Obama to speak on making changes to tax code, readies for trip

Hopefully they'll be sane changes.

WASHINGTON – On the day of the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns, President Barack Obama will talk about restoring fairness to the tax code and providing tax relief to working families.

The president is also making preparations for a trip that will take him to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Obama travels Thursday to Mexico City. The stop is a clear signal of support for President Felipe Calderon as the U.S. and Mexico grapple with the deadly flow of drugs and weapons hurting both countries.

Obama will spend Friday through Sunday in the twin-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas, a gathering of 34 Western Hemisphere nations.

Notre Dame students, staff show support for Obama, Jenkins

While a whole 26 people showed up to protest his appearance.

SOUTH BEND — University of Notre Dame junior Tim O'Brien didn't vote for Barack Obama and doesn't necessarily agree with his politics, but he's fine with the president coming to campus to speak at commencement.

"As president, he has the right to come here and speak. I think it's an honor," O'Brien said Thursday, after signing a campus petition to show his support for the president's planned visit.

(snip)

A steady stream of Notre Dame students and employees lined up at lunchtime at South Dining Hall to sign the petition saying they favor Obama's planned May 17 visit to campus.

The petition was launched this week by the Black Cultural Arts Council, with support from about 14 other student groups on campus. The signatures will be presented to the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, who has come under fire for inviting Obama. Critics say Obama's stances are in direct opposition to pro-life Catholic teaching on abortion and stem-cell research.

"We want Father Jenkins to know he has support here at Notre Dame," said Briana Miller, a Notre Dame senior and 2005 graduate of Washington High School in South Bend. Miller is co-president of the Black Cultural Arts Council.

(snip)

By 1 p.m. Thursday, the group had gathered close to 700 signatures.

Raw Video: Obama Honors Founder of Modern Turkey

I like the raw video better most of the time, no chit chat by vapid announcers.

April 6 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama, seeking to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to its alliance with Turkey, took part in a wreath-laying ceremony in Ankara today to honor the founder of the modern Turkish state.

“I am honored to pay tribute to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,” Obama wrote in a visitors’ book at Ataturk’s tomb, praising him for putting Turkey on “the path to democracy.” The Turkish leader’s “legacy continues to inspire generations around the world,” Obama wrote.

Obama arrived in Ankara last night on the first stop of a two-day trip to Turkey, his first as president to a Muslim country. The president’s visit is meant to “strengthen and demonstrate” an important relationship for the U.S., Robert Gibbs, Obama’s spokesman, told reporters.

LIVE- Obama holds press conference with German leader Angela Merkel

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Lots of chit chatting today.

White House Kitchen Welcomes Students

Bonus second look at the handsome couple all dressed up.