Politics. On Point.

The first lady took to the heart the successes of her husband's tenure as president of the United States during a DNC event at Chicago Waldorf Historia hotel on Thursday in hopes encouraging Democratic supporters to get out and vote in the mid-term elections this November. In familiar wording, First Lady Obama lauded the latest employment numbers, the passing of the Affordable Care Act, jobs for veterans, and the number of children who, as a result of her own efforts with Let's Move,  are eating healthier. She said when she's asked if she still believes in the president's slogan of "hope" and "change" she says she tells people she believes it more strongly than ever before - "because I've seen it with my own eyes". Mrs. Obama  reminded the audience that despite her husband's accomplishments at the expense of the hard work of constituents like those in the audience, "there is still plenty of work to do", she said. S...

First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a first ever White House State Dinner for children who submitted their favorite, healthy kid recipes to the White House in support of the First Lady's Let's Move healthy eating initiative. We have some real color commentary (too informative and extensive to waste) from a White House pool report that sums up the event quite nicely.   (Thanks to Eddie Gehman Kohan, Executive Editor of ObamaFoodorama , a web site she started that highlights the food events surrounding the The First Lady's Let's Move! initiative and the The Food Archive of the Obama Presidency). Before we get to that though, let me also add that we thought White House chef, Sam Kass, did a fabulous job working the 'Red Carpet' as the winners arrived through the part of the White House known as the Booksellers area.  Kass interviewed each winner before they entered the East Room of the White House getting reaction from them all on bein...

AT Hyattsville, MD Olive Garden:  First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by Darden chef Julie Elkinton, second from right, talks to Charisse McElroy, right, and her daughter Jacqueline McElroy, 9.  Photo by AP's Manuel Balce Ceneta First Lady Michelle Obama was at the Hyattsville, MD Olive Garden restaurant today to announce that Darden Restaurants , the world’s largest full service restaurant company, would modify its kids' menus to include healthier sides and drink options. "Often, parents assume that when a restaurant offers a separate kids’ menu that the food on that menu will actually be good for their kids", said the First Lady. "They assume that the potion sizes will be reasonable. They assume that the food will be just as nutritious as food that they prepare for their kids at home."  It's considered that one of every two dollars spent on food is spent in restaurants, and over one-third of calories consumed in America are eaten at restau...

The First Lady participates in a Let's Move! event at Brock Elementary School in Slidell, Louisiana. We were wondering whether First Lady Michelle was going to take her message of healthy eating for a healthy lifestyle to the residence of New Orleans. After watching Spike Lee's latest documentary (which we're hoping the President and First Lady also watched) we were reminded of the rich, but unhealthy eating lifestyle of the residents of New Orleans. The First Lady must have read our minds. After visiting Louisiana last week with the president, this week the First Lady will return to New Orleans.  This time for a morning event at Brock Elementary School in Slidell, Louisiana, focusing on the next phase of the Let’s Move! campaign where she will highlight steps local schools and communities can take to combat childhood obesity. She will also salute participants in the US Healthier Schools Challenge program. Visit the Let's Move! web site to learn ...

Mrs. Obama will launch the new Let’s Move! website by hosting a morning web chat with a live online audience facilitated by AOL Health. Questions can be submitted for the First Lady in advance of the chat via email (askmichelleobama@aol.com), on AOL, and during the live event. The web chat will be streamed live on www.LetsMove.gov and AOL at 10:00 AM EDT.

First Lady Michelle Obama joined Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes and members of the Childhood Obesity Task Force to unveil the Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation (Video here ) . In conjunction with the release of the action plan, Cabinet Members and Administration Officials will hold events across the country to highlight the importance of addressing childhood obesity. “For the first time, the nation will have goals, benchmarks, and measureable outcomes that will help us tackle the childhood obesity epidemic one child, one family, and one community at a time,” Mrs. Obama said. “We want to marshal every resource – public and private sector, mayors and governors, parents and educators, business owners and health care providers, coaches and athletes – to ensure that we are providing each and every child the happy, healthy future they deserve.” In February, Mrs. Obama launched the Let’s Move! campaign to solve the chi...

Earlier this week the First Lady held a town hall style event in the State Dining Room of the White House where she discussed childhood health and to further her stand to combat childhood obesity. The youngsters were invited to ask questions on the subject, and one very important question did come up. What exactly is ' obesity '? Mrs. Obama gives her take at explaining the term to a youngster seated in the rear of the room. "Yes, yes. Well, it is a pretty big word, but I think it -- you know, just to make it simple, it’s when people’s weight gets higher than it should be. And there are very scientific measurements for it. Something called Body Mass Index is what a lot of doctors try to measure. But as you grow, your weight and your height should remain fairly consistent, but people’s Body Mass Index really varies. So there’s no one right weight or height to be", continued Mrs. Obama. "If you look in my whole family, we’ve got people who are 6’6” and pe...

[Press Release] Task Force on Childhood Obesity Asks the Public for Ideas to Solve Obesity Challenge The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health and Human Services are asking the public for ideas to help the Task Force on Childhood Obesity come up with recommendations for public and private sector actions to solve the problem of childhood obesity. The work of the Task Force will complement the efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama as she leads a national public awareness effort to tackle this critical public health issue. The First Lady participated in a Newsweek Q&A session titled the “ Challenges and Ways to Promote Health and Wellness in America’s Communities ” yesterday at the Newseum where she fielded questions on the subject from Newsweek's John Meacham. "The statistics are clear, you know. We’re seeing rates of childhood obesity go up like never before. And I think the country is also at a point where we’re ready. And I think that's one of...