President Obama, also, held a town hall meeting with French and German students in Strasbourg, France (Transcript Video), then met with the NATO alliance, seeking support in the stabilization of Afghanistan, in Baden-Baden, Germany.
The President held a joint press conference(Video) with German Chancellor Andrea Merkel, then returned to Strasbourg.
The Obama Administration defended the previous administration’s claim of state secrets, requested the case of Jewel vs NSA be dismissed entirely, and claimed nobody can ever sue the United States Government for secret wiretaps—even if those wiretaps are illegal.
Day74/April 4th/Saturday: The President presented his Weekly Address from Airforce One. He gave this explanation on why he had to leave the United States of America for eight days:
“The challenges of our time threaten the peace and prosperity of every single nation, and no one nation can meet them alone. That is why it is sometimes necessary for a President to travel abroad in order to protect and strengthen our nation here at home. That is what I have done this week.” Transcript of prepared remarks Video
The President joined NATO leaders for the 60th Anniversary NATO North Atlantic Council meetings in Strasbourg, France. President Obama welcomed Croatia and Albania to the NATO family of countries. At the end of the NATO summit, the President held a press conference (Transcript), then departed for the European Union meetings in Prague, Czech Republic.
Day75/April 5th/Sunday: In Prague for the European Union summit, the President delivered a speech urging:
“Today, I am announcing a new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years. We will set new standards, expand our cooperation with Russia, and pursue new partnerships to lock down these sensitive materials. We must also build on our efforts to break up black markets, detect and intercept materials in transit, and use financial tools to disrupt this dangerous trade. Because this threat will be lasting, we should come together to turn efforts such as the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism into durable international institutions. And we should start by having a Global Summit on Nuclear Security that the United States will host within the next year.” text of prepared remarks
Day76/April 6th/Monday: In Ankara, Turkey, the President addressed the Turkish Parliament, declaring:
“I know there have been difficulties these last few years. I know that the trust that binds the United States and Turkey has been strained, and I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced. So let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam.” text
After meeting with Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Obama traveled to Istanbul, where he held a town hall meeting with university students. Transcript Video
United States Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced their intentions to crackdown of mortgage refinancing scams.
United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans for a broad overhaul of defense spending. Gates revealed plans to:
(1) Fully protect and properly fund the growth in military end strength in the base budget.This means completing the growth in the Army and Marines while halting reductions in the Air Force and the Navy. Accomplishing this will require a nearly $11 billion increase above the FY09 budget level.
(2) Continue the steady growth in medical research and development by requesting $400 million more than last year. Recognize the critical and permanent nature of wounded, ill and injured, traumatic brain injury, and psychological health programs. This means institutionalizing and properly funding these efforts in the base budget and increasing overall spending by $300 million.The department will spend over $47 billion on healthcare in FY10; increase funding $200 million for improvements in child care, spousal support, lodging, and education. transcript pdf
Day77/April 7th/Tuesday: The President made a surprise visit to Baghdad, Iraq. He was there for about four hours, met with commanders and troops and with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The President, then, returned to the United States.
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