President Obama describes a series of steps to strengthen American manufacturing and job creation here in the United States.
Weekly Address: Continuing to Strengthen American Manufacturing
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President Obama Speaks on the 2013 Budget
President Obama introduces an initiative to train workers through a partnership between businesses and community colleges, a proposal in his FY 2013 Budget.
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Weekly Address: Extending the Payroll Tax Cut for the Middle Class
President Obama urges Congress to extend the payroll tax cut to prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans.
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Executive order halts transactions by Iranian bank in US, despite concerns that it may drive up petroleum costs
Source: The Guardian
Barack Obama has ordered the freezing of Iranian government assets in the US, including transactions by the Iranian Central Bank, in tightened sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The White House said the executive order by the president “re-emphasises this administration’s message to the government of Iran – it will face ever-increasing economic and diplomatic pressure until it addresses the international community’s well-founded and well-documented concerns regarding the nature of its nuclear programme”.
The new sanctions, which also include the threat of prosecution for foreign financial institutions if they do certain kinds of business directly with Iran, also appeared timed to fit in with measures introduced in other countries, including Britain which has already moved against Iran’s banking system by cutting it off from London’s financial sector.
The administration had previously shied away from direct action against the central bank fearing that if Tehran is unable to carry through financial transactions necessary to sell its oil, that could force the cost of petroleum up and hit the US economy.
Read the full Guardian story.
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Weekly Address: It’s Time for Congress to Act to Help Responsible Homeowners
President Obama continues his call for a return to American values, including fairness and equality, as part of his blueprint for an economy built to last.
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US president asked to explain why America is trying to extradite British student Richard O’Dwyer over alleged copyright breach
Source: The Guradian
Barack Obama has come under pressure to explain American attempts to extradite a British student accused of breaking US copyright law, after a web campaign to raise awareness of the case propelled it to the top of a presidential question-and-answer session.
A query about Richard O’Dwyer, a 23-year-old Sheffield Hallam undergraduate who faces jail if sent for trial and convicted in the US, was the most asked of more than 133,000 questions submitted to a live online Google+ “hangout” with the president broadcast on Monday.
O’Dwyer, the creator of the now-defunct TVShack website, which allowed users to watch film and television programmes without charge, is alleged by US authorities to have earned nearly £150,000 from his online activities. A court ruled this month that he could be sent for trial in the US – a prospect his lawyers say would make him a guinea pig for US copyright law.
Obama sought to distance himself from the case when asked by the web personality Michael Mozart, a vehement critic of anti-piracy legislation, to explain why the extradition was being attempted.
Read the Full Guardian story.
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Obama told Jennifer Weddel to send her husband’s resumé, saying as an engineer he should have been able to find work
Source: The Guardian
Barack Obama has promised to help an unemployed engineer find a job during an online video “hangout” answering questions posted on YouTube and by text.
The president responded to some of more than 133,000 questions submitted ranging from a number about the economy to foreign aid, drone strikes and the case of a British man the US is attempting to extradite over alleged breach of copyright law. Five people were selected to ask their questions live and put “Obama in the hot seat” in the forum arranged by Google Plus.
Obama was pressed repeatedly on the economy, including questions by Jennifer Weddel, a mother from Texas, who wanted to know why the government continued to issue work visas for foreigners when her husband, an engineer, can’t find a job. He has been out of work for three years.
Read the full Guardian story.
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Weekly Address: President’s Blueprint Includes Renewal of American Values
In his weekly address, President Obama discusses the blueprint he put forward this week in the State of the Union Address for creating an economy built to last. After focusing on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers during each of the last three days, he used his weekly address to highlight his commitment to a renewal of American values. The President is challenging leaders in Washington, DC to follow the model set by our men and women in the military, end the gridlock and start tackling the issues that matter – without regard for personal ambition.
Learn more
- Watch the enhanced version of the 2012 State of the Union Address
- Read President Obama’s Blueprint for an America Built to Last
- Take a deep dive into the data behind the President’s plan
- Find out how you can talk to Obama Administration officials about the President’s plan
- Everything you need to know about President Obama’s Blueprint for American-made energy
- Everything you need to know about President Obama’s Blueprint for manufacturing
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Obama pledges to fight for a fairer America
Source: BBC
Barack Obama has used his state of the union address to launch his 2012 re-election campaign, with a populist speech portraying himself as the champion of working-class America against the small, wealthy elite he claimed is protected by the Republicans.
As the Republicans tore strips off one another over tax and wealth in the Florida primary to choose the party’s nominee to face Obama, the president set out a strongly populist agenda, promising to tackle the inequality gap. He touched on issue after issue raised by voters, from the power of Wall Street to the pervasive influence of money in politics, and offered proposals for dealing with them.
In one striking passage, delivered in a joint sitting of the Senate and the House, Obama said the defining issue of the present time was how to keep alive the promise of America as a land of opportunity.
“No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules,”
he said.
“What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values but American values. We have to reclaim them.”
Read the full BBC story.
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Weekly Address: America is Open for Business
President Obama tells the American people about a series of steps he’s taken without the help of Congress to grow the economy and create jobs — including a new strategy aimed at boosting tourism introduced this week. In next week’s State of the Union Address, the President will outline his blueprint for creating an economy built to last.
