districts in the transition to digital learning
Thursday
Awards a new class of recipients the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Friday
Attends meetings at the White House
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On This Day
President Obama arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport on November 16, 2025
Signing an autograph during a working lunch with Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng in Shanghai, China, Nov. 16, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Arriving at Canberra’s Fairbairn Airport for the start of his two-day visit to Australia, Nov 16, 2025
Participating in an official arrival ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on November 16, 2025
President Obama and Australian PM Julia Gillard greet students gathered at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, and the President gets a hug from Chelsea Gallagher, Nov 16, 2025
Greeted by students as he arrives with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at Parliament House in Canberra on November 16, 2025
Prime Minister Gillard proposes a toast to President Obama during the Parliamentary Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Nov. 16, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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White House.gov
GM TOD!!
Moooooooorning DF! Woah, your snoring kept me awake half the night :roll:
I did not sleep nearly long enough!! I have to go back and curl up in that cozy bed again….too old for this late night business:)
Good morning Chips,DF and TOD. Congrats on Furst.
Hey DesertFlower, Congrats!
Congratulations, DF, on your grand entry!
Bringing this over…Poor Pooty. Colossal in his own mind…..
I wish there is another Toon of Vladimir depicting him as a small man who sees a reflection of a Giant in the Mirror……more accurate for he is Height Challenged. Or one with a Crown and all the Garb while in truth, he has No Clothes.
This one works too…..no doubt. Just my thoughts as I see Putin running away from Australia.
CHARMING, WITH A ‘FABULOUS, HIGH-VOLTAGE SMILE’
By AP News Dec 14, 2025
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister said Wednesday that President Barack Obama impressed her as a “good person” through his acknowledgment of attendants and security staff during his recent visit to Australia.
.
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Gillard, who had previously met Obama in Washington and on the sidelines of various international forums, described him as charming, with a “fabulous, high-voltage smile.”
“The private person is very like the public person — very calm, very measured person, very intelligent, casual in a way,” she said.
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http://asiancorrespondent.com/71940/aussie-pm-impressed-by-obama-as-a-good-person/
Australia did itself no favors replacing Gillard with Abbott.
Hopefully PBO will invigorate Australia’s multi-ethnic youth, a shot in the arm as it were, for Australia to jump in on the coattails of the agenda set forth by our President’s #AsiaPacificAlliance.
I saw in the smh live blog that VC and Meta posted on the last thread that China’s Xi and India’s Modi will address Australian Parliament (Xi on Monday, Modi on Tuesday).
Here’s some insight as to why PBO chose to address Australian youth, not Aussie Parliament:
From the article:
“Don Watson, a speechwriter for Labor’s former Prime Minister Paul Keating, said recently that great speeches took words and ideas seriously.
‘Funnily enough, not many in politics do anymore’ in Australia, he said. ‘I mean, the main objective, one would think from listening to politicians now, is to try to remove the meaning from words, to make them as anodyne and dull as possible, not to generate human interest but to squash it.’”
Wow, that was a very informative and enlightening article And yes, it clearly explains why PBO chose to address Australian youth, not Aussie Parliament: Thanks for sharing.
Good morning TODville! Once again I have to say thank you to Chips, Nerdy Wonka and all who helped keep us informed on this monumental trip. I really do feel sorry for the American people who do not know what is going on in the world because our media is so bought and paid for. I just loved the fact that Putin was snubbed on such a visable level. It was wow.
Off to church. Have a great day everyone. Prays for safe travels for our President.
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone, and congrats df on #1 :)
Happy Sunday everyone, and thanks Chips for this excellent R & S roundup! I will watch the presser now since I missed it earlier, and I need to see Ed Henry get smacked down for the 29th time…
where is the presser, Hope? I missed it and want to watch too.
I think it’s the WH video 2 threads ago, and starts around the 1:21:10 mark. I’m going to check it out now.
Good morning again. PBO must be the most photographed man in history.
Happy Sunday TODers!!
Heeeeeeya Chips.
Hey can someone direct me to where I can watch PBO presser, please? I missed it and lots more.
I’m watching it now - here’s the link, at the 1:21:10 mark, and it’s audio only btw. :)
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/15/the-presidents-press-conference/
Thank you, Hope!!
It was an EXCELLENT presser - and once again, our brilliant President schooled those Koch/GOP propaganda shills with facts. I won’t give too many details but his response to the “Gruber” question was perfection…
I am so glad I stayed up for that presser last night. It was truly a thing of beauty. I will never understand why these jackals open themselves up to these takedowns on the national and international stage but it is so fun to watch. Way to go Mr. president!
Yes, it was a beautiful sight. The jackals didn’t have a chance. They went home with pure humiliation in all their pockets.
And we get to laugh at ‘em.
TWENTY-SIX MINUTES! You switched post TWENTY-SIX minutes ago! Where was I?
Sigh! I’m going to go feed my brain.
:) :) I knew that Chelsea Gallagher hug would surface! :grin: Been keeping an eye out for it - just love it!
Thanks, Ms Chica!
I see that Gruber is back on the Twitter trending list….I have no doubt that this is a manipulated trend/hashtag.
An actual investigative reporter needs to dig into this.
Cannot believe that #Gruber is a trending topic — this is a well-informed community, yet most of us are scratching our heads out this.
There are not *that* many DC journalists — too many, to be sure.
It makes no sense that GOP/MSM/Kochs actually believe that the 76% of Americans who don’t believe the earth is flat (i.e., not RWNJs) would care a flying fig about what an R-money consultant has to say about a program that prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
As I said yesterday, this hashtag is being artificially manipulated to trend. I clicked on it yesterday, and the tweets were so few and far between - that there’s no way it would be trending as high naturally.
In contrast, the “Lifetime biopic” hashtag was trending, with about 36-72 new tweets per minute. For the “gruber” hashtag I waited at least 5 minutes without seeing a single new tweet. So someone is being paid to maintain the “Gruber” hashtag trending…
The Propaganda.
Gruber? Where were these comments previously? Obviously, the KOCHroaches and their minions have been trolling Gruber for years. Funny, did Gruber write ACA? Nope. Did Gruber pass ACA? But the Media today is No Longer about Facts, Truth or Accuracy……they are all in for Fear Mongering, Lies, Distortions and down right, CARRYING WATER for their Corporate Masters, 318.9M Americans be darned.
Must eat! Bye.
Leaving you with this, as I go to eat breakfast. BRB
Hello TOD! To Ms. Chips and Nerdy I give my thanks again as, I will try to explain what a huge part TOD plays in my life.
I like to think of myself as an individual who tries to stay informed, and I will tune in from time to time to hear from folks I disagree with to try to stay balanced and to become a better advocate for my position. However, for the past two weeks I have turned off the msm completely, and relied wholly on TOD to keep me informed. Not only do I feel more and better informed,the result in my quality of life, and daily disposition has been almost radical.
The blog posts and commentary on this site, exceeds the journalistic standards of most msm, and sets the bar for quality internet content. imho.
I will still keep abreast of what others are saying, but I look to TOD like I would have any first rate news station, (even better cause it’s 24/7 live)!
If I can do nothing more for now than to keep you in my prayers, please know that my prayers are one of my best virtues. :)
<3
:) How right you are!
You’re so kind, Paulita. :)
Thanks.
Doesn’t seem to be a day off in PBO’s schedule, unless he counts his flight as down time. God please watch over and bless him, keep him healthy. We love him so. Morning all. <3
Hel-loooo there, MP! Greetings …as I slip through the side gate to feed my face….and have a lovely Sunday!
9M Plus registered Voters in TX didn’t bother to cast their votes. So TX, you built this……
Hmm, I thought Chuck Todd and the Media have.
I guess, POTUS is POTUS and will decide how he conducts his presidency…..
Hey Media, pay attention: Catch POTUS, if you all can. The Dumbness that is the US Media are clueless.
Exactly Nena!
And newsflash to NYT: Obama is neither down nor out. He has never been…
You know I fine it real funny how the Republicans want to talk about a message which the voters sent to Obama Nov. 4th. But what about the message the voters sent to the Republicans in 2012, but the Republicans ignored it and went about their low down dirty do nothing, lying obstruction, filibuster, way. After the results of the midterm they thought they were going to have a President who was going to bow down to them. I think they see that won’t happen.
They said then it was NOT a mandate. The 70M who voted in 2008 and 65.9M Voted in 2012, in 50 states and DC…..No mandate.
But 37M or less in 2014 and 33M or less in 2010 were termed by the GOPers and the News Media as mandates.
GOPers and the Media kept emphasizing those states that McCain and Romney Won respectively.
Their double, triple and quadruple standard is Not hidden. Since Carter…….GOPers and the Media feel a kindred alliance when GOPers win, period.
Dems need to finesse a way of changing this CW of the DC/NY punditry schemes.
Galling, isn’t it? I would like to see an executive order disbanding the White House Press Corps and opening up a virtual Q&A once a week for 30 minutes with actual journalists who would have to be vetted for integrity.
Bam. ^5.
Course he’s *not* a lame duck.
By MSM/Koch’s skewed definition of lame duck, ALL congresscritters are lame ducks.
Dear MSM, please check back with the American public in November 2016 for true lame duck session.
Seeking attention…..ISIL/Deash has beheaded another American?
Since I have not watched any news since Friday evening……I doubt that US media would be flipping off the handle now…..Nov elections are over so Beheadings and Ebola are of Zero News Worthy 24/7 over-drive with scary music and horrific graphics for dramatization?
But GRUBER to misinform about ACA is the New shinning Object and Objective? Predictable propagandist……the US MSM that is.
if the beltway echo-chamber had listened very carefully to what PBO said in his press conference after the mid-term elections, they would know that POTUS said he would (to paraphrase) : “squeeze every last bit out of his remaining two years to make the lives of the American people a little better”;
as usual these people:
- were not listening to a word he said;
- and of course constantly dis-believe & under-estimate him (in spite of his record or consistence);
In my culture (which so happens to be in the same hereditary origins, culture, language, & geographical proximity as PBO’s father’s) we have what we say about someone “having a big head” (this is a literal translation from the local dialect);
however, when we say “someone has a big head” we don’t mean the physical size of his head.
Instead what we mean is that the person in question is very stubborn and once he has decided on course of action about anything, then that is what he will do and ignore those who did not hear what he said he would do or those who second-guess him;
in our family, whenever we talk about PBO we say he “has a big head” - POTUS will communicate what he intends to do about an issue & ignore those doubters;
I so very much enjoyed reading that, Linda!
there are times when many wonder WHY PBO doesn’t continue defending his stands in the 24/7 news cycle - I suspect it is because he may have already stated his positions and he is just letting the media pundits “knock-themselves-out” with their hysteria
I think you’ve called it right!
David Axelrod @davidaxelrod · 2m2 minutes ago Chicago, IL
As one who worked hard to make ACA and its benefits clear, let me say: if you looked up “stupid” in dictionary, you’d find Gruber’s picture.
Yes, and PBO dismissed the shiny object as “some adviser,” or something like that.
Listen to the propaganda at your peril. The dumber the criticisms—tan suit chewing gum Grooooooober—the better I figure POTUS is doing and feeling.
Hello Mr. Axelrod, thank you for speaking the truth.
BAYAM!
Good Morning TODVille. Happy Sunday.
It has been 100 days since Michael Brown’s bullet-riddled body lay in the hot August sun for 41/2 hours.
The Rams/Broncos game begins in St. Louis at 1:00 CT. Should be cleared out by 6, latest.
Homeland security armoured vehicle photographed rolling in to downtown St. Louis yesterday.
A virtual flotilla-75-100 HS cars are parked in wealthy surburban Chesterfield hotel parking lot.
I am out of guesses.
Good Morning TOD! Keeping up with TOD & the President is not easy. . .
Especially when you have to leave the house in 1F Temp.
We watched the temp go down driving home from town on this new computer on wheels we have. Went from 0F to -9F
For the nerds out there, as we drove passed a coal mine, the temperature went up a few degrees! Even if not burning coal it still gives off heat!
Have I mentioned I live in the Energy Capital of the World?
Love the onboard thermometers on cars these days.
I’ve got an older car, but was excited when I got it because the rearview mirror has digital compass heading and outside temperature readings.
Thought I broke it a few years back when I was in the San Fernando Valley (when it gets meltingly hot) and it registered 117F.
Was haywire for a day or two, but now seems accurate to me.
The world is passing me by. Well a little. If someone took one of those people had a camera on it would have been hilarious.
Thanks for the great Rise & Shine Chips. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have know about the press conference. Nice to listen to POTUS in bed, under a ton of blankets. ;-)
Indeed.
19 reviews so far with an average of 1.6 stars out of 5 stars.
1-star (15)
2-star (1)
3-star (1)
4-star (0)
5-star (2, one of which is sarcastic)
If you think that is funny it is probably downright hilarious if you think of sales figures. Strictly limited to friends and family. maybe not even them.
I am holding my breath on this one and absolutely refuse to let any optimism set me up for disappointment.
Israel is fighting this. Israel is and represents the massive Global Corporate state. Armaments weapons prisons fences watchtowers drug sales.
Hard to believe that those interests will falter.
If this Iran/US deal goes forward it is a very serious change in the world. For the better, no need to say.
I am hopeful it will go through, Vicki, mainly because Iran negotiators would have to be really dense (and I don’t believe they are) not to make this work within the time PBO has left to lead. Pres Obama is clearly the one American leader in decades who understands some of their history AND who sees them as ‘human beings’
What do you know, WordPress thought I was being too wordy so it uploaded my comment before I was finished! O well, I won’t add any more.
Yo, WordP, don’t do it again though!
I appreciate your optimism, VC and hope it is confirmed.
Iran won’t be what holds this up.
It will be Global Corporate Interests.
Global Corporate Interests …… Ay yi yi!
BOOM - over 100K sign up in a day!!!!! I guess “Gruber” is going nowhere FAST…. LMAO!
100,000 more individuals/families with security and peace of mind that healthcare brings.
A very good day for America!!!!!!
GOP/DINOS/media Can’t stop this.
Never could and never will.
I can’t for the life of me remember - why do I have that guy blocked???
He probably tweeted some crap about PBO at some point…Many of his kind are opportunists who will sing PBO’s praises in one breath and crap on him in the next, so I’m sure you were fully justified if you blocked him…
But he’s citing the HHS Sec’s words/stats, which can be verified, so I’m okay with the tweet…
Agree—maybe he is one of the temporary dems that jump on PBO’s winning bandwagon now and then.
Ah, that’s probably it! Thanks Hopefruit.
Putin says? The man opens his sorry mouth and LIES flow
this tweet by CBS is stupid. What did they expect him to say? idiots all.
Let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth now :)
Reading the reviews on Chuck Toads new book. Overall rating of 1 and a half stars. Granted being only 20 reviews that isn’t saying a huge amount but it really speaks volumes that people really don’t like the Toad very much. Looking at this piece of racist trash journalism that Toad describes I can say with certainty that I wont be reading it.
Only knowledge of upChuck’s book is from a couple of reviews (@nytimes and @cjr).
upChuck’s only knowledge of politics is the horserace, not the consequences of the actions (or obstruction) taken by politicians. He is the embodiment of what is wrong with political coverage in the US today.
Chuck Todd new book will not be a blessing of goodness to him. Just because one has something, doesn’t necessarily means that it is or will be a blessing. Chuck lacks wisdom in naming his book and in writing it. We do not need Chuck Todd to tell us anything regarding President Barack H. Obama. Never.
I wish him no harm, but I have no respect for Chuck Todd. However, wiser men and women than Chuck Todd will ever be will speak about President Barack H. Obama’s Presidency. . Count on it. HZ
Hello Chips and TOD.
I do not understand Landrieu’s stance on this pipeline. It isn’t going to really do anything for LA. The only thing it is doing is aligning her with the Koch Brothers.
Perhaps the Koch Brothers own her?
I think that’s what she is aiming for but Kochs didn’t do anything for her to win reelection
morning all.
My techy geeky weekend has hit a bit of a snag. Specifically, I’ve come down with a bit of a sore throat. All i want to do is curl up in bed. Which, after I eat breakfast, is likely what I’ll do until I rouse myself to shave my head and quickly run errands.
Don’t know if it’s windy in your neck of the woods, but dang, it’s quite chilly here with the cold northeast wind. :(
Not too much wind here by LAX. But it is a crisp, autumnal day.
Yes, it is LL., so please bundle up nicely as you go out to run your errands. I did that on Thurs., and Friday was my down day. It changes a lot out here for us. Be careful and rest as much as possible. HZ
if you want to put some energy in something that is dear to PBO’s heart, then I would highly encourage you to help out with the new enrollment and re-enrollment into ObamaCare in your community;
because some people will be getting ObamaCare for the first time and others will be re-applying (re-enrolling), the phrase some organizations are using on the ground is : “get health care & keep healthcare” ;
there is a lot of work to do with outreach and enrollment especially among the nation’s most poor or marginalized;
statistics that they are quoting to us on the ground is that a significant percentage of the uninsured still don’t know that they can get free or subsidized health insurance & many don’t know that the enrollment period has started;
yet the goal that HHS has set for this year’s enrollment period is very high;
please find an organization you can work with to help with outreach and enrollment - volunteers and in-person assisters are in very high demand.
also look around your network and help remind people to enroll or help others enroll;
I am very pressed for time in my life but whatever little time I have to spare, I am devoting it to ObamaCare enrollment and outreach;
if you are interested, you can even take an online course offered by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to facilitate you to get certification as an Assister (Certified Application Counselor or Navigator). I have taken this and it has helped me clarify a lot of things which I can use in my volunteer activities for ObamaCare enrollment and outreach
Can I just ask a quick question? Does everyone have to re-enroll? My son joined last year in NYC, and my daughter’s boyfriend joined in March last year. Do I need to tell them to re-enroll this year?
I do believe so, betsy, as even with the old standard employer provided service, there was a re-enrollment/update period every fall. I am on Medicaid at present, and just filled out and returned the re-certification paperwork. Your family and friends should be hearing from the insurance company before long.
Thank you so much.
yes, they do need to renew but the process is much simpler and quicker if they are not planning to make any changes.
there is a provision that if you don’t re-enroll, the Marketplace may assume that you are keeping the same insurance option that you selected and automatically re-enroll you. it is better that people contact the Marketplace and let them know that they want to keep their current insurance;
however, in most markets, there have been changes in number insurers who are participating and changes in premiums and other features of the insurance plans being offered. hence, we are advising people to check it over and see if they can find a better deal;
it is also the case that if your income this year was lower than last year, you may qualify for a larger subsidy than what you currently have;
hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to ask for more clarification if you need it.
Peace!
Thank you so much.
Good afternoon. Rough nite in Jericho…….
Events
1992 New Catechism The Roman Catholic Church releases the first revision to its catechism in 426 years. It was more tolerant toward gays and maintained the Church’s position against birth control and abortion.
1973 Alaska Pipeline Pres. Nixon signs the act authorizing construction of the Alaskan oil pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez.
1965 First man-made object to strike another planet Soviet Venera 3 is launched. It landed on Venus in March.
1933 The U.S. resumes diplomatic relations with Russia
1907 Oklahoma becomes the 46th state.
1864 Civil War - March to the Sea Gen. Sherman (Union) leaves Atlanta with 60,000 troops and heads for the sea in order to cut the Confederacy in two.
1762 First Anatomy Lecture in America William Shippen, Jr. begins a series of lectures using anatomical drawings and casts made by the famous Dutch painter, Jan Van Rymsdyk
Births
1967 Lisa Bonet American actress. TV: The Cosby Show (Denise) and A Different World (Denise).
1952 Jay Kerr American actor. TV: The Young and the Restless (Brian Forbes).
1916 Daws Butler d. 1988 (Charles Dawson Butler), American cartoon voice. TV: voice of Elroy Jetson and Yogi Bear.
1907 Burgess Meredith d. 1997 American actor. TV: Batman (the Penguin), The Twilight Zone (1959, Time Enough at Last - The book lover who finds himself blissfully alone with his books after a nuclear war). Film: Rocky (1976, Mickey, Rocky’s trainer). He was blacklisted from films by the Senator Joseph McCarthy hearings in the 1950s.
1894 Mabel Normand d. 1930 American actress. She tossed the first pie ever thrown in a movie (1913, the silent film A Noise From the Deep).
1873 W.C. Handy d. 1958 (William Christopher Handy), American composer, musician, Father of the Blues. He composed Memphis Blues (1912) which was the first blues song published in the U.S.
42 B.C. Tiberius d. A.D. 37 Roman Emperor (14-37 A.D.), known for his vices and cruelty to his enemies.
Deaths
2005 Ralph Edwards b. 1913 American Radio Hall of Fame radio and TV host. TV: Truth or Consequences and This Is Your Life.
1981 William Holden b. 1918 (William Franklin Beedle Jr.), American actor.
1965 Harry Blackstone b. 1885 (Harry Bouton), American magician, famous for his Hindu rope trick and woman-in-the-cabinet illusions.
1965 Allen Balcom Du Mont b. 1901 American inventor. He developed the first commercially practical cathode ray tube, marketed the first home TV receiver (1939), and established the Du Mont TV network (1946).
1960 Clark Gable b. 1901 American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Gone With the Wind (1939, Rhett Butler). Warner Bros. Studios had turned him down, claiming his ears were too big.
1948 Frederick Gardner Cottrell b. 1877 chemist, invented the electrostatic precipitator, used to remove dust and suspended particles from air.
1934 Alice Liddell b. 1852 English child for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the Alice in Wonderland stories.
1895 Samuel Francis Smith b. 1808 American poet, songwriter. Music: My Country, ‘Tis of Thee (1832) which served as the U.S. national anthem prior to the adoption of the Star Spangled Banner.
1819 John Greenwood b. 1760 American dentist. He made George Washington’s dentures and also invented the foot-powered drill.
1272 Henry III b. 1207 King of England (1216-72).
Nerdy’s tweets!
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/16/a-tweet-or-two-170/
Smartypants says:
I am reminded once again of something Derrick Jensen wrote in his book The Culture of Make Believe.
From the perspective of those who are entitled, the problems begin when those they despise do not go along with—and have the power and wherewithal to not go along with—the perceived entitlement…
Several times I have commented that hatred felt long and deeply enough no longer feels like hatred, but more like tradition, economics, religion, what have you. It is when those traditions are challenged, when the entitlement is threatened, when the masks of religion, economics, and so on are pulled away that hate transforms from its more seemingly sophisticated, “normal,” chronic state—where those exploited are looked down upon, or despised—to a more acute and obvious manifestation. Hate becomes more perceptible when it is no longer normalized.
Another way to say all of this is that if the rhetoric of superiority works to maintain the entitlement, hatred and direct physical force remains underground. But when that rhetoric begins to fail, force and hatred waits in the wings, ready to explode..
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We are seeing this play out in Ferguson….