Over the past two weeks, we’ve asked you to raise your voice about the President’s plan to help owners, and your response has been overwhelming.

In case you still have questions about how the President’s proposal works, we asked Jim Parrott, Senior Advisor for Housing at the National Economic Council, to go "on the clock" and explain the proposal in sixty seconds (or less).

Watch the video, and then share your story:

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the LGBT Pride Month Reception in the East Room of the White House, June 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Obama today hosted a reception in the East Room to observe LGBT Pride Month. The President welcomed community leaders, students, politicians and members of the armed services for the annual event and paid tribute to the generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans who devoted their lives to ensuring equality for all.  In his remarks, the President acknowledged that while great progress has been made, the battle is not over yet:

... but we will get there. We'll get there because of all of you. We’ll get there because of all of the ordinary Americans who every day show extraordinary courage. We’ll get there because of every man and woman and activist and ally who is moving us forward by the force of their moral arguments, but more importantly, by the force of their example. 

 And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, I promise you, you won't just have a friend in the White House, you will have a fellow advocate for an America where no matter what you look like or where you come from or who you love, you can dream big dreams and dream as openly as you want.

Read President Obama's full remarks here.

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

Why Refinance: This past week we heard from Americans who support President Obama's proposal to make it easier for responsible homeowners to refinance their mortgages, an item on his To-Do-List for Congress. We asked you to speak up about the issue and share your stories. Many of you fall into the category of responsible home owners that just need a break from your housing loan's high interest rate, and you should know that we are listening to your voices and concerns.

Fatherhood Buzz: On Wednesday, the President sat down for lunch with four dads to chat about the importance of a father's role in a child's life. He also discussed the "Fatherhood Buzz" initiative and how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partnering with barbershops to discuss the importance of fathers with their communities. This week the White House also released a report, Promoting Responsible Fatherhood, and honored several Champions of Change for their work in the fields of fatherhood and low-income men and boys.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

Speaking from the Rose Garden, President Obama addressed a new policy from the Department of Homeland Security aimed at making the nation’s immigration policy more fair and more efficient -- by removing the threat of deportation for young people who are low enforcement priorities.

Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.

Now, let's be clear -- this is not amnesty, this is not immunity.  This is not a path to citizenship.  It's not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. 

Public Financial Disclosure Reports (OGE Form 278) for White House officials are now available. Interested parties may request reports electronically by completing the application form available here.

Once the application form is submitted, reports will be sent via email in PDF format. Please call the press office if you have any questions.

Kathryn Ruemmler is Counsel to the President

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

Secretary Janet Napolitano’s announcement this morning reaffirms President Obama’s commitment to smart and sensible immigration policies that prioritize immigration enforcement toward individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Young deserving people who are Americans in every way but on paper are not this Administration’s priority for removal. These young people came to this country as children. As the President has said many times, it makes no sense to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. They have become productive members in our communities. They have grown up swearing allegiance to our flag. Yet they live in the shadows of America, without the possibility to realize their dreams.

This new policy is the latest in a series of steps the Department of Homeland Security has taken to improve upon the use of prosecutorial discretion. The point of this strategy is to ensure that our immigration enforcement can focus on high-priority individuals instead of clogging the system with low priority cases. The young immigrants who will be eligible under this policy are earnest, productive young people ready to contribute back to America in the fullest possible sense.

As you celebrate Dad this weekend, consider giving a nod to the Presidents who helped give him his own national holiday. On this day in 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Presidential Father’s Day Proclamation. It set aside the third Sunday in June in celebration of fathers. Six years later, it became a permanent holiday by order of President Richard Nixon. Each year since then, the Presidents have issued yearly Father’s Day proclamations.

Presidents have enjoyed the day as fathers themselves, and over the years many children have enlivened the White House. Some presidents enter office as grandfathers, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt who had 13 grandchildren. Others, like current President Obama, are fathers to school age children.

In celebration of fathers everywhere, here’s an album of Presidents with the people who know them simply as “Dad” and “Granddad.” These photos are from the holdings of the Presidential Libraries of the U.S. National Archives. 

View the full size gallery here

Yesterday, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan hosted a roundtable discussion with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan and senior officials from across the U.S. Government. This was a first of its kind meeting, with high-level leadership from the National Security Staff, U.S. Federal government agencies and departments, and the WHO to discuss common areas of interest in the area of global health security. Attendees included a wide range of stakeholders from across the U.S. Government, including those representing the fields of health, defense, law enforcement, international development, foreign affairs, security, animal and agriculture health, and science. 

Participants discussed the steps needed to advance key elements of a U.S. Government - WHO memorandum of understanding on global health security, signed last year on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The discussion included topics such as the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a key framework for WHO Member States in the detection, reporting, and response of public health emergencies of international concern. At the 2011 United Nations General Assembly, President Obama signaled the importance of IHR in meeting the challenge of fighting all biological dangers, noting: “Today, I urge all nations to join us in meeting the WHO’s goal of making sure all nations have core capacities to address public health emergencies in place by 2012. That is what our commitment to the health of our people demands.” 

President Barack Obama greets Hugh Hills, 85, in front of his home in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011. Hills hid in a closet during the tornado, which destroyed the second floor and half the first floor of his house. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

June 14 marks Flag Day, the day in 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the first U.S. flag. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Flag Day a day of national celebration in 1916, and President Harry Truman formally established its annual observance in 1949.

The first flag, which many say was sewn by a Philadelphia woman named Betsy Ross, had 13 stars and 13 stripes, representing the 13 American colonies. New stripes and stars were added as new states joined the Union. In 1818, however, Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes at 13 and requiring the number of stars equal the number of states.

Several variations of the flag were flown over the next 100 years or so, until President William Howard Taft issued an executive order in 1912 to the establish proportions and placement of the stars that are featured on the flag we fly today.

Altogether, the U.S. flag has been modified 26 times since 1777. The 50-star version has been in use the longest, since 1960.