Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — and in space! This week, the President welcomed to the White House the President of South Korea and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, hosted CEOs who are tackling climate change, traveled to West Virginia for a community discussion on drug abuse, and spent an evening stargazing with space-lovers at the second-ever White House Astronomy Night. That's October 16th to October 22nd or “I Love Astronomy Night!”
Friday, October 16
- On Friday, the President met with President Park of South Korea in the Oval Office — and then held a news conference in the East Room.
Monday, October 19
- On Monday, the First Lady launched the Better Make Room campaign, as part of her Reach Higher initiative to encourage young people to pursue a higher education. Visit BetterMakeRoom.org to learn more.
- Meanwhile, in the West Wing, the President hosted a roundtable with CEOs, and announced that 81 of the largest companies in the world have pledged to take steps to reduce carbon pollution. The conversation continued into the afternoon, as business leaders discussed their commitments to curb their carbon footprints. And later, the Vice President joined the discussion.
- Later, the President made a phone call that was out of this world.
- That evening, in the spirit of space exploration, the White House welcomed students and scientists to the South Lawn for the second White House Astronomy Night.
Tuesday, October 20
- On Tuesday, the President met with the 2014 Enrico Fermi Award Recipients — to celebrate their achievements in physics and energy research.
Wednesday, October 21
- On Wednesday, the President joined the Vice President, who made an important announcement in the Rose Garden.
- Later, the President traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, to meet with members of the community and hear first-hand how the prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic is ravaging local communities — not just in West Virginia, but all across the country.
- Meanwhile, the First Lady traveled to Akron, Ohio, alongside favorite son Lebron James. They joined a fired-up crowd to talk about her recently-launched Better Make Room campaign.
Thursday, October 22
- On Thursday, the President hosted Prime Minister Sharif of Pakistan at the White House.
- Later, the President answered questions about criminal justice reform in a conversation that was hosted here at the White House by The Marshall Project.
- That evening, the President vetoed a bill passed by Republicans in Congress that would rely on an accounting gimmick to fund our armed forces.
Stay engaged with us online, and remember: you can find out more about any of these topics and see complete videos at whitehouse.gov.