President Barack Obama greets Military Aide Lt. Col. Dave Kalinske and his family in the Oval Office, during Kalinske’s departure ceremony, Aug. 13, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama talks with Senior Advisor David Axelrod on the Colonnade of the White House, Aug. 13, 2009. Photo by Pete Souza
The world over, this is what the victims of terrorism look like #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/EEdW4nWRVT
— Ryan Cummings (@Pol_Sec_Analyst) February 11, 2025
My cousin, his wife and sister in law were murdered for being muslim. Someone tell me racism/hate crimes don't exist. #MuslimLivesMatter
— Haya Barakat (@HayaBarakat) February 11, 2025
****
Yusor Abu-Salha, murdered in #ChapelHillShooting, recently provided dental aid to Syrian refugees. http://t.co/UUCsHf5EFj
— Raquel E Saraswati (@RaquelEvita) February 11, 2025
Deah Barakat, murdered in #ChapelHillShooting, also gave back, providing dental and food supplies to the homeless. http://t.co/r2LPhuZyss
— Raquel E Saraswati (@RaquelEvita) February 11, 2025
****
People calling this a dispute over parking are full of BS. Whenever a white person does this to a minority community, we always look for loopholes to justify it. This is a hate crime
Victims’ father on #ChapelHillShooting: “This was not a dispute over a parking space; this was a hate crime." newsobserver.com/2015/02/11/454…
— Brady Dennis (@brady_dennis) February 11, 2025
Twitter today: "why don't the media cover killings of minorities like they do killings by minorities?" Um, hello. That's what racism is.
— umair (@umairh) February 11, 2025
****
The father of two of three students shot to death in Chapel Hill on Tuesday says the shooting was a “hate crime” based on the Muslim faith of the victims. Chapel Hill police said Wednesday morning that a dispute about parking in the neighborhood of rented condominiums near Meadowmont may have led Craig Stephen Hicks to shoot his neighbors, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha’s sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. But the women’s father, Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, who has a psychiatry practice in Clayton, said regardless of the precise trigger Tuesday night, Hicks’ underlying animosity toward Barakat and Abu-Salha was based on their religion and culture.
Sorry your dream was so brutally snatched from you. #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/2zFa1oNCVc
— _ (@random_ukht) February 11, 2025
Deah Barakat tweeted this in October. Ended up getting shot & killed by a man from his community. #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/M7fUagPvsB
— Saba (@smalfuhaid) February 11, 2025
A couple months ago Deah texted me, always trying to change the world for the better. #ChapelHillShooting #deah #rip http://t.co/NeIZ7wv9Dd
— danabarakat (@danabarakat3) February 11, 2025
Abu-Salha said police told him Hicks shot the three inside their apartment. “It was execution style, a bullet in every head,” Abu-Salha said Wednesday morning. “This was not a dispute over a parking space; this was a hate crime. This man had picked on my daughter and her husband a couple of times before, and he talked with them with his gun in his belt. And they were uncomfortable with him, but they did not know he would go this far.” Abu-Salha said his daughter who lived next door to Hicks wore a Muslim head scarf and told her family a week ago that she had “a hateful neighbor.” “Honest to God, she said, ‘He hates us for what we are and how we look,’” he said.
More here
****
The victims have names and faces:
- Deah Barakat
- Yusor Abu-Salha
- Razan Abu-Salha
RIP. #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/f1Bp8gNfPA
— Khaled Bey (@KhaledBeydoun) February 11, 2025
#Breaking: statement from @ChapelHillPD Chief @ChrisBlue840 regarding motive in #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/vaQaqbWQrO
— Lauren Horsch (@LaurenHorsch) February 11, 2025
****
#WeAreBlackHistory on @ELLEmagazine!! Check out me & other amazing Black women elle.com/culture/art-de… http://t.co/q5WaSyBVuP
— MyFeminismRealAF (@FeministaJones) February 11, 2025
1 million+ African Americans worked on the home front during WWII & 60% were women #AAHM #BlackHistory @RosieTrust http://t.co/ykJ4SlJHm7
— NationalParkService (@NatlParkService) February 09, 2025
****
Horrible news. Chapel Hill shooting: Three American Muslim students killed near University of North Carolina ibt.uk/A006ExC
— Brooklyn Middleton (@BklynMiddleton) February 11, 2025
87% of U.S. mass shooting are committed by caucasians 13-56. Why don't we spy on this community? #ChapelHillShooting http://t.co/zu7MHD2Gl4”
"Kayla represents what is best about America, and expressed her deep pride in the freedoms that we...enjoy." —Obama http://t.co/bqnFABLJcn
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 10, 2025
Deeply moved by the life of Kayla Mueller. Our nation is stronger than any enemy can understand. -vp
— Vice President Biden (@VP) February 10, 2025
****
Obama On Kayla Mueller: Not Paying Ransom “Is As Tough As Anything I Do” buzzfeed.com/bensmith/obama… http://t.co/n5xyeVCeBH
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 10, 2025
Kayla’s humanity, generosity, idealism will endure long after barbarity of #ISIL is defeated. Praying for Carl, Marsha, Eric, family.
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 10, 2025
****
Eight years ago today: Senator Obama formally announces candidacy for President cs.pn/1hEHMQb http://t.co/8CvLrx2ztD
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 10, 2025
8 years ago today. #nostalgia #springfield @pfeiffer44 @jonfavs @TVietor08 @davidplouffe @davidaxelrod @julsmoot http://t.co/e1gVsiuoe0
— Alyssa Mastromonaco (@AlyssaMastro44) February 10, 2025
****
We need to break down barriers to success for Native youth. They are the future leaders of Indian Country & beyond.SJ http://t.co/7hfIR3P9M2
— Sally Jewell (@SecretaryJewell) February 10, 2025
@SecretaryJewell will visit Native American youth to find out how policies can improve lives. PBO keeping his promise abc15.com/news/region-ph…
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) February 10, 2025
****
Inspired by @FLOTUS’s @LetsMove campaign, we developed a healthy cooking curriculum suitable for cooks of all ages: ow.ly/IHKTL
— Cooking Light (@Cooking_Light) February 10, 2025
.@letsmove is FIVE! Read about how much has been accomplished in this @FLOTUS interview in @Cooking_Light! cookinglight.com/cooking-101/mi…
— (@FoodCorps) February 09, 2025
****
The History of 73 Years of Lynching (1877-1950) via @eji_org. mobile.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/us/… http://t.co/tsiquheC3B
— deray mckesson (@deray) February 10, 2025
The History of Lynching in America nytimes.com/2015/02/10/us/…
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) February 10, 2025
***
One day you'll acknowledge the skeletons hanging in your own closets and stop wagging your fingers at the South, Yankee.
— Fed-Up Short Chick. (@thewayoftheid) February 10, 2025
Talking about lynchings or marking where they occurred absent white accountability is just more senseless consumption of black pain.
— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) February 10, 2025
****
JUST IN: Grand jury indicts NYPD officer over shooting death of Akai Gurley in stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project - @AaronKatersky
— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2025
Black girls are suspended from school *six times* more often than white girls slnm.us/gRgeyH8
— Salon.com (@Salon) February 10, 2025
****
#BREAKING Obama calls Putin to discuss violence, Russian actions in Ukraine
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) February 10, 2025
U.S. official in Washington confirms American embassy in Yemen is closing.
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) February 10, 2025
****
Readout of President Obama's call with President #Putin of #Russia wh.gov/ib4B0 #Ukraine
— WH National Security (@NSCPress) February 10, 2025
Readout of President Obama's call with President #Poroshenko of #Ukraine wh.gov/ibgX5
— WH National Security (@NSCPress) February 10, 2025
****
See, TV head honchos? When you have great representative story telling that reflects the diversity of our world today, you get HUGE ratings
Fox’s #Empire breaks 23-year ratings record buff.ly/1zBMDZI http://t.co/bGZauz2sef
— The Root (@TheRoot) February 09, 2025
a v important list of #blackhistorymonth baes, courtesy of @fanaticalscribe buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmo… http://t.co/AMcSMf6MCe
— Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) February 09, 2025
****
America's largest health care company tells SCOTUS that anti-Obamacare argument is "absurd" bit.ly/1y1O5zi http://t.co/kh4KI42dBY
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) February 10, 2025
Sierra Leone to prosecute fraudulent Ebola "ghostworkers" reut.rs/1AUhNgO
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) February 10, 2025
****
Why Do We Remember Charlie Hebdo But Ignore The 2,000 Dead In Nigeria? @TPM talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/why-do-we…
— BroDell Checkum, Jr. (@eclecticbrotha) February 10, 2025
In late October, I sent this tweet: twitter.com/scATX/status/5…. Today, I can finally explain what I meant: si.com/college-footba…
— Jessica Luther (@scATX) February 10, 2025
***
Harrowing, riveting new study of history of lynching finds total of 3959 cases, 700 more than previous studies talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-his…
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 10, 2025
Mapping 73 years of lynchings nyti.ms/1EVjrQA http://t.co/CyBvswUOXs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 10, 2025
****
BREAKING: Obama to withdraw most US military troops fighting Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 11, 2025
Breaking: Brian Williams suspended for six months without pay, according to an NBC source.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 11, 2025
****
Brian Schatz is the latest senator to boycott Netanyahu's speech bit.ly/1zI9enc
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) February 10, 2025
Sen. Patrick Leahy will not attend the "politicized" Netanyahu speech to Congress bit.ly/1M9zGLO
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) February 10, 2025
****
David Axelrod: Race Plays an 'Undeniable' Role in Obama Criticism bit.ly/1zU3FBb (AUDIO) http://t.co/vioigJJggk
— (@Mediaite) February 10, 2025
It's actually quite simple: Obama was just playing the politics of same-sex marriage. bit.ly/1vCIOnw http://t.co/q1MAmLJ22u
— The Prospect (@theprospect) February 10, 2025
****
Paul Waldman: On Obama’s ‘Evolution’ On Same-Sex Marriage
In Obama adviser David Axelrod’s new book, he reveals that in 2008 the future president did indeed believe in marriage equality, but he was persuaded by Axelrod and others that it would be too risky to say publicly. So he took the standard Democratic position at the time, in favor of civil unions but against marriage rights. I imagine that exactly no one is surprised by this. And while it isn’t an excuse for deception, the decision should be understood in the context of that historical moment, The context of Obama’s falsehood is important to understand—both his own thinking and the reception his statements on the matter received.
Usual suspects squealing re PBO's 2008 realism re gay marriage, while ignoring all his LGBT achievements since
Sigh http://t.co/6HtkFGwOHi
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) February 11, 2025
In 2008, the Democratic Party was undergoing a rapid change in its approach to same-sex marriage, and the stated positions of almost every candidate were in flux. Four years before, when the issue exploded into national debate after the Massachusetts Supreme Court legalized marriage equality (their ruling actually came down in late 2003), Most of the presidential contenders came down in support of civil unions but against marriage rights, a position that just happened to be where the median voter was. By 2008, everyone seemed to understand that the position all the major Democratic candidates were taking was a temporary way-station on the path to an eventual embrace of full marriage equality. Nobody really believed that was where the party and its representatives were going to stay.
David Axelrod, the man who led both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, joined journalist John Harwood on stage Wednesday evening, May 1 for the College’s Harwood Colloquy on National Affairs.
***
***
David Axelrod, the man most responsible for shaping the message that twice helped propel Barack Obama into the White House, will be the featured speaker at Washington College’s Harwood Colloquy on National Affairs on May 1. The 5:30 p.m. event at the Decker Theatre is free and open to the public.
Axelrod, who served as chief political strategist for both of President Obama’s campaigns and was a senior advisor during his first term, will talk with the evening’s host John Harwood, political writer for the New York Times and chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC. The subject will be “Upside Down: Barack Obama and a Changing America.”
Now a political analyst for NBC, Axelrod is the inaugural director of the new University of Chicago Institute of Politics, a nonpartisan center where students can explore careers in public service and politics, as well as engage in ongoing discussions of political life and current events with experts in the field.