Beltway Insider: Obama Attends G7; Russia/Ukraine; VP Buries Son; May Job Numbers; Caitlyn Jenner

President Obama, along with members of the seven largest global economies will be meeting in the Bavaria region of Germany, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as the nation's gather to discuss the issues with Russian and the Ukraine.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, decreased one percentage point to 46% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased three percentage points to 50%.

Obama Attends G7 Summit

President Obama, along with, the UK's recently re-elected Prime Minister, David Cameron, held a brief press conference as the two leaders discussed the issues the leading economies will be facing over the two day intensive summit.

Although the global leaders, representing the seven most advanced economies and the European Union, voted one year ago to expel Russia, and President Vladimir Putin, from the proceedings, the continued territorial violations which resulted in the action were again discussed and all agreed would, in probability, take up a majority of the summit.

"This is going to give us an opportunity to discuss a number of particular challenges that require U.S. and United Kingdom leadership.  We'll be talking about Russia and Ukraine, and the importance of us maintaining the sanctions regime to put pressure on Russian and separatist forces to implement fully the Minsk agreement.  We think that there can be a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this problem, but it's going to require that Europe, the United States and the Transatlantic Partnership, as well as the world, stay vigilant and stay focused on the importance of upholding the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty," the President said.

The continued invasion of ISIS and the determination of the terror organization to move across Iraq and Syria murdering all who refuse to submit even as the advancing terror army is proving itself a serious threat is also a major topic of discussion.

While the President has a coalition of more than 60 countries to counter the threat posed by ISIS, only 32 percent of Americans support the way he has handled the fight. The majority believe his actions are "too little, too late." 

"The President has been clear about what we will do in the form of using military airpower to strike at ISIL and extremist targets inside of Iraq and in Syria.  He has indicated a willingness to order Special Operations raids where necessary to take out ISIL leaders and he has also directed his team to focus on training and equipping Iraqi security forces that are under the command and control of the Iraqi central government so that they can be responsible for the security situation in their own country," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

Putin, Ukraine, Dominate Talks

The G7 leaders, meeting in Germany, are again discussing the continued aggressive actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he has refused to honor the Minsk agreement which calls for the de-escalation of hostilities inside the Ukraine and reverting to pre-escalation boundaries.

Putin has been barred from the global meeting as part of a sanction package imposed against the Superpower in retaliation for the continued territorial violations of Ukraine sovereignty.

The former head of the KGB has maintained the Iron Fist rule of leadership throughout the 16month invasion that began as the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics ended.

As troops amassed in the seaside town of Sochi for protection of the Olympians no one expected the aggressive action from the Russian leader who rolled into Crimea and within one day overtook the 10,000 square mile Crimean peninsula bordered by Sochi, Russia, the Black Sea and Ukraine.

Kill the Linage of Freedom

Putin has sent out a strong message to the world and to the people of Russia. The linage of freedom, of Democracy, of change, the roots of the most recent movement have been pulled up and like a vicious weed that returns if not totally removed, is completing the process to squash all anti-government protests.

Just over three months ago, Putin's most stalwart challenger, Boris Netsmov, who once walked the halls of the Kremlin and was considered next in line for Presidency was shot four times in the back, assassinated on a Friday night before a massive rally planned protesting Putin's authoritarian rule.

Six days ago, Mr. Nemtsov's right-hand man, Vladimir Kara-murza, was poisoned and is in the hospital in grave condition. 

The roots of Russian change, the movement for tolerance, and democracy have been successfully stalled by the Kremlin. Freedom, real freedom, cannot be squashed by a single man or an army. Nations, people will rise up, demanding freedom. The most dangerous man is the one whose freedom has been stolen. He'll stop at nothing to get it back.

President Obama put out a strong statement at the time of Netsmov's death and then underscored it by sending the U.S. Ambassador to his funeral, a move seen as solidarity to the people, and a challenge to Putin, which it was.

Putin and Secretary of State John Kerry

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently met in Sochi, Russia to discuss the Ukraine situation.

Putin and his cabinet while not in total agreement, simply by agreeing to the highest level meeting offered since the sanctions began seem to be in agreement the Ukraine situation is failing to realize the goals for which the invasion was begun and therefore necessitates the need for further withdraw.  

The Secretary emerged from the bi-lateral meeting with a certain level of confidence the Ukraine situation will turn around, which has been the United States position from the beginning of the invasion, and should sanctions increase against the troubled nation the potential of hastening the change increases.

Vice-President Biden Buries His Son

Vice President Joseph Biden buried his son this weekend. As if history had a hold of the Vice President who stood in a church again, side by side a coffin, as he buried another child.

President Obama delivered the eulogy. His words, each, seemingly labored as the finality and grief of the moment bore witness by each difficult phrase. Of course, they knew; the best educated, well trained physicians, brought the improbable news of impossibility to a family who believed to the very minute, these same doctors who months before stopped a global epidemic from spreading, who assisted worlds with antibiotics, could surely save this son; that his son, like every son of every father, of every mother, would get better. Unfortunately, this time death refused to be kept at bay.   

"Beau's grandfather, Joe's father, believed that the most egregious sin was to abuse your power to inflict pain on another.  So Beau squared his broad shoulders to protect people from that kind of abuse.  He fought for homeowners who were cheated, seniors who were scammed.  He even went after bullying itself.  He set up a Child Protector, Predator Task Force. That's who Beau was.  Someone who cared.  Someone who charmed you, and disarmed you, and put you at ease," the President said during the eulogy.

Beau Biden cheated death once, a hope many prayed would repeat itself. A child, in 1972, he was a passenger in a horrific car crash that killed his sister, Naomi and his mother, Neilia Hunter Biden, the wife of newly elected United States Senator Joseph Biden. Hospitalized with his brother, Hunter, the two recovered slowly from the physical injuries of that Christmastime crash.

The pictures of the two men, the father and the son, show a tight knit family, a love for each other, for family, for country. Biden, the younger, was a dedicated public servant, a loving father who took pride in his small children, a husband, brother, son.

Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden IIIdied of a brain tumor. He was 46.

Biden Carries a Heavy Load

Vice President Biden has once again exhibited the steadfastness and dedication to country he has exhibited throughout his life of public service and as all expected.

There is the possibility the Vice-President may be asked to take a limited leave in order to grieve to which most in his position would agree is necessary. Objectively, others may believe it is not. Should he decide to take a Family Medical Leave his duties would revert to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) Ohio.

It would mark the first time a Democratic President and a Republican Vice-President held office simultaneously.

May Job Numbers

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistic announced this week the economy added 280,000 jobs in May bringing the unemployment rate to 5.5%.

The number is essentially unchanged and the number of unemployed person also remained stagnant at 8.7million.

While the national unemployment number is non-reflective of individual state employment situations, the continued rebuilding of the economy is impressive considering where the numbers where cemented,  at 8.0 percent unemployed, for 40 straight months, during President Obama's first term in office.

Caitlyn Jenner Revealed

The recent Vanity Fair cover showing a transgender female, the former Bruce Jenner, father, husband, brother, son, Olympic Athlete, reality television star, dressed in an ecru silk corset, bearing flesh and cleavage, stunned and shocked the world.

Social Media went off the charts as Caitlyn Jenner amassed an astonishing 1million Twitter followers in record time, a distinction previously held by President Obama who said, "Caitlyn Jenner has shown tremendous courage as she has undergone this transition in a very public way.  And that's worthy of our respect." 

Exhibiting the same courage and dedication to his transition as he has to his other pursuits, Jenner, now clearly identifying with the female gender has become the name, face and voice for a hidden segment of the population.

The name Caitlyn, for the millions Pop Culture aficionado's, over the past week has become synonymous with the former Bruce Jenner and the hit reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashian's."

For another generation, Bruce Jenner, the former Olympic Gold Medal Decathlon winner, has shocked the world as he, former athlete, Man on the Wheaties Box, has done more than come out and announce a sexual orientation persuasion. He has announced he has always identified himself with the female gender.

His personal statements indicated he has suffered with Gender Dysphoria all his life. This causes the individual to identify and be more comfortable with the gender opposite to the assigned birth gender. In Jenner's case that was female which to a broad band of America and the world the revelation is astonishing.

Recalling, through the power of Youtube and other media moments the highlights of a life well lived, as a male, attaining the highest possible physical and athletic honors one can achieve, the improbability of this predominance Caitlyn speaks so passionately about, gnaw at the psyche, as we remember a winner, carrying the American flag. We stood proudly, vicariously on the platform, singing the national anthem, celebrating.

As the world has grown into a more tolerable place, complacent in some issues and accepting in others, Caitlyn felt now was the time to come out.

She has explained for years she explored her gender identity and was permitted to do so even during her marriage, one of three, to Kris Kardashian, although not while they were together which begs, the question, as honesty is ruling, where and when did those explorations take place?

The outing of Caitlyn Jenner by Bruce Jenner who freely fed the media machine with his repeated high drama revelations during heated moments with the Kardashian clan who understood, maybe, the extent of what Jenner had suffered and how he planned to remedy has resulted in an increase across all areas of her life.

Of course there is the wrongful death lawsuit as Bruce in transition was involved in an automobile accident that resulted in the death of its occupant. Needless to say, it may have been better to simply settle that one before the change was announced as his income estimated at 100million pre-Caitlyn stands to triple post-Caitlyn. A documentary is planned and from all accounts the ABC Diane Sawyer interview hit unusually high numbers, in two demographics

Finally coming to terms with his sexual identity, maybe it's like a bad marriage something many can understand, you thought it would take and it didn't and fortunately it can be changed. Sometimes you hang in there hoping, other times you opt for the quick fix.

Either way, to Caitlyn good luck to you on your new life. We certainly wish you well.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.org, Wikipedia.com

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