Subject: Daily Message Points -- April 29, 2016
From: "Cunnane, Pat EOP/WHO" <[email-masked]>
To: "Cunnane, Pat EOP/WHO" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 19:49:37 +0000

Daily Message Points

April 29, 2016

5th Anniversary Death of Osama Bin Laden (May 1)

*         Five years ago - Monday - U.S. Special Operations forces undertook a mission that killed Osama Bin Laden during a raid against his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

*         We have never lost sight of our commitment to defeating al-Qa'ida and bringing to justice those responsible for attacking the United States.

*         Not only has Osama Bin Laden been killed but most of his top lieutenants have been taken off the battlefield and we continue to systematically pursue al-Qa'ida terrorists who remain.

*         We have severely degraded core al-Qa'ida and we have maintained strong pressure utilizing all of our resources as al-Qa'ida has attempted to exert influence in places like Yemen, parts of Africa, Iraq, and Syria.

*         For example, just this month the U.S. military conducted a strike in Syria that targeted longtime senior al-Qa'ida operative Abu Firas al Suri who had been an associate of Osama Bin Laden for decades.

*         Today what remains of al-Qa'ida is in hiding and has great difficult moving around or planning to carry out large scale operations and there is no question our homeland is more secure from its threat.

*         Of course the challenge of terrorism remains. That is why we have a comprehensive approach to counter terrorist groups, including ISIL, that incorporates and builds on many of the lessons we have learned in our pursuit of al-Qa'ida and its other affiliates.

Guns

*         Today, the President updated<https://www.facebook.com/potus/photos/a.428389484017564.1073741830.424207551102424/482455525277626/?type=3> the American people on the progress his Administration has made to protect our communities from gun violence and announced new steps to build on that progress.

*         While these steps won't prevent every tragedy, they can help save lives and spare families the pain and unimaginable loss too many Americans have endured:

o   The Administration has jumpstarted the development of smart gun technology to help keep the wrong person from pulling a trigger on a gun.

o   And today, the White House announced a rule to ensure that federal mental health records about individuals prohibited from buying a gun are reported to the background check system.

o   Additionally, the President announced that the White House will convene state and local elected officials from all 50 states in May to discuss their efforts to prevent gun violence through legislative and executive actions.

*         The President will continue doing everything in his power to make America's communities safer from gun violence and he'll keep calling on Congress to do their part and pass the kinds of commonsense reforms supported by the vast majority of the American people.

National Reentry Week - Federal Interagency Council

*         Each year, more than 600,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons, and approximately 70 million people, about one third of working age adults, have an arrest or conviction.

*         Too often, these individuals leave prison with few resources, practical skills, or the support they need to successfully reintegrate into society, and they end up returning to prison.

*         To combat this, last year, the President announced new actions to help formerly-incarcerated Americans - who have paid their debt to society - successfully obtain a job, find a home, take care of family responsibilities, and enjoy a second chance.

*         And today, the President signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing the Federal Interagency Reentry Council to lead the Government's work on the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals returning to their communities from prisons and jails.

*         This Memorandum builds on the work the Administration has done throughout National Reentry Week to reform the federal approach to reentry by addressing barriers to reentry, supporting state and local efforts to do the same, and engaging the private sector to provide individuals who have earned a second chance the opportunity to participate in the American economy.

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