President Barack Obama will follow-up the 4th of July holiday with an over-seas trip to Russia, Italy, and Ghana.

Obama will arrive at the Russian capitol on July 6th and meet with current and former Russian leaders including a breakfast with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, current President Dimtry Medvedev, and the former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which is set to expire in December, is expected to a primary focus between the two countries’ leaders.

The U.S. President will also deliver a major speech on U.S.-Russia relations at the New Economic School in Moscow.

The next day Obama will travel to L’aquila, Italy for a series of meetings in preparation for the upcoming G8 Summit. The President is also expected to visit Vatican City, where he will attend a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.

Before returning to Washington, the Obama will make a final stop in Ghana, where the President will deliver a speech highlighting the country’s improvement in over-all governance.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced Tuesday that the Obama administration will be allocating $154 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $787 billion dollar piece of legislation aimed at stimulating the U.S. economy over the next two years, towards coastal restoration.

“These projects are an investment in American workers and in stronger and healthier coastal environments and economies,” said Locke during a conference call with reporters.

Locke explained that the projects will have a vital impact on the U.S. economy, stressing that this is an opportunity for job creation and preservation.

“Our coasts are tremendous economic resources. They support millions of jobs…Commercial and recreational fishing alone employs 1 million people either directly or indirectly and they contribute more than $100 billion to our economy each year.”

The funding will go towards 50 restoration projects across 22 states and 2 American territories. According to Locke, these 50 were chosen from over 800 requests with the help of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

During a speech commemorating the work of LGBT leaders, President Barack Obama touched upon the legacy of the Stonewall Riots, a touchstone of the gay liberation movement in which gays and lesbians demonstrated against a police raid of a well known gay club. According to Obama, the effects of the riots can still be felt in activism today (0:26)

 

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President Barack Obama said Monday during a speech commemorating the work of LGBT leaders that he is working with Congress and the Pentagon to find a practical way to repeal the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (0:25)

 

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By Mariko Lamb- Talk Radio News Service

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that in states across the U.S., health care costs are increasing, quality of healthcare is decreasing, and there is “an urgent need for healthcare reform.”

“The time for reform is now,” said Sebelius during a conference call with reporters, “The American people have been calling for reform, and they should not have to wait any longer.”

Sebelius addressed concerns about business owners possibly “dumping” employee health benefits and mandating that their employees pursue the federally provided health care option. Sebelius stated that the bill was crafted to ensure that employers would not be able to exploit the public option.

State-by-state reports on the current status of the percentage of residents without health insurance, quality of health care, and costs of premiums are available at www.healthreform.gov.

In a joint news conference Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Barack Obama reiterated his position that he is taking a wait-and-see approach to the post-election chaos in Iran.

“We are still waiting to see how the situation in Iran plays out,” Obama said.

The President said that the prospect of Iran attaining a nuclear weapon in the near future is a big problem for both the U.S. and for security in the Middle East. He added that the post-election events of the past few weeks will impact the possibility of future dialogue between the U.S. and Iran.

Obama also mentioned that Iranian opposition candidate Hossein Mousavi has expressed interest in communicating directly with the White House. Obama did not say whether or not he has plans to speak with Mousavi.

When asked to respond to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad’s demand that the U.S. apologize for ripping his regime’s strong-arm treatment of election protestors, Obama said, “I don’t take Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments seriously.” He later added, “I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people.”

Obama neatly sidestepped a question later in the news conference about Ahmadinejad’s recent comparison of him to former President George W. Bush.

The President was asked one question about the recent spike in violence in Iraq to which he professed, “there will continue to be some violence in Iraq for some time.”

He then explained that the biggest challenge facing American forces in Iraq right now is not preventing attacks by al-Qaeda, but rather helping Sunnis and Shiites resolve their differences over geographical boundaries and oil revenues. The President did not field any follow-up questions on the subject.

Talk Radio News Service White House Correspondent Victoria Jones contributed to this report.

During a press conference with German Chancellor Andrea Markel, President Barack Obama admitted that the U.S. has had some trouble in the past when it comes to environmental issues, but expressed his belief that the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation represents the progress the U.S. is making (0:28).

 

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During a press conference with German Chancellor Andrea Merkel, President Barack Obama commented that he like the Chancellor “a lot”. The President complimented Merkel, saying that she is smart, practical and trustworthy. Obama said that those were qualities appreciated in an international partner (0:37)

 

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By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service

Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress Thursday to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, a bill that would expand the authority of the federal government to prosecute hate crimes, and include “gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability” in the protected classes. 

“Perpetrators of hate crimes seek to deny the humanity that we all share, regardless of the color of our skin, the God to whom we pray, or the person who we choose to love,” said Holder during testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee

Holder noted that a similar bill reached Congress in 1998, but has never passed. “The legislation has been stalled far too long, and it’s time to act,” said committee chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). 

The bill is named after Matthew Shepard, a gay man from Wyoming who was brutally killed in 1998.

Several senators asked whether the legislation would violate the First Amendment, which protects free speech. Holder said that only crimes involving “bodily injury” fall under the scope of this legislation, and even the incitement of violence would not be prosecuted under the bill.

“We’re looking at people who actually commit physical acts of violence,” said Holder. “However deplorable … speech with which I would vehemently disagree [is] not cognizable under the statute.” 

Republican Senators repeatedly criticized Holder for not providing statistics or documenting a trend indicating that state and local authorities do not sufficiently address these crimes. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) noted that the Shepard murder was a “crime that should have been vigorously prosecuted, and it was.” 

Holder responded that “what we’re looking for is an ability in those instances, those rare instances, where there is an inability or unwillingness by state or local jurisdiction to proceed, that the federal government…would be able to fill that gap.” 

Sessions also expressed concern about “how [the U.S. is] picking and choosing the people who receive the extra protection” afforded by hate crime legislation. Holder replied that such laws should “protect groups of people who are … the subjects of violence simply because of who they are.” 

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), a member of the Media Fairness Caucus, says ABC News is biased in favor of the Obama administration . (:23)

 

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