Statement by the President Obama on National HIV Testing Day

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of AIDS is six times higher in African-Americans than among Whites. The following is a statement from President Obama on National HIV Testing Day.

“This Sunday is National HIV Testing Day, an occasion to raise awareness of the steps each of us can take as individuals to fight HIV/AIDS. As we mark this day, I would like to renew my call for all Americans to help reduce the risk of infection by getting tested for HIV and learning their HIV status. One in five Americans who are currently living with HIV– more than 230,000 people — do not know their status. The majority of HIV infections are spread by those who are unaware that they have the disease. And research shows that people who know their status take better care of themselves and take steps to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others. That is why it is so important that people get tested.

In recent years, we have made huge advances in HIV research, prevention and care. Still, HIV and AIDS remains an epidemic in this country. That is why my Administration is launching in the coming days a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy focused onreducing new HIV infections, increasing access to care, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. But government cannot address this important issue alone. We need the commitment of businesses, churches and faith groups, philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions and others. And all of us have a responsibility to reduce our risk and know our status, to continue to support those already affected by this disease, and to fight the stigma and discrimination people still face. So on this National HIV Testing Day, let us all recommit to do our part to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.”

President Obama Calls Afghan President Karzai

In a call earlier today, President Obama informed President Hamid Karzai of his decision to accept General Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and his intent to nominate General David Petraeus to assume command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Both leaders expressed admiration and praise for General McChrystal’s leadership and service over the past year. President Obama underscored that this personnel change in no way impacts United States policy in Afghanistan or the level of our commitment to Afghanistan’s future. The President also emphasized that the United States and Afghanistan must continue to work together to sustain the momentum against the Taliban building on the constructive VTC that the two leaders held yesterday. President Karzai welcomed the nomination of General Petraeus and assured President Obama that he would take all steps necessary to support a successful transition.

Family of Black Tea Party Supporters Speak Out Against President Obama

From top to bottom: Lloyd Marcus (onstage at a Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C.), his father Lloyd Marcus Sr., and his brother Aaron Marcus (both at the same rally).

President Obama Issues Proclamation for African-American Music Appreciation Month

The following statement was released by President Obama African-American Music Appreciation Month in June:

“Music can tell a story, assuage our sorrows, provide blessing and redemption, and express a soul’s sublime and powerful beauty. It inspires us daily, giving voice to the human spirit. For many, including the African-American community, music unites individuals through a shared heritage. During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we celebrate the extraordinary legacy of African-American singers, composers, and musicians, as well as their indelible contributions to our Nation and our world.”
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Tea Party Comes to Washington

Tea party protesters used tax day to rail against President Barack Obama and the big government that they say that he represents.

Several thousand rallied in Washington’s Freedom Plaza in the shadow of the Ronald Reagan office building, capping a national protest tour started in Nevada a few weeks ago. They called the day “Washington tax grab” day.

“We’re on to this gangster government,” said Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. “I say it’s time for these little piggies to go home.”
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Washington Officials Visit New Orleans

Since taking office in January 2009, the Obama Administration has cut through the bureaucratic red tape that delayed assistance to Hurricane Katrina victims, and improved coordination among Federal agencies and with State and local government partners. As a result, nearly $2.4 billion for Public Assistance projects in Louisiana and Mississippi that had been stalled for years has been obligated since the start of the Administration; and thousands of individuals who had been dependent on temporary disaster housing are now receiving assistance.

But is enough being done to bring the Crescent City back?

Yesterday, representatives from twelve federal agencies and the White House met in New Orleans with Mayor-Elect Mitch Landrieu and members of his transition team, for a series of working sessions focused on additional policy priorities for the city.
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President and First Lady Host White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility

Today, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and the White House Council on Women and Girls are hosting the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility to discuss the importance of creating workplace practices that allow America’s working men and women to meet the demands of their jobs without sacrificing the needs of their families.

Small business owners, business leaders, policy experts, workers and labor leaders are joining with senior administration officials today to share their ideas and strategies for making the workplace more flexible for American workers and families. The opening and closing sessions, as well as five breakout sessions focused on best practices and benefits for the American workplace and workforce, are streaming live on www.WhiteHouse.gov/live. In addition, much of the event is streaming on Facebook and Ustream, and the White House will include comments taken through these social networks in the feedback collected through the forum.
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French President Visit’s Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C.

In remarks made at a press conference in the White House with Nicolas Sarkozy, President Obama made light of the French president’s visit earlier in the day to the legendary Ben’s Chili Bowl with his wife, Carla Bruni.

“Now, I have to point out that the French are properly famous for their cuisine, and so the fact that Nicolas went to Ben’s Chili Bowl for lunch — (laughter) — I think knows — shows his discriminating palate. My understanding is he had a half-smoke, so he was sampling the local wares. And we appreciate that very much.”

Sarkozyby responded: “Insofar as the president has revealed a secret — namely, where I had lunch today — I should say that I have a good friend in Washington who had actually recommended that restaurant,” he said. “When I walked in, I saw a huge photograph of President Obama. And I’m afraid that when you go back to that restaurant, you may see a smaller photograph of the French president.”

On Aug. 22, 1958, Ben’s Chili Bowl opened along the U Street corridor, which was then known as “Black Broadway.” Top performers could be found playing sets in clubs along the corridor, as well as eating and just “hanging out” at Ben’s. It was not uncommon to see such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Martin Luther King Jr., or Bill Cosby at “The Bowl.”

President Obama Makes Late-Night Speech to Tout Passage of Health Care Reform

Here is the transcript of the speech made at midnight after the passage of health care reform by the House of Representatives:

“Good evening, everybody. Tonight, after nearly 100 years of talk and frustration, after decades of trying, and a year of sustained effort and debate, the United States Congress finally declared that America’s workers and America’s families and America’s small businesses deserve the security of knowing that here, in this country, neither illness nor accident should endanger the dreams they’ve worked a lifetime to achieve.

Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose above the weight of our politics. We pushed back on the undue influence of special interests. We didn’t give in to mistrust or to cynicism or to fear. Instead, we proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges. We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people.
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Haitian President to Visit Washington

Haitian President Rene Preval is is traveling to Washington on Wednesday to discuss what is needed to rebuild his shattered country.

Preval says he plans to personally thank President Barack Obama for the private and public U.S. aid that flooded into the country after the Jan. 12 earthquake that killed an estimated 230,000 people.

The Haitian president told reporters before leaving Monday that he also hopes to discuss what next steps are needed for reconstruction. He says Haiti needs help with job creation and less donated food, which can undermine local producers.

Preval’s trip includes meetings with Secretary of State Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder and the head of USAID.