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Douglas A. McIntyre, 24/7 Wall Street Published 10:00 a.m. ET June 17, 2020

Former President Barack Obama talked with local and national leaders in the police reform movement to discuss the tragic events of recent weeks. USA TODAY Handout

Former President Barack Obama doesn't tweet much, probably as little as once a day. However, he has more followers on Twitter than anyone else in the world. His total followers numbered 117.7 million, according to Brandwatch.

@BarackObama, who according to updated figures on Twitter has more than 119 million followers,describes himself as "Dad, husband, President, citizen" in that order. Most of his tweets recently have been about social justice. He has focused heavily on his optimism for the future, mostly based on the actions of young people.

In a recent tweet, Obama noted that "over the past few weeks, we've seen young people in every corner of the country step up and become leaders. Through organization and mobilization, they're showing us how we can sustain this momentum to bring about real change."

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Like many of the most widely followed people or organizations on Twitter, the former president can reach tens of millions of people. No other conduit to the public has anywhere close to those figures.

The people who have the most followers after @BarackObama are an odd mix, mostly singers and entertainers (all with updated numbers).

Justin Bieber posted a message against racism along with a video of the Floyd incident onInstagram on May 26."THIS MUST STOP,"he wrote."this makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use our voice! Please people. Im sorry GEORGE FLOYD"(Photo: Cindy Ord, Getty Images for MTV)

Second on the list, @justinbieber posts about social justice as well. However, many of his tweets are about the success of his songs, specifically on Spotify. Bieber had 112 million followers.

Singer Katy Perry ranks third with 108.4million followers. She was, according to some sources, the first person to have 100 million followers.

Fourth on the list, Rihanna, had 97.1 million followers. She promotes clothing and cosmetics, as much as anything else. (However, recently, the singer has voiced more concerns about racial injustice.)

In fifth place, singer Taylor Swift had 86.5million followers. Recently she has tweeted about the need to take down the statues of Confederate generals.

Cristiano Ronaldo is sixth on the list and the top sports figure. He had 85.6 million followers. He tweets almost exclusively about his athletic prowess and family life. Many consider Ronaldo to be the best soccer player in the world. By many measures, it is the most popular sport worldwide.

President Donald Trump has gained followers recently, building up to 82.2 million, which would move him up to seventh place.

Singer and movie star Lady Gagais next on the list with 81.6 million followers, followed by Ellen DeGeneres, who has 80 million.

The highest-ranked media company is CNN Breaking News, with 58 million followers. That is good enough for 16th place.

Back at first place, Obama has been out of office since 2017. His public presence and popularity do not appear to have declined much, at least as measured by Twitter.

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Who is tops on Twitter? Barack Obama leads the list with more than 119 million followers - USA TODAY

Former first lady Michelle ObamaMichelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaThe Hill's Morning Report - Treasury, Fed urge more spending, lending to ease COVID-19 wreckage Budowsky: Michelle Obama or Tammy Duckworth for VP Michelle Obama urges class of 2020 to couple protesting with mobilizing, voting MORE released a statement Friday marking Juneteenth, the annual holiday commemorating the abolishment of slavery in the U.S.

Most of us were taught that slavery came to an end when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. But as is so often the case, the full promise of this country was delayed for segments of the African-American community. And for enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, freedom didnt come until June 19, 1865, Obama shared on Twitter.

Here's what #Juneteenth means to me: pic.twitter.com/KlOoYwdzD5

On that date, Union Gen. Gordon Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation to former slaves in Galveston. Texas was the final state where the order was read after first being issued by Lincoln two years earlier.

Obama said Friday that what she loves about Juneteenth is that even in that extended wait, we still find something to celebrate.

Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress, she said.

The former first lady saidher own grandfathers, who were the grandchildren ofslaves, grew up during the Jim Crow era in the south and migrated north in search of a better life.

But even then, they were still shut out of jobs and schools and opportunities because of the color of their skin. But they pressed forward with dignity and with purpose, raising good kids, contributing to their communities, and voting in every election. And though they didnt live to see it themselves, I can see the smiles on their faces knowing that their great-granddaughters ended up playing ball in the halls of the White House a magnificent structure built by enslaved Americans, she said.

All across the country, there are so many more parts to this story the generations of families whose work and service and protest has led us forward, even if the promise we seek is often delayed. This Juneteenth, lets all pledge to keep using our voices and our votes to keep that story marching forward for our own children, and theirs, Obama added.

Former President Obama issued official Juneteenth proclamations yearly during his time in office. On Friday,he called the day a celebration of progress on Twitter.

It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possibleand there is still so much work to do, he shared.

Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possibleand there is still so much work to do.https://t.co/5XCRdnk3iR

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Michelle Obama on Juneteenth: 'Work and service and protest has led us forward' | TheHill - The Hill

In the wake of community calls to reexamine policing in Redwood City, the city has proposed a budget for next fiscal year that wont immediately change current police service levels but allows for modifications in October based upon a community input process that will run from July through September.

In addition, the city is also proposing immediate steps by the council, including endorsement of the Obama Foundation Mayors Pledge to review and reform police policies via a community engagement process, and to increase the frequency of racial and cultural diversity training for city police from every five years to every two years.

In response to community requests to demilitarize police, the city proposes to return a military tactical vehicle donated by the federal government in 2013. Also recommended is a prohibition of the use of carotid restraint, a type of vascular neck restraint, except in cases where deadly force would be authorized.

Neck restraint tactics have come under increasing scrutiny after Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes, causing sustained asphyxiation that resulted in his death. Floyds death sparked nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice, including a large, peaceful demonstration in Courthouse Square in Redwood City on June 2.

Along with the above proposals, the city wants to preserve art related to the June 2 Black Live Matters protest and develop a temporary display that includes information and resources on racism. The display will initially appear at the Main Library Parking lot and move to other community locations.

The list of proposals comes after the city faced criticism over what some in the community perceived as an overly scripted Virtual Town Hall meeting on June 10 on community policing. Over 500 people participated in the virtual town hall involving the mayor, vice mayor, city manager and police chief. The city received hundreds of inquiries both during the meeting and over the last few weeks on the topic of police reform the most City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz said she has seen on any other topic.

People want to talk to us right now, Diaz said. They really just want to share their concerns, they want to share their hopes for the future.

The city manager said the virtual town hall made it clear that we need to have more ways for us to listen.

Through September, Diaz envisions a robust public outreach process on police reform. While still done virtually for safety reasons, the process will likely feature smaller groups to better facilitate dialogue between city representatives and residents. The city managers hope is that priorities and themes will emerge from the discussions that can be put into action when council reviews a revised budget in October.

Question is, what will the city be able to afford? Like many cities, Redwood City is projecting budget deficits due to the COVID-19 shelter in place period. City officials dont yet know the full impact that will be caused by reduced tax revenue from local businesses amid the lockdown.

While council is required to pass a budget by June 30, the city has for months been planning to push big decisions on service changes until the fall, when the COVID-19 economic impacts become clearer.

We dont have a good way to predict what this recession is going to be like, Diaz said, adding the city has taken steps to limit spending and save money.

Meanwhile, the city wants to spend the next few months addressing community needs and concerns so they are factored into the budget discussion in October, Diaz said. Not only does the city need to address community concerns over racial injustice, it needs to respond to a new normal posed by the health pandemic, Diaz said.

Weve already been thinking wed need to reshape city services in some way, she said. The current climate is providing more ideas as to what we need to meet the communitys needs better.

Diaz added that shes heartened by the outpouring of community participation inspired by a national call for reform, including from those newly engaging with the city.

This is a critical time for communities nationwide to listen, learn and act to address racial inequality, she said, adding, We are committed to truly hearing from our community, and taking positive steps forward.

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Redwood City proposes signing Obama Foundation pledge to reform police - Climate Online

Former first lady Michelle Obama has joined forces with the hip hop band for their annual get down, which will also serve as a voter registration drive this year.

Obama tweeted Tuesday about her nonpartisan organization, When We All Vote, partnering with The Roots for the event.

"Couldn't be more excited that @whenweallvote is teaming up to co-host @TheRoots Picnic on June 27!," she tweeted. "Join us and get registered to vote: http://weall.vote/rootspicnic."

Obama will co-host the 13th annual event, which will be held virtually this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Quest Love and Black Thought.

H.E.R., Lil Baby, SZA, Roddy Ricch, Snoh Aalegra, D-Nic and Kirk Franklin are among the artists slated to perform. Kerry Washington, Tom Hanks, Janelle Mone, Chris Paul and Lin-Manuel Miranda will make appearances, according to organizers.

The picnic will stream on YouTube Saturday, June 27, starting at 8 p.m. EST.

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Michelle Obama will co-host The Roots Picnic this year - CNN

Earlier this year, President TrumpsEPA opted to keep a regulatory standardimposed by President Obamas EPA that aims to reduce amount of particulate matter emitted by industry.

These National Ambient Air Quality Standards, or NAAQS, have become a lightning rod issue for activists seeking to capitalize on the national apprehension around the COVID/Wuhan Virus crisis.

Surprisingly, many of the same voices who championed the Obama EPAs 2012 NAAQS standards are nowvocally opposedto them since they are being extended by a political rival. Even the head of the EPA under Obama a person who certainly had the opportunity to change the current rule herself iscriticizingthis move by the current EPA administrator.

NAAQS standards are designed to regulate pollutants that are common in outdoor air and are considered harmful to public health and the environment.

Exposure to a large amount of particulate matter pollution, especially if it persisted over a long period of time, could damage your lungs. But in the 50 years since the Clean Air Act was first enacted, air standards have gotten tougher and tougher, and our air has become cleaner and cleaner.

Indeed, annual concentrations of fine particulate matter in our air havedecreased nearly 40 percentin just the last 20 years.Americans pay for that increased regulation in with depressed employment and higher prices. Despite the economic impacts, many would argue that the trade-offs justify a cleaner, more healthy environment.

In this case, however,the majority of outside scientists advising EPAdid notfind sufficient justification for changing the current standard.

Why not lower the standard and make the air even cleaner? The problem is that regulations cost money and that means they cost jobs. Take away jobs and you take away the quality of life the ability to hope for a better life.

Regulation in the United States isexpensive about $10,000 per employee. For small businesses, the cost is even higher. The manufacturing sector bears the brunt of this cost with small businesses absorbing costs of nearly $35,000 per employee every year. The vastmajority of those costswere from federal environmental regulations. Those costs prevent businesses from hiring new employees and investing in new opportunities.

The newly minted opponents of the Obama EPA particulate rule are nowtoutinga Harvard Universitystudythat the opponents claim provides a link between deaths due to the Wuhan Virus and increased particulate matter pollution. But the Harvard study itself only argues for continuing to enforce existing air pollution regulations, which is exactly what EPA proposes to do here. Even if the study is later verified through a peer-review process, EPA is not proposing to loosen the standards for particulate emissions. Instead, the Obama-era rule will remain in effect.

Another factor that must be considered is the impact of the coronavirus. With state governments shutting down businesses for an extended period, what will the effect be of any new regulatory standard on the country as it struggles to recover from a massive economic disaster?

Because of the shutdown, more than 38 million Americans havelost their jobs. This does not include the self-employed or gig-economy workers. The unemployment rate is already the highest it has been since the Great Depression nearly a century ago. The current unemployment rate of nearly 15 percent is significantly higher than thegreat recession of 2007-2009. Nearly one-half of Americans areunemployed.

More regulation will not bring those jobs back. It will have the opposite effect. During its first 15 years that the Clean Air Act was in force,nearly 600,000 jobs were lostdue to the new regulations. Those jobs were lost at a time we had a functioning economy. That is not the situation in which we currently find ourselves, however. The stay-at-home orders have hammered our nations economy, and nobody knows how long it will take to rebuild.

In December of 2019 we had anunemployment rate of 3.4 percent. Employers were havinga difficult timefinding employees to fill job openings. Today we have a complete reversal. Now people who want a job are having a hard time finding companies that are still in operation. More than100,000 small businesseshave permanently closed their doors. Many larger businesses have closed many of their locations and bankruptcy filings are on the rise.

Now is not the time to put more burdens on business. If anything, the federal government should be looking for ways to reduce the regulatory burden in order to get the economy moving again.

In this case, however, EPA is only proposing to maintain an Obama-era regulation that was lauded by environmental advocates at the time.

There is no new scientific consensus that the EPA under President Obama made a mistake in adopting the PM standards in 2012. EPA is right to reject calls to make those standards more stringent, particularly when the American economy is struggling to rebound from a historic calamity.

Anthony Caso is the director of the Claremont Institutes Constitutional Jurisprudence Clinic at Chapman University, Fowler School of Law.

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Now is not the time for more regulations - OCRegister