President Obama, Belgium’s King Philippe (C) and Belgium’s Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo attend a ceremony at The Flanders Field American World War I Cemetery and Memorial in Waregem, March 26
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Today (all times US Eastern):
9:10 AM: President Obama holds a press conference, Council of the European Union
11:35 AM: Meets with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen
12:45 PM: Delivers remarks, Palais Des Beaux Arts, Brussels
1:45 PM: Departs Brussels
3:40 PM: Arrives Rome
6:30: Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden Hosts a Reception in Honor of Women’s History Month, United States Naval Observatory
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The First Lady in China
First Lady Michelle Obama and her mother Marian Robinson feed apple to giant pandas during their visit at Giant Panda Research Base in Chengdu, Sichuan province, March 26
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First Lady Michelle Obama is greeted by Tibetan students as they arrive to a Tibetan restaurant for lunch in Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan province
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On This Day:
On This Day: President Obama looks out the Green Room window prior to the “Open for Questions” virtual town hall meeting on the economy in the East Room of the White House, March 26, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama surprises personal secretary Katie Johnson with a birthday gift in the Outer Oval Office, March 26, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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March 26, 2011: “More often than not, the President is in the office on most Saturdays to convene a national security or economic meeting. Here, on a Saturday in March, the President listens during a conference call on Libya in the Situation Room of the White House.” (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama prays with faith leaders in the Oval Office following a meeting to discuss the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 26, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama signs memorabilia for March of Dimes 2013 National Ambassador Nina Centofanti, 8, at the Resolute Desk during her visit to the Oval Office, March 26, 2013. Centofanti’s parents Vince and Christine, brother Nicholas, and sister Mia, not visible, stand behind her (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama bounces a soccer ball on his head while hosting a ceremony honoring players and coaches from the National Hockey League Stanley Cup-winning Los Angeles Kings and the Major League Soccer champions Los Angeles Galaxy in the East Room of the White House, March 26, 2025
Vogue, March 26, 2025
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MooOOOoorning again everyone - got completely caught up with worky stuff so ran out of time, so apologies for the teeny R&S. Will catch up later in the day.
11:0: VP Biden attends and delivers remarks at a Nelson Mandela service at Washington National Cathedral
12:30: Josh Earnest briefs the press
3:45: VP Biden and Cecilia Muñoz answer questions about immigration reform in an online event
5:0: VP Biden delivers remarks at the 12th Annual George McGovern Leadership Award Ceremony of World Food Program USA
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Aboard Air Force One, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes begins the editing process on the President’s speech that he will deliver at the Nelson Mandela memorial service
Hillary Clinton talks with the Obamas, Ben Rhodes and Capricia Marshall aboard Air Force One, Dec. 9
President Obama greets security personnel from South Africa as he waits to take the stage at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela
President Obama and President Bush talk as they get ready to have dinner aboard Air Force One with their wives and Valerie Jarrett, Tina Tchen and Susan Rice
All photos by Pete Souza - lots more here
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USA Today: Obama applauds congressional budget deal
Don’t be surprised if President Obama addresses the proposed congressional budget deal on Wednesday, and to say good things about it.
In a written statement late Tuesday, Obama called the deal “a good first step” toward a “balanced” budget approach that combines prudent cuts with investments in job-generating programs.
“This agreement doesn’t include everything I’d like — and I know many Republicans feel the same way,” Obama said. “That’s the nature of compromise. But it’s a good sign that Democrats and Republicans in Congress were able to come together and break the cycle of short-sighted, crisis-driven decision-making to get this done.”
More here
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Obama shakes hands with Castro. Ryan shakes hands with Murray. Can’t get much better for the conservative outrage machine.
That Congress’ budget chairs – Republican Paul Ryan and Democrat Patty Murray – were able to reach a budget agreement at all is a minor miracle. There was ample reason to believe the negotiations were a fool’s errand and that failure was an inevitability. The assumptions, however, were wrong, and the two leaders last night unveiled their deal to fund the government for the next two years.
Broadly speaking, there are two overarching questions to consider: is the budget agreement any good and can it pass Congress. Neither is easy to answer.
More here
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See, how it works is Republican presidents get to sell arms to dictatorial govts and support apartheid-practicing ones. Dems? No handshakes!
— Joy Reid (@TheReidReport) December 11, 2025
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BBC: ‘Volcker rule’ ban on risky trades passed by regulators
All five US financial regulators have approved the Volcker rule, designed to restrict the finance industry in the wake of the 2008-09 financial collapse.
Named after former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, it bans banks from using their own funds for trading activities.
It is considered the centrepiece of the 2010 banking reform legislation known as Dodd-Frank. Banks will have until 21 July 2025 to comply with the rules.
…. US President Barack Obama applauded the passage of a rule proposed more than three years ago.
He said in a statement: “The Volcker Rule will make it illegal for firms to use government-insured money to make speculative bets that threaten the entire financial system, and demand a new era of accountability from CEOs who must sign off on their firm’s practices.”
More here
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#ObamaCare private insurance sign-ups cross half a million. Medicaid/SCHIP at 1.6 million. http://t.co/QtvhuGHYnF
— amk4obama (@amk4obama) December 11, 2025
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Kentucky.com: Health enrollment climbs during holiday period
Enrollment through Kentucky’s health benefits website has grown by more than 11,000 in a 10-day period starting Thanksgiving week.
Gov. Steve Beshear’s office says the technology team for the state’s online health insurance marketplace was expecting an increase in traffic, applications and enrollments after Thanksgiving and increased capacity to prepare.
A news release from Beshear’s office says the site enrolls about 1,000 Kentuckians a day.
More here
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Pope Francis is Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2013. Go Pope and Change. http://t.co/OfGRvcazKZ pic.twitter.com/9knCCjocG1
President Obama with first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia and Sasha walk out from the White House to attend Sunday service at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dec 11, 2025
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MoooOOOooorning! A bit of a rush job again, I’m sure I’m missing lots of news but we’ll catch up through the day.
David Walker: Pete Souza On His Long-Term Photographic Partnership With President Barack Obama
PDN: You first met the President on his first day as senator in 2005. What was he like as a subject at that time?
Pete Souza: He had just been through a campaign in Illinois, and oftentimes had photographers tagging along with him. So I think he was used to a photographer being with him, maybe not to the extent that I wanted to try to work with him, which was to do a lot of things behind the scenes, but I think he appreciated the way I worked: leaving a small footprint, not interrupting what he was doing, and things like that.
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PDN: Can you talk about what you think about—and what you want to say about—the President when you photograph him, and how that has changed since you started as the chief White House photographer?
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PS: I used to tell people that I’m trying to make photographs so that 50 years from now, people will have a sense of what Barack Obama was like as a president and as a person. [Then] I saw, somebody had archived a presentation about the work of Yoichi Okamoto, who was LBJ’s photographer, and he essentially said the same thing, except he didn’t say 50 years—he said 500 years. And that just sort of shook me a little bit in the sense of how important it was for me to do a good job documenting visually this administration, because the reality is that: It’s 500 years from now.
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People could be going through these photographs to try to get an idea [of this administration]. So that’s sort of the way I think about things.
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PDN: What images come to mind that stand out to you because of what you know about his manner or mannerisms?
PS: I think how he interacts with his girls, for instance. I’m sensitive to giving him the necessary privacy with his girls, but at the same time, they know who I am. I know the great relationship that he has with his girls, so I think I’m able to make some photographs that show him as a father that a stranger coming in would never be able to make … That’s one example.
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PDN: And anything about your relationship with the President you want to comment on? Does he comment on your photos, for example? Has he said anything to you or anything publicly [about your work]?
PS:Yeah, we hang photos on the walls of the West Wing. He’s usually struck by the photos that he’s not in, or photos that he’s in with his family, or photos that he’s in with little kids. I think those are the three categories of photographs that he enjoys the most.
On whether she thinks having an African-American family in the White House has moved the needle.
Absolutely. Children born in the last eight years will only know an African-American man being president of the United States. That changes the bar for all of our children, regardless of their race, their sexual orientation, their gender. It expands the scope of opportunity in their minds. And that’s where change happens.
President Barack Obama greets a little girl following his remarks during the Irish celebration at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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BusinessWeek: Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA), labeled a “loser” by Mitt Romney during the U.S. election, is giving President Barack Obama’s green-energy strategy its biggest win after almost two years of failures pounced upon by Republicans.
The maker of the electric Model S car as early as today will become the first recipient of a U.S. Energy Department vehicle loan to pay off its debt. The Palo Alto, California-based company will do so nine years ahead of schedule, with taxpayers making at least $12 million on the $465 million lent.
More here
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People cheer as President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are introduced during an Irish celebration at College Green in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama’s 1979 Prom Photos
TIME Magazine: Tucked away in someone else’s shoe box of adolescent artifacts, there might be a picture of you in garish clothes and with an outdated ‘do, your arm around a high school squeeze. The President of the United States is no different. These previously unpublished photos, obtained exclusively by TIME from Obama’s schoolmate Kelli Allman (née McCormack), show a 17-year-old Barack Obama on the night of his senior prom.
More here (including pictures)
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Tom Kludt: President Barack Obama on Thursday will outline his administration’s counterterrorism policy in a major speech to be given at National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Obama will use the speech to announce new restrictions on unmanned drones.
According to the New York Times, the policy changes signed by Obama include a reduction of the “instances when unmanned aircraft can be used to attack in places that are not overt war zones, countries like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.” The new rules will also establish “the same standard for strikes on foreign enemies now used only for American citizens deemed to be terrorists,” the Times reported.
More here
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Henry Healy, the President’s distant cousin, after arriving in Moneygall, Ireland, May 23, 2011. The President and First Lady were also welcomed by Counselor Danny Owens, Chair Offaly County, and Counselor John Kennedy, Chair Tipperary County, center. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
8:0: The President delivers remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner; The First Lady attends
Tomorrow: The President has no public events scheduled
Monday: The President will deliver remarks at the National Academy of Sciences 150th Anniversary
Tuesday: As part of the Joining Forces initiative, President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will make a significant employment announcement for veterans and military spouses. This event will take place at the White House
Wednesday: The President will attend meetings at the White House
Thursday: In the morning, the President will depart Washington, DC for his visit to Mexico and Costa Rica
Friday: In the afternoon, the President will depart Mexico for Costa Rica
Saturday: In the afternoon, the President will depart Costa Rica and return to Washington, DC
Sunday: The President will deliver the commencement address at Ohio State University. He will return to Washington, DC, later that day
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Please note: formal dress only for the WHCD, so any TODers who turn up here tonight in jeans will be thrown out.
Breaking: AMK wants to wear his pajamas, because of timezone issues - so, he has an exemption.
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ThinkProgress: 12 Programs Congress Refuses To Save From Automatic Spending Cuts
After thousands of flight delays across the country this week, the Senate voted Thursday night to give the Federal Aviation Administration the flexibility to keep the nation’s airports running smoothly … That means lawmakers will be able to fly home for recess this weekend without any delays ….. Unfortunately, though, Congress has shown no willingness to provide similar relief for the families that are being hammered by sequestration in other ways. Here are 12 programs that have experienced devastating cuts because Congress insists on cutting spending when it doesn’t need to — and that have been ignored by the same lawmakers who leaped to action as soon as their trips home were going to take a little longer:
1 Long-term unemployment, 2 Head Start, 3 Cancer treatment, 4 Health research, 5 Low-income housing, 6 Student aid, 7 Meals On Wheels, 8 Disaster relief,
9 Heating assistance, 10 Workplace safety, 11 Obamacare, 12 Child care….
See post for details
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Ask not what your country can do for you; ask when this f*cking plane will take off.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) April 26, 2025
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Business Insider: his week G.E. Capital Finance announced that it would no longer finance gun purchases, becoming the latest in a string of companies that have decided to leave a large amount of money on the table rather than risk their reputations on the gun business.
It’s one of the few places where the high-profile publicity campaign in support of increased gun control has led to a real world result….
Wait. Never mind PBO on the cover - “15 Flat-Belly Powerfoods”?? Anyone got a copy of this edition they can lend me? Quite quickly?
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Original post: Stephon stood just a few feet away from Barack Obama. The president, busy shaking hands, looked right at him. “It was like he was waiting for me to say something,” he said later.
So the 26-year-old Prince George’s Community College student took his cue and spoke to President Obama in his first language: American Sign Language. “I am proud of you,” Stephon signed. The president, almost involuntary, instinctively, immediately signed back.
“Thank you,” Obama replied.
This is one of those moments that humanize the office of the presidency…..
Saturday and Sunday: The President has no public events scheduled
See the post below for the schedule for the week ahead
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President Obama pinches the cheek of Aniyha Williams, 4, as he leaves PortMiami, Friday (Miami Herald)
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Completely random old video:
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All this Easter Egg business reminds me of the RWNJ meme from a couple of years ago about the Obamas being arrogant (ie uppity) because they handed out autographed commemorative Easter eggs as part of the White House Easter Egg Roll. From the original post:
Laura Ingraham kicked off Fox’s Easter attack on Barack and Michelle Obama by suggesting that Obama is full of ego for handing out autographed commemorative Easter eggs …. she claimed that Laura Bush never did this:
Well, okay. But Reagan certainly never did. Em…..
(Actually, he started the tradition)
All of which reminded us at the time of similar outrages:
‘Obama has no class – he puts his feet on the Oval Office desk! Can you EVER remember a Republican President doing that?!’
‘Obama has no class – he throws a ball around the Oval Office! Can you EVER remember a Republican President doing that?!’
‘Obama has no class – sometimes he doesn’t wear a jacket in the Oval Office! Can you EVER remember a Republican President doing that?!’
‘Obama has no class – he wore flip-flops in Hawaii! Next thing he’ll be wearing Crocs in the White House!”
‘You know, Obama is so classless it wouldn’t surprise me if he eats his meals off the sacred Oval desk!”
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