President Obama sent a message to supporters this morning:

Five years ago today, a few thousand of us gathered in Springfield, Illinois, to launch an improbable campaign for president.

The task was to build a grassroots movement capable of making the kind of change we believe in.

You've got to see this video about that journey—it will make you smile:

From the very start this has been an experiment in our political process, testing whether ordinary people really can still come together to change this country.

We proved that it's possible. But we've also learned that entrenched interests adapt and claw back even harder, which means this election will be even more of a challenge.

I can't wait to see what you can do.

Barack

First Lady Michelle Obama wants to connect with women like you who are organizing and volunteering for President Obama.

She’s hosting a national call on Wednesday, February 22nd—and in cities and towns across the country, women are going to get together at house parties that night to join the call and then talk about how they can help re-elect the President.

These parties are the next step we’ll take to build on the work we’ve been doing through Women for Obama—a group that has been helping to grow this campaign one woman at a time. So step up and host a party in your neighborhood for the call with the First Lady.

Your party could be as simple as having a few friends over to dial in and have a casual chat afterwards—or you could reach out to other women in your neighborhood and invite some new folks to get involved. No matter how you decide to bring your party together, you’ll be making a big difference for the campaign by creating a space for women to come together, hear directly from the First Lady, and get energized for organizing in the crucial months ahead.

We’ll help you make it a success with tips and ideas, materials, and online tools to help you send out invitations. So, what do you think—can you do it?

Sign up to host a party for women in your area to hear from the First Lady and build on our progress so far.

Five years ago today, we came together to launch a campaign for change. Here's a look at the story that started on February 10th, 2007 in Springfield, Illinois—from "yes, we can" to 23 months of private-sector job growth, and everything in between.

“Trying not to FEC up”—wise words to live by in our Federal Election Commission reporting team.

Yesterday, supporters in Pennsylvania opened a new office in Centre County. Here’s what inspires them to be involved:

Get more updates from Pennsylvania by following @OFA_PA on Twitter, and be sure to share updates on openings near you using the hashtag #OpenDoors2012.

Vice President Biden spoke to students at Florida State University earlier this week about President Obama’s plan to make college more affordable. The White House blog reports:

The Vice President began by calling on Congress to permanently extend the $2,500 per year American Opportunity Tax Credit for tuition and other expenses, double the number of work-study jobs over the next five years, and help 7.4 million borrowers by stopping the interest rates on federal student loans from doubling later this year.

These proposals are important, but increasing federal aid is only part of the solution. States and universities also share some responsibility for reining in costs. The Vice President detailed our plan to steer federal campus-based aid to schools that keep tuition affordable—and away from schools that don’t. While we plan to significantly increase the availability of campus-based aid by offering more Perkins loans to needy students and creating more work-study slots, the additional dollars will only flow to colleges that are providing good value to their students.

For more details on how the President wants to help college students, check out the White House blog.

We've just released the campaign playlist on our new Spotify account. From James Taylor to Florence and the Machine (and yes, presidential favorite "Let's Stay Together" made the cut), there's a little something for everybody—so check it out the next time you're looking for the perfect tracks to get you going this election season.

President Obama has announced a major foreclosure settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks to help homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages or lost their homes to foreclosure. This morning, the President said:

We have reached a landmark settlement with the nation’s largest banks that will speed relief to the hardest-hit homeowners, end some of the most abusive practices of the mortgage industry, and begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake.

By now, it’s well known that millions of Americans who did the right thing and the responsible thing—shopped for a house, secured a mortgage that they could afford, made their payments on time—were, nevertheless, hurt badly by the irresponsible actions of others: by lenders who sold loans to people who couldn’t afford them; by buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them; by speculators who were looking to make a quick buck; by banks that took risky mortgages, packaged them up, and traded them off for large profits.

These practices were plainly irresponsible. And we refused to let them go unanswered. So about a year ago, our federal law enforcement agencies teamed up with state attorneys general to get to the bottom of these abuses. The settlement we’ve reached today, thanks to the work of some of the folks who are on this—this is the largest joint federal-state settlement in our nation’s history—is the result of that extraordinary cooperation.

Under the terms of this settlement, America’s biggest banks—banks that were rescued by taxpayer dollars—will be required to right these wrongs. That means more than just paying a fee. These banks will put billions of dollars towards relief for families across the nation. They’ll provide refinancing for borrowers that are stuck in high interest rate mortgages. They’ll reduce loans for families who owe more on their homes than they’re worth. And they will deliver some measure of justice for families that have already been victims of abusive practices.

All told, this isn’t just good for those families—it’s good for their neighborhoods, it's good for their communities, and it's good for our economy.

Read the President's full remarks at whitehouse.gov.

Mitt Romney likes to sell himself as a Washington outsider—but the network of lobbyists and special interest groups he’s cozying up to tells a different story.

Take a look at this infographic to follow the web of influence that surrounds Mitt Romney, from defense contractors to insurance companies to big oil—and make sure to share it with your friends.