March 20, 2014 | 5:58
This week, the President celebrated St. Patrick's day alongside the Prime Minister of Ireland, continued to work toward a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, hosted Palestinian President Abbas, awarded 24 Medals of Honor, and traveled to Florida to speak on the importance of supporting working families.
This week, the President filled out his NCAA tournament brackets and awarded the Medal of Honor to 24 veterans. The First Lady departed for China and visited the Forbidden City. See what else you missed in this week's weekly wrap up.
For the sixth straight year, the President filled out his brackets for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. On the men’s side, he has Louisville, Michigan State, Florida, and Arizona headed to the Final Four, with the Spartans winning it all.
Check out Obama's NCAA bracket—and vote on the top reasons to #GetCoveredNow → http://t.co/HGHF1PeQkU #Baracketology pic.twitter.com/VOW3kMVRA7
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 19, 2014
Too bad the President also had Duke going all the way to the Elite Eight.
March 21, 2014 | 2:09
Hear from the First Lady Michelle Obama as she recaps day one of
her trip to China and previews her upcoming address on study abroad and
connecting students across continents.
Note: This post is part of a series authored by First Lady Michelle Obama to share her visit to China with young people in the U.S. You can read all of the First Lady's posts at WhiteHouse.gov/First-Lady-China-Trip.
Touring the Forbidden City. #FLOTUSinChina pic.twitter.com/Nh87xzlhZJ
— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) March 21, 2014
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Diaoyutai Guest Houses
Beijing, China
6:07 P.M. CST
PRESIDENT XI: (As interpreted.) Mrs. Michelle Obama, may I start by extending my warm welcome to you, to your mother, Mrs. Robinson, and your two lovely daughters, Malia and Sasha.
In June last year at Annenberg Estate, during my meeting with your husband, President Obama, we decided that the Chinese side will invite you to China. And the other day when I was speaking to him on the phone, we mentioned this again. And it’s such a great pleasure to see you in person today.
I cherish my sound working relationship and personal friendship I have already established with your husband, and we stay in close touch through meetings, phone conversations and correspondence. I look forward to meeting with him again at the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in the Hague in a couple of days’ time, and I also look forward to receiving him in China in November when he visits China and attends the APEC Economic Leaders meeting. I also hope very much that you will be traveling with him at that time.
China-U.S. bilateral relationship matters very much to both of our countries and to the world. I am confident that with the concerted efforts of the two sides, the China-U.S. relationship will keep moving forward towards our shared goal of building a new model of major country relationships.
I wish to thank the U.S. side for sending such a heavyweight ambassador to China. I believe that he will receive his duty with great success, and he will inject new impetus to this bilateral relationship.
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much. Mr. President, Madame Peng, we are honored and thrilled to be here in China with you. And we’re so grateful for the warmth and hospitality that you’ve shown me and my family.
We had a wonderful first day here in Beijing. We had an opportunity to meet with students, I tried my hand at ping pong -- not so good. (Laughter.) And our visit to the Forbidden City is one that we will never forget. Being able to see my mother, who doesn’t get to travel internationally often, walk through that ancient city, and to see her excitement and wonder is a moment that I will treasure forever.
I’m going to focus my visit on education, which is an important issue to both of our nations. We’ve got to continue to highlight the importance of student exchange between our countries, and I’ll be speaking about that tomorrow.
END
6:11 P.M. CST
Note: This post is part of a series authored by First Lady Michelle Obama to share her visit to China with young people in the U.S. You can read all of the First Lady's posts at WhiteHouse.gov/First-Lady-China-Trip.
The White House
Office of the First Lady
Beijing Normal School
Beijing, China
9:35 PAM. CST
MADAME PENG: (As Interpreted.) Mrs. Michelle Obama, Mrs. Marian Robinson, Malia and Sasha, first of all, let me extend a very warm welcome to you all to China. And it’s such a great delight to see you all.
In China, we have an ancient idiom, which means that when two people meet for the first time, they may feel as if they have known each other for many years.
In June last year, President Xi Jinping and I met with your husband, President Barack Obama, at Annenberg Estate where the two sides agreed on the visit to China, and afterwards, you and I exchanged correspondence in which we confirmed your visit -- and the subsequent pleasure to finally see you here in person. And in December of last year, to celebrate the 100th day of the birth of the baby panda at the Washington Zoo, we sent video messages to express our congratulations. And the people of both China and the United States shared the joy.
MRS. OBAMA: Well, thank you so much, Madame Peng. It is truly an honor and a privilege to travel here to visit you in China. Your gracious welcome, your invitation means the world to me.
It’s very rare that I have the opportunity to travel outside of the United States, and it’s even more rare to have the opportunity to travel with three generations -- with my daughters, and with my mother. And it is no accident that one of our first trips as a family is here to China.
The relationships between the United States and China couldn’t be more important. And having the opportunity to travel here, to listen, to learn, to hear more about the education initiatives here in this country and to share my travels with students throughout the United States is a very unique experience, and it’s one that I will never forget.
END
9:39 A.M. CST
Note: Don’t miss a moment of the trip. Sign up to get the First Lady’s blog posts, videos of events and photos delivered right to your inbox.
This week, First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to China for an official visit – and she’s inviting young people across America to join her. During her trip, Mrs. Obama will meet with students at the Stanford Center at Peking University, Beijing Normal School and Chengdu No. 7 High School to discuss the power and importance of education, both in her own life and in the lives of young people in both countries. She'll also visit historical and cultural sites, from the Great Wall to the Terra Cotta Warriors, and will be sharing it all with you!
Here’s how people in the U.S. -- and around the world -- can participate and follow along:
Ed. note: This is cross-posted on the White House Blog. See the original post here.
Today, as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Google+ Hangout to provide uninsured veterans, their family members, caregivers, and advocates information about health insurance options available under the Affordable Care Act, First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged uninsured veterans who are not eligible for coverage by the VA and their families to sign up for health care in advance of the March 31 deadline.
"The deadline for signing up is March 31st. So talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors … send them to the website right now, and keep on them until they sign up. Because all Americans deserve the security of knowing that you’ll have health care when you need it – especially families like yours who have already given so much to this country," said the First Lady.
The Affordable Care Act helps honor our commitment to veterans by strengthening affordable health care options for their families. "The last thing our veteran families need is the stress of worrying that one accident or illness could mean losing everything you’ve worked so hard for," said the First Lady. "But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, that weight is being lifted."
If you don't already have health insurance, as of today, there are just 17 days left to enroll in health care coverage at HealthCare.gov before open enrollment ends on March 31. At HealthCare.gov you can compare your options based on price, benefits, quality, and other features, and enroll in a plan that fits your needs and your budget.
Kasie Coccaro is Associate Director of Online Outreach for the White House Office of Digital Strategy.
Today, as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Google+ Hangout to provide uninsured veterans, their family members, caregivers, and advocates information about health insurance options available under the Affordable Care Act, First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged uninsured veterans who are not eligible for coverage by the VA and their families to sign up for health care in advance of the March 31 deadline.
"The deadline for signing up is March 31st. So talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors … send them to the website right now, and keep on them until they sign up. Because all Americans deserve the security of knowing that you’ll have health care when you need it – especially families like yours who have already given so much to this country," said the First Lady.
The Affordable Care Act helps honor our commitment to veterans by strengthening affordable health care options for their families. "The last thing our veteran families need is the stress of worrying that one accident or illness could mean losing everything you’ve worked so hard for," said the First Lady. "But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, that weight is being lifted."
If you don't already have health insurance, as of today, there are just 17 days left to enroll in health care coverage at HealthCare.gov before open enrollment ends on March 31. At HealthCare.gov you can compare your options based on price, benefits, quality, and other features, and enroll in a plan that fits your needs and your budget.
