President Obama recommends:

 


Hey Black Independent,


You probably know that President Obama shares his summer reading lists each year, but have you ever wondered why those specific books made the cut?


This year, in addition to his summer reading list, we’re excited to include President Obama’s handwritten notes that will give you a little insight into his recent reads and why he picked them up. Check out President Obama’s notes here!


"See all of President Obama's notes" with photos of a few of the notes on the right


Check out President Obama’s reading list

Next year, you’ll be able to check out President Obama’s favorite books in person when the newest Chicago Public Library branch opens at the Obama Presidential Center!


Learn more about the 19.3-acre campus here; we can’t wait to open our doors to welcome visitors from around the corner and around the world.

Learn more about the Obama Presidential Center

–The Obama Foundation

Trending Political Issues.

we continue to move forward

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Robert --  Another busy week of campaigning has passed, and we continue to move forward, meeting new people and attacting new volunteers to our efforts. Around the District On Tuesday night I was honored to be the guest of Bloomington Alderman Kevin Lower at a town hall meeting he hosted in Ward 1. Kevin’s dedication to speaking with and directly engaging his constituents is to be commended. On Saturday, we had a wonderful morning in Decatur at a local church and then participated in a family BBQ and forum hosted by the Macoupin County Republican Party. In every county organization across the district, we see energy and enthusiasm as we approach this critical election year. Volunteers at Work Volunteers are busy making phone calls, building our database, and collecting signatures on petitions. Please drop us a note if you’d like to help in anyway. Even an hour or two can help carry the campaign to victory! In DC While the government shutdown ende...
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Chris: The grassroots is fired up

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Robert, As Political Director, it's my role to train future grassroots leaders, engage communities and help our volunteers. The RNC is building the largest, earliest and most data focused field program in GOP history. And the kick-off GOP presidential debate confirmed the energy we're seeing out in the field: 24 million people tuned in to the Cleveland debate, and thousands hosted GOP watch parties that the RNC organized: The grassroots is fired up.  Here's what's going on in the field: More than 2,000 individuals have applied to be a part of our Republican Leadership Initiative (RLI). We are training and deploying field organizers throughout the entire country. Our field program is expected to expand to thousands of paid staff across the country. Like what you see? This is just the skeleton – and we need to go twice as far to take back the White House. Take your commitment to the next level by  becoming an Official RNC Member today. Every donation you mak...
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Josh: (NRSC) has launched attacks

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Friend -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has launched attacks against Patrick. A year and two months out, and the smear campaign has already begun. The NRSC is trying to tear Patrick down  right now   -- and we need to fight back. Hitting our $25,000 goal just went from “high priority” to “absolutely essential.” We’ve only got 5 more days to do it. Rush in your contribution right now. You know why these attacks are coming so early? Because the NRSC (and groups like them) are scared. Patrick has the record to beat whichever of their hand-picked candidates comes out of the primary circus in Florida. The earlier Republicans tarnish his record, the better off they’ll be. Or at least, that’s what they think.  But they’re forgetting about you, folks. We’re going to fight fire with fire here.  We’re going to reach our $25,000 goal in the next 5 days and fight against the attacks and smears.  Let’s show them that Team Murphy means business. Giv...
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The world sits at the edge of imminent and irreversible danger.

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  Robert l., The world sits at the edge of imminent and irreversible danger. In October, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sent an alarming wake up call to the world that time is running out to change the current trajectory of global warming. The report said we need “rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities” to avert the most devastating effects of a warming planet. And last month, the Fourth National Climate Assessment reported, "Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us." Please make a contribution of $25, $50, $100, or more to the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation today  to help us combat climate change with commonsense solutions designed to create jobs and build a clean, fair, and thriving economy. Your gift will be matched dollar for dolla...
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Marjorie: Ben Carson is the favorite Pro-Life candidate of the Straw Poll.

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Hi robert -- Thanks again for voting in our Pro-Life Straw Poll. Dr. Ben Carson was the winner with 58.2% of the votes! The full results are below.  All of your favorite candidates will be participating TONIGHT in the first Republican Presidential Debates.  The Susan B. Anthony List team will be “live tweeting” the debate on our Twitter feed. To follow, please add us on twitter at:  @SBAList  and  @MarjorieSBA . Don’t forget to also  “like” us on Facebook  to keep up with all the latest pro-life news. Susan B. Anthony List exists to elect pro-life champions who will pass laws that save lives. Right now, our top legislative priorities are to:  get taxpayers out of Planned Parenthood’s profit-driven, abortion-centered enterprise by defunding Planned Parenthood enact the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would stop Planned Parenthood and other late-term abortionists from inflicting brutal deaths on babies who can feel...
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Harold won the Ames Moot Court Competition in her Harvard class, a challenge that our 43 President decided to forego when he was a student.

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Robert --  Around the District The 13th Congressional District is home to many fine colleges and universities. During the course of the campaign, I have visited many of these institutions and had the opportunity to speak with students regarding political issues of concern to their generation. I recently participated in a town hall sponsored by the College Republicans at the University of Illinois-Springfield. The young people in attendance asked thoughtful questions and shared insightful observations regarding the state of the Republican Party. The College Republicans also offered to host a debate between all of the 13th District Republican candidates. I hope that such a debate will occur because it will provide college students with the information they need to make an informed choice in the March primary. In Washington, DC While Congress finally has passed a budget, it fails to meaningfully address our $17.2 trillion national debt and unacceptably targets ...
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This is no way to run a country.

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    Robert -- This is no way to run a country. Across Oregon and throughout America, there are people out of work. There are kids who want to go to college but can't afford it.  There are bridges literally in danger of falling down and schools with leaking roofs and out-of-date textbooks.  We have big challenges that we should be coming together to try to solve. Instead, the Tea Party has shut down the government and made many of our problems worse. Here's the situation: The House and Senate laid out different budgets six months ago, assuming different levels of spending and investment. For the last six months, Republicans in the Senate have repeatedly filibustered every attempt to negotiate an agreed-upon budget.   More recently, to avoid a shutdown, t...
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students are counting on us to act.

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  Robert, With the new school year approaching, students are counting on us to act. On July 1, rates on federal student loans doubled from 3.4% to 6.8%.  The shame of it is this could have been easily avoided – all Congress had to do was pass a plan that would have frozen student loan interest rates. Yesterday, Republicans yet again blocked a plan that could restore the original 3.4% interest rate. Instead, students are staring at an unplanned, unexpected increase in their debt – a debt that could haunt them their adult lives. We need to bring these rates down so students can invest in homes of their own, start families and blossom in their careers. I cannot make this happen without your help.  Will you join me in calling on Congress to take action now? Click here to sign this petition, and urge Congress to keep student loan interest rates low....
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Nick: trickle-down economics looks more like Chicken Little Economics with every passing day.

An introductory note from Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor: If you've seen my film  Inequality for All  then you may recognize  Nick Hanauer . He's the Seattle-based entrepreneur who appeared in it to talk about the damage income inequality is doing to the middle class. Last year we joined together to ask Democracy for America members to call on President Obama and the Department of Labor to make more workers eligible for overtime. More than 73,000 of you signed that petition. Thanks to the leadership of organizations like the Center for American Progress and the Economic Policy Institute, as well as your activism with us through Democracy for America, President Obama announced last week that he will  direct the Department of Labor to expand the number of workers who can receive overtime pay. That's just the first step. Now we need to tell the Labor Department we support the proposed rules. Democracy for America, Nick, and I are joining forces to ask DFA mem...
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Hilary: everyone deserves a chance to succeed

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        Dear Black Independent Party -- I know you share in a simple – but profound – idea that shapes everything the Clinton Foundation does – that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to act, and we all do better when we work together. Bill, Chelsea, and the Foundation’s team work tirelessly to improve lives across the country and around the world. If you add your name today, you’ll not only join in making that incredible work possible, but you will also be entered to win a chance to meet all of me, Bill & Chelsea at the Foundation’s Gala in New York City on May 24. Please click here right now to enter to win the contest to be my guest at The Clinton Foundation’s Gala on May 24. At the Gala, you’ll learn about their continued efforts to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service. The Foundation is helping people build better lives for themselves, their familie...
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