Obama Daily News Digest

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama may moderate a meeting between the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations next month in talks that could lead to the resumption of the peace process, Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Monday.

KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies must change strategy and boost cooperation to turn around the war in Afghanistan, the top U.S. and NATO commander there said on Monday, wrapping up a much-anticipated review.

A noteworthy update to President Obama’s light schedule this week, considering the rumors about his religion that lingered throughout the 2008 campaign. From the White House guidance for Tuesday:
In the evening, the President will host a dinner celebrating Ramadan and highlight the contributions of American Muslims in the State Dining Room. The President’s remarks will [...]

George Will’s next column will reportedly call for U.S. ground troops to withdraw from Afghanistan.
According to Politico, Will’s column will argue later this week:
[F]orces should be substantially reduced to serve a comprehensively revised policy: America should do only what can be done from offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, airstrikes and small, potent special forces [...]

A frank admission from Nate Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, who said during a conference call with liberal bloggers today that Democrats “have to get our messages straight” when it comes to health care reform.
One participant was venting frustration to Daschle, the son of the former Senate Majority Leader and would-be HHS [...]

BOSTON (Reuters) - Democrats pushed Monday to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward Kennedy, with the Massachusetts governor throwing his support behind a proposal to name an interim successor and help Democrats retain a critical margin in the chamber.

We have just arrived in Kansas City where, tomorrow, we will continue our discussion of smart growth and smart planning for America’s metropolitan areas. Special Assistant to the President on Urban Policy Derek Douglas, Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones, and I will be joined by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. Together, we will meet with local elected officials, stakeholders, and community members to discuss the development of the Green Impact Zone, an initiative which is using federal and local resources to invest in components of sustainable living and to create jobs in one of the city’s most challenged communities. This program, supported partially by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, has already become a model for green investment.

With the leadership of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver in partnership with the Mid-America Regional Council and community members, the Green Impact Zone is a comprehensive place-based plan to invest public and private funding to transform a neighborhood plagued by high rates of poverty and violence, unemployment and abandoned property. The Green Impact Zone will improve housing conditions through the rehabilitation and weatherization of the entire 150 block area neighborhood, develop a green workforce through the training of residents from the urban core in green technology, and invest in sustainable transportation through a green bus rapid transit system. Moreover, investors of the Green Impact Zone believe that the effort will break down cost barriers that make "going green" a luxury. The Green Impact Zone provides lessons for investments in sustainability, workforce development, neighborhood stabilization, transportation, energy efficiency, and inclusion.

We are excited about tomorrow’s discussion and learning first-hand from the American people’s ingenuity that continues to bubble-up around the country, whether it’s providing access to fresh food to underserved communities or transforming challenged neighborhoods into beacons for green living and green jobs.

For questions or ideas for the Urban Tour, please feel free to send a message to urbanaffairs@who.eop.gov.

Adolfo Carrión, Jr. is the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs and Deputy Assistant to the President

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing a September 17 deadline on whether to restrict tire imports from China, President Barack Obama Monday met with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk over a game of golf.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many of President Barack Obama’s top advisers on Afghanistan agree with military commanders that more troops are needed to reverse Taliban gains in the country’s east and south, U.S. officials said on Monday.

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