• Today marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. From its humble origins in 1981 as a Day of Unity, this month has become a time to celebrate survivors, congratulate advocates, empower victims, and mourn the deaths of those lost to domestic violence. Around the country, communities are coming together this month to hold vigils, public awareness programs, survivor speak outs and town hall meetings.

    At the White House, we know that this month would not be possible without the lifelong dedication of those on the front lines. This month we honor the hotline workers who work the night shift to be there around the clock for victims in need. We pay tribute to the shelter workers who show that they care every day and the law enforcement officers who treat victims with dignity and respect when they knock on a door. We acknowledge the prosecutors who take on tough cases and the doctors who screen their patients for domestic violence. We appreciate the community-based organizations who reach people in their neighborhoods and the faith leaders who speak out about ending domestic violence.  Most of all, we honor the women, men, and children who have survived violence.

    Our commitment to survivors is reflected in the Obama Administration’s efforts to raise awareness and prevent domestic violence. Earlier this year, President Obama directed federal agencies to develop policies to assist victims of domestic violence in the federal workforce (read the Presidential memorandum). Through Vice President Biden’s 1 is 2 Many campaign, we released a public service announcement featuring professional athletes and other role models speaking out against dating violence (watch the PSA).

    Through the Affordable Care Act, women in many health plans will have access to domestic violence screening and counseling as a preventative service without co-payments, deductibles or other cost-sharing.  In an effort to save the lives of the three women a day who still die as a result of domestic violence, the Justice Department developed a new project to reduce domestic violence homicides through screening, linking victims with services and developing high-risk teams. Through these and other initiatives, we are doing our part to assist survivors and stop violence before it starts.

  • In this week’s address, President Obama explains his administration’s steps to help the housing market, including giving responsible homeowners a chance to save thousands of dollars every year by refinancing their mortgages, but says we need Congress’s help to do more.

    Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

  • In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in June 2012. Today’s release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 2.6 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.

    Ed. note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.

  • Ed. note: This post was originally published on Let's Move!.

    Tomorrow, more than 170,000 people across the country are expected to celebrate National Public Lands Day – America’s largest, single-day, outdoor volunteer effort. More than 2,000 public land and water sites across the country will offer FREE admission to volunteers who give a few hours of their time to help improve and restore outdoor spaces. 

    National Public Lands Day is a great opportunity to get active while showing your appreciation for the public parks, trails, beaches, lakes, rivers and forests that belong to all of us as Americans.  Last year, volunteers collectively planted more than 100,000 trees and plants and maintained or built 1,500 miles of trails – all in one day’s work! This year, the goal is to top those contributions and engage more kids and families.

    With events taking place in every state, there are many different ways to get involved. 

  • Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the First Lady spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner, We the People turned one-year old, and the President addressed the UN General Assembly and the Clinton Global Initiative.

     

  • This week, President Obama spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting about his administration’s efforts to combat human trafficking. "Our fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of our time and the United States will continue to lead it," the President said.

    We continued the conversation today by hosting a live video chat with administration officials, including Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls Tina Tchen and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power. Participating leaders from the NGO and faith community included:

    Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, moderated the Hangout and thousands of you joined the discussion online. During the event, the hashtag #WHHangout was even trending nationwide on Twitter.

    If you missed the live event, you can watch the full video right here. And be sure to check out the President’s speech at CGI and learn more about the Administration’s efforts to combat human trafficking at home and abroad.

  • On Wednesday evening at the Naval Observatory, Vice President and Dr. Biden hosted their fourth annual reception in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on September 15  and continues through October 15. In the past and upcoming weeks, communities across the country will celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

    We’re proud to serve Vice President Biden and this Administration, which has continued to push to “widen the circle of opportunity for the Hispanic community and keep the American dream within reach for all who seek it,” as President Obama said in his proclamation this year.

    Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month reception with Dr. Jill Biden and high school senior Ashley Guzman

    Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month reception with Dr. Jill Biden and high school senior Ashley Guzman, at the Naval Observatory Residence in Washington, D.C., September 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

  • More than the usual amount of economic statistics were released this morning. As a whole, today’s economic news shows that while we are still fighting back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we are making progress. We lost more than 8 million jobs and GDP contracted by almost 5 percent as a result of the Great Recession. We have more work to do, but incorporating today’s preliminary benchmark revision to the employment figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics with their earlier data indicates that the economy has added nearly 5.1 million private sector jobs, on net, over the past 30 months. BLS announced that total employment likely grew by 386,000 more jobs than previously announced during the 12 months from March 2011 to March 2012, and by 453,000 more private sector jobs in that same time period. In the past decade, the absolute difference between the preliminary and final benchmark revision has averaged 37,000 jobs.

  • This week, we took two major steps in empowering women and girls both here in the United States and abroad.

    On Monday, we announced Equal Futures, a partnership between the U.S. and other nations to advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls. 

    At last year’s UN General Assembly, President Obama challenged member nations to “break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls.”  

    To answer the call, on Monday, I joined Secretary Clinton and leaders from around the world to launch the Equal Futures Partnership.

    Founding members, including the United States and 12 other countries, each shared new national commitments to further women’s political and economic participation. For the United States, our Equal Futures commitments will:

    • Expand opportunity for women and girls in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields
    • Expand economic security for domestic violence victims
    • Support women entrepreneurs
    • Promote civic and public leadership for girls

    In each of these areas, we are working to strengthen government policies and programs and partner with private and non-profit sectors to achieve our objectives.  For more information on our commitments, read here.

    The second major step to empower women and girls took place yesterday, when the President spoke on human trafficking at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting.

    Human trafficking is a fundamental human rights issue, and according to the UN, the overwhelming majority of victims are women and girls. 

  • Yesterday, President Obama spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting about his administration’s efforts to combat human trafficking and made it clear that the United States will continue to be a leader in this global movement to fight modern slavery.

    The Obama Administration has developed and began executing a comprehensive strategy that includes expanding our interagency task force to include more federal partners, and devoting more resources to identifying and going after trafficking networks.  Additionally, the U.S. has strengthened protections so foreign-born workers know their rights.

    But with more than 20 million victims of human trafficking around the world there’s much more we have to do.

  • Yesterday, the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Labor announced the Make it in America Challenge – a $40 million multi-agency competition that will help accelerate business investments in the U.S. This includes insourcing, where U.S.-based companies bring jobs back, or foreign investment, when foreign companies build factories here and hire American workers to run them.  

    The competition is being funded by Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. It builds upon the administration’s efforts to strengthen the economy and create jobs by partnering with state, regional, and local partners. 

    Beginning next year, three-year grants will be available to states, cities, nonprofits, colleges and economic development districts that develop plans to help attract companies that want to build in the U.S. but might need a few more resources.

    • Education Secretary Duncan Walks to the Bus

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan walks to the tour bus at Denver International Airport (All Official White House Photos by Chuck Kennedy)

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    • Secretary Duncan Dances with Students

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan dances the "Cupid Shuffle" with students at Lowry Elementary School in Denver, Colo.

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    • Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius Join Students for Lunch

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius join students for lunch at Lowry Elementary School.

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    • Secretary Duncan Shoots Baskets with Lowry Elementary School Students

      Secretary Arne Duncan shoots baskets with Lowry Elementary School students in Denver, Colo.

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    • Secretary Duncan Signs a Basketball

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan signs a souvenir basketball on board the bus between tour events in Colorado.

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    • Secretary Duncan Stands during the National Anthem

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan stands for the National Anthem during a Constitution Day presentation at Limon Public School in Limon, Colo.

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    • Secretary Duncan with Students at Constitution Day

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan greets students following the Constitution Day presentation at Limon Public School in Limon, Colo.

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    • Secretary Duncan Talks with First Grade Students

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan talks with first grade students at Limon Public School in Limon, Colo.

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    • Secretary Duncan at a Truck Stop

      Secretary Arne Duncan talks on his phone at a truck stop while traveling between Limon, Colo., and Topeka, Kan.

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    • Secretary Duncan Talks with Leola Brown

      Secretary Arne Duncan talks with Leola Brown, right, and Cheryl Brown, center, outside the Capitol building in Topeka, Kan.

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    • Secretary Duncan Meets with Governor Brownback

      Secretary Arne Duncan meets with Governor Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) at the Capitol Building in Topeka, Kan.

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    • Secretary Duncan Greets People Before his Speech

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan greets people before his speech at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kan.

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    • Secretary Duncan Speech at the Monroe School Building

      Secretary Duncan delivers a speech on the steps of the Monroe School building, home of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

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    • Secretary Duncan with Janet Murguia

      Secretary Duncan answers questions at a parent town hall meeting on educational equity, civil rights and the Hispanic community in Kansas City, Kan.

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    • Secretary Duncan Meeting on the Bus

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan talks with Dennis Van Roekel, President of NEA, left, during the busride to Emporia State University.

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    • Secretary Arne Duncan Arrives at Emporia State University

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan arrives at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan., for a town hall meeting on the teaching profession.

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    • Secretary Duncan stands with Corky

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan stands with "Corky," the Emporia State University hornet mascot before a town hall meeting on the teaching profession.

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    • Secretary Duncan Visits the National Teacher Hall of Fame

      Secretary Duncan looks at a copy of "Helpful Hints for the Rural Teacher" while visiting an exhibit in the National Teacher Hall of Fame.

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    • Secretary Duncan Speaks to Education Students

      Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks to education students and faculty at a standing-room-only town hall meeting on the teaching profession.

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    • Secretary Duncan Greets a Member of the Audience

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan greets a member of the audience following a Q&A session at town hall meeting on the teaching profession.

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    • Secretary Duncan Works on his Remarks

      Education Secretary Arne Duncan works on his remarks as he travels between events on the "Education Drives America" bus tour.

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    See the full size gallery

    For the third year in a row, our team at the U.S. Department of Education has gone on a back-to-school bus tour. This year was more ambitious than ever. Senior leaders traveled from coast-to-coast and have participated in almost 100 events over the past 10 days.

    It started on Sept. 12 with a town hall meeting about the potential of technology to transform learning in Redwood City, Calif., and ended with a rally at the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC. Across the country, I’ve seen examples of communities in Topeka, Kansas, and McDowell County, West Virginia, coming together to turn around struggling schools. I met with Hispanic students in Reno, Nevada, to discuss how a college degree will help ensure their economic prosperity. And I visited a school in Denver that takes nutrition and student health seriously. They even got me to dance.

  • President Barack Obama addresses the United Nations General Assembly (September 25, 2012)

    President Barack Obama addresses the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations in New York, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2012. Sitting on the dais are: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, UNGA President Vuk Jeremić and Jean-Jacques Graisse, Acting Head for General Assembly and Conference Management. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

    Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama remembered Ambassador Chris Stevens and delivered a defense of both free speech and the spirit of tolerance.

    The President described Stevens -- who was slain earlier this month in an attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya -- as a man who "embodied the best of America."

    "Like his fellow Foreign Service officers, he built bridges across oceans and cultures, and was deeply invested in the international cooperation that the United Nations represents," the President said. "He acted with humility, but he also stood up for a set of principles -- a belief that individuals should be free to determine their own destiny, and live with liberty, dignity, justice, and opportunity."

  • President Obama will address the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York this morning at 10:10 am EDT. You can watch the President's remarks live on whitehouse.gov/live.

    Later Tuesday, at 12:10 pm EDT, whitehouse.gov will also stream the President's address at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, also in New York, NY.

  • A year ago, the White House launched We the People, a new platform that allows anyone to create or sign petitions asking the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. In just one year's time, the platform has generated 3.4 million signatures by 2.8 million users. And what's even more exciting is that participation is growing across the board — with more users and signatures every month.

    We really couldn't anticipate just how popular We the People would be, especially at the beginning. In the first week, nearly 8,000 petitions had been created, racking up more than 600,000 signatures by 375,000 users. Also, thirty petitions reached our original threshold of 5,000 signatures. This was a good problem to have, but we knew that this many petitions would challenge our ability to offer timely and meaningful responses to petitions in the long term. So we raised signature threshold to receive a response to 25,000.

    From the beginning we’ve said that if a petition gathers enough online signatures, policy officials here at the White House and across the Administration will review it and issue an official response. In this first year we’ve had 116 petitions cross the threshold and 103 have already received a response.  And, despite the fact that only a small percentage of the over 50,000 petitions have crossed the signature threshold, you’d probably be surprised to hear that 1.1 million people or 39% of users have received a response. 

    Its also worth noting that starting on May 15, 2012 we began surveying signers who received a response. Since then, we've found that 78% of survey responders said that even if they don’t agree with the Administration’s response, it was still helpful to hear our position on the issue, 54% of responders learned something new, and a full 88% would consider creating or signing another petition on We the People.

  • The White House Photo Office just released the latest set of behind the scenes photos, including images from the first-ever Kids' State Dinner, President Obama visiting Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas to thank the troops, and the First Lady speaking with community leaders at Oak Creek, Wisconsin following a deadly shooting at a Sikh temple. Check out a few of the images below, then head over to Flickr to see all 35 images in the gallery.

    • President Barack Obama talks with farmers during a tour of the McIntosh family farm

      President Obama talks with farmers during a tour of the McIntosh family farm (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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    • First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas discuss the 2012 Summer Olympic Games

      First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

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    • President Barack Obama Samples a Baked Zucchini Fry at the Epicurious Kids’ State Dinner

      President Obama samples a baked zucchini fry after dropping by the East Room for the Kids' State Dinner (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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    • President Obama has a foreign leader phone call in the Oval Office

      President Barack Obama has a foreign leader phone call in the Oval Office (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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    • First Lady Michelle Obama talks with community leaders at Oak Creek High School

      First Lady Michelle Obama talks with community leaders at Oak Creek High School in Oak Creek, Wis. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

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    • Eight-year old Make-A-Wish child Janiya Penny reacts after meeting President Obama

      Eight-year old Make-A-Wish child Janiya Penny reacts after meeting President Barack Obama (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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    • President Obama Bids Farewell to Gen. Lloyd Austin

      President Barack Obama bids farewell to Gen. Lloyd Austin III at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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  • Ed. Note: The speech has now concluded, but you can watch a video of the remarks below.

    Tonight, First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards Dinner.

    The Phoenix Dinner is the closing event for the CBC Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, and will honor four individuals for their contributions in addressing challenges facing the African-American community.

    To watch the speech live, tune in tonight, September 22, 2012. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and the First Lady is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The dinner and speech will be livestreamed here.

  • President Obama describes how the House of Representatives left town without finishing important work that would create jobs and strengthen our economy.

    Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

  • Here's a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

    Team USA Behind the Scenes: Last week, the President and the First Lady welcomed the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House to honor their participation and success in this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. On Tuesday, we released a new video that lets you go behind the scenes and hear from the athletes as they describe their visit. Check it out here.

    We also released a video of Paralympian Champion Lt. Brad Snyder sharing his story with First Lady Michelle Obama. "Overcoming adversity is a decision that everyone makes," Brad said, "And you can let that beat you or you can make the decision to move forward." Watch the video here.

    Celebrating the 2011 WNBA Champions: On Tuesday, President Obama welcomed the Minnesota Lynx to the White House, congratulating them on their successful season and thanking them for continuing to set an important example for young women across the country.

    As the husband of a tall, good-looking woman and as the father of two tall, fabulous girls, it is just wonderful to have these young ladies as role models. There’s something about women’s athletics -- we know for a fact that when girls are involved in athletics, they do better across the board. They’re more confident. They do better in school.

    • Space Shuttle Endeavour at the Shuttle Landing Facility

      Space shuttle Endeavour is moved into the Shuttle Mate-Demate Device at Kennedy Space Center (Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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    • Space Shuttle Endeavour Atop NASA Aircraft

      Endeavour is seen atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Kennedy Space Center, Sept. 18, 2012. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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    • Space Shuttle Endeavour Ferried Over Kennedy Space Center

      Endeavour is ferried over the Kennedy Space Center as it departs for California, September 19, 2012. (Photo credit: NASA/ Robert Markowitz)

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    • Space Shuttle Endeavour Ferried Over Houston

      Endeavour gets a lift over Houston on its way to Los Angeles, California, September 19, 2012. (Photo Credit: NASA/ Sheri Locke)

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    • Space Shuttle Endeavour Rests

      Endeavour rests at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas before departing for California, September 19, 2012. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford)

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    • Space Shuttle Sleeps

      Endeavour rests at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas before departing for California, September 19, 2012. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford)

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    • Space Shuttle Lands

      Endeavour lands at Edwards Air Force Base in Edwards, California, Sept. 20, 2012. (Photo Credit: NASA/Tom Tschida)

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    Early Wednesday morning, space shuttle Endeavour took its final flight atop a jumbo jet at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. For three days, the shuttle rode piggyback to Los Angeles, California where it will begin its next mission as an educational display at the California Science Center.

    Earlier this year, two other retired shuttles dazzled crowds below as they made their way from Florida to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. DC residents experienced a special treat as Space Shuttle Discovery did a lap across the nation’s capital.

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