Politics. On Point.

President Obama met with influential leaders of the Hispanic community to discuss the importance of fixing the broken immigration system, education, and his deep disappointment that Congressional action on immigration reform has stalled and that the DREAM Act failed to pass in the U.S. Senate after passing the U.S. House with a bipartisan majority in December.  Emilio Estafan, Lili Estafan, and Don Francisco, a Chilean television personality on the Univision network, pose at theWhite House. Photo/CD Brown.  Statement from White House Press Office  The President talked about the broken immigration system, including concerns he heard about when he met with leaders from the law enforcement, faith and business sectors last week. The President reiterated his concern that we educate the best and brightest but then ship that talent overseas or expel talented young people who have grown up as Americans and want to further their education or serve in our military. The President rei

The Month of May is not just for Cinco De Mayo and Memorial Day . The president is also honoring Older Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Law Day, and National Foster Care, all with distinct proclamations. On honoring older Americans the president writes: Older Americans are now living longer, healthier, and richer lives than ever before. As the eldest of the baby boomers turn 65, our Nation can look forward to the contributions of a new generation of American seniors. Each year, we set aside the month of May to honor older Americans, celebrate their role in steering the course of our history, and recognize their valuable insights and wisdom. Read more . On recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month the president writes: This month, our Nation celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Our AAPI communities have roots that span the globe, but their stories of striving and success are uniqu

Chief Usher Admiral Stephen W. Rochon , a highly decorated Coast Guard officer who has dedicated four years of service to the Executive Residence at the White House, will leave the White House to become the Principal Executive for Strategic Integration at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), one of the largest and most complex components of the Department of Homeland Security. Admiral Rochon is the eighth person and first ever African American to serve as Director of the President’s Executive Residence and “Chief Usher.” Admiral Rochon on the White House grounds at the 2011 Easter Egg Roll.  Photo/CD Brown. President George W. Bush appointed Admiral Rochon to the position in February 2007 and President Obama asked him to continue when he took office in January 2009. Admiral Rochon has successfully led a team of Executive Residence employees in executing major events from state visits and Presidential press conferences, to the annual Easter Egg Roll and East Room events,

In a statement in the East Room of the White House Monday, President Obama announced key changes to the U.S. National Security team. President Obama with Gates, Panetta, and Patreus. Photo/CD Brown.  The president pegged CIA director, Leon Panetta   to be Secretary of Defense, replacing Robert Gates.  Gates served 26 years in the CIA and the National Security Council. Under President George H.W. Bush Gates served as Director of Centeral Intelligence.  "I am confident Bob Gates will be remembered as one of the finest Defense Secretaries in American history.  And I will always be grateful for his service", said President Obama. Panetta - a former Republican turned Democrat - has more than 40 years of public service.  His career began in the Army as an intelligence officer in the 1960s.  Speaking of Gates Panetta said, "He’s a public servant without equal whose tenure as Secretary of Defense will go down as one of the most consequential and important examples of leade

The First Lady gets questioned by children of administration employees on Take Our Sons and Daughters To Work Day. Photo/CD Brown. First Lady Michelle Obama was asked questions about what she does in role of First Lady, and more, as sons and daughters of Obama Administration employees descended on the White House Monday for Take Our Sons and Daughters To Work Day . About 200 young girls and boys got to visit the White House and speak with the First Lady to ask her a myriad of questions; ranging from her likes and dislikes to what it's like living in the White House. When asked how surprise she was when her husband became President of the United States, Mrs. Obama called it "a shocking thing" to see the first African American president.  "And I think a lot of people didn’t believe that it was possible.  But I think a lot of people hoped that it could be possible, right?  Because we’re a country that’s all about equality, right?  That’s what my kids say.  Equal

In what may prove to be a stunner for some, and an 'I told you so' for others, the White House has officially addressed the President's birth certificate issue (again). Live in the James Brady press room earlier this morning before departing for Chicago to do a taping for the Oprah Winfrey Show , President Obama made a statement surrounding the authenticity of his birth, saying "we don't have time to focus on the silliness of this issue." And so I just want to make a larger point here. We've got some enormous challenges out there. There are a lot of folks out there who are still looking for work. Everybody is still suffering under high gas prices. We're going to have to make a series of very difficult decisions about how we invest in our future but also get a hold of our deficit and our debt -- how do we do that in a balanced way. And this is going to generate huge and serious debates, important debates. And there are going to be some fierce disagr

Aw, Spring.   The time of year when the White House boasts beautiful flowers of all types in its garden, and where thousands of kids come to play and hang out with the First Family during the annual Easter Egg Roll , a tradition that started in 1876 by then President Rutherford B. Hayes. President and First Lady cheer on youngsters during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.  Photo/CD Brown. Kids near and far attended the traditional rolling of the Easter egg down the White House lawn (with a spoon) as did as a few celebrities to boot.   Even Department of Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood braved the long lines of kids and parents, bringing with him his two grandchildren. Rising rock star Willow Smith performed a few of her hits, while Colbie Caillat got things started by singing the National Anthem.  Weather guy Al Roker was on hand at one of the cooking stations preparing crepes with Mrs. Obama and 'Live With Regis and Kelly' talkshow host, Kelly Ripa .   Her

Today marks the one year mark of the BP /Deep Water Horizon oil spill off the coast of New Orleans.   Over 200 million barrels of oil spilled into its waters when an oil rig exploded, killing almost a dozen people.  The event has been lauded as the worst oil spill since the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Now, one year later, the costly affects of the spill have many doubting whether its shores will return to normalcy, whether its sea food is safe, and perhaps most of all -  the cost of human suffering. Organizations like National Research Damage Assessment are tasked with assessing the damages, a fund for the victims has been created to compensate workers (though most say they have received too little or next to nothing in compensation, and have sued  the fund for negligence), and families talk about losing loved ones . Recent reports suggest that there are still substantial amounts of oil beneath the Gulf's surface ( video ), while BP officials argue that dispersants have gotte

The White House announces the program, activities, and talent line-up for the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition in its 133rd year. This year’s theme is “Get Up and Go!” The theme focuses on promoting health and wellness and encouraging children to lead healthy and active lives. This is a central part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, which is a national effort to combat childhood obesity. The Easter Egg Roll is the largest annual public event at the White House. 30,000 people from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have received tickets to the event. For the third year in a row, tickets were distributed online. Members of the public from all over the country had the opportunity to enter an online lottery for a chance to win tickets to the event. Over 200,000 tickets were requested via the online lottery, and guests from all 50 states and the District of Columbia were selected as winners. The timing for this year’s event has been extended even fu

Dr. Jill Biden will deliver two commencement addresses this spring at Montgomery County Community College in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. On Sunday, May 15th, Dr. Biden will address the 61st graduating class at Salve Regina. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1947, Salve Regina is a Catholic, coeducational university of the arts and sciences that enrolls more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students from across the U.S. and around the world. Salve Regina University is also the home of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, which encourages international dialogue to achieve a more peaceful world and prepares citizens for an informed and active role in local, national, and world affairs. On Thursday, May 19th, Dr. Jill Biden will address graduates at Montgomery County Community College’s 44th Commencement Ceremony at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. Montgomery County Comm

President Obama and Vice President Biden’s Tax Returns and Tax Receipts Today, the President released his 2010 federal income and gift tax returns. He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096. The vast majority of the family’s income is the proceeds from the sale of the President’s books. The Obamas paid $453,770 in total federal tax. In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised that this year, for the first time ever, American taxpayers would be able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent. You can visit the taxpayer receipt and after entering a few pieces of information about your taxes, the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care. View the President and First Lady’s tax receipt here . View the Vice President and Dr. Biden’s tax receipt here . Understand how and wh

All work and no play makes Joe Biden a dull (and a bit sleepy) Vice President. During President Obama's speech this w eek at GWU on fiscal and responsibilty his right hand guy, and our Vice President, Joe Biden was caught catching a few zzzzs . In other Biden news, he was honored during this year's Grammy On The Hill event, the largest and most influential music lobby day in Washington, D.C. -- Related President Obama was accused of making not so flattering remarks during his speech at a DNC fundraiser last evening when he thought the mics weren't on.  White House Press Secretary Jay Carney clarifies:   "What POTUS said on the hot mic last night is the same as what he has said in public, and he is not embarrassed about anything he said."

Video of yesterday's White House event introducing the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces initiative. Related Stanley McChrystal Joins Forces Military Child of the Year

41 members of the DC council, including Mayor Vincent Gray, were arrested yesterday outside the Dirksen Senate office building when they protested the President's budget deal which would leave DC with little control over the use of its own taxpayer funds. -- The Mayor explains his position on sticking up for the District's residents. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) both praised and thanked D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, members of the D.C. Council, and D.C. residents for rallying against attachments to Friday’s full-year continuing resolution (CR) agreement by the Obama administration, Senate Democrats and House Republicans, and for the arrests led by the Mayor and Council members. She said DC Vote particularly deserved the gratitude of every D.C. resident for its leadership in organizing the rally in just a couple of days, after learning that the city had been singled out in the CR for a prohibition on spending its own local funds for abortions for low-income

President Obama surprises eighth graders from Altona Middle School in Longmont, CO on the South Lawn of the White House earlier today. One of the student's parents, Shalini Schane, wrote a letter to the president on April 6 begging him to find some agreement to keep the government open for her son's 8th-grade trip to Washington.  President Obama mentioned the letter in his remarks after reaching a deal with Congressional leaders to prevent a government shutdown. Watch the video of the student's surprise viewing of the President.

 Joining Forces Gen Stanley McChrystal with wife Anne. Almost a year after Stanley McChrystal resigned (was given the boot) from his post as U.S. / NATO commander for his disparaging remarks about the President, he's getting the opportunity to rejoin his former Commander In Chief. No sooner had the president uttered these words last June in a Rose Garden ceremony: "... McChrystal's conduct does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general", McChrystal is set to join the president's wife, First Lady Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden in their efforts to support military families. "I'm so proud that General McChrystal will continue to serve our country through this critical effort to support our nation’s military families,” First Lady Michelle Obama said in a statement, “He will be a unique and powerful advocate for the millions of Americans who serve our country selflessly. This program will build upon our nation's great patrio

President Obama met today with House Speaker John Boehner on budget negotiations. There were no clear cut concessions between the two. The president remarked during the White House press briefing. The president said he was more than willing to work with Republicans, but the Republicans bawked at an earlier agreement set by the two parties. The president explained that Speaker Boehner and Chairman Rogers' called for $73b in cuts. "We have agreed to $73b in cuts", said Obama, (among them Pell Grants for college students).  President Obama announced that the Republicans have expressed they don't like the cuts currently proposed. "Nobody gets 100% of what they want, but the American people should get the sense that somebody is worried about them. I want to get the business of the American people done", the President said. With the threat of various government agencies shutting down, the powers that be did agree last month to extend operations through t

President Obama has announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts: · D. Brent Hardt , Ambassador to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Department of State.  Hardt is a member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean · Donald W. Koran , Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, Department of State.  Koran is Director for the Office of Africa Analysis in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the U.S. Department of State · Geeta Pasi , Ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti, Department of State.  Pasi is currently the Director of East African Affairs in the Africa Bureau at the Department of State The President also announced his intent to appoint Michael Les Benedict as a Member of the Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise. Benedict is a leading scholar of American constitutional history and the Civil War and Recon

Keep Your Hands Off My Internet! The Obama Administration has zealously campaigned for equal Internet access for all Americans, especially in areas of both rural America and in underserved U.S. cities.  The FCC wants to regulate Internet and Broadband industries i.e. proposing that internet providers could not limit a consumers access to websites.  Then there's the issue of   Net Neutrality :  the consumer's right to use any equipment, content, application or service without interference from the network provider. Under FCC regulation, the freedom of Internet speech as we know it, could be drastically altered. People are divided on the issue.  Some say there is too much "freedom" on the Internet.  Since the Internet invasion, there have been more hate crime web sites, white supremacist sites, and porn sites than ever before.   Perhaps there needs to be regulation there. But people like James Valvo, Director of Government Affairs for the Americans for Pros

Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced that more low-income kids will have access to nutrition assistance when school is out and during critical gap periods. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service provided waivers to simplify existing regulations making it easier to provide critical meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The changes will expand and enhance the ability of the SFSP to provide nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months and long vacation periods for schools on year-round schedules. "When it comes to our kids, we must do everything we can to provide them with the nutrition they need to grow up and win the future," Concannon said. "The changes we have made to the Summer Food Service Program will improve program efficiency and start to reduce unnecessary barriers for participation so that local SFSP sponsors who are on the frontlines of ending childhood hunger can provide nutrition a

Vice President, Secretary Duncan to announce new guidance for preventing and responding to sexual violence in school and on campus  On Monday, April 4, Vice President Biden will visit the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to call attention to the high rates of sexual assault and violence committed against young women in schools and on college campuses across the country. In remarks beginning at 11:45 AM, the Vice President and Secretary Duncan will introduce new guidance to help schools, colleges and universities understand their civil rights obligations to better prevent and respond to sexual assault. For over 20 years, Vice President Biden has led the fight to combat violence against women. As the author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, then-Senator Biden exposed high rates of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking experienced by women every day in this country – redefining the way domest