Category: 2015

This year we mark the centennial of the Meds Yeghern, the first mass atrocity of the 20th Century.  Beginning in 1915, the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were deported, massacred, and marched to their deaths.  Their culture and heritage in their ancient homeland were erased. Amid horrific violence that saw suffering on all sides, one…

National Security Advisor Susan Rice met at the White House this afternoon with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres. During their meeting, they discussed the grave humanitarian crises facing Africa and the Middle East – from Kenya to Syria to Yemen – and addressed the significant needs of refugees and other displaced and…

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 10:05 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  This morning, I want to express our grief and condolences to the families of two hostages.  One American, Dr. Warren Weinstein, and an Italian, Giovanni Lo Porto, who were tragically killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation. Warren and Giovanni were aid workers in Pakistan…

South Lawn 2:27 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  Welcome to the White House.  Please have a seat.  And, well, maybe before you have a seat, give it up for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots!  (Applause.)  All right, now you can have a seat. A couple of points I’d make at the outset. …

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Washington, D.C. 7:29 P.M. EDT THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Ron, Mr. Ambassador, my name is Joe Biden, and everybody knows I love Israel. I was thinking as Ron was saying that he doesn’t know what it’s like in Catholic families — whether we argue as much as allegedly occurs in Jewish families. …

The United States welcomes the decision by the Government of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners to conclude Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen.  With this announcement, we look forward to a shift from military operations to the rapid, unconditional resumption of all-party negotiations that allow Yemen to resume an inclusive political transition process as envisioned…

National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice met today with Foreign Minister Nikolaos Kotzias of Greece.  Ambassador Rice and the Foreign Minister discussed a range of security issues in Europe and the Middle East, including Russia’s actions in Ukraine.  They agreed that full implementation of the three Minsk agreements is essential to resolving the crisis in…

East Room 11:05 A.M. EDT MRS. OBAMA:  How are you guys doing today? CHILD:  Great! MRS. OBAMA:  Great!  Was that a — that was great.  It’s been great?  Why has it been so great? CHILD:  It’s fun. MRS. OBAMA:  It’s fun. CHILD:  Because we’re at the White House. MRS. OBAMA:  You’re at the White House! …

The Everglades, Florida 3:16 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  Please have a seat.  It’s good to be back in Florida.  So I can’t think of a better way to spend Earth Day than in one of our nation’s greatest natural treasures, the Everglades.  (Applause.)  And anybody who comes here to visit — and I…

This year, as part of her Reach Higher initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver commencement addresses at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL; Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH; and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Preparatory High School (King College Prep) in Chicago, IL. All of these institutions are doing their part to answer the…