| SULA, | Around the world, thousands of people are dedicating themselves to solving tough problems and bringing about positive change. But where can they turn to amplify their impact and sharpen their leadership skills?
The Obama Leaders program was created as an answer to that question–and applications just opened for the 2027-2028 cohort!
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We’re looking for changemakers aged 24-45 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, or the United States who are already making a difference across the private sector, public service, or in civil society, and want to deepen their impact.
Over eight months, leaders will take part in weekly virtual group sessions, peer meetups, and individualized coaching. The goal is to broaden their perspectives and help them lead with strong, lasting values. Upon completion of the program, they’ll join the Obama Leadership Network–a global group of over 1,800 changemakers. | | |
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| | Get to Know Some Obama Leaders | |
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| Hear from a few Obama Leaders about the work they do in their communities and how the program has influenced their journeys. |
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 | Obama Africa Leaders team up to address climate injustice across the continent. Learn more → |  | Obama USA Leader Royal Ramey fights fires and changes lives. Learn more → |  | Obama Europe Leader Tammy Darcy empowers Irish girls. Learn more → |  | Obama Asia-Pacific Leader John Taukave bridges culture and climate leadership through storytelling. Learn more → |
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| | 2026-2027 Obama Leaders | The Obama Foundation recently announced the four cohorts making up the 2026-2027 program of Obama Leaders. Get to know the inspiring changemakers from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States.  | | |
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| Programs like Obama Leaders are only possible because of the support of people like you. Make a donation to support our work to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of changemakers. | | |
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| WEEKLY BRIEFING • OCTOBER 19–25, 2026 France Is Burning: President Trump Warns the World to Close Its Borders as Riots, Looting, and Fires Sweep France — Plus a New Order to Lower Housing Costs and a 1% Reward for Reporting Fraud France is burning. What began in September as protests has spiraled into nationwide rioting and looting. In a single day, 550,000 people took to the streets in 110 marches across the country, according to France’s Interior Ministry. Hundreds of stores have been looted in Paris alone, government buildings have been set on fire, the historic city hall in Limoges collapsed, and more than 2,000 people were arrested in a single weekend. President Trump called it “a full-on revolution” driven by uncontrolled immigration, warning, “They have to straighten out their act. Otherwise there won’t be a Europe left.” His message: “Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” Watch the video At home, President Trump signed an Executive Order to lower the cost of owning a home. It creates a pilot program to cancel borrowers’ mortgage insurance premiums once they’ve built enough equity, makes permanent a program that lets homeowners refinance without costly title insurance, and directs the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to lower interest rates on their home loans. President Trump and Vice President Vance also launched the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program. Americans who report fraud at fraud.gov can earn a 1% commission on the fraud they help uncover, the President announced. First Lady Melania Trump secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine localized to Oleshky, and the President launched the America First Seafood Strategy and Seafood.gov to support American fishermen. The President also strengthened American energy and industry: a Defense Production Act determination to expand domestic oil production and refining, new action on imported wind turbines, and updated tariffs on Canadian products. A new analysis found his pro-growth policies are fueling a manufacturing resurgence. President Trump signed 12 bills into law and traveled to Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, and Florida, where the White House highlighted his record of results for each state. And with early voting underway in many states, now is the time to make your plan to vote. |
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| 4Ways the New Housing Order Lowers Costs | 12New Laws Signed This Week | 17Straight Months of Zero Illegal Aliens Released | $1.2BNew Investment This Week |
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France Is Burning. Riots, looting, and fires have swept across France. In the Oval Office, President Trump called it “a full-on revolution” and said the unrest is about “immigration, not schools”: “They don’t like the buildings, they don’t like the art, they don’t like anything about the country, and they don’t like the people.” His warning to France and the West: “Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” Watch the video. Lowering the Cost of Owning a Home. President Trump’s new Executive Order directs the Federal Housing Finance Agency to create a pilot program that cancels mortgage insurance premiums once borrowers meet their equity requirements, eliminating a large monthly expense. It makes permanent a program that lets homeowners use cost-friendly alternatives to title insurance, cutting refinancing costs. It also directs the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to lower interest rates on their home loans, and creates a Task Force on Manufactured Housing Innovation to make factory-built homes better and more affordable. A 1% Reward for Reporting Fraud. In the Oval Office, President Trump and Vice President Vance launched the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, run by the Justice Department. Americans can report suspected fraud in government programs at fraud.gov and earn a 1% commission on the fraud they help uncover, the President said. The Administration’s fraud task force has already uncovered $260 billion in fraud. A Ceasefire in Oleshky. First Lady Melania Trump secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine localized to Oleshky. America First Seafood. President Trump launched the America First Seafood Strategy and Seafood.gov and proclaimed National Seafood Month, standing up for America’s fishermen and seafood industry. Energy, Trade, and a Manufacturing Resurgence. The President issued a Defense Production Act determination to expand domestic petroleum production, refining, and logistics capacity, took action on imports of wind turbines and their parts, and further adjusted tariffs on Canadian products. A new White House analysis found that his pro-growth policies are igniting a manufacturing resurgence. The Most Secure Border in American History. The White House laid out how President Trump ended the border invasion and restored American sovereignty, with 17 consecutive months of zero illegal aliens released. 12 New Laws and a Record of Results. President Trump signed 12 bills into law, and as he traveled to Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, and Florida, the White House highlighted his record of results for workers, families, and communities in each state. |
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 | FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SECURES CEASEFIRE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE, LOCALIZED TO OLESHKY Read the Statement → |
| NEW ANALYSIS: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PRO-GROWTH POLICIES IGNITE MANUFACTURING RESURGENCE Read the Release → |
| HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP ENDED THE BORDER INVASION AND RESTORED AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY Read the Release → |
| CONGRESSIONAL BILLS H.R. 227, H.R. 837, H.R. 1721, H.R. 2388, H.R. 2481, H.R. 3620, H.R. 4307, H.R. 4467, H.R. 6380, AND H.R. 7831 SIGNED INTO LAW Read the Statement → |
| PRESIDENT TRUMP RETURNS TO THE SUNSHINE STATE WITH MAJOR WINS FOR WORKERS, SENIORS, AND VETERANS Read the Release → |
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Major Investment Announcements WEEK OF OCTOBER 19–25, 2026 | | | | | | | This Week’s New Investments | $1.2B |
| | Total U.S. & Foreign Investments Since Day One | $11.3 Trillion |
| | View All Investments → |
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 AT THE WHITE HOUSE — OCTOBER 19, 2026 President Trump and the First Lady Sign an Executive Order on Women’s Health President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sign an executive order on women’s health, October 19, 2026. View the Gallery → |
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1% The commission President Trump announced for Americans who report fraud at fraud.gov — a reward for helping recover stolen taxpayer dollars. |
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A
group exhibition featuring Latin American women artists marks the end of the
exhibition year at Galeria Marilia Razuk. Opening on November 14, Southern
Conversations is dedicated exclusively to women artists from Latin America,
including Ana Gallardo (Argentina), Luz Lizarazo (Colombia), Seba Calfuqueo
(Chile), Regina José Galindo (Guatemala), and Voluspa Jarpa (Chile).
Accompanied by a text written by Italian critic and curator Eugenio Viola, the
exhibition brings together works that reflect the plurality of perspectives,
artistic languages, and creative practices of women across the continent.
The
exhibition draws on Latin American feminist, Indigenous, and decolonial
thought, particularly Rita Segato’s analyses of the relationships between
gender-based violence, coloniality, and territorial power. The participating
artists, from different generations and cultural contexts, engage with
feminist, queer, ecological, Indigenous, and dissident imaginaries.
According
to Eugenio Viola, “their practices articulate multiple ways of inhabiting and
questioning Latin America, forming a constellation of positions that address
the body, memory, violence, territory, ecology, archives, language, identity,
and belonging.”
Voluspa
Jarpa’s work Cartography in Flux, for example, challenges the geopolitical,
archival, and ecological dimensions of territory, exploring the political
construction of official memory.
In
his accompanying text, Eugenio Viola states that the exhibition “opens up a
space for conversations between distinct subjectivities that remain in dialogue
without being absorbed into a single narrative.”
Southern
Conversations raises questions about which forms of discourse, testimony,
resistance, and solidarity remain possible today. It also reaffirms Galeria
Marilia Razuk’s commitment to representation and contemporary Latin American
artistic production, offering a rich and diverse overview of current artistic
practices.
Galeria
Marilia Razuk – @galeriamariliarazuk
With
more than 30 years of history and a significant contribution to Brazil’s art
market, Galeria Marilia Razuk operates two locations in the city of São Paulo.
Each space offers an open and versatile environment, with excellent circulation
and the capacity to accommodate a wide range of exhibition projects.
Promoting,
supporting, and disseminating the contemporary work of both established and
emerging artists has been central to the vision of its founder, Marilia Razuk.
The galleries present exhibitions that celebrate creative diversity. Through
solo and group shows, featuring Brazilian and international artists alike, they
bring together a diverse roster of practitioners throughout their annual
exhibition programs.
Photo:
Press Office
Source: Jucelini Vilela
Editing: Sula Costa – MTB 0003600/GO
