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| Barack Obama basks in public approval after 'best week of his presidency' | Barack Obama basks in public approval after 'best week of his presidency' |
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| Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to “squeeze every last ounce of progress” out of his remaining time in the White House, as his poll ratings reached a two-year high following what political commentators said was the best week of his presidency. | Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to “squeeze every last ounce of progress” out of his remaining time in the White House, as his poll ratings reached a two-year high following what political commentators said was the best week of his presidency. |
| Asked to describe a week marked by several victories for his administration, including the passage by Congress of so-called “fast-track” authority for the president to negotiate trade deals and landmark supreme court rulings on gay marriage and his healthcare reforms, Obama said it was gratifying. | Asked to describe a week marked by several victories for his administration, including the passage by Congress of so-called “fast-track” authority for the president to negotiate trade deals and landmark supreme court rulings on gay marriage and his healthcare reforms, Obama said it was gratifying. |
| The president also won acclaim for a stirring eulogy, during which he sang Amazing Grace, delivered on Friday in Charleston, South Carolina, after the racially motivated shooting of nine people at a historically black church there. | The president also won acclaim for a stirring eulogy, during which he sang Amazing Grace, delivered on Friday in Charleston, South Carolina, after the racially motivated shooting of nine people at a historically black church there. |
| During a joint press conference with the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, on Tuesday, Obama said the legislative and judicial achievements were “simply a culmination” of the work of his administration since he first came into office. | During a joint press conference with the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, on Tuesday, Obama said the legislative and judicial achievements were “simply a culmination” of the work of his administration since he first came into office. |
| But he expressed his satisfaction at being able to secure the trade powers in Congress despite opposition from his own party, and said the results of the supreme court decision to uphold a key component of his healthcare law “speak for themselves”. | But he expressed his satisfaction at being able to secure the trade powers in Congress despite opposition from his own party, and said the results of the supreme court decision to uphold a key component of his healthcare law “speak for themselves”. |
| Obama’s remarks coincided with the release of a new poll that found his approval ratings at 50% for the first time in more than two years. The CNN/ORC survey found that support for how Obama was handling the presidency had shot up five points since a similar poll in May, when just 45% approved of Obama’s job performance and more than half of Americans disapproved. | |
| Last week’s news, as well as an improving economy, contributed to the climb in Obama’s approval ratings, the poll found. | Last week’s news, as well as an improving economy, contributed to the climb in Obama’s approval ratings, the poll found. |
| It also included higher marks for the way the president had handled race relations in the United States. According to the survey, 55% of Americans said they approved of Obama’s handling of issues pertaining to race, while just 42% said they disapproved. | It also included higher marks for the way the president had handled race relations in the United States. According to the survey, 55% of Americans said they approved of Obama’s handling of issues pertaining to race, while just 42% said they disapproved. |
| The subject has risen in prominence following a series of high-profile killings of unarmed black men by white police officers and the mass shooting in Charleston this month in which a white male gunned down nine African American churchgoers. The suspect seems to have been a white supremacist. | The subject has risen in prominence following a series of high-profile killings of unarmed black men by white police officers and the mass shooting in Charleston this month in which a white male gunned down nine African American churchgoers. The suspect seems to have been a white supremacist. |
| “My remarks in Charleston were heartfelt,” Obama said on Tuesday of his eulogy for one of the victims, the pastor and state senator Clementa Pinckney. “It wasn’t a celebration. It was, I think, a reflection on the consistent challenge of race in this country and how we can find a path towards a better way.” | “My remarks in Charleston were heartfelt,” Obama said on Tuesday of his eulogy for one of the victims, the pastor and state senator Clementa Pinckney. “It wasn’t a celebration. It was, I think, a reflection on the consistent challenge of race in this country and how we can find a path towards a better way.” |
| Related: All is not lost: three reasons not to count President Obama out | Ana Marie Cox | Related: All is not lost: three reasons not to count President Obama out | Ana Marie Cox |
| Asked what he planned to do with the political capital he appeared to gain from last week, Obama said: “The list is long.” | Asked what he planned to do with the political capital he appeared to gain from last week, Obama said: “The list is long.” |
| He added: “We are going to squeeze every last ounce of progress that we can make … as long as I have the privilege of holding this office,” he said, before identifying issues such as infrastructure spending, criminal justice reform, and expanding free community college as potential opportunities. | He added: “We are going to squeeze every last ounce of progress that we can make … as long as I have the privilege of holding this office,” he said, before identifying issues such as infrastructure spending, criminal justice reform, and expanding free community college as potential opportunities. |
| Obama also pointed to a plan announced by his administration late on Monday that would allow more US workers to qualify for overtime pay. Up to 5 million lower-paid US employees will benefit from the rule change, which raises the salary limit used to determine who is eligible for mandatory overtime pay. | Obama also pointed to a plan announced by his administration late on Monday that would allow more US workers to qualify for overtime pay. Up to 5 million lower-paid US employees will benefit from the rule change, which raises the salary limit used to determine who is eligible for mandatory overtime pay. |
| “What we’re going to do is just keep on hammering away at all the issues that I think are going to have an impact on the American people. Some of them will be left undone, but we’re going to try to make progress on every single one of them,” Obama said. “I feel pretty excited about it. So I might see if we can make next week even better.” | “What we’re going to do is just keep on hammering away at all the issues that I think are going to have an impact on the American people. Some of them will be left undone, but we’re going to try to make progress on every single one of them,” Obama said. “I feel pretty excited about it. So I might see if we can make next week even better.” |