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Former President Barack Obama's family dog, Bo, who spent two terms in the Obama White House, has died of cancer, Barack and Michelle Obama announced on Saturday.

The Obamas posted a series of photos of Bo on social media on Saturday, paying tribute to the role the dog had in their family. On Instagram, former first lady Michelle Obama said they had to say goodbye to their "best friend" after his battle with cancer.

She said that Bo, who was gifted to the Obama's in 2009 from the late senator Ted Kennedy, was originally adopted as a companion for their daughters. The Obama's other Portuguese water dog, Sunny, moved into the White House in 2013.

"On the campaign trail in 2008, we promised our daughters that we would get a puppy after the election," the former first lady wrote. "At the time, Bo was supposed to be a companion for the girls. We had no idea how much he would mean to all of us."

She described Bo's presence in their lives, noting that he greeted their daughters with a wag when they came home from school.

"He was there when Barack and I needed a break, sauntering into one of our offices like he owned the place, a ball clamped firmly in his teeth," she wrote. "He was there when we flew on Air Force One, when tens of thousands flocked to the South Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll, and when the Pope came to visit. And when our lives slowed down, he was there, too helping us see the girls off to college and adjust to life as empty nesters."

And when the pandemic hit, forcing everyone back home, Mrs. Obama said, "no one was happier than Bo."

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"All his people were under one roof again just like the day we got him. I will always be grateful that Bo and the girls got to spend so much time together at the end."

Mr. Obama posted a similar tribute on his social media accounts, saying that, for more than a decade, Bo "was a constant, gentle presence in our lives happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between."

"He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair," Mr. Obama wrote. "He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected. We will miss him dearly."

The day Bo made his press debut on the South Lawn of the White House, Mr. Obama said Bo had "star quality."

"You know what they say about if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog?" Mr. Obama joked. "Well, I'm finally going to have a friend."

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Obama family announces death of family dog Bo, the "loyal companion" who spent two terms in the White House - CBS News

After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama issued a rare statement on the verdict. Mrs. Obama told "CBS This Morning" that she and her husband felt compelled to speak out.

"The goal is to let leaders lead. But in certain times, people, you know, look to us often. 'Well, what do you think? How do you feel?'" Mrs. Obama told "CBS This Morning" anchor Gayle King when asked about the verdict.

The Obamas released a statement after the verdict saying the Minnesota jury "did the right thing" in convicting Chauvin, but noting that "true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial."

"We know that while we're all breathing a sigh of relief over the verdict, there's still work to be done. And so we, we can't sort of say, 'Great. That happened. Let's move on,'" Mrs. Obama told King. "I know that people in the Black community don't feel that way because many of us still live in fear."

Mrs. Obama said many Black Americans experience fear as they grocery shop, walk their dogs and drive. She expressed worry about her own daughters, Sasha and Malia.

"Every time they get in a car by themselves, I worry about what assumption is being made by somebody who doesn't know everything about them. The fact that they are good students and polite girls. But maybe they're playin' their music a little loud. Maybe somebody sees the back of their head and makes an assumption," she said. "The innocent act of getting a license puts fear in our hearts."

"I think we have to talk about it more. And we have to ask our fellow citizens to listen a bit more, and to believe us, and to know we don't wanna be out there marchin'. I mean, all those Black Lives Matters kids, they'd rather not have to worry about this. They're takin' to the streets because they have to. They're tryin' to have people understand that that we're real folks, and the fear that many have of so many of us is irrational. And it's based on a history that is just, it's sad and it's dark. And it's time for us to move beyond that."

Mrs. Obama also discussed her continuing advocacy for the issues she championed while in the White House.

She is now the executive producer of the Netflix show "Waffles and Mochi," a children's program that focuses on teaching kids the value of healthy eating by sharing stories and traditions from around the world.

On "CBS This Morning" on Monday, Mrs. Obama will reveal Waffles and Mochi's next adventure. King sat down with her in Washington, where she explained why she is so excited about her upcoming initiative with the Partnership for a Healthier America and her ongoing mission to ensure all families have access to healthy foods.

Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.

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Former first lady Michelle Obama reacts to Chauvin verdict: "There's still work to be done" - CBS News

The Biden administration has completed its review of North Korea policy, the White House announced Friday, and going forward they don't seem too keen on taking their cues from previous administrations, including former President Barack Obama's.

"Our policy will not focus on achieving a grand bargain, nor will it rely on strategic patience," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, referring to the nuclear negotiation strategies espoused by the Trump and Obama administration, respectively. The "goal remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, with the clear understanding that the efforts of the past four administrations have not achieved this objective," Psaki added.

Psaki said the U.S. will instead deploy a "calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy," hinting Biden could wind up meeting face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at some point, though not until after negotiators iron out some form of a deal. The details might sound vague, but a senior administration official broke it down for The Washington Post, saying that "if the Trump administration was everything for everything, Obama was nothing for nothing." Biden's plan, the official said, is "somewhere in the middle." Read more at ABC News and Reuters.

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Heres what you need to know about the future of marijuana legalization in the United States, from its racist beginnings to today. USA TODAY

A marijuana-themed meme page hasresurfaced an old rumorthatformer President Barack Obama's college nickname was "Barack Oganja." However, there is no evidence the cannabis-focused play on Obama's name was hiscollege-era moniker.

Barack Obamas nickname at college was Barack Oganja due to his heavy marijuana use, reads thememewhichcontainsan image of a young Obama smoking.

While the photo is authentic, it is unclear what Obama was smoking.

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The meme has garnered more than 114,000 likes since the meme page Four Twenty shared it to Instagram on April 13.

In this file photo taken on August 3, 2016, then-President Barack Obama speaks at the Presidential Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.(Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images)

As with any claim, the burden of proof is on the speaker. Four Twenty did not provide any evidence Obama used this nickname in college or respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

USA TODAY could find no reputable reports that Barack Oganja was a nickname for the former president during his youth, although documentation of nicknames is inherently limited.

Our research did find thatthis rumor has circulated on social media for years.A Google Trend searchfor the "Barack Oganja" starting from2004 shows the termgained traction around April 2012.

Skeptics on Skeptic Stack Exchange, an online message board, investigated the purported nickname in 2013 and found no proof it was authentic.

Tim Fullerton, former state/regional email manager for Obamas 2008 campaign,rejected the claim on Twitterin March 2018.He replied to another tweet about theclaimed nicknamethat there was no evidence that was his nickname.

Thereare several accounts named "Barack Oganja,"or something similar,onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud, but there's no evidence those accounts are connected to the former president.

Obama's office did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment.

According to a 2009New York Times article, Lisa Jack photographed the future president in 1980 as part of a photographic portrait project. At the time Obama was a student at Occidental College in California. Another studentrecommended Jack ask Obama, then known as Barry," to model for her.

Obamas 2008 election to the White House inspired Jack to dig through her belongings and find the negatives from the shoot. The pictures were exhibited at M+B Gallery in Los Angeles in summer 2009.

TIME magazine published the photos online after it named Obama its 2008 Person of the Year.

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Neither the article nor the image descriptions specify whether Obama was smoking tobacco or marijuana when Jack took the photo.

Then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., appears at a campaign stop in Springfield, Ill. on Aug. 23, 2008.(Photo: M. Spencer Green, AP)

Obamahas said he smoked marijuanain his younger days.

When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point, he said when asked about his past drug use at a 2006 event.

In his 1995 memoir, Dreams From My Father, Obama described his experiences with marijuana in college and as a high school student in Hawaii.

We rate the claim that Obama was nicknamed "Barack Oganja" while in college FALSE, because it is not supported by our research. The online claim provided no evidence, and we also found no proof this is accurate. While Obama has said he smoked marijuana in his youth, there is no evidence to support the claim that it inspired that nickname.

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

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Fact check: No evidence Obama was called 'Barack Oganja ...

I was watching CNN just before 10 p.m. Sunday, May 1, 2011, when a newsbreak announcedPresident Obamawould be addressing the nation. A newsbreak this late on Sunday made it evident to me that this was going to be something big, but I didn't imagine how big.Osama bin Laden,53,Al Qaeda leader and chief architect of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States was shot in the head, killed and his body buried in the ocean.It was a great plan, over many months, carried out by a handful ofNavy Seals.President Obamaauthorized the operation that took place in a compound inAbbottabad, Pakistan.Osamahad been there for years defying belief that the Pakistani people didn't know of his whereabouts. Breaux had stated in his column that if we ever gotbin Ladenit would be inPakistan. History records this as a leadership moment in our country. It was a gutsy call by the President. If the operation would have failed and our men killed at that compound,Obamawould have been done. It worked and justice was served. It took nearly 10 years to do it but thehead of the snake has been cut off.A rich man, from a very wealthy Saudi family,Osamacould have spent his life in luxury. Instead he chose to kill. In the end he got what he sowed and the world is better off today. Many words have been written and spoken about this event. President Obamaand aides followed the raid by video while it unfolded. The raid finished in 40 minutes. I know their hearts must have skipped a beat when theBlackhawk helicoptermalfunctioned.It is said that Vice-President Joe Biden kept his Rosary ring out and silently recited it throughout the operation. President Bush, Cheney and RovesayObamadeserves the credit, however some congressmen still can't being themselves to praise him, giving credit only to the raiders. Five plans were presented to the President. He made the call after several months of secret meetings and training at a replica facility in the U.S. The government has shot down the spin that water boarding led toBid Laden. Not so they say. It was a textbook operation, pulled off by brave youngNavy Seals.The Seal who fired the shots,once though the left eye and then the chest, will be revered for the rest of his life. There is no question this was a critical accomplishment of theObama administration. We have had some terrible things happen in our country over the last 10 years, things we are not proud of that will also go down in history. That's how I remember the events. I also recall every minute of 911 that bin Ladin caused and I won't soon forget the insurrection on our nation's capital, led by a provoked mob, on Jan. 6, 2021.

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Obama got Osama - The Record Newspapers - TheRecordLive.com