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Barack Obama’s political career kicked off in the Illinois State Senate, evolved into a two-term presidency

Barack Obama’s political career kicked off in the Illinois State Senate, evolved into a two-term presidency

Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States, serving from 2009 until 2017. The former president was born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu. His parents, Barack H. Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham, divorced when Obama was 2 years old.  Obama’s mother married a man from Indonesia, where the young boy spent much of his earliest years before returning to Honolulu to live with his grandparents.  Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years before he transferred to Columbia University to study political science and international relations. He later went to Harvard Law School in 1988.  ‘WE JUST TELL THE TRUTH’: VP HARRIS’ LONGTIME MENTOR REPEATEDLY DEFENDED CONTROVERSIAL OBAMA PASTOR After his first year of school, he began working at a law firm in Chicago, Sidley & Austin, where he met his future wife Michelle. The two got married in 1992 and welcomed two children together, Malia and Natasha “Sasha.” Obama’s political tenure began in 1996, when he was elected to the Illinois Senate. In 2004, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and gave the highly anticipated keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.  In 2007, Obama announced that he would be running for president. He secured the Democratic nomination against former Republican Senator John McCain. Obama ran with the slogan “Change we can believe in.” BARACK, MICHELLE OBAMA ENDORSE KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT AFTER DAYS OF SILENCE Obama defeated McCain and became the 44th President of the United States, the first African American elected to the position. He was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009. After four years as president, he ran for a second term. In 2012, he was elected over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. With the conclusion of his second term in office, he delivered his farewell address to the nation on Jan. 10, 2017, from Chicago.  Before, during and after his eight years as president, Obama penned four novels. His first, “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance” was published in 1995. He later published “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream” in 2006.  In 2010, his book “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters” was released. “A Promised Land,” by Obama, hit bookshelves in 2020. 

Nancy Pelosi denies making calls to organize Democrat coup against Biden

Nancy Pelosi denies making calls to organize Democrat coup against Biden

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is denying claims that she made phone calls to organize the Democratic coup that ultimately forced President Biden out of the 2024 presidential race. Pelosi was pressed on her role in the pressure campaign in a Saturday interview with CBS.  “No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign],” Pelosi told CBS. “Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person. I did not call one person. I could always say to him, ‘I never called anybody.’” “He knows that I love him very much,” she said, declining to talk further on the topic. PELOSI IGNORES BIDEN’S DECISION TO STAY IN THE RACE IN LATEST SIGN OF DEMOCRAT FRACTURE Panic spread through the Democratic Party after Biden’s disastrous performance in a debate against former President Trump in June. What followed was a steady stream of leaks from within the party decrying the former president’s age and mental acuity, as well as lawmakers outright calling for his withdrawal. During this time, top Democrats all remained publicly aligned with Biden, though they often said he had a tough decision to make. BIDEN INTERVIEWERS SHED LIGHT ON HIS FRAILTY BEHIND THE SCENES: ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO NOTICE’ “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi told MSNBC at the time. “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short. The, I think, overwhelming support of the caucus, it’s not for me to say. I’m not the head of the caucus anymore, but he’s beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision. Not me.” PELOSI ‘CONVINCED BIDEN WILL LOSE,’ WORKING THE PHONES WITH HOPES TO ‘EASE HIM OFF THE TICKET,’ REPORT SAYS A number of top Democrats were reportedly moving against Biden at the time, including former President Barack Obama.  Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy claimed that Pelosi and Obama together were responsible for “pulling the strings” behind the effort to oust Biden. Pelosi also spoke directly with Biden at the time, bluntly informing him that polls showed him losing to Trump and causing a disaster for Democrats in the House. Biden responded by pushing back, telling her he has seen polls that indicate he can win, one source told CNN. Another one of the sources described Biden as getting defensive about the polls and that at one point, Pelosi asked Mike Donilon, Biden’s longtime adviser, to get on the line to talk over the data. A spokesperson for Pelosi’s office declined to comment about the conversation at the time.

Squad members sued for ‘inciting’ Columbia anti-Israel encampment

Squad members sued for ‘inciting’ Columbia anti-Israel encampment

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other members of the far-left “Squad” are facing a class action lawsuit alleging that they incited and encouraged anti-Israel protests and encampments at Columbia University earlier this year. Five students filed the lawsuit anonymously, naming Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Reps. Jamal Bowman of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The lawsuit also names roughly a dozen anti-Israel organizing groups. “The Gaza Encampment was extreme and outrageous conduct. It was illegal. It violated university rules. Its occupants harassed, followed, physically blocked, intimidated, and bullied Jewish students,” the lawsuit reads. Two of the five students behind the lawsuit are Jewish. One of them, identified only as “Tim Doe,” spoke about his experience with the New York Post. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT ORDERS VIRTUAL CLASSES AS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS TAKE OVER: ‘WE NEED A RESET’ “During the protests, I witnessed numerous offensive and antisemitic signs and messages, including antisemitic skunk posters with the Star of David,” he told The Post. HARVARD ANNOUNCES NEW RESTRICTIONS ON STATEMENTS ABOUT ‘CONTROVERSIAL PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES’ “In one instance, I was walking with my non-Jewish friends when I was singled out because I was wearing my yarmulke. A leader of the pro-Palestinian protest approached our group and confronted me. He singled me out, yelling that I needed to move, and when I refused, he began to shove me out of the way,” he added. The encampment at Columbia University made international headlines, with students and even faculty participating in a campus takeover that lasted weeks. The protests forced classes online and heavily limited access to campus buildings as students were trying to study for final exams. Columbia, like other universities across the country, ultimately had to cancel its graduation ceremony. HARVARD STUDENT SAYS ‘PRO-TERRORISM HATE FEST’ IS HAPPENING IN ENCAMPMENT BEYOND SCHOOL’S LOCKED GATES “Those were real damages sustained by the 36,000 students at Columbia who chose to obey university rules, go to class, and pursue their education, only to be frustrated at the finish line by the … acts of their classmates and professors, with the assistance and encouragement of outside activists,” the lawsuit says. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Bowman all spoke positively of anti-Israel protests at the time.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp snaps back at Trump after repeated attacks: ‘Leave my family out of it’

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp snaps back at Trump after repeated attacks: ‘Leave my family out of it’

Former President Donald Trump at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday again attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the state’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both of whom are Republicans, for their refusal to overturn the former president’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State. The governor responded by suggesting Trump should focus on winning in November and refrain from “petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.” Before the rally, Trump criticized Kemp, a popular Republican governor in a must-win swing state for the Republican White House hopeful, and suggested the governor should be “fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party.”  Trump also criticized Kemp’s wife, Marty, for saying she would write in her husband’s name for president in November instead of voting for the former president. “Brad Raffensperger has to do his job, and make sure this Election is not stolen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “Brian Kemp should focus his efforts on fighting Crime, not fighting Unity and the Republican Party! His Crime Rate in Georgia is terrible, his Crime Rate in Atlanta is the worst, and his Economy is average.” GEORGIA ACTIVIST STEALS THE SHOW AFTER BEING INTRODUCED BY TRUMP AT ATLANTA RALLY: ‘INCREDIBLE’ Kemp has repeatedly been credited for Georgia’s strong economy during his time as governor and his approval rating in the state has soared, with a 63% approval rating in a June poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The governor narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election after receiving Trump’s endorsement. In 2022, Kemp cruised to a win over Trump-backed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the primary before defeating Abrams by seven and a half points in a rematch in the general election. “He should be seeking UNITY, not Retribution, especially against the man that got him the Nomination through Endorsement and, without whom, he could never have beaten Stacey Abrams,” Trump wrote. “He and his wife didn’t think he could win. I said, ‘I’m telling you you’re going to win.’ Then he won, he was happy, and his wife said, ‘Thank you Sir, we’ll never be able to make it up to you!’ Now she says she won’t Endorse me, and is going to ‘write in Brian Kemp’s name.’ Well, I don’t want her Endorsement, and I don’t want his.” “They’re the ones who got Fani Willis and her boyfriend all ‘jazzed up’ and ready to go. He could have ended that travesty with a phone call, but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy,” he continued. Trump was referring to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is prosecuting Trump’s election interference case in Georgia, and her controversial relationship with Nathan Wade, who was a prosecutor in the case before resigning earlier this year amid scrutiny over the relationship. Kemp responded to the former president with a post on the social media platform X, saying: “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats – not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past.” “You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it,” Kemp said. Raffensperger also replied to Trump’s claims in a post of his own. “Georgia’s elections are secure,” Raffensperger wrote on X. “The winner here in November will reflect the will of the people. History has taught us this type of message doesn’t sell well here in Georgia, sir.” Kemp, notably, signed Georgia’s Election Integrity Act into law in 2021 that includes requiring identification to vote, extending the early voting period and ensuring a ballot drop box will be available in every county. During the rally on Saturday, Trump criticized Kemp in a 10-minute rant over baseless claims the governor was responsible for his loss to Biden and for not stopping Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election interference case. A state commission has powers to discipline and remove prosecutors for not following the law after Kemp signed a bill into law, but the governor does not have the ability to remove prosecutors. “He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor. Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy,” Trump said. The former president has continued to repeat false claims the 2020 election was stolen from him. Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 11,779 votes in 2020, and the former president pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes for him to win. Trump and his allies also attempted to present slates of so-called “fake electors” that could replace the Democratic voters Biden won. Trump was later indicted in Georgia for attempting to overturn the election, although the case is now on hold as the courts decide whether Willis can continue to prosecute it. Kemp certified the electors that Biden won in 2020 and rejected efforts by Trump allies to replace them. JD VANCE CALLS TRUMP’S OFFER TO DEBATE HARRIS ON FOX NEWS ‘MASTERSTROKE’ The governor did not endorse anyone in this year’s GOP primary but has said he will vote for the Republican ticket in November, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee after Biden suspended his re-election campaign, look to win the battleground state of Georgia, which had gone to the Republican presidential candidate every year since 1996 before Biden won it four years ago. Harris’ campaign correctly predicted before Trump’s rally that he would deny the 2020 election results. After the rally, the Harris campaign released a statement from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served alongside Kemp during the governor’s first term. “If you were able to see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who does not care about uniting this country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election,” Duncan said in the statement. “Millions of Americans are fed up with his grievance-filled