President Barack Obama talks with Members of Congress after signing the Fair Sentencing Act in the Oval Office, Aug. 3, 2010. Participants include, from left, Attorney General Eric Holder, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC. Photo by Pete Souza
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All Times Eastern
10:00AM: President Obama receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
11:10AM: President Obama delivers remarks at the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Mandela Washington Fellowship Presidential Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel
12:30PM: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest
2:15PM: President Obama delivers remarks on the Clean Power Plan in the East Room
5:20PM: President Obama participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Office
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"Join us.
We can do this.
It’s time for America,
and the world,
to #ActOnClimate change."
—@POTUS #CleanPowerPlan snpy.tv/1STbXjG
—
The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 02, 2025.@POTUS I'm proud of you! Let's do this! #ActOnClimate The biggest step we've ever taken whosay.com/l/bkTaS90 http://t.co/FNpQC5xCym
—
Piper Perabo (@PiperPerabo) August 02, 2025****
Timothy Cama: Obama Doubles Down On Historic Climate Rule For Power Plants
The Obama administration on Sunday unveiled a tougher climate change rule for power plants, demanding that generators cut their carbon dioxide output 32 percent in the first ever limits on the pollutant. The historic regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the main pillar of President Obama’s climate agenda. It is the biggest piece of his drive to create a legacy and go down in history as the first United States president to take comprehensive action against climate change by cutting emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
The EPA is asking states to formulate plans to reach specific carbon reduction goals assigned to them by 2030, from a 2005 starting point, adding up to a 32 percent reduction nationwide. If the states do not submit plans — as multiple conservative states have threatened — the EPA will write and impose its own strategies upon them. The administration estimates that the climate benefits, in addition to benefits from reducing other pollutants from power plants, would result in a net $46 billion benefit to the nation by 2030, along with thousands of avoided premature deaths and asthma attacks.
More here
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U.S. Democrats see 'fire wall' holding to preserve Iran deal reut.rs/1DjwLPK
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Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 02, 2025Devastating and sad: Israel demolished blind educator's home washingtonpost.com/opinions/israe…
—
Laura Rozen (@lrozen) August 02, 2025****
Patricia Zengerle: U.S. Democrats See ‘Fire Wall’ Holding To Preserve Iran Deal
U.S. backers of the Iran nuclear deal are increasingly confident of enough Democratic support to ensure it survives review by Congress, despite fierce opposition by majority Republicans and a massive lobbying drive. By the time the House of Representatives recessed for the summer last week, no senior Democrat in the chamber had come out formally against the agreement and several central figures, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, were strongly in favor.
Pelosi said she was confident that if, as expected, Republicans pass a “resolution of disapproval” to try to sink the deal, a promised veto of that measure by President Barack Obama would be sustained. At least 44 Democrats in the House and 13 Democrats in the Senate would have to defy Obama and join Republicans in opposing the deal to get the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override a veto. “More and more of them (House Democrats) have confirmed to me that they will be there to sustain the veto,” Pelosi told reporters.
More here
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Black students in U.S. get criminalized while white students get treatment m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55b67… via @blackvoices http://t.co/NeKXYiPCf7
—
White House Af-Am Ed (@AfAmEducation) July 29, 2025****
Rebecca Klein: Black Students In The U.S. Get Criminalized While White Students Get Treatment
When black and white kids act up or display troubling behavior at schools, teachers and administrators often address it with differing responses split along racial lines, new research shows. Black students are more likely to be punished with suspensions, expulsions or referrals to law enforcement, a phenomenon that helps funnel kids into the criminal justice system. Meanwhile, white kids are more likely to be pushed into special education services or receive medical and psychological treatment for their perceived misbehaviors, according to a study released last week in the journal Sociology of Education.
Overall, this pattern often leads to the criminalization of young black students and the medicalization of white students. The study, conducted by Pennsylvania State University assistant professor of sociology and criminology David Ramey, analyzed the rates of suspensions, expulsions and police referrals at 59,000 schools across the country. He also looked at how many students in these schools were enrolled in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, two programs designed to help kids in need of special services. Ramey found that schools with larger populations of black students also had higher rates of suspensions, while schools with more white students had a greater number of kids in programs designed for students with special needs.
More here
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White progressives need to learn how to actively combat racism, including their own racism. bit.ly/1D8QHVl http://t.co/sA46DS9KmT
—
American Prospect (@theprospect) July 31, 2025****
Adele Stan: The Progressive Movement Has A Race Problem
We want a nation where a young black man or woman can walk down the street without worrying about being falsely arrested, beaten, or killed,” Bernie Sanders told some 8,000 supporters in Dallas on July 19, the day after his contentious encounter with protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement at Netroots Nation. While Sanders, the socialist U.S. senator from Vermont who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, appeared to have learned his lesson quickly, the same cannot necessarily be said for some of his most ardent followers, or for the progressive movement more broadly, where power rests primarily in the hands of white men.
But if Sanders is a standard-bearer for the progressive movement, then his lack of resonance among black voters is a problem not just for the senator’s campaign, but for the movement itself. Among the most daunting obstacles to racial equality is the white liberal who thinks he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. Because we all do. This is America, after all, where we all have brains peppered since birth with racial stereotypes and tropes. Denying that won’t cure the ill; transcendence is the real medicine. Transcending beliefs virtually etched in one’s DNA requires sustained and conscious effort. It’s uncomfortable. It meets with resistance from within and without. But until white progressives are willing to take a cold, hard look at why our movement is viewed with suspicion by those who feel shut out, a truly progressive future will be a promise unfulfilled.
More here
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Nigerian army: Troops rescue 178 captives, most children, destroy 8 Boko Haram camps: apne.ws/1MFaJJa
—
The Associated Press (@AP) August 03, 2025****
President Barack Obama waits with Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait, outside the Oval Office, as they were about to walk to the State Dining Room on Aug. 3, 2009. Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama has lunch at Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C., with staff members who worked on the debt negotiations, Aug. 3, 2011. From left are: Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew; National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling; Rob Nabors, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs; and Bruce Reed, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. Photo by Pete Souza
White House.gov
Good morning, TOD!
Morning Alycee! You are back from vacationing, are you?
Morning, NerdyW! Back in the trenches, I see! Merci buckets!
Greetings, ALL TODobots! Monday has its charms……..if I can only find them!
Morning, VC! Vacation? I wish! Just doing “life 101;” medical issues, 1st world house maintenance issues, and typical fam/friend “what have you done for me lately” issues… Like I said, “life 101.”
/in consternation/ Oh, I had this idea you were checking out jazz festivals or something like that! Well, sending warm and positive wishes as you navigate the medical issues, and good luck for/with the others. I think it helps that Life 101 in the Age of Obama gives TODland as a supportive outlet.
I wish! 61st Newport Jazz Festival was this weekend; my respiratory issues kept me from going. I’m Blessed to have several friends that are musicians and for the second year, am hosting a ‘backyard music series” at my humble little abode. On July 12th, I had Rhenda Fearrington ( formerly with Mtume and backup vocalist for Roberta Flack); this coming Sunday, I hosting Serena MacBello, a gospel flutist. I’m adjusting to “new normals…” my motto is “Semper Gumby” (Always Flexible)
Hooray for ‘new normals’, Alycee! Reminds me of a friend of ours (even if he meant it in the political sense) saying:-
~“The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”
Clearly I don’t need to add ‘Enjoy your music and your friends’ because you (and your neighbours) are already doing that! :)
Congrats jazziz2 and Good Morning to you and all TODers!
GM Nerdy. What a treat this morning . Thank you 👍🏻😊
:)
G’morning Nerdy, TOD, even amk, lurkers, and congrats jazziz on #1! Thanks Nerdy for this splendiferous R & S roundup!
Btw…is our President giving the clean air remarks at ~ 2:15PM? I don’t see the times - perhaps you intend to insert them soon :)
Morning, HF.
I’m currently searching for the times for POTUS’s events. If you or anyone else have any links, please feel free to share. :)
YES INDEED…THIS INQUIRER NEEDS TO KNOW…..THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN BEING ALICE IN WONDERLAND…….I LOVE MY ENERGIZER PBO…WANT TO SEE HIS FACE TODAY!!!!….:)
No problem Nerdy. I saw a tweet from Mark Knoller that the climate speech is at 2:15PM.
Haven’t seen about the others, but will let you know if I do!
Good Morning NW and TOD.
215 pm EDT - President Obama delivers remarks about Clean Power Plan.
Young African Leaders Initiative Network
The Mandela Washington Fellows singing and dancing while they arrive at the town hall with President Obama. Only a few more hours till he speaks!
YALI FB indicates it will air on whitehouse.gov/live; however, WH/live currently shows no events for today…
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT…DOUBLY WONDERFUL…MAKES MY HEART WARM…IT’S TIME FOR AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!
p.s. Never mind, HF. I just remembered I do have the times of the events. Now posted. #Facepalm. :)
LOL - I was just about to post a “nevermind” to you when I saw your “nevermind” to me!
Well, it’s all good, and thanks again for your fantastic job of keeping TOD going! :)
LOL. Great minds and all that. :)
Congrats jazziz - and thank you NW - if you could just crop the man on the right out of the top picture, my happiness will be complete
Are you trying to get Pete Souza to come after me?
Noooooooooo - just not coping with the face of Lindsay Graham
thank you JER - looks good :)
Good morning Nerdy and TOD. Thank you, Nerdy for a chock full helping of morning info.
I hope my schedule allows me to see PBO’s climate speech live. If not, I know where to come to see the tape.
What would we all do without TOD?
:)
Not to worry, good people of TOD. I just remembered I do have the times of President Obama’s events for today. They have now been posted. Sanity has been restored to your day. :)
Ha! You help make our day sane…
Have a great day NW and thanks for all that you do!
Thanks, HF!
Wishing you the same. :)
❤️ NW
You have done an awesome job during Chips vacation and we are very grateful!
Gracias, GGail. :)
On the Iran Deal: Congress returns on September 8 and the deadline for stopping the Deal is September 17. There will be lots of propaganda noise between now and then that I, for one, will attempt to block out of my consciousness.
Morning all and thanks, Nerdy, for all you do. I do not agree with the line “if Bernie Sanders is a standard-bearer for the progressive movement, then…” Sanders is a short-term phenomena in a wacky summer who manages to shout out enough liberal ideas to get attention. I put myself at the progressive/liberal end of the Democratic Party, as do many TODers, and I no more regard Bernie as my ‘standard bearer’ than any other liberal US senator. Yes, there’s an unconscious racism in most of the US white population, especially those born in more openly racist times. Yes, Bernie Sander is a product of his time and his upbringing, but I refuse to enhance his status in any other way.
To me the most significant thing about Sen. Sanders is that he is able to draw large crowds.
In my interpretation (although maybe not in the real world) the big turnout says that Dems want a candidate other than HRC.
Love it! :)
Almost the first time I could agree with the count. PBO & his team should provide the questions :)
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIMES…<3………………………….:) I DELIVERED THE CLIMATE VIDEO TO MY FB…WILL BBL…TO CATCH THE ENERGIZER…..XOXOXOXO!!!
Good West Coast morning NW & TOD family.
Well, GM to you! (I’m strolling down the thread to see what’s up.)
#YALI2015 Summit livestream has started >>> http://irex.org/
PBO speaks at 11:00.
Good morning TOD!!! Thanks to NW, Amk and all bt’s for keeping us all informed. Today is a great day to talk about climate change. Here in Montana we have had heat wave and snow in the same month. It is very much back to drought here now. The rivers are so low. We have a major fire in Glacier Park. Going to the Sun road is closed.
Will be an interesting week.
Prayers to all who need them today, JOB’s son, Carolyn, and all others.
Morning everyone:) Here’s your LOL moment ….this one could take you through the week it’s so hilarious!!:)
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/08/02/3687115/trump-says-obama-ruined-black-presidents/
President Obama has sort of ruined the whole concept of black presidents, according to Donald Trump.
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, the Republican presidential candidate said Americans wouldn’t elect another black president for a long time because of Obama’s “poor standard.”
“I think that he has set a very poor standard,” he said. “I think that he has set a very low bar and I think it’s a shame for the African American people.”
The statement has the potential to raise some eyebrows, as former white presidents who have been perceived poorly have seemingly not prevented future white presidents from getting elected.
Still, it’s not the first time Trump has expressed the sentiment. In 2014, Trump tweeted that a black person would not sit in the White House for “generations” because of Obama.
Good Morning, Everyone:)
This is not Ferguson, Los Angeles or Baltimore … it’s Berwyn, Pennsylvania in 2015
July 30, 2025
This post is about an upper middle class family who live in the Berwyn Estates community of Easttown Township, where house values average in the $1 million+ category. The parents, the father a vascular surgeon and the mother an attorney, have twin teenage sons. The 15-year old boys, both boy scouts, attend Friend’s Central School and Lawrenceville School respectively, and are active in their church. The family is African-American. On Friday, July 24, the brothers along with a friend, rode their bicycles to a friend’s house in the Greens of Waynesboro to go swimming. Another upscale neighborhood in Berwyn, the ‘Greens’ is located next to the Waynesboro Country Club and its streets are named for famous golf courses (St. Andrews, Augusta, Stanwich, etc.) It is my understanding that currently no African American families reside in the Greens.
The mother of the twin boys (remember, she is an attorney) shared ‘Biking While Black’ of what happened next in a letter to friends, neighbors and on social media. She recounts that “a white woman with short dark brown/black hair who was driving a white Jeep SUV” followed and videotaped her sons and their friend as they cycled in the Greens. As they were leaving the neighborhood, two Easttown Township police cars stopped the boys because “suspicious activity” was reported. The mother of the twins states that, “the boys were sandwiched in between the [police] cars and terrified.” The police filed an incident report with the Easttown Township Police Department.
http://pattyebenson.org/2015/07/30/this-is-not-ferguson-los-angeles-or-baltimore-its-berwyn-pennsylvania-in-2015/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TredyffrinTownshipCommunityMatters+%28Community+Matters%29&utm_content=FaceBook
That is awful. I do try to empathize with her everyday pain as a mother. But as a white woman I cannot say I have the same worries. This must stop but please tell me how to do? My crying won’t help. My letters to the editor don’t get posted for weeks. FB friends block me. Twitter knows I’m not black. I get blocked there too. I’m not backing anyone for Presudent unless VPOTUS runs. My memory is so bad I have trouble with names. I didn’t even hear of one until the police officer was charged with murder.
Congressman Adam Schiff (D) CA and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) MA have added their names to the Yes list on supporting the Iran deal.
Good going to both of them.
I think we will be hearing lots of Congress persons and Senators joining them in the coming days and weeks.
Good Morning TODville? How is everyone? Thank you NW for keeping the blog rolling along smoothly. And thanks to AMK too. Guess he’s in Kenya hoping to cash in on a project. Can you imagine him wining and dining and shaking it like POTUS with his clients?
The only project I’ve seen him post looked huge.
Wish I could keep up. It seems so lame to post on two day old posts. I don’t think anyone sees them.
Love and good wishes for all who are not feeling their best, have sick friends and relatives and our usual life events.
Love especially for Carolyn and her son Steve who are mourning her husband and a father. Her Church is her anchor but there is still home alone times.
Do we know when our fav Librarian is getting married? I need happy news.
I read TOD on an iPad and the tweets are on my right. FLOTUS tweets are not far down from the top. The one that has been ther for a couple days sitting and talking with someone looks like Malia sitting there at first glance. If POTUS had dyed his hair we wouldn’t notice his aging as much. I’m not saying he should have. I’m just saying. . .
Have a great Monday!
Are we TOD having a birthday party for POTUS tomorrow? VC is NOT in charge of cake! ;-)
Carrot Cake is a good summer cake isn’t it? Or is it sweet potato pie?
Thanks again NW!
Looks like it is sweet potato pie…
Anyone know how to bake one? :-)
LOL! Sweet Poptato Pie it is!
Here you go:
YUM…oh, meta….this looks amazing:)
I choose pie over cake any day!
Thanks, I was going to check with you later. I just have to go for now. 😉
LIVE NOW: Secretary of State Kerry speaking with Gulf Cooperation Council in Qatar - http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
“Among Miringoff’s biggest concerns is that public polls “are affecting the process they’re supposed to be measuring” as candidates try to goose their numbers to make it into the debate.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ken-paxton-indicted-felony
New Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton prepared Sunday to become the latest powerful state official booked on felony charges, but unlike when Rick Perry smiled for his mug shot last year, Republicans are not rushing to Paxton’s defense.
A day after news broke that a grand jury indicted Paxton on felony securities fraud charges, Gov. Greg Abbott, who was Texas attorney general for 12 years, remained silent. So was GOP presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who was stingy with campaign endorsements in 2014 but praised Paxton, a like-minded tea party favorite.
Other Texas GOP leaders also kept to themselves about Paxton, who is expected to turn himself in Monday near his home in suburban Dallas. Paxton attorney Joe Kendall said in a brief statement late Saturday that they would honor a judge’s instructions to not publicly comment.
It’s a sharp contrast to how conservatives rallied around Perry last year when a grand jury in liberal-leaning Austin handed up a two-count indictment against Texas’ longest-serving governor over a 2013 veto. A judge earlier this month tossed out one of the indictments, leaving only an abuse of power charge.
The cases against Paxton and Perry widely differ, including the fact that Paxton’s was investigated by the Texas Rangers.
Hopefully it wasn’t the Texas Rangers baseball team that investigated this crook, but actually the real Texas Rangers.
:) The real ones:)
Outstanding Riseeeeeeee and Shine!! NW
:)
Nerdy, I would like to join in the long line of folks here that want to thank you for holding the fort down and doing an exemplary job…more than your NORMAL exemplary job…while Chips is taking a much deserved vacation. Thank you.
Thank you, amk..for also stepping in to share the load….it’s wonderful that we have you bt’s here to give the boss some time:)
^10 to both NW and amk!!!
Good morning df …
Good morning TOD ….
bbl ….
BTW … check my sidebar for updates via RTs … lots going on … I just won’t have time today to bring selections here given my ridiculous work schedule …. but I can always check tweets via Tweetbot and RT whenever I get a sec :)
:)
Morning, Bobfr…:) So busy!! Thanks for the head’s up about the sidebar….
Thanks so much, DF! :)
Aw…thank YOU, love! It is a pleasure to have you here…thanks for all you do.
Yes.
Awww……thanks, Don! :)
Good morning, NW and TODville. Hope your Monday goes smoothly.
Wishing you the same, Meta. :)
OH! I LOVE this quote:)
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/08/quote-of-day-optimist.html
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/08/03/president-obama-delivers-remarks-at-the-yali-summit/
took this from my moving cab in bertcertland today. my proof that unohoo is a kenyan alright.
also. too. he is that appeasing limey dood as well as that dictatorial kraut dood. effing multiple avatars jus’ for one man. fucking #ODS.
Good Morning TOD. I had a jammed packed weekend so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
A big ole hug and thanks to Nerdy for keeping the home fires burning will our Chips takes a well deserved break and vacation. I hope the sun is shinning brightly wherever she and Danny are taking their respite.
Everyone have a great O’Day!
:)