Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

Michelle Obama to Silicon Valley: Make Room for Women in Tech – Fortune

Speaking at Apple's WWDC conference on Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama had one key suggestion for Silicon Valley: Make more room for women in tech.

In addition, CNN reports, Obama also urged the audience to get more people of color involved in the tech industry as well. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology, only 26% of professional computing jobs in the 2016 U.S. workforce were held by women. African American women only comprised 3% of the computing workforce in 2016.

Ride hailing company Uber was in the spotlight during Tuesday's conference, according to CNN, namely because of the recent news that Uber investigated 215 harassment claims and fired 20 people . In response, Obama hinted at the problems with Silicon Valley's culture.

"Girls walk away from tech and science. ... There's something about how this subject is being taught," said Obama. "You guys are smarter than that. You're better than that, let's figure it out."

In order to get more women in tech, "we have to want to," Obama said, according to CNN. She continued: "And that's where I look to the fellas in the room and say, 'Are you ready? Are you really ready to have women at the table? Then make room.'"

Although the room was mostly full of Apple developers, CNN reports that the majority of the front seats were taken by female high school studentssome of whom even got to meet Obama before the talk.

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Michelle Obama to Silicon Valley: Make Room for Women in Tech - Fortune

Obama pans Trump withdrawal from climate deal

(CNN)Former President Barack Obama lamented the decision of his successor, President Donald Trump, to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement on Thursday, saying in a statement that the deal was intended to "protect the world we leave to our children."

Obama's office released the statement in the middle of Trump's Rose Garden announcement that the US would be withdrawing from the landmark climate pact. In it, the former president warned that the US would risk missing out on the economic benefits of being a part of the Paris agreement.

"The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created," Obama said. "I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack."

He added: "But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got."

Trump's controversial decision deals a blow to one of Obama's legacy accomplishments. He helped broker the climate change agreement in 2015, and at the time, touted it as the "best chance we have" to save the planet.

Trump's decision on the Paris deal comes as he and a Republican-controlled Congress are attempting to dismantle other key Obama achievements, including the Affordable Care Act.

President Trump withdraws US from Paris accord 01:25

The full statement from Obama is below:

A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children.

It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made that achievement possible. It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well. And what made that leadership and ambition possible was America's private innovation and public investment in growing industries like wind and solar -- industries that created some of the fastest new streams of good-paying jobs in recent years, and contributed to the longest streak of job creation in our history.

Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future. And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.

The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got.

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Obama pans Trump withdrawal from climate deal

Obama says Trump admin joins ‘handful of nations that reject …

Former President Barack Obama took a shot at Donald Trump's move to withdraw from the historic Paris climate agreement, saying that the Trump administration "joins a small handful of nations that reject the future."

Obama also said the accord "opened the floodgates" to jobs as opposed to being the economic drag that Trump cast it as.

"A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children," Obama said.

In a press conference at the White House today, President Trump announced that although the U.S. will withdraw from the accord, it will begin negotiations to potentially re-enter either the Paris Accord or an entirely new climate agreement.

So we are getting out but we are starting to negotiate and well see if we can make a deal thats fair," Trump said.

Obama said it was "steady, principled American leadership" and "bold American ambition" that encouraged dozens of other nations to "set their sights higher as well."

"And what made that leadership and ambition possible was Americas private innovation and public investment in growing industries like wind and solar industries that created some of the fastest new streams of good-paying jobs in recent years, and contributed to the longest streak of job creation in our history," Obama said.

Since the private sector had already chosen a low-carbon future, the Paris agreement "opened the floodgates" for businesses, scientists and engineers to "unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale," the former president said.

Despite the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, Obama expressed confidence in Americans to continue to lead the way to protect the environment.

"But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; Im confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet weve got," Obama said.

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Obama says Trump admin joins 'handful of nations that reject ...

Obama Criticizes Trump for Killing Climate Change Legacy …

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Obama criticized Trumps decision as an absence of American leadership that moved the United States backward.

Even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; Im confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet weve got, he wrote in a statement.

Obama recalled his steady, principled leadership on the climate change agreement and bold American ambition that convinced other countries to follow their lead.

The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created, he said.

Obama praised business interests for investing in green energy, but did not mention the government subsidies that made it possible.

Despite his assertion that he wanted to remain silent after leaving office, Obama has broken that promise on multiple occasions to criticize President Trump.

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Obama Criticizes Trump for Killing Climate Change Legacy ...

‘March for Truth’: Ex-Obama White House stars, liberal …

Protesters rallied Saturday in nearly 130 U.S. cities to call for what they consider the need for more thorough federal investigations into whether President Trumps associates colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential elections.

The rally in Washington on the National Mall washeld within blocks of a pro-Trump rally outside of the White House.

The sides reportedly clashed briefly at the pro-Trump Pittsburgh Not Paris rally but no major incidents so far have been reported.

"I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris, Trump said Thursday in announcing that the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, in which industrial nations have agreed to limit greenhouses gases. It is time to put Youngstown, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ... before Paris, France.

Organizers for the "March for Truth" rallies Saturdaysay theirobjectiveis tolet our elected leaders know that Americans want answers.

And they suggest the nationwide rallies are not part of the so-called resist Trump efforts, saying, The legitimacy of our democracy is more important than the interests of any party, or any president."

However, they also say their primary goals include getting an independent commission established for the Russia investigations, keeping the public as informed as possible and getting Congress to demand that Trump release his tax returns.

And sponsors include such liberal-leaning groups as SwingLeft, Progressive Democrats of America and the National Organization for Women.

Eventually, you wake up with a knot in your gut about what the president might do or say, John Lovett, who was a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama, said at the Washington, D.C., rally. We can take back the White House.

NOW President Terry ONeill told protestors: The Trump administration is going after immigrants, and we wont stand for it. I am up against implacable efforts to stop women from having access to health care.

Trump protestors and supporters have clashed and disrupted each others events numerous times since essentially the start of the 2016 presidential election cycle.

Among the most recent incidents occurred Wednesday night, when Trump supporters disrupted a California Democratic Rep. Lou Correas town hall in Orange County.

In March 2016, protests and scuffles forced the cancellation of a Trump rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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'March for Truth': Ex-Obama White House stars, liberal ...