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The Weekend Word: Remembrance

In Today’s Times:

  • Many of the nation’s poorest citizens will not receive access to health insurance under President Obama’s health care laws because about half the states refuse to expand Medicaid, Robert Pear reports. An estimated 5.7 million poor adults will be ineligible because of the states’ actions, while many Americans with higher incomes will receive federal subsidies to buy insurance.
  • The vision for America’s role in the world that President Obama laid out on Thursday “eschews a muscle-bound foreign policy, dominated by the military and intelligence services, in favor of energetic diplomacy, foreign aid, and a more measured response to terrorism,” Mark Landler and Mark Mazzetti write, describing the president’s goals as ambitious yet risky.
  • As the president congratulated the Naval Academy’s graduating class on Friday, he urged the new officers to help counter the rising tide of sexual assaults in the armed forces as they threaten to undermine the public’s trust in the military, Michael D. Shear reports.
  • After three years of hounding Senate Democrats to produce a budget, Republicans have had their demand granted. But Jonathan Weisman writes that a conference to iron out the differences between the House and Senate budgets has been halted as Republicans split along ideological and generational lines over how to deal with the federal debt and deficit.

  • The Senate’s failure to pass a bill that would require background checks for gun buyers has inspired Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, to take a final shot at revamping the nation’s outdated chemical safety laws, John M. Broder writes. Mr. Lautenberg, who is retiring, introduced a measure to update the Toxic Substances Control Act this week with Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, to the surprise of their colleagues and advocacy groups.

The Weekly Address:

  • The president used his weekly address to call attention to the sacrifices made by members of the military and their families and to draw support for their plight. “We must be there for the military families whose loved ones are in harm’s way - for they serve as well,” he said. “And above all, we must make sure that the men and women of our armed forces have the support they need to achieve their missions safely at home and abroad.”

The Long Weekend in Washington:

  • Gen. Colin Powell, the former secretary of State, is the keynote speaker at the National Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol lawn. The event features various celebrity performers and military bands. A dress rehearsal on Saturday precedes the concert on Monday.

  • On Sunday, the president will travel to Oklahama to survey the damage from recent tornadoes there, and to visit affected families and first responders. After having breakfast with the families of fallen soldiers on Monday, the president will visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and give remarks.