The First Draft: Obama and the Pope
President Barack Obama heads to Africa on Friday on the final stop of a weeklong trip that included visits to Russia and Italy, but before leaving Rome he will visit with Pope Benedict.
Obama has had an uneasy relationship with some Roman Catholics because of his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, which the church opposes.
He faced protesters when he gave a graduation speech at Notre Dame University, although his call for a “fair-minded” discussion on abortion earned several standing ovations.
But his relations with the Vatican have been cordial and he has spoken to the pope on the telephone. Obama told reporters before the trip that “there are going to be some areas where we’ve got deep agreements, there are going to be some areas where we’ve got some disagreements.”
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- Photo credit: Reuters/Osservatore Romano
First draft: From singing to stem cells
After making a surprise appearance on stage to lead a star-studded cast and audience in the Kennedy Center in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Senator Edward Kennedy on Sunday night, President Barack Obama returns to his day job on Monday.
The main item of the day — stem cells.
Obama will fulfill a campaign vow and reverse another Bush decision at 1145 a.m. (1545 GMT) when he lifts a restriction on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research. He will also give the National Institutes of Health four months to come up with new rules. The NIH will decide when it is ethical and legal to pay for stem cell research.
He will also be stressing the need to put science above ideology. Former President George W. Bush was accused by scientists and politicians of injecting politics and sometimes religion into scientific decisions.
The economy will also be on Obama’s mind today as stocks appear poised to drop again to new 12-year lows at the open amid a lack of confidence and declines overseas.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said in an interview on CNBC that confidence in the U.S. banking system had to come from Obama.
While he called the current environment and “economic Pearl Harbor” and said the U.S. economy had “fallen off a cliff”, Buffett said he believed it would eventually recover and said the government did the right things to bail out the financial system in September.
the photo looks like a musical on broadway,surely this is all a bad dream, we all going to pinch our selves and wake and find we have not been foreclosed,or we hav,t lost our jobs.i see this guy and his wife on extra the tv show every night, this could all be a promo for a movie?this celebrity business has to stop,his supporters think he is a movie star.the stock market has fallen 3000 points in the short time since he was elected.
Michael J. Fox hopeful on Obama’s commitment to stem cell research
At an inauguration event at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., actor Michael J. Fox spoke with Reuters reporter John McCrank about his hopes for the Obama administration.
Fox, afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease, expects a very productive “four-to-eight years”, saying Obama “is a fan of science and intellectual curiosity” and is committed to moving forward with research.
Wow. Wrong approach. I think Michael J. Fox is an amazing person. Maybe he did lie but why attack his integrity? Is there anyone that is better than him that can judge? He may be misguided and not seeing life for what it is but we should love him not attack him.
The facts rule!
Sciences rule!
The truth rules!
everything else is just he said and she said… lol