First Lady Condemns Kidnapping of Girls

Michelle Obama took over the weekly presidential address to mark Mother's Day weekend, and she devoted her remarks to the kidnapped girls in Nigeria, reports CNN. The first lady said that she and the president are "outraged and heartbroken" over the mass kidnapping by Boko Haram. "This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education—grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls."

Invoking the young activist Malala Yousufzai, she said the kidnapping should serve as a "call to action" on the issue of girls' education because "these girls embody the best hope for the future of our world." The full transcript is at WhiteHouse.gov. (US and British security experts have now joined the search, reports AP, but no breakthroughs have emerged. The 276 girls likely have been split into smaller groups by now.)