Free Republic

This week, America’s foreign policy is dominating the headlines, but it’s the White House’s second-term domestic agenda that’s the focus of our Parade cover story. On Monday, June 23, the President and Mrs. Obama will host a Working Families summit in Washington, D.C. to discuss the need for affordable childcare and paid family leave, raising minimum wage, and achieving equal pay for all. In an interview conducted by Parade Editor-in-Chief Maggie Murphy and contributing writer Lynn Sherr on May 20, the Obamas opened up about their personal connection to these issues and what they hope to accomplish during their remaining...

It has been a rough week for President Barack Obama. The prospect of the United States being dragged back into Iraq, a war the president thought he had ended, has spurred criticism on both sides and presents yet another foreign-policy complication that threatens his presidency. Foreign hotspots – from Iraq to Syria to Ukraine — have tested Mr. Obama and taken a toll on his standing. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.pdf) this week found him with the lowest foreign policy approval of his presidency — just 37 percent. His approval is down from 52 percent in Dec. 2012 right...

I’ve been at the White House when it has been taking a pounding from all sides. The inner circle gets smaller, and the rest of the staff tries to either put on a brave face or acknowledge the problems and quietly point fingers. Democratic insiders tell me the Obama inner circle now only consists of the president, Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough — and not everyone agrees on McDonough. Whether or not the president takes any criticism to heart and tries to change course seems unlikely based on what we have observed so far. Every...