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, May 25, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Safety Lapses Raised Risks In Trailers for Katrina Victims
Within days of Hurricane Katrina's landfall in August 2005, frantic officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered nearly $2.7 billion worth of trailers and mobile homes to house the storm's victims, many of them using a single page of specifications.
(By Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post)

To Claim Popular Vote, Clinton Is Seeking Wins in Last 3 Primaries
(By Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

Virginia Is Up For Grabs In Fall
Aides to Obama, McCain Say State Will Be Competitive
(By Tim Craig, The Washington Post)

Route of Evil
How a Tiny West African Nation Became a Key Smuggling Hub For Colombian Cocaine, and the Price It Is Paying
(By Kevin Sullivan, The Washington Post)

Peeved at Prices? Don't Blame the Dealer
Awash in Profit, Exxon Fights for Pennies While Raising the Rent
(By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
The Talk Shows
Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:
(The Washington Post)

Obama Campaign Redoubles Efforts to Reach Hispanic Voters
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

To Claim Popular Vote, Clinton Is Seeking Wins in Last 3 Primaries
(By Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

Convention Rules to Live By
(By Chris Cillizza And Ben Pershing, The Washington Post)

DNC Is Not Duplicating the Fundraising Success of Party's Candidates
(By Chris Cillizza and Matthew Mosk, 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
Peeved at Prices? Don't Blame the Dealer
Every time Sohaila Rezazadeh rings up a sale at her Exxon station on Chain Bridge Road in Oakton, her cash register sends the information to Exxon Mobil's central computers. If she raises the price of gasoline a couple of pennies, chances are that Exxon will raise the wholesale price she pays by the...
(By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post)

N.Y. Hopes to Ensure Smooth Pedaling for Bike Commuters
(By Robin Shulman, The Washington Post)

Safety Lapses Raised Risks In Trailers for Katrina Victims
Formaldehyde Found in High Levels; 17,000 Say Homes Caused Illnesses
(By Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post)

Frustration With San Francisco Police
Two Cases Should Prompt Embarrassment, Say Family Members of Victims
(By Karl Vick, The Washington Post)

Three People Killed, Three Injured In Tour Helicopter Crash Off Calif.
(By Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Afghanistan Adds Hunger to Its Worries
KABUL, May 20 -- By 7 a.m., the bakers of Sang Tarashi Street have been hard at work for hours, shaping globs of dough, slapping them into a hot clay oven and flipping them out at just the right second. A stack of fresh flat bread called naan sits invitingly by the window, and the familiar mornin...
(By Pamela Constable, The Washington Post)

U.S. Teams Start Work Of Restoring South Iraq
(By Ernesto Londoño, The Washington Post)

Route of Evil
How a Tiny West African Nation Became a Key Smuggling Hub For Colombian Cocaine, and the Price It Is Paying
(By Kevin Sullivan, The Washington Post)

Obama Campaign Redoubles Efforts to Reach Hispanic Voters
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

Opposition Leader Returns to Zimbabwe
Despite Fears for His Safety, Tsvangirai Pledges to Defeat Mugabe in Next Month's Runoff
(The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Virginia Is Up For Grabs In Fall
RICHMOND -- For the first time in decades, Virginia is shaping up as a presidential battleground as advisers to Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama lay plans to compete in the fall for the state's 13 electoral votes.
(By Tim Craig, The Washington Post)

Museums Look Into the Future of Military History
(By Michael E. Ruane, The Washington Post)

Mini Golf Mantra: The Wackier, the Better
(By Megan Greenwell, The Washington Post)

Firefighters Find Water Gushing From Vacant House
(By Martin Weil, The Washington Post)

Parades, Tributes to Honor War Dead
(The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Peeved at Prices? Don't Blame the Dealer
Every time Sohaila Rezazadeh rings up a sale at her Exxon station on Chain Bridge Road in Oakton, her cash register sends the information to Exxon Mobil's central computers. If she raises the price of gasoline a couple of pennies, chances are that Exxon will raise the wholesale price she pays by the...
(By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post)

How Thinking Costs You
Behavioral Economics Shows That When It Comes to Investing, People Aren't That Smart
(By Michael S. Rosenwald, The Washington Post)

Water Everywhere, and Yet Home Prices Shrink
(By Elizabeth Razzi, The Washington Post)

Terminated
Desperately Seeking Plan B
(By T. M. Shine, The Washington Post)

Fuel-Efficient Or Financially Prudent
(By Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Help File
Q The four-gigabyte SDHC memory card I bought works fine in my Canon camera but doesn't work at all in my computer's built-in memory card reader.
(By Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post)

Wii Fit, Tipping The Scales on Exercise
(By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
This Sunday Drive Is A Sign of Togetherness
After 13 years of self-destruction, open-wheel racing is in the right direction as the Indy 500 has a unified field for the first time since 1995.
(By Tarik El-Bashir, The Washington Post)

Samuelsson, Osgood Lift Detroit to Opening Win
Game 1: Red Wings 4, Penguins 0
(By IRA PODELL, AP)

Nats' Offense Is Inadequate Again in Loss
Lannan Sharp Before Being Hurt by Hart's 2-Run Homer: Brewers 5, Nationals 2
(By Chico Harlan, The Washington Post)

Celtics Take It Away
First Road Win of Postseason Gives Boston 2-1 Series Lead: Celtics 94, Pistons 80
(By Michael Wilbon, The Washington Post)

Heading Into Home Opener, Mystics Take Long Look at Their Effort
(By Katie Carrera, The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
The Silk Road, Paved in Gold
You can go see Indiana Jones and the temple of whatever if you like, but it's probably not going to be as good as the Bactrian Gold and the Secret of Tillya Tepe.
(By Neely Tucker, The Washington Post)

'Recount': Still Too Close for Comfort
But 8 Years Later, There's A Clear Winner: Viewers
(By Tom Shales, The Washington Post)

When That Good Night Falls, We Want Our Stars to Shimmer
(By Robin Givhan, The Washington Post)

"I do a lot of chirping in [the shower]."
The Rev. Gets Revving: Al Green Returns to His Pre-Gospel Sound on His New Album
(The Washington Post)

Hear for Yourself
(The Washington Post)

More Style

The Torture Scandal's Heroes
ALMOST EVERY scandal produces unlikely heroes, workaday or even flawed men and women who don't make headlines but perform courageous acts of conscience, often behind the scenes and in the face of enormous pressure.
(The Washington Post)

Rewarding Patriotism
Remove the red tape that ensnares members of the military seeking U.S. citizenship.
(The Washington Post)

Appalled by the Mall
The historic ground is a victim of both popularity and official neglect. What to do?
(The Washington Post)

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

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
c/o E-mail Customer Care
1515 N. Courthouse Road
Arlington, VA 22201

An October 2005 article in the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world. " During his first two and a half years in the Senate, Obama received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College, University of Massachusetts Boston, Northwestern University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern New Hampshire University. Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind. After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama said: No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. He married in 1992 and has two daughters.

Enthusiastic crowds greeted Obama's public appearances. In July 2005, Samantha Power, Pulitzer-winning author on human rights and genocide, joined Obama's team. " The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. 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. Former presidential candidate Gary Hart describes the book as Obama's "thesis submission" for the U.S. presidency: "It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur. Enthusiastic crowds greeted Obama's public appearances. In September 2006, he was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, an event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus. Obama said, "The time has come for universal health care in America Z...Z I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country. Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan in August 2005 with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He flew his wife and two daughters from Chicago to join him in a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya. Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind. ABC News 7 (Chicago) reported Obama telling the students that "the U.S. will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel," and that he had conveyed the same message in his meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. "President Bush signs the "Coburn-Obama" Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.