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.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Researchers Fear Southern Fence Will Endanger Species Further
TUCSON -- The debate over the fence the United States is building along its southern border has focused largely on the project's costs, feasibility and how well it will curb illegal immigration. But one of its most lasting impacts may well be on the animals and vegetation that make this politically...
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

Perceived Slights Have Left Many U.S. Muslims Wary of Pope
(By Robin Shulman and Keith B. Richburg, The Washington Post)

Protests in China Target French Stores, Embassy
(By Jill Drew, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
McCain: A Question of Temperament
John McCain cupped a fist and began pumping it, up and down, along the side of his body. It was a gesture familiar to a participant in the closed-door meeting of the Senate committee who hoped that it merely signaled, as it sometimes had in the past, McCain's mounting frustration with one of his...
(By Michael Leahy, The Washington Post)

Politics, Rocky Start Cloud Promise of National Harbor
(By Ovetta Wiggins and Avis Thomas-Lester, The Washington Post)

War Funding Bill Will Put Pelosi's Strength to the Test
(By Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

Bush, S. Korean President Suggest More Patience With Kim Jong Il
(By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post)

Democrats Widen Fundraising Lead for Senate Campaigns
(The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
DNA Tests Offer Deeper Examination Of Accused
Twenty years after DNA fingerprints were first admitted by American courts as a way to link suspects to crime scenes, a new and very different class of genetic test is approaching the bench.
(By Rick Weiss, The Washington Post)

Researchers Fear Southern Fence Will Endanger Species Further
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

After 6 Years, Star's Trial Date Nears
R. Kelly's R& B Career Has Soared Despite His Indictment Over Explicit Videotape
(By Peter Slevin, The Washington Post)

Calif. Parents Eager for Ruling on Home Schooling
(By Ashley Surdin, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Sadr Warns Of 'Open War' If Crackdown Is Not Halted
BAGHDAD, April 19 -- Anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr threatened Saturday to launch an all-out war against the U.S.-backed Iraqi government if it continues a widespread crackdown on his followers.
(By Amit R. Paley and Ernesto Londoño, The Washington Post)

Presidential Candidates Find 51st State Overseas
Unprecedented Courtship of U.S. Expats Pays Off
(By Kevin Sullivan, The Washington Post)

From Mexico, Drug Violence Spills Into U.S.
Brutality Gives Rise to Formidable New Problems for Both Countries
(By Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post)

Pontiff Returns to Abuse Scandal In Homily at St. Patrick's in N.Y.
(By Keith B. Richburg, The Washington Post)

Perceived Slights Have Left Many U.S. Muslims Wary of Pope
(By Robin Shulman and Keith B. Richburg, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Politics, Rocky Start Cloud Promise of National Harbor
Prince George's County is about to lay claim to one of the biggest development projects ever to hit the Washington region: 300 acres of residential, retail, dining, office and entertainment space on the banks of the Potomac River.
(By Ovetta Wiggins and Avis Thomas-Lester, The Washington Post)

Immigration Fight Has a New Target
Stewart Hurts Pr. William With Rhetoric, Some Say
(By Kristen Mack, The Washington Post)

You Be the Judge
(By Dwuan D. June, washingtonpost.com)

Young Entrepreneur Spreads Cheer, With Oprah's Blessing
(By Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)

FBI Terror Expert Sees Job Evolve
Approach Turning More Long-Term, New D.C. Chief Says
(By Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
If You Walk Away, Expect to Pay
If you thought buying a new home was expensive, wait until you see how much it costs you to back out of the deal.
(By Elizabeth Razzi, The Washington Post)

It's Better To File Late Than to File Later
(By Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post)

Running on Empty
Delinquent Auto Loans Are on the Rise as More Borrowers Drown in Debt
(By Ylan Q. Mui, The Washington Post)

Politics, Rocky Start Cloud Promise of National Harbor
(By Ovetta Wiggins and Avis Thomas-Lester, The Washington Post)

Stripping Mountains to Power D.C.
In W.Va., Mining Companies Shear Off Peaks And Transform Landscape in Search for Coal
(By David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Activism by Shareholders Picks Up Steam Online
To see the new face of shareholder activism, go to YouTube, MySpace or the blogosphere. That's where corporate consultant Eric Jackson, who owns 96 shares of Yahoo, launched a campaign last year to make the struggling Internet company more accountable to investors.
(By Anne Kates Smith, The Washington Post)

Help File
(By Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post)

Friends Indeed?
As We Click With More Pals Online, The Idea of Friendship Multiplies
(By Joel Garreau, The Washington Post)

DNA Tests Offer Deeper Examination Of Accused
Biological, Emotional States Scrutinized
(By Rick Weiss, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
James, Cavaliers Draw First Blood in Game 1
The Wizards go cold in the fourth quarter and LeBron James scores a game-high 32 points Saturday as the Cavaliers capture Game 1, 93-86.
(By Ivan Carter, The Washington Post)

For Nationals, There's Something in the Error
Mistakes Plague Washington, Which Rallies, Then Falls Short: Marlins 6, Nationals 5
(By Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post)

Redskins Take Stock of Choices
Wideout or Offensive Lineman Could Be the Pick at No. 21
(By Jason Reid and Jason La Canfora, The Washington Post)

Hanging Tough
Capitals Withstand a Late Charge By Philadelphia to Force Sixth Game
(By Tarik El-Bashir, The Washington Post)

Danica Patrick Wins Japan 300 to Make IndyCar History
(By JIM ARMSTRONG, AP)

More Sports

STYLE
Friends Indeed?
Shadee Malaklou has lots of friends. A whole lot -- 1,295, according to her latest Facebook count. But whom exactly can she count on?
(By Joel Garreau, The Washington Post)

Worn, With Pride: Old Stickers Mean Status in the Obama Camp
(By Libby Copeland, The Washington Post)

The Fashionable Voyeur
(By Robin Givhan, The Washington Post)

"I love to get out and see movies"
A Glimpse of Lou Reed's Life on the Upper Wild Side
(The Washington Post)

Trying a One-Two Punch In Hopes of a KO at the BO
(The Washington Post)

More Style

Thanking Our GIs
TO DATE, 56 senators and more than 200 representatives have signed on to legislation to revamp GI educational benefits. They recognize that the men and women fighting today's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not getting their due. But if Congress is serious about doing right by America's veterans,...
(The Washington Post)

A Worsening Food Crisis
The U.S. and its allies need to act.
(The Washington Post)

Mexico's Unfinished Reform
President Calderón tackles the state oil monopoly -- and the anti-democratic forces that support it.
(The Washington Post)

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