Barack Obama

Helen was a true pioneer, opening doors and breaking down barriers for generations of women in journalism.

My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon, and, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness that it…

When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.

And for those who, who resist that idea that we should think about something like the stand your ground laws, I just ask people to consider if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk?

I think it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws, to see if it -- if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations that we saw in the Florida case, rather than…

I think the African American community is not naive in understanding statistically someone like Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else.

The African-American community is also knowledgeable there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws.

There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping at a department store, that includes me.

Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.

The reason I actually wanted to come out today is not to take questions, but to speak to an issue that obviously has gotten a lot of attention over the course of the week, the issue of the Trayvon Martin ruling.

How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?

The necessary outcomes of any Afghan-led process that involves the Taliban has to be breaking with al Qaeda, renouncing violence, and abiding by the terms of the Afghan constitution.

I think it's going to be important for all of us to do some soul-searching.

Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.

I think it's understandable that there have been demonstrations and vigils and protests.

Those sets of experiences inform how the African American community interprets what happened one night in Florida.

U.S.-India trade has reached nearly $100 billion a year, but there's no reason it can't be five times that much.

This could have been my son.

That happens to me, at least before I was a Senator.

There is a major disaster in the State of Missouri.

We're becoming a more perfect Union, not a perfect Union, but a more perfect Union.

We remain all in on the rebalance.

I think it would be productive for the Justice Department, Governors, mayors to work with law enforcement about training at the State and local levels.

I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13581 with respect to transnational criminal organizations.

The bill will nearly triple the number of H-1B visas for skilled workers.