Jerry Curl

Towleroad reports : Maybe to coincide with his endorsement of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the White House's screening of Bully on the National Day of Silence, or maybe to divert attention from his unwillingness to sign an executive order banning workplace discrimination against LGBT folk, President Obama and co. have taken to Twitter to explain what the Obama White House has done for the cause of LGBT equality. It's quite a lot. Full document after the jump:

Towleroad writes : Next stop for Google Street View: the interior of Obama's brain.

24 Frames reports : President Obama will introduce a new restoration of the 1962 courtroom drama To Kill a Mockingbird on April 7 on the USA Network. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of white Southern lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), who defends a black man accused of rape, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters). The airing on USA marks the first national broadcast of the movie since it was digitally remastered and restored by Universal Pictures and the American Film Institute in conjunction with Universal's centennial this year. "I'm deeply honored that President Obama will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by introducing it to a national audience," Lee said in a statement. "I believe it remains the best translation of a book to film ever made, and I'm proud to know that Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch lives on -- in a world that needs him now more tha...

--> Jury finds spying in Rutgers dorm was a hate crime : Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student, was convicted on Friday on all 15 charges he had faced for using a webcam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, having sex with another man, a verdict poised to broaden the definition of hate crimes in an era when laws have not kept up with evolving technology. More at the NYT . --> Army officials revealed name of suspected gunman who killed 16 Afghan civilians : Army officials gave a name and face Friday to the soldier alleged to have killed 16 Afghans on Sunday. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, a 38-year-old Ohio native with a wife and two children, was known around town as a family man, neighbors near his Lake Tapps, Wash., home have said. Their words paint a picture of a kind father who was reticent to talk about the three tours of duty, totaling 37 months of combat-zone experience, he served in Iraq before being deployed again to Afghanistan. More at the Daily Beast . --> ...

Photo caption: Barack Obama gives commencement address at Wesleyan University on May 25, 2008 in Middletown, Connecticut. The AP reports : President Barack Obama will speak at the high school graduation ceremony in Joplin, the Missouri city slowly recovering after being struck by a devastating tornado a year ago. Obama will deliver remarks at the May 21 commencement, according a White House official, who requested anonymity in order to speak ahead of the formal announcement. The president last visited Joplin in May 2011, just days after the massive tornado hit. More than 160 people were killed, including seven students and one staff member at the high school, making it the worst tornado to strike the United States in decades. Speaking at a memorial service in Joplin last year, Obama pledged to residents that "your country will be there with you every single step of the way."

The street artist Shepard Fairey, whose Hope campaign poster of Barack Obama became an enduring symbol of his last presidential campaign, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge stemming from his misconduct in trying to bolster claims in a lawsuit over which photograph had been used as a basis for the poster. Mr. Fairey, 42, sued The Associated Press in 2009 after it contended he had infringed on the copyright of one of its photographs in creating the poster. Mr. Fairey had claimed in his suit that he had used a different photograph of Mr. Obama, but later admitted that he had been mistaken and had tried to conceal his mistake, by destroying documents and fabricating others. “I was ashamed that I had done these things, and I knew I should have corrected my actions,” he said on Friday in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The legal dispute between Mr. Fairey and The AP has been settled. Mr. Fairey, of Los Angeles, pleaded to one count of criminal contempt and could face up to six months in ...

The Advocate reports : The Obama campaign has tapped outgoing Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese for a national co-chair position. Solmonese, who is scheduled to exit the national LGBT organization next month (a successor has not yet been named), is one of 35 co-chairs announced earlier today by campaign officials. The varied list includes Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, Caroline Kennedy, actress Eva Longoria, and former White House chiefs of staff Bill Daley and Rahm Emanuel, who was elected mayor of Chicago one year ago this week. HRC endorsed President Obama for reelection in May of 2011, 18 months prior to the November election. Citing the president’s record on such accomplishments as “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal and hate crimes legislation, Solmonese said in a statement, “President Obama has made it clear that LGBT Americans deserve a fair shot and has taken steps across his Administration to make the lives of those most in need in ...

In much lighter news: At a White House concert last night marking Black History Month and celebrating the blues, President Obama again took the mic. He was challenged by the musicians on stage to follow up his Al Green "I'm So In Love With You" performance. After initially laughing off the offer, the President took the microphone and sang several lines of "Sweet Home Chicago" from his spot in the front row. He tried handing the mic back more than once, but continued singing, even alternating lines with BB King. The concert featured music legends and contemporary major artists, including King and Mick Jagger, as a celebration of Blues music and in recognition of Black History Month. The concert, airing next week on PBS, is part of the "In Performance at the White House" series Watch Obama's crooning below: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy (Via Photo Blog )

The Miami Herald reports : President Barack Obama will visit Miami tomorrow, marking the president's 14th visit since his inauguration and the second this year. Obama will hold an official event at the University of Miami, where he’ll discuss plans to shore up the economy. But while in town, he’ll rake cash at the Biltmore Hotel and the home of Democratic fundraiser Chris Korge, where a photo with the president will cost $15,000. The President will also visit Orlando later in the day for a $30,000 per-person fundraising dinner at the home of NBA star Vince Carter. As Obama’s re-election effort accelerates, the frequent travel to Florida and other key states highlights a major advantage of incumbency. With 29 electoral votes, Florida is the biggest prize among the 10 most closely watched battleground states. The Obama campaign has several paths to 270 electoral votes without Florida, but Republicans haven’t won the presidency without Florida in nearly 90 years. “It would be naïve to...

Today reports : School kids visiting the White House got a brief scare when Michelle Obama popped up and warned them there would be a 50-question test at the end of their tour. With a straight face she warned the youngsters: "You don't get out of the house unless you pass it." But then she quickly reassured them: "I'm kidding." The first lady, with dog Bo, set up an informal receiving line yesterday, dispensing hugs and handshakes to startled visitors on the morning tour. This is the fourth time she's greeted tour visitors in this manner, according to the first lady's press secretary Hannah August. August said that Mrs. Obama greeted more than 500 people in a little over an hour. When one man told her it was a wonderful home, the first lady agreed, adding jokingly, "We try to keep it up. There's a lot of vacuuming, dusting." She chatted about fashion, dogs, eating vegetables and more, with surprised visitors.

The LA Times reports : President Obama raised $29.1 million in the first month of 2012 for his reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee, kicking off what is expected to be a record-setting fundraising year. His campaign announced the haul in a tweet this morning, saying that 98% of the donations in January were in increments of $250 or less. In all, Obama has raised nearly $250 million from more 1.3 million donors since launching his reelection bid last April. In the final quarter of 2011, he pulled in an average of $22.67 million a month. The president raised more than $68 million for his reelection effort and the Democratic Party in the fourth quarter of 2011. The president finishes up a three-day trip today that includes eight fundraisers. He's expected to reap at least $8 million, a pool shared by his campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

President Barack Obama's approval rating is back to 50% for the first time in more than eight months, and he currently holds an edge against all the remaining Republican presidential candidates in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups, according to a new national survey. And a CNN/ORC International Poll released yesterday also indicates that the GOP's advantage on enthusiasm has been erased. Also, the number of Americans who think things are going well in the country is on the rise. Six out of ten say things are going poorly in the country, but four out of ten say things are going well, up 15 points since November. "Does that mean it's morning in America? It is for Democrats - a solid majority of them now say things are going well in the country. But overall, six in ten still have a gloomy outlook about the state of the country," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Optimism is on the rise among independent voters, with a notable increase among men as w...

In silly news: President Barack Obama probably hopes his plans to reform financial aid programs are executed as well as his unintentional initiative to boost the music industry. After Obama sang the first line of Al Green's “Let's Stay Together” at a January 19 fund-raising event at New York's Apollo Theater, the song got a 490% sales boost, according to Nielsen SoundScan via Billboard. The video of Obama singing went viral, prompting 16,000 downloads to be sold that week, Billboard reported. “Don’t worry, Rev. I cannot sing like you, but I just wanted to show my appreciation,” Obama said to Green (who was also in attendance) after his short serenade. (Via The Marquee Blog )

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

During a campaign appearance ;ast night at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, President Barack Obama got the crowd cheering with a tune. After legendary soul singer Rev. Al Green performed, the Commander-in-Chief took the stage and crooned a few lines of Green's hit song "Let's Stay Together." The audience cheered loudly and Obama joked that "the Sandman" didn't appear to pull him off stage as is the tradition for acts that bomb during Amateur Night at the Apollo. (Via the Marquee Blog )

The First Lady turns 48 today.

The AP reports : President Barack Obama took aim at his government's own messy bureaucracy today, prodding Congress to give him greater power to merge agencies and promising he would start by collapsing six major economic departments into one. Pressing Republicans on one of their own political issues, Obama said it was time for an "effective, lean government." Obama wants the type of reorganizational authority last held by a president when Ronald Reagan was in office. Obama's version would be a so-called consolidation authority allowing him to propose only mergers that promise to save money and shrink government. The deal would help Obama considerably by entitling him to an up-or-down vote from Congress in 90 days. Still, final say would remain with lawmakers, both on whether to grant Obama this fast-track authority and then in deciding whether to approve any of his specific ideas. "We can do this better," Obama declared in an event with business owners at t...