Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 5-15-20

White House and Political News
Judge Slows Down Effort To Drop Flynn Case
WASHINGTON — The judge presiding over the tu- multuous case of Michael Flynn pumped the brakes Tuesday on an effort by the Justice Department to drop the case against the former national security adviser and ally of President Donald Trump.
Minutes after lawyers for Flynn urged Judge Emmet Sullivan to "immediately" toss the matter, Sullivan in- dicated he wasn't ready to act just yet, instead signaling he'll set a schedule to accept briefs from outside parties who might have an interest in the case.
"[A]t the appropriate time, the Court will enter a Schedul- ing Order governing the sub- mission of any amicus curiae briefs," Sullivan wrote in an order posted Tuesday after- noon. He said that "given the posture of the case" he antici- pates that many outside par- ties will have an interest in
MICHAEL FLYNN
weighing in.
Sullivan did not say
whether he plans to hold a hearing on the government’s unusual motion to abandon the two-and-a-half year old case, but his announcement Tuesday signals that he plans to entertain arguments — at least in writing — against the unified front in favor of dis- missal being advanced by the prosecution and defense.
Barack Obama Surprised 3 Teachers With A Video Call To Applaud Their Efforts During The Pandemic
The news is pretty grim these days, but former Presi- dent Barack Obama decided to spread a little cheer in honor of National Teachers Apprecia- tion Week.
Obama dropped in to speak with a few public school teachers from his hometown of Chicago, thanking them for their tireless efforts to teach children during the coron- avirus pandemic.
The father of two spoke with three teachers about their efforts trying to educate stu- dents digitally and their inspi- ration to become an educator.
The sweet video racked up over 1 million views and thou- sands of comments commend- ing teachers for their hard work.
Jalayne Brewton, a 6th, 7th and 8th-grade teacher at Parkside Academy, spoke pas- sionately about how her expe- riences growing up in Chicago helped push her to get involved
BARACK OBAMA
in the teaching profession.
"I didn't grow up in one of the best neighborhoods and didn't have the two-parent household, so my school was my outlet. I said to myself, 'How can I give back to those that actually helped me grow- ing up,'" Brewton said before Obama asked her about how she was holding up during the
coronavirus pandemic.
"When it first happened I
was so concerned about de- vices. I even went to my school and volunteered the first two weeks. I was passing out
Chromebooks. We passed out over 147 devices. I don't mind being on the front lines for the kids because this is what I'm passionate in doing," she added.
"The passion shows, the time and effort," Obama re- sponded.
He went on to chop it up with all three teachers about a variety of topics, including the wildly popular ESPN docu- mentary series The Last Dance and NBA legend Michael Jor- dan.
"If I ever get too down and out, I'm going to have to tune in to you so that I can get geared back up," Obama said to one teacher.
Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have used their massive popularity and social media platforms to spotlight teachers, hospital workers and other first respon- ders for their efforts during the crisis surrounding COVID-19.
Michelle Obama Says Husband Barack 'Was A Tsunami Coming After Me' In Early Years Of Their Romance
Michelle Obama's
nearly 30-year relationship with her husband Barack Obama was strengthened by marriage counseling.
In her best-selling memoir Becoming, the former first lady, 56, is candid about the difficulties she and her hus- band faced over the years. Though their commitment to each other has remained steadfast since they married in October 1992, their lives got more complicated as they struggled to get pregnant, and after they had their two daugh- ters Malia and Sasha.
Mrs. Obama revealed she suffered a miscarriage and was only able to conceive the girls through in vitro fertilization (IVF). After their daughters were born, the couple had to balance her high-powered law career with her husband's bur- geoning career as a politician and the stress of being new parents.
And in her new Netflix doc- umentary Becoming, the mother of two reflects on their early years as a couple. "He
MICHELLE AND BARACK OBAMA
was very different, and he was different from me, and he challenged me in different ways. I knew he was a tsunami coming after me, and if I did- n't get my act together, I would be swept up," she says. "I did- n't want to just be an ap- pendage to his dreams. So that forced me to work and think, and make decisions like leav- ing law."
Recalling a transitional pe- riod in their relationship, Mrs. Obama also some of the concessions she made on be- half of their growing family.
"My relationship with Barack was all about our partnership. If I was going to have an equal voice with this
very opinionated man, I had to get myself up. I had to set my- self off to a place where I was confident that I was going to be his equal," she says.
"The thing that really changed it was the birth of our children. That really made it harder. Something had to give and it was my aspirations and dreams," she adds.
In the Netflix documen- tary, Mrs. Obama is also open about her and her hus- band's marriage counseling, a topic she also addressed in her memoir and book tour.
Speaking to moderator Gayle King, Mrs. Obama admits she initially thought counseling would "fix" the for- mer president.
With the help of marriage counseling, Mrs. Obama re- minded herself not to forget to also prioritize her happiness. "One of the things I learned that helped me, and I think helped our marriage was that my happiness is not depend- ent on him making me happy. And sometimes I felt that that was one of the rubs," she says.
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