Barack Obama

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas). Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party.

Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He spent most of his childhood in the majority-minority U.S. state of Hawaii and lived for four years in Indonesia. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator. Since announcing his candidacy in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War and implementing universal health care as campaign themes.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama co-sponsored the enactment of conventional weapons control and transparency legislation, and made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. His father went to Harvard University to pursue Ph.D. studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident when the younger Obama was twenty-one years old.

Friday, January 25, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Deal Spotlights Rarity Of Bipartisan Action
As they unveiled a $150 billion package of tax breaks for consumers and businesses yesterday, Republicans and Democrats hoped to rescue not only a troubled economy but also a government that increasingly has seemed as if it could not get anything done.
(By Peter Baker and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

Dulles Rail Project All but Dead
With Federal Funding at Risk, Some in Va. Say Demands for Major Revisions Can't Be Met
(By Amy Gardner, The Washington Post)

French Bank Links Lone Futures Trader To $7 Billion Fraud
(By Molly Moore, The Washington Post)

Aide Helped Controversial Russian Meet McCain
Davis, Then a Lobbyist, Has Spurred Debate in Reform-Focused Campaign
(By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon, The Washington Post)

Clinton, Obama Back Off Attacks
Both Camps Try To Play Down Rift
(By Shailagh Murray and Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
All Right -- I'll Vote for Me, Too
With Congress deadlocked over how to fill four open seats on the Federal Election Commission, the two remaining commissioners sat surrounded by empty chairs yesterday during their first meeting of the year, our colleague Matthew Mosk reports.
(By Al Kamen, The Washington Post)

Senators Challenge DHS on Border Stops
(The Washington Post)

Bush Seeks More Violent Crime Funds
Possible Early Release for Crack Cocaine Offenders Is Cited as Rationale
(By Darryl Fears, The Washington Post)

Aide Helped Controversial Russian Meet McCain
Davis, Then a Lobbyist, Has Spurred Debate in Reform-Focused Campaign
(By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon, The Washington Post)

Bush, House Hammer Out $150 Billion Stimulus Bill
Tax Breaks a Central Element In Bipartisan Compromise
(By Jonathan Weisman and Peter Baker, The Washington Post)

More Politics

Add topics to this e-mail

Make this e-mail your own by selecting the topics and columnists that interest you! Personalize this e-mail now.

NATION
Calif. Firms Can Fire Medical Marijuana Users
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 -- The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that employers can fire workers who test positive for marijuana even if they have a note from a doctor recommending its use for medical reasons.
(By Karl Vick, The Washington Post)

Air Force Alters Rules for Handling of Nuclear Arms
(By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post)

U.S. Cannot Manage Contractors In Wars, Officials Testify on Hill
Problem Is Linked to Lack of Trained Service Personnel
(By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post)

Phone Firms' Bid for Immunity in Wiretaps Gains Ground
(By Dan Eggen and Paul Kane, The Washington Post)

U.S. Troops 'Ready' to Aid Pakistan
(By Ann Scott Tyson, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Order Begins to Return To Breached Gaza Border
RAFAH, Gaza Strip, Jan. 24 -- Egyptian security forces began imposing control over the country's breached border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, using clubs and dogs to police the thousands of Gazans still making their way past barricades blown up or toppled by Palestinian gunmen a day earlier.
(By Ellen Knickmeyer, The Washington Post)

An Elusive Justice
Seven Years After Massacre in Colombian Village, Truth of Paramilitary Attack Remains Hazy
(By Juan Forero, The Washington Post)

Guam Braces for Peaceful Military Incursion
Buildup on U.S. Island Brings Fear of Change, Demand for Funds
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

Rivals in Kenya Meet, but Recriminations Follow
(By Stephanie McCrummen, The Washington Post)

Brazil to Increase Monitors in Rain Forest as Illegal Clearing Spreads
(By Marco Sibaja, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Dulles Rail Project All but Dead
The federal government will not fund the Metro extension to Dulles International Airport without drastic changes, officials said yesterday, effectively scuttling a $5 billion project planned for more than 40 years and widely considered crucial to the region's economic future.
(By Amy Gardner, The Washington Post)

Kaine's Optimism Doesn't Always Get Votes
Crushing Defeat on Gun Issue Shows His Rhetoric May Not Reflect Political Reality
(By Tim Craig, The Washington Post)

A Growing Desperation
Housing, Economic Slumps May Portend Rise In Ranks of Region's Homeless, Survey Shows
(By Mary Otto, The Washington Post)

Violence, Crowding Make Jail Unsafe, Officers Say
(By Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post)

Fenty Ponders Plan to Lure Redskins With a Stadium, Perhaps at RFK Site
(By David Nakamura, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Lockheed Martin Sees Profit Rise 10 Percent
Lockheed Martin said yesterday that its fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 10 percent, fueled by strong sales in its satellite, information technology and missile defense businesses, even as its sales of fighter planes declined.
(By Dana Hedgpeth, The Washington Post)

Real Wheels
(Warren Brown, washingtonpost.com)

Bush, House Hammer Out $150 Billion Stimulus Bill
Tax Breaks a Central Element In Bipartisan Compromise
(By Jonathan Weisman and Peter Baker, The Washington Post)

Dulles Rail Project All but Dead
With Federal Funding at Risk, Some in Va. Say Demands for Major Revisions Can't Be Met
(By Amy Gardner, The Washington Post)

Guam Braces for Peaceful Military Incursion
Buildup on U.S. Island Brings Fear of Change, Demand for Funds
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Security Fix Live
Security Fix blogger Brian Krebs answers your questions about the latest computer security threats and offers ways to protect your personal information.
(Brian Krebs, washingtonpost.com)

Car Shoppers Must Think Tech
(By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post)

Sprint Replaces Three Executives
(By Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post)

FCC's Airwaves Auction Draws $2.78 Billion in Bids
(By Molly Peterson, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Does Change Make Sense For Redskins?
If the Redskins decide not to name Gregg Williams head coach then, for practical purposes, Joe Gibbs might as well never have returned.
(By Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post)

Without Allen, Hokies Can't Keep Up With Duke
Duke 81, Virginia Tech 64
(By Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post)

Almost at the Top, Capitals Catch a Break
Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 1
(By Tarik El-Bashir, The Washington Post)

Nats Showing A Lot of Growth In Farm System
(The Washington Post)

Terrapins' Friedgen Makes Changes to Coaching Staff
(The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
Heart and Soles: 'How She Move'
Movies don't do art well. They do sports. Creativity and the individual? Big problems. Team competition? A no-brainer: It means drama, narrative arc, someone to root for. As we've seen in recent years, there's no limit to what can be turned into a duel-to-the-figurative-death: Crossword puzzles....
(By John Anderson, The Washington Post)

Big Apple Flavor at the Florida Deli
Giuliani's Sunshine State Race May Hinge On Voters in a New York State of Mind
(By Libby Copeland, The Washington Post)

Upshaw's Freshly Picked Bouquet Of Favorites
(By Anne Midgette, The Washington Post)

Signature's 'Glory Days' Gives Voice to Bittersweet Youth
(By Peter Marks, The Washington Post)

Miles Lerman Built a Place Of Remembrance And Resistance
(By Deborah E. Lipstadt, The Washington Post)

More Style

LIVE DISCUSSIONS
Carolyn Hax Live
Carolyn takes your questions and comments about her column and any other questions you might have about the strange train we call life.
(Carolyn Hax, washingtonpost.com)

Election 2008: South Carolina Democrats Vote
(Carol Fowler, washingtonpost.com)

Ask Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter
Performing at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Feb. 2
(Comedians, washingtonpost.com)

On TV
Reality, Non-Reality and Everything In-Between
(Lisa de Moraes, washingtonpost.com)

At the Movies With Ann Hornaday
(Ann Hornaday, washingtonpost.com)

More Live Discussions

EDITORIALS
Dulles Derailed
The feds have a lot of explaining to do.
(The Washington Post)

A Stimulating Plan
House Democrats and the White House reach a quick and pragmatic compromise on boosting the economy.
(The Washington Post)

A Nominee Withdraws
President Bush has another chance to fill vacancies on a federal appeals court.
(The Washington Post)

More Editorials

E-Mail Newsletter Services
• To sign up for additional newsletters or get help, visit the E-mail Preferences Page.

Unsubscribe | Feedback | Advertising | Subscribe to the Paper