Tag Archives: civil rights

President Barack Obama greets audience members after delivering remarks on health care reform during the Catholic Health Association Conference at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., June 9, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Yesterday, at the Catholic Health Association’s annual assembly, President Obama outlined the state of health care in America, now that the Affordable Care Act has become part of the fabric of our health care system.

“Everything we’ve done these past six and a half years to rebuild our economy on a new foundation… has been in pursuit of that one goal, creating opportunity for all people,” the President said. “And health reform was a critical part of that effort.”

Watch the President’s full remarks, and learn more about the history of health care reform in our country.

My Day One: From the Streets of Lahore to the Heart of Texas

June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and people across the country are sharing their American stories. Manar Waheed — the Deputy Policy Director for Immigration here at the White House — shared her own story this morning.

Last night, the First Lady delivered her final commencement address of the season at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Preparatory High School (King College Prep) in Chicago. This spring, Mrs. Obama also celebrated the graduates at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL, and Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH as a way to shine a spotlight on students who have gone above and beyond to reach higher, and help others do the same.

This weekend, the President traveled to Krun, Germany — a small village in the Bavarian Alps — to meet with the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7). The G7 is an organization of world leaders, finance ministers, and heads of state from seven of the largest economies in the world — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. — as well as the European Council, EU Commission, and International Monetary Fund.

100,000,000

07/04/2015 Nativegrl77

The day you signed your first petition on Change.org, you became a part of something big. Today we’re celebrating 100 million people all over the world coming to Change.org to start or sign a petition. More than one million petitions have been supported by people like you, and there’s a unique story behind every signature.

We’re so proud of the change you have been a part of, and we’re excited to share this moment with you. Join us in celebrating 100 million people using Change.org: track the impact of the growing Change.org community.

Thanks for joining us on this journey,

The Change.org team

See the impact

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Gemma Tillack, Rainforest Action Network ~ Maruchan

07/04/2015 Nativegrl77

Last week we exposed Maruchan—America’s #1 instant noodle brand—as the ‘worst performing’ laggard in the Snack Food 20 as it had yet to make any commitments regarding its use of the controversial ingredient: Conflict Palm Oil.

With your help we turned the heat up on the company and the instant noodle giant has responded by issuing its first palm oil commitment. Thank you!

We can’t let Maruchan off the hook, however. The commitment it issued falls short of what is required. The company is only requiring its suppliers to meet the entirely insufficient RSPO standard by 2020. To make matters worse, this commitment only applies to operations in the US and not products sold worldwide. Maruchan has a massive worldwide reach; this is simply not enough.

Maruchan can and must do better. We have to keep the pressure on, so today activists are calling Maruchan and demanding it step up and be a leader by adopting and rapidly implementing a truly responsible palm oil policy.

Will you make a quick phone call and tell Maruchan to step up?

It’s simple and only takes a few minutes. Click here for regional phone numbers and a few things to say.

When you make a stand, companies have no choice but to listen. Please make a quick phone call now.

Gemma Tillack
Agribusiness Campaign Director
http://www.ran.org/

Rainforest Action Network
425 Bush Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94108

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The President Speaks on the Economy ~ watch again

07/03/2015 Nativegrl77

The Employment Situation in June

The economy added 223,000 jobs in June as the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent. Our economy has now added 5.6 million jobs over the past two years, the strongest two-year job growth since 2000.

Under President Obama, America is charting a new course in our relationship with Cuba. Yesterday, he announced the next step on this path: re-opening a U.S. Embassy in Havana.

The longstanding ban on photography in the White House — in place for more than 40 years — has been lifted.

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