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Barack Obama

Barack Obama216 posts

Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States in 2008, and the first African-American President. He won re-election in 2012. He is married to Michelle Obama, a former lawyer, and has two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

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16 Sep, 2015

Regrets Obama peace prize

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Lundestad says he regrets the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama in 2009, saying he failed to live up to expectations. The award was expected to boost the President but instead, the decision was met with criticism in the U.S.

No Nobel Peace Prize ever elicited more attention than the 2009 prize to Barack Obama…Even many of Obama’s supporters believed that the prize was a mistake. In that sense the committee didn’t achieve what it had hoped for

Lundestad says the President considered not going to pick up the award, and that his staff inquired whether other winners had skipped the ceremony. They found that this has happened only on rare occasions, such as when dissidents were held back by their governments. They therefore realized that they had no option but to travel and accept the award.

11 Sep, 2015

2014 National Medal of Arts

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Stephen King arts medal ObamaKing receives the 2104 National Medal of Arts from President Obama for “combining storytelling with analysis of human nature”. Other recipients include Sally Fields and Alice Waters.

31 Aug, 2015

Renames Mt McKinley to ‘Denali’

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Obama renames North America’s highest peak from Mount McKinley — after the 25th president — to its traditional Alaska Native name, Denali. White House statement:

In 1896, a prospector emerged from exploring the mountains of central Alaska and received news that William McKinley had been nominated as a candidate for President of the United States. In a show of support, the prospector declared the tallest peak of the Alaska Range as “Mt. McKinley”—and the name stuck. McKinley became our 25th President, and was tragically assassinated just six months into his second term. But he never set foot in Alaska—and for centuries, the mountain that rises some 20,000 feet above sea level, the tallest on the North American continent, had been known by another name—Denali. Generally believed to be central to the Athabascan creation story, Denali is a site of significant cultural importance to many Alaska Natives. The name “Denali” has been used for many years and is widely used across the state today.

16 Aug, 2015

‘Justice and equality spanned his life’

Tribute5 Comments

President Obama says of Bond:

Justice and equality was the mission that spanned his life — from his leadership of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, to his founding role with the Southern Poverty Law Center, to his pioneering service in the Georgia legislature and his steady hand at the helm of the NAACP. Julian Bond helped change this country for the better. And what better way to be remembered than that.

12 Aug, 2015

Voting rights defense

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President Obama writes letter to New York Times saying voting rights must be vigorously defended. The Times published the letter in response to an article in its Sunday magazine last month describing efforts to undercut or dismantle the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Obama:

These efforts are not a sign that we have moved past the shameful history that led to the Voting Rights Act. Too often, they are rooted in that history. They remind us that progress does not come easy, but that it must be vigorously defended and built upon for ourselves and future generations.

3 Aug, 2015

Releases America’s Clean Power Plan

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Obama unveils the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, which sets a goal of cutting carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. The rule assigns each state a target for reducing its carbon pollution from power plants, but allows states to create their own custom plans for doing so. Obama says that the plans will lead to lower energy bills for everyday Americans and create jobs in the renewable energy sector.

[These rules are] the biggest, most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change.Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. But until now there have been no federal limits to the amount of that pollution that those plants can dump into the air….Climate change is not a problem for another generation. Not anymore.

2 Aug, 2015

Authorizes defence against Syrian attacks

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Obama authorizes using air power to defend a new U.S.-backed fighting force in Syria if it is attacked by Syrian government forces or other groups, raising the risk of the American military coming into direct conflict with the regime of Assad. Though the new rules allow Pentagon strikes to defend the U.S.-allied force against any regime attacks, U.S. military officials play down the chances of a direct confrontation. The newly trained force is committed to fighting Islamic State, not the Syrian regime, and won’t be fielded in areas the regime controls. U.S. officials say they believe the regime won’t challenge the new force.

28 Jul, 2015

‘One of India’s most accomplished leaders’

Tribute7 Comments

President Obama extends his condolences on the event of Kalams death. He pays rich tributes and says that Kalam served as an inspiration to millions of Indians.

A scientist and statesman, Dr Kalam rose from humble beginnings to become one of India’s most accomplished leaders, earning esteem at home and abroad. An advocate for stronger US-India relations, Kalam worked to deepen our space cooperation, forging links with NASA during a 1962 visit to the United States.

Obama ‘blocks’ Mugabe

Makes Statement5 Comments

President Obama blocks President Mugabe from attending his special meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Press secretary Charamba says Mugabe is unmoved by Obama’s visit to the AU headquarters, describing the event as just “a visit by any other visitor”.

Obama has come to Ethiopia for an official visit and to address the staff there…If you are afraid of him, we are not because he is just a Head of State who visits Africa and the AU headquarters by virtue of his ancestry.  There will be a report on the summit in January where we will get a briefing on the visitor who is called Barack Obama ‘who we received and went back home happy’. . . He did not come to visit Mugabe. He went to Ethiopia and asked to visit the HQ. I did not see you writing that Mugabe snubs Obama when he went for the Ebola summit (in New York)

 

27 Jul, 2015

Huckabee’s comment ‘ridiculous…so sad’

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While speaking at a press conference in Ethiopia, Obama speaks about comments on Huckabee’s comments, and others made by GOP leaders and 2016 Presidential candidates.

It would be ridiculous it it weren’t so sad…We’ve had a sitting senator call John Kerry Pontius Pilate. We’ve had a sitting senator, who also happens to be running for president, suggest that I’m the leading state sponsor of terrorism. These are leaders in the Republican Party. Politicians can have serious political differences, but we just don’t fling out ad hominem attacks like that, because it doesn’t help inform the American people. We’re creating a culture that is not conducive to good policy, or good politics. I want to make sure I’m turning over the keys to someone who’s serious about the problems the country faces and the world faces.

Urges press freedom in Ethiopia

Makes Statement5 Comments

Obama urges Ethiopia’s leaders to curb crackdowns on press freedom and political openness as he begins a visit that human rights groups say legitimizes an oppressive government. Obama’s trip marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Ethiopia, a fast-growing economy once defined by poverty and famine.

When all voices are being heard, when people know they are being included in the political process, that makes a country more successful.

26 Jul, 2015

Women’s rights speech

Gives Talk3 Comments

Obama wraps up visit to Kenya with a speech about discrimination against women.

Every country and every culture has traditions that are unique and help make that country what it is, but just because something is part of your past doesn’t make it right; it doesn’t mean it defines your future. Around the world there is a tradition of oppressing women and treating them differently and not giving them the same opportunities, and husbands beating their wives, and children not being sent to school. Those are traditions. Treating women and girls as second-class citizens. Those are bad traditions. They need to change.

Treating women as second-class citizens is a bad tradition: it holds you back. There’s no excuse for sexual assault or domestic violence, there’s no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation, there’s no place in a civilised society for the early or forced marriage of children. These traditions may go back centuries; they have no place in the 21st century.

Stop treating women as second class citizens,President Obama tells Kenyan community

25 Jul, 2015

Kenya visit tensions

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Obama’s push for gay rights in Kenya causes some debate while Kenyatta refuses to change laws involving homosexuality. There are also some tense moments between Obama and Kenyatta over other topics like U.S. aid. Many Kenyans also believe that Obama is not implementing enough American aid programs, whereas Obama does not want other African countries to believe he is playing favorites. Obama:

When you start treating people differently, not because of any harm they’re doing to anybody, but because they are different, that’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode and bad things happen

Kenyatta:

There are some things we must admit we don’t share, [that] our culture, our societies don’t accept. It’s very difficult for us to be able to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept.

24 Jul, 2015

Turkey to permit U.S. strikes on ISIS

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It is reported that Turkey has agreed that the U.S. may use its airbase at Incirlik to launch air strikes on ISIS. Turkey’s decision comes one day after a telephone discussion between Presidents Obama and Erdogan. US officials decline to give details of the agreement with Turkey, and spokesmen decline to confirm it officially, saying it was up to Turkey to confirm. Turkish officials decline to comment on the report.

23 Jul, 2015

Expresses Turkey attack condolences

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President Obama expresses condolences on behalf of the American people over the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey attributed to the Islamic State. These included one attack that killed over 30 people in Suruc near Syria’s border. White House statement:

The two leaders affirmed that the United States and Turkey stand united in the fight against terrorism. The leaders also discussed efforts to increase cooperation to stem the flow of foreign fighters and secure Turkey’s border with Syria.

Turkey lets U.S. use base

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Turkey agrees to let the U.S. use a base on Turkish soil to launch airstrikes against the Islamic state. This indicates a significant change in Turkish policy, as previously Turkey was reluctant to get drawn to far into the war against the Islamic state. The base that will be used is Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. A White House statements says that the leaders of the U.S. and Turkey had discussed

deepening our ongoing cooperation in the fight against ISIL, as well as common efforts to bring security and stability to Iraq and a political settlement to the conflict in Syria.

22 Jul, 2015

Daily Show appearance

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President Obama makes his last appearance on The Daily Show before Stewart’s retirement.

I can’t believe you’re leaving before me, I’m going to issue an executive order. Jon Stewart cannot leave the show. It’s being challenged in courts.

President pays tribute

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President Obama pays tribute to Doctorow:

21 Jul, 2015

Orders flags to half-staff

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President Obama orders flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and federal buildings across the country until July 25, to honor the victims of the shooting, after facing pressure from lawmakers and others.

We honor their service. We offer our gratitude to the police officers and first responders who stopped the rampage and saved lives. We draw strength from yet another American community that has come together with an unmistakable message to those who would try and do us harm: We do not give in to fear. You cannot divide us. And you will not change our way of life.

20 Jul, 2015

Obama praises Buhari

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Ogama buhari imageObama welcomes Buhari to the Oval Office and praises him for working to bring safety, security and peace to a nation challenged by economic strains, a history of corruption and violence unleashed by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Relations are now expected to improve under Buhari. Obama:

[Buhari] a very clear agenda in defeating Boko Haram and extremists of all sorts inside of his country. And he has a very clear agenda in terms of rooting out the corruption that too often has held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country.