Michelle Obama named the "most admired woman" for second year in a row

Former first lady Michelle Obama has been named the "most admired woman" in the world for the second year in a row.

Obama, 55, bested current first lady Melania Trump in the 2019 results of an annual poll released Tuesday by Gallup.

Obama was the only woman to rank in double digits, with 10%, according to Gallup. After Obama and Trump (who garnered 5% of votes), former talk show host Oprah Winfrey and teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg tied for fourth place with 3% each on the most admired women list.

Historically, it has been more common for a former first lady to be named the most admired woman than for a former president to be named most admired man. Michelle Obama is the sixth former first lady to win, along with Eleanor Roosevelt (1948-1950 and 1952-1961), Jacqueline Kennedy (1963-1966), Mamie Eisenhower (1969-1970), Betty Ford (1978) and Hillary Clinton (2002-2017).

NEW BOOK: Hope, Never Fear: A Personal Portrait of the Obamas

An affecting, profoundly personal insight into an extraordinary couple who energized and empowered millions of people around the world.

An intimate collection of photographs that follow Barack and Michelle Obama on their incredible presidential journey: Award-winning photographer Callie Shell presents a firsthand collection of portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama depicting the guiding principles that defined their time in the White House. While documenting the journey from the Obama's family home in Chicago to the most powerful house in the United States, Shell and the Obamas became fast friends, swapping stories about their families and sharing tips about coping with life on the road.

• Features over 100 compelling photographs from behind the scenes, including many previously unpublished, that give viewers a glimpse into the happiness, the stress, the triumphs, the pressures, and everything in between
• Each photograph is paired with insightful quotes from Michelle and Barack that reveal their warmth, compassion, and unending commitment to service
• Includes an in-depth introduction by Shell along with notes drawn from the diaries she kept during her time with the Obamas to give Hope, Never Fear a genuine feel that is captivating and authentic

Hope, Never Fear makes an empowering gift for any photography, presidential, or history fan.

BUY THE BOOK

Callie Shell is a World Press Photo Award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in magazines, books, galleries, and museums throughout the world. She has covered five presidential campaigns, served for eight years as the official photographer for Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration, and spent over 10 years capturing images leading up to and during Barack Obama's presidency.

Michelle Obama: Zero chance I run for president

Former first lady Michelle Obama is pouring cold water on calls for her to run for president, saying she believes there are other ways for her to help the country.

She has repeatedly made it clear she has no interest in running for the White House, however, despite repeated calls or suggestions for her to do so.

“Just between us, and the readers of this magazine — there’s zero chance,” Obama said in an interview with The National, Amtrak’s travel and culture magazine, that was published Friday.

“There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.”

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Michelle Obama: What truly makes our country great is its diversity.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama took to Twitter to give what seems to be a statement about Trump's racist attack on four congresswomen of color, in which she states that 'What truly makes our country great is its diversity.' Read her statement below:

What truly makes our country great is its diversity. I’ve seen that beauty in so many ways over the years. Whether we are born here or seek refuge here, there’s a place for us all. We must remember it’s not my America or your America. It’s our America.

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 19, 2019

Barack & Michelle Obama Congratulates US Woman's Team on World Cup victory

Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama took to Twitter to congratulate the United States Women's National Team on their World Cup Victory over the Netherlands:

Yes! Fourth star. Back to back. Congrats to the record breakers on the @USWNT, an incredible team that’s always pushing themselves—and the rest of us—to be even better. Love this team. #OneNationOneTeam

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 7, 2019

So proud of you, Team USA—you inspire us all! #OneNationOneTeam https://t.co/YEHzyqOwZa

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 7, 2019

Michelle Obama's "Becoming" has sold nearly 10 million copies

Former first lady Michelle Obama's best-selling memoir, "Becoming," has sold nearly 10 million copies, the parent company of publisher Penguin Random House announced Tuesday.

The candid memoir, released in November, quickly became a best-seller and is one of the most popular books of the decade.

"We believe this could be the most successful memoir in history," said Thomas Rabe, the chief executive of Bertelsmann, a parent company of Penguin Random House.

The book had the longest streak at No. 1 for any book since "Fifty Shades of Grey" came out in 2012, according to Amazon.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Barack and Michelle Obama top 2018 'Most Admired' lists

Although they may not be in the White House anymore Barack Obama and Michelle Obama both top Gallup's annual most admired man and woman survey in the United States.

For the first time in 17 years, a woman other than Hillary Clinton has been named by Americans as the woman they admire most. Former first lady Michelle Obama, who finished second to Clinton three times and is currently touring to promote her recently released autobiography, won by a significant margin this year. Oprah Winfrey was second, with Clinton and Melania Trump next.

Most Admired Woman

Michelle Obama

Oprah Winfrey

Hillary Clinton

Melania Trump

Queen Elizabeth

Angela Merkel

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ellen DeGeneres

Nikki Haley

Malala Yousafzai

Nancy Pelosi

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama was the winner among men for the 11th consecutive year, including one year as president-elect, eight as president and two as former president. President Donald Trump ranks second for the fourth year in a row.

Most Admired Man

Barack Obama is now just one first-place finish short of tying Dwight Eisenhower for the most times being Most Admired Man. Eisenhower won the distinction 12 times -- the eight years he was president from 1953 through 1960, as well as in 1950, 1952, 1967 and 1968.

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

George W. Bush

Pope Francis

Bill Gates

Bernie Sanders

Bill Clinton

Dalai Lama

Joe Biden

Elon Musk

Mike Pence

[SOURCE: GALLUP NEWS]

Michelle Obama's surprises Detroit students at Motown Museum

Michelle Obama surprised a group of Detroit college students on Tuesday afternoon, walking into the Motown Museum as the young men of color took part in a roundtable discussion on education.

The former first lady was greeted with smiles, looks of astonishment and applause after entering the second floor of the building where Berry Gordy created sonic history more than a half-century ago. She hugged her brother Craig Robinson and Keegan-Michael Key, an actor and native Detroiter who moderated the discussion that was organized by Obama’s Reach Higher initiative.

“This was supposed to be for boys only,” Robinson said after they sat down, eliciting laughter from his sister and the more than a dozen students from nearby Wayne State University.

“What’s going on,” Obama then asked, echoing the title of Marvin Gaye’s classic Motown tune.

“We’re just talking about education,” Key answered, before mock-asking if it would be OK with them if Obama sat in on their chat.

Obama listened as the students spoke about their experiences in life and school and encouraged them to practice “discomfort” and not be afraid to try new things.

Read more: Michelle Obama's surprises Detroit students at t Motown Museum

Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is best selling book of 2018

Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" has become the best selling book of the year in the United States, surpassing Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" and others.

Wolff's "Fire" was a publishing world sensation when it came out in January. To date it has sold 1,008,088 hardcover copies, according to NDP BookScan data.

All year long, it was the year's No. 1 political book. Its closest competitor was "Fear," by Bob Woodward, which came out in September and has sold 872,567 hardcover copies to date.

But "Becoming" outpaced them both in just a couple of weeks. BookScan shows 1,122,618 hardcover copies of Obama's uplifting memoir have sold since its November 13 release date.

That makes it No. 1 for the year. The year's No. 2 book in terms of hardcover sales is "Magnolia Table," a cookbook by TV star Joanna Gaines. "Fire and Fury" now ranks No. 3, followed by Rachel Hollis' self help book "Girl, Wash Your Face" at No. 4 and "Fear" at No. 5.

Obama's publisher, Penguin Random House, said Friday that "Becoming" "sold more than 2 million units in all formats and editions in the U.S. and Canada during the first 15 days of its publication."

The hardcover edition of "Becoming" is now up to six printings, meaning the publisher has had to order more and more copies to keep up with demand. By the end of the sixth printing, there will be 3.4 million copies in print in the U.S. and Canada, well-timed for the holiday book-buying season.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Barack and Michelle Obama statement on passing of George H. W. Bush

Former President Obama and his wife Michelle have issued a statement on the passing of George H.W. Bush who died at the age of 94 on Friday.

Michelle Obama: 'I'd never forgive' Trump for 'birther' conspiracy

Former first lady Michelle Obama reportedly rips President Trump's spreading of the "birther" conspiracy theory against her husband in her upcoming book.

In excerpts from her memoir “Becoming" obtained by The Washington Post, Obama says she will "never forgive" Trump for the "xenophobic" claims that her husband, former President Obama, was not actually born in America.

"The whole thing was crazy and mean-spirited, of course, its underlying bigotry and xenophobia hardly concealed," the former first lady writes. "But it was also dangerous, deliberately meant to stir up the wingnuts and kooks."

“What if someone with an unstable mind loaded a gun and drove to Washington? What if that person went looking for our girls? Donald Trump, with his loud and reckless innuendos, was putting my family’s safety at risk. And for this I’d never forgive him," she continues.

The book is set to be released Tuesday.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Michelle Obama calls on NAACP members to not only vote but to increase black voter turnout

In a video released on Saturday, the former first lady teamed up with the NAACP, the country's largest civil rights organization, in efforts to increase African-American voter turnout in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Check out the video below.

Michelle Obama And Live Nation Announce Community Ticket Giveaways For Upcoming Book Tour

Michelle Obama and Live Nation have announced a selection of the local and community organizations who will receive free admission to the former First Lady’s highly anticipated upcoming book tour, Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama’s tour kicks off on November 13th in Chicago.

As previously announced, 10 percent of ticket inventory in each market was set aside for various local organizations including, but not limited to, local charities, schools, and community groups in each city the tour visits.

It is important to Mrs. Obama that her BECOMING tour events are accessible to as many people as possible. That’s why — in partnership with Live Nation — Mrs. Obama is giving away thousands of complimentary tickets to people around the country, particularly to young people growing up in communities like she did.

When asked about why these community tickets are so important to Mrs. Obama, she said

“It was important to me that all sorts of people could come to the tour events, not just those with means or who happened to be by a computer when the tickets went on sale. That’s why we are giving away thousands of tickets to people around the country, particularly to young people striving to be their best. I want them to see themselves in my story—to see the value in the fullness of their lives and to imagine who they might become in the years ahead.”

Several national and local organizations were selected to participate including the Mercy Education Project in Detroit who’s mission is to provide educational opportunities, life skills development and cultural enrichment for women and girls who have limited access to resources to enable them to improve the quality of their lives.

[SOURCE: michronicleonline]

Eric Holder: ‘When They Go Low, We Kick ‘Em’

While speaking at an event for Georgia state House candidate Regina Lewis-Ward, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke about his love and respect for former First Lady Michelle Obama. But after that he suggested that Democrats are playing too nice and being soft going into the upcoming mid-terms and flipped Michelle Obama's famous "When they go low, we go high" slogan around and said that "When they go low, we kick em".

Watch that video below:

Michelle Obama: Speech At When We All Vote Rally In Las Vegas

Watch former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama speak at the When We All Vote rally at Chaparral High School in Las Vegas about the importance of getting out to vote.

For more information, visit: https://www.whenweallvote.org

Michelle Obama officiates wedding

Former first lady, Michelle Obama married Chicago couple Stephanie Rivkin and Joel Sircus Saturday evening at the Theater on the Lake.

Michelle Obama's connection to the newly married couple is Rivkin's mother who is the president of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, a Chicago charity launched by Penny Pritzker, who served as a commerce secretary in the Obama administration.

One attendee, Tina Newman and shared a video of Obama with the soon-to-be newlyweds at the altar on Instagram. TMZ first published the Instagram story, which has since been deleted. Check out the former first lady officiating the wedding below:

The Obama's statement on the passing of John McCain

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have released the following statement on the passing of an American hero, Sen. John McCain:

Barack & Michelle Obama statements on passing of Aretha Franklin

Both Barack and Michelle Obama released statements via Twitter on the passing of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Read those statements below:

Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/bfASqKlLc5

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 16, 2018

Watching Aretha Franklin perform at the White House, and on so many other occasions, made time stand still. @BarackObama and I are holding Aretha’s family in our hearts right now. She will forever be our Queen of Soul. pic.twitter.com/NhHsbKijpl

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) August 16, 2018

Smithsonian moves Michelle Obama portrait due to 'high volume of visitors'

Michelle Obama was so popular she needed more space.

The distinctive Amy Sherald painting of the former first lady, unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery last month, has relocated to a different part of the museum due to demand.

"We're always changing things up here. Due to the high volume of visitors, we've relocated Michelle Obama's portrait to the 3rd floor in our 20th-Century Americans galleries for a more spacious viewing experience," the National Portrait Gallery tweeted.

The museum has been inundated with visitors since the portraits of the Obamas were unveiled; 176,700 people visited the gallery in February 2018, its biggest month in three years, per Smithsonian Institution data. Last weekend, nearly 45,000 visitors stopped by from Thursday to Sunday.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Michelle Obama meets 2-year-old who was mesmerized by her new portrait

Parker Curry, 2, went from standing in awe before a painting of Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery to having a Taylor Swift dance party with the former first lady in her living room.

Parker, I'm so glad I had the chance to meet you today (and for the dance party)! Keep on dreaming big for yourself...and maybe one day I'll proudly look up at a portrait of you! pic.twitter.com/faUVTsYWun

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 6, 2018

At the portrait's unveiling last month, Obama said she was thinking of girls who "will come to this place and they will look up and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution." When Curry went to the gallery last week, another visitor took a photo of her staring intently at the modernist painting of Obama, and it went viral. Her mother, Jessica, took Parker and her infant sister, Ava, specifically to see the portraits of the Obamas, and told BuzzFeed News she "was trying to get her to turn around so I could take a picture, but she wouldn't cooperate. She just wanted to stare at it. She was fascinated."

On Tuesday, Obama tweeted that she just had just met Curry at her house for one incredible play date, and shared a video of the pair dancing. "Parker, I'm so glad I had the chance to meet you today (and for the dance party)!" Obama said. "Keep on dreaming big for yourself...and maybe one day I'll proudly look up at a portrait of you!"

[SOURCE]