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Barack Obama

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Latest Barack Obama articles

The Guardian view on Russian disinformation: a foreign threat that relies on UK complicity | Editorial

The Guardian view on Russian disinformation: a foreign threat that relies on UK complicity | Editorial

Andy Burnham’s accusation against the Kremlin tells half the story. Domestic extremists amplified by US big tech are part of the same problem In November 2020, Barack Obama warned of an “ epistemological crisis ” facing western democracies. Polarisation and radicalisation were corroding trust in established information sources. “If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work,” the former US president said. That vulnerability has grown since then. Democracy’s enemies have become more determined to exploit it. This is the threat that Andy Burnham highlighted in a speech at the United Nations this week. The prime minister accused Russia of waging an “industrial-scale assault” on the UK’s information environment using bot armies and fake websites to spread falsehoods, interfere in elections, foment discord and poison inter-community relations. Continue reading...

The Guardianneutral
Andy BurnhamBarack ObamaKremlin
Sep 23, 2026 · byThe Guardian
Thomas Chatterton Williams on how Covid-19, George Floyd protests affected US social justice

Thomas Chatterton Williams on how Covid-19, George Floyd protests affected US social justice

An acclaimed American author has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his theories on how American society's opinion and ideas of social justice have changed since the presidency of Barack Obama. Thomas Chatterton Williams says the left became disillusioned during Obama's second term, and in later years amid the George Floyd protests and Covid-19 pandemic the discourse shifted – initially for the left, but this also impacted the right. The ripples of those times are still resonating today. His latest book is entitled "Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse".

Barack ObamaFrance
Sep 23, 2026 · byFrance 24
AI, trade, Taiwan and climate: what will and won’t be on agenda at Trump-Xi summit

AI, trade, Taiwan and climate: what will and won’t be on agenda at Trump-Xi summit

Two leaders could discuss tech safety issues and US-China trade ties but may skip over climate emergency Analysis: AI looms large over Trump-Xi meeting The leaders of the world’s two superpowers are meeting in the US this week . It is Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the US in more than a decade. The last time the Chinese president was hosted in Washington (by Barack Obama in 2015), the issues on the agenda included cybercrime, technology, the climate crisis and human rights. The star of the day was Ne-Yo , who serenaded Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, with Peng reportedly singing along at the state dinner . This time, Xi is meeting Donald Trump, who has overhauled the world order and recalibrated the US-China relationship. Trump is contending with a China that is in a much stronger position than it was 10 years ago. Here are five things to look out for at this week’s US-China summit. Continue reading...

Trump-Xi summitneutral
Barack ObamaChinaDonald Trump
Sep 23, 2026 · byThe Guardian
Trump’s bizarre social media blitz leaves world guessing ahead of UN address

Trump’s bizarre social media blitz leaves world guessing ahead of UN address

President has been posting on Washington arch, AI and his ‘25 top achievements’ – the chances of an uplifting speech appear slim The annual gathering of the United Nations general assembly has historically been a platform for US presidents to display their most serious face and a positive vision to the world. From Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower to John F Kennedy and Barack Obama, over eight decades US leaders have used the setting to expound on grand themes before a global audience at pivotal moments in international affairs. Continue reading...

Donald Trumpcritical
Barack ObamaDonald TrumpONU
Sep 22, 2026 · byThe Guardian
Tim Cook to Attend White House State Dinner for Xi Jinping

Tim Cook to Attend White House State Dinner for Xi Jinping

Apple executive chairman Tim Cook is expected to attend a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports Bloomberg . Cook stepped down as Apple CEO and transitioned to executive chairman on September 1, with John Ternus taking over. Part of Cook's new role includes engaging with policymakers around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump invited Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, among others. The dinner will be held next week during Xi's visit to Washington. Cook has attended multiple state dinners with Xi. Earlier this year, Xi held a state dinner for Trump in Beijing where Cook was present, and in 2015, Cook was seated next to Xi at a state dinner then-President Barack Obama hosted. Tag: Tim Cook This article, " Tim Cook to Attend White House State Dinner for Xi Jinping " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Xi Jinpingneutral
AppleBarack ObamaBeijing
Sep 16, 2026 · byMacRumors
Obama family dog Sunny dies: ‘a force of nature’

Obama family dog Sunny dies: ‘a force of nature’

Sunny, who joined the Obama family at the White House in 2013, was the second Obama dog after Bo, who died in 2021 Sunny Obama, the Obama family’s second beloved Portuguese Water Dog, died on Tuesday, Barack Obama announced on Wednesday morning. “Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” the former president wrote on social media, attaching a photo of the 14-year-old dog whom he called “a force of nature”. Continue reading...

Barack Obama
Sep 16, 2026 · byThe Guardian
Barack Obama's Family Dog Sunny Dead

Barack Obama's Family Dog Sunny Dead

Sunny -- the Obama family's cherished Portuguese water dog who lived in the White House -- has died, according to Barack Obama. Obama, the 44th president of the United States, just posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, revealing the sad news…

Barack ObamaInstagram
Sep 16, 2026 · byTMZ
AI-linked stocks fall after call for development slowdown worries investors – business live

AI-linked stocks fall after call for development slowdown worries investors – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news AI CEOs say they need to slow the pace of development. But will they? The Guardian view on controlling AI: humanity cannot outsource its survival Dario Amodei’s pacing proposal has drawn heavy skepticism from critics and researchers who allege that AI firms are attempting to preempt more stringent government regulation and retain the status quo of power within the industry. Rahm Emanuel , former congressman and chief of staff to Barack Obama, posted online: “I can tell you when the last time a CEO or an industry at large asked to be regulated: never. That’s what makes Dario’s letter so striking – it’s an admission that we’re driving down a dark, winding road on wet pavement with the headlights off. And where’s President Trump? Looks like he nodded off again.” Continue reading...

Barack ObamaDario AmodeiDonald Trump
Sep 14, 2026 · byThe Guardian
Obama reportedly urges Democrats to prioritize safety plan for AI

Obama reportedly urges Democrats to prioritize safety plan for AI

Ex-president urged party at closed-door fundraiser to create sweeping framework, from safety ‘slow-down’ to job losses Barack Obama urged Democrats to prioritize a “public conversation” about AI management and safety in a closed-door Manhattan fundraiser last week. The comments by the former US president reportedly urged the party to create a sweeping framework for everything from a safety “slow-down” to domestic job losses and children’s wellbeing. Continue reading...

Barack ObamaManhattan
Sep 13, 2026 · byThe Guardian
At 9/11 ceremony, Giuliani and Mamdani … shake hands?

At 9/11 ceremony, Giuliani and Mamdani … shake hands?

BEST FRENEMIES: Didn’t see this one coming. At Friday’s ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani — he of the recent anti-Muslim tirade — shook hands with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the subject of that rant. The former Republican mayor even offered prayers for Mamdani during their brief exchange, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss it. “Rudy told him he knows it’s a tough job and he’s praying for him,” the person told Playbook. After attending a memorial service at a church near ground zero later in the day, Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, told reporters he and Giuliani "exchanged pleasantries” when asked what they discussed. In another unexpected clasp, NBC News reported former Mayor Bill de Blasio was seen hugging and amicably chatting with his longtime tormentor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Republican Vice President JD Vance milled about among Democratic foes including former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. And a Giuliani aide publicly defended both Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from allegations they were laughing throughout the ceremony (they were not). What does it all mean? It seems — despite an unprecedented buildup of partisan rancor directed, for the most part, at the current New York City mayor ahead of the Lower Manhattan ceremony — that the gravity of the event and the desire to focus on the 2,983 victims was enough to bring beefing politicians back down to earth, for a few hours at least. “This is a moment of common humanity and that’s what I saw on display from people who may say things in the moment. But at that moment, we were united,” Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN. New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks told Playbook he believes Giuliani was “following in the steps of Jesus” by offering prayers to Mamdani. “He asks us to pray for not only those we love and who we agree with, but to pray for everyone,” he said. “So I just really believe that it's following in his footsteps, and prayer is a powerful sign of unity, and however that exchange was between them, hopefully it's a great reflection of Christ." The idea that a sitting New York City mayor would skip a 9/11 commemoration ceremony is farfetched, and 74% of New York voters told a pollster recently the mayor should go. But Mamdani was asked to stay away anyhow for reasons ranging from his association with a Twitch streamer who once said “America deserved 9/11” to his own religion . Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman urged first responders to turn their backs on the young democratic socialist. At Friday’s ceremony, however, none of that happened. And in fact, the elected officials were mostly an afterthought. Family members read out the names of every victim over the course of several hours in a ceremony interspersed with moments of silence to denote milestones in the terror attacks, including the moments when two commercial jets slammed into the twin towers. All living presidents and mayors — with the exception of President Donald Trump and former Mayor Eric Adams — attended. Throughout the proceedings, Mamdani and the crowd of officials largely observed the recitation in silence, with Mamdani staying after the event to speak and take photos with several families. The political comity, however, gave way to an arch warning once the memorial was over. In an interview following the event, Cuomo said the memorial service should, in part, serve as a reminder to remain vigilant for a younger generation of political leaders like Mamdani, the man who defeated him in last year’s hotly contested mayoral election. “They should be thinking that this is not a page of history,” he said, pointing to the war in Iran and rising concerns over antisemitism. “This is a present-day threat. It wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. This could happen again. The circumstances for it happening again are much more real than they’ve been in a long time.” And outside the World Trade Center memorial, a heated clash between two elements of the far-right was a stark reminder of the country’s messy and increasingly fractured political landscape, with white nationalist Jake Lang staging an anti-Muslim rally that was counter-protested by a man shouting “Allahu akbar” and men dressed as Nazis shouting antisemitic slogans. — Joe Anuta, Nick Reisman and Chris Sommerfeldt From the Capitol SCHOOL VAX: New York is seeing a spike in parents seeking exemptions from the state's school vaccine mandates, with one of those challenges potentially headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. A mother looking to preserve her unvaccinated child’s kindergarten enrollment at the Waverly School in Eastchester is challenging the state’s vaccination laws, which only allow students with an approved medical exemption to attend school without the required vaccines, according to court documents filed last month . The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a Sept. 8 order, without offering any explanation. But Patricia Finn, the attorney representing the family, says the case will proceed at the federal trial court level, but the child won’t be allowed in school while the court deliberates. If they lose, they plan to petition to bring it before the Supreme Court. The case represents a challenge to school immunization mandates that have been in place since 1996. The state Legislature eliminated religious exemptions after a deadly measles outbreak in an Orthodox Jewish community. Those mandates — which apply to all public, private and religious schools — require children to receive all age-appropriate required vaccinations in order to be admitted to or attend a school. The state Education Department said it received more appeals requesting medical exemptions to required vaccinations during the 2025-26 school year than ever before. Both that agency and the state Health Department declined to provide data backing that claim, though. However, the Health Department provided a dataset on the state’s school immunization survey. For the 2024-25 school year, 941 of 2,755 public schools outside New York City reported at least one student with a medical exemption, according to the data. Among private schools, 184 of 861 reported at least one student with a medical exemption. Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Madina Touré and Katelyn Cordero. FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ENDORSEMENT CORNER: Hochul picked up an endorsement today from Everytown for Gun Safety. The gun safety group touted Hochul’s work “banning 3D-printed ghost guns, getting illegal guns off our streets, and driving gun violence to its lowest levels in recorded New York history.” Hochul, who’s running for her second full term this year, has been leaning into messaging about safety and frequently touts drops in crime under her leadership. In 2022, crime was a pain point for New York Democrats up and down the ballot. In its endorsement, Everytown chided Trump, as well as Hochul’s opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, for “cowering to the gun lobby.” Blakeman has pushed back against a state law prohibiting guns in sensitive locations, including places of worship. He said he has “ always supported the Second Amendment ,” and in an appeal to Second Amendment supporters , vowed to “vigorously defend the rights of law-abiding New Yorkers.” Democrats have gone after him for implementing a provisional special deputy sheriff program made up of armed citizens. But Blakeman has faced skepticism from gun-rights advocates for previously saying he supports “ reasonable restrictions ” on gun ownership. While the NRA Political Victory Fund gave Hochul an F rating , it lists a question mark for Blakeman — along with his running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, and GOP attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy. The group has not endorsed in any of New York’s statewide races. — Madison Fernandez PAC IT UP: Major GOP groups are descending on the Hudson Valley to boost Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. No Going Back PAC, a super PAC affiliated with the president’s political operation, has reserved a $4 million ad buy in the district, according to the ad tracker AdImpact. A separate group called Safety and Affordability PAC placed close to $3 million in ads. And that’s on top of close to $7 million from the Congressional Leadership Fund. In addition, America PAC, the group backed by Elon Musk, has so far spent around $50,000 on calls and printing, according to Federal Election Commission records. Another group, America First Agriculture Action Inc., put in more than $300,000 for mail and digital advertising. There hasn’t been significant outside spending in support of Democratic challenger Cait Conley yet. Outside GOP spending is also ramping up in Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi’s Long Island district. CLF has placed $4 million in advertising, per AdImpact, and No Going Back PAC has put in more than $200,000 to support Suozzi’s GOP challenger, former state Assemblymember Mike LiPetri. The substantial buys are a sign of which New York districts national Republicans are prioritizing this year. Last week, CLF pulled its reservations in support of state Sen. Peter Oberacker, who’s challenging Democratic Rep. Josh Riley upstate. — Madison Fernandez IN OTHER NEWS — MOTOR SKILLS: A version of Tesla’s autonomous Cybercabs — which have been modified to include a steering wheel and an option for a driver to intervene — have hit the streets of New York City. ( Gothamist ) — ENDORSEMENT WATCH: On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Hochul secured the endorsements of three major firefighter unions. ( City & State ) — BAR FLIGHT: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is among 1,000 lawyers suspended from practicing in New York. ( Times Union ) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here .

Alexandria Ocasio-CortezBarack ObamaJD Vance
Sep 11, 2026 · byPOLITICO
Betrayal by Luke Harding review – could Donald Trump be a Russian asset?

Betrayal by Luke Harding review – could Donald Trump be a Russian asset?

A Guardian correspondent’s sobering account of the US betrayal of Ukraine – and the possible reasons behind it American presidents have struggled to get the measure of Vladimir Putin. When George W Bush met him in 2001, he reported that he had “looked the man in the eye”, got a “sense of his soul” and found him “trustworthy”. Barack Obama thought Putin was making a mistake with his interventions in Ukraine and Syria, but didn’t do much about it. Joe Biden backed Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion, yet his fear that Putin would reach for the nuclear button if backed into a corner made him risk averse. He worried about the impact of the sort of long-range strikes against Russian territory that Kyiv is now launching on a daily basis. This caution frustrated Ukrainians to the point that they looked forward to Donald Trump shaking things up after he won re-election. Be careful what you wish for: the returning president thought his rapport with Putin would be enough to get Russia to sign up to an immediate ceasefire. In Trump’s head it was President Zelenskyy, fighting a war he was bound to lose, who was the problem. Continue reading...

Barack ObamaDonald TrumpKiev
Aug 24, 2026 · byThe Guardian