Service members and their families stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, one of the largest training bases for the U.S. Army, received a special visit on May 3 from The First Lady, Dr. Biden and Astronaut Mark Kelly. They were joined by lifelong literacy advocate LeVar Burton, the host of Reading Rainbow®, for a story time event for students on-base at Thayer Elementary School. The event was part of the White House’s Joining Forces initiative. Celebrating its 5th anniversary, the initiative works to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.
Burton, whose father was in the army and mother an English teacher said of the event, “I was truly honored to be asked to join the First Lady, Dr. Biden and Captain Kelly for the book reading to children of military families. I know from personal experience the sacrifices they and their families make every day on behalf of our nation.” Burton also added that the event was especially important as it focused on reading. “Literacy is the gateway to children reaching their full potential as human beings.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/74044512-reading-rainbow-skybrary-school/
The plan for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants that President Obama unveiled at the climate conference in Paris will come with an overall price tag that should greatly trouble American consumers and business and will have little meaningful impact on global warming, cautioned the National Mining Association.
“The plan will replace low-cost power supplies with more expensive and less reliable sources of power. And these increases will show up in monthly utility bills and have a particularly devastating effect on low-income households. About half of all American families already pay close to 20 percent of their disposable income on energy-related expenses.” said Luke Popovich, Vice President, Communications, National Mining Association.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) issued a report card on President Obama's immigration efforts over the past seven years and made recommendations for how to reform immigration in his last year.
“In recent days and weeks he has shown leadership in protecting refugees from Syria,” said AILA President Victor Nieblas Pradis. “But until recently, the president's response was timid and he still plans to resettle only 10,000 Syrian refugees this year. He can save many more lives by setting his target at 100,000 Syrian refugees.”
“In our own hemisphere, when Central American individuals and families, including young children, arrived at our southern border seeking refuge from the horrific violence plaguing those countries, the president should have protected them, but instead, he treated them as a border threat. The president should acknowledge that the situation in Central America is a humanitarian crisis and use every tool at his disposal to protect those fleeing. Most important he should stop detaining thousands of families.”
“The reforms to the legal immigration system he promised a year ago have moved forward at a glacial pace, earning him an incomplete. He can benefit the economy enormously by implementing plans to encourage research, development and entrepreneurial start-ups.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7683151-aila-national-immigration-report-card/
For negotiators at the Paris climate conference (COP21) to successfully advance global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, nations must embrace a prominent role for nuclear energy.
The Obama administration highlighted the crucial role of nuclear energy when it convened a White House Summit on Nuclear Energy earlier this month. “As America leads the global transition to a low-carbon economy, the continued development of new and advanced nuclear technologies along with support for currently operating nuclear power plants is an important component of our clean energy strategy,” a White House fact sheet developed for the summit states. Many environmentalists are also giving nuclear energy a second look, as they seek practical solutions to constrain carbon emissions.
Nuclear energy facilities provide 63 percent of America’s zero-carbon electricity. Globally, nuclear power plants provide one-third of all zero-carbon electricity. One of nuclear energy’s major advantages relative to other low-carbon energy sources is its unique ability to produce large-scale electricity around-the-clock in extreme weather conditions. Nuclear energy facilities don’t rely on the wind blowing, the sun shining, or just-in-time deliveries of fuel by truck, barge, rail or pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. nuclear energy industry’s average capacity factor—a common measure of efficiency and reliability—was 92 percent.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7694251-nuclear-energy-cop21-climate-goals/
The Obama administration is holding the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy today discussing the role of nuclear energy in reducing carbon emissions linked to the threat of climate change. The event will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.gov and YouTube beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
“Nuclear energy has a really important role to play in the fight against climate change, and I think administrations in the past have recognized this but they’ve tended to be kind of quiet about it,” said Eileen Claussen, founder of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7677651-nei-nuclear-energy-summit/
A new Obama administration regulation–the so-called Stream Protection Rule–is about to drive up energy costs and unemployment with no gain in environmental benefits, cautions the National Mining Association.
“The primary motive of this regulation is not to protect streams, as its title would suggest, but to protect federal regulators' jobs at the expense of coal miners' jobs as the nation's energy providers,” said Luke Popovich, vice president of communications for the National Mining Association.
In a classic example of needless regulation, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, or OSM, plans to change more than 475 regulations, as well as add more new rules – despite no demonstrated need. OSM has crafted the rule behind closed doors, Popovich said, shutting cooperating states out of discussions about the purpose and content of the regulation.
The new rule carries a heavy economic price tag, Popovich warned. He pointed to an analysis by an independent consultant that found that OSM’s rule would put more than 268,000 mining and dependent jobs at risk—adding to the 40,000 high-wage jobs already lost in the industry.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
MORE, the magazine for women of style and substance, today announced that First Lady Michelle Obama will be the first-ever guest editor of the magazine for its upcoming July/August 2015 issue, on newsstands June 23. This historic issue also marks the first time that a First Lady of the United States has guest edited an entire issue of a magazine.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7530851-more-magazine-flotus/
Money Management International (MMI) is participating in a nationwide partnership to help families struggling with their mortgage payments apply for help from the Federal government’s Making Home Affordable Program (MHA). The MHA program is an important part of the Obama administration’s comprehensive plan to help homeowners get mortgage relief and avoid foreclosure.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52440-money-management-international-mmi-mortgage-relief-mha-program
New proposed regulations from the Obama administration will force power plants to abandon the use of coal, the largest source of the nation’s electricity, resulting in higher utility bills for households and businesses and lost opportunities for responsibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the National Mining Association (NMA) said today.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63063-national-mining-association-nma-epa-new-source-performance-standard
“Obama Confidential” is a compilation of 57 “fake” letters to President Obama from celebrities as well as from ordinary citizens. The book also includes 15 “replies” from Obama, plus photos of Obama “at work” in the White House with amusing captions. Learn more about this hilarious new book at: www.obamaconfidential.com Satire
To kick off National Mental Health Awareness Month, starting on May 1 the Child Mind Institute presents Speak Up for Kids, a month-long online dialogue to promote children’s mental health and help eliminate barriers to care. Responding to President Obama’s call for a national conversation about mental health in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Speak Up for Kids brings together the nation’s mental health leadership to give parents the information they need to remove stigma and get kids effective mental health care.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61539-child-mind-institute-launches-speak-up-for-kids-online-programming
