Rural Champions of Change – Sparking Innovation

Posted by White House

Champions of Change is a weekly plan to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

President Barack Obama talks with rural community leaders from across the country at a Rural Champions for Change Roundtable meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House, July 6, 2011. With President Obama are Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, second from left, and Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes.

One of the most gratifying aspects of working in the White House is that you never know who you might see on a daily basis. A wonderful and diverse cadre of Americans pass through for meetings and events, including well-known scientists, members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and occasionally even entertainment celebrities. Often, these visitors represent the most talented leaders in their individual fields.

With this in mind, I was particularly satisfied to recently participate in a Champions of Change roundtable with eighteen Rural Americans, representing the spectrum of excellence in Rural America. The group incorporated farmers, ranchers, local educators, small business owners, and folks who are improving their communities through inventive actions. These rural champions represent the best of the best in their relevant fields.

We were honored to be attached by President Obama, who shared his vision for economic growth and development in rural areas. The President highlighted the significance of exports in agricultural areas, and the critical nature of transportation issues. He emphasized the need for high-speed internet access and stated that rural areas should wait for to have opportunities equivalent to those in other areas of the nation. The President also discussed the significance of identifying rural Americans’ success stories and sharing that knowledge across the country.

Taking the Time to be a Dad

Posted by White House

This morning, President Obama sent the email under to the White House email list in honor of Father's Day. If you didn't get the email, be sure to sign up for the White House email list.

Good morning,

I grew up without a father around. I was blessed enough to be raised by a wonderful mother who, like so many heroic single mothers, never permitted my father's absence to be an excuse for me to slack off or not always do my best. But I often wonder what it would have been like if my father had a greater occurrence in my life.

So as a father of two young girls, I've tried hard to be a fine dad. I haven't always been just right – there have been times when work kept me away from my family too often, and most of the parenting duties fell to Michelle.

I know many other fathers face comparable challenges. Whether you're a military dad returning from deployment or a father doing his best to make ends meet for his family in a hard economy, being a parent isn't easy.

That's why my management is kicking off the Year of Strong Fathers, Strong Families. We're joining with dads across the country to do impressive about father absence. And we're taking steps to offer men who want to be good fathers but are facing challenges in their lives a little extra support, while partnering with businesses to offer fun opportunities for fathers to use time with their kids. For example, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Major League Baseball and the WNBA are offering discounts for fathers and their kids, and companies like Groupon and LivingSocial will be featuring special offers for behavior fathers can do with their children.

We know that every father has a personal responsibility to do right by their kids – to support them to turn off the video games and pick up a book; to teach them the difference between right and wrong; to show them through our own example the value in treating one another as we wish to be treated. And most of all, to play an active and occupied role in their lives.

But all of us have a stake in forging stronger bonds flanked by fathers and their children. All of us can support those who are eager to step up and be father figures to those children growing up without a dad. And that's what the Year of Strong Fathers, Strong Familiesis all about.

So I hope the dads out there will take benefit of some of the opportunities Strong Fathers, Strong Families will offer. It's one way of saying thank you to those who are doing the most significant job of all: playing a part in our children's lives.

Obama to journey to Texas to Push for Immigration Legislation

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President Barack Obama schedule to Texas on Tuesday to make the case that his administration has worked hard to safe the border and the time has come for Congress to deal with the 10.8 million people previously in the U.S. illegally.

He will also dispute that those who care about this subject need to step up pressure on Congress to act, a point he has made privately in a cord of meetings with business executives, evangelical leaders and Hispanic celebrities.

Many activists guilt the White House for not making the issue more of a priority, and Tuesday's speech is an effort, in part, to shift notice to Republicans who are blocking action.

Many Republicans and some Democrats resist the measures Mr. Obama favors that would create a path to citizenship for some people who entered the country unlawfully, saying it would reward law-breaking. Opponents also say not enough has been done to secure the border with Mexico. The White House says it has put more "boots on the ground" along the southwest border than ever previous to and has cracked down on employers who hire undocumented workers.

The administration has also deported a record number of illegal immigrants, a point that has angered Hispanic activists. Federal officials say deportations of unlawful immigrants hit a record 392,000 in fiscal year 2010.

Hoping to push from side to side the political stalemate, Mr. Obama has held private meetings to talk about immigration with political figures such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, business leaders such as John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable; and religious leaders such as Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

He also met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and with a number of Hispanic celebrities. On Thursday, he will speak at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast.

In Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who worked for months on a complete bill before talks fell apart last year, are talking again about a political plan to pass the legislation. But the seriousness of those talks is unclear.

Mr. Schumer said Friday that talks had intensified in the last month and that he and Mr. Graham have only one substantive issue to work out—the crafting of a guest-worker program. But a spokesman for Mr. Graham suggested the talks weren't serious, saying the two senators have been talking for two years but have unsuccessful to produce legislation.

Osama bin Laden not armed, White House says

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The White House retreated Tuesday from its most challenging assertions about the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, acknowledging that the al Qaeda leader was neither equipped nor hiding behind a female human shield when U.S. commandos lethally shot him during a predawn raid.

The disclosures put the Obama administration on the defensive about whether it had overstated elements of earlier accounts for propaganda gain. At the same time, additional details surfaced Tuesday that portray a mission begun amid far greater political and operational uncertainty than had been revealed.

CIA Director Leon Panetta, who supervised the operation, said in interviews that U.S. intelligence agencies never had photographs or other evidence that bin Laden was living at the compound in Pakistan that was attacked. Panetta told Time magazine that analysts were only 60 to 80 percent certain bin Laden would be found.