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.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. Rushes to Change Workplace Toxin Rules
Political appointees at the Department of Labor are moving with unusual speed to push through in the final months of the Bush administration a rule making it tougher to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.
(By Carol D. Leonnig, The Washington Post)

Iraqis Take A Key Step On Electoral Legislation
Parliament Backs New Rules In Vote Boycotted by Kurds
(By Sudarsan Raghavan and Ernesto Londoño, The Washington Post)

Arts Plan Could Cause Funding Gap, Study Says
D.C. Schools Chancellor Pushes Rigid Financing
(By Bill Turque, The Washington Post)

Analysis: Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate
Candidate Moves Focus From Iraq To Broader Issues
(By Karen DeYoung and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
Big GOP Donor Faced Trouble Back Home
On the day Republican Sen. John McCain surged to victory in Florida's presidential primary, a group of supporters gathered at the elegant Tampa Club for a luncheon held by Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.
(By Matthew Mosk, The Washington Post)

U.S. Rushes to Change Workplace Toxin Rules
(By Carol D. Leonnig, The Washington Post)

Ex-EPA Official Says White House Pulled Rank
Administration Ordered Calif. Emissions Plan Quashed, Former Deputy Testifies
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

Analysis: Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate
Candidate Moves Focus From Iraq To Broader Issues
(By Karen DeYoung and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

Cuba Democracy Groups Facing Audits After Reports of Fraud
(By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
Witness: Hamdan Had 2 Missiles When Arrested
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, July 22 -- A former driver for Osama bin Laden had two shoulder-fired missiles in his car when he was captured in Afghanistan in late 2001, along with a piece of paper signed by the leader of the Taliban, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier testified Tuesday.
(By Jerry Markon, The Washington Post)

A Wake-Up Call From Afghanistan
Increased Fighting Draws More Attention to the Strain Posed by the Iraq War
(By Peter Slevin, The Washington Post)

Ex-EPA Official Says White House Pulled Rank
Administration Ordered Calif. Emissions Plan Quashed, Former Deputy Testifies
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

Budget Analyst Weighs Odds, Cost of Bailout
Fannie, Freddie Could Need $100 Billion or Not a Cent
(By Lori Montgomery and David Hilzenrath, The Washington Post)

AIDS Among Latinos on Rise
Hispanics in U.S. Face Unique Obstacles to Diagnosis, Treatment
(By Ceci Connolly, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Iraqis Take A Key Step On Electoral Legislation
BAGHDAD, July 22 -- Iraq's parliament passed legislation Tuesday setting new rules for provincial elections, a step widely viewed here as critical to the country's process of political reconciliation.
(By Sudarsan Raghavan and Ernesto Londoño, The Washington Post)

A Life Laid Bare
The fugitive accused of genocide moved freely as a New Age healer.
(By Peter Finn and Kevin Sullivan, The Washington Post)

AIDS Among Latinos on Rise
Hispanics in U.S. Face Unique Obstacles to Diagnosis, Treatment
(By Ceci Connolly, The Washington Post)

A Wake-Up Call From Afghanistan
Increased Fighting Draws More Attention to the Strain Posed by the Iraq War
(By Peter Slevin, The Washington Post)

Analysis: Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate
Candidate Moves Focus From Iraq To Broader Issues
(By Karen DeYoung and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Pr. William 911 Failures Cited
Prince William County residents were without reliable 911 emergency service during four periods in the past two months, Fire Chief Kevin J. McGee told county leaders yesterday.
(By Ben Hubbard, The Washington Post)

Planners See Sleek Future For Tysons
On Mall's 40th Birthday, Officials Chart a Makeover for Area
(By Michael Laris, The Washington Post)

Currie Worked For Firm Since '03
320 Calls Made To Executives, Affidavit Also Says
(By Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post)

Hornsby Retrial Jury Reports Deadlocks, Some Verdicts
(By Henri E. Cauvin, The Washington Post)

Father Makes Court Appearance in Toddler's Death
(By Tom Jackman, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Planners See Sleek Future For Tysons
In her three decades drawing maps for the U.S. government, Juliette Lacovaro charted the intricate contours of Hawaii and handled classified work during the Vietnam War. Now 84, the McLean resident sees a dream task emerging just a mile from her home: mapping the new Tysons Corner.
(By Michael Laris, The Washington Post)

NVR Ekes Out a Profit In Deep Housing Slump
(By Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)

Voices on Leadership: Charles Nelson
(Charles Nelson, washingtonpost.com)

Call the Cable Guy. Again.
As Comcast Grows, Service Problems Dog Customers
(By Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post)

U.S. Rushes to Change Workplace Toxin Rules
(By Carol D. Leonnig, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Call the Cable Guy. Again.
Kenneth Bayes's request to Comcast was routine. He was moving his family from Fairfax to a new townhouse in Haymarket and wanted to transfer his bundled television, Internet and phone services.
(By Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post)

Yahoo's Second-Quarter Profit Falls 18 Percent
Firm Misses Targets, but Not as Badly as Investors Feared
(By Michael Liedtke, The Washington Post)

Right Click
The GOP's Cyrus Krohn Has His Sites Set On Updating the Party's Internet Connection
(By Jose Antonio Vargas, The Washington Post)

A $500 Million Home for Gates's Charity
(By Donna Gordon Blankinship, The Washington Post)

Pr. William 911 Failures Cited
Service Disrupted Four Times in Past Two Months
(By Ben Hubbard, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Nationals Dealt a Loss On End of a Busy Day
(By Chico Harlan, washingtonpost.com)

Portis's Latest Role: Adulthood
(By Mike Wise, The Washington Post)

New Contract Carries High Price
Wizards Expect Arenas to Lead Them to NBA Championship
(By Ivan Carter, The Washington Post)

Redskins Lay a Lot On the Line
Age, Health Are Concerns for Unit
(By Jason La Canfora, The Washington Post)

Fast Start Propels Powell Past Bolt in Stockholm
(The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
Right Click
On the Twittering, Facebooking, widgety frontier of politics, one of the webbiest sites this campaign season was born just a few days ago : a 24/7 online town hall, where voters, via text or video, can help craft their party's platform.
(By Jose Antonio Vargas, The Washington Post)

The Reliable Source
(By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, The Washington Post)

CNN's 'Black In America' Is An Expressive Portrait
Ordinary Stories Make An Extraordinary Series
(By Tom Shales, The Washington Post)

Is McCain's Age Showing? Tongues Wag Over Flubs
(By Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post)

The Two-Bit Villain the World Somehow Feared
(By Neely Tucker, The Washington Post)

More Style

LIVE DISCUSSIONS
Soccer Insider
Washington Post soccer writer Steven Goff chats about D.C. United and other soccer topics.
(Steven Goff, washingtonpost.com)

Washington Nationals
(Chico Harlan, washingtonpost.com)

Dirda on Books
(Michael Dirda, washingtonpost.com)

Voices on Leadership: Charles Nelson
(Charles Nelson, washingtonpost.com)

Real Life Politics
(Ruth Marcus, washingtonpost.com)

More Live Discussions

Teachable Moment
IT'S APPARENT that some D.C. teachers union officials don't think much of the people they represent. How else to explain their objections to Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee speaking to teachers about pending contract talks? The suggestion that simply providing information is coercive belittle...
(The Washington Post)

India's Outstretched Hand
New Delhi does its part to salvage a nuclear pact; now it's Congress's turn.
(The Washington Post)

Mr. Obama in Iraq
Did he really find support for his withdrawal plan?
(The Washington Post)

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