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Tag: Obama

  • Poll scores Obama higher than Trump in handling Iran

    Poll scores Obama higher than Trump in handling Iran

    A plurality of the American public opposes Donald Trump’s overall approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran and believes his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama was more effective in dealing with Tehran.

    However, Americans are evenly divided over Trump’s decision to kill Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

    Conducted from Jan. 8 to 10 — after Iranian ballistic missiles struck Iraqi bases in retaliation without causing American casualties and Trump declared that “Iran appears to be standing down” — the poll found that 42 percent of Americans oppose Trump’s approach to Iran (versus 36 percent who support it).

    Forty percent say Trump was wrong to withdraw from the Obama administration’s nuclear treaty with Tehran (versus 35 percent who say he was right), while 41 percent say Trump has been less effective on Iran than Obama (versus 34 percent who say the current president has been more effective). On all three questions, about a quarter of respondents said they were either not sure or neutral.

    The percentage of the public (38 percent) that approves of Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani, which his campaign has been touting in fundraising emails and Facebook ads, is statistically indistinguishable from the percentage that disapproves (37 percent) — a divide that may stem from the fact that only a third of Americans believe the administration’s claim that Soleimani was planning an “imminent” attack on the U.S. (A slightly smaller proportion — 29 percent — disbelieved the claim; the rest were unsure.)

    More Americans also said Trump’s handling of recent events in the Middle East made them less likely to support him in the 2020 election (35 percent) than said they were more likely to support him as a result (29 percent). A plurality (36 percent) said Trump’s approach would have no effect on their vote.

  • Burna Boy makes Obama’s favourite music of 2019 list

    Burna Boy makes Obama’s favourite music of 2019 list

    Burna Boy’s ‘Anybody’, and Rema’s ‘Iron Man’, have made former U.S. president, Barrack Obama’s favourite music of 2019 list.

    Obama made this known on Twitter on Monday and tagged the annual list as a “favourite tradition.”

    Both singers are the only Nigerians on the list while their famous tracks were mentioned alongside 32 other songs.

     

     

    Burna Boy’s ‘Anybody’ was featured on ‘Ballers’, a popular American TV series in September 2019.

    The track is one of the songs off his ‘African Giant’ album released on the heels of his energetic performance at this years’Coachella.

    Burna Boy’s album spunned hits like ‘Killin Dem’ featuring Zlatan, ‘Anybody’ and ‘Dangote’ and several international collaborations.

    Back in August, ‘Iron Man’ by Don Jazzy’s youngest signee, Rema, made it to The Obamas’ 2019 Summer Playlist back.

    He was the only Nigerian artist on the list. It’s therefore not surprising that he made Obama’s favourite song of the year list.

    Although ‘Dumebi’ is Rema’s biggest song to date, it appears Obama prefers the singer’s debut single ‘Iron Man’ and rightly so.

    Rema is one of Nigeria’s most promising new artists.

    Announcing his list on Twitter, Obama wrote, “From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year”.

    “If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick.”

    Besides a track from Bruce Springsteen’s “Western Stars,” songs by Mavis Staples, DaBaby, Frank Ocean, Joe Henry, Beyonce and Solange, also made theme cut.

    Unlike his books and movies/TV lists, which he posted over the weekend, Obama’s music list comes with a bonus; a Spotify playlist.

    Obama’s list of favourite songs from 2018 included songs by Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monae, H.E.R. and Ashley McBryde, as well as Cardi B, Lord Huron, Kurt Vile, Hozier, Chance the Rapper, Courtney Barnett, Khalid and Leon Bridges.

    See the full list, below:

    Barack Obama’s favourite music of 2019:

    ‘Playing Games’ – Summer Walker.

    ‘Not’ – Big Thief.

    ‘Go DJ’ – Kaytrana featuring SIR.

    ‘Juice’ – Lizzo.

    ‘Redesigning Women’ – The Highwomen.

    ‘Anybody’ – Burna Boy.

    ‘Burning’ – Maggie Rogers.

    ‘Baila Baila Baila (Remix) – Ozuna featuring Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Farruko and Anuel AA.

    ‘Different Kind of Love’ – Adia Victoria.

    ‘Change’ – Mavis Staples.

    ‘Toast’ – Koffee.

    ‘Oblivions’ – The National.

    ‘Binz’ – Solange.

    ‘Seventeen’ – Sharon Van Etten.

    ‘Middle Child’ – J. Cole.

    ‘Jicama’ – Angelica Garcia.

    ‘Go’ – The Black Keys.

    ‘La Vida Es Un Carnaval ‘ – Angelique Kindjo.

    ‘Show Me Love’ – Alicia Keys featuring Miguel.

    ‘Joke Ting’ – Goldlink featuring Ari Pensmith.

    ‘Old Town Road (Remix)’ – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

    ‘Cold/Mess’ – Prateek Kuhad.

    ‘Suge’ – Dababy.

    ‘Hello Sunshine’ – Bruce Springsteen.

    ‘In My Room’ – Frank Ocean.

    ‘Iron Man’ – Rema.

    ‘The London’ – Young Thug featuring J. Cole and Travis Scott.

    ‘Raleighwood Hills’ – Lesthegenius featuring Sonny Miles and Jaxson Free.

    ‘Pure Water’ – Mustard featuring Migos.

    ‘3 Nights’ – Dominic Fike.

    ‘The Fact of Love’ – Joe Henry.

    ‘Con Altura’ – Rosalia.

    ‘I Want You Around’ – Snoh Aalegra.

    ‘On Chill’ – Wale featuring Jermih.

    ‘Mood 4 Eva’ – Beyonce.

  • Obama, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg pay tribute to rapper Nipsey Hussle

    Obama, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg pay tribute to rapper Nipsey Hussle

    Former US President Barack Obama, legendary singer, Stevie Wonder and rapper, Snoop Dogg eulogised slain rapper, Nipsey Hussle in a very emotional memorial in Los Angeles on Thursday.

    Obama wrote a letter to the family, which was read by Karen Civil, Hussle’s friend and business partner, where he praised Hussle’s attempts to revitalize the gang-plagued neighborhood where he was raised, and where he was gunned down in March.

    “While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential.

    “He saw hope,” Obama’s letter said, referencing his efforts to build a skills-training center and a co-working space.

    The memorial was held at the 21,000-capacity Staples Center, a sports and pop concert venue, which was packed with fans wearing white and blue for the three-hour memorial.

    The ceremony was followed by a 25-mile (40-km) procession through the streets of south Los Angeles.

    Fellow California rapper, Snoop Dogg recalled Hussle’s former connections with the notorious Crips gang that the musician later parlayed into efforts to combat gang violence.

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave us a good Crip, the late great neighborhood Nip. Rest in peace,” Snoop Dogg said.

    He called the Grammy-nominated singer “a peace advocate” because of his work with all members of the community.

    Wonder played his 1980 hit ‘Rocket Love’ and a version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’ to pay respects to Hussle.

    Also, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Hussle has become “to hip hop and rap what Bob Marley was to reggae.”

    “He lived the gang life but he didn’t stay there. He lived the life of the ‘hood but he rose above the pull of gravity,” Farrakhan said in a speech.

    Hussle’s two-year-old son, dressed in a blue suit, was brought on stage in the arms of the musician’s girlfriend, model Lauren London.

    Hussle, 33, was shot on March 31 outside a clothing store he owned in south Los Angeles. Shortly after, a stampede erupted at a local vigil for Hussle after reports of a gunman in the crowd.

    A 29-year-old man on April 9 pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Police said Hussle’s shooting was motivated by a personal dispute, although it took place in a surge of gang-related violence in south Los Angeles in March.

    Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was Grammy-nominated earlier this year for his debut studio album “Victory Lap.”

  • How Obama campaigned against me to favour Buhari in 2015 – Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has criticized the conduct of former President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama during the 2015 presidential elections in Nigeria.

    The former Nigerian leader described the former U.S. president as overbearing and ‘condescending’ in his message to Nigerians ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Jonathan said Obama displayed an unusual level of bias during the 2015 elections, issuing a video appeal to Nigerians which all but advised them on which candidate to give their mandate.

    “On March 23, 2015, President Obama himself took the unusual step of releasing a video message directly to Nigerians all but telling them how to vote,” Jonathan said in his new book, ‘My Transition Hours’, which launches today (Tuesday).

    “In that video, Obama urged Nigerians to open the ‘next chapter’ by their votes. Those who understood subliminal language deciphered that he was prodding the electorate to vote for the opposition to form a new government.”

    Recall that Jonathan eventually lost the 2015 elections to now-President Muhammadu Buhari, marking the first time an incumbent president would lose reelection. He assumed office in 2010 following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, getting his own mandate of four years at the 2011 presidential election.

    The days leading to the 2015 election were crucial for both Jonathan and his cabinet officials. Only two weeks ahead, the election was postponed to March 28 from its initial date in February.

    The six-week postponement drew outrage from within and outside the country, and Jonathan’s opponents accused him of plots to perpetuate himself in office.

    But the former president said he was not the only one responsible for the polls shift, saying other former leaders were all part of the decision, which was informed by the security exigencies at the time.

    “The message was so condescending, it was as if Nigerians did not know what to do and needed an Obama to direct them,” Jonathan said of the video message.

    He lampooned Obama, who was American president from 2009 until 2017, for saying “all Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear,” but was reluctant to allow the Nigerian security forces drive Boko Haram insurgents away from the Nigerian territories they had been occupying in order to free Nigerian citizens there ahead of elections.

    Jonathan also took a harsh aim at former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, saying the top diplomat was nonchalant in his attitude towards his government, despite all efforts to make him understand that the decision to postpone election was in the overall interest of Nigeria.

    “How can the U.S. Secretary of State know what is more important for Nigeria than Nigeria’s own government? How could they have expected us to conduct elections when Boko Haram controlled part of the North East and were killing and maiming Nigerians?

    “Not even the assurance of the sanctity of May 29, 2015 handover date could calm them down. In Nigeria, the Constitution is very clear: No President can extend his tenure by one day,” Jonathan said.

     

  • Bombs sent to Obama, Clinton; explosives scare at CNN

    An explosive device was discovered early Wednesday at Hillary and Bill Clinton’s Chappaqua home, another one addressed to former President Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, and CNN evacuated its Manhattan headquarters when a suspicious package was found there, officials said.
    Police in Florida are also investigating a possible suspicious package at the offices of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, according to a local NBC affiliate.
    A US official said investigators believe the “functional explosive device” found at the Clintons’ home in Westchester County is linked to one found Monday in the mailbox of billionaire George Soros’ house in Katonah. The return address on the bomb sent to Soros was “Debbie Wasserman Schultz,” a law enforcement source told The Post.
    Meanwhile, CNN reported that its Manhattan bureau at the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle has been evacuated because of a suspicious package. The package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, sources said.
    And in a fourth incident, a suspicious package was found at the Soros Foundation on West 57th Street, a law enforcement source told The Post.
    The NYPD is working under the theory that the suspicious package found at CNN is related to the others, a high-ranking source told The Post.
    The device, which was found in the mailroom of the Time Warner center, was constructed with a pipe and wires, cops said.
    A high ranking-police source told The Post that cops were still preparing to examine the package. It wasn’t immediately clear to whom it was addressed or if there was a note attached.
     
    Culled from New York Post

  • BREAKING: Senator McCain is dead, Trump, Obama pay tributes

    McCain, a celebrated war hero known for reaching across the aisle in an increasingly divided America, died following a lost battle with brain cancer.

    Former President Barack Obama swiftly led the outpouring of condolences and tributes for Senator John McCain whose death was announced on Saturday by his office.
    McCain, a celebrated war hero known for reaching across the aisle in an increasingly divided America, died following a lost battle with brain cancer.
    He was 81.

    “Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28 pm on August 25, 2018. With the senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family,” his office said in a statement.
    Obama, the Democrat to whom McCain lost the presidency in the 2008 elections, said “we are all in his debt.”

    “John McCain and I were members of different generations, came from completely different backgrounds and competed at the highest level of politics,” Obama said in a statement.

    “But we shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher — the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed.”
    Former vice president Al Gore — who served under Democrat Bill Clinton — said: “I always admired and respected John from the opposite side of the aisle, because he thrived under pressure, and would work to find common ground, no matter how hard.”

    President Donald Trump, who once mocked McCain’s war record, said he sent his “deepest sympathies and respect.”

    McCain had been a rare and outspoken Republican critic of Trump, accusing him of “naivete,” “egotism” and of sympathizing with autocrats.

    On Capitol Hill, McCain became close friends with Senator Lindsey Graham and former senator Joe Lieberman — a trio dubbed the “Three Amigos.”
    Now that the trio is missing its driving force, Graham wrote that “America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions… And I’ve lost one of my dearest friends and mentor.”

    McCain, who was tortured during his five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, stopped treatment from an aggressive form of cancer on Friday , his family saying “the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict.”

    “At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 60 years.”

    “Sen McCain, thank you for your service,” read a sign near the driveway of his home in a rural part of Sedona, Arizona, television footage showed, as a police escort accompanied the hearse that was to carry his body and local residents came bearing flowers for the late political titan.

    While he had many disagreements with fellow politicians, the Republican stalwart’s integrity was not at question.

    He had spent more than three decades in the Senate, looming large in debates over war and peace and the moral direction of the nation. Before joining the upper chamber, he served as a US representative from 1983 to 1987.

    McCain had not been on the Senate floor in months, remaining at his Arizona home for treatment of glioblastoma — the same form of brain cancer that took the life of another Senate giant, Democrat Ted Kennedy, in 2009.

  • [Video] Obama visits Kenya, dances with his grandmother, half sister

    [Video] Obama visits Kenya, dances with his grandmother, half sister

    Immediate past President of the United States of America, Barack Obama visited his father’s ancestral village in Kenya’s south-western Siaya county on Monday and danced to some traditional music with his grandmother in his first visit to the country since leaving office.

    Obama is in Kenya to launch a youth centre set up by his half-sister Auma Obama.

    Kenyan television showed the former U.S. president pulling his grandmother, Sarah Obama, clad in traditional garb, onto the dance floor and getting down to some music.

    Obama, America’s first black president and a favourite in Africa, was also shown touring the Sauti Kuu Centre, sporting a casual white shirt and a pair of shades.

    Locals hoping to get a glimpse of Obama lined the roads near the centre, with one school girl telling Kenya’s NTV “I’m happy to see our elder brother come today.”

    After Obama arrived in the country on Sunday, he met with President Uhuru Kenyatta, who tweeted “It was great to welcome you back @BarackObama.”

    The former president will head to South Africa on Tuesday to give a key speech for Nelson Mandela’s centenary – his first major public address since leaving office.

     

  • Obama visits Africa, recommends Achebe, Chimamanda’s books for summer read

    Obama visits Africa, recommends Achebe, Chimamanda’s books for summer read

    Former U.S. President, Barack Obama, has recommended Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” and Chimamanda Adichie’s “Americanah” among six books for the 2018 Summer reading list.

    Obama took to his Twitter handle to announce the six all-African authored books ahead of his first visit to Africa since leaving office on Jan. 20, 2017.

    The visit would take him to Kenya and South Africa.

    Obama wrote: “Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a true classic of world literature.

    “This novel paints a picture of traditional society wrestling with the arrival of foreign influence, from Christian missionaries to British colonialism.

    “A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa and around the world.

    “Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: From one of the world’s great contemporary writers comes the story of two Nigerians making their way in the U.S. and the UK, raising universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the African diaspora and the search for identity and a home’’.

    The other books suggested by the former U.S. leader included “A Grain of Wheat” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and “Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela.

    The first Black U.S. president born to a Kenyan father, described Africa as “a continent of wonderful diversity, thriving culture and remarkable stories’’.

    He also announced the launch of a civic leadership programme by the Obama Foundation after selecting 200 rising leaders from 44 African countries, holding on July 14 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    “This week, I’m travelling to Africa for the first time since I left office – a continent of wonderful diversity, thriving culture, and remarkable stories.

    “I was proud to visit sub-Saharan Africa more times than any other sitting President, and I’ll return this week to visit Kenya and South Africa.

    “In South Africa, the Obama Foundation will convene 200 extraordinary young leaders from across the continent and I’ll deliver a speech to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth.

    “Kenya, of course, is the Obama ancestral home.

    “I visited for the first time when I was in my twenties and I was profoundly influenced by my experiences – a journey I wrote about in my first book, ‘Dreams from My Father’.

    “Over the years since, I’ve often drawn inspiration from Africa’s extraordinary literary tradition.

    “As I prepare for this trip, I wanted to share a list of books that I’d recommend for summer reading, including some from a number of Africa’s best writers and thinkers – each of whom illuminate our world in powerful and unique ways,’’ the 44th U.S. president said.

  • Trump more supportive in fight against Boko Haram than Obama – Presidency

    Trump more supportive in fight against Boko Haram than Obama – Presidency

    The presidency on Sunday said the United States Government under President Donald Trump is far more supportive to Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram insurgents than the government under former president Barrack Obama.

    The assertion was made Sunday in Washington DC by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in an interview with journalists.

    Recall that President Buhari, who arrived the U.S. Sunday afternoon is billed to meet with his host, President Donald Trump, on Monday at the White House.

    Shehu said the discussion between the two leaders will centre on insecurity, especially the fight against terrorism.

    He said the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. has improved since the coming into office of Trump.

    Shehu said Buhari is the first leader from sub-Saharan Africa to hold talks with the U.S. President in the White House, describing the visit as “a pointer to two important things. One is, no matter how Nigerians take our own country, this is hugely an important country and this recognition is being manifested in this visit.

    “And for the President personally, it is equally important that of all the heads of state we have in the continent; that he among all of them has come forward to meet President Donald Trump.

    “But it is important to know that beyond the symbolism of the visit, there are important matters affecting both countries that will be placed on the table when the two Presidents meet.

    “We have the understanding that the two delegations have their agenda clearly spelt out and there will be interest and focus on the matter of security and safety, focus on trade and investment and focus on democratic development in our country.

    “It is important (to note) that cooperation between the two countries has manifestly increased under the Trump presidency. If you recall sometime back, the president had reason to openly complain that we are not receiving as much as we thought we deserve in terms of support and cooperation especially in our fight against terrorism back then during the Obama period.

    “And it will seem that quite dramatically and interestingly, a lot of the obstacles are being removed under the Trump presidency and doors are being opened and we are receiving far more support than most people had expected,” Shehu said.

     

  • Obama uncovers presidential portrait painted by Nigerian[Video]

    Former US President and his wife, Barack and Michelle Obama unveiled their authorized portraits at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery on Monday.

    Amazingly, they selected Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, for the paintings, which will be among the gallery’s collection of presidential portraits.

     

    Wiley and Sherald were the first black artists ever hired to paint a president or first lady for the Smithsonian.

     

    “I want to thank you for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman that I love,” Obama revealed.

     

    “I tried to negotiate less gray hair and Kehinde’s artistic integrity would not allow him to do what I asked. I tried to negotiate smaller ears – struck out on that as well.”

     

    For Michelle Obama she hoped the portrait would have a positive impact on young girls of colour in the years to come.

     

    “They will look up and they will see an image of someone who looks like them, hanging on the wall of this great American institution. I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls.”

    Obama cautions leaders to think before tweeting