White House Press Briefing Sept. 30

Obama Welcomes New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Video

What Warren Buffett Really Said

Buffett on CNN: There's been class warfare going on for decades and my class won:

Al-Qaeda's Al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen

Al-Awlaki was an American citizen, who became a person who plotted attacks against U.S.

West Wing Week Sept. 30

Obama's Schedule Sept. 30

Times are eastern.

10:00 AM	The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press
11:00 AM	The President delivers remarks at the "Change of Office" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ceremony at Fort Myer. the Vice President also attends Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia Open Press
1:40 PM	The President will be interviewed live by Michael Smerconish Oval Office Closed Press
8:05 PM	The President delivers remarks at a campaign event Private Residence Print Pool

12:30 PM
White House press briefing. Live stream.

1:00 PM
Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a DNC reception in Portland, Maine.

3:00 PM
Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a DNC reception in Portland, Maine.

5:30 PM
Michelle Obama travels to Cranston, R.I., where she participates in a roundtable conversation with military spouses.

7:00 PM
Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a DNC reception in Providence, R.I.

Obama's Interview with North Carolina's WXII TV

Obama Talks Economy, '12 Campaign During WXII Interview

White House Press Briefing Sept. 29

Obama's Schedule Sept. 29

Times are eastern.

9:30 AM	The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office Closed Press
10:00 AM	The President meets with senior advisors Oval Office Closed Press
10:30 AM	The President meets with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner Oval Office Closed Press
11:20 AM	The President participates in regional interviews on the need for Congress to pass the American Jobs Act now to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of working Americans Diplomatic Room Closed Press
11:45 AM	The Vice President delivers remarks to highlight how the American Jobs Act would keep first responders on the job Alexandria Police Department in Alexandria, Virginia |  Show Details   Open Press
1:00 PM	Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney James S. Brady Briefing Room Open Press
1:30 PM	The President meets with Secretary of State Clinton Oval Office Closed Press
2:00 PM	The Vice President meets with Prime Minister Al-Sabah of Kuwait Roosevelt Room Pool Spray at the Top

White House Press Briefing Sept. 28

Obama's Back to School Speech Sept. 28, 2011

Primer on Herman Cain's 999 Tax Plan

I have to wonder why Floridians got excited about Cain. I have to think it's because they connected with Cain on some sort of emotional level without really understanding what he stands for. Republicans are darned good salesmen. This guy sold pizza, which means he was an excellent salesman, all those coupons and such. Republicans make chopped liver look like a free Mercedes-Benz for everyone, all in the name of getting the unwitting to support their constituents -- business. Read how Cain pitches his 999 plan here. This is a primer from PolitiFact:

The centerpiece of the 9-9-9 Plan is to eliminate the current, complicated income tax system -- with its series of tax credits and deductions and its variety of tax rates based on income -- and to replace it with a flat income tax. Cain's flat 9 percent income tax also would replace payroll taxes, which all workers pay and that fund Medicare and Social Security, and would end the estate tax, which is a tax on inheritances. Currently, about 49.5 percent of all tax filers pay no income tax at all, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, a respected bipartisan committee of Congress. Cain's income tax would be collected equally for workers with two exceptions -- taxpayers could claim a deduction for charitable contributions (we haven't heard him discuss a limit) and taxpayers could earn a type of tax credit for living in an "empowerment zone," which Cain has described as inner cities needing revitalization. While the result of this part of Cain's plan would affect taxpayers differently, the flat income tax and the elimination of payroll taxes would result in shifting some of America's tax burden, making some poorer Americans pay more into the system while many middle- and upper-class Americans would pay less. Read it all at Politifact

What Floridians would pay:

The national sales tax, which would help fund the federal government, would be on top of state and local sales taxes, which fund state and local government. In Florida, that would create a hypothetical tax rate of 15 percent in most parts of the state.

Obama's Roundtable Focusing on Hispanic Issues Video

Obama's Schedule Sept. 28

Times are eastern.

11:25 AM	The President participates in an “Open for Questions” roundtable Map Room Press Information
12:30 PM	The President and the Vice President meet for lunch Private Dining Room Closed Press
1:30 PM	The President delivers his third annual Back-to-School Speech Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, DC, Washington  LIVE STREAM Open Press
4:30 PM	The President and the Vice President meet with Secretary of Defense Panetta Oval Office Closed Press

Obama Hosts Tunisia's Prime Minister Oct. 7

President Obama will host Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia at the White House on Friday, October 7. During his meeting with the Prime Minister, the President looks forward to discussing America’s strong support for Tunisia’s historic transition to democracy, as well as a broad range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. The President also welcomes the opportunity to highlight the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Tunisian people.

Obama's Statement on the Passing of Wangari Maathai

I first heard of Wangari Maathai on Speaking of Faith.

It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Professor Wangari Maathai. On behalf of all Americans, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Professor Maathai’s family and the people of Kenya at this difficult time. The world mourns with you and celebrates the extraordinary life of this remarkable woman who devoted her life to peacefully protecting what she called “our common home and future.” The work of the Greenbelt Movement stands as a testament to the power of grassroots organizing, proof that one person’s simple idea—that a community should come together to plant trees—can make a difference, first in one village, then in one nation, and now across Africa. Professor Maathai’s tireless efforts earned her not only a Nobel Peace Prize and numerous prestigious awards, but the respect of millions who were inspired by her commitment to conservation, democracy, women’s empowerment, the eradication of poverty, and civic engagement. Professor Maathai further advanced these objectives through her service in the Kenyan government, the African Union, and the United Nations. As she told the world, “we must not tire, we must not give up, we must persist.” Her legacy will stand as an example to all of us to persist in our pursuit of progress.

Joe Biden:

I was honored to meet Professor Wangari Maathai in Nairobi just over a year ago, and like millions of others was saddened to learn today of her passing. History will rightly record her most celebrated accomplishments, including that she was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. But her contributions to her home continent—and to our shared humanity—run far deeper than accolades can reflect. From its founding in her native Kenya 34 years ago, her Green Belt Movement spread like the roots of the 40 million trees it planted, making her a world-leading advocate not just for conservation, but for democracy, the rights of women and many other important causes. Working across disciplines and national boundaries led her to identify prescient and groundbreaking connections—for example between environmental degradation and poverty—that reoriented the work of policymakers, development experts and human rights activists, alike. When she found her government too unresponsive to the issues she championed, she ran for political office, and won. Her tireless work on behalf of society’s least privileged meant she often ran afoul of those in power, leading to imprisonment and financial hardship. But through it all, Wangari Maathai remained, as the title of her autobiography aptly put it, “unbowed.” “We continue to be restless,” she wrote in that book, “If we really carry the burden, we are driven to action. We cannot tire or give up.” Worthy advice for those who will carry on her work.

Obama's Rosh Hashanah Message Video

Obama Speaks at Abraham Lincoln High in Denver Video

Obama's Schedule Sept. 27

1:25 PM	The President departs Los Angeles, California Local Event Time:  10:25 AM PDT Open Press
3:25 PM	The President arrives Denver, Colorado Local Event Time:  1:25 PM MDT Open Press
4:15 PM	THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at Abraham Lincoln High School Local Event Time:  2:15 PM MDT   LIVE STREAM  Open Press
5:50 PM	The President departs Denver, Colorado en route Joint Base Andrews Local Event Time:  3:50 PM MDT Open Press
9:00 PM	The President arrives Joint Base Andrews Joint Base Andrews Travel Pool Coverage
9:15 PM	The President arrives the White House South Lawn Open Press