Politics. On Point.

from today's White House press release THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2015 FACT SHEET: President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative Building on President Obama’s announcement in his State of the Union Address, today the Administration is unveiling details about the Precision Medicine Initiative, a bold new research effort to revolutionize how we improve health and treat disease.  Launched with a $215 million investment in the President’s 2016 Budget, the Precision Medicine Initiative will pioneer a new model of patient-powered research that promises to accelerate biomedical discoveries and provide clinicians with new tools, knowledge, and therapies to select which treatments will work best for which patients. Most medical treatments have been designed for the “average patient.” As a result of this “one-size-fits-all-approach,” treatments can be very successful for some patients but not for other...

Hall of Fame baseball legend Ernie Banks passed last Friday. We are remembering the special time that he gave to us in 2013 after accepting his prestigious Medal of Freedom award from President Obama. Mr. Ernie Banks, (a.k.a. Mr. Cub) during the 2013 Medal of Freedom award ceremony.  Photo/CD Brown. The famed major league baseball player (1953-1971) chatted lightheartedly with many of us in the media that day, even going as far as saying hello to my three grandchildren via video.  Also remembered, perhaps, was a favorite from one of his quotes when he sounded so grateful just...to be. "This is a great world", he said. "It really is. I'm just happy to be here, in Washington." Mr. Banks died of an apparent heart attack, leaving behind a wife, his storied Chicago Cubs baseball legacy, and the thoughts of kindness and humility to those meeting him for the very first time; reminding us all to "just be nice to people." Audio: CD Brown for Poli...

President Obama and First Lady Michelle visit India "reflecting close ties between our two great democracies." From the White House: “Chalein saath saath; forward together we go.”  Reflecting the close ties between our two great democracies, India and the United States agree to elevate our long-standing strategic partnership, with a Declaration of Friendship that strengthens and expands the relationship between our two countries. Photo:  Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images “Sanjha Prayaas, SabkaVikaas; Shared Effort, Progress For All.”  Each step we take to strengthen the relationship is a step towards shaping international security, regional and global peace, prosperity and stability for years to come. Signaling the natural affinity enjoyed by our two nations, this Declaration proclaims a higher level  of trust and coordination that will continue to draw our Governments and people together across the spectrum of human endeavor for a better w...

**Update** President Obama delivers the State of the Union address, and the state of the union is... Original article Tonight's State of the Union address (also streamed at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU) by President Obama will likely cover issues that have been, or continue to be, injected into the fabric of our society; strengthening the middle class (expect comments on ensuring a 'simpler, fairer tax code for the middle class'); the economy (" That’s what I’ll focus on in my  State   of   the   Union", said the president in his Weekly Address  – "how to build on our momentum, with rising wages, growing incomes, and a stronger middle class") ; education ( free two-year community college ), civil rights (at least we're hoping), immigration, cyber-threats (a "costly", "urgent and growing danger", the president said during his visit last week at the National Cybersecurity Communiciation Integration Center (NCCIC) in Arlington, Vir...

***Update!!!*** Governor McDonnell's appeal DENIED.   Story here from NBC Washington. ** Original article **    Former governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell talked to the media today after being sentenced to two years in federal prison on charges of accepting more than $170,000 in bribes and gifts from wealthy Star Scientific businessman, Jonnie Williams.    McDonnell, with his two daughters by his side, including mom-to-be Jeanine McDonnell-Zubowsky, walked out of the Richmond, Virginia federal courthouse set on appealing his conviction.   He faced ten years in prison, but presiding U.S. District Judge James Spencer considered the more than 150 letters of support from friends and family, in-court testimonies - including that of former governor Doug Wilder (who gave no comments to the media as he left the courthouse) - and McDonnell's military service in his lenient sentencing that some found appalling, (questioning whether white privile...