Tag: Barack Obama

One of the original kings of political comedy, DL Hughley gets serious on Trump and Mueller’s Russia probe. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and informed…

On Saturday night, all five living former U.S. presidents appeared together at a hurricane relief benefit concert Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal, held at Texas A&M University’s Reed Arena in College Station. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter all stood onstage together and took turns speaking at the podium, complimenting each other and calling for donations. “It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul,” George H.W. Bush said, while Obama said the elder Bush’s relief effort “sets an example for all of us.” Carter told the crowd that Habitat for Humanity, a charity with which he’s worked for years, has raised $20 million of its $100 million goal to build 6,000 homes in areas devastated by recent natural disasters. Clinton mentioned that volunteering to help people in need is a tradition as old as this country. “We’ve been volunteering since before the Constitution,” he said, “when Benjamin Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia.” Country music stars like Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Moore, and Yolanda Adams also performed at the event, with country singer Lee Greenwood acting as the emcee. Lady Gaga made an un-billed appearance and sang her songs “Million Reasons,” “You and I,” and “Edge of Glory.” Donald Trump, whose relief efforts in Puerto Rico have been criticized for being sluggish, sent in a pre-taped message in which he called the former presidents’ relief efforts “tremendous.” “This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and our devotion to one another,” he said.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Former President Barack Obama has started calling every person in America to offer consolation about Donald Trump being President, Obama has confirmed. “It’s something I meant to do right after the Inauguration,” Obama said, during a brief break from the phone calls. “I feel terrible that I didn’t get to it sooner.” The former President said that, although the phone calls are a small gesture, he felt that he had to do whatever he could to extend his sympathy about Trump being President. “There’s a lot of pain out there that a phone call from me can never fix,” he said. “Still, I want people to know that I care.” Carol Foyler, who has been grieving since Trump was elected, last November, said that receiving a call from Obama on Monday “meant a lot.” “The fact that he took the time to call me, when he had three hundred million more people left to call, is something I’ll never forget,” she said.

As he rallied for the Democratic candidate Ralph Northam on Thursday night, Obama mentioned that he and his wife, Michelle Obama, have seen Republican Ed Gillespie’s commercials airing on television in their D.C. home. “Look, we all have valid concerns about crime,” Obama said. But the fact is crime and illegal immigration are as low as they’ve been in decades. What he really believes is if you scare enough voters, you might score just enough votes to win an election,” Obama said. After this summer’s deadly clashes in Charlottesville instigated by white nationalists rallying to protect a Confederate statue, Northam called on localities to relocate such monuments to museums and promised to be a vocal advocate for such an approach. How come we can’t get things through the state House?

The former President took the stage Thursday for his first campaign event since leaving office, a canvas kickoff for Phil Murphy, the Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey, and Sheila Oliver, who is running as his lieutenant Governor, in Newark Thursday. Obama did not address President Donald Trump's false accusation that his predecessor failed to call any Gold Star families during his time in the White House; he did not mention President Trump or any member of Congress by name. He did however, disavow political divisiveness and deride what he coined backward looking policies. "Some of the politics we see now we thought we’d put that to bed. Thats folks looking 50 years back," he told a cheering crowd at the invite-only event. "It's the 21st century not the 19th century." He also noted his administration's accomplishments, touting the thousands of jobs created during his tenure, and the people who became insured under the Affordable Care Act. But Obama's remarks largely centered on the importance of electing Democrats to the Governorship in New Jersey, and how voting is the most effective way of channeling inevitable dissatisfaction some may feel during the Trump era. "You cannot complain if you didn't vote; you did not exercise the power the constitution gives us that people fought for," Obama said. "It’s in no one’s interest – including the former President’s, the Democratic Party’s, or the country’s – for President Obama to become the face of any resistance or the party.

By discussing the son of his Chief of Staff John Kelly, the president is dragging Gold Star families back into the political discussion. How, if at all, should Gen. Kelly respond? The panel discusses. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About:…

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., discusses why he currently does not support the bipartisan Obamacare deal proposed by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines,…

Lawrence O’Donnell talks with The Atlantic’s James Fallows and Toronto Star Washington Correspondent Daniel Dale, who says Trump has backed off several of his recent claims when challenged on them by reporters and says “this lying doesn’t have to stand.”…

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that it’s “indisputable” that President Trump has done more to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) than President Obama did. Sanders’s tweets come after The New York Times reported Sunday that more than 1,000 ISIS fighters had surrendered in Iraq over the last week. The Times reports that the mass surrenders came after the Iraqi military captured the city of Hawija from the ISIS fighters after just 15 days of fighting.

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has a message to Republicans in Congress -- you don't like the Iran nuclear deal, so you deal with it. His expected decision to decertify the agreement would allow him to save face and dent Barack Obama's legacy. But though the International Atomic Energy Agency and US military leaders say Iran is honoring the agreement, Trump has had enough. Two senior officials told CNN that Trump is expected to unveil his decision next week. If Trump goes ahead, it will not be the first time that the President has claimed what he sees as a political win and left it to Congress -- hardly known for taking tough decisions quickly under pressure -- with a political dilemma. Compliance: Every 90 days, the US President must certify to Congress that Iran is keeping up its end of the deal. If the President does not certify the agreement, Congress has a statutory 60-day period to decide whether to reimpose sanctions. Sanctions: If Iran doesn't comply, US, European Union, and UN nuclear-related sanctions on the Iranian economy would be reinstated. Sources told CNN's Dana Bash that Democratic senators visiting the White House this week came away with the impression that national security adviser H.R. The move, despite available evidence that Iran is indeed living up to the pact, could also have a prolonged diplomatic cost.