The Obama Diary

President Barack Obama is briefed during a meeting with senior advisors in the Oval Office, Aug. 18, 2011. Photo by Pete Souza

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The presidency is not just another TV show. It requires intelligence, courage, compassion, depth of character. http://t.co/KRq1vCBFgO

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meta (@metaquest) August 16, 2025

A president is required to be both tough-minded and to have the courage to seek peace. http://t.co/78bdf5wSSN

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meta (@metaquest) August 16, 2025

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Tara Culp-Ressler: The Obama Administration’s Strategy On Heroin Addiction: Treat It As A Public Health Problem

The Obama administration unveiled a new strategy to combat heroin abuse on Monday, pledging $2.5 million in additional funds to target five “high intensity drug trafficking areas.” The plan, which aims to pair law enforcement officials with health experts, is notable for its emphasis onconnecting heroin users with treatment rather than focusing on putting them behind bars. In the 15 states participating in the pilot program, a

public health official will coordinate “heroin response teams” and help track the number of overdoses in their region. More first responders will be trained about how to administer naloxone, a drug that can reverse overdoses from heroin and prescription painkillers. The new strategy “demonstrates a strong commitment to address the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic as both a public health and a public safety issue,” according to Michael Botticelli, the Obama administration’s director of national drug control policy.

More here

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Read about President Obama's latest move to reduce methane gas pollution from landfills: ofa.bo/f9E6 #ActOnClimate

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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 17, 2025

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Katie Valentine: Here’s How The Government Plans To Cut Emissions From Landfills

The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans Friday that aim to reduce landfill emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases by nearly a third, in an attempt to more tightly regulate a sector that accounts for nearly a fifth of total U.S. methane emissions. The proposals seek to update methane regulations on new and existing landfills. If enacted, the EPA says the regulations would reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills by487,000 tons a year beginning in 2025. Since methane is about 25 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide, that reduction would be equal to cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 12.2 million metric tons — the amount emitted by more than 1.1 million homes.

Under the proposed rules, landfills would have to start capturing two-thirds of their methane and other hazardous emissions by 2023. That’s 13 percent more than they’re currently required to capture. The proposed regulations would apply to the more than 2,000 active municipal solid waste landfillsin the United States, which together make up the nation’s third-largest source of methane emissions. These emissions are produced when organic matter, such as food waste, decomposes in a landfill. Once the EPA’s proposed rules are filed in the federal register, they’ll be subject to a 60-day public commenting period.

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Sierra Leone records NO new #Ebola infections - for first time since outbreak bbc.in/1TN4vHj http://t.co/dowLiwlEX8

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BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 17, 2025

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Tulip Mazumdar: Sierra Leone Records Zero New Ebola Infections

For the first time since the Ebola outbreak was declared in Sierra Leone, the country has recorded zero new infections. There were no new Ebola cases reported last week according to the WHO. At the height of the outbreak Sierra Leone was reporting more than 500 new cases a week. Last week, for the first time since May last year, there were zero new cases.

But authorities are warning against complacency. OB Sisay, Director of the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC), said: “This does not mean Sierra Leone is suddenly Ebola free. “As long as we have one Ebola case we still have an epidemic. People should continue to take the public health measures… around hand-washing, temperature checks, enhanced screening.”

More here

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It's not about the accoutrements, it's about building the nation of a broad and diverse people. It's about the strength of E Pluribus Unum.

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meta (@metaquest) August 16, 2025

The presidency is about listening to many voices and building coalitions through respect and compromise. It's about seeking the best for all

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meta (@metaquest) August 16, 2025

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The White House wants to put heroin addicts in treatment rather than in prison thkpr.gs/3692244 http://t.co/uFqpVuKpaq

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ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) August 17, 2025

Government introduces plan to cut emissions from landfills by a third thkpr.gs/3692230 http://t.co/D7BvySEjP2

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Climate Progress (@climateprogress) August 17, 2025

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Horrific

Tombstone of "Roots" author Alex Haley's grandmother vandalized with "white lives matter" bit.ly/1NoD1YI http://t.co/kV3iQHyYGp

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Talking Points Memo (@TPM) August 17, 2025

Important: UN figures count nearly 75k residents having already returned to #Tikrit since its liberation from #ISIL. reliefweb.int/report/iraq/re…

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Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) August 17, 2025

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My thoughts on how Bibi made cannon of American Jews in his war with Obama talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/bibis-c…

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Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 17, 2025

Iran deal quietly picks up some GOP backers on.msnbc.com/1UOLZk8 via @maddow

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Joe Cirincione (@Cirincione) August 17, 2025

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My take: Iran and American Jews nyti.ms/1PhafYs

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Roger Cohen (@NYTimesCohen) August 17, 2025

The White House announced a new program that focuses on the treatment, rather than the punishment, of heroin addicts nyti.ms/1UPaZYp

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The New York Times (@nytimes) August 17, 2025

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President Barack Obama disembarks Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 18, 2012. Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama talks with, from left, Tony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, and Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer in the Outer Oval Office before making a statement in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Aug. 18, 2014. Photo by Chuck Kennedy

President Barack Obama meets the Weithman family: Joe, Rhonda, and their children, Rachel, 9, and Josh, 11, in their home in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 18, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza