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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Obama’s Inauguration

News, multimedia and reader impressions related to Barack Obama’s historic Jan. 20 inauguration as president of the United States. Read our inauguration blog for impressions from Inland Northwest residents attending the event.

News >  Nation/World

Obama a surprise guest among allies at Biden’s state dinner for Kenya

Yes, Barack Obama was there. State dinners are best known as bear hugs for overseas allies, and Thursday's honoree was Kenya. But the sixth state dinner of President Joe Biden's term was designed to clutch domestic allies -- not the least of them Obama, whose father was Kenyan -- even tighter as the president makes the long slog toward November.
News >  Nation/World

Under Biden and Trump, the presidential first pitch has disappeared

In 2010, President Barack Obama marked the 100th anniversary of a unique D.C. tradition, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington baseball team’s home opener. From William Howard Taft to Richard M. Nixon, every president participated in this custom at least once during his presidency, and when baseball returned to Washington early this century, George W. Bush and Obama picked up where Nixon had left off.
News >  Nation/World

Obama Presidential Center museum director aims for history, context

The tower of the Obama Presidential Center is getting a lot of attention as it rises in Jackson Park on the South Side. Meanwhile, Louise Bernard is trying to build the centerpiece museum’s interior: balancing former President Barack Obama’s philosophy and his namesake foundation’s mission with historical accuracy in a time of corrosive partisanship.