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Former President Obama praised the late Rep. Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene CummingsSchiff says committees are making 'rapid progress' in impeachment probe Trump lashes out at Pelosi, slams San Francisco district as 'very bad and dangerous' Chairman Cummings' 'phenomenal' team MORE (D-Md.) as a "kind" and "honorable" man who treated others well despite his position of power culminating as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Obama was among several top Democrats to eulogize Cummings, who died Oct. 17 at the age of 68, at a funeral service in Baltimore.

"He was never complacent, for he knew that without clarity of purpose and a steadfast faith and a dogged determination demanded by our liberty, the promise of this nation could wither. Complacency, he knew, was not only corrosive for our collective lives, but for our individual lives," Obama said to applause."There's nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There's nothing weak about looking out for others. There's nothing weak about being honorable. You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect," Obama said. Some observerssaw Obama's comments as an implicit criticism of President TrumpDonald John Trump Comey: Mueller 'didn't succeed in his mission because there was inadequate transparency' During deposition, official says he made several efforts to advocate for Marie Yovanovitch Bolton looms large as impeachment inquiry accelerates MORE.

Former Pres. Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaCummings' staff honor him in op-ed: He brought 'moral clarity' Obama: 'You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect' Attacks on Baltimore 'hurt' Cummings, wife says MORE at Elijah Cummings' funeral: "I tell my daughters...being a strong man includes being kind. That there's nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There's nothing weak about looking out for others." https://t.co/TlLvHGKV3j pic.twitter.com/ipGF2xH6Jh

Obama, standing in front of enlarged pictures of the late lawmaker, noted that Cummings was listed as "the honorable Elijah E. Cummings."

"You know, this is a title that we confer on all kinds of people who get elected to public office. We're supposed to introduce them as 'honorable.' But Elijah Cummings was honorable before he was elected to office," Obama said.

Before Obama spoke, other Democrats including Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiWSJ: Sondland told the House that Trump's Ukraine pressure was a quid pro quo Schiff says committees are making 'rapid progress' in impeachment probe McConnell blasts impeachment inquiry as 'kangaroo court' in fundraising pitch MORE (D-Calif.), former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonMaher: The Clintons need to 'go away' for 2020 election Mark Zuckerberg deserves praise for his noble stand on free speech Elijah Cummings, native son of Baltimore, gets emotional send-off from Democratic luminaries MORE and former President Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson ClintonFeud by Alabama Democrats threatens Doug Jones's reelection Maher: The Clintons need to 'go away' for 2020 election Cummings' staff honor him in op-ed: He brought 'moral clarity' MORE also offered eulogies.

Cummings's wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, at one point directed her remarks to Obama, telling him that her husband was "so proud."

"To stand with you and for you early, to be your co-chair here in the state of Maryland, to serve as your chief defense attorney on the House Oversight Committee, and to make sure you and your administration were all right," Rockeymoore Cummings said as Obama smiled.

"But you didn't have any challenges like we got going on now," Rockeymoore Cummings added.

The funeral service comes after Cummings laid in state at the Capitol on Thursday. He is the first African American lawmaker to receive the rare honor.

"It is no coincidence, is it, that Elijah Cummings shared a name with an Old Testament prophet, whose name meant in Hebrew 'the Lord is my God.' And who used the power and the wisdom that God gave him to uphold the moral law that all people are subject to," Clinton said."Like that Old Testament prophet, he stood against corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel," Clinton said, drawing applause and laughter from the largely left-leaning crowd.

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Julie Pace, The Associated Press Published 8:30 p.m. ET May 7, 2019

The former president and first lady have signed with Penguin Random House, the publisher announced Tuesday. USA TODAY

WASHINGTON Former President Barack Obamas post-White House memoir isnt expected to be released this year, setting up the likelihood that the highly anticipated book will drop during the 2020 campaign.

Publisher Penguin Random House started alerting foreign partners and others about the status of Obamas book on Tuesday. The former president has been writing the book himself, handwriting a first draft on legal pads, the same technique he used for numerous White House speeches and his first best-seller, Dreams From My Father.

The former president and his wife, Michelle, signed lucrative book deals in 2017. Mrs. Obamas book was released last year and quickly became one of the most popular political memoirs in history, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide.

The timing of the former presidents book release is trickier. A 2020 book launch could thrust Obama back into the spotlight just as Democratic voters are choosing a presidential nominee, prompting fresh discussion of his legacy and putting him on the spot about the candidates hoping to build on it.

Former President Barack Obama is writing his post-White House memoir by hand.(Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP)

More: Michelle Obama takes her 'Becoming' tour to BookTube, discusses memoir with YouTube stars

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That would be a particularly delicate dance given that Obama has made clear he has no plans to play a role in the Democratic presidential primary, including declining to endorse his vice president, Joe Biden, or any other candidate. But as the most popular Democrat in the country, even more than three years after leaving office, Obamas every word about the campaign will be scrutinized for signs of which candidates he favors.

The Obamas signed with Penguin Random House in 2017. While the financial terms of the agreement were not released, the former presidents book was expected to garner the largest advance for any ex-president. The previous record is believed to be $15 million for Bill Clintons My Life.

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Former President Barack Obama and his team blamed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Partys loss at the 2016 presidential election, regarding her campaign as soulless, according to a new book.

The Daily Mail published extracts from a new edition of Obama: The Call of History, written by Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, that was first published in 2017. The new edition will be published on May 10.

"She was the one who could not translate his strong record and healthy economy into a winning message, wrote Bakerabout the Obama camps view of Clintons campaign.

"Never mind that Trump essentially ran the same playbook against Clinton that Obama did eight years earlier, portraying her as a corrupt exemplar of the status quo.

"She brought many of her troubles on herself. No one forced her to underestimate the danger in the Midwest states of Wisconsin and Michigan. No one forced her to set up a private email server that would come back to haunt her.

"No one forced her to take hundreds of thousands of dollars from Goldman Sachs and other pillars of Wall Street for speeches. No one forced her to run a scripted, soulless campaign that tested eighty-five slogans before coming up with 'Stronger Together.'

Clinton and Obama did not respond immediately to Newsweeks request for comment.

The former secretary of state lost the electoral college to Republican President Donald Trump by 304 to 227 in 2016, though she won the popular vote by nearly 3 million in an election the Russian government sought to influence through cyberwarfare.

Her campaign was dogged by an FBI investigation into her use of a private email server for official business. Shortly before Election Day, thenFBI Director James Comey announced that no criminal case would be brought against her.

But he did say she and her aides were extremely careless, as some of the tens of thousands of emails sent over the server contained classified information. Some personal emails sent before 2014 were deleted. Comey said there was no evidence of a cover-up.

Trumps campaign used the slogan lock her up at its rallies, calling for Clinton to be jailed. At the same time, Trumps campaign benefited from efforts by the Russian government to attack Clinton, including leaking emails it hacked from the DNC via WikiLeaks.

Since the election, Trump and his supporters have continued to push for investigations into Clinton, such as her conduct around the Benghazi incident in 2012, the financial dealings of her familys foundationand a reopening of the probe into her emails.

Im living rent-free inside of Donald Trumps brain, and its not a very nice place to be, I can tell you that, Clinton told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, adding that calls for her to be investigated were a diversion attack from the Mueller report.

Trump committed obstruction of justice, Clinton said.Thats the real story. Thats what they dont want the American people thinking about.

From left: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wave from the stage during an election campaign rally in Philadelphia on November 7, 2016. KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images

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Barack Obama Blamed Hillary's 'Soulless Campaign' for 2016 ...

Former President Obama took President Trumps win and Hillary Clintons loss in 2016 as a personal insult, according to a newly updated book.

The former president was shocked by the election results and felt the American people had turned on him, The Washington Examiner reported, citing New York Times correspondent Peter Bakers book Obama: The Call of History. It was originally published in 2017. He was also reportedly frustrated by Hillary Clintons soulless campaign after believing his legacy was in safe hands.

OBAMA APPEARS TO SWIPE AT TRUMP DURING MANDELA EVENT

Clinton apologized to Obama after the election, according to Baker, saying Im sorry for letting you down. He writes, To Obama [s]he was the one who could not translate his strong record and healthy economy into a winning message." Baker also says Obama was incredulous that voters replaced him with a buffoonish clown known for repeated bankruptcies, serial marriages and racist dog whistles.

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Obama also compared himself to Michael Corleone from The Godfather because he "almost got out" of office unscathed like a mob boss avoiding a hit job, and he said Trump was like a character right out of Huckleberry Finn who peddles in bulls--t," The Washington Examiner reported.

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Obama took Trump's win as a personal insult, book says ...

Former President Barack Obama speaks to young leaders from across Europe in a town hall event on April 06, 2019 in Berlin, Germany.(Photo: Sean Gallup, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON Former President Barack Obama warned Democrats about the dangers of rigidideologicaldogmatism, which he said can lead to a "circular firing squad" at an Obama Foundation event in Berlin on Saturday.

Obama made the comment while discussing the importance of compromise in a functioning democracy at the town hall-style forum with "emerging European leaders."

"One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States, maybe it's true here as well, is a certainkind of rigidity where we say, 'Ah, I'm sorry, this is how it's gonna be.' And then we start sometimes creating what's called a circular firing squad where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues. And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens," Obama said.

The former Democratic president's warning comes as his party appears increasingly divided between left-wing politicians such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders who espouse democratic socialism, and more moderate Democrats advocating more incremental reforms.

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That tension is also emerging in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination where voters will weigh whether to support figures calling for sweeping progressive policies such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, or more establishment Democratic figures, such as Obama's former running mate Joe Biden who, if he decides to run, might have more appeal in the general election.

Who is running for president?: An interactive guide

Obama said that if they want to get things done, voters and politicians need to accept that they aren't going to get "100% of what you want because somebody else is going to have a slightly different set of interests or slightly different set of values."

"You have to recognize that the way we've structured democracy requires you to take into account people who don't agree with you," he said.

But he also warned the audience that they should also remain to true their "core principles."

"You can't set up a system in which you don't compromise on anything, but you also can't operate in a system where you compromise on everything."

Obama blamed some of the inability to find common ground on the media, which he said are geared to "inflame" and "provoke."

He said he advises his wife Michelle Obama, "Don't watch cable news shows. They're designed to get you mad. That's what their purpose is. Social media is worse. They're designed to make you click."

"You've got social media that was once considered to be the network that would provide us greater understanding, now suddenly appears to be a tool that is used to spread disinformation and hatred and suspicion," said Obama, who was one of the first politicians to effectively use social media.

"We are collectively, all of us, going to have to find ways in which we improve the conversation on the internet and in social media. It is going to be difficult to do."

More: Barack Obama traveled extensively as president, but trips with his daughters were most cherished

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