Author: Lynn Sweet

Check out FactCheck.org “biggest whoppers” when it comes to the health care bill the House will vote on Sunday.

Pro Publica has the most user friendly version of hte health bill I’ve seen–comparing the bill House members are set to vote on Sunday with a version passed last year. Read it here.

WASHINGTON–The June 15, 1997 New York Times Magazine cover was a story headlined “The Brothers Emanuel” by Elisabeth Bumiller, a report on the Emanuel brothers–Rahm, Ezekiel, and Ari. Back then, they were already wildly successful. But as we know, the story only got better. Our Chicago boys went on to be: Rahm, White House Chief of Staff; Ezekiel, advising the White House on health policy and Ari, a Hollywood super agent then and a super super agent now.

On Sunday, CBS anchor Katie Couric presents an updated version of “The Brothers Emanuel.” Last I heard earlier this week, the show was lining up shots of the homes the Emanuel brothers lived in while growing up on Chicago’s North Side and Wilmette.

Her story is supposed to include a look inside his office. I wonder if Couric can put on television a shot of a little sign I saw on a desk in Emanuel’s White House office when I was there: “Undersecretary of Go F— Yourself.” Emanuel’s office, I observed, is full of pictures of his wife and three kids and memorobila–he has the iron door plaque from his House of Representatives office on a shelf. Above his desk are 10 frames holding a total of 31 family pictures. Emanuel also has a framed picture of him hugging and giving a kiss to Stephen Colbert. Colbert autographed the photo with this note: “Rahm, when will the feeling return to my cheek?”

Politico’s Mike Allen has this report Friday morning: “EXCLUSIVE: On ’60 Minutes’ on Sunday, Rahm Emanuel acknowledges that he has disagreed with President Obama, but say the president doesn’t want ‘yes’ people — he wants to get a wide variety of opinions. Katie Couric is the correspondent on the 12-minute, long-in-the-making segment on THE BROTHERS EMANUEL, an idea she had back during the campaign. Like everyone else, she wants to know what their mom put in their cereal. Katie interviewed Rahm (the middle child) once in October and again this month. The segment includes him giving her a fun tour of his office — then escorting her across West Exec to the EEOB, where big bro Zeke is a bioethicist at OMB. K.C. talked to both of them, then did an interview with Zeke. Ari the agent didn’t play, but a little bird tells Playbook he provided some adorable family photos.”

Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010

In the morning, the President and the Vice President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. The President will then meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office. These meetings are closed press.

Later, the President will travel to Fairfax, Virginia, where he will deliver remarks on health insurance reform at George Mason University’s Patriot Center. This event is open to pre-credentialed media; the deadline to request credentials has passed.

In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will have lunch in the Private Dining Room. This lunch is closed press.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CNN
Print: Wall Street Journal
Radio: CBS

EDT

9:30AM Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:00AM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:35AM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on health insurance reform
George Mason University’s Patriot Center
Open to pre-credentialed media (Travel Pool Gather Time 10:50AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

1:00PM THE PRESIDENT and THE VICE PRESIDENT have lunch
Private Dining Room
Closed Press

##

Updated with Gutierrez statement….

WASHINGTON–Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) decided on Thursday to vote “yes” for the Obama health bill, after threatening to vote no because of issues related to coverage of illegal immigrants in the bill and the lack of action from the Obama White House on comprehensive immigration reform.

Why is Gutierrez, a national leader on immigration moving to yes? The headline his his statement (below) tells his story. “Discussions with Obama ensure we can have
a victory for health care and for the immigrants of our nation.”

Gutierrez statement:

Today, Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Immigration Taskforce made the following statement at a press conference with fellow members of the CHC:

“I’ve spent the past week speaking at length with the President and his staff. In fact, I spoke with him again just this morning. I shared with him that I believed that we could have a victory for every American who deserves affordable, high-quality health care and for the immigrants of our nation.

“I told President Obama I would not sacrifice either goal. After extensive discussions with the President, I believe we have a health care bill I can vote ‘yes’ for, and I believe we have a commitment to move forward on a comprehensive immigration reform package as soon as possible.

“Comprehensive immigration reform is simply too important to wait, and there is no legislative issue that is not impacted by our failure to pass it. The President knows that germs don’t respond to borders, germs respond to medicine and good preventative care. He gets that we cannot ensure the health of our nation if we continue to ignore the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows. And he agrees that if we are going to have health care that works, if we are going to have a system that cuts costs and streamlines the delivery and keeps our children healthy, then we fundamentally need to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

“I understand the difficulties that exist given the rules of this legislative process, which do not allow for changes to the health care bill’s immigration provisions. Given that, we have an obligation and an opportunity to enact change at a comprehensive level. I believe that as tens of thousands prepare to march in Washington this Sunday for a fair and sensible solution to our immigration crisis, that the President will lead us.”

###

WASHINGTON–The health bill is posted at www.rules.house.gov
A vote is expected on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Here is the link to a Ways and Means Committee analysis.

Here’s what you will find at www.rules.house.gov
H.R. 4872 – Reconciliation Act of 2010

§ Text of the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute

§ Section-by-Section of the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute

§ Text of the Senate Amendments to H.R. 3590 (Senate health bill)

§ Text of the bill as reported (reported by the Budget Committee)

§ H. Rept. 111-443: Budget Committee Report (Volume 1)

§ H. Rept. 111-443: Budget Committee Report (Volume 2

www.rules.house.gov

CHICAGO RESIDENT DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEY PLEADS GUILTY

TO ROLE IN INDIA AND DENMARK TERRORISM CONSPIRACIES

Admits Conducting Surveillance for Lashkar e Tayyiba in Planning 2008 Mumbai Attacks

CHICAGO — David Coleman Headley, a U.S. citizen of partial Pakistani descent, pleaded guilty today to a dozen federal terrorism charges, admitting that he participated in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper. In pleading guilty to all 12 counts that were brought against him in December and were repeated in a subsequent indictment in January, Headley admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar e Tayyiba, a designated foreign terrorist organization, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005. In late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks three years later that killed six Americans among approximately 164 people and wounded hundreds more.

A written plea agreement containing a detailed recitation of Headley’s participation in the foreign terrorism conspiracies was presented when Headley, 49, of Chicago, changed his plea to guilty this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber in Federal Court in Chicago. Headley has cooperated with the Government since he was arrested on Oct. 3, 2009, and the plea agreement states that he “has provided substantial assistance to the criminal investigation, and also has provided information of significant intelligence value.”

In light of Headley’s past cooperation and expected future cooperation, the Attorney General has authorized the U.S. Attorney in Chicago not to seek the death penalty against Headley. When directed by the U.S. Attorney’s office, Headley must fully and truthfully participate in any debriefings for the purpose of gathering intelligence or national security information, and Headley further agrees that, when directed by the United States Attorney’s Office, he will fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory.

Regarding sentencing, which will be deferred until after the conclusion of Headley’s cooperation, the plea agreement calculates an anticipated advisory sentencing guideline of life in prison. Provided that Headley continues to provide full and truthful cooperation, the Government will ask the Court to grant an unspecified departure from the sentencing guidelines, which will be solely up to the Court to decide.

“Today’s guilty plea is a crucial step forward in our efforts to achieve justice for the more than 160 people who lost their lives in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Working with our domestic and international partners, we will not rest until all those responsible for the Mumbai attacks and the terror plot in Denmark are held accountable,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities. As this case demonstrates, we must continue to use every tool available to defeat terrorism both at home and abroad.”

Headley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bomb public places in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India; six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in India; conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark; and conspiracy to provide material support to Lashkar.

According to the plea agreement, Headley attended the following training camps operated by Lashkar: a three-week course starting in February 2002 that provided indoctrination on the merits of waging jihad; a three-week course starting in August 2002 that provided training in the use of weapons and grenades; a three-month course starting in April 2003 that taught close combat tactics, the use of weapons and grenades and survival skills; a three-week course starting in August 2003 that taught counter-surveillance skills; and a three-month course starting in December 2003 that provided combat and tactical training.

Mumbai Terror Attacks

After receiving instructions from three Lashkar members in late 2005 to travel to India to conduct surveillance, in February 2006, in Philadelphia, Headley changed his name from Daood Gilani to facilitate his activities on behalf of Lashkar by portraying himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani. In the early summer of 2006, Headley and two Lashkar members discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities.

Headley eventually made five extended trips to Mumbai — in September 2006, February and September 2007, and April and July 2008 — each time making videotapes of various potential targets, including those attacked in November 2008. Before each trip, Lashkar members and associates allegedly instructed Headley regarding specific locations where he was to conduct surveillance, and Headley traveled to Pakistan after each trip to meet with Lashkar members and associates, report on the results of his surveillance, and provide the surveillance videos.

Before the April 2008 surveillance trip, Headley met with co-conspirators in Pakistan and discussed potential landing sites in Mumbai for a team of attackers who would arrive by sea. Headley returned to Mumbai with a global positioning system device and took boat trips around the Mumbai harbor and entered various locations into the device, according to the plea agreement.

Starting Nov. 26, 2008, and continuing through Nov. 28, 2008, 10 attackers trained by Lashkar carried out multiple assaults with firearms, grenades and improvised explosive devices against multiple targets in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, the Leopold Café, the Chabad House and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, each of which Headley had scouted in advance, killing approximately 164 victims and wounding hundreds more.

The six Americans killed during the three-day siege are identified in the charges as Ben Zion Chroman, Gavriel Holtzberg, Sandeep Jeswani, Alan Scherr, his daughter Naomi Scherr and Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum.

In March 2009, Headley made a sixth trip to India to conduct additional surveillance, including of the National Defense College in Delhi, and of Chabad Houses in several cities.

Denmark Terror Plot

Regarding the Denmark terror plot, Headley admitted that in early November 2008, he met with a Lashkar member in Karachi, Pakistan, and was instructed to conduct surveillance of the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten in preparation for an attack in retaliation for the newspaper’s publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. After this meeting, Headley informed co-defendant Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), also known as “Pasha,” of his assignment. Abdur Rehman stated to Headley words to the effect that if Lashkar did not go through with the attack, Abdur Rehman knew someone who would. Although not identified by name at the time, Headley later learned this individual to be co-defendant Ilyas Kashmiri. Abdur Rehman previously had told Headley that he had been working with Kashmiri and that Kashmiri was in direct contact with a senior leader for al Qaeda, the plea agreement states.

In late December 2008 and early January 2009, while in Chicago, Headley exchanged emails with Abdur Rehman to continue planning for the attack and to coordinate his travel to Denmark to conduct surveillance. In January 2009, Headley traveled from Chicago to Copenhagen to conduct surveillance of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus and scouted and videotaped the surrounding areas.

In late January 2009, Headley met separately with Abdur Rehman and a Lashkar member in Pakistan to discuss the planned attack on the newspaper and provided them with videos of his surveillance. About the same time, Abdur Rehman provided Headley a video produced by the media wing of al Qaeda in approximately August 2008, which claimed credit for the June 2008 attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, and called for further attacks against Danish interests to avenge the publication of the offending cartoons.

In February 2009, Headley and Abdur Rehman meet with Kashmiri in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, where they discussed the video surveillance and ways to carry out the attack. Kashmiri told Headley that he could provide manpower for the operation and that Lashkar’s participation was not necessary. In March 2009, a Lashkar member advised Headley that Lashkar put the newspaper attack on hold because of pressure resulting from the Mumbai attacks. In May 2009, Headley and Abdur Rehman again met with Kashmiri in Waziristan. Kashmiri told Headley to meet with a European contact who could provide Headley with money, weapons and manpower for the newspaper attack, and relate Kashmiri’s instructions that this should be a suicide attack and the attackers should prepare martyrdom videos beforehand. Kashmiri also stated that the attackers should behead captives and throw their heads out of the newspaper building to heighten the response from Danish authorities, and added that the “elders,” whom Headley understood to be al Qaeda leadership, wanted the attack to happen as soon as possible.

In late July and early August 2009, Headley traveled from Chicago to various places in Europe, and met with and attempted to obtain assistance from Kashmiri’s contacts and, while in Copenhagen, he made approximately 13 additional surveillance videos. When he returned to the United States on Aug. 5, 2009, Headley falsely told a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector in Atlanta that he had visited Europe for business reasons.

After returning to Chicago, Headley spoke with Abdur Rehman by phone and, using code, described his surveillance activities and his meeting with Kashmiri’s European contact. On multiple occasions throughout August and September 2009, Headley communicated with Abdur Rehman about planning the attack and media reports that Kashmiri had been killed. On Oct. 3, 2009, Headley was arrested at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, intending ultimately to travel to Pakistan to deliver the approximately 13 surveillance videos to Abdur Rehman and Kashmiri, the plea agreement states.

One of Headley’s co-defendants, Tahawwur Rana, 49, of Chicago, who was indicted in January on three counts — conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai attacks; conspiracy to provide material support to the Denmark plot; and providing material support to Lashkar — has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody in Chicago while awaiting trial. Abdur Rehman and Kashmiri, who were charged in the same indictment with conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark and providing material support to the Denmark plot, are not in U.S. custody.

The government is being represented by Chicago Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Collins and Victoria J. Peters and Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, as well as Los Angeles Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Grigg and Janet Hudson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation has been conducted by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the Chicago Office of the FBI, with assistance from the FBI offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as well as both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security.

###

10-277

WASHINGTON—The Obama White House will honor the president of Mexico and his wife in the second state dinner of the administration on May 19.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced the upcoming event at the Thursday briefing–held outside on a warm day in the Rose Garden.

“Lastly, want to announce that in recognition of the deep ties and
strong relationship that President Obama has forged with Mexican
President Felipe Calderon, President Obama and the first lady will
host President Calderon and the Mexican first lady in a White House —
at the White House for a state dinner on Wednesday, May 19th,” Gibbs said.

“The dinner will take place in the context of an official visit by
President Calderon, during which the president will have an
opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with President Calderon,
including economic competitiveness, our growing security cooperation,
clean-energy opportunities, immigration and other key issues.”

WASHINGTON–If there was any doubt–the Obama White House reaffirmed Thursday plans to buy a near empty state prison in Thomson, Ill, whether or not terrorists will be transferred there from Guantanamo Bay military prison.

The Obama administration’s Justice Departmant “would be seeking to purchase the facility in Thomson even if detainees were not being considered for transfer there,” Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch wrote in a letter to Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.).
However, Welch said the facility is being acquired “to fulfill both of the goals of reducing federal prison overcrowding and transferring a limited number of detainees out of Guantanamo.”

Thomson is in Manzullo’s district and the lawmaker has been trying to convince the Obama White House to buy Thomson to house just high security federal prisoners–not Guantanamo detainees.

The Justice Department request for $237 million to buy, activate and operate Thomson is in the fiscal 2011 budget now pending before Congress.

Thomson is in Manzullo’s district and the lawmaker has been trying to convince the Obama White House to buy Thomson to house just high security federal prisoners–not Guantanamo detainees.

The Justice Department request for $237 million to buy, activate and operate Thomson is in the fiscal 2011 budget now pending before Congress.

WASHINGTON–President Obama was charitable in his comments about Tigers Woods when he was asked about the star golfer–who cheated on his wife in multiple affairs playing in the upcoming Masters tournament.

Fox News Bret Baier put a Woods question to Obama at the end of a Wednesday interview.

Baier told Obama, “One of the e-mailers asked to ask you, what do you think about Tiger returning to the Masters?

Replied Obama, “You know, I think that, you know, Tiger has acknowledged that he betrayed his family and, you know, that’s a personal issue that he’s got to work out. I hope they’ve worked it out. I’m sure he’s going to still be a terrific golfer. All right.”

WASHINGTON–White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that President Obama will postpone his trip to Indonesia, Australia and Guam to stay in town for showdown votes on health care that could come this weekend.

Obama’s original schedule had him departing on March 18; he pushed it back to Sunday morning and on Thursday Gibbs said the whole trip was scratched until June.

“The president telephoned the leader of Indonesia and will call
the leader of Australia later this afternoon and told them that he
most — must postpone his planned visits for a later date so that he
can remain in Washington for this critical vote. The president now
expects to visit Indonesia in June,” Gibbs said.

“The president greatly regrets the delay. Our international
alliances are critical to America’s security and economic progress,
but passage of — passage of health-insurance reform is of paramount
importance, and the president is determined to see this battle
through,” Gibbs said.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release March 18, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
BEFORE SIGNING THE HIRE ACT

Rose Garden

11:20 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Please have a seat.

Well, on this beautiful morning, we are here to mark the passage of a welcome piece of legislation for our fellow Americans who are seeking work in this difficult economy. But first, let me say a few words about the latest development in the debate over health insurance reform. I don’t know if you guys have been hearing, but there’s been a big debate going on here.

This morning, a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office concludes that the reform we seek would bring $1.3 trillion in deficit reduction over the next two decades. (Applause.) That makes this legislation the most significant effort to reduce deficits since the Balanced Budget Act in the 1990s. (Applause.) And this is — this is but one virtue of a reform that will bring new accountability to the insurance industry and greater economic security to all Americans. So I urge every member of Congress to consider this as they prepare for their important vote this weekend.

And I want to welcome all the members of Congress who are here, those who are on stage — Madam Speaker, Majority Leader Reid — as well as some of my Cabinet members who are here.

In a few moments, I’ll sign what’s called the HIRE Act — a jobs bill that will encourage businesses to hire and help put Americans back to work. And I’d like to say a few words about what this jobs bill will mean for workers, for businesses, and for America’s economic recovery.

There are a number of ways to look at an economic recovery. Through the eyes of an economist, you look at the different stages of recovery. You look at whether an economy has begun to grow; at whether businesses have begun to hire temporary workers or increase the hours of existing workers. You look at whether businesses, small and large, have begun to hire full-time employees again.

That’s how economists measure a recovery — and by those measures, we are beginning to move in the right direction. But through the eyes of most Americans, recovery is about something more fundamental: Do I have a decent job? Can I provide for my family? Do I feel a sense of financial security?

The great recession that we’ve just gone through took a terrible toll on the middle class and on our economy as a whole. For every one of the over 8 million people who lost their jobs in recent years, there’s a story of struggle — of a family that’s forced to choose between paying their electricity bill or the car insurance or the daughter’s college tuition; of weddings and vacations and retirements that have been postponed.

So here’s the good news: A consensus is forming that, partly because of the necessary — and often unpopular — measures we took over the past year, our economy is now growing again and we may soon be adding jobs instead of losing them. The jobs bill I’m signing today is intended to help accelerate that process.

I’m signing it mindful that, as I’ve said before, the solution to our economic problems will not come from government alone. Government can’t create all the jobs we need or can it repair all the damage that’s been done by this recession.

But what we can do is promote a strong, dynamic private sector — the true engine of job creation in our economy. We can help to provide an impetus for America’s businesses to start hiring again. We can nurture the conditions that allow companies to succeed and to grow.

And that’s exactly what this jobs bill will help us do. Now, make no mistake: While this jobs bill is absolutely necessary, it’s by no means enough. There’s a lot more that we’re going to need to do to spur hiring in the private sector and bring about full economic recovery — from helping creditworthy small businesses to get loans that they need to expand, to offering incentives to make homes and businesses more energy efficient, to investing in infrastructure so we can put Americans to work doing the work that America needs done.

Nevertheless, this jobs bill will make a difference in several important ways. First, we will forgive payroll taxes for businesses that hire someone who’s been out of work at least two months. That’s a tax benefit that will apply to unemployed workers hired between last month and the end of this year. So this tax cut says to employers: If you hire a worker who’s unemployed, you won’t have to pay payroll taxes on that worker for the rest of the year. And businesses that move quickly to hire today will get a bigger tax credit than businesses that wait until later this year.

This tax cut will be particularly helpful to small business owners. Many of them are on the fence right now about whether to bring in that extra worker or two, or whether they should hire anyone at all. And this jobs bill should help make their decision that much easier. And by the way, I’d like to note that part of what health insurance reform would do is to provide tax credits for over 4 million small businesses so they don’t have to choose between hiring workers and offering coverage.

The second thing this bill does is to encourage small businesses to grow and to hire by permitting them to write off investments they make in equipment this year. These kinds of expenses typically take years to depreciate, but under this law, businesses will be able to invest up to $250,000, let’s say, in a piece of factory equipment, and write it off right away. Put simply, we’ll give businesses an incentive to invest in their own future — and to do it today.

Third, we’ll reform municipal bonds to encourage job creation by expanding investment in schools and clean energy projects. Say a town wants to put people to work rebuilding a crumbling elementary school or putting up wind turbines. With this law, we’ll make it easier for them to raise the money they need to do what they want to do by using a model that we’ve called Build America Bonds — one of the most successful programs in the Recovery Act. We’ll give Americans a better chance to invest in the future of their communities and of the country.

And finally, this jobs bill will maintain crucial investments in our roads and our bridges as we head into the spring and summer months, when construction jobs are picking up.

I want to commend all the members of Congress, and their leadership is what made this bill possible. Many of them are here today. I’m also gratified that over a dozen Republicans agreed that the need for this jobs bill was urgent, and that they were willing to break out of the partisan morass to help us take this forward step for the American people. I hope this is a prelude to further cooperation in the days and months to come, as we continue to work on digging our way out of the recession and rebuilding our economy in a way that works for all Americans and not just some Americans.

After all, the jobs bill I’m signing today — and our broader efforts to achieve a recovery — aren’t about politics. They’re not about Democrat versus Republican. This isn’t a game that we’re playing here. They’re about the people in this country who are out of work and looking for a job; they’re about all the Americans — of every race and region and age — who’ve shared their stories with me over the last year.

The single mother who’s told me she’s filled out hundreds of job applications and been on dozens of interviews, but still hasn’t found a job. The father whose son told me he started working when he was a teenager, and recently found himself out of a job for the very first time in his life. The children who write to me — they’re worried about their moms and their dads, worried about what the future holds for their families.

That’s who I’m thinking about every morning when I enter into the Oval Office. That’s who I’m signing this bill for. And that’s who I’m going to continue to fight for so long as I am President of the United States.

So with that, let me sign this bill and let’s get to work. (Applause.)

(The bill is signed.)

END 11:27 A.M. EDT

President Obama filled out a bracket for ESPN for the second straight year Wednesday.

Obama picks: Kansas and Kansas State to join Kentucky and Villanova in the men’s basketball Final Four this season, with the Jayhawks defeating Kentucky for the title.

From the White House….

First Lady Michelle Obama listens as Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor talk with a group of young women, during a mentoring event at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., March 17, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

The White House

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release March 17, 2010
Remarks by the First Lady at Newsweek Q&A Event

Newseum, Washington, D.C.

12:39 P.M. EDT

Q Thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Weymouth, for your hospitality, and thank you all for coming. This is our cover subject. We tried to make the picture a little bigger.

MRS. OBAMA: I know, right. (Laughter.)

Q But I will say Newsweek has been publishing for 77 years, and I believe this is the first time within six weeks or so we’ve had both a husband and a wife write the cover story. So — (laughter) — I know you’ll —

MRS. OBAMA: So whose was better, though? (Laughter.) That’s ultimately how spouses operate, right? (Laughter.)

Q That’s a very good point, that’s a very good point. So with all this “first” stuff and living in the White House, forget it. It’s the Newsweek —

MRS. OBAMA: This is the one.

Q It’s the Newsweek cover.

MRS. OBAMA: I agree.

Q Why this issue? Why childhood obesity, of all the things you could have picked?

MRS. OBAMA: Well, first of all I think it’s absolutely relevant right now. The statistics are clear, you know. We’re seeing rates of childhood obesity go up like never before. And I think the country is also at a point where we’re ready. And I think that’s one of the reasons why the “Let’s Move” initiative has been so well received by so many industries and parents and teachers, is because I think we know there’s a problem, and we’re going to have to come together to solve it.

Now, personally, the issue for me is a personal one. I’ve spoken about this often, how in my busy lifestyle, before coming into the White House, I was living like most busy mothers — a husband traveled a lot, I had a full-time job, I bought for convenience and cost. And I saw some changes — or my pediatrician saw some changes in my children’s diet that caused him to say, “Hold on.” And I think I was like most mothers — I thought I was doing absolutely everything that I was supposed to be doing. And to me my kids looked fine. They were perfectly — hey, you know, they’re my kids, they’re gorgeous.

But I made some changes. And they were very simple changes in our lifestyle, but it made significant differences — made a significant difference in how the kids felt, how we felt as a family.

And I started thinking, well, if I didn’t know these things — and I’m educated, have resources, I have the support that I need — what are other families doing? How are other mothers, people who live in communities that don’t have grocery stores — how are they making these decisions? How are we teaching kids how to eat? What’s happened to our habits?

So even before coming to the White House, this issue moved me in a way that made me think we need to explore this a little bit more.

And then we planted this beautiful garden, 1,100 square feet of pure joy. And that gave us an opportunity in a very sort of non-confrontational way to begin exploring the questions of how do kids respond to nutritious food and vegetables if they’re part of the process of growing and getting involved. That’s one of the reasons why getting the kids in the D.C. area involved in the work was critical. And their response really sent us the message that we might be ready to begin this conversation in a more comprehensive way.

So, you know, the time is right. It’s also important in my husband’s administration, which is something that I try to do with the issues that I take on. I mean, I say this a lot: I am here to support the President of the United States, and health care is one of the most important issues that this country is facing. We are spending $147 billion on obesity-related conditions that are preventable. And if we can make ourselves healthier, that’s going to go a long way to helping find some solutions to this problem. And these issues intersect in a very important and compelling way.

Q How did we get here? What is the history of this?

MRS. OBAMA: Well, you know, I don’t think there’s any one path to how we got there. I know I have my theories. I think lifestyles have changed significantly. I reminisce with people about what it was like for me growing up on the South Side of Chicago in a simple working-class community. You went to the school around the corner from your house because all the schools were solid enough that you just went to the school in your neighborhood. So you walked to school, number one.

And there was recess and gym. I was talking to one of my staff members just about how lunchtime, it was an hour. And my mother was one of the mothers that didn’t work, so me and all my friends, we’d come back to our house, we’d watch soap operas, we’d eat lunch. (Laughter.) We’d complain about our teachers.

Q Which ones?

MRS. OBAMA: “All My Children,” I have to say. (Laughter.) That was a big one.

Q We just made news, ma’am. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: But that was a lunchtime treat, and it was a way — you know, I thought — so we ate, we had time to eat our food, have a conversation with our parents, and then go back to school, catch that last minute of play. So it was a lot of activity.

We didn’t — we had seven channels, not 107. Internet, video games were not a part of the culture. You had to go outside to play. So I think kids were naturally more active than they are today. And now kids are going to schools where they have to take a bus, a car ride. Some neighborhoods are not safe. And no matter what you say, in some neighborhoods you can’t tell parents, “Just let your kids go out and play,” because it isn’t safe. Some kids don’t even have friends in their own neighborhood because they live in different communities.

So things have changed, and we are a busier culture. Parents — two parents working in the household, so you’re coming home, you’re tired. We all do it, right? You know you shouldn’t go to that drive-thru, but you’re just tired, and you know they’ll eat the food without complaining.

We’re also a culture and a society right now that snacks a lot more. Just some of the statistics I talked about in my speech yesterday was that the average snack amount when I was growing up was one snack a day, if you were lucky. And now it’s averaging two to three. They say the average school-age kid is getting six snacks a day. So we’re taking 200 more calories than we were 40 years ago, 30 years ago just from snacks alone.

So I think some of that convenience, you know, makes it very easy. You pick up a little bag of chips, you throw it in, the kids are hungry, they’re grabbing this, they’re grabbing that, and before you know it, they’ve snacked their way through the day.

So I think those are just some of the things. But there are many, many, many — physical education, the level of activity. All of that is I think a part of it.

Q What’s an analogous public health campaign that you think has been successful that could be a kind of model for this?

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, that’s a —

Q Is it smoking? Is it seat belts?

MRS. OBAMA: Well, you know, I think seat belts is one of those. And I actually was talking to Mike Huckabee about this, because he actually made the analogy that this is one of those issues where culturally folks have to be ready to make the shift, you know. You cannot mandate, legislate seat belt wearing. You could, but does it really work? The same thing is true for how we eat and how we live. You can’t tell people what to do in their own homes, and nor should you. But there comes a point when we start seeing enough statistics, we sort of get aware of the problems in our own homes, and we start — we get emotionally ready to make some of those changes.

So we’re at a point now where I think the society is ready for more information. Parents are looking for the answers. They know that something is off, and they just now want to figure out, well, what do I need to know? What am I doing wrong?

Had a conversation with a girlfriend at dinner last night, and we were talking about, “Well, is apple juice okay? And what about chocolate milk?” I mean, and this is an educated woman who is confused about what beverage is actually going to be okay, outside of water, which we know is fine. But parents, societies, schools, we’re now ready to figure that out so that we can make good choices.

We all care about our kids — that goes without saying, and that’s why this is not a “blame game” kind of issue. People are just trying to figure out how to survive, how to make sure their kids are happy and healthy. And sometimes we just don’t get the information that we need. And seat belt laws are a similar — one of those similar challenges, that once we were ready, we were ready to take in the information and make the changes.

Q It has worked. How much — you’ve talked about the cultural shift — how much of this is regulatory? What is government’s role in these issues, which I suspect is both a federal and a state, even local question too?

MRS. OBAMA: Right, right, right. Well, as I said, there is no expert that will tell you that having government tell people what to do is going to make a difference in this issue. So the role of government is not to mandate. And I think the roles are different. I think at the federal level, at this level, we can highlight and inform. There are things that we can do at this level, with the FDA, for example, working with food manufacturers to have better front-of-package labeling, things like that. We can finance and leverage money to try to get more groceries into underserved communities. We can make sure that we pass legislation that gets us a strong Nutrition Authorization Act so that we get better food in our schools and that there are guidelines that the private sector and schools can follow.

But I think the real work happens on the ground. It’s our governors, our mayors, our schools, our communities. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been traveling so much, is that a lot of the answers are already out there, even in states like Mississippi who struggle more with this issue than most. I did some visits with the governor and his wife, terrific folks. They care about this issue; they know it’s a problem. And they’re doing some great work to really ramp up physical education in the schools. You’ve got teachers who are redesigning play spaces and they’re getting kids hula-hooping and jumping rope and they’re making teachers do more work and having them think about their diets. They’ve created requirements where teachers have to eat lunch with the kids, and they’ve seen vegetable and fruit consumption go up because — not just with the kids but with the teachers as well. (Laughter.)

So you can go into many states and see some wonderful examples of things that work in those communities, because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. What works in Mississippi may not work in Arizona, may not work in Connecticut. So we really need to look to the governors and mayors who know their communities, who understand their issues, their challenges, and that we work from there, and that we highlight those things that work — like in Pennsylvania. They’ve done an amazing job to deal with the issue of food deserts that I’ve talked about; you know, the 23.5 million Americans that live in communities without access to a supermarket. And there were neighborhoods like that when I was growing up.

There’s one community in Philadelphia — we went to visit a grocery store — that community hadn’t had a grocery store in a decade. So you think about — you know, that’s a child’s life, right? Ten years of a child’s life where their mother couldn’t walk down the street and buy some fruit and a head of broccoli.

So they’ve structured a financing initiative that leverages government dollars with private sector dollars, and they’ve been able to incentivize getting grocery stores into underserved communities, not just in urban areas but in some of the more rural areas in the state.

So we need to — we can highlight those successes and hopefully give other states an example of what they might try, what might work.

Q On Tuesday, you spoke to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. They sell not only in those supermarkets, those grocery stores, they sell vegetables and fruit; I hear that there’s also some sugary stuff around — (laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: A few things, a few things.

Q My five-year-old has briefed me on this.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes, yes. (Laughter.)

Q And my question is, one logical extension, if the epidemic is as significant and widespread as it seems to be, what would you think about a warning label on Twinkies or Froot Loops that says —

MRS. OBAMA: “Warning.”

Q — “This is known to cause obesity in the absence of other kinds of eating and exercise”?

MRS. OBAMA: You know, that strikes me as extreme, because a Twinkie is not a cigarette, you know. And what — what parents need is just information about what’s in the Twinkie and how much of this can we eat. It’s not that we can’t have a Twinkie. And our kids would be pretty upset. And I am not supporting that. (Laughter.) So all the kids out there — right?

Q It’s called triangulation, ma’am. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: I’m all in favor of good snacks. We grew up with snacks and chips. We did. But we have to exercise more, parents have to understand what’s in the Twinkie; again, how does it fit into the overall diet. So we don’t need a warning, we need information. And we need information that’s easy to understand. That’s something that I said yesterday in the speech. You read labels now and it’s like the small print and it’s all “oleosutomay” — or I don’t — the chemicals, you can’t even pronounce them, and the portion sizes compared to one, and you’ve got a small one and a big one. And then, before you know it, you don’t know what to buy and how much to give to your kids and in what amounts. That’s the kind of information that families need.

And I think that the Grocery Store Manufacturers who are — they have been magnificent. And I know that there are those who say, well, are they going to really make changes? Look, the people who run those companies are parents and grandparents, too. They care about their kids. They’re trying to figure out how to meet the demand and how to give information.

And we know that they’re going to sit down — you know, we know they’re going to sit down and help us figure this stuff out. You know, what are the facts that parents need to know; how do we structure it in a way that they can understand; and how do they meet the demands that we are now going to make — because it’s really up to us, as the parents and the consumers, to change the demand.

They will make what we tell them we want to buy. And if we want healthier foods for our kids, and that’s what we’re purchasing, our power will shift their market. We don’t need much more than our own demands to change, and we need to work with our kids to also get them to change their eating habits as well.

So it’s going to require all of us to do their parts, and then we don’t need the warning labels. We just need common sense and good information.

Q Twinkies are safe in the Obama administration. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Yes, we are — (laughter) — yes, I think I’m — I feel good going on record. (Laughter.)

Q Okay. We don’t have to pass a special rule. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: No.

Q Where do you stand on a beverage tax for sugary beverages?

MRS. OBAMA: You know, the “Let’s Move” initiative doesn’t — we’re not — doesn’t involve a tax. But there are communities that believe that taxing sodas and other things works for them. And again, because, you know, we believe that those ideas and those approaches need to come from the bottom up, there are going to be cities and states and towns who believe that that’s what they need in their communities. And, again, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. And I think that’s where mayors, governors, citizens, schools, you know, working in your own states and communities — to figure out really what’s going to work and what’s going to move the bar on this issue.

Q What’s your sense of posting calorie counts? It happens in New York — actually, where I live, and it’s very depressing, actually. (Laughter.) The mayor of New York has made it very hard to go to Dunkin’ Donuts. (Laughter.) But it works. Is that something else that should be a weapon in the arsenal?

MRS. OBAMA: I think the more information we can give to consumers, families, parents, the better. There are examples outside of New York — in Somerville, Massachusetts, the mayor there has been working with some of the local restaurant owners to get them to change their menus so that there are healthier options and customers have more information about what’s in stuff. I think that’s a good thing.

But also in Somerville they’re going beyond just what we eat and they’re also thinking more creatively about how in every aspect of what they do to run that city, they’re thinking about the health and well-being of kids. So that comes down to how many parks they have; and what their roads look like; and if they’re building a new street, making sure there’s a sidewalk and a place for kids to ride their bikes. I mean, again, this isn’t just about what we eat, this is about how we live.

In some of the towns in Mississippi they have to think creatively about where they don’t have places to play — you know, maybe you take an old field and turn it into a soccer field and let the city pay a dollar for it. And you find ways, creative ways, to make sure there are spaces for families to live in a healthy way.

Those are the kind of ideas that we want to promote. Those are the kind of things that are working. We just need to do more of it and we need to do it faster.

Q There’s also, both in rural areas and in urban areas, there’s an economic issue, which is — you mentioned convenience, but often the fast food can be even less expensive sometimes than getting healthy food.

MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely.

Q Can you talk about that disparity and what we can do about it?

MRS. OBAMA: That disparity is very real. I mean — no, I talked about it with the grocery manufacturers as well. It’s not just making healthy food, but it’s making healthy food that’s affordable. And that’s a challenge, as well, but we have to recognize that we need to move in that direction. There are — you know, we can’t look families in the face and say, “You fix this problem,” but then you can’t afford the food that they need to fix the problem; they don’t have access to it. We have to figure this out.

The school lunch program is a major — is going to be a major player in the whole resource issue because many kids are getting the majority of their meals at school. So that’s one of those areas where we have some control over as a society because, you know, we’re going to feed these kids for two out of three or four of their meals, depending upon how many they have. So we need to make sure that we pass legislation that makes sense, that sets clear basic nutritional guidelines, not just in the school lunch lines, but in the vending machines and a la carte lines; that we have the resources to help schools bring their standards up.

Things like — in Mississippi, what Governor Barbour did with some of his stimulus money was to remove fryers and put in ovens. I mean, it’s just something as simple — the school nutritionist will tell you, we want to do better, but all we have is a fryer, which means when you have a fryer then you have to fry stuff. (Laughter.) So we need to make sure that the schools have the resources they need to make the changes to get healthier food into the schools.

But we also have to make sure that every single child that is eligible for free and reduced lunch actually gets it, that we reduce the paperwork to make sure that — if you look at some of the paperwork that families get to sign up, and then they have to re-sign up and then they have to fill it out. You know, you look at that, you’re busy and, you know, you just brush it under the rug, you don’t complete it. We have to make those processes and procedures easier. And I think we can go a long way to helping underserved families with the school lunch program.

Q How does obesity affect classroom learning?

MRS. OBAMA: I think, you know, this week it opened this up, right, to the audience. I mean, we know — in our own kids, in our own lives — how kids respond when they have a good meal, they’ve eaten the right things. We know what happens to kids when they are hyped up on sugar and they’re operating on too much sugar and not enough substance. We see it in our own lives.

So you just imagine if you send a kid to school with a sugary breakfast and a sugary drink, and they have to learn for a few hours and they stop maybe for 10 minutes for lunch — maybe — and they haven’t had a chance to run and run off that energy. And then they start dropping because they’re coming down from all that sugar. And they don’t even know it. They don’t even know why they feel lethargic, why they get sleepy at about eleven o’clock during the day — just like we all do when we don’t eat right. I mean, we all experience it.

So it definitely affects how kids feel throughout the day, which is something that we have to remember. This issue is not about looks and appearance. This is about how our kids feel and how they feel about themselves, because how you feel inside affects the way you approach the day; even the way you tackle the challenge. If you feel like, you know, you’re full and you’ve eaten some fruit and you’ve gotten some grains, that affects the way you think.

So this isn’t an image issue. This is truly an overall health issue. And kids, in addition to needing to eat well, have to run. They have to run around during the day. They have to get the energy out, you know? I mean, you’ve got kids. You imagine trying to teach your child sitting still for hours —

Q Oh, in our house (inaudible) the time. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Right. All right, okay, Jon. (Laughter.)

Q We read “Newsweek” aloud. (Laughter.) They love the Obama collection.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, good. It’s very good. (Laughter.)

Q No, you’re right, absolutely. But why isn’t — I mean, we’re lucky in that our kids — where our kids go to school, they run around. That’s not true in a lot of places. Physical education is often the first thing to go. Recess has been cut back. From a policy perspective, is that simply a financial issue? Is it because the standards, classroom standards have been set at a point where they can’t afford a single moment of classroom time? What’s your analysis of the end of recess?

MRS. OBAMA: I think that educators, administrators, parents would say it’s all of it. Some of it feels like a resource issue. And some of it is when you’re testing so much and you’re meeting requirements, you feel like the first thing that goes — if your money is tied to a test score and not to recess, you know, and whether your kids can run around, then the choice is already made for you, some administrators feel.

But there are also examples where schools are figuring out how even in this current climate of testing and lack of resources, how to put that stuff back into the curriculum. The Department of Agriculture has the U.S. Healthier School Challenge, which is an initiative that we’re promoting as part of the “Let’s Move” initiative. We’re going to — we want to double the number of schools in this country that qualify as U.S. Healthier Schools. There are currently about 600 of them around the country. Our goal under “Let’s Move” is to double that, because these are schools that are the models for what we’d like to see happening with nutrition and physical education, because without any additional resources, they figured out how to restructure their curriculum, how to use nutrition education as part of math and science; they found ways to mandate and reincorporate recess and gym back into their classrooms.

I mean, there are schools — wonderful, public schools — all over the country that are figuring how to restructure the day. But what I’ve found when I’ve talked to principals, administrators who’ve made that choice, they have decided as a school community that exercise and nutrition isn’t an extra; that it is an essential part of what a good curriculum has to look like.

So in one school that I visited in Virginia, they don’t allow teachers to take recess or gym away as a punishment because their feeling is that’s counter-productive. So now you’ve got a problem, so you’ve taken away the one thing that may help the kid wind out of the problem. So they’ve — you know, they’ve said you can’t take that away, because that’s part of the curriculum. That’s like telling the kid, well, you didn’t do well in spelling, so you’re not going to be able to do math today.

Q In addition to the Twinkie thing, that might be a very good political move — (laughter) — pull them out of math.

MRS. OBAMA: Right, right. (Laughter.) But I am not — now, I did not say that. (Laughter.)

Q No, ma’am, just me. (Laughter.) It was me.

MRS. OBAMA: That’s your idea.

Q Yes, ma’am.

MRS. OBAMA: But there are schools that are figuring out how to make this happen. Our job is to give them the resources they need, hold them up, celebrate those successes and help other school districts figure out how do they do the same thing. How have they managed in the current climate? What’s the difference? Why does one school manage to do it and another can’t? Is it at the regional level? Is it the superintendent support? I mean, we could probably talk to educators in this room right now who are — just they know the answer to this, and they’re ready to jump on it.

But there are schools that are doing it. And we need to make sure that more are doing it. This should be the standard of how our kids get an education in this country.

Q Last question, ma’am. How will you measure success, as you look at the lifetime of the administration, of your own ongoing work, presumably?

MRS. OBAMA: Well, the goal for “Let’s Move,” the whole goal of this initiative, is to end the problem of childhood obesity in a generation. So this is a generational issue. And our view is that we want kids born today to grow up at a healthy weight. And it will take a generation to see how that’s going.

But one of the things that the administration is doing now — the President signed an executive order creating the first ever Council on Childhood Obesity. They are now reviewing every single program and policy, not just in the government but in the country, that focuses on education and nutrition. And we need to figure out how to use the resources we have more smartly.

But we’re going to get that report in May. We’re looking forward to that. And part of that — the interesting thing about that approach is that we’re saying we need real, measurable outcomes. And the foundation that was set up as part of this initiative — and we’ve got some wonderful foundations who have been researching and investing in this issue for decades — RJW, Kellogg — I don’t want to begin to name all of them, because I’ll miss some — but they are going to be sort of the future arm of this, so that when I’m gone, when the President is gone and the next administration comes in, you’ve got an independent group that’s going to continue to look at these goals and help us figure out whether we’re reaching the goals, and keep our feet to the fire, because, again, this isn’t something that’s going to happen in this administration.

This is — we are looking at this as a forever proposition, because fundamentally, as I said in my speech to the food manufacturers, we have to change the way we view food and health forever. And we can start with kids, because they haven’t — their habits haven’t been ingrained. We can shift the way they think, even the way they taste food. We can do that. Us, you know, grownups — (laughter) — not so much. We’re a little stuck in our ways.

But we can still guide our children. I still think of my mother, who said — you know, she had no problem doing things that she told me I couldn’t do. (Laughter.) So even though we, as parents, haven’t conquered it and maybe we don’t — we’re not doing it, we can still help our kids get to a different place. And it’s going to take time. And it’s going to take patience. And we’re going to need everyone involved.

But I think about where we started a year ago with the planting of this little garden. And now, we have this wonderful initiative that has the food industry coming together; and bipartisan support all over the country; parents feeling excited and support it; kids — (laughter) — you know, they’re coming. (Laughter.) We’ve got the professional sports community standing by.

This is an issue that can unite the country. And it can unite us with the rest of the world, because the truth is there isn’t a single head of state or spouse of a head of state who I have met who has not been fascinated by our garden and our conversations around nutrition, because so many other countries are beginning to see some of the effects as they develop. They’re seeing their rates go up.

So this is an issue for the world. And we can truly be a leader, but we have to be patient. And we also have to be clear that we need to work really hard and stretch. So when we talk to the food industry, we say, you have to do more. When we talk to ourselves as parents, we have to push ourselves. We have to talk to Congress. And we have to say, you have to push to ensure that we’re getting the kind of regulations and support so that our school meals are healthy.

We all have to stretch on this one. And if we do, I think we can — we will see a change in our kids that we can be proud of.

Q Well, thank you so much for your work, for your piece this week —

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you for investing in this conversation.

Q — and for this remarkable presentation. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END
1:02 P.M. EDT

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010

In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. This meeting is closed press.

Later, the President will sign the HIRE Act, a bill that will spur job growth and strengthen the private sector by encouraging businesses to hire new workers and invest in their companies and communities. He will be joined by members of Congress, members of the President’s cabinet and economic team, small business owners and workers in the Rose Garden. This event is open press.

In the afternoon, the President will meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office. This meeting is closed press.

Also tomorrow, NEC Director Lawrence H. Summers will deliver remarks to the Pew Financial Reform Project where he will discuss the importance of passing comprehensive financial reform. The event will take place in the Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club at 8:30 AM. For additional information about the event, please contact Cynthia Magnuson at [email protected].

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Print: USA Today
Radio: AURN

EDT

9:30AM Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:20AM THE PRESIDENT signs the HIRE Act
Rose Garden
Open Press (Pre-set 10:20AM–Final Gather 10:50AM–North Doors of the Palm Room)

1:30PM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

Briefing Schedule

12:30 PM Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Briefing in the Rose Garden
Rose Garden

##

WASHINGTON–GOP Senate nominee Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.) said if President Obama signs a health insurance reform bill into law–and if he is elected to the Senate–he would “lead the effort” for its repeal.

“As your senator I would lead the effort to repeal this bill,” Kirk said.

The Obama White House roared back at Kirk on Wednesday. White House Senior advisor David Axelrod told the Chicago Sun-Times, “Given the great challenges America, and families across Illinois face today, the last thing we need is another Republican Senator in Washington who is more focused on tearing down the President than he is on solving problems.”

Kirk’s comments were made March 12 to the New Trier Republicans corn beef and cabbage dinner. Kirk’s staffers refuse to release Kirk’s campaign or governmental schedules in order to discourage routine press coverage, so remarks Kirk makes on the stump are rare. During the primary campaign Kirk’s political operation declined–even after the fact–to release any details of where he went to speak or raise money.

The campaign of Democratic rival Alexi Giannoulias got the audio from someone who attended the event and provided it to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Kirk’s remarks come as the Obama White House is scambling for 216 votes in the House to pass historic health care legislation, at the top of Obama’s domestic agenda. No House Republicans are expected to vote for the legislation.

Kirk also called for making Obama–an Illinoisan who is one of the most popular figures in the state–a “one-termer.”

Obama told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier on Wednesday “I’m confident that it’s going to pass.”

Here are key Kirk quotes from his New Trier talk. Axelrod’s full reaction to Kirk follows.

“I will just say, if it goes through, there is one thing about the bill not commonly known, all of the pain of the bill is upfront, and all of the gain is later. The bill includes ten new federal taxes, and dramatic cuts for senior healthcare under Medicare between 2010 and 2014. The actual benefit of the bill doesn’t start until 2014,” Kirk said.

” In between this time and then, is a presidential election. If we can win in the White House, and we’re on the way to making this guy a one term-er.”

“If we move to repeal this bill in 2013, all your doing is removing the pain and not a single American would have benefited from it yet. As your senator I would lead the effort to repeal this bill. “

Here is the full statement White House Senior advisor David Axelrod told the Chicago Sun-Times

“As an Illinoisan, I have to say, I find his remarks disappointing,” Axelrod told the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Given the great challenges America, and families across Illinois face today, the last thing we need is another Republican Senator in Washington who is more focused on tearing down the President than he is on solving problems.

“And what’s worse is that Congressman Kirk presents an independent in front of the cameras, but when he gets behind closed doors, at a Republican meeting, he thoroughly parrots the party line.

“Saying one thing to one audience and something different to another may be standard operating procedure in Washington, but it rightly frustrates people in Illinois and across the country. It’s not the kind of politics we need.

“As for health insurance reform, people across Illinois and the country will have greater security this year, once the President signs this law.

“Small businesses will receive tax credits to help them afford health coverage for their workers.

“People with pre-existing conditions will finally have access to coverage they can afford.

“The lifetime caps on coverage that insurance companies impose today will be banned, and they will no longer be allowed to throw people off their coverage, just because they become seriously ill.

“The gaps in Medicare prescription coverage will be filled in, saving seniors across our state hundreds of dollars our of pocket.

“So if Congressman Kirk wants to travel our state and explain why he wants to take all that away and put insurance company bureaucrats back in the driver’s seat, he should.

“It may titilate a roomful of partisans, but I don’t think it’s going to impress the people of Illinois,” Axelrod said.

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama urged the nation’s food industry on Tuesday to “step it up” and move faster to create and market healthier foods to kids, her toughest speech yet in her anti-childhood-obesity campaign.

“I’m here today to urge all of you to move faster and to go farther, because the truth is we don’t have a moment to waste — because a baby born today could be less than a decade away from showing the first signs of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, if he or she is obese as a child,” Mrs. Obama said.

She delivered her speech to the Grocery Manufacturers Association here, a trade group of some 300 food, beverage and consumer products makers. Chicago area based Kraft and McDonald’s are among the members.

Though Mrs. Obama embraced childhood obesity as a signature project on Feb. 9, the issues of obesity, marketing of certain foods to kids and labeling have been around for several years.

Hoping to avoid government intervention — such as taxes on junk foods — or more regulation, members of the group in recent years have voluntarily changed the recipes of 10,000 products to cut fats, sugar, sodium and calories. Members also have reduced ads targeting certain products to youngsters.

While the GMA has signed on as a backer of Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, she came to the association to tell them it’s time for deeper changes.

“We need you not just to tweak around the edges, but to entirely rethink the products that you’re offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children,” she said.

Products aimed at kids need to have less fat, salt and sugar and more nutrients, she said. And it doesn’t mean decreasing problematic ingredients “with small amounts of beneficial ones.” Adding “a little bit of Vitamin C” to a product loaded with sugar “doesn’t suddenly make these products good for our kids,” she said.

The association was eager to work with Mrs. Obama, who is not pushing any particular congressional action or mandate. Scott Faber, GMA’s vice president for federal affairs said, “We never had this type of leadership from the White House.”

POOL REPORT BIDEN BREAKFAST
By Lara Marlowe
Washington Correspondent
The Irish Times

Vice President Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden greeted the Taoiseach and Mrs Mary Cowen on the front steps of the residence at the Naval Observatory.

“Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!” Mr Biden explained. “Anyone not wearing green is not allowed in the house.”

Mary Cowen was the “greenest” of the four, in a bright kelly green blazer. She and the Taoiseach wore springs of shamrock in their lapels. The Vice President wore dyed green flowers.

The residence is a white, three-storey, New England style house with green shutters and a turret, set in manicured grounds, with views over Washington. Pool reporter noticed oil portraits of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln inside.

Guests at the breakfast for 50 included the Irish foreign minister, Micheál Martin and his wife Mary, the Irish Ambassador Michael Collins and his wife Marie, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop emeritus of Washington, who said blessing.

Vicki and Kara Kennedy sat at the table with VPOTUS and the Taoiseach. Vicki Kennedy wore mourning black, with a green shirt underneath.

Tim Kaine, the chairman of the DNC and Congressman Peter King (R) from New York also attended. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews sat beside the Irish ambassador. Maureen Dowd of the NYT was also there.

The menu included spinach, mushroom gruyere and tomato omelette, chicken apple sausage, country potatoes, fruit and Irish soda bread.

In his remarks VPOTUS recounted the old saying: “If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, then you’re lucky.”

Addressing Vicki and Kara Kennedy, VPOTUS said, “It’s kind of strange to be celebrating St Patrick’s Day without the patron saint of all of us…(Teddy Kennedy).

VPOTUS thanked the Taoiseach for remembering his late mother, Jean Finnegan Biden, who died in January. She was “a quintessential Irish-American” he said, “spiritual, romantic, she honoured tradition and understood that the thickest of all substances is blood. She taught us that failure at some point was inevitable, but giving up is unforgiveable… I know that Mom and Teddy are staring down. She always checked I wore what she called a boutonniere, and that I had ash on my forehead on Ash Wednesday.”

VPOTUS looked upward, as if addressing his mother in heaven: “Mom, I am being good, and I got the Taoiseach.”

During his mother’s lifetime “the small island 3,000 miles away” moved closer to the US. Regarding the now finished “Celtic Tiger” period, VPOTUS quoted his mother saying “I never saw so many Irishmen not leave.”

Raising a glass, VPOTUS said, “My grandfather Finnegan would roll over in his grave, me toasting with water. To Ireland and America.” He then quoted Saint Patrick in the 5th century: “May the strength of God pilot you…”

The Taoiseach then rose to the podium. “We know, Mr Vice President, how much your Irish heritage means to you and the pride you take in that heritage… We are very proud indeed to claim Joe Biden, as we say at home, as “one of our own”.

As the Taoiseach paid tribute to VPOTUS’ mother and Teddy Kennedy, the Vice President and Vicki Kennedy both stared reflectively into space.

Mr Cowen expressed gratitude for US support in the Northern Ireland peace process and said that with last week’s vote in the Assembly, “The last piece of the jigsaw is in place.”

He then invited VPOTUS and Dr Biden to visit Ireland soon.

As the breakfast ended, a harpist from the Air Force band played “The Foggy Dew”.

(ENDS)

Lara Marlowe
Washington Correspondent
The Irish Times

WASHINGTON–Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) just announced that he will–albeit reluctantly–vote for President Obama’s health bill. Kucinich was one of the leading critics of the plan and an advocate for a public option–which is not in the legislation. Kucinich may well have been under intense pressure as Democrats hunt for 216 votes in the House. Obama gave Kucinich a ride on Air Force One on Monday when he flew to Ohio to stump for his plan.

While saying this is not the bill he wanted, Kucinich said the Obama legislation “clearly does not advocate socialism or government takeover of health care.”