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, June 29, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Crisis Eclipses Mugabe's Comeback
HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 28 -- President Robert Mugabe has emerged from the most tumultuous election in Zimbabwe's history with his grip on power restored but his nation's daunting problems -- including hyperinflation, international isolation and an exodus of skilled workers -- dramatically worsened.
(The Washington Post)

Va. Toll Road Scofflaws, Beware: State Says Pay Up
Violators Now Facing Heavy Fines, Court Dates
(By Michael Laris, The Washington Post)

A Win by McCain Could Push a Split Court to Right
(By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post)

Bleak Past Catches Up To a Troubled Present
'Kit Kittredge' Themes Have Familiar Ring
(By Jennifer Frey, The Washington Post)

Army's History of Iraq After Hussein Faults Pentagon
(By Josh White, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
A New Political Geography
When Sen. Barack Obama chose the Nissan Pavilion in the outer suburbs of Northern Virginia to kick off his general-election campaign, one of the 10,000 supporters there was David Bruzas, who recently moved to the fastest-growing part of a state that is moving rapidly away from its Republican past.
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

A Win by McCain Could Push a Split Court to Right
(By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post)

Setback for Philadelphia Schools Plan
(By Keith B. Richburg, The Washington Post)

The Talk Shows
(The Washington Post)

Poised for a Flip
(By Chris Cillizza, 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
A Win by McCain Could Push a Split Court to Right
For much of its term, the Supreme Court muted last year's noisy dissents, warmed to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s vision of narrow, incremental decisions and continued a slow but hardly steady move to the right.
(By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post)

Army's History of Iraq After Hussein Faults Pentagon
(By Josh White, The Washington Post)

Setback for Philadelphia Schools Plan
(By Keith B. Richburg, The Washington Post)

Decline in Teen Smoking Hits a Wall
Public Health Officials Worry as a Promising Years-Long Trend Goes Flat
(By Rob Stein, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Crisis Eclipses Mugabe's Comeback
HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 28 -- President Robert Mugabe has emerged from the most tumultuous election in Zimbabwe's history with his grip on power restored but his nation's daunting problems -- including hyperinflation, international isolation and an exodus of skilled workers -- dramatically worsened.
(The Washington Post)

Assurances From Rice Fail to Sway S. Koreans
Protests Triggered by Fears About Beef Expand in Scope
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

Pakistani Forces Move In On Taliban
U.S. Has Urged Action Against Insurgents
(By Candace Rondeaux, The Washington Post)

Reported U.S. Raid Triggers Outrage
(By Ernesto Londoño and Saad Sarhan, The Washington Post)

In Courts, Afghanistan Air Base May Become Next Guantanamo
-
(By Del Quentin Wilber, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Va. Toll Road Scofflaws, Beware: State Says Pay Up
For years, dodging payments on the Dulles Toll Road was virtually risk-free. Now, it's more like an extreme sport.
(By Michael Laris, The Washington Post)

EPA to Propose Fort Detrick as Superfund Cleanup Site
(By David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post)

As Tobacco Loses Currency, a New Cash Crop Blooms
(By Thomas Heath, The Washington Post)

Neighbors Sound Out Remedy for Bird Flock
(By Paul Schwartzman, The Washington Post)

Torture Survivors Still Live With Haunting Memories
(By Michael Birnbaum, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
As Tobacco Loses Currency, a New Cash Crop Blooms
Jamie Raley's family has been farming in St. Mary's County since Abraham Lincoln was president, mostly growing tobacco. But with the drop in U.S. cigarette smoking over the past decade, tobacco no longer pays. So the Raleys cast about for something else that would keep them on the farm.
(By Thomas Heath, The Washington Post)

When You're Tied Up in a Down Market
How to Play Your Stocks When They Keep Falling
(By Nancy Trejos, The Washington Post)

Obama Knows Firsthand About Consumer Debt
(By Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post)

All-Consuming Problem
Even in a Weak Economy, Some Shoppers' Compulsive Habits Can Take Over Their Lives
(By Nancy Trejos, The Washington Post)

A New Political Geography
Role Reversals in Virginias Reflect National Shifts
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Help File
Q Why aren't there any rewriteable double-layer DVDs? I can find dual-layer discs only in write-once formats that I can't reuse.
(By Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post)

The Crack of a Bat, the Wail of Guitar Hero. Wait, What?
(By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post)

A New Political Geography
Role Reversals in Virginias Reflect National Shifts
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Milledge Hurt in Nats' Loss To Orioles
Errors prove costly for the Nationals as just six of Baltimore's nine runs are earned and the Orioles wash out Washington, 9-1, on Saturday.
(By Chico Harlan, The Washington Post)

Lewis in Good Shape for Historic First
(By Leonard Shapiro, The Washington Post)

The Face of U.S. Swimming
Phelps's Presence Helps Bring Attention to the Sport
(By Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post)

Venus Again Is Rising at Wimbledon
(By Liz Clarke, The Washington Post)

Spain Hopes to Finally Reign on a Major Stage
(The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
Bridge
"Why was Cy banging his head against the wall today?" a player asked me at the club. "Is that his latest method of trying to lose weight?"
(By Frank Stewart, The Washington Post)

Top of The Heap
One couple had what it took to be ambassadors of the United States of Disarray. But this is where reality TV fosters a national pastime: watching others conquer the clutter.
(By Hank Stuever, The Washington Post)

A Conductor Comes to A Coda
NSO's Leonard Slatkin Leaves on a Note of Regret
(By Anne Midgette, The Washington Post)

The Editor Who Keeps Vogue in Fashion
(By Robin Givhan, The Washington Post)

"I would play a 14-year-old if it was a great part."
Olivia Thirlby Is One Starlet Who's in No Hurry to Act Her Age
(The Washington Post)

More Style

What the GIs Deserve
POLITICAL PROMISES are easy to make, harder to keep. So it is a testament to the tenacity of Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) and the justice of his cause that Congress has enacted a new GI Bill for war veterans. The freshman senator's ability to work across party lines means that the men and women who risk...
(The Washington Post)

Bias in High Places
The Justice Department had a litmus test.
(The Washington Post)

Millionaires Win
A Supreme Court ruling puts public financing of elections at risk.
(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