America Is a Place Where Hard Work Should Be Rewarded

In this week's address, the President made the case for why it's past time to raise the minimum wage. Increasing the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would benefit 28 million Americans, and make our economy stronger. While Republicans in Congress have blocked this commonsense proposal, a large and growing coalition of state and local leaders and owners of businesses large and small have answered the President's call and raised wages for their residents and employees.

This progress is important, but there is more that can be done. No American who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. That's why the President will continue to push Congress to take action and give America its well-deserved raise.

Click here to watch this week's Weekly Address.

Have 2 Minutes? Find Out Why We Need to Raise the Minimum Wage

So you've heard the President call on Congress to raise the national minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. But why is it so important?

Today's minimum wage doesn't allow workers to cover the basic necessities, and buys about 20 percent less than it did in 1981 -- even though the cost of living is significantly higher.

Watch our new whiteboard video that shows why raising the minimum wage is so important, and what the average minimum wage worker looks like -- in less than 2 minutes:

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A Look at the Millennial Generation

On Thursday, the Council on Economic Advisers released a new report that looks at the so-called "Millennial" generation. The report takes an in-depth look at the trends and circumstances that have helped shape this generation.

And while you might think that this group of Americans -- mostly in their mid-20s -- is all about smartphones and fresh-pressed juices, you'd be wrong. Millennials are a generation shaped by transformation -- they came of age during the Great Recession and are more diverse and educated than any other generation.

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Our Response to Ebola

On Monday, the President met with senior advisors to review the United States' Ebola response. They discussed the Ebola case in Dallas, the United States' broader preparedness plans, and both domestic and international efforts to contain and end the epidemic.

President Obama made it clear that Ebola is a top national security priority, but reiterated that the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. is extremely low.

"It is important for Americans to know the facts," he said. "Because of the measures that we’ve put in place, as well as our world-class health system and the nature of the Ebola virus itself -- which is difficult to transmit -- the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the United States is extremely low."

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