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Health: The Fight For The Health Of 9/11 First Responders
A quarter century after 9/11, the health of those who responded to the attacks continues to be affected.Some 3,000 people died across three locations that day. An estimated 400,000 people were exposed to toxic contaminants and risked physical injury in the hours and days that followed. That’s according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Since the dust and debris have settled, more than 96,000 have been diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions related to 9/11.In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, establishing the World Trade Center Health Program and reopening the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Today, more than 150,000 people are enrolled in the program.But that program wouldn’t exist without the advocacy of survivors and first responders who put their bodies and lives on the line following the attacks. How did that fight for care unfold?For more information about the Rutgers WTC Health Program, click here. And to learn more about applying, click here.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Former U.S. Presidents, Entertainment, Sports and Media Leaders Convene in Rare Gathering to Celebrate Country’s 250th Anniversary
Former president Barack Obama appeared alongside former first lady Michelle Obama, five other former U.S. leaders, actors Nicole Kidman and Ted Danson, 'SNL' players Tina Fey and Colin Jost, NFL playe...
Congressional Black Caucus chair says Trump's post on the Obamas shows a 'bigoted and racist regime'
The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus says the Trump administration has a chance to change after President Donald Trump posted a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as primates in the jungle
How Obama’s Strategist Discouraged Biden From Running in 2016
In a new set of oral histories, David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s political adviser, described how he urged Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. not to challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination.
Barack Obama confronts the work that remains for Democrats
Former President Barack Obama on Thursday is getting what he wanted for so long: his words carved into stone, a monument to his presidency entering the Chicago skyline.
Nancy Pelosi doubles down on defending Obama's strikes on Libya while attacking Trump: 'Read the law'
Nancy Pelosi defended her contrasting positions on military strikes, supporting Barack Obama's Libya attacks while condemning Donald Trump's Operation Epic Fury.
Ben Affleck says political 'hypocrisy, corruption and failure' left him 'disillusioned'
The actor, who once campaigned for Al Gore and Barack Obama, says he's now 'averse' to politics due to corruption.
Aliens are ‘real,’ Obama says, as Washington shrugs
The former president appeared to confirm decades-old conspiracy theories. Lawmakers say Barack Obama is simply saying what many Americans already believe.
From Hyde Park to the White House: how Barack Obama's political rise unfolded
Obama's star power gets a reality check from Black voters in crucial Senate race: 'It's a turn-off'
Barack Obama's endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed drew mixed reactions from Detroit Black voters, with undecided residents saying it didn't move the needle.
Obama encourages people to not give in to despair in current political climate
Former President Barack Obama speaks at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, imploring Americans not to give in to cynicism and despair in the current divisive political climate.
Obamas inaugurate presidential center, cementing their political legacy in Chicago
The new campus on Chicago’s South Side is more than a traditional presidential library. It harkens back to former President Barack Obama’s political origins as a community organizer.
Durbin: Obama election 'one of the real satisfactions of my career'
Sen. Dick Durbin talks early losses, major wins, Barack Obama and ahead of his retirement.
How the Supreme Court just rewrote the rules of politics
After years of political party power players like Senator Mitch McConnell trying to take control of national party purse strings to which candidates to help and how to shape the party, all it took was one ruling by the Supreme Court to change the way campaign politics is funded. Jen Psaki talks with Jim Messina, former campaign manager for President Barack Obama about how the Supreme Court's ruling changes the game in terms of how political donations are spent.
Mamdani and Obama set to meet face-to-face in New York City
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will meet with former President Barack Obama on Saturday at a child care event in New York City, a source familiar told CNN.
Exclusive: Barack Obama’s hidden hand shaping Democrats’ AI debate
The former president is pushing 2028 Democratic hopefuls to develop specific plans for how to tackle AI — but some of them are wary of antagonizing the industry.
Barack Obama blames Larry David for his infamous tan suit scandal in new sketch
Former president Barack Obama pokes fun at his tan suit debacle with Larry David on the season finale of ‘Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.’
Barack Obama Speaks Out About Racist Video Donald Trump Posted
After Trump shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, the former president addressed the ‘deeply troubling’ behavior.
With Oval Office replica and skyline views of Chicago, Obama's new museum is political and personal
Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the Chicago location to the textured stone adorning its dramatic tower, art installations and a striped reading chairs that resemble ones in his own home
Sunny, the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog, dies at 13
Sunny, the Portuguese water dog who romped into the White House at the start of President Barack Obama’s second term and injected the mansion with playful — at times, too playful — energy, has died. She was 13.
Barack Obama to campaign with Ohio Democrats as he expands his outreach ahead of Election Day
Former President Barack Obama is heading to Ohio and Michigan to campaign for Democratic candidates in key Senate and governor's races.
The politics of public health from Obamacare to COVID
The last three presidents — Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump — have all had to deal with health care in America. And along the way, they've clashed with how politics works in Washington D.C. This created today’s environment where the understanding of science is scorned, medical disinformation thrives and creating a nation unprepared for the next health crisis.
Obama says U.S. may be ‘worse off’ now than before Iran war
The former president told NBC’s “TODAY” show he questioned the rationale for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
Iran war diverts US military and attention from Asia ahead of Trump's summit with China's leader
President Barack Obama in 2011 declared it was time to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter China’s rise
Barack Obama encourages Stephen Colbert to run for president ahead of 'Late Show' final episode: 'The bar has changed'
Barack Obama appeared amid Stephen Colbert's final stretch of guests on 'The Late Show' before the program ends its three-decade run on May 21. The former president encouraged Colbert's tepid political ambitions.
Stuart Altman, former Brandeis president and economic adviser to US presidents, dies at 88
In various capacities, Stuart Altman was an adviser in the administrations of five presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Obama meets Mamdani in New York City before reading to preschoolers
Former President Barack Obama has met privately with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani before joining together to read to preschoolers at a child care center in the Bronx | 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA
Obama, Nicole Kidman, Tina Fey, Jason Kelce Attend HISTORYTalks 2026
Former president Barack Obama appeared alongside former first lady Michelle Obama, five other former U.S. leaders, actors Nicole Kidman and Ted Danson, 'SNL' players Tina Fey and Colin Jost, NFL players Tom Brady and Jason Kelce, and more to discuss legacy and leadership for HISTORYTalks 2026.
Curing U.S. Health Care, Part I
In 2008, much to their own surprise, leading Democrats unified around a program of major health care reform. Policy wonks had spent years developing the concepts behind what eventually became Obamacare; big Democratic victories in the 2006 midterms and the prospect of controlling both Congress and the presidency made it possible to imagine turning those ideas into reality. During the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama advocated similar plans, based on those ideas, for expanding insurance coverage. And it happened! The Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010. When it was fully implemented in 2014, millions of Americans got health insurance: Impressive as the raw numbers are, they don’t tell the whole story. Before the ACA, even upper-middle-class Americans often found it impossible to get health insurance if they had pre-existing medical conditions. Many Americans were trapped in jobs they wanted to leave but couldn’t for fear of losing their employment-based coverage. Meanwhile, dire predictions from the usual suspects about runaway costs proved wrong. In fact, overall U.S. medical spending has grown much more slowly since the ACA was enacted than before. But the U.S., alone among advanced nations, still falls far short of providing universal health care. As you can see from the chart above, 8 percent of the population was still uninsured in 2024, a number that is set to rise over the next two years as a result of Republican policies. True, many of the uninsured in 2024 were undocumented immigrants, who we don’t try to cover. But there are still a lot of uninsured. Moreover, a significant number of Americans who have health insurance are in fact underinsured. As a result, they are at risk of incurring devastating healthcare costs and are sometimes forced to forgo needed care. This number is set to rise sharply in the next two years as a result of Republican policies adopted under Donald Trump. And not only is the U.S. unique among advanced countries in its under-provision of health care coverage, it also incurs by far the world’s highest healthcare costs per capita. So now may well be a good time to get behind a new push for major health reform — an effort, if you like, to finish the job begun under Obama. Today’s primer is devoted to the economics of health reform. During his failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump famously complained, “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated.” Actually, we did know — and it’s not that complicated. Health economists understand the principles very well. And because health policy varies greatly among advanced nations, we know a lot about what works and what doesn’t. This will be the first in a series about health reform. Beyond the paywall I’ll address the following: 1. Why markets can’t be trusted to deliver healthcare 2. Routes to universal healthcare 3. What works? In a follow-up post I’ll discuss the pros and cons of different approaches, and possible paths forward for the United States.
Moment Margaret Hamilton receives presidential medal of honour
Barack Obama awarded the Apollo 11 software engineer with the America's highest civilian honour in 2016.
Trump called Sen. Tim Scott after lawmaker condemned image of Obamas
President Trump called GOP Sen. Tim Scott after the South Carolina Republican publicly urged the president to remove a reposted video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
WATCH: House lawmakers speak ahead of Kathy Ruemmler interview in Epstein probe
Kathryn Ruemmler, the former top lawyer at Goldman Sachs who was White House counsel to President Barack Obama, said Wednesday in testimony to Congress that it “was a mistake to deal with” Jeffrey Epstein but insisted she never witnessed criminal activities.
Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
A new set of oral history interviews documents how Barack Obama and his advisers missed the shifting mood of the country that would ultimately replace him with a successor they considered a “con man,” “clown” and “laughingstock.”
'Stop playing politics': Ginther, Council trade barbs over $2.5M Barack Center repairs
A fight over $2.5 million in repairs to a tornado-damaged Southside community center has escalated into a public political clash between Columbus Mayor Andrew G
Trump shares racist video depicting Obamas as apes, sparking outrage
President Donald Trump shared a racist video on his social media platform Thursday night that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, sparking intense condemnation.
Today’s horoscope: Aries - don’t mix business with pleasure (Aug. 4, 2026)
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Cole Sprouse, 34; Dylan Sprouse, 34; Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, 45; Barack Obama, 65.
Obama endorses Virginia redistricting push with early voting set to begin
Former President Barack Obama on Thursday threw his support behind a redistricting effort in Virginia that aims to flip four Republican-held US House seats ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Michelle Obama reveals what the 'truth is' about Barack Obama marriage
Barack and Michelle Obama are sharing why their marriage just works.
Obama meets Mamdani in New York City before reading to preschoolers
Former President Barack Obama has met privately with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani before joining together to read to preschoolers at a child care center in the Bronx.
Obama Presidential Center opening: See the celebs who attended
Barack Obama's presidential center opened in Chicago with Oprah, Tom Hanks, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen among the A-listers in attendance.
Maya Rudolph reveals what Barack Obama told her after unaired 'SNL' sketch
Maya Rudolph is remembering the time she nearly played Barack Obama on 'SNL' — with Barack Obama — and the comment he made that she's still puzzling over to this day.
Donald Trump prompts fury after posting racist video about Barack and Michelle Obama
The US president posted a racist video on Truth Social that included disproven allegations about ballot-counting
Rob Reiner Turned Political Activism Into Lasting Impact: Director-Actor Played Key Role In Efforts On Early Childhood Development, LGBTQ+ Rights
As figures including Barack Obama, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom shared their tributes to Rob Reiner, it was a reminder that the director-actor’s impact on politics went beyond fund raising and celebrity endorsement. Over several decades, Reiner led efforts to pass an early childhood development initiative in California, and he later helped spearhead a drive […]
Columbus Councilmembers say mayor playing politics over damaged rec center
Columbus City Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer is accusing Mayor Andrew Ginther of using Barack Recreation Center as a "political prop" after it was damaged by a tornado in August.
Obama says US 'less safe' after Trump erases power to fight climate change
Barack Obama said the U.S. is "less safe" after President Donald Trump repealed the legal basis for federal regulations targeting climate change.
Why the Muslim Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in the Michigan Senate race
The Muslim Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in Michigan’s Senate race, with Republicans trying to cast Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed as sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror and El-Sayed arguing that he is being unfairly accused of the same “dual loyalties” that former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama once were.
Trump posts a doctored photo of the Obamas and Air Force One with graffiti spray-painted on plane
President Donald Trump has posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One covered with graffiti | News-Talk 1380 WAOK
Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
A new set of oral history interviews documents how Barack Obama and his advisers missed the shifting mood of the country that would ultimately replace him with a successor they considered a “con man,” “clown” and “laughingstock.”
Rahm Emanuel moves to the left on Israel
Emanuel, who worked on a massive Iron Dome defense package as President Barack Obama's chief of staff, is calling for an end to U.S. taxpayer military funding for Israel.
Presidential museum showcases political and personal sides of Obama with sprawling community campus
CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the location on Chicago's South Side to textured stone adorning its dramatic tower to striped reading chairs that are similar to ones in his own home.
Only Donald Trump could make America’s special 250th birthday all about him
The milestone called for the epic vision of a JFK or the soaring oratory of a Barack Obama. Instead it got a Trump rally
'Clown show': Barack Obama on Trump post depicting Obamas as apes
Former President Barack Obama said a video President Donald Trump posted depicting Obama and his wife as apes was part of a shameless "clown show."
How Barack Obama reacted to Michigan winning 2026 NCAA Championship
Barack Obama was quick to celebrate Michigan’s NCAA Championship win, recognising a historic moment as the Wolverines finally ended a decades-long wait for the title. The victory was not just about one night.
Barack and Michelle Obama surprise first visitors to newly opened presidential center
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama surprised some of the first visitors to walk through the doors of Obama’s new presidential center, personally greeting them.
Dedication ceremony held for Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
The Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public Friday on Juneteenth
Barack Obama appears with James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at Austin restaurant
The former president greeted patrons while stopping for tacos near the University of Texas at Austin campus — a notable show of support for the Democrats atop the ticket this fall.
Obama calls Los Angeles homelessness an ‘atrocity,’ criticizes 'losing' political strategy
Obama called Los Angeles homelessness an "atrocity" despite billions spent, warns current approach is "losing political strategy" for addressing crisis.
Political debate over AI intensifies amid warnings about ‘catastrophic risk’
(CNN) — The debate around artificial intelligence is ramping up in Washington, with Democratic lawmakers sounding alarms on the dangers they say the technology poses and Republican leaders suggesting those concerns are inflated and secondary to winning the AI race with China.Some Democratic lawmakers last week pressured House Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene the chamber immediately to work on AI regulation, citing what they describe as the “catastrophic risk posed by advanced artificial intelligence.” But the Louisiana Republican on Sunday resisted those calls, instead saying industry leaders should meet with lawmakers to find “balance” in any potential guardrails.“If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American,” Johnson said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama told Democrats to make artificial intelligence regulation a central part of their agenda during a private fundraiser Thursday, warning that the technology could be dangerous “if we don’t get on top of it.”In a fireside chat with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Obama said whoever runs in the 2028 presidential election should have a “very clear plan” on AI, adding that he saw the need for a “blueprint” on AI guardrails even at the end of his presidency a decade ago.“Certainly, if I were running for president next year, this would be one of my central agendas, and I would have a very clear plan, and I would talk about this, and I would say, ‘Here’s our plan for safety, here’s our plan for making sure our kids are not corrupted by this,’” he said, per excerpts of the remarks provided to CNN by his office. Obama’s remarks were first reported by the New York Times.Concerns over the rapid acceleration of AI reached a fever pitch after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a 3,800-word essay Saturday that the race to develop artificial intelligence is in dire need of a slowdown. The call to action came after an OpenAI test model breached the Hugging Face online platform, deepening concerns about cybersecurity.In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Saturday, Amodei called on industry leaders to work together to avoid “the wrong paths” and the possibility of AI harming humanity.One Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, resigned from the firm over worries that the industry wasn’t doing enough to prevent AI from destroying humanity by the end of the decade.Obama said Democrats need a plan to get their agenda on AI underway should they win the House majority in this year’s midterms.Speaking to Jeffries, who is presumed to be speaker of the House should Democrats prevail in November, Obama said, “Once you are speaker, I would strongly urge that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation, and you can break it out into three or four or five issues.”Obama stressed that the framework should be centered on the reality that the technology can’t be stuffed “back into a box.”“This is something that is moving very fast in private hands, and if we don’t get on top of it, I think can be dangerous. If we do get on top of it, I do think it’s beneficial,” Obama said, laying out examples of AI’s potential use in drug development and finding pathways to a clean energy future.“We don’t want to shut off those opportunities, but we have to understand that this is a tool,” he said.Jeffries agreed with the former president in a statement provided to CNN on Sunday.“President Obama is correct that decisive action must be taken on Artificial Intelligence,” he said, adding, “In the majority, we will move urgently on this issue with a legislative response that recognizes the importance of American companies continuing to lead in the Artificial Intelligence area, while putting in place meaningful guardrails that protect the American people from bad actors and the very real damage that can be done to humanity.”Jeffries also accused Republicans of having “abdicated their responsibility to govern” and said Democrats “will not repeat their error.”A source familiar with Obama’s thinking said the former president sees Amodei’s letter and similar reaction from other tech moguls as an encouraging development.But President Donald Trump waved off their concerns, saying he is not worried about any existential threat posed by AI, focusing instead on the US winning in its development of the technology over China.“We’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way,” Trump said to reporters at the Amgen Irish Open on Sunday.About the concerns expressed by Democrats and others over the technology, the president said, “I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up, and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen.”One of Trump’s top economic advisers, Kevin Hassett, also rejected the calls for slowing the technology down, saying on Sunday the bigger concern is a scenario in which a “malevolent actor has access to an AI that’s better than the one we have that can protect us.”Hassett, the National Economic Council director, said on “State of the Union” the White House may hold meetings this week about addressing Amodei’s concerns, but he did not specify whether Trump had floated greater safeguards.“I have concerns that if we don’t win AI, we’re going to be put in a very bad position,” Hassett said. “We are leading China right now.”CNN’s Alison Main and Molly English contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.THE-CNN-WIRE (TM) & © 2026 CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC., A TIME WARNER COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Obama, Biden, Clintons remember Jesse Jackson in Chicago memorial service
Rev. Jesse Jackson's memorial service draws former Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton to Chicago's House of Hope arena on Friday.
Trump posts a doctored photo of the Obamas and Air Force One with graffiti spray-painted on plane
President Donald Trump has posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One covered with graffiti | WWJ Newsradio 950
Trump says 'we're taking care' of rural health while swiping at 'corrupt' Democrats
President Donald Trump uses a White House rural health care event to take swipes at Barack Obama and Democrats.
Abdul El-Sayed and Barack Obama spoke as Democrats seek to unify following heated Senate primary
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described a “really warm” conversation with former President Barack Obama as the party seeks to find a path forward following last week’s bruising primary.
A day in the life of Caitlin Clark: All-Star business as usual, Barack Obama's presidential perspective and 'Studbudz' shoutouts
At her third All-Star in as many seasons, Caitlin Clark is garnering more attention than ever.
Obama official who backed Iran deal sparks online outrage with reaction to Trump's strike: 'Sit this one out'
Ben Rhodes, Obama official behind 2015 Iran deal, faces conservative backlash after criticizing Trump's military strike on Iran on social media platforms.
Dedication ceremony held for Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
The Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public Friday on Juneteenth
DHS investigating claim about Swalwell nanny filed by conspiracy theorist
Joel Gilbert, who mailed anti-Barack Obama film to voters in 2012, accuses congressman of violating immigration law
Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law's terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance
Abdul El-Sayed acknowledged his sister-in-law's involvement in a federal terrorist watchlist lawsuit, days before former President Barack Obama campaigns with him.
10 new paperbacks to pick up this month
From a nonfiction book by Emily Wilson to titles praised by Barack Obama and Conan O'Brien, there's much to read this September.
As Trump toys with disaster aid, Congress eyes FEMA change
New Jersey, snubbed for $84 million in aid after damaging cold, is among Democratic states turned away by a Republican president
Stephen Colbert wears tan suit to Obama Presidential Center opening, winking at 2014 White House fashion controversy
Stephen Colbert wore a tan suit to the Obama Presidential Center opening, calling back to the controversy surrounding Barack Obama wearing a tan suit to a press conference in 2014.
Obama meets Mamdani in New York City before reading to preschoolers
Former President Barack Obama has met privately with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani before joining together to read to preschoolers at a child care center in the Bronx | 830 WCCO
Jenna Bush Hager sits down with former Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden
The former presidents shared a message for the American people ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in July.
Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90
Margaret H. Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab during NASA’s Apollo program, died at age 90.
In First Public Comments Since Trump’s Racist Video, Obama Laments Lost Decorum
In a podcast interview, former President Barack Obama did not directly address the video posted by Mr. Trump but denounced a “clown show” on social media.
Curing U.S. Health Care, Part II
On March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — usually referred to either as the Affordable Care Act or as Obamacare — into law. Joe Biden, then the vice president, could be overheard whispering “This is a big fucking deal.” And it was. The ACA, which went into full effect in 2014, created a system of subsidies and regulations designed to make health insurance available to many Americans who had previously been left out. It worked: In 2010 there were 47 million uninsured people in America, but by 2016 this number had dropped to 27 million. This still fell short of the universal health insurance that every other advanced nation has, but it was real progress. In 2017, during his first term, Donald Trump tried to destroy the ACA, replacing it with the American Health Care Act — legislation that would have eliminated most of the provisions that expanded health insurance under Obama. At the time the Congressional Budget Office projected that the G.O.P.’s replacement bill would nearly double the number of Americans without health insurance, increasing the total uninsured population by 23 million and undoing all of the progress achieved under the ACA. However, the attack on Obamacare failed by one vote in the Senate, and the ensuing public backlash against the G.O.P. delivered a large victory in the 2018 midterms to the Democrats. After these developments many observers assumed that the ACA had become a more or less permanent feature of American life. Such assessments, however, failed to take into account the deep hostility of the U.S. right toward policies that expand access to healthcare. As we’ll see, this hostility goes back generations. And the second Trump administration has taken actions that the CBO projects will add 16 million people to the rolls of the uninsured by 2034. How did we get here? And now what? Today’s primer will analyze the political economy of U.S. healthcare since the 1940s and the combination of danger and opportunity created by the current crisis. Beyond the paywall I will discuss the following: US health care on the eve of Trump II 80 years of US health politics The Obamacare story The new assault on healthcare
Obama admits 'genuine tension' in marriage over pressure to stay in politics
Former President Barack Obama says his role as President Donald Trump's most high-profile critic has created tension in his marriage with former first lady Michelle Obama.
WATCH LIVE: Barack and Michelle Obama open Obama Presidential Center with Springsteen, Stevie Wonder
Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago.
Larry David and Barack Obama's American history show is deeply cringe
For Larry David and Barack Obama, history is a laughing matter. And they've got the sketch comedy show to prove it.
Trump Shares Video Portraying the Obamas as Apes
The video, shared by the president’s Truth Social account, contains a brief clip of the faces of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, on the bodies of apes.
Presidential museum showcases political and personal sides of Obama with sprawling community campus
Former President Barack Obama’s influence in his presidential museum runs deep, from the Chicago location to the textured stone adorning its dramatic tower to art installations and a pair of striped reading chairs in the library that are similar to the ones he owns.
How Jesse Jackson reshaped US politics
The civil rights leader, who died at 84, became the first major Black candidate for US president in 1984 and 1988. His groundbreaking bids expanded the Democratic electorate, built the Rainbow Coalition and laid political groundwork for future candidates, including Barack Obama.
Trump shares a racist video that depicts the Obamas as primates
President Donald Trump used his social media account to share a video about election conspiracy theories that includes a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle.
A feature of the Obama White House, Sunny dies at 14
(CNN) — Sunny, the Portuguese water dog who romped into the White House at the start of President Barack Obama’s second term and injected the mansion with playful — at
Leavitt unloads on Obama over voter ID push, accuses Dems of 'panic'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticizes former President Barack Obama for opposing voter ID laws after House passes SAVE Act.
Obama compares ICE’s ‘rogue behavior’ in Minnesota to dictatorships
Former President Barack Obama said that the behavior of ICE agents in Minnesota over the past few months was “deeply concerning and dangerous.”
Obama says Democrats should have a ‘very clear plan’ on AI policy
Researchers at AI companies have been warning about safety risks and industry leaders have called for a slowdown in development.
Former President Obama endorses David Crowley in Wisconsin governor's race
MADISON (WKOW) — Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for Wisconsin governor.
Whole Hog Politics: What Democrats can learn from Tennessee, Aftyn Behn and Rahm Emanuel
It seems unlikely that former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel could capture the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. The guy who as Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff had a gag namep…
Al Green kicked out of State of the Union after holding sign protesting Trump
The Texas Democrat held a sign that read “BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT APES!” It’s a reference to a video Trump shared on social media this month that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
Obama calls Trump administration’s investigation into Ilhan Omar ‘appalling’
Former President Barack Obama on Sunday called the Justice Department’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar “appalling,” saying the government is attempting to intimidate and deport one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics.
Kayla Lusane inspires students by taking learning beyond the classroom walls
For Kayla Lusane, teaching science at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology is about more than textbooks—it's about opening doors.
Former Associates of Pres. Obama Discuss his Rise in U.S. Politics
Former associates of Pres. Barack Obama join the Institute of Politics founder David Axelrod for a discussion on the 44th president's journey through American Politics.
Vance, Harris, Obama issue tributes to Rev Jesse Jackson
JD Vance, Kamala Harris, and Barack Obama were among the prominent figures who issued remarks pertaining to Reverend Jesse Jackson following his death on Tuesday.
Americans view Obama far more positively than Trump or Biden, CNN poll finds
As Barack Obama opens his presidential center, he does so as by far the most popular living president.
Virginia’s redistricting fight ramps up as opponents wield Barack Obama’s past comments
An argument over former President Barack Obama’s past comments about gerrymandering reflects the conundrum that worries some Democratic allies ahead of an April 21 referendum. Having promoted nonpartisan redistricting in the past, Obama, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other top Democrats now have to motivate voters to turn out for a special election to impose a gerrymander.
Trump posts video that depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as apes
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina called the video racist and urged the president to take it down
The Beclowning of Scott Bessent
One iron law of current politics is that nobody who associates themselves with Donald Trump emerges with a shred of credibility. For some, that’s not a big loss — it’s not as if anyone respected Pete Hegseth even before he decided that the key to military success in an age of drones and AI was more testosterone. For others, however, the costs are real. I’m old enough to remember when Marco Rubio was widely considered a reasonable, thoughtful politician. Right now, however, my candidate for the biggest loser is Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury. Bessent started out with significant reputation to lose: When Trump selected him, this was the headline in the Financial Times: Jason Furman, Barack Obama’s chief economist, described him as a “credible Treasury secretary who has a real understanding of the global economy”. But Bessent has now transformed himself into the Baghdad Bob of bonds. Three weeks ago, after intervening (for reasons that remain somewhat unclear) to support the Japanese yen, Bessent boasted about his ability to move markets and dared investors to bet against his, declaring “I am the house now.” He then tried to push long-term interest rates down, buying 30-year U.S. Treasuries in a move some have compared to paying down part of your mortgage by running up your credit card balance. Here’s how that’s going so far: To get some perspective on how high interest rates have gone, here’s a longer-term perspective: We haven’t seen interest rates this high since the fading days of the dotcom bubble. Why are interest rates hitting new records? The backdrop, as I argued in last Sunday’s primer, is the huge AI-driven investment boom; more on that next week. But the immediate cause of the latest interest rate spike was Trump’s rejection of an Iranian proposal to end the war. This rejection sent crude oil prices, which for a while had fallen considerably, shooting back up: It’s notable, by the way, that oil prices remain high even though a significant amount of oil is now being shuttled through the Strait of Hormuz by night, on smaller vessels. That’s an interesting story, which has a lot to do with the fact that oil from the Hormuz shuttle runs must be transferred to larger vessels before being shipped to markets in Europe and Asia; around 15 percent of the world’s large crude carriers are now parked off the coast of Oman, waiting to be tanked up. This is creating a shipping crunch: But that’s a topic for another day. For now, the point is that with oil still high and refined products, especially diesel, still close to record levels, inflation will remain elevated. And this in turn means that the Federal Reserve will keep short-term interest rates high, an expectation that is feeding into longer-term rates. Hence Bessent’s bond-market humiliation. The truth is that Bessent might not have been able to get interest rates down even in the best of circumstances. But he certainly won’t get anywhere as long as Trump keeps believing that he can somehow convert his Iran debacle into a triumphant victory. And Trump will keep believing that as long as he is surrounded by sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear. Sycophants like, for example, Scott Bessent, who is predicting the imminent collapse of the Iranian economy, possibly within two weeks. Bessent is right to say that the embargo on Iranian oil exports is placing the country under great economic strain. But his implicit prediction that this will quickly produce a deal that Trump can call victory looks no more plausible than his boasts about the bond market. The big question now is, why would anyone with a reputation to lose work for Donald Trump? As the beclowning of Bessent shows, joining the Trump team won’t just damage your reputation; it will utterly destroy it.
Barack Obama’s goal for his library: ‘I want them to put my presidency in context’
Barack Obama is expressing his hopes for what his presidential library in Chicago will achieve for his legacy, in an interview with Stephen Colbert.