Politics. On Point.

Initiative named the Mandela Washington Fellowship For Young African Leaders from the White House ...the President will participate in a town hall with 500 exceptional young people who participated in the inaugural Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, an initiative he announced in 2013 as part of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). President Obama first launched YALI in 2010 to support an emerging generation of African leaders as they work to drive economic growth, enhance democratic governance, and strengthen the civil society structures that will help the continent grow and prosper.  The President announced the creation of this Fellowship, which connects young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at some of America’s top universities to expand their leadership skills and knowledge, during his 2013 trip to South Africa. President Obama speaking to young, future African leaders.    You can watch this event live at  h...

When President Obama decided to join UK Prime Minister David Cameron , and Denmark Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in what appeared to be a jovial display of picture taking, little did he know that he might be in for more than he bargained for. Not only did his actions get questioned by the media  (when don't they?), but it looks like his wife wasn't too thrilled either.  It does look like Schmidt was having just a bit too much fun with the president.  And the president looked like he was enjoying himself as well. Whether you chose to believe Mrs. Obama thought the gestures of her husband were inappropriate for the occasion, or whether she thought her husband was too chummy with Denmark's Prime Minister, First Lady Michelle doesn't looked too thrilled at all.  So, what do you do when the kids are acting up in public? You separate them.   Miss chatter box is all but quiet now, isn't she?  Focus, Mr. President....

Statement by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, on the Death of Nelson Mandela   "Today, we have lost one of history’s great leaders. I extend my deepest condolences to the Mandela family and to the government and people of South Africa, the Republic that President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela helped free from the cruelty and hatred of apartheid and forged anew into a rainbow nation of hope and healing. I will always cherish the honor and memory of knowing him.   Even as we mourn, we remember how privileged the world was to witness the transformation he wrought by changing minds and hearts. He was apartheid’s captive but never its prisoner, and he rid the world of one of history’s foulest evils by hewing to universal principles for which he hoped to live but was prepared to die. Let us celebrate Madiba’s life by rededicating ourselves to the values and hopes he embodied: reconciliation and justice, freedom and equality, democracy and human rights, an honest reckoni...

The president spoke by telephone with the wife of Mandela, Mrs. Graça Machel, who remained by her husband's side in the hospital in Pretoria. Out of deference to Nelson Mandela’s peace and comfort and the family’s wishes, they did not visit the hospital where the 94 year old icon is still in critical condition. Instead, the Obamas met with the Mandela family at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa where he expressed his heartfelt support for the entire family. "It is my hope that Madiba draws peace and comfort from the time that he is spending with loved ones", said Obama. The president also reaffirmed the profound impact that  Nelson Mandela's legacy has had in building a free South Africa, and in inspiring people around the world. "Including me", the president said. "That's a legacy that we must all honor in our own lives, including this July on Mandela Day." Members of the Mandela family meeting with...

The First Lady continues her exercise regime, and her Let's Move! message, while in South Africa, this time including one of the world's most beloved diplomatic figure, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The First Lady, at a youth soccer camp, does pushups with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In her remarks to youth at a youth soccer camp at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, the First Lady said, "But I want to just make sure that we acknowledge all of the organizations who are responsible for supporting and educating and inspiring these young people, because in order to be a VSP (Very Special Person, how Tutu described the First Lady), you’ve got to be, what?, a VHP, a Very Healthy Person, right? Which means you’ve got to have the knowledge and the internal wisdom to make sure you’re taking care of yourself and that you’re making good choices so that you’re healthy and you grow up strong, because it’s hard to have an impact if you’re not in the best condition possible...

This week, the First Lady, daughters Sasha and Malia, First Mom Mrs. Robinson, and family members and friends are in South Africa for the First Lady's mission to inspire, educate and uplift the young people of South Africa.  First Lady Michelle Obama with daughters Malia and Sasha at the home of former South African president Nelson Mandela. The president remarked earlier this year that Africa "is a fundamental part of our interconnected world.  And when it comes to the defining challenges of our times: creating jobs in our global economy, promoting democracy and development, confronting climate change, extremism, poverty and disease -- for all this, the world is looking to Africa as a vital partner". The First Lady met Tuesday with former South African president Nelson Mandela at his home.  The meeting is being called historic as it represents Mr. Mandela, 92, an iconic symbol of the country's fight against apartheid, and First Lady Michelle Obama, wif...