Central Perk: Weekly Address: A New Chapter in Afghanistan

sâmbătă, 5 mai 2012

Weekly Address: A New Chapter in Afghanistan

Your Daily Snapshot for
Saturday, May 5, 2012

Weekly Address: A New Chapter in Afghanistan

President Obama calls on Congress to take the money we are no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the other half to rebuild America.

Watch the President's weekly address:

President Barack Obama tapes the weekly address in the Map Room of the White House, May 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Weekly Wrap Up

Your quick look at this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Correspondents' Dinner: At the annual Correspondents' Dinner, which has been held since 1920, President Obama joked about himself and the coverage he has received from the reporters in attendance. In case you missed it -- or if you want to watch it again -- you watch President Obama's speech here.

U.S.-Japan Friendship: On Monday, President Obama met with Prime Minister Noda of Japan at the White House to reaffirm the U.S.-Japan Alliance, a 60-year old partnership and friendship that was exemplified in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the tsunami and nuclear crisis that followed. After a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, the two leaders laid out a new joint vision to guide their alliance for decades to come.

Rebuilding America: Speaking to 3,000 attendees of the Building and Construction Trades Department conference in Washington, D.C. Monday, President Obama made an argument for investing in rebuilding America and urged Congress to get construction workers on the job by passing a bipartisan bill that could guarantee work for millions of construction workers.

2012 Warrior Games: The First Lady joined Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Warrior Games Monday -- an event that enables men and women who suffered injuries during a tour of duty to compete in a variety of athletic events. "No matter how seriously you're injured, no matter what obstacles or setbacks you face, you just keep moving forward," the First Lady remarked. "You just keep pushing yourselves to succeed in ways that just mystify and leave us all in awe."

Surprise Trip: President Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, where he signed an historic agreement -- the Strategic Partnership Agreement -- between the United States and Afghanistan that defines how the partnership between the two countries will be normalized as we look beyond a responsible end to the war. After his meeting with President Karzai, President Obama met with U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base, and took the opportunity to thank them for the sacrifices that they and their families have made over the past decade of war.

Cinco de Mayo: President Obama hosted a Cinco de Mayo reception Thursday -- a few days early -- at the White House. Speaking from the Rose Garden, President Obama remarked, "Right now, there are more than 50 million Americans of Latino descent -- one sixth of our population. You're our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, our friends. You're starting businesses. You're teaching in classrooms. You're defending this country. You're driving America forward."

West Wing Week: Your video guide to everything that's happening this week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Watch here.

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