Posted by Jennifer Simon Ed. Note: Thanks to the Council on Women and Girls for keeping us updated. The status and role of women and girls was featured prominently in official events throughout the week in New York, during the opening of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. Ambassador Rice was pleased to [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee One of the funny things about the debate over health insurance reform has been watching people who have for years clamored for cutting waste from Medicare contort themselves trying to find ways to oppose our efforts to do exactly that. As the President noted in his Address to a Joint Session [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee It’s no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any articles, reports or documents they [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee A few more photos of the First Lady’s time in Pittsburgh during the G20 Summit: (First Lady Michelle Obama and the spouses of the G20 leaders tour the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Penn., Sept. 25, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) (First Lady Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni, wife of French [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee In this morning’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama covered a range of topics—all under the umbrella of his desire for leaders to recognize the “common future” of a world in which “the interests of peoples and nations are shared.” (President Barack Obama addresses the General Assembly of [...]
Posted by Norm Eisen We wanted to take this opportunity to announce the next step in the President’s efforts to reduce the influence of special interests in Washington. The White House has informed executive agencies and departments that it is our aspiration that federally-registered lobbyists not be appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions. These [...]
Posted by D. Paul Monteiro “As Muslims in the United States and around the world complete the month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, Michelle and I would like to extend our personal greetings on this joyous occasion. Eid is a time to celebrate the completion of 30 days and nights of devotion. But even on [...]
Posted by Molly Fedick As part of her initiative to create a healthier America and her dedication to supporting the local community here in DC, the First Lady made sure to stop by opening day of the Freshfarm Market, located just steps from the Obama residence — and the workplaces of thousands of DC employees, including [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee (President Barack Obama stands with Paul and Janet Monti as he posthumously awards their son, Army Sgt. 1st. Class Jared C. Monti from Raynham, Mass., the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. Official White House [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee Speaking in College Park to the University of Maryland, the President saw some of the same passion for change that consumed much of the country for the years leading up to his election. (People in the audience take photos of President Barack Obama as he takes the stage to deliver remarks at a [...]
Posted by Dan Wenk With memories of his family’s recent visit to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park still fresh in his mind, President Barack Obama watched a special preview of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a new documentary by Ken Burns that will premiere on PBS September 27. While our nation boasts many great ideas, writer and [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee During Wednesday’s address to Congress, the President rose above the chatter, misinformation, and petty politics that opponents of health insurance reform have taken to new heights. In laying out the specifics of his plan, he spoke clearly on how it will benefit those who already have insurance — ending discrimination based [...]
Posted by Molly Fedick Dressed casually in a vibrant blue cardigan and jeans and armed with a paintbrush, a passerby may assume the smiling volunteer was just another Habitat for Humanity worker. A double-take reveals, however, that standing alongside George Washington University students is none other than the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Posted by Molly Fedick [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee This morning’s dismal skies were in sharp contrast to a sunny, cloudless September 11 eight years ago, when tragedy struck America. Today, the President paid tribute to those who lost their lives at the Pentagon Wreath-Laying Ceremony. We remember with reverence the lives we lost. We read their names. We press their [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee This morning Attorney General Eric Holder delivered remarks at a ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The ceremony, including the reading of names and placing of a wreath, honored the 72 law enforcement officers killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Read his prepared remarks below: Thank you, [...]
This afternoon President Obama and Vice President Biden attended the formal investiture ceremony for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, where Chief Justice Roberts called on Attorney General Holder to present Justice Sotomayor’s commission. (President Barack Obama talks with Justice Sonia Sotomayor prior to her investiture ceremony at the Supreme Court September 8, 2009. Official White House Photo by [...]
Posted by Jesse Lee The President’s message to America’s students today rested on two twin pillars of his vision: there is great hope and great potential in America; but the fulfillment of that hope is dependent on hard work and taking personal responsibility. There seemed to be a lot of hunger for this message, and thanks [...]
Posted by Principal Robert Hindman Ed. Note: As the Administration continues to prepare for H1N1 and flu season across all federal agencies, we welcome Principal Hindman to give us a glimpse of what school administrators are doing to prepare locally. As an elementary school Principal, I join school administrators across our country who are concerned about [...]
Posted by Norm Eisen Several months ago, the public interest community suggested that we also make available in a central place limited waivers granted by other federal agencies besides the White House. Today, we are releasing all ten such agency-granted waivers (none of which involve lobbying). The President’s Executive Order calls for an annual report to [...]
Posted by Norm Eisen Today, the President took another important step toward a more open and transparent government by announcing a historic new policy to voluntarily disclose White House visitor access records. Each month, records of visitors from the previous 90-120 days will be made available online. In his statement released earlier today, the President sums [...]
