Category: Money

The White House Correspondents Dinner — the night when Washington decides to celebrate itself.

As the President said, “Somebody’s got to do it.”

Ever since the first one kicked off in 1920, the political press corps, members of the Administration, the President, and a few famous faces have gathered to celebrate the importance of journalism to our democracy — and to face a good roast over the satirical fire. 

Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong summed up the night: “The White House Correspondents Dinner is a chance for all of you to unwind, relax, and laugh as soon as you notice someone slightly more powerful than you is laughing.” 

But first, President Obama took his place at the WHCD podium for the sixth time, and welcomed everyone to the fourth quarter of his presidency. Here are our top three favorite moments of the night:

1. The Opener: Welcome to the Fourth Quarter

“Welcome to the 4th quarter of my presidency.” —President Obama: http://t.co/bLXImBTejs #WHCD https://t.co/zTMjeXfA70

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 26, 2015

Beats by Barack. The President and Grumpy Cat: The Interview. And a South Lawn swim … welcome to the fourth quarter. 

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President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the Map Room of the White House, April 24, 2015.

(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

In this week’s address, the Pr…

From an Earth Day trip to a 1.5-million-acre wetland ecosystem to a trade deal that protects endangered species, this was a week of conversation about how we can protect our environment. President Obama traveled to the Everglades in southern Florida to…

This week, the President hosted the Italian Prime Minister, three different sports teams, and a bipartisan group of members of Congress. He also visited the Everglades in balmy Florida to celebrate Earth Day with Bill Nye. That’s April 17th to April 23rd or, “The Savage Splendor of a Swamp.”

This is the latest post in our “Asked and Answered” series, in which we periodically feature an exchange between the President and an American who wrote him. Check back soon for more — and if you’d like to write the President yourself, you can do so here.

Every day, the White House receives thousands of letters and emails from Americans across the country. I work in the Office of Presidential Correspondence, and our job is to sort and read through all of those messages, and make sure they get to the right people for responses. Sometimes, letters to the President are shared with his Senior Advisors, either by the President or directly from our office.

In the spirit of Earth Day, we’ve been reviewing and sharing letters from Americans speaking out about climate change and the importance of preserving our nation’s beautiful natural places, and we came across Josie’s note from May 2013. While a student at Globe University in Wisconsin, Josie wrote us about the importance of preserving and protecting the Florida Everglades, where she and her family would often vacation when she was a child. That’s something the President agrees with wholeheartedly, which is exactly why he headed to this very region this week to take a tour and deliver remarks.

So Senior Advisor to the President Brian Deese, whose duties include overseeing climate, conservation, and energy policy, decided to send an additional reply to Josie. He let Josie know that we agree with her, and shared some of the actions the President has taken in the areas of conservation and preservation since Josie wrote us.

Here’s the original letter Josie sent — give it a read, and if you’ve got a place of your own that you’re fighting to preserve, share it with us here.

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