First lady Michelle Obama hugs Lianyun Wu during an awards ceremony for the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in the East Room at the White House on November 19. The first lady talked about the importance of afterschool and out of school arts and humanities education and presented awards recognizing programs across the country that benefit underserved youth
Rita Dove
Cathy Gorn, the executive director of National History Day
Al Pacino
Teofilo Ruiz
Will Barnet
Andrew Delbanco
Emily Rauh Pulitzer
Full list of winners here
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
