Watch the 2011 Wounded Warrior Baketball Game on the South Lawn, here. 

Yesterday, a group of Wounded Warriors visited the south lawn of the White House to play a game of basketball. Ten Marines arrived from Bethesda Naval Medical Center, donned jerseys, and took some practice layups before the game. As they warmed up, they got pointers from NBA players Greg Monroe and Jeff Green, who came in from Detroit and Boston to show their appreciation for the troops. After a few minutes, the game got underway. It was off to a fast start, but a time-out was called as President Obama walked onto the court.

The President thanked the Marines for the service they had provided and the tremendous sacrifices they had made for their country. He spent some time talking with the Wounded Warriors, and then the group took a picture before the game resumed again.

Wounded Warrior basketball is an important opportunity for injured troops as they return home, according to HM1 Jason Young, a Navy Corpsman who helped organize the game. “What it allows the Wounded Warriors to do is to understand that they can still do some of the stuff that they’ve done before.”

“The guys here all have really great attitudes about everything,” said Corporal Tony Mullis, who played on the Red Team. “They’re not down – that’s why they decided to come here and play basketball at the White House. It’s a great experience.” Mullis was injured by an IED blast while performing combat operations in Afghanistan.

“One of the things I’ve always wanted to do was meet the President,” he added. “It was awesome.”

Ten Wounded Warriors were able to come to the White House yesterday, but all veterans and their families deserve our thanks and our support. To find out what you can do to pitch in, check out joiningforces.gov.

Darienne Page is Assistant Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

Today, patients suffering from diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart disease and their families got good news when a federal judge ruled in favor of the government in a lawsuit challenging the Obama Administration’s work to support stem cell research.

While we don’t know exactly what stem cell research will yield, scientists believe this research could treat or cure diseases that affect millions of Americans every year. That’s why President Obama has long fought to support responsible stem cell research.

Less than three months after taking office in 2009, the President signed an Executive Order that removed barriers to responsible scientific research involving human stem cells. The previous Administration allowed the National Institutes of Health to fund human embryonic stem cell research on cell lines created before an arbitrary date, August 9, 2001, but prohibited research on cell lines created after that date. The Executive Order signed by President Obama lifted this restriction.

Since then, scientists and experts in the private sector and at the National Institutes of Health have been investigating new responsible research opportunities with stem cell lines that adhere to the new guidelines, but were not available to experts under the old restrictions.

For too long, patients and families have suffered from debilitating, incurable diseases and we know that stem cell research offers hope to millions of Americans across the country. President Obama is committed to supporting responsible stem cell research and today’s ruling was another step in the right direction.

Stephanie Cutter is Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor

In our first session of White House Office Hours, Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answered your questions on the President's speech last night and the ongoing deficit debate. Check out the whole Twitter Q&A below or over on Storify.

Missed today's Office Hours? There are lots more opportunities for you to join us live. See the full schedule at WhiteHouse.gov/officehours and follow @WhiteHouse for the latest updates.

Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answers questions from the public on the ongoing deficit debate on Twitter in the first session of White House Office Hours - an online Q&A with White House administration officials. July 27, 2011. (by Macon Phillips)

The CBO just released its analysis of the debt ceiling extension and deficit reduction plan that the House of Representatives is considering. We have been clear in our opposition to this bill, and the President explained why last night.

While we disagree with the approach that Speaker Boehner chose to take in this bill, there is one thing that we all still agree on, and that is the size of the problem. Both the House Republican budget proposal unveiled by Congressman Ryan on April 5 and the President’s fiscal framework that he introduced on April 13, set as our goal deficit reduction of $4 trillion. Since both of these plans were introduced before the agreement on appropriations for FY 2011, the baseline used for them did not reflect the spending cuts enacted this year in that legislation. Indeed, throughout our weeks of talks, all parties have worked off a January baseline because we all recognized that we needed to start from the same place.

One of the fundamental things to understand when considering the debate about reducing our national debt is how we accumulated so much in the first place.

To explain the impact various policies have had over the past decade, shifting us from projected surpluses to actual deficits and, as a result, running up the national debt, the White House has developed a graphic for you to review and share:

As you can see, we've also included a quote from President Obama's speech last night that sums up the basic issues:

For the last decade, we’ve spent more money than we take in.  In the year 2000, the government had a budget surplus.  But instead of using it to pay off our debt, the money was spent on trillions of dollars in new tax cuts, while two wars and an expensive prescription drug program were simply added to our nation’s credit card.

As a result, the deficit was on track to top $1 trillion the year I took office.  To make matters worse, the recession meant that there was less money coming in, and it required us to spend even more -– on tax cuts for middle-class families to spur the economy; on unemployment insurance; on aid to states so we could prevent more teachers and firefighters and police officers from being laid off.  These emergency steps also added to the deficit.

Because neither party is blameless for the decisions that led to this problem, both parties have a responsibility to solve it. 

And it's worth noting that, among many others, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the New York Times have addressed this issue too.

Ed. Note: Cross posted from the SBA's Open for Business blog

Startups and “high-growth” small businesses are responsible for the lion’s share of net new job creation in the U.S. each year. That’s a key reason that we launched an Administration-wide effort called Startup America earlier this year.

As a critical part of that, SBA made a commitment to invest up to $1 billion in underserved communities and emerging sectors over the next 5 years.

Today, we were delighted to announce the first public-private partnership of this Impact Investment Fund.  This first effort will focus on growing businesses in Michigan.

Why Michigan?

First, the need is there.  Unemployment is high in Michigan, with over 90% of counties in economic distress as defined by the Commerce Department.  It’s an economy in transition.

Last week, 25 rising 10^th and 11^th graders from Elbert and Madison Counties in Georgia were welcomed to the White House. These students are part of the University of Georgia Teens and Planners program, and they took the opportunity to share their stories and program with White House staff. 

The Teens as Planners are a collaboration between the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and other county and community partners. In 2009, a select group of roughly 25 at risk students were recruited to participate in this program. Since then, they have been working with dedicated mentors to develop the skills needed to lead positive and productive lives, defined by service to their community and workforce development.

During the visit, the teens explained the many projects they are undertaking in their community.  The Teens and Planners typically work before and after school, dedicating much of their time outside of the classroom to service. Their projects are centered on opportunities which allow them to leave behind lasting impacts in their community.

One student discussed the group’s work on the Bowman Park Beautification Project, where they are hoping to improve the park by renovating, repairing and restoring the park. They are repairing bathrooms, removing and replacing broken equipment and beatifying the landscape of the park. Once they have completed their work, they will have provided the community with a park that is once again able to serve the recreational needs of the people in Bowman.

Another teen described the work they are doing to provide fresh food to community members who do not regularity have access to locally grown produce. The students have been working with groups from across the community to weed and harvest a Victory Farm. Once the produce is ripe, they deliver the food to the local food bank.  In 2012, they plan to continue their work and expand on the amount of produce harvested for the local community.

In addition to these students commitment to service through the Teens and Planners program, they are actively learning about government and community organizations. The students asked about government, politics and found out how they could get more involved. 

At the end of their visit, one student summarized what they hope to accomplish through this program. “I want to look back and be able to say that I made a difference and I left my footprints on this earth in some way.”

Just like these students from Georgia, young people from all over the country are taking the lead and winning the future.

Tonight at 9 p.m. EDT President Obama will address the nation on the stalemate in Washington over avoiding default and the best approach to cutting deficits. 

Watch the speech live tonight at WhiteHouse.gov/live and engage with Administration Officials all week. 

Starting tomorrow, White House Administration Officials will hold "Office Hours" on our social networks to answer your questions about the President’s speech and the ongoing deficit debate. Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Special Assistant to the President, will be answering your questions on Twitter tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Ask your questions with the hashtag #WHChat and stay tuned for opportunities to engage throughout week.