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Michelle Obama’s Portrait Dress Choice Is No Coincidence, Here’s the Sneaky Message She Sent

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After former first lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait was unveiled Monday at the Smithsonian, many people pointed out that the face in the painting looked nothing like Obama herself.

But Obama’s face isn’t the only unique part of the painting. Rather, it’s the dress she wore in the portrait that may have sent a hidden political message.

The woman who designed the former first lady’s dress, Michelle Smith, is an outspoken supporter of liberal causes like LGBT equality and Planned Parenthood, in addition to being a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

Smith, who co-owns the design company “Milly,” told The Washington Post that the dress Obama wore in the portrait was based off a similar design from her spring 2017 collection.

At that time, just months after Trump was inaugurated, Smith’s inspiration came from a “desire for equality, equality in human rights, racial equality, LGBTQ equality,” she said.

She highlighted the emphasis on different types of laces and ties in that collection — elements that were supposed to hearken a “feeling of being held back … that we’re not quite there yet.”

Meanwhile, the dress Obama wore was only altered slightly from a design worn by a model on the runway, Smith said, the major difference being that Obama’s dress is less “discreet” than the runway version, which was open in the back, according to The Post.

“People have been describing the dress as couture, but the fabric is a stretch cotton poplin,” Smith said. It may look “like couture but it’s made out of something spartan,” she added.

The political statement Obama may have been trying to make was not lost on outlets like Politico Magazine, which pointed out that Smith, unlike many other designers, is not afraid to make her views about the current administration known.

After unveiling campaigns in the spring and fall of 2017 that were geared toward the LGBT community, she noted she wanted to reach out to those people following Trump’s election.

“It felt right to reach out to the LGBT community who is feeling threatened right now under Trump and the administration,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter.

Many of the photos she has used to advertise her designs have been unmistakable statements of support for LGBT rights.

She has released photos of women kissing each other, and in 2018, she used gender fluid model Elliott Sailors to promote her work.

In November 2017, moreover, she ranted to Teen Vogue that under Trump, the rights she “had sadly taken for granted” now felt “threatened.” Smith had hoped and assumed the U.S. would have its “first female president,” but she was mistaken.

“What I had felt to be an extraordinary triumph for equality — the election of an African-American president — was my children’s normal. Gay marriage and LGBTQ equality was their normal,” she said.

“Their generation, I had often thought, is where the real shift in equality and human rights will take place. I had easily assumed their next ultimate role model would be a female president. I was wrong. … All the rights I had sadly taken for granted . . . now felt threatened. I had to do something.”

In addition to her LGBT activism, Smith is a supporter of Planned Parenthood, and in 2017, she even created a T-shirt to commemorate the abortion provider’s 100th anniversary. All the profits from the shirt were donated to the organization.

And for the former first lady, it’s hardly the first time she has worn clothes designed by Smith’s company. Perhaps most notably, Obama wore a Milly-designed top when she posed for her final White House photographs.

Smith, moreover, said she was thrilled Obama wore her dress for the official portrait.

“This is the biggest honor as a designer – as an American!” she told ABC News, while noting that she had forgotten the portrait was being unveiled Monday.

Moreover, she said the dress was simple, not high-fashion.

“It is a people’s fabric. The dress has pockets. It is easy and comfortable,” she said. (For more from the author of “Michelle Obama’s Portrait Dress Choice Is No Coincidence, Here’s the Sneaky Message She Sent” please click HERE)

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Drag-Queen Demon Reads to Kids at Michelle Obama Library

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The Michelle Obama public library in Long Beach, California, has presented to children who are part of its young readers program a huge array of diversity and “inclusion” agendas . . .

It was when Xochi Mochi arrived for a visit.

That made the program pro-LGBTQ . . .

And Satanist-approved, with the character’s red-tipped, demon-like horns . . .

It happened at the Obama library for the “Drag Queen Story Hour,” a part of a collaboration between the LBPL, the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network and the LGBTQ nonprofit Imperial Court of Long Beach, according to the Long Beach Public Library’s calendar.

(Read more from “Drag-Queen Demon Reads to Kids at Michelle Obama Library” HERE)

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Michelle Obama: White House Is Too White

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Former first lady Michelle Obama claims the Republican Party’s lack of diversity makes Americans distrust the political process.

During an on-stage interview at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women Tuesday, Obama shared why she thinks diversity is so important.

“We should be working actively to mix it up, so we’re getting a real broad range of perspectives on every issue. Shoot, I would see that in Congress,” she stated.

“At the State of the Union address… when you are in the room what you can see is this real dichotomy. It’s a feeling of color almost,” Obama said. “On one side of the room is literally gray and white. Literally, that is the color palette on one side of the room. On the other side of the room, there are yellows and blues and whites and greens. Physically, there’s a difference in color, in the tone, because on one side all men, all white, on the other side some woman, some people of color.”

“I look at that, and I go, no wonder. No wonder we struggle, no wonder people don’t trust politics. We’re not even noticing what these rooms look like,” she added. (Read more from “Michelle Obama: White House Is Too White” HERE)

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Trump’s Agriculture Chief Tosses out Michelle Obama’s School Lunch Rules

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Former first lady Michelle Obama’s dictates on school lunches were thrown out Monday by one of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation to begin to undo federal standards that the Obama administration placed on lunches in public schools and return those decisions to local schools.

“This announcement is the result of years of feedback from students, schools, and food service experts about the challenges they are facing in meeting the final regulations for school meals,” Perdue said in prepared remarks. “If kids aren’t eating the food, and it’s ending up in the trash, they aren’t getting any nutrition—thus undermining the intent of the program.”

The announcement “begins the process of restoring local control of guidelines on whole grains, sodium, and milk,” a press release from the Agriculture Department reads.

The standards, implemented in 2012, were crafted with the heavy involvement of Michelle Obama, who made better nutrition and more exercise for children part of her agenda as first lady. The standards include directives on vastly reducing use of salt, calorie limits, restrictions on meat, prohibitions on the contents of vending machines, and increased servings of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, as the New York Post reported.

The standards implemented provisions of a law called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. President Barack Obama’s wife also championed the law, Daren Bakst, a research fellow in agricultural policy at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an email.

The 2010 law set calorie limits, stipulated portion sizes, and required specific nutrients.

“Michelle [Obama] is a big proponent and defender of the standards,” Bakst said.

Perdue, the former governor of Georgia, said in a tweet that the rules have been counterproductive:

Perdue “took an important step to making school meals edible again,” Bakst told The Daily Signal. “The federal school meal standards implemented by the Obama administration have been a disaster, creating massive plate waste and imposing high costs on schools.”

Perdue’s action, Bakst said, is significant for both parents and kids.

“This issue isn’t about nutrition,” Bakst said Monday, adding:

It’s about whether one believes the federal government should dictate almost every aspect of what kids eat at schools, or if local communities, with the input of parents, should make these decisions. Today was certainly a big win for kids across the country, but it was also a big win for those who respect the opinions of parents more than those of federal bureaucrats.

Patricia Montague, CEO of the School Nutrition Association, a national nonprofit with more than 57,000 members that provides meals to students across the nation, praised Perdue’s leadership.

“I commend Secretary Perdue for taking this important step,” Montague said. “We have been wanting flexibility so that schools can serve meals that are both nutritious and palatable. We don’t want kids wasting their meals by throwing them away. Some of our schools are actually using that food waste as compost. That shouldn’t be happening.” (For more from the author of “Trump’s Agriculture Chief Tosses out Michelle Obama’s School Lunch Rules” please click HERE)

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Sorry, Michelle, but I Won’t Be Riding Your Hopeless Train Into the Future

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Thanks for the reminder, Michelle.

Your dramatic woe-fest with Oprah the other day is a very timely lesson on the value and necessity of hope. More importantly, it should make us stop and reconsider the source from whence comes our hope. You seem convinced that hope flew into town on your husband’s wings in 2008, and has spent the last eight years floating gracefully around the country, spreading its glow and relief on all the loyal souls below. Now that Barack Obama’s reign is at an end and the appointed replacement has failed to ascend to the throne, you are equally convinced that all hope is gone, since it will have to depart with your husband when he takes his leave of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Your crestfallen face and the earnestness in your voice clearly communicate your sense of despair and fear for the future. What do we have now, after all, if we no longer have hope?

No doubt there are millions of Americans right now who will climb on board your hopeless train and ride it with you and Barack, wailing all the way. I wish you well, but I won’t be joining you.

Examining Our Hope

You’ve given all of us a real opportunity to examine our hope, the source of our hope, and where we are perhaps grasping at false hopes, or grasping at hope from the wrong places. What better time than right now to take stock of such important inventory, as we celebrate the very birth of Hope into a dark and desperate world.

I’ll lead off — if the worst had happened in November, and we were set to inaugurate Hillary Clinton as the next President, I have no problem admitting I would be troubled, profoundly disappointed, and gravely concerned for the future of the nation. I remain firmly convinced that Hillary Clinton was a disaster of epic proportion for our country and the world, and we have inexplicably, mercifully been spared her horrible reign. Deo Gratias.

That said, shame on me if I ever proceed into life with the sort of doom and gloom that oozed forth from your mouth during that interview with Oprah. Shame on me if I ever believe that my hope or the lack thereof rests with any political leader, or any government.

To quote the popular hymn, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. Nothing less. If it is built on anything less, then my disappointment is guaranteed.

It’s natural for us to feel a sense of hope when a promising leader takes the helm, and good changes are on the horizon, and the times seem poised to take an upswing. There’s nothing wrong with that. By the same token, it’s understandable that we feel distress, sadness, even alarm when a terrible leader takes control and we look down the road to the trouble quickly approaching. Good leaders bring with them a renewed optimism, energy and security; bad rulers take all that away and leave us feeling fearful and powerless.

Obviously you and many people around the country have decided that President-elect Trump belongs in that latter category, and thus you are angry, downcast and without hope. I’m sorry you feel that way, but the truth is, many of us have spent eight years now waiting for this January 20th when your husband will finally leave office. Not a moment too soon!

What Hope Is and Is Not

You see, hope doesn’t drag Catholic nuns who serve the poor to court to force them to pay for other women’s contraception against their religious beliefs. Hope doesn’t tell young girls it’s just too bad if they’re uncomfortable sharing the bathroom and locker room with boys. Hope doesn’t stoke the fires of antagonism toward law enforcement and fan the flames of racial division, and hope sure doesn’t go around slyly talking about the “freedom of worship” rather than the freedom of religion and expect no one to notice or object.

Most of all, hope does not promote and celebrate unrestricted abortion the way that you and your husband have. Hope does not pour obscene millions of dollars down the macabre hole that is Planned Parenthood and label everyone who objects as an “extremist.”

If you suspect that I’m now placing my hopes in Trump’s administration and presidency, then let me say, not quite. I am optimistic that Donald Trump will govern in a very different way than your husband (which is to say, I’m optimistic he will actually govern, rather than hand down mandates from on-high). I am optimistic that he will put good, qualified people in positions where needed course corrections can take place, and perhaps we can yet stop our nation from becoming a godless, tyrannical, socialist state. (Talk about hopeless!)

I am optimistic that our freedoms will be appropriately understood and protected once again. I’m optimistic that we can make real progress toward rebuilding a culture of Life again in America, and that we can begin to repair the family unit. I’m optimistic that our military can be restored to what it should be, and the absurd and dangerous social experimentation will cease. I’m optimistic that more and more people will come to their senses, find their courage, and reject the lunacy and depravity of the new sexual and gender revolution in America before generations of our children are unspeakably damaged by it.

I am enormously relieved, it’s true. At least we have a chance now.

But my hope? That is somewhere else entirely, placed in Someone else. My hope lies in the straw in Bethlehem. My hope hangs on the Cross at Calvary. My hope abides in an empty tomb.

Neither your husband, nor Donald Trump, nor any other politician or public figure can take away my hope. There is no mortal man or woman upon whom hope rises or falls. Our hope as a nation depends entirely on one thing only: whether or not we will turn back to God with humble hearts and hear Him and obey Him. If we do, then our hearts will never be without hope, whatever comes.

Cheer up, Michelle. The real Messiah still sits on His throne, and all is well. (For more from the author of “Sorry, Michelle, but I Won’t Be Riding Your Hopeless Train Into the Future” please click HERE)

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Clinton Campaign Wants Anti-Hillary Ad With Michelle Obama Taken Down

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Along with her husband, first lady Michelle Obama has been on the campaign trail in recent months advocating for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“I’m out here first and foremost because we’ve never had a more qualified and prepared candidate for president than our friend Hillary Clinton,” the first lady told a rally in North Carolina Thursday.

However, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants Florida voters to hear what Michelle Obama had to say about Clinton long before she had a vested interest in electing the candidate who has pledged to continue President Barack Obama’s agenda.

The ad shows comments made in 2008, the year in which the Obamas were campaigning against Clinton in a bitter contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The ad features video footage of the first lady telling a crowd, “One of the things, the important aspects of this race is role modeling what good families should look like. And my view is that if you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House. Can’t do it!”

The Obama campaign later clarified that the statement was not in reference to former President Bill Clinton’s sexual conduct, but the remark was interpreted that way at the time.

Michelle Obama’s comments are something the Clinton campaign would prefer voters not hear.

BuzzFeed reported that the Clinton campaign has sent a cease and desist letters to several stations demanding they stop airing the ad, which was paid for through the Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC, a subsidiary of the Make America Number 1 PAC.

In a letter to the stations, Make America Number 1’s lawyer Larry Levy denied the demand from Hillary for America to stop running the ads.

Levy said the Clinton campaign seeks to “deny the public an opportunity to view our advertisement because it is ‘false and misleading’. In reality, HFA simply finds it politically inconvenient that a top surrogate for its candidate once held a differing view concerning her qualifications for office.”

PAC spokesperson Hogan Gidley said the Clinton campaign finds fault with the ad because it is effective.

“Hillary’s just angry because the ad is impactful, it’s working and it speaks directly to the women she’s been trying to con for years,” Gidley said.

“Hillary’s own campaign said when Michelle Obama speaks out, ‘it has a real impact,’ and indeed, we agree – because it was Mrs. Obama who correctly pointed out Hillary Clinton ‘certainly can’t run the White House,’” Gidley said. (For more from the author of “Clinton Campaign Wants Anti-Hillary Ad With Michelle Obama Taken Down” please click HERE)

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First Lady Campaigns for Clinton, but Audience Seems to Have a Different Preference

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First lady Michelle Obama was present Friday at a Hillary Clinton campaign event, held at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., where she spoke to a group of college students.

After taking the stage, Obama said, “My family is almost at the end of our time in the White House.” This statment was met with groans, followed by shouts of “four more years.”

During Obama’s speech, she lauded her husband for his accomplishments and the decisions he has had to make while in office.

She also urged them to vote for Clinton, adding, “Being president isn’t anything like reality TV.”

“Hillary is one of the few people on this entire planet, and clearly the only person in this race that has any idea what this job entails,” Obama said. “Who has seen it from every angle, hear me, the staggering stakes, the brutal hours, the overwhelming stresses. And here’s the thing: She still wants to take it on.”

She suggested that Donald Trump’s actions throughout the campaign speak to how he would act should he win the election.

“A candidate is not going to suddenly change once they get into office. Just the opposite, in fact.” Obama said. “Because the minute that individual takes that oath, they are under the hottest, harshest light there is. And there is no way to hide who they really are. And at that point, it is too late.”

The first lady told the college students, “I hear folks saying they don’t feel inspired in this election. Well let me tell you, I disagree. I am inspired. Because for eight years, I’ve had the privilege to see what it takes to actually do this job, and here is what I absolutely know for sure. Listen to this: Right now we have an opportunity to elect one of the most qualified people who has ever endeavored to become president.”

The first lady told the crowd the president of the United States needed to be someone committed to taking the job seriously.

“We need someone who is steady and measured because when you’re making life or death, war and peace decisions, a president can’t just pop off,” she said, without mentioning Trump by name.

Praising Clinton, Obama told the crowd she has what it takes to be president.

“When she didn’t win the presidency in 2008, she didn’t throw in the towel. She once again answered the call to serve, keeping us safe as our secretary of state. And let me tell you, Hillary has the resilience that it takes to do this job.” Obama added, “See, because when she gets knocked down, she doesn’t complain or cry foul. No, she gets right back up and she comes back stronger for the people who need her the most.”

The first lady went on to say she has been inspired by Clinton’s “persistence and her consistency, by her heart and her guts.” (For more from the author of “First Lady Campaigns for Clinton, but Audience Seems to Have a Different Preference” please click HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s School Nutrition Legacy Takes Another Hit With Results of New Study

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First lady Michelle Obama has dedicated much of her influence from the White House to combating childhood obesity.

Among her notable if dubious achievements to that end came through her advocacy of lunchroom nutrition standards for the nation’s public schools.

Western Journalism has covered the program’s extensive unpopularity among students, parents and school administrators alike.

Common complaints thus far have included unpalatable meals and high costs resulting from compliance with the new stringent regulations.

The results of a recent Virginia Tech study offer critics new ammunition by suggesting school lunches might be perpetuating the very problem Obama has ostensibly been fighting.

Researchers tracked more than 20,000 students nationwide over the course of their kindergarten through eighth-grade years.

Wen You of the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences explained that, according to the school’s research, “these government-funded school meal programs that are aimed at making kids healthy are in fact making participating students more at risk of being overweight.”

The correlation between students eating public school lunches and becoming obese is strengthened, the study indicates, the longer kids remain on such a diet.

Furthermore, You noted, certain segments of the population are even more likely to see such a cause and effect.

“This study identifies the hardest battles in crafting policy to alleviate children in low-income populations being overweight,” she explained.

Geography also plays a role, You explained, noting researchers found “the most negative effect of the government-funded school meal programs in the South, the Northeast and rural areas of the country.”

In light of the new study, You concluded the next step must be what Obama’s nutrition standards were commissioned to do in the first place.

“The question now is what to do in order to not just fill bellies, but make sure those children consume healthy and nutritious food,” she said. ” — or at least not contribute to the obesity epidemic.” (For more from the author of “Michelle Obama’s School Nutrition Legacy Takes Another Hit With Results of New Study” please click HERE)

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Movie About Obamas’ First Date Flops at Box Office in Opening Weekend

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A romantic comedy about Barack Obama’s first date with his future wife opened over the weekend to unimpressive numbers.

Southside With You depicts young lawyer Obama’s outing with Michelle Robinson, a summer associate at his Chicago law firm, in 1989.

The film finished at No. 13 in the weekend box office, grossing a mere $3 million.

The low ranking came despite the promotional efforts of Southside With You‘s stars, Parker Sawyers and Tiki Sumpter, as well as executive producer John Legend.

After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, writer and director Richard Tanne said the Obamas were “excited” about the movie, but also “a little baffled by its existence.”

The movie, which had a limited release of 813 theaters, fared relatively well in some cities.

Southside With You had its post profitable showing at the Magic Johnson theater in Harlem, N.Y.

It also drew larger audiences in Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles and Washington.

Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside Attractions, said, “We’re very happy with the opening. … We had sellouts in many markets and the movie is playing to both an African-American audience and to arthouse audiences.”

Southside With You also received mostly positive reviews.

The film has a “freshness” rating of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the site’s Critical Consensus states, “Southside With You looks back on a fateful real-life date with strong performances and engaging dialogue, adding up to a romance that makes for a pretty good date movie in its own right.”

Odie Henderson with RogerEbert.com said, “This down-to-earth approach works surprisingly well because Southside With You never loses sight of the primary tenet of a great romantic comedy: All you need is two people whom the audience wants to see get together — then you put them together.”

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone remarked, “Both Sawyers and Sumpter are terrific, world-class charmers who suggest the powerhouses they’re playing without undue mimickry.”

But The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis said Tanne “mistakes faithfulness for truthfulness. He’s obviously interested in the Obamas, but he’s so cautious and worshipful that there’s nothing here to discover, only characters to admire.”

“Mr. Obama hasn’t even left office, but the cinematic hagiography has begun,” Dargis concluded.

Despite its weak weekend at the box office, Southside With You still managed to outperform Hands of Stone, a Weinstein Co. film about professional boxer Roberto Duran, portrayed by Edgar Ramirez, and his trainer Ray Arcel, played by Robert DeNiro.

That movie opened in 810 venues and grossed $1.7 million.

The top-grossing movie of the weekend was the horror film Don’t Breathe, which opened in 3,051 theaters and grossed $26 million. (For more from the author of “Movie About Obamas’ First Date Flops at Box Office in Opening Weekend” please click HERE)

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Michelle Obama’s ‘Healthy’ Lunch Program Is Actually Worsening Childhood Obesity

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First lady Michelle Obama’s healthy school lunch program is putting financially vulnerable children at risk of being overweight, according to new government-funded research.

Every day, millions of kids eat government-funded breakfasts or lunches at public schools. Virginia Tech researchers found that kids who get these free school meals are more likely to become overweight or obese.

According to the study, published in the journal Health Economics, kids who live in the Northeast, South and rural America, who consume one-third to one-half of their meals at school, are most susceptible to the rising obesity epidemic . . .

Wen You, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said that while well-intentioned, these government-funded school meal programs which aim to make students healthier, are in fact doing just the opposite.

You and her team used a survey of 21,260 students who were followed from kindergarten to eighth grade. They found that children who didn’t participate in school lunch programs supported by Michelle Obama were less likely to end up with some extra padding. (Read more from “Michelle Obama’s ‘Healthy’ Lunch Program Is Actually Worsening Childhood Obesity” HERE)

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