The President hosted a remarkable group of wounded veterans a few weeks ago on the White House basketbal court. These "Wounded Warriors" from Walter Reed Army Medical Center showed President Obama a thing or two about wheelchair basketball. Check out the impressive moves that can be performed on four wheels:

Today the House reaches another major milestone in the effort to pass health insurance reform, and effort decades in the making. 

Predictably, opponents of reform are taking their misleading claims to new heights.  For example, they claim that CEA Chair Christina Romer has said that reform would cost millions of jobs.  This is flatly false, as demonstrated by the independent watchdog Politifact and Romer's own statement.

Opponents of reform have also manufactured a chart attempting to depict reform as some sort of maze of bureaucracy.  This is also false.  Here is a chart that accurately reflects the President's plan:

President Barack Obama signs the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 in the Oval Office, Nov. 6 , 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) November 6, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This morning the Department of Labor released its Employment Situation report for October and while the numbers are disappointing, they are not surprising. Analysts have known for some time that the unemployment rate could reach this level, but it remains an unacceptable situation.

When this administration began its work in January 2009, the economy was in a freefall, shedding 700,000 jobs a month. We met these challenges head on by immediately putting a plan into action to create jobs and drive economic growth. As a result, housing markets are now showing signs of recovery, credit is flowing again and just last week we saw that the economy is growing, rather than shrinking, for the first time in a year.

Unfortunately, there are still millions of Americans who want employment but cannot find it. We are committed to supporting these Americans as they look for work and struggle to raise their families and pay their bills. 

Earlier today, the President signed legislation that expands unemployment benefits as well as provides an additional tax cut for struggling businesses to help save and create jobs. Extended UI benefits will strengthen our economy further. By helping struggling families pay for groceries and other household needs, economists say that these benefits are one of the best ways to stimulate economic activity.

In addition to this extension, we’ve worked over the past months to revolutionize the unemployment insurance (UI) system. The Recovery Act made $7 billion available in incentives to states to modernize their UI systems. As a result, more workers, including part-timers, and people upgrading their skills are now eligible for benefits for the very first time. These efforts have not only have strengthened the safety net but make it possible for unemployment insurance to be a stepping stone to a better future for millions of Americans.  

To be sure, we have a long way to go.  There are still millions of Americans who need and want work but can’t find it.  There are still too many families struggling.  But you can’t have job growth until you have growth in economic output. That is what the policies of this Administration are designed to create and I will make sure that the Department of Labor is supporting workers every step of the way.

Hilda Solis is the Secretary of Labor

(Dr. Biden and Vice President Biden greet soldiers from the Delaware Army National Guard 261st Signal Brigade at their homecoming in September. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Like military moms across the country, Dr. Jill Biden looked for small ways to send the comforts of home to son Beau during his deployment: she and Vice President Biden sent him a Christmas stocking stuffed with candy and playing cards; she baked him his favorite brownies for his birthday; she helped him keep up with children Natalie and Hunter by mailing artwork and photos of soccer games. This Veterans Day, with Beau safely home after almost a year in Iraq, Dr. Biden expresses her gratitude for the sacrifices of all military families in an essay published today in USA WEEKEND Magazine, and shares how she plans to honor the men and women who risk their lives for our country:

It helps that families such as ours realize we're never alone, as I've seen this year how powerful the support of the community can be: A local restaurant provides pizzas at a welcome-home event; a minor-league baseball team, the Wilmington Blue Rocks, dedicates a game night in support of our troops; one of our schools adopts a military unit. Then, there's an organization I've worked with in the past few years called Delaware Boots on the Ground. It started as a group of military moms and spouses who came together to support our Delaware National Guard members and their families. "Boots" now performs simple acts of service for deployed soldiers and their families, like supporting summer camps for children who have a deployed parent. There are just so many ways that each American can lend a hand and make a difference.

Beau came home safely Sept. 25, after almost a year in Iraq. My family feels so blessed.

Joe and I plan to visit Arlington National Cemetery this Veterans Day and spend time with veterans and soldiers to show our thanks. On Veterans Day and every day, it's our duty to show appreciation for their service and remember that each of us has the ability to make a difference in the life of a service member. Even though Beau's deployment is complete, I still consider myself a member of the military family. I always will.

Today's employment report contained both signs of hope for recovery and painful evidence of continued labor market weakness.

Payroll employment declined 190,000 in October, continuing the steady trend of moderating job loss that began last spring. Furthermore, the employment loss in both August and September was revised down substantially. Importantly, employment in temporary help services, typically one of the first industries to see job gains, increased by 33,700. The motor vehicle industry also posted employment gains. These are hopeful signs that the unprecedented policy actions are working to stabilize the economy and put us on a path toward recovery.

The unemployment rate, however, rose four-tenths of a percentage point, to 10.2 percent. That this occurred despite the rise in real GDP last quarter reflects both the typical lag between GDP growth and unemployment decline, and the recent exceptional increases in productivity. Having the unemployment rate reach double-digits is a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done before American families see the job gains and reduced unemployment that they need and deserve.

Christina Romer is Chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisers

With the House having put forth their actual legislation, organizations that have withheld final judgment now have something solid to evaluate. And the floodgates have opened. 

Today the President made surprise stop by the daily press briefing to commend two particular endorsements, from the AARP and the AMA. Ask yourself who you trust to tell the truth on reform and on your health – these massive organizations of doctors and seniors throwing their support behind it, or the health insurance industry, their lobbyists, and their handmaidens coming out against it.

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey!  Hello, everybody.  Please sit down.  Good afternoon, everybody.  I wanted to come down and just talk a little bit about health care before Robert gives his regular briefing.

I am extraordinarily pleased and grateful to learn that the AARP and the American Medical Association are both supporting the health insurance reform bill that will soon come up to a vote in the House of Representatives. 

When it comes to the AARP, this is no small endorsement.  For more than 50 years, they have been a leader in the fight to reduce the cost of health care and expand coverage for our senior citizens.  They are a non-partisan organization, and their board made their decision to endorse only after a careful, intensive, objective scrutiny of this bill.  They're endorsing this bill because they know it will strengthen Medicare, not jeopardize it.  They know it will protect the benefits our seniors receive, not cut them.  So I want everybody to remember that the next time you hear the same tired arguments to the contrary from the insurance companies and their lobbyists.  And remember this endorsement the next time you see a bunch of misleading ads on television.

The AARP knows this bill will make health care more affordable.  They know it will make coverage more secure.  They know it's a good deal for our seniors.  And that's why we're thrilled that they're standing up for this effort.

The same is true for the doctors and medical professionals who are supporting this bill today.  These are men and women who know our health care system best and have been watching this debate closely.  They would not be supporting it if they really believed that it would lead to government bureaucrats making decisions that are best left to doctors.  They would not be with us if they believed that reform would in any way damage the critical and sacred doctor-patient relationship.

Instead, they're supporting reform because they've seen firsthand what's broken about our health care system.  They've seen what happens when patients can't get the care they need because some insurance company has decided to drop their coverage or water it down.  They've seen what happens when a patient is forced to pay out-of-pocket costs of thousands of dollars that she doesn't have to get the treatment she desperately needs.  They've seen what happens when patients don't come in for regular check-ups or screenings because either their insurance company doesn't cover them or they can't afford health insurance in the first place.  And they've seen far, far too much of their time spent filling out forms and haggling with insurance company bureaucrats. 

So the doctors of America know what needs to be fixed about our health care system.  They know that health insurance reform would go a long way toward doing that. 

We are closer to passing this reform than ever before.  And now that the doctors and medical professionals of America are standing with us; now that the organizations charged with looking out for the interests of seniors are standing with us, we are even closer. 

I want to thank both organizations again for their support, and I urge Congress to listen to AARP, listen to the AMA, and pass this reform for hundreds of millions of Americans who will benefit from it.  Thank you. 

In President Obama's address to the Muslim world delivered from Cairo in June, he called for the creation of an online network so "a teenager in Kansas can communicate instantly with a teenager in Cairo."

Yesterday, teenagers from Washington, DC and Amman did exactly that.

Photo credit: Leslie Williams, Dept of Education, 11/4/2009 November 4, 2009. (by Leslie Williams, Dept of Education)

Dr. Waleed Al-Ma'ani, the Jordanian Minister of Education and I moderated a discussion by a dozen students from Bell Multicultural Early College High School in Washington and their counterparts in Jordan via videoconference.

Before this dialogue, the students were asked to identify a common challenge facing students in America and Jordan. The American and Jordanian students chose climate change. They corresponded before the event, writing questions to ask each other and sharing their research. The students from both countries were well-prepared and thoughtful in speaking to climate change and encouraging to each other when it was their turn to speak.

I was impressed by how quickly the students recognized the challenges climate change is presenting both countries and their individual lives.

At the end of the discussion, the students asked each other how they could keep up the dialogue. They talked about setting up a Facebook group for themselves and they made plans for a second videoconference in June. They're also talking about a joint project to set up recycling programs or public awareness campaigns about climate change at their schools.

It was tremendously exciting for me to see the President's vision becoming real. It was clear that the last statement from America to Jordan summarized the students' feelings about the event: "You all are amazing."

President Obama said in Cairo that "all of us share common aspirations - to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God." Students from both countries showed that we all believe that education can change lives.

Photo credit: Leslie Williams, Dept of Education, 11/4/2009 November 4, 2009. (by Leslie Williams, Dept of Education)

Arne Duncan is Secretary of Education

(First Lady Michelle Obama congratulates an award recipient during the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities Coming Up Taller event in the State Dining Room of the White House, Nov. 4, 2009. Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton) November 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Yesterday afternoon in the historic State Dining Room, First Lady Michelle Obama, honorary chair of the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities, presented 15 programs from around the world with the Coming Up Taller Award. Given to arts and humanities organizations that reach underserved youth, the award is a reminder of the meaningful role cultural activities play in the lives of our children. This year's recipients include the Shakespeare Remix program in New York, where inner-city teens adapt and perform Shakespearean texts to reflect their own lives, and the Harmony Project in Los Angeles, which provides free music instruction to at-risk children.

Speaking to a crowd of teachers, program workers, and students, the First Lady highlighted the positive impact these programs have in the lives of children around the world:

Because of you, teens in Arizona are publishing their own magazine, and children in central and south Los Angeles are learning to play instruments and performing in orchestras.  Because of the work that you do, students in New York City are mastering Shakespeare.  And in my hometown of Chicago, there are students learning traditional Mexican art forms.  There are young people in Egypt who are learning basket weaving and storytelling, calligraphy and photography. 

And you're not just connecting young people with music, dance, poetry and drama.  But because of your work, you're connecting people, these young people to mentoring, to tutoring, to social services, and college counseling. You don't just show them the power of their imagination, but you show them the power of discipline and hard work and of teamwork, as well. 

And these young people don't just become accomplished singers and painters and authors.  They also become better students, they become better leaders, and they become better citizens, enriching not just themselves but their communities, teaching younger children the skills that they've learned, beautifying neighborhoods with murals and lifting their communities with their performances.

Ultimately, each of your programs is using achievement in the arts as a bridge to achievement in life.  And you see all this every day, each and every one of you working so hard.  You see this in your students as they become more confident and more engaged and more willing to take risks and to take responsibility for their futures.  You see it when their academic performance improves, when you see improving attitudes and higher GPAs.  And you see young people who never saw themselves as college material, you see them getting those acceptance letters and you see them going on to pursue their degrees.  So we all know in this room the power of the arts to change young people's lives.  

Earlier today, President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin to spotlight one of the most exciting and innovative initiatives in education reform history: the Race to the Top Award. Designed to reward schools that take initiative to improve, the award provides grants—there is $4 billion on the table—to districts that demonstrate a commitment to advancement and higher standards.  As he almost always does, he took some time to talk directly to the kids there about how invaluable education has been to both him and the First Lady: "So that's the reason why we are spending a lot of time talking to folks like you, because we want all of you to understand that there's nothing more important than what you're doing right here at this school." \

(Students at Wright Middle School in Madison, Wis., listen as President Barack Obama speaks about strengthening America's education system during a visit to the school, Nov. 4, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) November 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

During his more formal remarks, the President discussed how the Race to the Top Award will make schools accountable to parents and students:

There's always excuses for why these schools can't perform.  But part of what we want is an environment in which everybody agrees -- from the governor to the school superintendent, teachers, principals, and most importantly parents and students -- that there's no excuse for mediocrity.  And we will take drastic steps when schools aren’t working.  (Applause.)

So these are the kinds of vigorous strategies that are necessary to turn around our most troubled schools:  transforming our lowest-performing schools; using timely information to improve the way we teach our children;  outstanding teachers and principals in our classrooms and our schools that are getting the support they need; higher standards and better assessments that prepare our kids for life beyond a classroom.  These are the challenges, the four challenges that states have to take up if they want to win a Race to the Top award.

And these are the four challenges that our country has to meet for our children to outcompete workers around the world, for our economy to grow and to prosper, and for America to lead in the 21st century.

(President Barack Obama speaks about strengthening America's education system while addressing students at Wright Middle School in Madison, Wis., Nov. 4, 2009. Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) November 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)