Weekly Address: Bringing Our Workplace Policies into the 21st Century

In this week's address, the President previewed Monday's first-ever White House Summit on Working Families where he will bring together businesses leaders and workers to discuss the challenges that working parents face every day and lift up solutions that are good for these families and American businesses. Many working families can't afford basic needs like childcare or receive simple benefits such as paid family leave that are common in most countries around the world.

When hardworking Americans are forced to choose between work and family, America lags behind in a global economy. To stay competitive and economically successful, America needs to bring our workplace policies into the 21st century.

Click here to watch this week's Weekly Address.

You can participate in Monday's Working Families Summit from anywhere. Share how modern workplace policies would help your working family succeed, and be sure to tune in to the full suite of livestream programming at www.workingfamiliessummit.org.

He "Should Not Be Alive Today"

At the White House yesterday, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Corporal William "Kyle" Carpenter, a retired United States Marine. Corporal Carpenter received the medal for his courageous actions during combat operations against an armed enemy in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

By all accounts, Kyle shouldn't be alive today. On November 21, 2010, Kyle's platoon woke up to the sound of AK-47 fire. As their compound began taking fire, Kyle and Lance Corporal Nicholas Eufrazio took cover up on a roof, low on their backs behind a circle of sandbags. And then a grenade landed nearby, its pin already pulled.

In the President's remarks, he detailed the horrific events that followed:

When the grenade landed, other Marines in the compound looked up and saw it happen. Kyle tried to stand. He lunged forward toward that grenade, and then he disappeared into the blast. Keep in mind, at the time, Kyle was just 21 years old. But in that instant, he fulfilled those words of Scripture: "Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends."

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The First-Ever White House Maker Faire

Banana pianos, giant red weather balloons, POTUS pancakes, and a 17-foot robotic giraffe on the South Lawn. These were all part of the first-ever White House Maker Faire on Wednesday, hosted by President Obama.

The event brought together more than 100 students, entrepreneurs, engineers, and researchers from 25 states -- all of whom love to "Make" stuff. Check out the Storify here.

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One Team, One Nation

On Monday night, Vice President Biden cheered on the U.S. men's soccer team as they defeated Ghana in their first game of the World Cup in Brazil. The Vice President talked about the experience and visited with the team in the locker room after their thrilling victory.

The Vice President wrote, "As I told the guys in the locker room after the game, they truly do represent one team, one nation united."

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As always, to see even more of this week's events, watch the latest West Wing Week.