Planet Obama » Video

Creating a 21st Century Strategy for America’s Outdoors

barb — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:50:57 +0000

President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum launching the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative today, which focuses on promoting community-level efforts to conserve outdoor spaces. As part of the initiative, members of the administration will host regional sessions with groups and individuals across the country to discuss ideas on how to protect America’s natural landscape and form a 21st century strategy conservation agenda. The President said that the initiative is not a “big federal agenda being driven out of Washington,” but an effort to collect the best ideas on conservation that local communities support and reconnect Americans to the outdoors. He explained that the initiative will build on successful conservation efforts being lead by local and state governments, tribes, and private groups, while helping farmers, ranchers, and property owners to protect their lands. The outdoors initiative will also help families spend more time outdoors by building on the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative. America’s Great Outdoors Initiative will be lead by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality. They will work in coordination with the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Transportation, Education, and the Office of Management and Budget. President Barack Obama signs a presidential memorandum at the America’s Great Outdoors Conference at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Watching, from left, are Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Assistant Secretary of the Army Jo-Ellen Darcy, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Jane Lubchenco, and Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Dr. Dorothy Robyn. The initiative follows a public lands bill that the President signed into law last year that designated 2 acres of wilderness, over 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers, and three national parks, marking the most significant lands bill in decades.

West Wing Week: The Interpreter’s Lounge

hilary moss — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the third episode of the West Wing Week, your guide to all things 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

A Resilient Nation

patti — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:24:50 +0000

Over the past year and throughout my career, I’ve visited communities hit by natural disasters across the country and spoken with a number of Americans dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks. What always strikes me about the days and months that follow these tragedies is the resilience that emerges in the communities that are affected. The recovery in New York after 9/11, in New Orleans after Katrina, and in Greensburg, Kansas after the devastating tornado in 2007 all demonstrate the extraordinary ability of citizens to come together after disasters to rebuild stronger than before. This resilience displayed by individual American citizens persists long after the cameras are gone, and it’s every bit as important to our security as the government’s immediate response. Tonight, I’ll be speaking at the Kennedy School of Government about the Department of Homeland Security’s approach to confronting the new and evolving threats we face – from terrorism and violent extremism to cyber attacks and natural disasters. The public deserves a candid assessment of the threats America faces. And that includes talking about the shared responsibility for securing our nation. The federal government cannot prepare for, respond to, and recover from major crises on its own. Our ability to effectively prevent, disrupt and respond to terrorist attacks, violent extremism, and other major disasters relies upon Americans working together – preparing emergency plans, notifying law enforcement when we see something suspicious, and helping our fellow citizens rebuild when disasters do strike. As President Obama has said, and the experiences of New York, New Orleans, and Greensburg have shown, in confronting threats, the American people are the source of our greatest strength. I hope you’ll watch the address at the Kennedy School Forum tonight, and learn more about how we can all take steps to be more informed, ready, and resilient.

"We Owe Them Action. We Owe Them Accountability."

anya strzemien — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:29:39 +0000

Click here to see the video. Emerging from

The First Lady’s Trip to Mexico in Photos

linnygaye — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:39:38 +0000

First Lady Michelle Obama spent time

"An Incredibly Moving Trip to Haiti"

lavonne — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:15:19 +0000

Yesterday, I was honored to join the First Lady on an incredibly moving trip to Haiti. Like many of you – I have watched news reports and have read numerous accounts of the crisis in Haiti since the earthquake in January. Witnessing the impact of the devastation on the people of Haiti as well as the relief efforts of Haitians, Americans, and dozens of other countries and organizations was powerful for both me and Michelle. There is clearly much work to be done in Haiti, but after seeing the situation first-hand, I left with a sense of tremendous hope. The will of the Haitian people and the strong commitment of partners from around the world will help Haiti build back better. As a teacher, I was particularly gratified to visit an organization called Children’s Place, which is supported by Mrs. Preval. The First Lady and I met teachers and students who are using empty school buses as classrooms in an innovative effort to ensure that their education continues, even amidst terrible destruction. We also visited College St. Pierre, a secondary school where many students were killed when the building was destroyed three months ago. There we saw Haitians and dozens of volunteers working to rebuild a school that will once again educate Haiti’s future leaders. It was an incredible honor to meet the many individuals who have been at the core of the relief and recovery work, and to relay President Obama’s message that Haiti will have a steady and reliable partner in the United States of America throughout these efforts. I hope this visit helps to remind everyone that we can all still play a role in helping Haiti restore its future – please visit the Haiti Earthquake Relief page on WhiteHouse.gov

Previewing the First Lady’s Visit to Mexico

LaVonne — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Click here to see the video. The First Lady’s visit to Mexico this week marks her first solo international official visit. Mrs. Obama is visiting Mexico to reaffirm America’s strong relationship with Mexico and the historic and close ties between its people. In addition to spending time with President Calderon and Mrs. Zavala at Los Pinos, the First Lady will visit a primary and secondary school, deliver remarks at a Mexico City university and meet with a group of young Mexican leaders. Mrs. Obama’s international platform will support the President’s global engagement efforts with an emphasis on engaging young people around the world. Trooper Sanders is Deputy Director of Policy to the First Lady

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Previewing the First Lady’s Visit to Mexico

Grand Challenges of the 21st Century — Your Ideas Welcome

barb — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:14:43 +0000

One of the goals of President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation is to harness science and technology to address the “grand challenges” of the 21st century in areas such as health, clean energy, national security, and education and life-long learning. Grand challenges are important national goals like putting a man on the Moon or sequencing the human genome that require advances in science and technology to achieve. They also have the potential to drive sustainable economic growth and the creation of quality jobs. Examples of specific goals that have been previously articulated by the President and others include early detection of dozens of diseases from a saliva sample, solar cells as cheap as paint, and educational software that is as compelling as the best video game and effective as a personal tutor. In February 2010, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Economic Council

Nuclear Security Summit Day 2: Taking Your Questions

chris — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:44:51 +0000

[UPDATE:

Weekly Address: Relief for the Middle Class at Tax Time

patti — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:00:00 +0000

As April 15th approaches, the President discusses several of the tax breaks for middle class families he has signed into law.