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Weekly Wrap Up: “All We Have Is Each Other”

April 20, 2012 at 6:23 PM ET by Sarah Berlenbach
Summary: 
A quick glimpse of what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov.

A quick look at everything that happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Summit of the Americas: Over the weekend, the President was in Cartagena, Colombia for the sixth annual Summit of the Americas – a gathering of more than 30 leaders from North, South, and Central America. While there, he participated in a panel discussion with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and announced that the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on May 15, 2012. “[This] agreement is a win for both our countries,” the President said while speaking to Colombian President Santos.

Increasing Oversight to Eliminate Manipulation: Speaking from the Rose Garden on Tuesday, President Obama announced a new series of steps to strengthen oversight of the energy markets while asking lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at curbing illegal behavior and holding the people who manipulate markets accountable.

Visit from NASCAR Champ: President Obama congratulated Tony Stewart on winning his third Sprint Cup Championship as he welcomed the NASCAR champ and his fellow drivers to the White House at an event on the South Lawn. He recognized NASCAR’s dedication to supporting our troops through their partnership with Joining Forces.

Roll Tide: On Thursday, President Obama welcomed the University of Alabama’s football team – the Crimson Tide – to the White House to honor their fourteenth national championship and their exceptional 2011-2012 season. After a F4 tornado devastated Tuscaloosa a year ago, killing 248 people including six students from the University, the team’s victory was especially meaningful. The President praised the players, explaining that, “[T]he Tide showed us what it takes to win as a team, but they also showed what it means to be a part of a larger community: to look out for one another, to help.”

Talking Jobs Training in Ohio: On Wednesday, the President traveled to Lorain Community College in Elyria, Ohio, where he discussed the Administration’s jobs training initiatives and efforts to connect unemployed Americans with the skills training needed to find jobs in high-demand, high-growth industries, and participated in a roundtable with unemployed workers who are students in a job training program there.