In this week's address, the President recognized Labor Day by
highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining
what needs to be done to continue that growth.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
West Wing Week 09/04/15
Welcome to a very special Dispatches edition of West Wing Week, where we
go behind the scenes as the President travels in Alaska to shine a
spotlight on what Alaskans in particular have come to know, that climate
change is one of the biggest threats we face, it is being driven by
human activity, and it is disrupting Americans’ lives right now. During
the visit, the President shares his experience with people around the
country first-hand, even going behind the camera himself. Follow along
as he travels to Anchorage, Seward, Dillingham, and Kotzebue, and
becomes the first president to travel above the Arctic Circle.
Friday, September 4, 2015
NYS Senator on Latest Legionnaires' Case: 'I Am Afraid to Think That This Administration Could Be Lying to Us'
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York
"I am extremely concerned
about the most recent case of Legionnaires at Melrose Houses, and I am afraid
to think that this Administration could be lying to us. Not too long ago they
said that everything is fine, and now they say it's not and more people are
dying. Are they hiding something? If there is something else we need to know, I
pray that they will tell us before more lives are lost."
Source: Press Office, Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz
Source: Press Office, Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz
President Obama Meeting with Saudi King Salman
President Obama speaks to reporters ahead of a meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
Click here for video.
Source: C-Span
Defense Department Briefing on Military Operations Against ISIS
Brigadier General Kevin Killea, chief of staff of the Combined Joint
Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, briefs reporters and responds
to their questions on military efforts to fight the Islamic State
(ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria.
Click here for video.
Source: C-Span
Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations
Politico Trade reporter Adam Behsudi spoke about negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.
Click here for the video.
Source: C-Span
Discussion on the Iran Nuclear Deal
As Congress prepares to debate and vote on a resolution of
disapproval of the Iran nuclear agreement, a panel of experts assesses
the pros and cons of the deal. The Center on Global Interests hosts this
event.
Click here for the video.
Source: C-Span
China Victory Day Commemoration
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a military parade in Beijing commemorating the end of World War II.
Click here for video.
Source: C-Span
Statement on the Employment Situation in August
WASHINGTON,
DC – Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, issued
the following statement today on the employment situation in August.
Our economy has now added
8.0 million jobs over the past three years, a pace that has not been
exceeded since 2000. And while the economy added jobs at a somewhat
slower pace in August than in recent months, the unemployment rate fell
to 5.1 percent—its lowest level since April 2008—and the labor force
participation rate remained stable. Our businesses have now added 13.1
million jobs over 66 straight months, extending the longest streak on
record. In addition, hourly earnings for American workers continued to
rise. But there’s more work to do to ensure that America’s domestic
momentum can continue to offset some of the headwinds from the global
economy. That starts with avoiding self-inflicted wounds: Congress needs
to pass a budget that reverses the sequester and avoids shutting down
the government. But it’s also why the President is committed to pushing
Congress to increase investments in infrastructure as part of a
long-term transportation reauthorization, open new markets with expanded
trade, and raise the minimum wage.
FIVE KEY POINTS ON THE LABOR MARKET IN AUGUST 2015
1. The private sector has added 13.1 million jobs over 66 straight months of job growth, extending the longest streak on record. Today
we learned that private-sector employment rose by 140,000 in August,
below the recent pace. Despite the monthly volatility in employment
growth, long-term trends remain strong. The unemployment rate declined
to 5.1 percent, its lowest level since early 2008, while the labor force
participation rate remained stable. Wages continued to rise, with
average hourly earnings for all private-sector workers up 2.2 percent
over the past year.
(Click on graphs to increase their size.)
2. Over the past twelve
months, rising real hourly earnings accounted for close to 40 percent of
the increase in real aggregate weekly earnings. Aggregate weekly
earnings are the total wages and salaries paid to all private employees
on nonfarm payrolls. Changes in aggregate earnings can be driven by
contributions from employment, from the length of the average workweek,
and from average hourly earnings. The large contribution of rising
hourly earnings is a recent trend. Aggregate earnings reached a cyclical
trough in December 2009, and over the following year-and-a-half, real
hourly wages declined. The aggregate earnings increase during that early
period was more than accounted for by a combination of rising
employment and a longer workweek. Over the next three years, both hourly
earnings and the workweek were largely stable, with rising employment
accounting for more than 80 percent of the growth in aggregate earnings.
Real wage growth over the past year has been a major contributor to the
speed-up in aggregate earnings, due to both rising nominal wages and
slowing consumer price growth as oil prices have declined.
3. Across most
industries, real weekly earnings for production and nonsupervisory
workers have grown at a faster pace during this business cycle than the
previous cycle. Real weekly earnings have grown faster since
2008—including both recession and recovery—than during the previous
recession and recovery. Wage gains relative to the previous business
cycle have been especially pronounced in the transportation, wholesale
trade, retail trade, financial activities, and other services sectors,
while mining & logging, education & health services, and leisure
& hospitality are the only sectors to have underperformed. Relative
employment trends are more diffuse, with some industries growing at a
slower pace during this cycle (such as financial activities and
construction, which grew quickly during the 2000s). Notably,
manufacturing contracted during the 2000s but has since reversed that
trend and outpaced the previous business cycle.
4. Summer seasonal
fluctuations in auto manufacturing employment have moderated during this
recovery as demand for autos continues to grow. Historically, large
auto manufacturers tended to shed jobs in July and recoup many of them
in August, as manufacturing plants typically shut down temporarily in
July. But over this recovery, auto manufacturers have reduced these
seasonal fluctuations. During the previous business cycle, July losses
tended to exceed August gains, with auto manufacturing losing jobs on
balance over the summer. But since the financial crisis, July losses and
August gains have tended to balance one another. The summer turnover
has decreased against a backdrop of continued strong growth in auto
sales. Indeed, 2015 is on pace to be the strongest year for car and
truck sales since 2001. Overall, the auto industry has added over
600,000 new jobs since Chrysler and General Motors emerged from
bankruptcy in mid-2009—including solid growth in both the manufacturing
and retail sectors.
5. The distribution of
job growth across industries in August generally followed recent trends,
with this month’s slower growth affecting a number of industries. Despite
the overall slower pace of job growth, above-average gains relative to
the past year were seen in State and local government (+31,000),
financial activities (+19,000), utilities (+2,000), Federal government
(+2,000), and health care and social assistance (+56,000). August was an
especially weak month in manufacturing (-17,000), information services
(-7,000), professional and business services (+22,000, excluding
temporary help), and other services (-4,000). Across the 17 industries
shown below, the correlation between the most recent one-month percent
change and the average percent change over the last twelve months rose
to 0.92 from 0.68 last month, well above the average correlation over
the past two years.
As the Administration
stresses every month, the monthly employment and unemployment figures
can be volatile, and payroll employment estimates can be subject to
substantial revision. Therefore, it is important not to read too much
into any one monthly report, and it is informative to consider each
report in the context of other data as they become available.
Source: The White House Press Office
New Yorkers Warned of Wildfire Risks During Labor Day Weekend
Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced
that during Labor Day weekend, much of New York is expected to have warm
and dry weather which can increase the likelihood of conditions that
allow wildfires to start and spread quickly. Residents and visitors are
being urged to exercise extreme caution with campfires.
“Reckless behavior during these dry conditions can be a recipe for disaster," Governor Cuomo said." I urge everyone to stay safe and be responsible while enjoying the outdoors this holiday weekend in order to prevent avoidable dangers and senseless tragedies.”
Currently, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers are working to extinguish six small wildfires that have been contained at a combined total of 3.4 acres. Two fires are in Suffolk County, two in the eastern Catskills and two in the eastern Adirondacks. Three fires were caused by unextinguished campfires, two by lightning strikes and one is under investigation. Rangers have contained the spread of these fires but the fires are burning deep into the soil and are difficult to extinguish.
Tips for campers to be cautious with campfires include:
“Reckless behavior during these dry conditions can be a recipe for disaster," Governor Cuomo said." I urge everyone to stay safe and be responsible while enjoying the outdoors this holiday weekend in order to prevent avoidable dangers and senseless tragedies.”
Currently, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers are working to extinguish six small wildfires that have been contained at a combined total of 3.4 acres. Two fires are in Suffolk County, two in the eastern Catskills and two in the eastern Adirondacks. Three fires were caused by unextinguished campfires, two by lightning strikes and one is under investigation. Rangers have contained the spread of these fires but the fires are burning deep into the soil and are difficult to extinguish.
Tips for campers to be cautious with campfires include:
- Use a cooking stove instead of a campfire to prepare meals.
- Use existing campfire rings when possible and keep fires small.
- Scrape away litter, duff and any burnable material within a 10-foot diameter circle. This will keep the campfire from spreading.
- Never leave a campfire unattended.
- Drown the fire with water. Make sure all embers, coals and sticks are wet. Stir the remains, add more water and stir again.
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation Acting Commissioner Marc Gerstman said, “We encourage
people to get out and enjoy camping and other outdoor adventures as we
approach the end of summer. Please keep in mind, safety during these
fire warnings is critical to ensure our outdoor recreation sites and
surrounding communities take the measures necessary to prevent
wildfires.”
Campfires are prohibited in the Eastern Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Area and on all Department of Environmental Conservation state lands in Suffolk County.
Campfires are prohibited in the Eastern Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Area and on all Department of Environmental Conservation state lands in Suffolk County.
New York State is also reminding people to
be cautious with barbeque grills by keeping them away from brush, grass
and other flammable materials. Charcoal ashes or embers should not be
disposed of until they are cool to the touch. The illegal use of
fireworks can also start wildfires and is prohibited.
Additionally, residents and visitors should avoid burning brush at this time, especially from late morning through early evening and whenever windy conditions are present. Never leave a fire unattended until it is completely out and all ashes and embers are cool.
Wildfire prevention is everyone’s responsibility. Do your part to keep New York safe from wildfires. The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Outdoor Fire Safety webpage has additional safety tips for campfires and burning brush. More information on wildlife prevention may be found on the FIREWISE New York web pages. Click here to see the current fire danger map in New York State.
Additionally, residents and visitors should avoid burning brush at this time, especially from late morning through early evening and whenever windy conditions are present. Never leave a fire unattended until it is completely out and all ashes and embers are cool.
Wildfire prevention is everyone’s responsibility. Do your part to keep New York safe from wildfires. The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Outdoor Fire Safety webpage has additional safety tips for campfires and burning brush. More information on wildlife prevention may be found on the FIREWISE New York web pages. Click here to see the current fire danger map in New York State.
Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
'Flashback Friday': President Jimmy Carter - Remarks on the Camp David Summit (1978)
Uploaded to YouTube on Mar 28, 2008
View the full speech here.
President Carter reviews the agreements between President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin to settle the Palestinian settlement problems in Israel and to allow Egypt sovereignty over Sinai. The President emphasizes that more issues must be settled, but he congratulates the two leaders on a historic first step.
September 17th, 1978
Trailblazers in Black History: Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946.
She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.
She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.
Her rendition of "Tales Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1976 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.
Source: Wikipedia
TSA Agents Fired
Passengers are allegedly being groped during some security searches at various airports.
Lawyer of Kentucky Marriage Clerk Speaks Out
Matthew Staver defends the actions of Kim Davis and her religious freedom.
Donald Trump Vows Not to Run as Third-Party Candidate
The controversial Republican candidate signed a loyalty pledge saying he
will not turn his back on the party if he loses the nomination.
Hillary Clinton to NBC: 'Sorry' about Email Confusion
In an exclusive interview with NBC News/MSNBC's
Andrea Mitchell on Friday, Hillary Clinton said she's "sorry" there's
been so much controversy over her private email server, but declined to
apologize for the decision to use it. She also suggested that GOP
front-runner Donald Trump is unqualified to be president and weighed in
on the surprisingly robust challenge to her candidacy from Democratic
primary rival Bernie Sanders.
"At the end of the day, I am sorry that this has
been confusing to people and has raised a lot of questions, but there
are answers to all these questions," Clinton said of her email server
after being pressed by Mitchell on whether she should apologize for the
controversy that has dogged her campaign from the outset. "And I take
responsibility and it wasn't the best choice."
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Trump vs. Bush: Is It the GOP's Defining Fight?
Just three months ago, the Republican
presidential race appeared to be less about policy differences than
factors like age, electability and the candidates' records and
likeability. The leading candidates at that time, ex-Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker differed
on policy specifics but were similarly conservative and resided mostly
within the establishment.
But the rise of Donald Trump has completely
reshaped the Republican race. Trump has proposed a starkly different
vision for the GOP than establishment figures like Bush. The Republican
primary is now a fight between two competing ideologies: what some have
dubbed "Trumpism," which borrows heavily from ideas of Tea Party
activists, versus the views of the GOP elite, who helped Bush raised
more than $100 million in the first six months of the year.
That divide was illustrated most clearly this
week when Trump bashed Jeb Bush not just for his positions on
immigration, but for speaking Spanish in interviews and on the campaign
trail. "We're a nation that speaks English, and while we're in this
nation, we should speak English," Trump said at a press conference on
Thursday.
All New York City Inmates Ages 18 to 21 to Be Housed in Single Jail
By
Jake Pearson
More than 1,000 hard-to-manage inmates ages 18 to 21 will be moved to a single Rikers Island facility by the end of the year and will be required to take hours of classes, receive counseling and be exempt from solitary confinement.
The
plan, to be detailed publicly before the jail oversight board Tuesday,
comes as officials continue to be frustrated by increased levels of
violence across the lockups. It departs from a long-standing practice of
housing young adult inmates among more hardened, experienced prisoners —
and builds on an inmate management strategy commonly used in juvenile
jails across the country to promote and reward good behavior.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Head of U.N. Refugee Agency to Step Down This Year
Antonio Guterres
Reuters, 04/09 15:44 CET
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Friday he would step
down at the end of this year and not seek a renewal of his mandate.
Guterres goes as Europe struggles with its biggest
refugee crisis since World War Two, as some of the 4 million Syrians who
have fled war seek safety in the West, adding to numbers of people
escaping violence and hardship in Africa and Asia.
Guterres declined to confirm or deny rumours that he
might seek to replace U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon who will step
down next year.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Euronews
Insight – Mexican Probe into Possible Massacre of 43 Students Deeply Flawed
By Anahi Rama and Lizbeth Diaz
AYOTZINAPA, Mexico (Reuters) –
Mexico’s investigation into the abduction and apparent massacre of 43
students last year is plagued with errors and omissions and key parts
may need to be redone, a review of the evidence shows.
The government’s team lost evidence, did not properly
investigate some leads and failed to provide scientific proof to back up
its account that the students were abducted and incinerated and their
remains dumped in a river, lawyers familiar with the case documents say.
The government says its investigation is thorough and
proves the students were murdered by a drug cartel in league with
corrupt local police who mistook them for members of a rival gang and
burnt them to ashes at a rural garbage dump.
But evidence of flaws in government case documents
reviewed by Reuters include how municipal and federal police and the
army knew of the students’ movements before they were abducted in the
southwestern city of Iguala last September.
That undermines the government’s assertion that local
police confused the students with members of a criminal group called Los
Rojos (The Reds), rivals of the Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) gang
that it says murdered them.
Lawyers who have seen the government’s case file found a
host of problems and say authorities cut corners because they were in a
hurry the close the case, which drew international criticism.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Euronews
Ahead of Greek Election, Syriza’s ‘Lost Generation’ Deserts Tsipras
Reuters, 04/09 13:10 CET
By Renee Maltezou
ATHENS (Reuters) – So divided
has Syriza’s youth wing become over the direction of Greece’s leftist
party, that when its council planned to convene at the end of August,
the meeting was abandoned. Too many of its 71 members were on the point
of quitting.
The incident showed the disillusionment Syriza’s
twenty-somethings feel with leader Alexis Tsipras, the former Communist
student activist they once celebrated as one of their own.
In just seven months as premier, Tsipras, under pressure
from Greece’s creditors, has backtracked on his pre-election promises to
end austerity.
“Syriza’s youth is almost over, very few people are staying behind,” said one of those who walked out.
Tsipras has called an election on Sept. 20 in an effort
to win a fresh mandate to push through the economic reforms that are a
condition of Greece’s latest 86 billion euro bailout.
But Syriza’s lead over its rivals has crumbled, with one poll this week showing the conservative New Democracy party in front.
Support from those aged 18-44 – once the backbone of
Syriza’s support according to pollsters – has plummeted. The most
popular party for 18-24-year-olds now is the far right Golden Dawn,
while Syriza languishes in fourth place, data by the pollster Alco show.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Euronews
Egyptian Billionaire Offers to Buy Mediterranean Island to House Refugees
Naguib Sawiris, an Egyptian telecommunications tycoon, has offered to
buy an island from Greece or Italy in order to provide a refuge for
families fleeing violence in Syria and elsewhere.
Click here for details.
Source: Euronews
Czech Police Marking Refugees Directly on Their Skin
By Adrian Lancashire | With REUTERS, AFP
Officials in the Czech Republic are facing an outcry from human rights activists over their police writing on refugees’ arms.
The refugees
were travelling by train from Austria and Hungary when stopped by
officers in the town of Breclav. They wrote the names and train numbers
on 214 people, mostly from Syria, all of whom had valid tickets.
Click here for the full article and video.
Source: Euronews
Europe Faces a “Moment of Truth” Over Migrants
The European Commission has confirmed plans for bigger refugee relocation quotas.
It follows a visit to the Greek island of Kos by the First Vice President Frans Timmermans and the EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulous.
They discussed plans to create a so-called “hot-spot” to enable
quick identification, an assessment of people’s needs and humanitarian
assistance.
Click here for the full article and video.
Source: Euronews
Thursday, September 3, 2015
A Hundred Black Men High-Five Students on First Day of School
When most black men see themselves portrayed in the media today, it is often in the form of a mugshot or a hashtag.
These dominant and pervasive images provoke an
inescapable infection on the nation'spsyche. It's an imprint that
distills the identity of black men to nothing more than "dangerous" and
"uneducated."
With that in mind, a hundred black men in Hartford, Connecticut decided to reform this perception by pushing forward a new image — not only for themselves, but for the younger generation to follow.
On August 25, a group of black men organized by Pastor AJ Johnson
and Attorney DeVaughn Ward dressed for work and anxiously awaited the
arrival of students at Martin Luther King Elementary School on their
first day.
Among the men present were lawyers, judges,
CEOs, dentists and doctors; a sea of suits, with a few men in scrubs and
police uniforms.
Johnson donned a navy blue suit, pink shirt with
a navy blue and pink bow tie while Ward rocked a monochromatic palate: a
navy suit, light blue shirt and dark blue tie.
Growing up, Johnson said his mother instilled in
him the importance of looking his best. Like so many mothers of black
youth, Johnson's mother told him that he would be judged by his
appearance.
For Ward, it was important for the students to see the men in their professional attire.
Click here for the full article and video.
Source: NBC News