The smoke bomb was thrown while between 1,000 and 1,500 people affiliated with Occupy D.C. were protesting outside the White House.

Reuters reports:

A majority of the protesters had left the area earlier and there had been no arrests, he said.

President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, went out to dinner to celebrate her birthday and were not at the White House when the incident began but returned while the investigation was under way.

Members of the White House press pool were prevented from leaving for about 45 minutes before they were escorted off the grounds. Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was also closed during the investigation.

Read More At Reuters

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Barnes, who will be gone by Tuesday, is quick to point out that there have been many domestic achievements, even though the public is dissatisfied.

“I completely understand what the American public is feeling,” she said in an interview in her tidy West Wing office. “Real people are hurting in a significant way. … At the same time, I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to accomplish over the last few years.”

Her office is wrestling with multiple thorny issues now just as it was when Barnes started as Obama’s domestic policy team director in 2009.

Back then, the economy plunged into free-fall and the country was in its worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Jobs were being lost at a rate of about 750,000 a month – a number Barnes still finds so staggering she said she has to double-check it every time she says it.

Homes were being foreclosed, unemployment was skyrocketing and reaching double the national average in the black community. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, an outbreak of H1N1flu virus became a pandemic, and a tsunami that hit Japan crippled a nuclear plant near Tokyo, to name some of the highlights.

Even her chance to play golf with the president, the first time a woman joined him, was a response to what was a public image crisis for Obama. The president was getting flak for playing basketball with men and fostering complaints about a boys’ club in the White House.

Just before Christmas, the president and Congress wrangled over a two-month extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Obama won a victory when the proposal won bipartisan support in the Senate and finally was accepted by House Republicans under extreme pressure.

Barnes, a Richmond, Va., native with a career in government and private sector work, is bowing out of the political arena as Obama struggles with low approval ratings on his handling of the economy.

A majority of Americans do not think the president deserves a second term, according to the most recent Associated Press-GfK poll. But at the same time, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.6 percent, the lowest level since March 2009. The president’s overall approval rating stands at 44 percent, the lowest of his term in AP-GfK surveys.

His strong stance against House Republicans in the payroll tax standoff has caused an uptick in approval ratings in subsequent polls.

Barnes expects the list of legislative victories that she and others pulled off amid the hemorrhaging economy will become more clear in the coming year as the dark clouds of the economy disperse.

She tops that list with the early work to stabilize the economy, 21 months of consistent job growth and the president’s long-term investments in education overhaul, an area that became her specialty.

“Our work on education reform, it’ll be part of this president’s legacy,” she said.

Barnes said that with a fraction of what the federal government spends annually on education, about $100 billion, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the administration tapped into an education reform movement taking place at the grass roots among governors and local communities frustrated with the prescriptive, one-size-fits-all mandates of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration’s education cornerstone.

Congress has yet to approve revisions to No Child Left Behind, states are using up the stimulus money, and Obama’s Race to the Top grant program faces spending cuts. But Barnes said Obama has given a boost to education law changes that now allow such things as connecting student performance and teacher evaluations.

Barnes, chief counsel to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Obama also deserves credit for passage of a health care overhaul, legislation that she had worked on for eight years with Kennedy. The Massachusetts senator spent his career trying to restructure health care.

There’s also the auto industry bailout, expansion of Pell grants to help fund college education, the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays and work to advance civil rights, she said.

“When you are worried about day to day, it’s hard to step back and to take all those other things in,” Barnes said. “Although at the same time, I’m literally in the grocery store and people come up to me and say, `Hey, you work for the president. You keep on doing what you are doing.’ ”

Married a few months into the president’s first year, Barnes plans to spend more time with family. She is considering offers in the private sector but hasn’t disclosed what those are.

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An initial, 50-minute evaluation by a court-appointed psychiatrist found that Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is competent to understand the proceedings against him and to help with his defense, according to the prosecutors’ motion.

Ortega, a 21-year-old native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, is accused of using an assault rifle to fire up to nine shots at the White House on the evening of Nov. 11, when Obama was out of town. He fired the shots at long range from the window of his Honda sedan, authorities said. One bullet smashed into a window of the living quarters of the executive mansion but was stopped by ballistic glass.

Ortega is one of a handful of people ever accused of trying to assassinate the president, a charge that carries a potential life sentence. He has referred to Obama as the Antichrist and told acquaintances he “needed to kill him,” court documents show.

On Monday, a federal judge granted a defense request to delay Ortega’s preliminary hearing to give attorneys time to argue whether he should undergo additional screening. Ortega is due back in court Dec. 12.

In their motion, prosecutors said they did not dispute the finding of competency. But they argued a full psychiatric screening is warranted “given the serious nature of the criminal charges pending against the defendant and the likelihood that mental health issues may arise in the course of these proceedings.”

The long-haired, bearded Ortega, wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, said “Yes, sir,” during Monday’s brief court appearance when asked if he understood the proceedings. He is being held without bond.

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Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, was charged Thursday with attempting to assassinate the president or his staff. He is accused of firing nine rounds at the White House last Friday night – one of them cracking a window of the first family’s living quarters – when Obama and the first lady were away. If convicted, Ortega faces up to life in prison.

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Ortega was arrested Wednesday at a western Pennsylvania hotel when a desk clerk there recognized him and called police.

Ortega’s public defender, Christopher Brown, declined comment after his first court hearing in Pennsylvania. Ortega’s mother has said he has no history of mental illness, though when authorities were looking for him, they reported he had “mental health issues.”

VIDEO OF ORTEGA

In Idaho Falls, where Ortega is from, a computer consultant told The Associated Press that the two met July 8 after Ortega asked for help editing a 30-minute infomercial. Monte McCall said that during the meeting at Ortega’s family’s Mexican restaurant, Ortega pulled out worn sheets of yellow paper with handwritten notes and started to talk about his predictions that the world would end in 2012.

“He said, `Well, you know the president is getting ready to make an announcement that they’re going to put GPS chips in all the children, so they’re safe,’” McCall said. “… And then he said, `That’s just what the Antichrist is going to do to mark everybody.’”

Kimberly Allen, the mother of Ortega’s former fiancee, said he had been well-mannered and kind in the four years she had known him. But he recently began making statements to her daughter that were out of character, including that he believed he was Jesus. Allen said the family was worried when he went to Utah recently, where he said he had business, and didn’t come back. Ortega’s family reported him missing Oct. 31.

Allen said they were flabbergasted to hear he was wanted in Washington.

“I believe that the boy needs help,” said Allen, of Shelley, Idaho.

Her daughter, Jessica Galbraith, was engaged to Ortega and is the mother of their 2-year-old son. She declined to comment Thursday except to say: “I love him, and I’m here for him.”

It was unclear why or when they split.

Reached by the AP on Thursday, Ortega’s mother said she didn’t have anything to say. She earlier told the Post Register in Idaho Falls her son has no history of mental illness.

“He has different ideas than other people, just like everyone, but he was perfectly fine the last time I saw him,” Maria Hernandez told the newspaper. “He might be saying weird stuff that sounds crazy, but that doesn’t mean (he) is crazy. He might be confused and scared.”

At his first appearance in court in Pennsylvania, Ortega sat quietly, his hands free but his feet shackled. He said only, “Yes, ma’am” when he was asked if he understood that he would be going back to Washington to face the charge.

According to a court document released after the hearing, authorities recovered nine spent shell casings from Ortega’s car, which was found abandoned near the White House shortly after the shooting. An assault rifle with a scope was found inside.

A person who knows him subsequently told investigators that he had become increasingly agitated with the federal government and was convinced it was conspiring against him, the document said. Others told investigators that Ortega had reportedly said Obama was the Antichrist and the “devil.” Ortega also apparently said he “needed to kill” the president.

Authorities said Ortega was clad in black when he pulled his car within view of the White House on Friday night, fired shots and then sped away. The White House has not said whether the Obamas’ daughters, Sasha and Malia, were there at the time or commented on the shooting.

Ortega was questioned by police on Friday morning, before the shootings, just across the Potomac River from Washington in Arlington, Va. Police said they stopped him after a report of suspicious behavior, but let him go after photographing him because they had no reason to make an arrest.

Ortega has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, U.S. Park Police have said.

This is not the first time the White House has come under attack.

In the last 40 years, the landmark has faced threats ranging from a stolen helicopter that landed on the grounds in 1974 to a man who wielded a sawed-off shotgun on a sidewalk outside in 1984. In 1994 alone, there were five threats including a plane crash on the lawn and a suspected drive-by shooting. Another man fired at least 29 rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, with 11 striking the White House.

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who served on the presidential details for Obama and President George W. Bush, said Friday’s shooting would likely mean tighter security and coordination.

“They do an exhaustive review of their security procedures every time something like this happens,” said Bongino, who recently left the Secret Service to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland. “Nothing ever works perfectly. They will undress this completely and then they will find out when they rebuild the incident exactly what they could have done better.”

___

The U.S. Secret Service found two bullets had hit the White House and agents caught up with Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez in Pennsylvania on Wednesday after a four-day search. Police arrested the 21-year-old Idaho man at a hotel after a desk clerk recognized his picture. Ortega was scheduled to make his first appearance at 2 p.m. Thursday in federal court in Pittsburgh and many questions remained about his motive and background.

Authorities are investigating the man’s mental health and say there are indications he believed attacking the White House was part of a personal mission from God, according to two different law enforcement officials who spoke with The Associated Press. There are also indications the man had become obsessed with Obama and the White House, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Shots were fired at the building Friday night. Agents discovered Tuesday that one of the two bullets hit the exterior and a second cracked a window on the second floor residential level, just behind the rounded portico visible from the south side of the White House.

That bullet was stopped by protective ballistic glass. The window that was hit is in front of the so-called Yellow Oval Room, which is in the middle of the family’s living quarters.

Obama and his wife Michelle were on a trip to California and Hawaii at the time of the shooting. The president has since traveled on to Australia on a nine-day Asia-Pacific tour. The Obamas were in California without daughters Malia and Sasha, but the White House had no immediate comment on the shooting or who may have been home at the time.

Investigators believe Ortega fired the rifle from his vehicle Friday, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. Gunshots were reported that night on Constitution Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Soon after, U.S. Park Police found an abandoned vehicle, the assault rifle inside it, near a bridge leading out of the nation’s capital to Virginia. The car led investigators to Ortega, and they obtained a warrant for his arrest Sunday, officials said.

This is not the first time the White House has come under attack.

In the last 40 years, the landmark has faced threats ranging from a stolen helicopter that landed on the grounds in 1974 to a man who wielded a sawed-off shotgun on a sidewalk outside in 1984. In 1994 alone, there were five threats including a plane crash on the lawn and a suspected drive-by shooting. Another man fired at least 29 rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, with 11 striking the White House.

Dan Bongino is a former Secret Service agent who served on the presidential details for Obama and President George W. Bush. He said Friday’s shooting would likely mean tighter security and coordination.

“They do an exhaustive review of their security procedures every time something like this happens,” he said. “Nothing ever works perfectly. They will undress this completely and then they will find out when they rebuild the incident exactly what they could have done better.”

Bongino, who recently left the Secret Service to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland, said it was doubtful that a gunman could strike a target such as the White House from a moving car at the distance investigators suspect he shot. It would require “an incredible amount of training to pull that off,” he said, suggesting it was more likely Ortega stopped his car to fire.

An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing said Ortega used a knockoff of an AK-47. Late Wednesday, however, authorities had not conclusively linked his gun to the rounds found at the White House.

In the days after the gunfire, police distributed photos of Ortega. He had been stopped and questioned Friday morning just across the Potomac River from Washington in Arlington, Va. Arlington police said they stopped him after a report of suspicious behavior but released him after photographing him because they had no reason to make an arrest at that time.

Subsequently, a U.S. Park Police crime bulletin said he was known to have mental health issues.

“Ortega should be considered unstable with violent tendencies,” the bulletin stated.

Ortega was arrested Wednesday afternoon without putting up resistance at a hotel near Indiana, Pa., about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Secret Service said. He was in Pennsylvania State Police custody.

State troopers said Ortega had visited the hotel in recent days, and investigators believed he was back in the area Wednesday. The Secret Service passed out photographs and a desk clerk recognized his picture and stalled him while notifying police.

Ortega is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and was reported missing Oct. 31 by his family. A message left for Ortega’s mother Wednesday at an Idaho Falls restaurant where she works was not returned. Phone listings for family members in the city were disconnected.

Ortega has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, U.S. Park Police have said.

—

Associated Press writers Jessie Bonner in Boise, Idaho, Joe Mandak in Pittsburgh, Kevin Begos in Indiana, Pa., Eric Tucker in New Orleans, Matt Apuzzo in Washington and AP photographer Haraz Ghanbari in Washington contributed to this report.

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Police took 21-year-old Oscar Ortega into custody at a hotel near Indiana, Pa.  Using information provided by the Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police made the arrest at 12:35 p.m.

Secret Service confirmed on Tuesday morning that 2 bullets were found on the White House grounds, one of them lodged in ballistic glass behind a historic window.

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On Friday night, an arrest warrant was issued for Ortega in the shooting.

Law enforcement said Ortega moved into the D.C. region several weeks ago.  His family in Idaho Falls, Idaho reported him missing on October 31.

Read more at NBCLocal

An additional round of ammunition was also found on the exterior of the White House. The bullets were found Tuesday.

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The discovery follows reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday. Witnesses heard shots and saw two speeding vehicles in the area. An AK-47 rifle was also recovered.

The Secret Service said it has not conclusively connected Friday’s incident with the bullets found on the White House grounds.

U.S. Park Police have an arrest warrant out for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, who is believed to be connected to the earlier incident. He is described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 160 pounds, with a medium build, brown eyes and black hair.

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Arguably, the most important environmental issue President Obama will face before the 2012 election, protestors urged the president to stand up for the nation’s environmental livelihood before oil company profits.

Some carried a long, black tubular float that read “Stop The XL Pipeline.” Others wore orange safety vests to remind spectators of the threat of potential spills.

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The Huffington Post reports:

“As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem,” wrote Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in a statement released late on Friday. “We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.” “It’s maddening that the administration wants to continue failed prohibition polices that do nothing to reduce drug use and succeed only in funneling billions of dollars into the pockets of the cartels and gangs that control the illegal market,” said Franklin, who serves as executive director of advocacy group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, in a statement released Saturday.

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Now, NBC is developing a new television sitcom inspired by the Obamas, which focuses on a dysfunctional first family and their life in the White House.

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The sitcom, titled 1600 Penn, is a comedic spin written by Josh Gad and Jon Lovett, two former speechwriters to Obama.

NBC is currently in a “put pilot commitment” in which the network will be forced to pay penalties if the show does not debut.

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Barnes will leave the White House at the end of the year, she said Thursday.

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“I think we have been able to make changes, even though there’s still so much work to be done,” replied Barnes, pointing out the Obama administration’s work on education as something she is particularly proud to have helped shape.

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First lady Michelle Obama announced on Tuesday that longtime hotel executive Angella Reid will take over the job next month.

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The chief usher’s job is a demanding one, overseeing most aspects of White House operations, from tours and state dinners to the mansion’s historic preservation.

Reid is currently general manager at the Ritz-Carlton in Alexandria, Va., but has also helped run properties in Miami, New York, Washington, D.C., and Rocky Hill, Conn. She’s replacing Rear Adm. Stephen Rochon, the first black to hold the usher’s post, who took a post at the Department of Homeland Security.

Four days after President Obama laid out the American Jobs Act for Congress, he took his message to a public forum attended by over 100 African Americans at the White House and live-streamed over the Internet, imploring them to help get the bill passed.

“We are at a critical juncture in our country and this Jobs Act can deliver,” said Obama. “I need people to get out there and support this. If Congress doesn’t get it done, we know exactly who is holding this up.”

With Black unemployment at a 27-year-high of 16.7 percent, the President laid out specifics of his plan and how it would help to get the African-American community back to work.

The plan would provide summer jobs for youth (45 percent unemployment for Black youth) and boost the paychecks of 20 million Black workers through an extension and expansion of the payroll tax. It would also extend unemployment insurance for nearly 1.4 million African Americans who have been unemployed six months or longer.

The forum, titled “Open for Questions with InteractiveOne,” featured various administration officials discussing how the administration’s polices have affected and will affect the Black community, taking questions from NewsOne.com and its sister sites in the InteractiveOne network, TheGrio.com, TheUrbanDaily.com, HelloBeautiful.com, and BlackPlanet.com.

The featured speakers included Director of Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes, US Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Deputy Administrator of the US Small Business Administration Marie Johns, Ambassador and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

For over two hours, panelists and audience members peppered administration officials such as Valerie Jarrett with comments and questions from Twitter and social networking site, BlackPlanet.com.

The president urged the panelists and audience members to knock on doors to help educate the American public about the benefits of this bill.

“We must pump it up to pass this Jobs Act,” said Obama.

Below is a video of the event:

The man was immediately captured by uniformed Secret Service agents, who guard the complex around the clock, said agency spokesman Ed Donovan. He had a backpack that Donovan said was being examined for possible explosive material.

The suspect, identified as James Dirk Crudup, 41, was being transferred to District of Columbia police for processing. He faces charges of unlawful entry and contempt of court for violating an order to stay away from the White House, Donovan said.

A CNN news crew caught some of the drama on tape as it unfolded. Video showed agents leading the man, as they held his hands behind his back, across the North Lawn on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the White House, where tourists gather to take photographs.

Reporters still at work in the press room saw agents who are stationed closer to the White House with their weapons drawn. At least one agent could be seen on the roof of the building peering through a pair of binoculars.

Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and Lafayette Park across the street were closed to pedestrians for about 90 minutes. The White House was in lockdown, and no one was allowed to leave the grounds, while authorities investigated the incident.

President Barack Obama was believed to be in the White House at the time.

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The painting was recently placed outside the Oval Office.

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Expected to become a standard for the mortgage industry, these adjustments will allot unemployed homeowners more time to find employment while keeping their homes.

Forbearance will also be extended to severely delinquent borrowers.

The adjustment to the FHA will work in concert with other successful initiatives framed by the Administration: the Hard Hit Fund and the Emergency Homeowner Loan Program (EHLP). The FHA provides aid to 18 states and the District of Columbia, implementing programs to avoid homeowners from foreclosure. The EHLP, which compliments the Hard Hit Fund by serving the remaining states and Puerto Rico, assists homeowners who experience reduction in income and face possibly foreclosure due to involuntary underemployment.

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Aboard Air Force One during a trip to Raleigh, N.C. Carney said, “The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate; dishonesty was inappropriate.”

While many Democrats have called for Weiner to step down from his Congressional seat, Carney told reporters that the president’s staff has not been involved in calling for Weiner’s resignation.

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A top White House economic adviser for President Obama has left his position amid rumors of frustration of the president’s decision to focus on the budget and bypass another stimulus.

Austin Goolsbee, who is one of the president’s longest serving advisers, has left his position as Chairman of The Council of Economic Advisers.

“There’s no question that the administration has made the deficit a top priority for much of the year,” said Dean Baker, co-director for the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research. “That’s led the administration to abandon any idea of any kind of stimulus or effort to stimulate the economy and I think that may be somewhat frustrating or at least troubling for a wide range of economists. Goolsbee may not be an exception.”

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The New York Daily News reports:

She was the first woman to serve as a chaplain for the NYPD, a position she has held since 1990. After 9/11, she helped traumatized police officers and worked with the city’s Muslim leaders.

Johnson Cook said passion for learning about other religions and cultures came from her mother, a teacher at Public School 194 in the Bronx, who teamed up with Jewish teachers to improve education.

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The first African American to hold the post of chief usher, Rochon was responsible for executing all major events at the White House and preserving the nation’s most historic house.

“I am truly delighted to accept this great opportunity to assist the U.S. Customs and Border Protection with developing and implementing a strategic integration program to help protect our U.S. borders,” Rochon said.

He continued: “My past four years as the Director of the Executive Residence and chief usher at the White House has been most rewarding, and I will greatly miss my phenomenal staff, who proudly provides superior service to the president and his first family, but I am humbled and grateful to the president for having the confidence in me to take on this new challenge, and I look forward to returning home to the Department of Homeland Security.”

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Former Chief Usher Admiral Stephen Rochon broke ground at the White House as an African-American in a leading role before President Obama arrived, setting the stage for his family to comfortably reside there as our nation’s pioneering black first family. As the Director of the Executive Residence, Rochon was a co-creator with President and First Lady Obama in events hosted at the White House that entertained thousands – as many as 600,000 people in 2009 alone according to a Politico report on Yahoo News. The logistical acumen required to execute such feats will be put to great use by the admiral at the Department of Homeland Security. We salute Admiral Rochon for his understated, yet effective, brand of African-American leadership. Stephen Rochon is the kind of role model more black youth need to know about. Will you be spreading the word?

Read the rest of the story about this contemporary African-American great on USA Today.

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One the biggest pushes by the GOP is to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Despite the GOP’s demonization of Planned Parenthood, the organization isn’t purely about providing abortions. Planned Parenthood provides condoms and other means of contraception to people in urban communities. They also educate teens on sex, children and parenthood and offer other options such as adoptions and counsel young parents on how to raise children.

The GOP is also looking to make major cuts to HeadStart, which provides childcare for children under five for people in urban areas who may not be able to afford other sources of daycare. Another proposed cut by the GOP is to WIC or Women with Infants and Children which provides money to families who may not be able to feed their families.

The Republicans also want to cut Pell Grants which subsidize college tuition for people who may not be able to afford college and cut the Minority Business Development Agency which helps minorities start their own small businesses.

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Washington — The White House is offering a challenge to high school students and the prize is the President speaking at your school.

The application deadline for the 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge is March 11 – just five days away! The Commencement Challenge invites public high schools across the country to demonstrate how their school best prepares them for college and a career, helping America win the future by out-educating our competitors and achieving President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. President Obama will travel to the winning school to deliver their commencement address this spring!

Earlier today, Good Morning America ran a segment on the Commencement Challenge featuring Simon Boehme, a member of Kalamazoo Central’s class of 2010, last year’s Challenge winner, and Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council. Check out the video on ABCNews.com .

Last week, musician John Legend was at the White House as part of the “The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House” event, and he took a few moments to encourage high schools around the country to get involved in the Commencement Challenge:

Applying for the 2011 Commencement Challenge is easy. The application includes three short essays and readily available data from each school that illustrate how schools are promoting college and career readiness for all students while establishing a culture of student success and academic excellence. Applications must be submitted by Friday, March 11 at 11:59 pm EST. Apply today !

http://www.whitehouse.gov/commencement

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The month of March is officially recognized as Women’s History Month.

The tradition traces it’s origin back to the first International Women’s Day in March of 1911. In the 80s, Congress passed a resolution recognizing the entire month for the celebration of women’s history.

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A report released by the White House in honor of the occasion reveals that young women in America are more likely than men to have a college degree, and women’s earnings constitute a growing share of household income.

The White House released the report, which it called the “first comprehensive federal report on the status of women in almost 50 years,” on the first day of Women’s History Month.

“The Obama administration has been focused on addressing the challenges faced by women and girls from Day 1 because we know that the success of women and girls is vital to winning the future,” said Valerie Jarrett, chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls. “Today’s report not only serves as a look back on American women’s lives, but serves as a guidepost to help us move forward.”

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The report also notes that although women’s earnings continue to grow,  there are still significant wage gaps between men and women of comparable education. Though women’s rights  have definitely come a long way from 1911, there is no question that much more work needs to be done. What will you do to celebrate?

You can view the complete report here

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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will mark Black History Month at the White House with a celebration of Motown music.

The White House says performers will include Smokey Robinson, Sheryl Crow and John Legend. The Feb. 24 event will be taped and broadcast on PBS March 1.

The Motown event is the latest in the music series “In Performance at the White House.” The Obamas have hosted musical tributes to several genres, including jazz, country and Broadway. Mrs. Obama often hosts daytime programs for students to educate them about the genres and encourage involvement in the arts.

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Today I was invited to the White House to discuss the upcoming State Of  The Union speech at the White House with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser to President Barack Obama. It is clear that the White House thinks that this will be a very important speech.

The theme of the speech will be “Winning For The Future” and will focus on creating jobs for the future. By the talk, it seems clear that the White House is committed to curb spending. What the White House is refusing to cut is education and programs that bring innovation or our integral to infrastructure.

Jarrett also said that the White House would be willing to cooperate with the Tea Party  in cutting military spending siting the accomplishments made during the lame duck congress session.

Another major issue that will be touched on is keeping America competitive in the world market. Jarrett stressed how important it is for America to invest in both education and innovation siting the USA’s history of creating capital off innovation “from the lightbulb, to the internet.”

While most of the policies discussed by Jarrett involved keeping America competitive in the future, the majority of the other African-American journalists were concerned mostly with the high rate of African-American unemployment, a problem in the present.

Jarrett talked about the attempts from the White House to promote African American role models in the State Of The Union including Xerox CEO Ursula Rucker and Brandon Ford, a 16-year-old from Philadelphia who won a prize for developing a hybrid car.

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Dr. Jeff Gardere, the host VH-1′s “Dad Camp” gave humorous yet poignant anecdotes from his time working on “The Maury Show,” “Dad Camp” and his own private practice working with poor families in Washington Heights. Gardere noted that a great deal of moms would bring in their sons, and that most of their issues came from lack of a father figure.

Gardere also gave stories about his own role as a single father, in which he showed that it is possible for parents to break up and still raise their children.

Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Joshua DuBois brought regards from President Obama and his word that Obama is dedicated to stop the “crisis” of lack of fatherhood in our country.

DuBois also brought up both his own personal history and the history of the President as motivating factors for the White House’s involvement with Braswell’s fatherhood initiative.

DuBois brought up Obama’s well known story of dealing with the lack of father in his life, noting that the President does not schedule any meetings after 7 P.M. in order to spend time with his daughters.

DuBois praised his stepfather as being a man who was always involved in his life but noted that he had little contact with his biological father, who wound up dying in prison.

DuBois also spoke about White House initiatives to get young fathers involved in their childrens lives, including jobs and tax breaks. DuBois is a very strong engaging speaker who should have a bright future as being one of the future leaders of America.

The majority of the people involved came from the Black church which has always been a strong force pushing for Black fathers. I would have been nice to see more people in the entertainment or athletics, who have a chance to speak directly to young fathers, or young men without fathers, but it seems like Braswell is reaching in that direction through his efforts.

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Obama had planned to head to his home state Saturday, but decided to stay in Washington while Congress worked on key legislative matters, including extending tax cuts for all income earners and repealing the military’s ban on gays serving openly. The White House gave just a few hours notice of the president’s departure.

Obama will join wife, Michelle, daughters Malia and Sasha, and dog, Bo, in Kailua, where they have been vacationing since Saturday. The president will have no public schedule while on vacation, though locals hope the first family will make a few stops around town as they have in past years.

The Obamas are expected back in Washington on Jan. 1.

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“Nervous, happy, excited, unexplainable” was what one of the kids, Daisy, felt about having the opportunity to meet the president.

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President Barack Obama will present the awards to the 15 honorees early next year.

Other winners include a civil rights hero, Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, plus St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial, Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN’-geh-lah MEHR’-kuhl) and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The White House made the announcement Wednesday.

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Though ABC News reports that he has yet to make a final decision, speculation has swirled around Emanuel’s possible run for the Chicago mayoralty — a stated goal of his — since longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he would not seek another term.

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The briefing room spotlight shines brightest on White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, but turn the camera around and focus on the front row and you might just catch a glimpse of history being made.

For the first time, as far as anyone can tell, three African American correspondents occupied front row seats together and peppered Gibbs with questions. It happened last Thursday as the controversy over the Quran burning hit a fever pitch.

“That is amazing,” Gibbs said, surprised that in 2010 this milestone had never been reached.

Darlene Superville of the Associated Press sat in the seat of power. Tradition holds that AP get’s the first question and signals to Gibbs when it’s time to wrap with a simple “thank you Robert.”

Wendell Goler, a veteran Fox News White House correspondent, pressed Gibbs on the Quran story, and the White House targeting of House Minority leader John Boehner over tax cuts for the wealthy. Those were similar to questions I had pushed from a different angle earlier, when Gibbs called on me.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is taking to the nation’s airwaves once again, this time to tell America’s schoolchildren that nothing is beyond their reach as long as they dream big, work hard and focus on learning.

Obama will make that point Tuesday at a Philadelphia school when he delivers his second back-to-school pep talk.

“Nobody gets to write your destiny but you,” Obama says in the speech, which the White House released a day early Monday so people could read the remarks beforehand and judge the contents for themselves.

“Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing — absolutely nothing — is beyond your reach. So long as you’re willing to dream big. So long as you’re willing to work hard. So long as you’re willing to stay focused on your education,” he says.

After the White House announced last year’s speech, some conservatives accused Obama of trying to foist a political agenda on children. Some parents threatened to pull their children from class rather than have them hear directly from the president.

A similar outcry is largely missing this year.

In his speech the president urges students to stay in school, study hard and take responsibility for their education. Obama long has said an educated work force will help the U.S. compete globally in the 21st century.

He’ll hit that note again, telling students that nothing will affect their success in life as much as their education.

“The kinds of opportunities that are open to you will be determined by how far you go in school,” Obama says. “In other words, the farther you go in school, the farther you’ll go in life.”

Raised by a single mother who often rose before dawn to tutor him before they went to work and school, Obama said government, educators and parents have a responsibility to prepare students for classroom success. But students have responsibilities too, he says.

“Here’s your job: Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble,” Obama says. “That kind of discipline and drive — the kind of hard work — is absolutely essential for success.”

Obama says he knows that’s true because he didn’t always have the drive. He uses his earlier-in-life slacking-off as a motivating example.

In the speech, he recalls a conversation with his mother about his slipping grades, how he hadn’t started filling out college applications and how he was being “casual” about his future. He started to tell her he didn’t need to hear that, but Obama says she cut him off, gave him a hard stare and asked if he remembered what it was like to put in a little effort. Obama says hearing that from his mother jolted him.

“But eventually, her words had their intended effect,” he says. “I got serious about my studies. I made an effort. And I began to see my grades — and my prospects — improve. And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, it can make the difference for you too.”

Obama went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard University, two of the nation’s best schools. He served in the Illinois state Senate and the U.S. Senate before being elected president in 2008.

In the speech, Obama is also announcing the second Commencement Challenge, a nationwide contest in which schools compete to land him as their graduation speaker. He spoke at Kalamazoo Central High School’s graduation in Kalamazoo, Mich., last June.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy said Wednesday he was determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off.

“We are still determined to it, yes,” the Rev. Terry Jones told the CBS Early Show.

Jones’ plans drew criticism from Attorney General Eric Holder, who, according to a Justice Department official, called the bonfire idiotic and dangerous during a private with religious leaders Tuesday.

Holder’s words were echoed Wednesday by presidential adviser David Axelrod, who told NBC’s Today show that the pastor’s plan is “wrong in so many dimensions,” offends U.S. values and is a threat to U.S. security.

Axelrod told CNN Wednesday morning: “The reverend may have the right to do what he’s doing but it’s not right. It’s not consistent with our values … I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has also voiced her disapproval. At a Tuesday dinner in observance of Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Clinton said, “I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths.”

Gen. David Petraeus took the rare step of a military leader taking a position on a domestic matter when he warned in an e-mail to The Associated Press that “images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence.”

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Mikael Moore is the congresswoman’s chief of staff, and her grandson. His family ties were kept relatively quiet until the ethics investigation into the Democratic lawmaker.

Many people who encounter Mikael Moore, the chief of staff for Rep. Maxine Waters, see a typical Capitol Hill aide: a young, serious, BlackBerry-toting workaholic in a business suit with an intense belief in the importance of his work.

If they know he is also Waters’ grandson, making him a rarity in Congress, it is not because he talks about it much, if at all.

Colleagues say Moore rarely offers information about his family connection, and that they have instead come to know him as a talented, politically gifted peer who has brought order to a sometimes tangled office and quickly grasped the intricacies of Washington.

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Moore’s family ties to the powerful Los Angeles Democrat became better known last week when the House Ethics Committee noted their relationship in charging Waters with ethics violations for her work on behalf of a minority-owned bank during the 2008 financial crisis. He was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Many young staffers rise quickly to positions of power here, making it not uncommon to have 25-year-olds fielding press calls or writing legislation for members of Congress.

But even at 32, Moore is a young chief of staff. It is a position he sought after coming to work for his grandmother, whom he refers to only as Congresswoman, after graduating from Morehouse College in 2004.

Family ties are not uncommon in Washington — note the Bushes, the Kennedys — and though Congress has nepotism rules against hiring most siblings and spouses, grandchildren are excluded.

Read entire story at LATimes.com

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Speaking publicly for the first time since he disparaged the “professional left,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he stands by his comments, has no plans to resign and that he fully expects progressive voters to go to the polls in 2010.

“I don’t plan on leaving and there is no truth to the rumor that I’ve added an inflatable exit to my office,” the press secretary said during Wednesday’s briefing, referencing the recent incident in which a Jet Blue flight attendant bolted his plane in frustration.

Taking the podium after a day off to tend to a sore throat, Gibbs said he has not reached out to any Democrats to discuss his remarks, in which he chastised liberals for wanting to “eliminate the Pentagon” and pursue Canadian-style health care reform. Nor, he added, has he talked to the president about the matter.

Does he stand by the comments? “Yes,” he replied.

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The Huffington Post is reporting that former White House Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers will become the new CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, the world’s largest Black owned publishing company, which publishes ebony and Jet magazines along with several others.

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Yesterday I was invited to the White House to discuss Wall St. reform along with White House officials Corey Ealons, Cecilia Rouse, as well as Howard Professor and contributor to the Grio, Leon Wilmur, and John Simon from Black Enterprise. If you missed the livestream, here is the video.

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President Obama hosted a town hall at the White House today with hundreds of young African leaders, telling them that they are poised to challenge their continent’s corrupt and flawed methods of governance.

“In some of your countries, the problem of corruption is chronic,” Mr. Obama said to the 115 young leaders from 40 African countries. “People who have been doing business in your country for 20, 30 years will throw up their hands and say, ‘That’s the way it is.’”

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