Central Perk: Confronting the Growing Threat of Climate Change

sâmbătă, 29 iunie 2013

Confronting the Growing Threat of Climate Change

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Confronting the Growing Threat of Climate Change

In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people about a plan he unveiled a few days ago that confronts the growing threat of climate change, which will cut carbon pollution, protect our country from the impacts of climate change, and lead the world in a coordinated assault on a changing climate.

Watch this week's Weekly Address.

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Watch the West Wing Week here.

Meeting with Business Leaders: President Obama met with CEOs, business owners and entrepreneurs on Monday to discuss the economic benefits of comprehensive immigration reform. “We have a situation in which millions of individuals are in the shadow economy,” President Obama said, “oftentimes exploited at lower wages, and that hurts those companies that are following the rules, because they end up being at a disadvantage to some of these less scrupulous companies.”

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of Senators voted to reform our nation’s immigration system. Although the Senate approved the bill, lawmakers in the House of Representatives still need to act.

Texting with the President: Students from all across the country sent texts to President Obama this week, asking about his plans to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Working with DoSomething.org, President Obama responded to concerns from these students.

Curbing Climate Change: On Tuesday, President Obama traveled across town to Georgetown University to lay out his plan to cut carbon pollution. The President explained the moral obligation we have to future generations – to “leave them a cleaner, safer, more stable world.”

Leaders in the business community and the media support the President’s climate initiative. Check out an infographic explaining the President’s plan here.

Marriage Equality: The Supreme Court announced a historic ruling on Wednesday morning, ruling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. “This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law,” President Obama said, “for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.”

Three Country Tour: The First Family boarded Air Force One on Wednesday, beginning their three-country tour of Africa. As they took off, we launched Instagram accounts for the First Lady and the White House.

First stop – Senegal. Following an arrival ceremony and bilateral meeting with President Sall, the Presidents held a press conference. Later, President Obama discussed the importance of an independent judiciary system and respect for the rule of law in a meeting with judicial leaders across Africa.

While the President was meeting with President Sall, First Lady Michelle Obama visited an all-girls middle school in Dakar, Martin Luther King School. At MLK School, the First Lady spoke with a ninth grade class where she encouraged them to continue studying and to be role models for girls all over the world.

After the President met with leaders, the First Family visited a former slave house at Gorée Island. Gorée Island now serves as a hub for political activists – and President Obama acknowledged that by meeting with a group of advocates before returning to Dakar, the country’s capital.