Politics. On Point.

Did Dr. Jill Biden come up with the most creative version of the scariest time of the year? The First Lady’s theme, “Hallo-READ!,” highlights the spooktacular thrill of reading On Wednesday, October 30th, the President and First Lady are hosting a Halloween event that will welcome local students and military-connected children to the White House for trick-or-treating.  A teacher for 40 years, including years spent as a reading specialist, First Lady Jill Biden created this year’s theme, “Hallo-READ!,” with the White House’s festive décor featuring famous literary tales and spooky story time. Dr. Biden’s theme encourages families and children to once again grab a flashlight, pick out their favorite Halloween book, and relish in the spooktacular thrill of reading together. Children will trick-or-treat along the South Lawn of the White House up to the South Portico to receive both candy and books from the President and First Lady, as well as other White House friends and neighbors. Se...

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden touched on two recent events as she spoke Monday as baby formula arrived at Dulles Airport. Said Dr. Biden, "The sudden, senseless massacre in an elementary school—little children and their teachers, Eva and Irma. Let us pray that God cradles these broken families in the palm of his hand. But let us also pray that we use the will and courage that God gives each of us so we can act—united with common sense—to protect our children. ADVERTISEMENT Love Smoothies? Here are 10 Recipes  You're Sure to Love!   I’ve always said that food is love. But food is life, too.   Like all of us, I have been heartbroken to hear the stories of parents searching for formula. As a mom and a nana, it’s impossible to hear stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position. Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.   Joe and his team have put solutions into place to get formula back on the shelves.   Tha...

Here is a pool report on the Dr. Biden's visit to Gambia.   She is in Africa on a three-continent visit focusing on anti-gender issues and education. This pool report comes from  Perpetual Sichikwenkwe from the Times of Zambia newspaper. Her report follows, below. Dr. Jill Biden.   Photo/ Organizing for Action website. U.S. second lady arrives in Zambia's capital city Lusaka, for a two d ay official visit At exactly 22:20 p.m. Tuesday , the U.S. Military Aircraft number 50932 carrying Dr. Jill Biden, the wife to U.S. vice president Joe, touched down at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the Zambian capital city. Dr Biden who is on a three day visit to Africa is accompanied by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)Administrator Rajiv Shah, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women Issues, Catherine Russell and other officials. Dr. Biden, clad in pink and white emerged from the aircraft with her granddaughter Finnegan Bid...

It's no secret that second lady Dr. Jill Biden is a community college professor (George Mason), and that both the president and the vice president have touted community colleges for years.  "We know, for example, that in the coming years, jobs requiring at least an associate’s degree are going to grow twice as fast as jobs that don’t require college. We will not fill those jobs or keep those jobs on our shores without community colleges", explained the president. Dr. Biden in 2009 told an audience, "For more and more people, community colleges are the way to the future", said Biden.  "They’re giving real opportunity to students who otherwise wouldn’t have it.  They’re giving hope to families who thought the American Dream was slipping away.  They are equipping Americans with the skills and expertise that are relevant to the emerging jobs of the future.  They’re opening doors for the middle class at a time when the middle class has seen so many doors cl...

  The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to the Republic of Chile and the Dominican Republic in the second week of March.      In Chile, the Vice President will lead the U.S. delegation to the Inauguration of Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet.  In Santo Domingo, the Vice President will meet with President Danilo Medina to discuss a broad range of bilateral issues, as well as regional cooperation.   Related Vice President Biden To Make a 2016 Presidential Bid ?  

  Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to India and Singapore in late July 2013.  In India, the Vice President will meet with key leaders to discuss the full range of bilateral, regional and global issues, with a focus on advancing the prosperity, security, and shared values of our two countries.    The Vice President and Dr. Biden look forward to opportunities to engage with India’s people, including leaders in business and civil society.  In Singapore, the Vice President will consult with leaders on a range of shared priorities, including implementing the Asia-Pacific rebalance, and highlight America’s continued engagement with a key partner in Southeast Asia.   The First Family will begin their travel to South Africa, visiting Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania later this week.   Per the White House, this is the President’s second trip to sub-Saharan Africa .  He previously went to Ghana in his first term....

Dr. Jill Biden joined Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus at the Pentagon this week at the naming of the Navy's newest submarine . The next Virginia-class attack submarine   has been named the USS Delaware. Dr. Jill Biden will sponsor the USS Delaware. A longtime Delaware educator and military mom, Dr. Biden started Joining Forces with First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage all Americans to recognize, honor and support military families. Mabus named the future USS Delaware in honor of the first state in the Union. The name honors the great contributions and support Delaware has given the military through the years and pays homage to the state's more than two centuries of naval heritage. "I chose the name Delaware to honor the long-standing relationship between the Navy and our nation's first state," said Mabus. "It has been too long since there has been a USS Delaware in the fleet and this submarine will remind future deployed service members and state...

Vice President Joe Biden and Second Lady, Dr. Jill Biden celebrated Thanksgiving with the military servicemen at the Naval Observatory on Monday. A pool report, below, gives the deets. The mouth-watering smells of stuffing and turkey, a crackling fire, guests with bowed heads giving thanks for “second chances” -- Vice President Biden and Dr Jill Biden hosted their fourth Early Thanksgiving For Wounded Warriors on Monday, welcoming servicemen and –women and loved ones to the Naval Observatory. “Jill and I want to welcome you to the vice president’s home. This is your home,” the VP said in brief remarks as the 26 guests sat at two large tables in the residence’s dining room. He spoke from behind a lectern with the VP’s seal on it, Jill Biden at his side. Candles fluttered over their shoulders on the mantelpiece of the fireplace, in which a robust blaze was already crackling. A Navy harpist played before his remarks. The vice president said he and his wife were “honored an...

We have a very descriptive pool report that comes from Christina Wilkie of HuffPost on this afternoon's Joining Forces event with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. The two ladies helped celebrate Mother's Day with military families and their children. The report, modified for story line and content by POP, reads below as follows. At the Naval Observatory today First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a Joining Forces service activity with congressional spouses where they assembled Mothers Day care packages that will be sent to the wives and mothers of deployed military, at the request of the soldiers. The event comes a day after FLOTUS attended the annual Congressional Club lunch for spouses of House and Senate members. This is the third time she has invited them to join her for a service activity the day after the lunch, and marks FLOTUS's first visit to the Naval Observatory. Outside in the sun under a white USO tent were ap...

The Office of the Vice President announced today that Courtney O’Donnell , Director of Communications to Second Lady Jill Biden, will leave the White House to move to Berlin, Germany with her family where she plans to work on projects based in Europe. O’Donnell served as Deputy communications director for the Bill Clinton Foundation from 2004 to 2009, and as deputy press secretary for the Elizabeth Edwards, Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004. She also worked as the deputy communications director on the Howard Dean presidential campaign from 2003 to 2004. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1988. Dr. Jill Biden said about O'Donnell: “Since Inauguration Day, Courtney has served as a trusted advisor to me and our entire team. Her creativity and strategic thinking helped us build campaigns to showcase the strengths of community colleges, support our nation’s military families, fight breast cancer, and draw attention and resources to the issues in the Horn of Africa. Her e...

We're sending out a very special Happy Birthday to Vice President Joe Biden who celebrates his birthday this Sunday. The 47th US Vice President, Joe Biden, turns 69 on Sunday, November 20th. Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born on November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  The former Delaware senator turns 69. His wife, and second lady, Dr. Jill Biden would love for you to sign his birthday card. Just click here  to send your well wishes, and a Happy B-day to Mr. VP!

The First Lady's Joining Forces Tour Wednesday, October 19, 2011 First Lady Michelle Obama will join President Obama at an event at Joint Base Langley – Eustis in Hampton, Virginia where they will discuss the importance of hiring American veterans. As part of her Joining Forces initiative, the First Lady will announce a major private sector commitment to hire veterans and military spouses. * St. Louis, Missouri: First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Game One of the World Series to recognize Major League Baseball’s (MLB) outstanding support of America's veterans and military families as part of their Joining Forces initiative. The game will encourage Americans to support Joining Forces and MLB’s Welcome Back Veterans program to recognize and serve veterans, service members and their families. Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden will join representatives from MLB and the St. Louis Cardinals including Hall of Famer and Army veteran Red Schoendienst in hosting a mil...

A day honoring victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attack on the U.S. culminated yesterday evening with Kennedy Center Concert of Hope with remarks given by President Obama. Citing Americans' tenacity and courage, the president even after the 9/11 attack the character of America as a nation has not changed.  Our faith, said President Obama, in God and in each other has not changed.  Our belief in America, born of a timeless ideal that men and women should govern themselves; that all people are created equal, and deserve the same freedom to determine their own destiny, that belief, through tests and trials, has only been strengthened." The president's remarks, lasting well over twenty minutes, included him acknowledging the first responders and firefighters on the scene on that horrific day. "These past 10 years have shown that America does not give in to fear.  The rescue workers who rushed to the scene, the firefighters who charged up the stai...

President Obama welcomed Jimmie Johnson and other 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers to the White House to honor Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Said President Obama, "Jimmie’s talent has been to make a very difficult, demanding sport look easy. But this year, the Number 48 team also showed its toughness. They entered the last race of the Chase trailing, and ended up pulling off an extraordinary comeback." Johnson was joined by Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton. Johnson presented the president with driving gloves he wore during a race he won in Las Vegas. "I don't get to drive much anymore these days", said the president, joking that he would use the gloves when he drove 'Golf Cart One', a golf cart used by the president at Camp David. The President recognized the efforts by Johnson and NASCAR to give back to their community as part of their visi...

First Lady Michelle Obama graces Sept/Oct, 2011 AARP magazine. As President Obama was on the brink of turning 50 eariler this month, he joked that he would soon be getting his AARP card.  "I’ve said that means testing on Medicare, meaning people like myself, I’m going to be turning 50 in a week -- so, I’m starting to think a little bit more about Medicare eligibility.   Yes, I’m going to get my AARP card soon -- and the discounts, the president said during a press conference in the East Room of the White House where he was asked questions about cutting the deficit and whether social services would be affected as a result. How ironic, however, that instead of the president gracing the September/October, 2011 issue of AARP/The Magazine, after having turned 50, and holding a tele-town hall on health care reform at AARP headquarters in July, we find First Lady Michelle Obama instead. Both The First Lady , and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden were intervie...

Note : See update below - - U.S. To Assist Famined Somalia Dr. Jill Biden has arrived in Kenya with Senator Bill Frist, USAID Administrator Raj Shah, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz, and Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith. Dr. Biden’s trip will underscore the United States’ commitment to working with the governments and people of the region, and the international community, to assist the people of the Horn of Africa during this urgent time of need, and to investing in long-term solutions to hunger and food insecurity in the region.  Amid the worst drought in East Africa in 60 years, the United Nations has declared that famine now affects five regions in Somalia and predicts that famine could soon expand throughout southern Somalia.  Thousands of Somalis are fleeing the famine and seeking refuge in Kenya and Ethiopia, which are also affected by the drought.  According to the United Nations, more than 12.4 million people in Ethiopia, Keny...

On Sunday, July 17th, Dr. Jill Biden will lead a Presidential Delegation to Frankfurt, Germany for the Women’s World Cup Final between the United States of America and Japan .  This is the sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup competition, the world championship for women's national association soccer teams. The United States continues to be a force in women’s soccer, with a record that includes two Women’s World Cups in 1991 and 1999, and three Olympic Women’s Gold Medals in 1996, 2004 and 2008.  The 2011 Women’s World Cup serves as a great opportunity to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of America’s female athletes at all levels, from girls taking part in their first sporting events to the athletes participating in this year’s World Cup Final, and recognize the importance of the foundation laid by Title IX. While in Germany, Dr. Biden and the Delegation will meet with the members of the U.S. Women’s National Team and their friends and family to wish them luck and offer...

Here's a pool report from providing details on the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden's event at the Naval Observatory for breast cancer survivors. Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden hosted an event honoring breast cancer survivors and the work of the Komen Foundation Friday evening at the Vice President's residence. About 200 guests--including survivors and supporters-- gathered at the event inside a tent decked out in pink to honor the cause. VPOTUS wearing a cotton candy-colored pink shirt, discussed how "We all have a serious, serious investment" to finding a cure for breast cancer. "We all know how much work is left to be done," he said. " I'm very hopeful that it's going to get done...We have a simple straight forward goal and that is to make reality the cure for breast cancer." In his remarks, Biden quoted his mother who once told him, "Out of everything terrible something good will happen if you look hard ...

In an eleven minute speech, President Obama was quick and to the point on how he envisions putting Americans back to work, via manufacturing jobs. Speaking in Alexandria, Virginiato to about 100 attendees in the ‘body shop’ of Northern Virginia Community College’s Engineering building, the president talked about ‘lighting a spark’ to create American jobs. “We’ve got to light more sparks all across America”, said the president. Sparks in manufacturing.  Sparks in education. By the end of the decade the president wants to also lead the world in college graduates. He also wants to make going to college more affordable, and pledges that graduates will find a job once they graduate. “So, I’ve set a goal that by the end of this decade, we are going to once again lead the world in producing college graduates. To achieve that, we’re making college more affordable and we’re investing in community colleges.” Not only that, the president wants to ensure college grads can find j...

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama appeared at Arlington National Cemetery with military members, Gold Star families, veterans and other Americans who came to honor and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. After presenting a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, the President spoke at the Memorial Day Service, attempting to provide comfort to those families who lost loved ones. "This day is about you, and the fallen heroes that you loved. And it’s a day that has meaning for all Americans, including me. It’s one of my highest honors, it is my most solemn responsibility as President, to serve as Commander-in-Chief of one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever known. And it’s a responsibility that carries a special weight on this day; that carries a special weight each time I meet with our Gold Star families and I see the pride in their eyes, but also the tears of pain that will never fully go away; each time I sit down at my desk and...