Charlie Spiering

An emotional President Obama delivered a personal statement in the White House press briefing this afternoon in reaction to the shooting at a church in South Carolina.

“Obviously, democracy can be contentious,” President Obama told lawmakers. “There are times where people have deep, principled disagreements. But I hope that events like today remind us that ultimately we’re all on the same team — and that’s the American team.”

As part of her European tour to promote “Let’s Move,” First Lady Michelle Obama boasted during a visit to Milan that American school children were eating better, thanks to her fight against obesity.

Shortly after news broke that Speaker Boehner was considering another vote on Trade Adjustment Assistance, a White House official confirmed that Obama would meet some of his Democratic allies on trade.

Chlorine weapons are an “important distinction” from chemical weapons, Earnest explained, pointing out that chlorine has “legitimate purposes,” suggesting that it would be difficult for the administration to demand that Assad eliminate chlorine from his country.

Michelle Obama pointed out that in spite of everything she has done on the issue, “not a single country has reversed these obesity trends in a lasting way.”

Joe Biden also referred to Pope Francis’s upcoming encyclical on the environment, pointing to the front page of the “Washington Pope” before correcting himself.

Obama added that he was too busy handing national crises including the collapsing economy, bailing out the auto industry, and halting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay enough attention to the technology that was running government.

Spokesman Josh Earnest continued to describe Pelosi’s rebellion against President Obama on trade as a “procedural snafu” that would be addressed. He confirmed that Obama had been speaking with Speaker John Boehner on the phone about trade in recent days, but not Pelosi.

She suggested that while boys and men were important, it was crucial for them to talk about the lack of education for girls around the world. “You know our sons are important, we love men, we all do, they’re good, they’re useful,” she said.

At the White House Press Briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked about the widely talked about story, and for the president’s reaction. “The White House does not have any comment, and I haven’t had the chance to talk to him about it,” Earnest said, referring to President Obama.

Wednesday, the pair are likely to test the warmness of their relationship at the Congressional picnic, where Obama will be forced to personally address his relationship with Congress during his remarks.

Obama urged members of Congress to pass that TAA portion of the bill, arguing that opponents of the legislation would hurt American workers, making it “even harder for them to succeed.” House members voted 302-126 against the Trade Adjustment Authorities (TAA) measure, which was a key component of the president’s plan to get it through the Senate.