Congress Must Focus On Child Nutrition, Says Former World Bank Official

By Samira Sadeque - Talk Radio News Service

The Rev. David Beckmann, president of the organization Bread for the World, says Congress must reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, as well as take other steps to end poverty.

During a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Beckmann said that although poverty levels in the U.S. have slightly decreased over the last 30 years, more must be done.

“If countries as different as Bangladesh, Brazil and Britain can reduce poverty, it’s clearly possible in the USA.”

Noting the correlation between poverty and malnourishment, Beckmann implored the House to pass a child nutrition reauthorization bill. The bill, which passed through the Senate last month, would extend national child nutrition programs that are on track to expire at the end of this month.

The Reverend, an economist and ordained Lutheran Minister who has earned a reputation as being one the world’s most well-known advocates for hungry and poor people, lamented the fact that both bills contain flaws, but said the government has an obligation to improve children’s nutrition.

“We do not now have enough political oomph to achieve the changes for hungry and poor people that we should,” Beckmann said. “So I am calling on people, especially people who believe in God, to help change the politics of hunger.”

Beckmann and other supporters of the two bills have a powerful ally in Washington: First Lady Michelle Obama. As part of her “Let’s Move” campaign, Mrs. Obama has put forth a comprehensive plan for child nutrition that includes reforming school lunch menus nationwide.

The House is not scheduled to vote on the bill this week.

Conflicting Sentiment Surrounds First Lady's Trip

First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Spain last week drew criticism from some who felt as though her vacation sent the wrong message to Americans hit hard by a prolonged recession.

The Tribune’s Peter Nicholas remarked on Friday that “the pictures coming out of a sunsplashed Spanish resort…may be sending a different message.” Great Britain’s The Daily Mail reported that Mrs. Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha, were accompanied by 40 friends, and that the five-day trip cost American taxpayers roughly $75,000 per day.

Chicago Sun-Times White House correspondent Lynn Sweet, however, rebuked some earlier reporting regarding the trip. In particular, Sweet said sources told her that the First Lady only traveled with two other women, and that they each paid for their lavish hotel rooms and other personal expenses. Sweet also wrote that a source told her that Mrs. Obama was invited to go on the trip by Anita Blanchard, a close friend of her’s from Chicago who is married to Marty Nesbitt, the treasurer of Barack Obama’s presidential campagin.

Last week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to a question of how the First Lady’s trip would be perceived by Americans. “She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip,” Gibbs said. “I think I’d leave it at that,” he added.

Yet, while Mrs. Obama may not have been elected to office, she is nonetheless a public figure who oversees a major White House initiative on childrens’ health. Sweet echoed that fact in her column today, writing that “it is reasonable to ask how she spends taxpayer resources.”

White House Promotes Eggs-ercise For Easter Event

While Easter is a holiday typically associated with chocolate rabbits and high calorie brunches, Monday's annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House will take a more health conscious approach.

Falling in line with the First Lady Michelle Obama's "Ready, Set, Go!" campaign against childhood obesity, the egg roll will include obstacle courses, dance instruction and information on building personal gardens.

According to the White House, players from the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens football teams will be on-hand to help lead the activities.

A number of other celebrities will appear as well, including singer Justin Bieber, actress Reese Witherspoon, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and the cast of the television show Glee.

Obama Aims To Tighten Asian Alliances During Upcoming Visit

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

President Obama’s inaugural visit to Asia was postponed due to the his and First Lady Michelle Obama’s participation in the memorial service on Tuesday for those killed in the Fort Hood tragedy.

Still, the President intends to tell Asian countries when he visits later this week that the U.S. is engaged and committed to strengthening alliances with Asia and helping Asian nations achieve prosperity and security, according to Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.

Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for East Asian Affairs for the National Security Council, said that the President plans to raise the issue of human rights while in China.

“I think the kinds of issues that are on our minds are the freedom of expression, access to information...and certainly Tibet. I have every reason to believe that the issue of Tibet will come up on the trip,” Bader said.

Bader did not foresee discussions with the Japanese government on the realignment of Futenma Air Base, which houses 47,000 U.S. military personnel on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. The base is set to relocate to a smaller facility in 2014.

“I don’t see the Okinawa base issue being a dominant or essential issue on this visit,” Bader said. “The new Japanese government is reviewing how it wishes to move forward on [the base issue].”

The President is scheduled to leave for Japan on Thursday, followed by visits to Singapore, China and South Korea.

First Lady Joins Health Care Fight

First Lady Michelle Obama threw her hat into the health care reform debate Friday, calling the current state of health care "unacceptable" and describing the President's reform proposal as "reasonable."

"No longer can we sit by and watch the debate take on a life of it own," the First Lady said during an event put on by the White House Council on Women and Girls in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. "We have to channel our passions into change."

Obama was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The First Lady recounted her daughter Sasha's struggle with meningitis as an infant, explaining that while she was thankful her family had adequate coverage, she could not help but wonder what would have happened had they not.