Michelle Obama: ‘I'm not giving another political speech'
'I am not going to be in politics,' the former first lady said on NPR's 'Wild Card with Rachel Martin,' released Thursday.
'I'm not giving another political speech. I'm not campaigning for another candidate,' Obama continued.
'But I'm here,' she said, when asked if her 'IMO' podcast — which she launched with her brother, Craig Robinson, in March — was 'a way of making peace' with her 'place in the world.'
'Just being able to still have a platform to give voice to people, to let people know we're still here,' the wife of former President Obama said.
Obama delivered remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and campaigned for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in several battleground states.
The 'Becoming' author has put the kibosh on talk of her own political bid before, saying in 2019 there was 'zero chance' she would run for president.
After her name was floated as a potential 2024 White House hopeful and touted by commentators as the 'best chance' for Democrats to win, her office told ITK in a statement that she would 'not be running for president.'
Asked during the NPR interview if she ever considered living a 'super private life and curling up,' Obama replied, 'Yeah, and I get that more than I ever have gotten it ever before.'
'I'm 60, but I'm still just 60. And I still feel like I can't stop yet. I'm ready to slow down a bit, but not stop,' she said.
'And that time will come, but it's probably too soon. So finding creative ways to stay engaged that is still useful, and is authentic to my nature, which is advice giving and talking,' she said, 'I think is a good balance to strike.'
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Fox News
a minute ago
- Fox News
Fencer who went viral for protest of trans athlete reacts to Team USA following Trump's women's sports order
Women's fencer Stephanie Turner believed she was "ruining her life" when she chose to kneel in protest of a transgender competitor at a USA Fencing event in late March. But after nearly four months, a congressional hearing on the subject and, now, a revision in Team USA's transgender participation policy that surfaced Tuesday, Turner says she "absolutely" would do it all again. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its policies on Tuesday to suggest it will comply with President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. "This has caused so much of a hindrance to my life personally, and it's caused me so much emotional turmoil that I'm just so glad this is over and that there are a lot of women and girls out there who are very appreciative of this victory," Turner told Fox News Digital. "I just have to say thank you [to Trump]. I voted for him, and this was a huge reason why I voted for him. And to see him come through for me and for women and girls so soon into his administration, it just, I mean, that's a huge victory. I've never seen politics work in my favor immediately, effectively, efficiently. … I'm just so grateful for that executive order." Still, Turner said that the change taking as long as it did is "disappointing" to her. For Turner, a former longtime Democrat and Maryland native, Trump in 2024 was the first Republican she's voted for. She says she "shudders" to think where she'd be if she and other former Democrats didn't vote for Trump in 2024. Still, Turner and her support group are calling for further measures by the USOPC after the recent policy change. The Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), the advocacy group that represents Turner, released a statement Tuesday calling for mandatory sex screening for all women's athletes to enforce Trump's executive order effectively. "The next critical step is for the USOPC to implement sex screening protocols. This will ensure that women are guaranteed equal, fair and safe opportunities in athletic competition. ICONS will not rest until every girl, at every level, in every sport has access to fair competition and privacy in locker rooms," the statement said."The U.S. has a chance to be a leader in standing up for the fair treatment of women around the world." Turner is also calling for mandatory testing. "Enforcement of this policy is going to be essential," Turner said. Turner pointed to karyotyping, a test that examines the chromosomes in a sample of cells, as a necessary form of testing. "You can't rely on documentation anymore. You can't rely on drivers license(s), you can't rely on birth certificates because those can all be edited," Turner said. Turner helped ignite an avalanche of backlash against one of the USOPC's major governing bodies, USA Fencing, when she released footage of her viral protest in April. Turner was disqualified and given a black card for her refusal to face the trans opponent, prompting backlash against USA Fencing. The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing May 7. Turner testified against USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's hearing, "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." In early June, USA Fencing's Board of Directors voted to amend its previous policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events. Both of those policies were highly criticized in the aftermath of Turner's viral protest. Then, the very next week, two USA Fencing directors filed a lawsuit against the other six at-large members, alleging Lehfeldt made false statements to Congress at the May 7 hearing. The plaintiffs, Andrey Geva and Abdel Salem, each have long ties to the sport and organization, previously coaching or competing for Team USA. This week, USA Fencing became one of the first organizations to make an official announcement that referenced the USOPC's new policy. On July 18, 2025, the USOPC released new athlete safety guidelines that all national governing bodies must follow under a federal executive order issued by the president earlier this year. For Turner, her involvement in the issue began in her home state of Maryland the last weekend of March, when she was matched up against the transgender opponent, Redmond Sullivan, at the Cherry Blossom Open. When Turner knelt in front of Sullivan, she says she told Sullivan, "I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you." Now, as she reflects on the issue, Turner has a message she would give Sullivan after Tuesday's news. "I hope he understands that what he did was cheating, and it was not fair to women and girls. I also want him to know that I don't hate him personally. This was never about him and me. This was really about the issue and the policy at hand," Turner said. "And if I am angry at anybody, I'm angry at his enablers and the people who have allowed this policy to go on for so long."
CNN
a minute ago
- CNN
5 things to know for July 23: Lawmaker security, Gaza, Texas floods, Columbia University, Japan trade deal
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The Hill
30 minutes ago
- The Hill
Syria fighting intensifies sanctions debate: Repeal or go slow?
An outbreak of brutal, sectarian violence in Syria has intensified debate in Congress over whether to follow President Trump's directive to lift all sanctions on the country. While Trump has put his support behind Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who with his allies was responsible for overthrowing Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December, some Republicans and Democrats are skeptical that al-Sharaa has completely shed his terrorist past. The violence in Sweida, located in southern Syria — which included the reported killing of an American citizen — cast a harsh light on the enormous challenges facing the new Syrian leaders in exercising control over warring militias and minority groups. Still, there's also bipartisan support for advancing Trump's directive, in particular repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 — landmark legislation that imposed a harsh sanctions regime meant to isolate Assad and quicken his downfall. 'There are a number of different ideas on where and how far to go, and that's a debate that we're having right now,' Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill on Tuesday. Mast held back from taking a position on repealing or taking a more calibrated approach to sanctions relief. That divide was on display Tuesday at a meeting of the House Financial Services Committee. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation advanced by the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday to amend the sanctions legislation to allow the administration to waive sanctions beyond the six-month period currently allowed, and to give the president more flexibility to lift sanctions when certain conditions are met. Lawler's bill was backed by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who offered an amendment calling for the government to demonstrate its commitment to protecting minorities. 'We cannot expect perfection, we are not looking for Jeffersonian democracy in Syria, but we are also looking for a government to do all it can to prevent seven Druze, including one U.S. citizen, from being executed,' he said, referring to the violence last week. Sherman told The Hill he was not in favor of repealing the act completely. Israel intervened in Syria last week, launching strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida last week, in what it said was in defense of the Druze community. The move frustrated and reportedly surprised the Trump administration. The U.S. last week helped put in place a ceasefire between the Druze, Bedouin, Israel and Syrian government forces after days of fighting resulted in the death of approximately 300 people. Nearly 100,000 people are displaced because of the fighting. On Tuesday, the State Department confirmed that Hosam Saraya, a Syrian American citizen of Druze descent, was murdered alongside dozens of other men held captive by local forces in Tishreen Square, located in the center of Sweida. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that despite the recent violence, she is still supportive of legislation she introduced in June to repeal the sanctions legislation. 'Part of what we've got to do is show Syrians that there is an opportunity for a better life,' she said, adding she wants Israel to stop bombing the country. 'That would go a long way towards providing peaceful conditions under which people can negotiate,' she said. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Finance committees, has introduced legislation in the House for a full repeal. 'To give Syria a chance, the best way to do that is we repeal,' he told The Hill. Wilson was backed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Financial Services panel, who introduced an amendment to Lawler's legislation directing the legislation's full repeal. 'We in the African American community know, when we are trying to do business, we get just enough resources to fail, and that's what you're doing here,' Waters remarked to Lawler. 'There will be great expectations of the government — they cannot fulfill with your little bitty partial removal of sanctions,' she continued. 'It's got to be full, it's got to be meaningful, it's got to be done in a way that ensures.' Trump's special envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, has also called for a full repeal. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the state of the debate. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he is comfortable keeping the six-month waiver in place and is cautious in dealing with the al-Sharaa government. 'Whether it's a complete repeal or whether or not we move into it slowly, that's up to the president,' Risch said. 'I want to give Syria the opportunity, this is a real opportunity for us, I want to make that happen. Having said that, I also want to be cautious as we move forward,' he added. 'I think they've got enough in place with the waivers to do what they need to do,' Risch continued, responding to arguments that investors and businesses are discouraged from working in Syria over uncertainty about whether the country will remain free from financial penalty. Trump issued an executive order last month directing the State Department to review the specially designated terrorist label on al-Sharaa and the group he led to oust Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While the Biden administration lifted a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa, it's not clear if his terrorist designation has been fully lifted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio removed HTS's terrorist designation earlier this month. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is another advocate for limited sanctions relief and backed Lawler's bill on Tuesday. That position has put him at odds with a community he has worked closely with for years, in particular on the original passage of the Caesar Act. The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) is an Arkansas-based humanitarian organization that was responsible for bringing before Congress the whistleblower, code-named Caesar, testifying to Assad's torture and murder of Syrian citizens, and that served as a basis for the Caesar Act. On Tuesday, the SETF put out a statement rejecting Lawler's legislation. 'President Trump's administration has a clear policy on Syria to lift sanctions and give Syria a chance, this bill does the opposite,' the SETF said in a statement. 'It is the moral obligation of Congress to fully repeal Caesar, which was about punishing Assad and not the Syrian people.' Stephen Rapp, a member of the board of trustees for SETF who served as ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice during the Obama administration, said the Caesar Act served its purpose in ushering in the fall of Assad, and that repealing the law would not harm the president's ability to wield sanctions on the al-Sharaa government if necessary. 'I don't think we need the Caesar sanctions, and it's important to send a symbolic message to Syria that you've overthrown a dictatorship and did something that most of us never dreamed as possible,' he said. 'And now we want to, certainly work with you to achieve justice, and certainly enforce human rights. And we do that by engagement, by doing what the administration has done so far, suspending the Caesar sanctions and lifting these others.' Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, argues that calibrating sanctions relief ensures crucial leverage in deterring against violence toward civilians and minority groups. And he warned against a double standard when it comes to relations with al-Sharaa's government. 'The atrocities under Assad were so grave, that it is crucial to keep the legal mechanism in place, especially as the change in the Syrian regime might allow for some investigation breakthroughs,' he said. Assad's atrocities include leading the regime charged with killing more than 200,000 civilians, disappearing more than 96,000 people, torturing to death more than 15,000 people, and carrying out grievous attacks against civilians using chemical weapons, cluster munitions, and incendiary bombs. But Rubin also pointed out that al-Sharaa's terrorist background — with ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group — should not be swept under the rug. 'It is equally important, however, to recognize that al-Sharaa and his cohort have engaged and increasingly engage in equally atrocious human rights violations. If the United States selectively prosecutes and sanctions some violators but not others for the same crimes, then we delegitimize the entire human rights mechanism.'
