Yesterday, President Obama spoke at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service, an annual ceremony honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the previous year.
The President said that the 143 officers honored “exemplified the very idea of citizenship — that with our God-given rights come responsibilities and obligations to ourselves and to others.”
President Barack Obama greets audience members during the National Peace Officers Memorial Service, an annual ceremony honoring law enforcement who were killed in the line of duty in the previous year, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. May 15, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
In Case You Missed It
Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog:
Hanging out with “We the Geeks” The White House is kicking off “We the Geeks,” a new series of Google+ Hangouts to highlight the future of science, technology, and innovation here in the United States.
Today, President Obama is making his first stop on a series of Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour — traveling to Austin, Texas to highlight the work being done to create stable and well-paying jobs that can support a middle-class family.
During his trip, the President will visit a high school where students are learning real-world skills for today’s jobs, and meet technology entrepreneurs who are creating the tools and products that will drive America’s long-term economic growth.
Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama‘s initiative to raise a healthier generation of kids, is thrilled to announce the Second Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ State Dinner — a nationwide recipe challenge just for kids.
We invite parents or guardians and their kids, ages 8-12, to create and submit an original lunch recipe that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, or low-fat dairy foods. The creators of the winning recipes will have a chance to come to the White House for their very own Kids’ State Dinner.
President Obama describes the incredible opportunities to create middle-class jobs in America by deepening our economic ties and expanding trade in Latin America and discusses recent Senate bill that takes commonsense steps to fix our broken immigration system.
Yesterday, the President had a bilateral meeting with Mexican President Peña Nieto at Palacio National in Mexico City. The bulk of his discussions in Mexico will cover the economy, and in Costa Rica, the President will meet with Central American leaders, who are important partners in improving foreign policy and the economy.
Transportation Secretary Nominated: On Tuesday, the President nominated the Mayor of Charlotte, Anthony Foxx, for Transportation Secretary. As mayor, Foxx modernized the electric train service to Charlotte’s downtown area, expanded the international airport, and extended the city’s light rail system. The President hopes cities can mimic the work done in Charlotte to attract more business, create more jobs, and stay competitive in the global economy.
Our top priority as a nation right now is doing everything we can to grow our economy and create good jobs and rebuild opportunity for the middle class. And one of the best ways we can do that is to put more Americans back to work rebuilding our infrastructure.
Watt served for 20 years as a member of the congressional committee that oversees housing policy and will be responsible for looking over mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The President will look for Wheeler to head the FCC to ensure American businesses and workers have “the tools they need to compete in the 21st century economy.”
Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative Tapped: On Thursday, the President announced his nominations of Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce and Mike Froman as U.S. Trade Representative.
Pritzker is one of “our country’s most distinguished business leaders” with more than 25 years of management experience in real estate, finance, and hospitality.
If confirmed as U.S. Trade Representative, Froman, will bring with him over two decades in both the public and private sectors. The President described him as “one of the world’s foremost experts on our global economy” who pushes until “he’s delivered the best possible deal for American businesses and American works.”
At the event, the First Lady continued the call to action and said American companies have committed to hire or train 435,000 veterans or military spouses over the next five years.
For 150 years, you’ve strived to answer big questions, solve tough problems, not for yourselves but for the benefit of the nation. And that legacy has endured from the Academy’s founding days. And when you look at our history, you’ve stepped up at times of enormous need and, in some cases, great peril.
During his State of the Union speech, President Obama proposed an ambitious new early childhood education initiative, including voluntary preschool for all four year-olds.
Unfortunately, investment and enrollment in early childhood education in the U.S. lags behind — sometimes far behind — other countries. Check out these infographics from our Center for American Progress colleagues that illustrate the disparities:
You can read more on our lagging investments in early childhood education HERE.
Be a Seed for Change 
You must be logged in to post a comment.