Weekly Address: Time to Pass Commonsense Immigration Reform

In this week’s address, President Obama says that the United States Senate will soon take action to fix our broken immigration system with a commonsense bill, and urges lawmakers to act quickly to pass this bill so that we can continue to live up to our traditions as a nation of laws, and also a nation of immigrants.

Watch this week's Weekly Address.

Brazil: Last Friday, the Vice President and Dr. Biden made the final stop in their three-country trip in Brazil. While in Rio de Janeiro, Vice President Biden delivered a speech about the strong ties between the United States and Brazil.

“The United States and Brazil represent two of the largest, most innovative, dynamic economies in the world today. It is true both of us can continue to prosper whether or not we deepen our economic relations. But imagine, just imagine what these two dynamic economies could do with greater trade and investment for our people, for the hemisphere, for the world.”

#DontDoubleMyRate: Students gathered in the Rose Garden last Friday to hear President Obama echo his sentiment from last year and call on Congress to prevent federal student loan rates from doubling on July 1. President Obama asked the young people to speak out in favor of action on college affordability, as they did last summer.

"You made something bipartisan happen in this town that is -- that's a powerful thing. You guys were able to get Democrats and Republicans to vote for something that was important. So this year, if it looks like your representatives have changed their minds, you're going to have to call them up again or email them again or Tweet them again and ask them what happened, what changed?"

Mental Health Conference: Health care experts, psychologists, faith leaders, advocates for veterans, and administration officials joined President Obama at the White House on Monday for the National Conference on Mental Health.

The conference was just one part of the Obama Administration’s effort to combat this problem and focused on ways we can reduce the stigma and help the millions of Americans struggling with mental health problems recognize the importance of reaching out for assistance.

President Obama said:

“Too many Americans who struggle with mental health illnesses are still suffering in silence rather than seeking help, and we need to see it that men and women who would never hesitate to go see a doctor if they had a broken arm or came down with the flu, that they have that same attitude when it comes to their mental health.”

Meeting with the President of Chile: President Piñera of Chile met with President Obama on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting. The two leaders affirmed their commitment to economic growth, job creation, transparency, human rights, and the rule of law.

“Chile has been on a remarkable growth trajectory over several decades, and the progress that it’s made in terms of strengthening its economy, pulling people out of poverty, establishing a strong manufacturing and industrial and service base, its strong exports sector are all proof of the talents of the Chilean people but also Chile’s embrace of democracy and human rights and a market economy. And as a consequence, Chile has become not only a leader in the hemisphere but also a leader in the world.”

Ravens Visit the White House: On Wednesday, President Obama congratulated the 2013 Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens at the White House. The President spoke of the struggles the team faced throughout the season and how they recovered and brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Baltimore. He also praised the team’s commitment to giving back to their city.

“This year, Baltimore won’t just be seeing the Ravens on Sundays or Monday night or Thursday night…You’ll see players spending their Tuesdays – normally their only day off during the season – visiting hospitals and senior centers, and day after day, you’ll see a team that loves Baltimore as much as Baltimore loves the Ravens.”

During their visit, the Ravens also shared some of their favorite ways to stay healthy with Let’s Move!

National Security Team: On Wednesday, President Obama announced the departure of Tom Donilon, former National Security Advisor, and appointed Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice as his replacement. To replace Ambassador Rice in New York, the President nominated Samantha Power.

ConnectEd: The President boarded Air Force One on Thursday and flew to North Carolina where he visited Mooresville Middle School. After touring the school, the President announced ConnectEd, a new initiative that will connect 99% of America’s students to high-speed internet within 5 years.

Following his announcement, the White House invited students from schools in Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania to join the National “Show and Tell” Google+ Hangout. Students and administrators from these schools demonstrated how they are using the internet and technology in their classrooms.

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Taking on the Patent Trolls

Our patent system is meant to encourage innovation and invention. But in recent years, companies called "patent trolls" have used abusive patent litigation designed to threaten innovators in order to extract settlements based on questionable claims.

It costs the economy billions of dollars and undermines American innovation, and today President Obama issued five executive actions and seven legislative recommendations designed to protect innovators from unnecessary litigation and improve the quality patents in our system.

Learn how the Administration is taking on patent trolls to protect American innovation.

The National Conference on Mental Health

Nationally, an estimated 45 million Americans suffer from illnesses like depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Yesterday, the White House hosted a day-long conference to kick off a national conversation about mental health in the United States.

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Hanging Out and Talking Asteroids at the White House

As part of the White House’s ongoing series of “We The Geeks” Google+ Hangouts (focused on highlighting science, technology, and innovation topics), we gathered some leaders in space exploration together for a pregame show to the near-miss of asteroid 1998 QE2 on Friday.

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Being Biden Vol. 8: Remembering Senator Lautenberg

In the latest installment of Being Biden, Vice President Biden remembers his friend, the late Senator Frank Lautenberg.

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7:00 PM: Vice President Biden Speaks at the American-Turkish Council’s Conference WATCH LIVE

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Weekly Address: Congress Should Take Action to Continue Growing the Economy

In this week’s address, President Obama says that the economy is moving in the right direction, but there is still more work to do. He calls on Congress to act to give every responsible homeowner the chance to save money on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low interest rates, put more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and fix our broken immigration system -- so that we can continue to grow our economy and create good middle class jobs.

Watch this week's Weekly Address.

“You’ve met the mission”: President Obama spoke in Annapolis, Maryland last Friday to deliver the commencement address to the U.S. Naval Academy’s class of 2013. In his address, the President congratulated the graduates for taking their oath, and praised them for meeting the mission of the Academy and proving themselves morally, mentally, and physically.

“So, Class of 2013, in your four years by the Bay, you’ve met every test before you. And today is the day that you’ve been counting down to for so long. You will take your oath. Those boards and gold bars will be placed on your shoulders. And as your Commander-in-Chief, I congratulate each of you on becoming our newest officers -- ensigns in the United States Navy, second lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps.

The Savoy School: Actress Kerry Washington joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the Savoy School in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The school was selected for the Turnaround Arts Initiative at the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities last year. While visiting, the First Lady played freeze dance and checked out art projects created by a fifth grade class.

"When you work hard and you invest thousands of hours in anything, you get better. And that’s what you guys are learning here at Savoy. Hopefully you are learning that with your math, with your reading, with your dancing, with your singing, it's about the amount of effort that you want to put into anything."

Moore, Oklahoma: President Obama traveled to Oklahoma on Sunday to join Governor Mary Fallin and Mayor Glen Lewis in Moore, a town devastated by the previous week’s tornadoes. While in Moore, the President met with first responders at the Moore Fire Department Station #1, which has served as a command center for search and rescue and survivors. President Obama also visited the badly damaged Plaza Towers Elementary School, where he offered condolences and promised that the people of Moore would have all the resources they needed to help rebuild. He used the progress made by relief efforts in Joplin and New Jersey as examples.

“When we say that we’ve got your back, I promise you, we keep our word. If you talk to folks in Alabama who have been affected over the last couple of years; you talk to the folks at Joplin, who I know have actually sent volunteers down here to Moore; if you talk to folks in New Jersey and New York, they’ll tell you that when we say we’re going to be there until you completely rebuild, we mean it.”

Honoring the Armed Forces: President Obama and the First Lady headed to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to celebrate Memorial Day with members of the armed forces and veterans. While at Arlington, the President laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honored fallen heroes, and thanked the men and women for their service and commitment to the United States.

“Today, just steps from where these brave Americans lie in eternal peace, we declare, as a proud and grateful nation, that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

“The Jersey Shore is back”: On Tuesday, the President visited the Jersey Shore to see firsthand the extensive rebuilding efforts since Hurricane Sandy struck last November. While he recognized there is still work to be done, President Obama praised families and business owners for their hard work as they rebuilt for the summer season.

“You are stronger than the storm. After all you’ve dealt with, after all you’ve been through, the Jersey Shore is back and it is open for business, and they want all Americans to know that they’re ready to welcome you here.”

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