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Posts tagged as “President Barack Obama”

Lower Student Loan Interest Rate Bill Clears the House

By goodblacknews on August 1, 2013
Just in time for the upcoming academic year, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to lower student loan interest rates by a vote of 392-31. The measure, now headed to President Obama for his signature, retroactively lowers the interest rate on loans that doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1.
Moving forward, Congress will no longer fix interest rates each year. Instead, they will be tied to the interest rate on money borrowed by the federal government. The bill does include caps so the interest rate won’t exceed 8.25 percent for undergraduates, 9.5 percent for graduate students and 10.5 percent for parents who secure loans for their children.
“This bipartisan compromise offers hardworking students and families critical protections, reduces rates on all new loans this year, and saves undergraduates $1,500 on average over the life of their loans.  The plan caps market-based interest rates, ensuring students won’t bear the brunt of skyrocketing rates in the future,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas).  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will reduce the federal deficit by $715 million over the next 10 years.
article by Joyce Jones via bet.com

Obamacare More Affordable Than Anticipated: State Health Exchange Rates Lower Than Expected

By goodblacknews on July 29, 2013

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President Obama spoke about lower insurance rates at the White House on July 18.
(Photo: Charles Dharapak, AP)

WASHINGTON — As state health exchanges continue to announce lower-than-expected rates for health insurance, experts say both state and regional issues play a part in how much a consumer will pay for insurance beginning in January.  Several factors come into play: a state’s regulations, how many insurers will participate in the state and federal exchanges, and what kind of a risk those insurers are willing to take.
“There is tremendous existing variation within the rates in the states now,” said Sherry Glied, professor of health policy and economics at Columbia University and former assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s hard to compare the old rates to the new.”  Maryland’s insurance commissioner said Friday that the expected new rates for residents who will need to buy insurance starting Oct. 1 are up to 33% lower than expected, and that coverage for a 21-year-old non-smoker could cost as low as $93 a month.
In Connecticut, insurer HealthCT announced plans that would drop an average of 36% from its original proposal in the individual market; and Nevada will sell plans to young adults to cover catastrophic health situations for less than $100 a month.  An HHS report released this month showed that silver health exchange plans — the lower cost plans that uninsured people are more likely to buy — are an average 18% lower than anticipated in the 11 states the department studied.  “We know the rates are coming in lower than we expected,” Glied said. “They’re coming in well below the Congressional Budget Office’s estimated rates, which people thought were optimistic.”
These new rates apply only to those who are currently uninsured and who will be buying insurance through the state or federal exchanges. A health exchange or marketplace is a website that allows consumers to choose from several different private insurers.  Under the 2010 health care law, Americans who buy health insurance on the state exchanges can choose from four types of plans — bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Bronze has the lowest levels of coverage and cost; platinum is the elite and most expensive. Industry surveys and records from Massachusetts, which enacted a health care law in 2006, show the overwhelming majority of people buy either bronze or silver plans.

Trayvon Martin’s Dad Tracy Martin Adds Voice to Help Black Men and Boys

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin has joined an effort by members of Congress to focus more attention on issues disproportionately affecting black men and boys. Martin was appearing Wednesday before a forum convened by black lawmakers to discuss high unemployment, incarceration, racial profiling and other challenges faced by black men and boys.
Martin was scheduled to give opening remarks in an informal hearing before the Congressional Black Men and Boys Caucus. Congressional caucuses such as this one are made up of members of the House who share interest in a given issue and want to focus attention on it while suggesting possible legislative responses. Caucuses range from the party of the Democrats and Republicans to special group caucuses such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  Martin’s appearance comes a few days after President Barack Obama made remarks identifying himself with the plight of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was shot and killed last year during a confrontation with neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

President Barack Obama to Kick Off White House Economic Offensive | Marketplace.org

By goodblacknews on July 22, 2013

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Former Foster Child and Morehouse Graduate Derrius Quarles Recognized by White House for Service to Community

By goodblacknews on July 16, 2013
Derrius Quarles (center); Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Points of Light (right); and Washington Post CEO Donald Graham at the 5000th Daily Point of Light Award at the White House on Monday June 15, 2013 (photo credit Jerome Dorn)
Derrius Quarles (center); Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Points of Light (right); and Washington Post CEO Donald Graham at the 5000th Daily Point of Light Award at the White House on Monday June 15, 2013 (photo credit Jerome Dorn)

A former foster child from the south side of Chicago has turned entrepreneur, and been recognized at the White House for his inspiring work.  Derrius Quarles, who is only 22 years old, is best known for winning more than $1 million in financial-aid to attend the prestigious Morehouse College.  He was a recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award in June 2013 for his commitment to help academically gifted yet economically disadvantaged students overcome financial barriers to higher education.

“I feel honored and humbled to be recognized by the White House as a Daily Point of Light awardee,” said Quarles. “I have been recognized for the work I have done with the Million Dollar Scholar, which has advanced economic access to higher education for youth in inner cities across the United States.”  The Million Dollar Scholar initiative has assisted more than 10,000 high school students online and helped students receive more than $950,000 in scholarships and grants.
In fact, Quarles’s drive to see other young people succeed is deeply personal. His father was murdered in Chicago when he was just 4 years old. One year later, he was taken from his mother’s custody and placed in foster care.  It was only when he entered high school that he made a conscious decision to seize opportunities to move on with his life.

First Lady Michelle Obama Posts ‘Throwback’ Instagram Photo of Herself with Husband

By goodblacknews on July 12, 2013
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First lady Michelle Obama just got a little personal on Instagram, not to mention retro.  In a photo published for “Throwback Thursday,” the first lady posted a black-and-white picture of her and the president in their earlier years.
The first lady is looking straight into the camera, her arms wrapped around her husband’s waist, her head tucked into his neck. The president is looking down, squinting from the sun, one hand on his hip, the other wrapped closely around his wife’s shoulder.
“Barack and Michelle. #ThrowbackThursday #TBT #NoFilter,” she writes in the photo’s caption.
article by Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor via thegrio.com

First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts ‘State Dinner’ for Top Junior Chefs

By goodblacknews on July 11, 2013
President Barack Obama talks with Makenna Hurd of Mascot, Tenn., right, and Noah Koch, of Waterville, Maine, right, at the second annual White House Kids' "State Dinner" Tuesday, July 9, 2013, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. First lady Michelle Obama welcomed 54 children to the White House for creating winning recipes as part of a healthy lunch contest. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama talks with Makenna Hurd of Mascot, Tenn., right, and Noah Koch, of Waterville, Maine, right, at the second annual White House Kids’ “State Dinner” Tuesday, July 9, 2013, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. First lady Michelle Obama welcomed 54 children to the White House for creating winning recipes as part of a healthy lunch contest. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama says fifty-four kids who earned a trip to the White House by winning a nationwide recipe contest are showing how talented, creative and brilliant young people can be.  It’s the second year the first lady has hosted the kids’ “state dinner.”
The contest for 8-to 12-year-olds is sponsored by the Epicurious food website and the departments of Agriculture and Education. It drew a batch of more than 1,300 entries that were whittled to 54 winners — one from each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
Mrs. Obama singled out a few of the champion culinary creations during Tuesday’s meal, including Confetti Peanut Ginger Party Pasta from Missouri, Pan-seared Mississippi Catfish on a Bed of River Rice and Slam Dunk Veggie Burger from Texas.  President Barack Obama also made an unannounced appearance at the dinner in the White House East Room. He told the junior chefs they are showing that food can be both healthy and fun.
Copyright 2013 article by Darlene Superville, The Associated Press via thegrio.com

Professor, Playwright and Actress Anna Deavere Smith Awarded National Humanities Medal by President Obama

By goodblacknews on July 11, 2013

President Barack Obama presents a 2012 National Humanities Medal to American actress, playwright, and professor, Anna Deavere Smith during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 10, 2013 in Washington, DC. Smith is recognized for her portrayal of authentic American voices. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama presents a 2012 National Humanities Medal to American actress, playwright, and professor, Anna Deavere Smith during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 10, 2013 in Washington, DC. Smith is recognized for her portrayal of authentic American voices. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Describing them as teachers, President Barack Obama said Wednesday that two dozen recipients of national medals for contributions to the arts and humanities have created works that will last for American life.
At a White House ceremony, Obama awarded medals to 23 singers, dancers, poets, producers, playwrights, scholars and others, and one performing arts organization.  As applause and cheers rippled across the stately East Room, Obama joked that the audience was doing so “Because I’ve bought their books, I’ve seen their movies, I buy their records. So we’re major contributors here.”
Turning more serious, he praised the medal recipients for using their talents “To open up minds and nourish souls, and help us understand what it means to be human, and what it means to be an American.”  “We celebrate people like our honorees here today not just because of their talent, but because they create something new. They create a new space and that becomes a lasting contribution to American life,” Obama said.
Among those receiving a National Medal of Arts are Herb Alpert, of Malibu, Calif., the musician behind the Tijuana Brass phenomenon and co-founder of A&M records; filmmaker George Lucas, of San Anselmo, Calif., and the Washington Performing Arts Society, of Washington, D.C.
Recipients of the National Humanities Medal include author Joan Didion, sportswriter Frank Deford and Robert B. Silvers, editor and co-founder of The New York Review of Books. All three are from New York.

Anthony Foxx Officially Sworn in as U.S. Transportation Secretary

By goodblacknews on July 3, 2013
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx listens to his wife Samara Foxx during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee May 22, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Foxx will succeed Ray LaHood to become the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation if confirmed. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx listens to his wife Samara Foxx during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee May 22, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Foxx will succeed Ray LaHood to become the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation if confirmed. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department says former Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx has been sworn in as President Barack Obama’s new transportation secretary.

Foxx was sworn in during a private ceremony with his wife and two children Tuesday at the department’s headquarters. The department says he’s spending his first day focusing on transportation safety and preparedness for hurricanes and severe weather.
Foxx says under his tenure, safety will remain the department’s top priority. He says he’ll work on efficiency and infrastructure needed to make sure the nation’s transportation system works for future generations. Foxx’s background includes stints as a Justice Department attorney and a Democratic aide to the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate voted unanimously last week to confirm Foxx. The 42-year-old replaces outgoing secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman.
article by Josh Lederman, AP via thegrio.com; Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

President Obama Hosts Father’s Day Luncheon At White House

By goodblacknews on June 14, 2013

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This morning, President Barack Obama hosted a special Father’s Day Luncheon inside the White House’s State Dining Room as part of his ongoing commitment to fatherhood and families. Joining the president at the lunch were fathers and their children, along with students and officials from the Becoming A Man (BAM) program in Chicago.
Stressing a message regarding the importance of strong families bonds and the value of mentorship, Obama has made fatherhood a focal point of conservation since his first term. Today’s lunch was an informal affair, and served as an unofficial follow-up from the president after a February visit to Chicago’s Hyde Park Academy High School. From the BAM program, 14 students and five chaperones were present to partake of simple fare such as burgers, fries, salads, and other snacks.
“It is good to see all of you here, so many young people, so many outstanding dads, a few moms chaperoning,” said Obama to his guests, according to a Chicago Tribune report. “Obviously, this is a great way for us to celebrate Father’s Day and just to remind ourselves, those of us who are fathers, how lucky we are.” After lunch, Obama gave his visitors a quick tour of the Oval Office before breaking with the group who went on to participate in a roundtable discussion focused on mentoring with White House officials.
Obama, a father of two daughters, 14-year-old Malia, and 12-year-old Sasha, said at the event that fatherhood is “the best job I’ve got.”
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com