Politics. On Point.

The Administration revealed today its  Task Force On 21ST Century Policing .  Its mission is stated below. Sec .   3 .   Mission . (a) The Task Force shall, consistent with applicable law, identify best practices and otherwise make recommendations to the President on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. (b) The Task Force shall be solely advisory and shall submit a report to the President by March 2, 2015. Demonstrator at "Justice For All" march in Washington, DC on December 13, 2014.  Photo CD Brown. On the heals of the latest incidents of cops, cowardly, murdering unarmed young people in Black neighborhoods, The Executive Order was released today just as the president and First Family head to Hawaii for their annual winter vacation.    See entire EO  here . See also :  White Middlesex teen brings 600 rounds of ammo to school.   No shots fired by police, teen lives ...

The Department of Justice and the FBI released its findings in the Sony Pictures Entertainment hacking; says North Korea is to blame.  Ex-hacker, Hector Monsegu r, doubts these findings. " It could be. In my personal opinion, it's not," Monsegur said. "Look at the bandwidth going into North Korea. I mean, the pipelines, the pipes going in, handling data, they only have one major ISP across their entire nation. That kind of information flowing at one time would have shut down North Korean Internet completely." **Update from the DOJ...** Today, the FBI would like to provide an update on the status of our investigation into the cyber attack targeting Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).  In late November, SPE confirmed that it was the victim of a cyber attack that destroyed systems and stole large quantities of personal and commercial data.  A group calling itself the “Guardians of Peace” claimed responsibility for the attack and subsequently issued thr...

When we study together and we learn together’ we work together and we prosper together.”  - President Obama No fear of Ebola or the unveiling of CIA torture documents  could stop the promotion of studying abroad and global citizenship. Yesterday the White House hosted its first Travel Bloggers Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship to promote study abroad opportunity for youth and college students  highlighting U.S. Government initiatives and strategies for encouraging American students to study, volunteer, and work abroad.  Remarks by senior White House officials Ben Rhodes (Ass't to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor) Evan Ryan (Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA)), Denis McDonough (Chief of Staff) Penny Pritzker (Sec.of Commerce) joined hosts of the Travel Channel, National Geographic, Yahoo Travel, the Peace Corps and others on the occasion.  Said Rhodes, recounting his time studying abro...

From our trusty White House pooler, we have a few details on the visit of Prince William's visit to the White House to meet with President Obama. from this morning's pool report by Richard Latendresse, bureau chief. Prince William and his wife Kate make a 3-day visit to the United States. He and President Obama last met in 2011 at Buckingham Palace during the President’s state visit to Great Britain. The Duchess of Cambridge, who is pregnant (the child is expected in April 2015), will stay in New York, skipping the DC portion of the visit. Prince William is in town to take part in the 3 rd  Biennial Meeting of the International Corruption Hunters Alliance (ICHA 2014), hosted by the World Bank. As President of “United for Wildlife,” the Duke of Cambridge is to join World Bank President Jim Yong Kim at the opening session to address more than 300 corruption experts in anti-corruption. Prince William  is expected to speak about combating illegal animal trade in wil...

Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced a  Correctional Education Guidance Package  aimed at helping states and local agencies strengthen the quality of education services provided to America’s estimated 60,000 young people in confinement every day. This guidance package builds on recommendations in the  My Brother’s Keeper Task Force report  released in May to “reform the juvenile and criminal justice systems to reduce unnecessary interactions for youth and to enforce the rights of incarcerated youth to a quality education.”  Today’s guidance package is a roadmap that states and local agencies can use to improve the quality of educational services for confined youth. “In this great country, all children deserve equal access to a high-quality public education - and this is no less true for children in the juvenile justice system,” said Attorney General Holder.  “At the Department of Justice, we are work...

**Update** President Obama spoke at Del Sol High School to announce actions he plans to take to reform the country's immigration policy.  Click here to view. President Obama is set to address the nation Thursday, November 20, to lay out the executive actions he's taking on America's immigration system. Many are expecting that the president will allow illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. and will assist those wanting a path to citizenship with obtaining citizenship status, "the right way." For many undocumented immigrants, immigration reform is a very real issue; one they hope will be resolved quickly. Protest have occurred across the country from Latino Americans, the demographic immigration reform heavily emphasizes, urging the president to cease the deportation of illegal immigrants. Said Jose Cabellos at a campaign event in 2013, (see at 1:11 video mark here ), "We want comprehensive immigration reform.  Right now families are being ...

The White House announced the 2014 Medal of Freedom award recipients that include the likes of legendary dancer and founder of the Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey, American music composer, song writer Stevie Wonder; actress and Academy Award winner Meryll Streep, and news anchor Tom Brokaw. The nominees will be honored at the White House on November 24th. Other nominees include author  Isabel Allende,    James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner , golf legend and pioneer , Mr. Charles Sifford ;  physicists and scientist  Mildred Dresselhaus , Congressman John Dingell, human rights advocate Ethel Kennedy ; writer and activist Suzan Harjo ,  Abner Mikva, congresswoman  Patsy Takemoto Mink  (R-Hawaii) ; Mexican-born House of Representative and Congressional Hispanic Caucus founder  Edward Roybal   (posthumous);   economist   Robert Solow;   theatre composer Stephen Sondheim ;  award-winning actress, p...

The Wilder Anniversary Committee will commemorate the election of the nation's first popularly elected African-American governor with an educational symposium followed by a formal gala. Wilder, who blazed the trail well before his election as Virginia’s 66th Governor—becoming the first African-American legislator to serve in the State Senate since Reconstruction in 1969 and the first African-American lieutenant governor of the commonwealth in 1985 will be honored. The Wilder Anniversary Gala will be held from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Richmond Marriott located at 500 E. Broad Street. For info click here .

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke during a Richmond Times Dispatch Public Square forum on Tuesday of this week where he addressed several issues: specifically how, when, and where America's military power is called into action. Kaine admitted he is not an expert on the subject, telling the crowd he "is a lay person" who happens to be "passionate" about the matter (since 2002) who wanted to address the law surrounding it, its history, the current problem , and "the fix". Congress has the power to declare war, while a U.S. president must consult with Congress before deploying U.S. military into hostile territories. "The issue", explains Kaine, "is the role of the president and Congress in doing what is the hardest thing, which is to initiate military action." Recently, in September, President Obama signed two letters advising Congress with regard to beginning military 'discrete' military operations in both Syria and Ira...

Event Includes Evening Performance and Daytime Student Workshop Honoring  the Men and Women Who Serve the United States As part of the “In Performance at the White House” series and the  Joining Forces  initiative, the President and First Lady will invite music legends, members of the U.S. military, military veterans, and their families to the White House on Thursday, November 6 for a celebration of the men and women who serve the United States. The program  on the South Lawn  will have a live audience that will include hundreds of military service members, veterans, and their families. The event will feature performances by Mary J.  Blige, Common, John Fogerty , Willie Nelson, Romeo Santos, as well as active duty military members Army SGT. Christiana R. Ball, Marine Corps Capt. Matt Smith and Capt. John Ed Auer, with Don Was as music director.  The rock band Daughtry will also perform via satellite from a USO concert at Yokota Air Base in...

Mrs. Obama hosted a host of Who's Who in fashion at the first-of-its-kind White House fashion workshop this week, celebrating the creative and artistic accomplishments of designers like Jason Wu (remember this famous dress ?), Tracy Reese (who designed this famous dress for First Lady Obama), Diane von Furstenberg (referring to herself as "an old designer"), Anna Winthur , and others. First Lady Michelle Obama, wearing a dress designed by Natalya Koval, shows off her flawless physique. Photo CD Brown Amid their accomplishments, the fashion icons were also on hand to share their stories of hard work and perseverance, the makings of the fashion industry, and to give a few pieces of good advice to up and coming fashionistas. "Be serious", said Furstenberg.  "Be serious about what you want to do, and then you can have fun and be frivolous" she said. The fashion workshop, part of the first lady's Reach Higher initiative, was one in a ser...

President Obama spoke at a DNC fundraiser at the home of  Gwyneth Paltrow last evening.  During her introduction of the president she expressed her 'affinity' for him saying, "   “you’re so handsome that I can’t speak properly."   Mesmerized  by the president's presence Paltrow lauded, "I'm your biggest fan." Also during her introduction she applauded the president on passing legislation for equal pay for equal work for women, which she said was "very important" to her "as a working mother." Tickets to the fundraiser, held in the back yard of Paltrow's Brentwood home, cost  from $1,000 to $15,000 per person, according to reports. The president made reference to the upcoming mid-term election, encouraging voters to get out and vote, and also referenced scrutinized events like Ebola and ISIS. The president continues to state that the Ebola virus, that has killed more than 3,000 people in Liberia, is not a threat to...

Author of The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents,  Ron Kessler went on CSPAN's Washington Journal today to discuss the lapse, and lack of, security at the White House -- calling it a "corrupt" and "mismanaged" culture. As news of yet another security breach at the White House, potentially putting the lives of the the President of the United States and the First Family in jeopardy is revealed, Kessler says that "an assassination could happen pretty easily." Earlier this summer, Secret Service (SS) came under fire for being too lax when a broken window was found by a staff member, that later revealed the White House had been shot at several times by one Oscar Ortega  -- (see also Michelle Obama furious over Ortega event).   The latest security lapse came when it was revealed that a knife-wielding Omar J. Gonzalez   jumped the White House fence, in broad day light, bolted up the front lawn, i...

Days after Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he is resigning his pos t (for reasons many are uncertain of), Holder spoke during the Congressional Black Caucus' panel on voting rights. Holder was the first African American, and longest tenured Attorney General in U.S. history. He has agreed to stay in his post until a successor has been named.  The Department of Justice, which Holder heads, is leading the investigation in Ferguson, Missouri where eighteen year-old Michael Brown was murdered by Darren Wilson of the Ferguson police department. Residents are in awe of Holder's resignation and have become increasingly concerned that justice may not prevail without Holders leadership in ensuring a fair and honest investigation. Holder announced his resignation as the nation celebrates the 50th anniversity of the Civil Rights Act. His remarks during the CBC Voting Rights panel are below. Thank you, Representative [Marcia] Fudge, for those kind words – and than...