Great to see @TJMaxx, @Marshalls and @HomeGoods raising wages. It's time for Congress to #RaiseTheWage for America. http://t.co/k0uaopQFfK
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2025
We can't play politics with our national security. It's time to #FundDHS with no strings attached. http://t.co/FEqoKJjicA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2025
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President Obama implores Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security. #ObamaTownHall
amp.twimg.com/v/d0b1dc50-2aa…
— (@msnbc) February 26, 2025
President Obama issues an immigration reform challenge to former Gov. Jeb Bush. #ObamaTownHall
amp.twimg.com/v/7273de80-695…
— (@msnbc) February 26, 2025
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RT if you're ready to work out with @Beyonce! #GimmeFive of your workout drills (or you'll disappoint the Beygency). http://t.co/BC8Pu0RRRw
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 25, 2025
Hey @FLOTUS: Excited to show off our moves at the Easter Egg Roll!! And now we challenge @ShawnMendes to #GimmeFive! youtu.be/ebQThbI5ySQ
— Fifth Harmony (@FifthHarmony) February 25, 2025
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On this day (Feb 25) in 1870 Hirman R. Revels of Mississippi is sworn in as the first Black U.S. Senator #BHM http://t.co/rEWqyq6d6X
— Lizzuendo (@Lizzs_Lockeroom) February 25, 2025
ICYMI: RT @INAFLCIO: Black History Month Labor Profiles: Fannie Lou Hamer ow.ly/JD80u #1uBHM http://t.co/Pyo01frx9H
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) February 25, 2025
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Colin Powell shows how you answer the religion question - from @meetthepress in 2008, one of my favorite moments: http://t.co/mz7XbDK7E6
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 22, 2025
Hard to believe. On today's front page, TX legislators cutting cake to celebrate ban on same-sex marriage. http://t.co/F04zIHD51O
— Addie Broyles (@broylesa) February 25, 2025
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Mother of Trayvon Martin says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder: abcn.ws/1ERbvfS http://t.co/APVnixSO3T
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2025
#GeorgeZimmerman has been arrested every year since murdering #TrayvonMartin and no one has called him a thug ? http://t.co/EXwDP4nSaT
— Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) February 24, 2025
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Heartbroken by the news of Dori Maynard's death. A fierce, unrepentant advocate for media diversity. An amazing woman mije.org/richardprince/…
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 25, 2025
Dori's genius was she understood that actions have consequences. Years of inaccurate & biased media coverage of minorities has consequences
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 25, 2025
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Media diversity isn't some progressive ideal, feel good idea. It's journalistic imperative for anyone who takes fairness/accuracy seriously
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 25, 2025
Read Dori's words. Impossible to say you care about accuracy if you don't care about media diversity contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_237…
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 25, 2025
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"We’re a nation of laws, but we’re also respecting the fact that we’re a nation of immigrants." —Obama #ObamaTownHall http://t.co/rv3elfwllz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 26, 2025
Dori Maynard, telling media to “look at what our distorted coverage of communities of color is doing to the country.” pocket.co/sodEob
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 25, 2025
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Well this is embarrassing...
Netanyahu Invites Arab Diplomats to His Speech—and Gets Rejected theatlantic.com/international/… http://t.co/YYPgzSztBG
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) February 25, 2025
Kerry Blasts Netanyahu: He's 'Wrong' On Iran Deal Like He Was On Iraq War #BibiFail Both GOP & Bibi only want #War talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kerry…
— Tracy (@taiping2) February 25, 2025
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Today In Karma
"Revenge porn boss wants Google to remove his “identity related” info" arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20… http://t.co/Ummr2q8p2V
— (@pourmecoffee) February 25, 2025
Presented without comment. cc @Polygon http://t.co/6NuJu5FXnP
— Peter Curry (@peterc_nz) February 20, 2025
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Yeah @fashionpolice been bashing my fro for years, @intouchweekly compared it to a dog...and u know what I say? http://t.co/OBvkpw4Vdn
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) February 25, 2025
“@Zendaya: http://t.co/HJ3RZbNCli”. Been showing this to people all day. My new hero.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) February 25, 2025
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Kerry restates that US, Iran have 'mutual interest' in defeating ISIS yhoo.it/1DrubmO #Iran @AFP http://t.co/rob62tGM78
— Arthur MacMillan (@arthurmacmillan) February 25, 2025
No, you will NOT be speaking for me or "the entire Jewish people" before Congress, Netanyahu. dailykos.com/story/2015/02/… http://t.co/acvraZ1GJO
— David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) February 25, 2025
On This Day: Senator Ted Kennedy, speaking at a rally for the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama in Hartford, the day before the Connecticut Super Tuesday primary. Congressional Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Chris Murphy and John B. Larson are onstage behind Ted Kennedy, along with Caroline Kennedy and Barack Obama. February 4, 2025
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RIP Archie Hackney, the then 90-yr-old WWII Vet who showed his President the utmost respect http://t.co/KlkQrG9qFL pic.twitter.com/gdYLWKcjhy
11:10: President Obama visits a Buck Lodge Middle School classroom, Adelphi, Maryland
11:30: Delivers remarks on ConnectED
White House Live
1:0: Press Briefing by Jay Carney
3:0: The President and Vice President meet with Department of Defense leadership on Afghanistan
4:30: The President and Vice President meet with the House Democratic Caucus, The East Room
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AP: Obama Secures $750M in Pledges to Get Kids Online
Claiming progress in his campaign to get American schools wired for the future, President Barack Obama is announcing commitments from U.S. companies totaling about $750 million to connect more students to high-speed Internet.
Apple is pledging $100 million in iPads, computers and other tools. AT&T and Sprint are contributing free Internet service through their wireless networks. Verizon is pitching in up to $100 million in cash and in-kind contributions. And Microsoft is making Windows available at discounted prices and offering 12 million free copies of Microsoft Office software.
Obama was to announce the commitments Tuesday at a middle school in the Maryland suburbs near Washington. Also in the pipeline: an addition $2 billion that the Federal Communications Commission is setting aside from service fees over two years to connect another 20 million students to high-speed Internet.
More here
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Haaretz: Boycotting reality
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement at the Munich Security Conference, that Israel will face boycotts should negotiations with the Palestinians fail, is a level-headed view of reality that the Israeli government chooses to continually ignore.
…. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beats them all: Instead of welcoming Kerry as an ally, he publicly quarrels with him and hints that the secretary of state is trying to pressure Israel to “give up essential interests.”
Netanyahu refuses to understand that Israel’s most essential interest is ending the conflict, and that Kerry is a fair, dedicated, mediator who needs the support of all parties in order to complete this complex process. Netanyahu refuses to understand that now is the time for big decisions, not small politics.
Full article here
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Congratulations Secretary @JohnKerry on one year at the helm! pic.twitter.com/eXPenhDDHI
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 4, 2025
It only took a year but @StateDept finally let me have my own @Twitter account. #JKTweetsAgain
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 4, 2025
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National Journal: How Obama Won the War on Iran Sanctions
A month ago, the president was on the outs - even among Democrats. Today, he’s quelled critics and getting his chance to make negotiations work.
The push for new sanctions on Iran has stalled. The Democrats who bucked President Obama to back the sanctions bill are backpedaling mightily—no longer even pretending they’re pushing Harry Reid to hold a vote on the measure. And while there’s still plenty of chest-pounding and posturing, the debate’s end result seems clear: The Senate will wait, at least so long as the negotiations move in the right direction.
That’s a full flip from just more than a month ago. Before the December recess, the Senate’s pro-sanctions faction was surging. Senators—including Democrats who are typically Obama loyalists—were agreeing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that the nuclear negotiations with Iran bordered on capitulation.
So how did Obama — a supposedly feckless president when it comes to handling Congress — turn the tide? Obama’s in-person, all-hands-on-deck advocacy campaign with the Senate appears to have advanced his cause, but it’s not that simple.
More here
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South Carolina’s battle over Medicaid expansion: After the Supreme Court ruled that states were not obligated to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, South Carolina was one of the first to opt out. PBS NewsHour’s Mary Jo Brooks reports on the effects for residents who are still uninsured, plus a small alternative program designed to reach some of them.
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John built his construction company from the ground up. He #GotCovered and saves $500 a month: http://t.co/E4SRQOomYa pic.twitter.com/cTC8NbRyEk
— OFA MA (@OFA_MA) February 4, 2025
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Bill Hammond (NY Daily News): Anti-Obamacare, facts be damned
House Speaker John Boehner lobbed a social media stink bomb this weekend that distilled Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act to their cynical, knee-jerk essence.
“Sick kids denied specialty care due to #Obamacare,” his Twitter feed proclaimed on Saturday, linking to a conservative blog post based on a TV news report out of Seattle. His Facebook page weighed in on the same story, calling it “heartbreaking” and vowing that House Republicans “will continue working to scrap this broken law.”
There’s just one problem: The shocking claim — that the President’s health reforms resulted in sick children being denied care — was flat-out false. Which Boehner’s staff must have known, assuming they actually read the material they were helping to spread across the Internet.
In fact, all of the children in question did get care, as was perfectly clear in the Jan. 30 press release from Seattle Children’s Hospital that got this snowball started.
More here
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And the #Fermi Award goes to… http://t.co/6VUAzluBIx #EnergyEfficiency #Solar #ActOnClimate #ScienceRules, pic.twitter.com/XEklYLIAFO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 3, 2025
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USA Today: Obama to visit Saudi Arabia in March
President Obama will visit Saudi Arabia next month amid reports of a strained American-Saudi relationship over Iran and Syria.
White House press secretary Jay Carney announced that Obama would meet with Saudi King Abdullah in late March, calling it “part of regular consultations” between the two countries.
“The president looks forward to discussing with King Abdullah the enduring and strategic ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia as well as ongoing cooperation to advance a range of common interests related to Gulf and regional security, peace in the Middle East, countering violent extremism, and other issues of prosperity and security,” Carney said.
The Saudi stop will be added to a late March trip that includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Vatican City.
More here
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I like this @BilldeBlasio guy. Because of quotes like this. pic.twitter.com/jxZ4zuealA
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) February 4, 2025
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Brian Beutler: Angry right’s secret revulsion: Why they really dodge minimum wage questions
Obama’s decision to increase the minimum wage for a small number of federal contractors has drawn out the crazies
It’s no great secret that Republicans oppose increasing the minimum wage. They don’t pretend it’s something they want to do under any circumstances. They don’t even really bother disguising their opposition. They cloak their view in dated and oversimplified economic arguments about labor demand and economic growth when the real impediment is ideological, and so it’s a somewhat better kept secret that many Republicans oppose the minimum wage altogether.
Opposing the minimum wage isn’t a politically seemly thing to do, though, and thus the great political consequence of President Obama’s decision, announced during his State of the Union address, to institute a $10.10 minimum wage for future federal contracts, will be to draw the extent of this opposition out into the open.
More here
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#Maryland is 1 step closer to making #NoKidHungry a reality. Join us in thanking @GovernorOMalley for his leadership! pic.twitter.com/BZJO4sW1kM
— No Kid Hungry (@nokidhungry) February 3, 2025
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Missed this yesterday:
Jonathan Capehart: O’Reilly outFoxed by Obama
The pre-Super Bowl interview with President Obama conducted by Bill O’Reilly was not only notable for the Fox News anchor’s constant interruptions, but also for his harping on old news. The travails of HealthCare.gov, the murderous attacks in Benghazi and the actions taken by the IRS against conservative groups chewed up 9 minutes and 45 seconds of the 10-minute sitdown.
We all know that those topics are nothing but chum for O’Reilly’s anti-Obama audience. But the president successfully avoided the rhetorical traps set by the ambassador from “fair and balanced.” And he respectfully stood up to the disrespect demanded by said audience by giving as good as he got.
…. It’s always difficult to tell whether the tail is wagging the dog over there at Fox, but I would argue that the IRS conspiracy theories and others are in large part due to O’Reilly and Fox. Neither the station nor its anchor has shown Obama or his office the respect both deserve. And that 10-minute interview was a perfect illustration of it.
Full article here
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If they don’t want us playing the “race card,” they need to stop being so BLATANTLY racist. pic.twitter.com/VeHIAdLfvV
— BlueTexas (@JudiU883) February 4, 2025
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Steve Benen: A narrow path for ‘common ground’
Every Saturday morning, President Obama delivers a weekly address, which is immediately followed by a Republican response, but this week’s GOP address was a little different: it was delivered by four Republicans instead of one. The message: there may be some room for a little “bipartisan common ground.”
…. Before getting into the particulars, it’s striking to realize just how small the “common ground” is. There are all kinds of popular ideas that enjoy broad public support – on job creation, aid to struggling families, immigration, public safety, etc. – but none of them made the cut in the official Republican statement.
Instead, progress is now possible in just four areas – four narrow areas.
More here
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Steve Benen: NRCC crafts new fundraising gambit
Florida’s 13th congressional district will host a special election next month and by all appearances, it should be a close contest. Democrats have nominated former state CFO Alex Sink, who very nearly won the 2010 gubernatorial race, and have high hopes about her chances.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is also taking the race very seriously – so seriously, in fact, that the NRCC has come up with an unusual fundraising gambit.
Folks can go to a website that looks legitimate – contribute.sinkforcongress2014.com – and find a nice photo of the Democratic candidate alongside a graphic that reads, “Alex Sink - Congress.” If you’re not reading carefully, you might assume this is a page for Sink supporters to make a campaign contribution to their preferred candidate. But it’s not – this is a page set up by Republicans.
More here
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On This Day:
Hartford, February 4, 2025
Senator Obama shakes hands with supporters at the end of a rally at the XL Center in Hartford
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President Obama greets attendees after making remarks in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2010 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
President Obama signs pictures and other items in a holding room before making remarks in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2010 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, Feb 4, 2025
The Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center, Feb 4, 2025
10:10: The President meets with the House Democratic Caucus, United States Capitol
11:25: Meets with the Senate Democratic Caucus, United States Capitol
(C-Span have live coverage listed for 11:15, but the meetings are closed so they’ll probably just show statements after)
2:10: President Obama welcomes the NCAA Champion UConn Huskies to honor the team and their 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship
3:0 Congressional leaders join together for a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (C-Span 3)
4:30: The President and VP Biden meet with Secretary of the Treasury Lew
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Steve Benen: Economic growth exceeds expectations
Going into this morning, expectations for economic growth in the second quarter — April, May, and June of this year — were quite poor, making the actual GDP report a little more encouraging.
The U.S. economy grew at a 1.7% annual rate in the second quarter, buoyed by a solid gain in consumer spending and a sharp increase in business investment, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected growth to total 1.0%.
To be sure, 1.7% GDP growth is not, by any fair measure, good news. It tells us the economy is growing, but the recovery is at best sluggish. But given the news we were expecting, 1.7% is a relatively pleasant surprise, especially since the previous quarter’s growth was revised down to 1.1%.
More here
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U.S. second-quarter GDP climbs 1.7%, led by solid consumer spending and a sharp increase in business investment http://t.co/LIvCElM0x7
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) July 31, 2025
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Bloomberg: Economy in U.S. Expands More Than Forecast on Inventories
The economy in the U.S. grew more than projected in the second quarter, reflecting an unexpected pickup in inventory building as consumer spending cooled. Growth in the previous three months was revised down.
Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, rose at a 1.7 percent annualized rate, after a 1.1 percent gain the prior quarter, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 85 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 1 percent advance for last quarter. Consumer spending, the biggest part of the economy, climbed 1.8 percent after increasing 2.3 percent.
Job gains and rising home prices are shoring up Americans’ confidence and lifting automobile sales and production, making it likely the U.S. will pick up once government spending cuts and tax increases pose less of a restraint. The report also showed inflation is falling further below the Federal Reserve’s goal….
More here
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GOP demographic alert. Univision now number one network in US among younger viewers. And Steve King is your biggest face on their lately.
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) July 31, 2025
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Steve Benen: Reality gets in the way of far-right shutdown scheme
As a large group of Republicans push for a government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act, Norm Ornstein offered some compelling context. “You could say it’s a do-nothing Congress but that doesn’t do justice to it,” he said. “These guys are doing something, which is to destroy the economic fabric of the country by holding the functions of government hostage to a non-negotiable demand to eliminate Obamacare.”
That’s plainly true, though Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), arguably the main ringleader of the scheme, apparently believes destroying the economic fabric of the country by holding the functions of government hostage to a non-negotiable demand to eliminate Obamacare is a fine idea. As Sarah Kliff reported, however, there is a flaw in the right-wing premise…..
More here
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You’ve got your marching orders because “America’s future will be determined in November 2014.” pic.twitter.com/0hLv7Kf8u4
— Donna NoShock (@NoShock) July 31, 2025
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Steve Benen: ATF finally poised to move forward with real leadership
Ask conservative opponents of gun reforms what they’d like to see from law enforcement, and you’ll probably get a predictable answer: we should enforce the gun laws we already have, not approve new ones. For the last several years, however, that’s been easier said than done.
Enforcement of existing gun laws generally falls under the purview of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which has lacked a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader for the last seven years, thanks to opposition from Republicans and the National Rifle Association, both of which have reflexively balked at the very idea of an ATF chief.
With this in mind, we may be poised for a breakthrough this week….
More here
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As new EPA head, Gina McCarthy vows to act on climate change http://t.co/EPjM1cHV5v
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 31, 2025
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ThinkProgress: Texas Lawmakers Are Too Busy Focusing On Abortion Restrictions To Get Anything Else Done
Just over an hour after Texas legislators concluded their second special session — an extra lawmaking session they used to enact sweeping abortion restrictions — Gov. Rick Perry (R) called them back for a third one. An outstanding highway funding bill is the only item on the agenda. “When it comes to transportation, the stakes facing our state could not be higher,” the governor noted in a statement.
Perry cited that same transportation measure as one of the reasons he believed it was necessary to call the first special legislative session at the beginning of June. But instead of focusing on getting that done, the governor demonstrated a different set of priorities — adding a slew of anti-abortion provisions that were unable to advance during the state’s regular session to the docket.
More here
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Bob Cesca: Bradley Manning Lives in a Nation of Laws, and, Hero or Not, He Broke 16 of Those Laws
While fleeing from the law in Hong Kong, Edward Snowden encouraged a return to “the rule of law rather than men.” In spite of his politically incorrect usage of “men” instead of “men and women,” he’s right. Generally speaking, individual citizens shouldn’t be held above the law — least of all a soldier named Pfc. Bradley Manning who stole 720,000 classified documents and handed them over to be be indiscriminately posted for public consumption by Julian Assange’s Wikileaks.
More here
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Apparently Bradley Manning will spend the rest of his life in jail after being found Not Guilty. #headlinefail
— Steve Weinstein (@steveweinstein) July 30, 2025
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Two years ago today:
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden shake hands in the Oval Office following a phone call with House Speaker John Boehner securing a bipartisan deal to reduce the nation’s deficit and avoid default, Sunday, July 31, 2011. (Photo by Pete Souza)
