A new spinal implant, an automated page turner and a more efficient way to make energy from algae. Those are among the projects that young scientists shared with President Barack Obama at the White House Science Fair on Monday.
“I want to thank you for inspiring me,” Obama said in remarks at the science fair. “Keep exploring. Keep dreaming. Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world. “
The president gave special notice to a group of 6-year-old Girl Scouts from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest scientists of the day, who built a page-turning device out of Legos to help individuals who are paralyzed or have arthritis. He said the “Supergirls” stressed to him that the device is just a prototype.
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President Barack Obama tries an attachable lever, created by Kaitlin Reed, that can make wheelchair movements easier, while Mohammed Sayed — who developed a 3D-printed modular arm — looks on.
The state of Indiana has hired a global public relations firm to help rebuild its image in the wake of national criticism that state politicians were hostile to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, which leads the state’s efforts to attract and retain businesses, has retained Porter Novelli for an undisclosed sum. The firm’s task is to brand Indiana “as a welcoming place to live, visit and do business.”
“Now more than ever, we want to remind the world that Hoosiers welcome everyone and that Indiana is a great place for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses to reach their full potential,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith, who leads the IEDC. “That’s why we are moving forward with this initiative together.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) is expected to kick off her 2016 presidential campaign on Sunday.
Clinton will announce her campaign through social media and a video, according to multiple outlets. She’ll follow up her announcement with campaign travel to early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Clinton published a new epilogue from her book Hard Choices on The Huffington Post Friday, where she reflected on how her new granddaughter has motivated her to keep pushing for a better future.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff whose cutting personality and centrist policies earned him the nickname “Mayor 1 Percent” among his critics, was re-elected mayor of Chicago on Tuesday, surviving a challenge from Jesus G. Garcia, a county commissioner who was seeking to become the city’s first Latino mayor.
With 98 percent of precincts counted, Mr. Emanuel led Mr. Garcia 56 percent to 44 percent.
For Mr. Emanuel, 55, it was a narrow escape from what could have been an embarrassing loss to Mr. Garcia, a feisty former alderman and community organizer who for months hammered Mr. Emanuel for closing dozens of public schools and claimed the mayor ignored the working class and poor in the nation’s third-largest city.
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Rahm Emanuel before giving his victory speech after being re-elected mayor of Chicago in a runoff election on Tuesday.Credit Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Wednesday evening asked Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to postpone markup of his controversial Iran legislation until the U.S. and its five negotiating partners reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran.
The bill, which would require a congressional vote on any nuclear deal and temporarily suspend President Barack Obama’s ability to waive economic sanctions against Iran, is scheduled for markup in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.
“To force Congress to weigh in now on the Iran nuclear talks before a final deal has been completed would be a reckless rush to judgment,” Boxer wrote in a letter to Corker. “It would undermine negotiations at a critical moment and could derail a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deal with this looming threat.”
President Barack Obama opened up about his so-called “Obama doctrine,” the overarching principle that guides his foreign policy in places like the Middle East where his administration recently negotiated a framework of a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, and Cuba where the U.S. recently loosened long-standing travel restrictions.
“We are powerful enough to be able to test these propositions without putting ourselves at risk. And that’s the thing … people don’t seem to understand,” Obama said in an interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman published Sunday.
“You take a country like Cuba. For us to test the possibility that engagement leads to a better outcome for the Cuban people, there aren’t that many risks for us. It’s a tiny little country. It’s not one that threatens our core security interests, and so [there’s no reason not] to test the proposition. And if it turns out that it doesn’t lead to better outcomes, we can adjust our policies,” he said.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) said Tuesday he will back an amendment to the state’s new “religious freedom” law clarifying that it does not allow businesses to deny service to anyone, and insisted that he never intended to discriminate against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“That is so offensive to me as a Hoosier,” Pence said during a press conference in Indianapolis, casting himself, the GOP-controlled General Assembly and the new Religious Freedom Restoration Act as victims of “mischaracterizations” perpetrated by the media and the law’s opponents.
“I don’t believe for a minute that it was the intention of the General Assembly to create a license to discriminate, or a right to deny services to gays, lesbians or anyone else in this state. And it certainly wasn’t my intent,” he added. “But I can appreciate that that’s become the impression — not just here in Indiana, but all across this country. And we need to confront that.”
The House passed a bill Thursday that may be its biggest legislative accomplishment of the year: a $214 billion package that fixes a massive funding gap in Medicare, extends health care for poor children and makes long-term spending cuts.
The bill overwhelmingly passed 392-37, a rare moment of bipartisanship for a Congress accustomed to little action.
“If someone came down from Mars today, into this chamber, they’d be shocked at this camaraderie,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.). “This is great. You’ve got to admit, this is a good feeling.”
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House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) teamed up to cut a deal on a bill that replaces a massive funding gap in Medicare. | ASSOCIATED PRESS
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will not seek re-election, he said in an interview with The New York Times published Friday. Reid has led the Senate Democrats since 2005.
In a video posted Friday morning, Reid thanked his constituents for allowing him to serve the state of Nevada.
In the video, Reid said he will work to help the Democrats take control of the Senate again, noting he felt it was “inappropriate” to “soak up all those resources on me, when I can be devoting those resources to the caucus.” Reid also warned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) he’d be working hard until the end of his current term.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) said Friday that Loretta Lynch is an “extraordinary” nominee for U.S. attorney general, and called on Senate Republicans to stop holding up her confirmation vote.
In a call with reporters, Giuliani said he is a “very dedicated Republican” and doesn’t always agree with President Barack Obama. But he does think that a president should be able to get his or her appointees confirmed by the Senate.
“The confirmation process has been really tremendously distorted. … It’s become Republicans torture Democrats, Democrats torture Republicans. Who started it, God knows,” he said. “But as a Republican and looking at the Constitution, I find Loretta Lynch not only to be an acceptable appointment, but I find her to be an extraordinary appointment.”
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says Senate Republicans need to hold a confirmation vote for Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama’s nominee for U.S. attorney general. | Rob Kim via Getty Images
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
Pool via Getty Images
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
James' World 2 