Politics. On Point.

  On October 15, 2013 , President Barack Obama will award William Swenson, a former active duty Army Captain, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Captain Swenson will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as an Embedded Trainer and Mentor of the Afghan National Security Forces with Afghan Border Police Mentor Team, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during combat operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009.       Captain Swenson will be the sixth living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service. PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Captain William D. Swenson separated from the Army on February 1, 2011 and currently resides in Seattle, Washington. He is single. Captain Swenson was commissioned as an Arm...

  President Obama made the following statement this weekend on the US-Russia framework for eliminating Syria's chemical weapons.   "I welcome the progress made between the United States and Russia through our talks in Geneva, which represents an important, concrete step toward the goal of moving Syria's chemical weapons under international control so that they may ultimately be destroyed.  This framework provides the opportunity for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons in a transparent, expeditious, and verifiable manner, which could end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but to the region and the world.  The international community expects the Assad regime to live up to its public commitments. While we have made important progress, much more work remains to be done.  The United States will continue working with Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United Nations and others to ensure that this process is verif...

After more than four years working for the Administration, Gene Sperling , Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, will be departing the White House on January 1, 2014 .  The President announced today that he will appoint Jeffrey Zients, former Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to serve as Director of the National Economic Council.     President Obama said, “Over the past four and a half years, Gene has been one of my closest advisors and a close friend.  Gene understands better than anybody that our top priority as a nation is making sure that our economy once again works for working Americans.  Gene’s impact in this Administration began at Treasury, where he helped us avoid a second Great Depression and led efforts to pass a Small Business Jobs Act to help entrepreneurs grow. He has been a tireless proponent of efforts to strengthen the recovery and make our tax code more fair,...

You Are What You Drink When we first got a swig (pun intended) of this upcoming event with Michelle Obama encouraging Americans to drink more water, we knew the crazies would come out against it. Apparently, the only ones who can talk about fitness, eating healthy, and drinking water are Jane Fonda , Jack LaLanne , the group Drink Water , and the bottled water company, Drink More Water . First Lady Obama wants Americans to drink more water. Even with a resume in fitness like the one of Mrs. Obama, she still receives backlash.   Speaking at an event yesterday in Watertown, Wisconsin the first lady gave a passionate appeal on why drinking water is healthy for all. "But I really care about your health like I care about my kids' health", said Mrs. Obama. "That's why I've devoted so much of my energy into making sure that your generation is as healthy as you can be.  We've been talking about how you got to move and keep active and eat right.  ...

Vice President Biden's efforts dedicated to bringing awareness to violence against women, and holding perpetrators accountable helped launched the Violence Against Women Act  of 1994. The VAWA legislation is expected to do the following: • Hold rapists accountable for their crimes by strengthening federal penalties for repeat sex offenders and creating a federal "rape shield law," which is intended to prevent offenders from using victims’ past sexual conduct against them during a rape trial; • mandating that victims, no matter their income levels, are not forced to bear the expense of their own rape exams or for service of a protection order; • keeping victims safe by requiring that a victim’s protection order will be recognized and enforced in all state, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions within the United States; • increasing rates of prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of offenders by helping communities develop dedicated law enforcement and pros...

September 15, 2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the tragic deaths of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley in Birmingham, Alabama. The four girls, aged 11-14, were entering a Sunday school class when a planted bomb exploded at the city’s historically African American 16th Street Baptist Church. This act of racially-motivated violence galvanized the Civil Rights Movement and sparked a surge of momentum that helped secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.     To commemorate their lives, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell introduced H.R. 360 to posthumously award Addie Mae, Denise, Carole and Cynthia with the Congressional Gold Medal, which along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is considered one of the highest civilian honors bestowed in the United States. The bill required the Secretary of the Treasury – and by extension, the United States Mint – to strike the gold medal, as well as bronze duplicates. Afte...

U.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REACHES AGREEMENT WITH LEE COUNTY, ALA., SCHOOL DISTRICT ON EQUAL ACCESS TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES, HIGH–LEVEL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS   The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today that it has entered into a first-of-its-kind resolution agreement in Alabama.  The Lee County School District entered into an agreement to ensure that all students, including African American students, are provided an equal opportunity and equal access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses and other higher-level learning opportunities that will provide students with the skills necessary for success in college and careers.     Under the agreement, the district will:   ·         Develop a comprehensive district-wide plan for addressing the underrepresentation of African American students in AP and higher level courses; ·  ...

Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, issued the following statement today on the employment situation in August The Employment Situation in August Over the last four years, we've cleared away the rubble from the financial crisis and begun to lay a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. While continued solid job gains, today’s employment report is another sign of progress, the report also underscores the need to continue pursuing policies that move our economy forward and restore middle class security Five Key Points in Today’s Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics    1. Private sector employment has risen for 42 consecutive months, with businesses adding a total of 7.5 million jobs over that period. Today we learned that total non-farm payroll employment rose by 169,000 in August, with the private sector accounting for 152,000 of that gain. Private sector job growth was revised down for June (to 194,000) and Ju...

In a recent video message, Congressman Boehner (R-OH) invited veterans from across the Eighth District to attend an upcoming information night with Boehner staff and representatives from the Cleveland Veterans Administration Regional Office, VA medical centers, Ohio Department of Veterans Services, and County Veterans Service Officers. Rep. Boehner explains in the video below that these events aim to provide assistance and information to constituents about services for veterans available in Ohio.     Please see schedule below for event details. An informational flyer  is provided here. Monday, September 9, 2013 5:00pm 315 High Street, 1 st  Floor  Hamilton, OH Tuesday, September 10, 2013 5:00pm American Legion Post 140 325 N. Ohio Street Greenville, OH Thursday September 12, 2013 5:00pm Moose Lodge 1802 Selma Road Springfield, OH Veterans interested in attending any of the ...

After watching this video documentary by former White House Press Secretary Bill Moyer , titled The Secret Government : The Constitution In Crisis, one could ask is Barack Obama the best president the United States has ever had? The unveiled co-op lies and deception of presidents dating back as far as the 1940s revealed in Moyer's documentary leads one to wonder if the American people have forgotten about the government dealings of this country, have selective memory, or just don't care.  Either way it is beyond belief that given such details about former presidents why some Americans (and Congress) question, dissect, bemoan and groan about every decision the current president makes. Watch this lengthy documentary and decide:  Is President Barack Obama the best president the United States has ever had?