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PresidentBarack Obamaon Wednesday will announce more than $1 billion in public and private investments in preschool programs, a small step toward the kind of infusion theWhite Housesays is needed.

Fewer than a third of the country's 4-year-olds are currently enrolled in preschool programs that help them do better when they get to elementary school and help increase their learning and earning potential later in life.

TheU.S. ranks 28th in access to preschool among industrialized nations. "We are not close to where we need to be," Education SecretaryArne Duncantold reporters on a conference call.

"Quite frankly, as a nation, we should be ashamed," Duncan said.

Obama has proposed $75 billion in federal investments over 10 years to help states provide preschool for 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income households.

States currently spend more than $5 billion on preschool programs, according to the National Institutefor Early Education.

At aWhite Housesummit, the Education Department will announce grants of more than $226 million to 18 states to enroll more than 33,000 kids in programs, and the Health and Human Services Department will announce up to $500 million for HeadStartand child care programs for more than 30,000 infants and toddlers.

The private sector also will commit more than $330 million to projects, including $55 million from Walt Disney Co, and $25 million from the family foundation ofJ.B. Pritzker, aChicagobusinessman whose sister is Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

TheWhite Househas worked to leverage money from the private sector to help boost its policy priorities in areas whereCongresshas not provided the kind of support that Obama has requested.

Reuters

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Obama to announce $1B in new grants to states for preschool

By Sara Fischer, CNN

updated 5:55 AM EST, Wed December 10, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama defended the Senate Intelligence Committee's decision Tuesday to release a controversial torture report, arguing that while there was never a "perfect" time to release the report, it's important to publicly admit that the country made mistakes.

"One of the things that sets us apart from other countries is when we make mistakes, we admit them," Obama said in an interview with "Telemundo" on Tuesday that aired simultaneously on Univision.

"We did some things that violated who we are as a people," he added.

The report, which details the CIA's extreme interrogation techniques used on terrorists after the September 11th attacks, was released by the Senate Intelligence Committee despite a last-minute pleas from Secretary of State John Kerry and members of Congress not to release the information to the public at this time, fearing that its release could spark global attacks against Americans.

While the President acknowledged those concerns, he said his administration has taken precautionary measures around the world to prepare for any type of global reaction.

Earlier Tuesday, the CIA Director John Brennan defended the techniques outlined in the report, saying that the interrogations "did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists and save lives."

But Obama contested their reasoning to Univision's Jorge Ramos arguing, "The information we get isn't necessarily better than doing things the right way."

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Obama defends report release

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- Barack Obama may be the President of the United States, but for a few minutes on Monday, he was also Stephen Colbert, outgoing host of "The Colbert Report."

Obama sat down for an interview with Colbert in Washington -- his third appearance on the show -- and surprised the host by taking over the taping for a segment.

"You've been taking a lot of shots at my job, I've decided to take a shot at yours," Obama said before taking over for Colbert on "The Word," a segment where Colbert (in this case, Obama) says a line or two before a witty word or phrases flashes to the right. "How hard can this be? I am just going to say whatever you were about to say."

From there, Obama launched into a monologue about Obamacare, congressional Republicans and his last two years in office.

Funnyman Stephen Colbert

Funnyman Stephen Colbert

Funnyman Stephen Colbert

Funnyman Stephen Colbert

Funnyman Stephen Colbert

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Obama fills in for Steven Colbert

By Andrew Rafferty

President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the Senate report on the CIA's intelligence gathering techniques shows the spy agency rushed to respond to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with sometimes "brutal" tactics that lacked "forethought to what the ramifications might be."

Obama told Telemundo he is concerned of possible backlash against Americans overseas, but the report needed to be released to "make sure that we don't make those mistakes again."

"In the aftermath of 9/11, I think in the midst of a national trauma and uncertainty as to whether these attacks were going to repeat themselves, what's clear is that the CIA set up something very fast, without a lot of forethought to what the ramifications might be, that the lines of accountability that needed to be set up weren't always in place," Obama told Jos Daz-Balart of Telemundo/MSNBC.

He added that the prisoner abuse not only hurt American credibility overseas, but proved ineffective in gathering intelligence.

"We need to acknowledge that, in part, to put in place systems that, if heaven forbid, we find ourselves under the types of threats that have occurred in the past, that we recognize the dangers ahead of time and do better," he said.

Some Republicans have decried the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying the document is incomplete and are being released unnecessarily at a time when tensions are especially high throughout the globe.

The president said there is "no perfect time" to make the report public.

"It was important for us to release this so we can account for it...and hopefully make sure that we don't make those mistakes again," he said.

First published December 9 2014, 3:30 PM

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Obama: CIA Used Brutal, Rushed Response to Sept. 11

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is following up on his promise to expand early education opportunities for tens of thousands of children by announcing a $1 billion public-private investment in programs for the nation's youngest learners.

The president will join a daylong summit convening at the White House on Wednesday to announce the investment in early learning programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers especially those in lower-income communities. Nationwide, 28 percent of America's 4-year-olds were enrolled in a state-funded preschool program last year.

"The evidence is overwhelming. Offering high-quality early-learning opportunities is one of the best ways to ensure a bright future for our youth and ultimately for our country," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday ahead of the summit. He cited statistics that show every dollar invested in early childhood education returns $7 or more because those kids often earn more as adults and require less spending on services such as remedial education.

The summit is bringing together business leaders, philanthropists, elected officials and others.

Eighteen states are being awarded a total of $250 million in Education Department grants to create or expand high-quality preschool programs. Those states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. In all, 36 states had applied for the grant money.

Separately, the Health and Human Services Department is sending up to $500 million to more than 40 states to expand Early Head Start and child care programs for youngsters from birth to 3 years old.

The White House said about 63,000 children would benefit from the federal dollars, which officials said already have been appropriated by Congress.

On top of the federal money is another $330 million from dozens of corporations, foundations and individuals. It's part of a new campaign called Invest in US.

The effort being led by the First Five Years Fund will challenge the private and public sectors to invest more in early childhood education. Among those already supporting the campaign with millions of dollars are The Walt Disney Co. with $55 million, the LEGO Foundation with $5 million, and the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation with $25 million.

Obama pushed for an expansion of early education opportunities in his State of the Union address in 2013, and again in 2014 after his call got little traction in Congress.

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Obama announcing $1B for early childhood education