The President Talks About How to Build a Rising, Thriving Middle Class

Obama Cares: On the Friday before Mother’s Day, President Obama explained how the Affordable Care Act is helping women. For example, the law prevents insurance companies from charging women more than men and requires insurance companies to cover preventive services like mammograms free of charge.

Thanks to the women in this room and people all across the country, we worked really hard — and it’s now been more than three years since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act and I signed it into law. It’s been nearly a year since the Supreme Court upheld the law under the Constitution. And, by the way, six months ago, the American people went to the polls and decided to keep going in this direction. So the law is here to stay.

Review of IRS: On Wednesday, the President delivered remarks on the Treasury Department’s review of the Internal Revenue Service and said the “misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable.” The President said he will hold the responsible parties accountable, put in place new safeguards to make sure this does not happen again, and work with Congress as it performs its oversight role.

I’ll do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this happens again by holding the responsible parties accountable, by putting in place new checks and new safeguards, and going forward, by making sure that the law is applied as it should be — in a fair and impartial way.

Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey: On Thursday, President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan held a press conference at the Rose Garden. The leaders discussed U.S. – Turkey relations such as trade and investment, mutual security, and the conflict in Syria.

Prime Minister Cameron of Great Britain: On Tuesday, the President welcomed British Prime Minister David Cameron to the White House. The global partners spoke about the upcoming Group of Eight summit, sustaining the global economy, and the conflict in Syria.

As we’ve said before, the great alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom is rooted in shared interests and shared values, and it’s indispensable to global security and prosperity.

National Peace Officers Memorial Service: On Wednesday, the President headed to the U.S. Capitol for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service. The event paid respect to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty the last year. The 143 fallen officers were recognized for their courage on the front lines and their dedication to our community.

They exemplified the very idea of citizenship — that with our God-given rights come responsibilities and obligations to ourselves and to others. They embodied that idea. That’s the way they died. That’s how we must remember them. And that’s how we must live.

#WeTheGeeks: On Thursday, the White House launched “We the Geeks,” a new series of Google+ Hangouts highlighting the future of science, technology, and innovation in America. The first “We the Geeks” Hangout covered Grand Challenges, which are “ambitious goals on a national or global scale that capture the imagination and demand advances in innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology.”

Support Obama

**Guess what? Since this supporter put together this list, our economy has continued to add jobs. To date, we’ve added nearly 5.2 million private sector jobs over 31 consecutive monthsWhat is this?Every day from now until Election Day, we’ll send you something that makes the case for voting for Barack Obama. Today, it’s a supporter’s handmade list of why they support our president. What can I do? If you like it, we ask that you share it with any friends, family members, and neighbors you know who are still making up their mind about who to vote for (and everyone knows some). All you have to do is pass it on — forward it, share on Facebook, or on Twitter. Done. What else? If you spot something that’s especially persuasive or inspiring, or if you want to share your own graphic, essay, or personal story, send it on to forwardthis@barackobama.com and we’ll pass the best ones along. With 12 days to go in this election, and millions of voters still making up their minds, it’s the job of everyone who supports President Obama to let everyone else know who they’re voting for this year — and why. Thanks for your help. Obama for America —- Time is running out. Chip in today, when your donation can make the biggest difference.

Media Matters for America : Wind Power , Reagan and the Economy

Fox Touts Failed Fiscal Austerity Measures Fox’s Stuart Varney claimed that the result of the French presidential election showed that French voters “want to go backwards” because they are saying “no more austerity.” But experts have said that European austerity measures have not improved the economic situation and have warned against similar measures in the United States. Read More

Fox’s Flawed Solution To The Economy: What Would Reagan Do? Fox has attacked the economic recovery under President Obama by claiming that if Obama just adopted the policies of former President Ronald Reagan, there would be a stronger recovery. But as economists have pointed out, the Reagan recession ended not because of Reagan’s fiscal policies but because the Federal Reserve drastically cut interest rates. Because interest rates are already at zero, such a rate cut is not a possible option now. Read More

Journal Miffed By Bipartisan Support For U.S. Wind Power A Wall Street Journal editorial criticizes Republicans who support extending the federal Production Tax Credit, a key tax break supporting the U.S. wind power industry. The Journal suggests that wind energy will not become competitive with fossil fuels, but energy analysts say wind is approaching that point and that the expiration of the tax credit would slow or halt that progress. Read More

the Progress Report

The News Corp Scandal By The Numbers Jul 21, 2011 | By ThinkProgress War Room The Latest on the News Corp Scandal Last week, we discussed the state of play in the News Corp phone hacking scandal and why the U.S. government needs to launch an investigation. Since then, a lot — far too much to cover in this space — has happened. Here’s a rundown of some key details, by the numbers: 0 The number of times Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch, or Rebekah Brooks accepted any responsibility for the growing scandal. 1 The number of law firms fighting to weaken a key anti-corruption law shared by News Corp and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which launched a campaign to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act shortly after receiving a $1 million gift from News Corp. 1 The number of pies thrown in Rupert Murdoch’s face during his testimony before Parliament 2 The number of investigations of News Corp opened in the U.S. so far (Department of Justice and FBI). 2 The number of senior police officials who resigned this week over allegations of improper relationships with News International. 3 The number of current or former News Corp executives who testified before Parliament on Tuesday: Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch, and Rebekah Brooks. 10 The number of hours former News International chief Rebekah Brooks spent in questioning this past Sunday after she was arrested. 12 The percentage of American voters who view Rupert Murdoch favorably. 23 The percentage of “very conservative” American voters who view Murdoch favorably. 23 The number of meetings or social gatherings Prime Minister David Cameron had with News Corp executives since becoming prime minister, approximately one-third of all meetings Cameron has had with media organizations. 77 The percentage of Americans who want the Department of Justice to investigate News Corp, including 69 percent of Republicans 1,059 The number of words in a shocking Wall Street Journal editorial that defended News Corp and attacked the Guardian and others. 4,000+ The estimated number of victims of phone hacking in the U.K. alone. 150,000+ The number of people who have signed petitions calling for investigations of News Corp in the U.S. $29.5 MILLION The amount News Corp paid to buy a rival company, just as a trial about News Corp’s alleged hacking of the company was getting underway. $655 MILLION The total amount News Corp has paid out “to make embarrassing charges of corporate espionage and anticompetitive behavior go away.” Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed In light of uncompromising Republican obstructionism, Faiz Shakir, editor-in-chief of Think Progress, has a solution to President Obama’s low rate of confirmation for his nominees. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Shakir argues the White House should take the muzzle off its nominees and allow them to make their own case for confirmation and defend themselves in the media. Congressman Allen West (R-FL) has had a week full of public relations disasters and offensive statements. That doesn’t mean he’s ready for it to end though. Now, West is claiming liberals see him as “a threat because I’m the guy that got off of their 21st Century plantation.” The Gang of Six plan to reduce the national debt is even worse than you think. The News Corp-owned Times of London shows its sympathy for the victims of the serious criminal allegations leveled against it and its parent company by printing a cartoon depicting starving children bemoaning the phone hacking covering. The House GOP shows its disdain for women worldwide by voting to reinstate the global gag rule. Why does the Gang of Six want to repeal the CLASS Act?: “This combination of cuts and repeal of CLASS threatens to put millions of families in financial and physical jeopardy.” Archie comics are officially all-in on gay rights. Big banks get bigger: “The assets held by the five largest American banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs — grew 3 percent last year compared to the year prior, according to their most recent quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. They held $8.7 trillion in assets as of June 30, compared to $8.4 trillion the same time last year.” After learning his state’s credit rating could be jeopardized if the federal government defaulted on its debt, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) flip-flopped, and called for Congress to come to a compromise “immediately.” Worth A Thousand Words: Gay ‘Barbarians’ Demand Ex-Gay ‘Discipline’ From Bachmann Clinic Via ThinkProgress LGBT’s Zack Ford: Today a group of gay “barbarians” descended upon Marcus Bachmann’s Christian counseling center to protest the harmful ex-gay therapy offered there. During a radio interview in 2010, Bachmann compared gay people to “barbarians” who need to be “disciplined.” Organized by Nick Espinosa, who famously showered Newt Gingrich with glitter, the protest glittered Bachmann’s empty waiting room and reception area, chanting “You can’t pray away the gay — baby, I was born this way!”

wicked Wednesday &some News

Today, as the progress of our Nation seems to be slowing down given our Congress is unable to work in a bipartisan way to get our economy growing and Republicans, though in the minority have managed to do their best to stop any effort to create and pass laws that will. Instead, they work, debate and will finally vote on delaying the debit card usage fee caps or the 10% tax on tanning salons; don’t get me wrong those two pieces of legislation definitely are important but it would it would be nice if Leader Reid would introduce Jobs bills whenever possible. If you are like me it seems like every time a Republican speaks now days i flinch, cringe, or say I told you so. I know that in my resentment for the lack of knowledge in the issues, reality and or trust by my fellow Americans, or from those angry voters, even some Democratic members of Congress in President Obama I am not alone. I have to say that it is important that we remind ourselves why and what some of our so-called allies said about the November Midterm elections and not let this happen again. Yes, we are all suffering on some level because they decided to sit out, vote right of center … whatever. Yep, I was worried and now we are all living with a daily barrage of crap on any given platform confirming the worry with good reason. The week before the midterms, I stated … What worries me, is the possibility that people who have no experience, common sense or clarity may get on the floor of Congress and really ruin what use to be a great country. The fact is this group of Republicans is not our parent’s right of center Political Party. This Political Party of No have not only  proved themselves to be more concerned about those top 2% by repeatedly holding legislation hostage in the name of those job creators and financial backers since the midterms elections. It is more than obvious they do not care about reducing the deficit, climate change, Jobs, fair share or the middle or lower classes whatsoever they have used the race card though hidden or undetected by most. The conversation from pundits, cable heads and others who engage in coded racial talk have an agenda that will hurt us all in the long term. Though Republicans have not introduced one Jobs bill but have btw voted against all the Jobs bills offered up by the Democratic Party because it will give our President a win. They continue to state that giving them control of the House of Representative is what Americans wanted but they have failed to listen and accept the buyer’s remorse screamed at them at town halls, meet-ups, and or calls from their own constituents. We the People on both sides of the aisle want Congress to put people back to work not to touch Medicare, Planned Parenthood, NPR, or anything else related to a social program that is government run. . I have not heard that slogan as much but the Republican Tea Party has acted as if they will “take back their country,” on all levels of government. In October 2010 I said, I guess you can plug in whatever that means for you though it sounded like an awful way to live if you are a minority on any level. Now, it is obvious that it means a vote against all your best interests. If you live on the Gulf Coast or a State with a Republican Mayor or Governor, it is likely you have been asking yourself not only why you were so easily conned but what have Republicans really done for you lately. If you have family, friends and or co-workers who are Teachers, Cops, Emts, Firefighters or any type of Rescue worker you probably are feeling as if your vote to take back your country was one of the last nails that will or could ruin this country as you know it. Yes, that is my opinion but come on, if you have been paying attention or living under a rock, Republican members of Congress, and some so-called dems started working and voting against their fellow Americans since President Obama Admin took office. The main mission as stated by the likes of a Bachmann is making this President Obama’s only term by voting against all of his policies which will invariably takes us all down.

The midterm elections have affected children, friends, families and our own lives, and if we give them our country, they will ruin our futures.

 

Other News …

International Community Turns Up Pressure on Syria

David Cameron: UK will ‘not stand silent’ over Syria

Hundreds in Syria flee to Turkey

Gorgeous, smart Huma Abedin is not hanging around town while disgraced hubby …

OIL FUTURES: Crude Oil Gains As OPEC Leaves Output Unchanged

NATO Defense Chiefs to Discuss Libya Campaign

Salmonella cases rise in United States, federal report shows

US OIL INVENTORIES: Crude Inventories Fall More Than Expected

Michelle Obama To Appear On Nickelodeon’s iCarly

Pawlenty says 5 percent growth is “aspirational”

 CSPAN …

States Go to Court Over Obama Health Care Legislation

Lawmakers Consider Extending the Service of FBI Director Mueller

Nominee to be U.S. Amb. to Afghanistan Discusses Success in Region

BBC News – Libya crisis: Pro-Gaddafi forces attack Misrata
OPEC oil talks collapse, no output deal | Reuters
President Obama Remarks on U.S. Manufacturing

Think Fast … thinkprogress.org

Prime Minister David Cameron said today that British air force fighters will begin heading to the Mediterranean “in the coming hours” to join the international coalition in implementing a no-fly zone over Libya. “The Defence Secretary and I have now instructed the Chief of the Defence Staff to work urgently with our allies to put in place the appropriate military measures to enforce the [UN] resolution,” he said.

Update: Libya’s deputy Foreign Minister has declared that the government is ready to accept a cease-fire after the UN authorized a no-fly zone last night to protect civilians from Libyan pro-government forces. “We are ready for this decision [a ceasefire] but we require an interlocutor to discuss how to implement it,” Khalid Kaim said.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah “announced on Friday billions of dollars in handouts for his people and boosted his security apparatus ” in an apparent attempt to head off a nascent pro-democracy movement. The announcement comes at a time when the Saudis have sent over a thousand troops to neighboring Bahrain to put down a pro-democracy uprising there.

Seven Bahraini opposition leaders were arrested in early morning raids by the government. The U.S. government has been calling for the government to negotiate with the opposition, but the arrests “left it unclear who could speak.”

” Opposition to the war in Afghanistan has grown in the House ,” with 93 lawmakers, including eight Republicans, voting yesterday for a bill that would have directed President Obama to remove U.S forces from the country by the end of the year. While the measure still fell far short of passing, it garnered 30 more votes than a similar measure introduced a year ago.

USA Today has found that the ” suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war , according to the first round of preliminary data from an Army study.” But “the suicide risk for female soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan is still lower than for men serving next to them.” The findings “also show that marriage somehow helps inoculate male and female soldiers from killing themselves while they are overseas.”

For the first time in its history, the Washington Post-ABC News survey has found that a majority of Americans back gay marriage. Five years ago, support for gay marriage was at only 36 percent, but now 53 percent say it should be legal.

A Wall Street Journal study found that 50 major corporations’ CEOS took home $126.1 million in 2010 bonuses, “the biggest gain in at least three years.” But under the new Wall Street reform law taking effect this year, every business whose stock-market value exceeds $75 million will have to let investors voice their opinions on such rewards.

President Obama ” ordered a safety review of the nation’s nuclear power plants in an effort to quell mounting fears sparked by the unfolding catastrophe in Japan.” Yet he also defended American nuclear plants, saying they’ve been declared “safe for any number of extreme contingencies.”

And finally: In order to buy time for two colleagues who were running late to a vote , Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) “listed movie recommendations, used his cellphone and considered doing impersonations” on the House floor yesterday. Burton’s film recs? The “Lord Of The Dance 3D,” which was released Friday. “I just decided to wing it for a little bit and be a little interesting,” he told reporters afterwards.

Official Google blog …

YouTube Highlights 3/3/2011

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:57 PM PST

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch, and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

In past weeks, we’ve featured two more YouTube interviews with leaders through the World View program and seen more footage come in from across the Middle East as unrest there continues.

David Cameron and John Boehner on YouTube

In YouTube World View’s second interview, YouTube and Al Jazeera English sat down with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Ten thousand people submitted questions, and in the interview, the Prime Minister shared his thoughts on what should be done in Libya, and talked about increased taxes for banks in the U.K. and Britain’s role in Afghanistan.

And as the budget debate rages on the U.S. Capitol Hill, we asked viewers from across the U.S. and around the world to submit questions to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH). The final interview will be posted to YouTube on Friday, March 4.

We’ll have another interview in the coming weeks—check YouTube World View for more details soon.

Join us on YouTube for Carnaval in Brazil

An estimated 100 million people travel to Brazil each year to experience Carnaval, the iconic celebration on the streets of Salvador, Bahia. This year, you can join the festivities on the Carnaval YouTube channel via computer or mobile phone. Watch live feeds of Salvador’s multi-day street fest from Thursday, March 3 through Tuesday, March 8. If you’re lucky enough to be there in person, find out how to buy a pass to Google’s street-side camarote (cabin) at the celebration at http://www.youtube.com/carnaval.

February’s “On The Rise” winner

After tens of thousands of votes, D-trix from theDOMINICshow has been named February’s “On The Rise” contest winner. He beat out tornado chasers, graphic artists and pop stars for the honor. When D-trix isn’t spoofing Justin Bieber, he’s dancing or teaching people how to rap. Congratulations!

Making YouTube seven times faster

To help you better enjoy all the great content that’s uploaded to YouTube every minute, we recently increased speed for uploads and playback. Google’s cloud computing capabilities help us process videos in chunks on different machines—making our video-processing seven times faster than in 2008.

Ad Blitz winner

Super Bowl ads are always a big draw of the game. This year, we added Super Bowl spots to the Ad Blitz gallery so you could vote for your favorites. More than 2.7 million votes were cast, and 3.5 million views took place on mobile devices. This year’s winner, Chrysler, was featured on the YouTube masthead for the Saturday following the game.

This week’s trends on YouTube

Here are a few recent highlights from YouTube Trends:

Britney Spears built up anticipation for her latest music video.


Dramatic footage poured in from across the Middle East: Libya, Iran, Algeria and Yemen.


A funny moment from “Family Feud” got “passed around.”


We’ll have another update for you in a couple of weeks. Until then, visit us at the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

trippi Tuesday …& some News

The President will be giving out the Medal of Honor today, which is such a proud moment to be an American in a time when we use to have two wars now only one as well as the first person of colour as our President giving you chills. It is a very special day to be alive and see all the wonder things President Obama has been able to accomplish with or without the help of, I guess Americans who call themselves Republicans. The weather here sucked last night and early this morning though it has calmed down finally it is just the beginning of autumn, which will move into winter sometime soon.

I posted a letter to Americans from Leader Harry Reid and apparently, it upset someone so much that they responded. While I am glad to get responses to the various articles posted, this one seems a bit dramatic. It is obvious the person is very right of center and it confirms how personal feelings create gridlock. Unfortunately, this same attitude will continue to happen on the floor of Congress as personal feelings get in the way of doing the peoples business. As Republican members of Congress show lack of compromise so do their constituents and while that may be normal up to a point in our own private lives, this behavior cannot continue on for too long as we all know the quicker folks work together the sooner Americans will be able to move into the 21st Century. Anyway, below is the response to the open letter to Americans from Harry Reid.

A desperate lie by a desperate piece of filth. It’s laughable in the extreme. The truth is that Americans did not vote the Liberal filth out of office for the sake of working with their remnants.

They and their supporters, the domestic enemies of America, can sit down and shut up or things will go harshly for them sooner than it might otherwise.

Other News …

Rep. Rangel is convicted by House panel on ethics violations on 11 of 13 counts -non-legal action

Cholera outbreak sparks riots in Haiti

Republican leaders suddenly decide to vote against earmarks -pushed by tea party members

Tina Fey is censored by PBS -on Palin comments

• 

  Walmart drug plan for seniors may not be best dealConsumer alert: A new Medicare drug plan with the lowest upfront cost in the country may not be for everyone, experts say.

CSPAN …

Senate Democratic and Republican Leadership Election Press Conferences Today	George W. Bush Presidential Center Groundbreaking Ceremony Today
Wall Street Journal CEO Council 2010 Annual Meeting Today	British P.M. David Cameron Speech at Lord Mayor’s Banquet Monday
State Department Press Briefing Monday	House Ethics Inquiry Hearing on Conduct of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) Monday
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Meeting with GOP Senators-Elect Monday	British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Afghanistan Monday