Mediaboss Marketing

Former US president Barack Obama (2nd L), his wife Michelle (3rd L) and his daughters Sasha (front C) and Malia (2nd R) go rafting at Bongkasa Village in Badung on Bali island on June 26, 2017.

Str / AFP/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama and his family wrapped up their five-day vacation on Indonesia's resort island of Bali and headed to the historic city of Yogyakarta on Wednesday during a nostalgic trip to the country where Obama lived for several years as a child.

Obama, his wife Michele and daughters Malia and Sasha drove to a luxury hotel in downtown Yogyakarta after arriving on a private jet at the city's military airport, said Indonesian air force base commander Air Vice Marshal Novyan Samyoga.

Samyoga was among local officials who greeted the Obamas at the tarmac. He said the family looked relaxed and was smiling in response to onlookers who greeted them with cheers.

He said that Secret Service agents did not have special requests for the Obamas' activities on the main Java island, but about 650 Indonesian security forces were deployed to secure the family in Yogyakarta, an ancient city where Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, spent years on her anthropological research.

Obama moved to Indonesia in 1967 at age 6 after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian man. She stayed on after the marriage broke up, working as an anthropologist and development aid worker, but Obama returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his grandparents.

Obama and his family were seen on a river rafting as they vacationed in Bali on Monday.

Local media reported that they also visited several tourist attractions, including a museum and rice terraces in Ubud, an arts and culture center amid hills and rice paddies.

In Yogjakarta, the Obamas are planning to visit Borobudur, the 9th century Buddhist temple, as well as the Hindu temple of Prambanan during their two-day holiday, Samyoga said.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has invited the Obamas to visit the Bogor Palace in West Java during their nine-day trip in Indonesia.

Obama is also scheduled to speak at an Indonesian Diaspora Congress in Jakarta on July 1.

2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the original here:
Obama family moves from Bali to Java on Indonesia vacation - CBS News

There has been much ado about the Obamas luxe vacations since the former president left office in January. Some of the attention has been tropical trip-envy at the Obamas , toes in the sand, living their best post-Washington lives. But, of course, theres also been sensational coverage and criticism: The latest shot comes from a cleverly crafted Fox News hit piece claiming the Obamas are under fire from the left (because Fox News is famous for giving voice to the left) for their jaunts to Bali, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Richard Bransons Necker Island. Note that the left, according to Fox Newss story, equates to exactly two sources: Pat Caddell, a strategist for former President Carter, and a rather far left socialist.

Obama is not as wealthy or as conservative as Trump, George W. Bush, or George H.W. Bush, but he enjoys what used to be called the lifestyle of the rich and famous, quipped Dr. David Michael Smith of the Houston Socialist Movement.

Smith is actually right about one thing: Obama is not as wealthy as Trump, and therein lies the utter hypocrisy of criticizing his post-presidential vacations. Its pretty rich (no pun intended) to be obsessing over the whereabouts of private citizen Obama when the sitting president of the United States is the proud owner of a gilded penthouse on Fifth Avenue; spent the winter a bona fide snowbird, jetting to Mar-a-Lago at a cost of millions of dollars to taxpayers; and golfed more in his first three months in office than presidents Obama, Clinton, or George W. Bush. If anyones fancy (and tacky, but thats not the point here), its Donald Trump. It raises the question: Why is luxury okay for President Trump but not President Obama?

Trump has all but equated wealth and economic success with virtue and qualification to lead, both in his own case and in appointing a slew of ber-wealthy former Wall Street executives to his cabinet. As he said at his recent rally: In those particular positions, I just dont want a poor person.

Despite being a (supposed) billionaire real-estate developerwho marketed himself a hero of the working class during his campaignTrump is poised to strip medical benefits from an estimated 22 million Americans by 2026 through the Senate health-care bill, including some of the most vulnerable. And yet, Caddell tells Fox News that the populist Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party is uneasy about the Obamas vacations? Long before he was rafting in Bali, and in spite of the imperfections of the Affordable Care Act, Obama sought to give coverage to the most needy among us. It seems hes not the elitist politician the world should be worried about.

Admittedly, there is a certain sense of abandonment, however irrational, when it comes to the Democratic party and the Obamas. Theres a sort of knife-twisting twinge watching mom and dad kitesurfing as a dystopian hell-scape seems to engulf Washington. As John Oliver has joked: Im glad [Obamas] having a nice timeAmerica is on fire. But the truth is that the Obamas didnt abandon America; it was the other way around. In Obamas wake, the country elected his diametric opposite, someone who questioned the legitimacy of his citizenship and whose primary strategy for governing is to sign executive orders that repeal his policies one by one. For two terms, Obama battled an obstructionist Congress that attempted to block all his legislative efforts and successfully snubbed his final Supreme Court pick. Can he really be blamed for fleeing to Necker Island instead of hanging out in the swamp? Did we stand in W.s way when he retreated to Crawford, Texas, to become the next Bob Ross?

Its understandable that Democrats cant let go of Obama; hes the presidential version of the one that got away, because the party is, frankly, in the throes of a losing streak and in desperate need of an energetic, unifying new leader (glimmers of hope come from senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Sanders). Or perhaps, as Obama has suggested, the fate of the party rests in the grassroots movement that has risen up after the election, vowing to fight for progressive values and reclaiming the Democrats mantle of the populist party.

And while its splashier to cover his endless summer, Obama has, in fact, been working, launching his eponymous foundation, mentoring young men of color through his My Brothers Keeper Initiative, donating $2 million to Chicago programs that provide summer jobs for young people, and giving a speech about public service in Canada.

Vacays notwithstanding, thats more than current First Lady Melania Trump has done since the inauguration (whatever happened to combating cyberbullying?). Obama has become something of a Democratic Batman, watching from afar and popping up when things get really dire: As the latest health-care debate heated up, the former president took to Facebook to condemn the embattled Senate bill. In the meantime, hes Bruce Wayne, and his supporters have to accept that and move on. He has.

Visit link:
We Elected a Guy Who Owns a Gold ApartmentAre We Really Criticizing the Obamas' Vacations? - Vogue.com

June 28, 2017 11:50 PM By Rich Zeoli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Kentucky Senator Rand Paul called for conservatives in the Republican party to rally against the current version of the GOPs health care during an appearance on The Rich Zeoli Show on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, saying this type of legislation is what voters joined tea parties all across the country to stop.

I just dont understand it. What happened? I was at these tea party rallies with a hundred thousand people on the Mall in Washington. Where are those people now and what happened to a movement that said that we believed in free markets, freedom, choice, competition? Now, all of a sudden, were saying there needs to be more Medicaid money is the supposed repeal?

Paul stated he believes Donald Trump shares his view about health care reform, but that has not yet translated to the legislation being proposed.

I think he is a conservative businessman and Ive been increasingly convinced of that every time I meet him. I think if he has the power, hell try to make this bill less bad. But, weve got a lot of, unfortunately, competing voices and right now, the voices that want to keep Obamacare are winning in the Republican caucus.

He hopes Trump can force the Republicans to amend the bill in ways more amenable to the conservative member of their caucus.

Were going to keep fighting. The fight is not over. I think President Trump is on our side versus the establishment and well see if he has the ability to persuade. I just spoke to him, he called to see how it was going and I said, look, Mr President, weve got a big fight here and we need your help and I gave him some ideas. He said that sounds great. Ill see what I can do.

Weekdays:3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Rich Zeoli represents a new generation of compelling talk radio. He grew up in New Jersey and spent his career advising candidates in for all levels of political office including President, Governor, and Congress. He was...

Getaway Guide: Best Of The Jersey Cape Clams

Videos

Fourth Of July Fashion Guide

About Us

Advertise

Business Development

Contact

Mobile

Connect

CBS Television Public File

CBS Radio Public File

Follow this link:
Rand Paul: Tea Party Rallies Needed To Stop GOP Health Care Bill - CBS Philly

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP/WKYT)- Senator Rand Paul released a statement regarding his thoughts on the California, Kentucky Travel Ban.

Senator Paul released the following statement to WDRB News; I thought we fought the Civil War a long time ago. We were going to be one country, not separate countries. Banning travel is a really really short-sided,

The Governors office has also already released a statement saying the only reason the California Attorney General made this decision was because Kentucky doesnt share ideological and political views and that this is just an excuse for West Coast Liberals to continue to rail against the president's orders.

Both statements come after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Thursday that Kentucky, Alabama, South Dakota, and Texas were added to its list of states subject to travel restrictions because of laws that could be considered discriminatory against members of the LGBTQ community. North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee are already on the list.

A California statute that went into effect in January prohibits state-funded and state-sponsored travel to states with laws that authorize or require discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression or against same-sex couples or their families.

Those travel restrictions apply to state agencies, departments, boards, authorities, and commissions, including an agency, department, board, authority, or commission of the University of California and California State University.

Becerra says California taxpayers' money "will not be used to let people travel to states who chose to discriminate."

The state added Kentucky because of Senate Bill 17 which was passed during the legislative session earlier this year. Officials in California say the law could allow student-run organizations in colleges and K-12 schools in Kentucky to discriminate against classmates based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Read more here:
Senator Rand Paul comments on California, Kentucky travel ban - WKYT

President Trump will meet Tuesday with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of six Senate Republican holdouts on the GOP bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, according to a White House official.

Mr. Trump is aggressively pushing to get the Senate bill across the finish line this week.

The meeting with Mr. Paul follows a series of phone calls over the weekend to at least four of the Senate Republicans who have balked at the bill, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, plans to put to a vote by the end of the week.

Getting the Senate health care bill passed and a final bill to approval before Congresss August recess is a top priority for Mr. Trump and Republicans. But the effort was complicated by a Congressional Budget Office analysis that projected 22 million people would lose health insurance as a result of the Senate bill.

Senate Republicans can suffer two defections and still pass the bill. No Democrats are expected to vote for it.

The other GOP holdouts that Mr. Trump called over the weekend included Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The president, who reportedly said the House version of the bill was mean, was impressed with the work done by the Senate, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday.

Hes very pleased with the developments, he said, repeating Mr. Trumps remark that he wants a bill that has heart.

He wants a bill that does what it is supposed to do. If you look at what happened with Obamacare, he wants to make sure we think through this, said Mr. Spicer. He will continue to support ways to make the bill stronger.

Follow this link:
Trump huddles with Sen. Rand Paul, pushes health care bill - Washington Times