Obama ‘tired of talking about Trump’
At a $10,000-a-head fundraiser for Hillary Clinton on Martha’s Vineyard, President Obama says he is tired of talking about Trump.
You notice I haven’t said much about her opponent. Frankly, I’m tired of talking about her opponent. I don’t have to make the case against her opponent because every time he talks he makes the case against his own candidacy…This has been an unpredictable election season. Not only because of anxieties and concerns that the American people have, but also because of the changing nature of the media and voting patterns. There’s still a lot of uncertainty out there. And if we are not running scared until the day after the election, we are going to be making a grave mistake.
Obama has done ‘a lousy job’
In Beaufort, SC, Trump responds to President Obama’s comments saying he will never be president.
He has done such a lousy job as president. You look at our budgets. You look at our spending. We can’t beat ISIS. Obamacare is terrible. We’re going to terminate it. We’re going to absolutely terminate and replace it. I mean you look at everything. Our borders are like Swiss cheese….You’re lucky I didn’t run last time when Romney ran because you would have been a one-term president.
Believes Trump will not be president
At a press conference during a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in California, President Obama says that he believes Trump will not be president.
I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be president. And the reason is that I have a lot of faith in the American people. Being president is a serious job. It’s not hosting a talk show, or a reality show…The presidency isn’t “a matter of pandering and doing whatever will get you in the news on a given day. And sometimes, it requires you making hard decisions even when people don’t like it…Whoever’s standing where I’m standing right now has the nuclear codes with them, and can order 21-year-olds into a firefight, and (has) to make sure that the banking system doesn’t collapse, and is often responsible for not just the United States of America, but 20 other countries that are having big problems, or are falling apart and are gonna be looking for us to something…The American people are pretty sensible, and I think they’ll make a sensible choice in the end.
Obama asks congress for emergency funds
The White House says it will ask Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus: $828 million for the CDC to increase research into Zika, monitor the disease, and improve testing programs; $250 million to expand health programs in Puerto Rico, where the virus has already taken hold; $200 million is for vaccine research; $335 million for the US Agency for International Development to support Zika control efforts abroad; and $210 million to establish a new Urgent and Emerging Threat Fund that would build readiness in case other mosquito populations — like the Aedes albopictus — start carrying Zika to new states. President Obama:
The good news is this is not like Ebola, people don’t die of Zika. A lot of people get it and don’t even know that they have it.
Declares State of Emergency
Obama declares an official State of Emergency in the Flint Water Crisis. The move, requested by Gov. Snyder, frees up $5M in federal aid funding. Snyder’s initial request sought $31M, but this was denied on the grounds that the mandates allowing funds on that scale to be released are only available for natural disasters. Obama’s declaration will also free up FEMA to co-ordinate relief efforts in Flint.
Holds gun policy town hall
Obama speaks with gun owners at a televised town hall meeting hosted by CNN. The president explained his measures to make legal products safer, akin to child-proof medicine caps, and sought to reassure gun owners that no one was coming for their property. The NRA chose not to participate. The American Firearms Retailers Association was involved with the meeting. On gun registration:
That’s an area where there’s just not enough national consensus at this stage to even consider it. And part of it is is people’s concern that that becomes a prelude to taking people’s guns away…Part of the challenge of this is that the gun debate gets wrapped up in broader debates about whether the federal government is oppressive and there are conspiracy theories floating around the Internet these days all the time.
Obama pays respects
Obama, President Hollande, and Mayor Hidalgo visit the Bataclan venue where ninety people were killed. After placing his rose, Obama stands in silence with his head bowed and his hands clasped in front of him. He then walks away with his arms around Hollande and Hidalgo.
Obama: attacks ‘Heartbreaking’
President Obama comments on the Paris attacks, saying he has not spoken to French President Francois Hollande but would shortly.
Once again we’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. This is an attack not just on Paris and not just on people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share. The president He said his team is was still gathering information and he didn’t want to speculate about who might be responsible. [We will do whatever is necessary] to bring these terrorists to justice, and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people. The French people have stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States time and again. And we want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
Obama, Netanyahu meet
Minister Netanyahu meets with President Obama about the security of Israel. President Obama says that Israel’s security is a primary focus of his administration and he’s committed to using the resources of the United States to help keep Israel safe.
As I’ve said repeatedly, the security of Israel is one of my top foreign policy priorities and that has expressed itself not only in words but in deeds. We have closer military intelligence cooperation than any two administrations in history. The military assistance that we provide we consider not only an important part of our obligation to the security of the state of Israel but also an important part of US security infrastructure in the region as we make sure that one of our closest allies can not only protect itself but can also work with us in deterring terrorism and other security threats.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also expresses his appreciation of the strong bond that exists between the United States and Israel.
We’re with each other in more ways than one and I want to thank you for this opportunity to strengthen our friendship which is strong and strengthen our alliance which is strong.
Obama comments
Obama offers his condolences to the families of those who were killed.
[America] will wrap everyone who’s grieving with our prayers and our love. [But] our thoughts and prayers are not enough…Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine. The conversation in the aftermath of it. We’ve become numb to this. We’ve talked about this after Columbine and Blacksburg, after Tucson, after Newtown, after Aurora, after Charleston. It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun…Each time this happens I am going to say that we can actually do something about it but we’re gonna have to change our laws. And this is not something I can do by myself.
Putin, Obama meet
Obama meets Putin for the first time in more than two years. On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria, the U.S. still insists Syria’s future cannot include Assad, while Putin appears to only want to bolster the standing of his longtime ally, casting him as the best defense against Islamic States militants. Putin:
Strange is it may seem, there were many common points. There were also disagreements which we agreed to work together. I hope this work will be constructive.
Obama tweets support
President Obama tweets support for Mohamed.
Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 16, 2015
Renames Mt McKinley to ‘Denali’
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.
‘Justice and equality spanned his life’
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.
Releases America’s Clean Power Plan
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.
‘One of India’s most accomplished leaders’
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
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)
Huckabee’s comment ‘ridiculous…so sad’
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
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.
Kenya visit tensions
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.