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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — President Barack Obama feasted on barbecue with four people who wrote him letters in a trip to highlight the struggles of working families in America's heartland.
Obama's dinner took place at Arthur Bryant's, a Kansas City self-serve barbecue joint. The president ordered a half slab of ribs, beans, lard-cooked fries and a Bud Light but was disappointed to hear the cole slaw was sold out.
The White House says the Kansas City letter writers included a man who thanked Obama for student loan help he received, a single mother who described her challenges raising children and running a business, a teacher in a GED program and a woman who is active in her neighborhood association.
The dinner came roughly 48 hours before Congress is set to go on a five-week break. Obama plans to criticize Congress for inaction in a speech Wednesday at the historic Uptown Theater.
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APPHOTO MOJM109: Dale Hopkins, center left, of Los Angeles, who is visiting for a cable conference, reacts as President Barack Obama greets her table at Arthur Bryant's Barbeque restaurant Tuesday, July 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (29 Jul 2014)
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