In North Carolina, Obama seeks to reassure college students
In his first stop on a two-day college tour, President Barack Obama tried to reassure the seniors venturing into a fragile job market that the American dream is still realistic. | 04/24/12 07:11:39 By - By John Frank
In Mexico, Biden shoots down talk of drug legalization
Vice President Joseph Biden said Monday that "there is no possibility" that Washington would heed a growing call by some Latin American presidents to move toward drug legalization. | 03/05/12 19:06:33 By - Tim Johnson
Religious leaders continue to protest Obama administration's contraception ruling
Religious leaders of different faiths stoked the national debate over contraception Thursday, converging on Capitol Hill and charging the Obama administration with attempting to violate their religious freedoms. | 02/16/12 14:30:46 By - Franco Ordoñez
Obama compromises on contraception mandate, but reservations remain
Changing course after a week of controversy, President Barack Obama Friday said religious institutions won't be required to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees, but that women will still have access to the services through their insurance companies. | 02/10/12 11:08:47 By - Steven Thomma and Erika Bolstad
Michelle Obama shares meal, Let's Move campaign with Dallas parents
Monica Calton saw history Thursday. After stopping at a far north Fort Worth Olive Garden, only because she saw news media vehicles and police cars parked outside, she got a glimpse of first lady Michelle Obama. | 02/10/12 07:30:29 By - Anna M. Tinsley
'You guys inspire me,' President Obama tells science fair winners
President Barack Obama praised a group of student science fair winners from around the country — including Shree Bose, a senior at Fort Worth Country Day School — in a boost to science education Tuesday at the second annual White House Science Fair. | 02/08/12 07:33:17 By - Maria Recio
VP Biden touts college tuition program in South Florida
Vice President Joe Biden was on his way to a prom years ago when he saw his father pacing outside. His father had just been turned down for a loan to pay for Biden's education at the University of Delaware. The anecdote, delivered in a speech Monday to students at Florida State University, was used to promote President Barack Obama’s new college affordability plan — which would reward states for keeping costs low. | 02/07/12 06:51:43 By - Kim Walmath
Google Plus chat with Obama has big impact on Texas family
Jennifer Wedel's life has turned upside down since Monday. That's when she chatted online with President Barack Obama about a controversial program to hire highly skilled foreign workers — and the president ended up asking for her husband's résumé. | 02/03/12 07:19:22 By - Anna M. Tinsley
Texas woman talks to President Obama in Google Plus 'hangout'
Jennifer Wedel was all ready Monday afternoon to challenge President Barack Obama on an issue that hits her where she lives: her engineer husband's unemployment. "When you're given the opportunity to speak with the president, it's either take it or leave it," she said. | 01/31/12 07:27:34 By - Aman Batheja
At Disney World, Obama touts tourism initiatives to boost jobs
Standing before a sun-splashed Cinderella’s castle, President Barack Obama on Thursday called for America to become the world’s top travel destination with a program that could significantly increase tourism to South Florida. | 01/20/12 07:09:07 By - Jane Wooldridge
South Carolina hailed for insourcing jobs to U.S.
President Obama praised companies that are bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States from abroad at a White House conference Wednesday where he met with leaders of firms investing in South Carolina and other states. | 01/12/12 11:44:57 By - James Rosen
North Carolina furniture maker to share his views on jobs with Obama
The Lincolnton, N.C., owner of a small specialty furniture maker will be President Obama's guest at the White House today. The president has asked Bruce Cochrane, owner of Lincolnton Furniture, and several other business owners to join him to discuss what can be done to encourage companies to keep jobs in the United States. | 01/11/12 07:09:32 By - Franco Ordoñez
Budget director Lew to replace Daley as Obama’s chief of staff
President Barack Obama on Monday named his budget director, Jack Lew, to be his next chief of staff to replace William Daley, who’s leaving after a year in the job just as the White House begins to gear up for a bruising re-election campaign. | 01/09/12 14:25:00 By - Lesley Clark
Obama's defense strategy doesn't suggest more troops in Latin America
Don’t expect the Pentagon to grow its troop strength or expand its activities in Latin America under the National Defense Strategy unveiled Thursday by President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. The much anticipated "Priorities for 21st Century Defense" makes a single reference to the region, in the same context as Africa. | 01/06/12 07:05:53 By - Carol Rosenberg
Obama defies Senate, appointing consumer, labor officials
A defiant President Barack Obama sidestepped Congress on Wednesday and appointed a new consumer watchdog, locking horns with Republicans, who immediately accused the president of exceeding his authority to appoint a director to an agency they oppose. | 01/04/12 11:18:23 By - Lesley Clark and Tony Pugh
Obamas thank troops, military families at Fort Bragg, N.C., for Iraq service
President Barack Obama came to Fort Bragg today to thank troops for their service in the nine-year war in Iraq and to mark their role in bringing the war to an end. He and first lady Michelle Obama also emphasized the commitments and sacrifices of military families. "You, too, have the thanks of a grateful nation," Obama said. | 12/14/11 07:25:30 By -
Obama to meet Iraq's Maliki on Monday, champion U.S. troop withdrawal
The White House this week plans to showcase the close of the war in Iraq, looking to highlight what it says is a 2008 campaign promise made good — and likely previewing a 2012 campaign theme. | 12/12/11 06:24:46 By - Lesley Clark
Obamas to visit troops returning from Iraq at Fort Bragg, N.C.
President Obama will visit Fort Bragg next week to speak to troops returning from Iraq, the White House announced this morning. First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president to North Carolina on Wednesday. | 12/08/11 11:16:19 By -
White House condemns storming of the British embassy in Tehran
From the Press Secretary: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran. | 11/29/11 13:24:32 By - Lesley Clark
Obama's 9 days in Asia aim to assert growing U.S. stakes there
President Barack Obama will leave Friday on a nine-day trip to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia, underscoring the region's rising profile but leaving town at a politically inconvenient time as he accuses Congress of not doing enough to goose the slumping economy. | 11/09/11 18:56:11 By - Lesley Clark
Press Secretary Jay Carney regarding McClatchy's Iraq article
Can I ask an Iraq question? There have been some reports that the President didn’t get very personally involved in the negotiations. Given that a lot of this had to do with Iraqi politics and unable to get to immunity, does it also show that ultimately the administration just didn’t think it was necessary -- | 10/26/11 23:46:59 By -
Congressional Black Caucus targets state voter laws as hostile
Minority voters have long had problems simply exercising their right to vote in certain parts of the country — and minority lawmakers fear the situation will become worse in 2012. | 10/25/11 18:42:43 By - William Douglas and David Lightman
Obama honors citizens 'who stopped to help'
President Barack Obama on Thursday personally thanked what he called "a remarkable group of Americans" for answering the call of service to their fellow citizens. | 10/20/11 18:21:33 By - Curtis Tate
Who should pay for Obama’s two-state bus tour, taxpayers or his campaign?
President Barack Obama’s bus trip this week through North Carolina and Virginia is generating questions about whether it’s just part of the job, and thus something that should be billed to taxpayers _ or is instead a campaign-style tour meant to generate votes next year in two states key to his re-election, and thus something his campaign should pay for. | 10/18/11 06:28:04 By - Steven Thomma
Obama starts bus trip through two swing states touting jobs plan
President Barack Obama on Monday launches a three-day bus tour across North Carolina and Virginia, championing his job creation package in two states that are critical to his reelection efforts. | 10/17/11 12:30:55 By - Lesley Clark and Tim Funk
Christmas book brings the White House to life
“Christmas With the First Ladies” is an attractive addition to the plethora of books on the history of the White House. Drawing on the materials from presidential libraries, Coleen Christian Burke has delved into history to put a human face on presidential Christmases as presented by our presidents and their wives. | 10/12/11 12:07:07 By - Tish Wells
Obama campaign says his jobs message is reaching populace
President Barack Obama hasn’t managed to nudge Congress toward approving his proposed jobs bill or the tax increases to pay for it, but his campaign says he’s making progress with the American people. | 10/11/11 00:00:44 By - Steven Thomma
Obama's fine with tax on millionaires, but wouldn't stop there
President Barack Obama said Thursday that he'd agree to a surtax on millionaires instead of other tax increases to finance his proposed jobs bill, as his fellow Democrats in the Senate suggest. | 10/07/11 14:00:35 By - Lesley Clark and David Lightman
Obama warns Pakistan over support for Afghan insurgents
President Barack Obama cautioned Pakistan on Thursday that it's jeopardizing long-term relations with the United States — including billions of dollars in military and civilian aid — by maintaining ties with insurgent groups that are fighting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. | 10/07/11 13:00:42 By - Jonathan S. Landay
Right is silent this time on Obama's back-to-school talk
President Barack Obama urged American high school students Wednesday to work hard, take some risks and continue learning past graduation, with none of the protests from the right that greeted his first back-to-school speech two years ago. | 09/28/11 14:12:01 By - Steven Thomma
Obama fails to persuade Palestinians to abandon quest for U.N. membership
President Barack Obama set the stage Wednesday for a U.S. veto of a Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership of an independent Palestinian state, telling world leaders that the issue can only be settled through direct peace talks and "each side learns to stand in the other's shoes." | 09/21/11 11:23:45 By - Lesley Clark and Jonathan S. Landay
Obama pledges U.S. support for Libya's new regime
President Barack Obama urged Libyans to continue pressing for democracy in remarks Tuesday at the United Nations, portraying the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi as a success story in the making, but underscoring perils ahead. | 09/20/11 14:09:26 By - Lesley Clark
Sacrifice of thousands recalled in solemn 9/11 ceremonies
With simple and solemn ceremony, the United States marked the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Sunday in emotional tributes that recalled the sacrifice of thousands of lives, not just on that day a decade ago, but in the bloody conflicts that have raged since. | 09/11/11 11:22:05 By - Lesley Clark and Steven Thomma
Obama's new economics team has few big-name players
The administration needs all the firepower it can muster, experts said. Yet the team is missing a key messenger in selling Obama's policies. The post of chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors — an influential position — is vacant and is likely to remain so at least into the fall. | 08/13/11 11:57:03 By - Jim Puzzanghera
Texas' Perry is running for president, his aides confirm
Putting an end to a months-long flirtation with Republican primary voters and the national press, Gov. Rick Perry is definitively in the race for president and will officially announce the launch of his campaign on Saturday in South Carolina, aides confirmed Thursday. | 08/11/11 18:31:16 By - By Aman Batheja and Anna M. Tinsley
Obama's Puerto Rico trip breaks 50-year record
President Barack Obama will break a 50-year record Tuesday, when he becomes the first president since John F. Kennedy to come to San Juan and meet with Puerto Ricans. But experts say the whirlwind visit to an island crippled by a soaring murder rate, mass exodus and 16.2 percent unemployment has less to do with the island’s overwhelming problems and much more to do with Florida’s I-4 corridor. | 06/13/11 06:59:16 By - Frances Robles
Obama names Dempsey as chairman of Joint Chiefs
President Barack Obama on Monday announced that a four-star Army general who commanded troops in Iraq through much of the war, Gen. Martin Dempsey, is his choice to be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president’s top military adviser. Obama also named Adm. James Winnefield as vice chairman and said Army Gen. Ray Odierno would replace Dempsey as chief of staff of the Army. | 05/30/11 13:27:53 By - Renee Schoof
Obama promises Joplin that nation will stick by it
President Barack Obama, fresh off a six-day diplomatic tour of Europe, stood near the center of tornado-ravaged Joplin Sunday afternoon and promised a sustained federal response to revive the devastated city. | 05/29/11 23:52:03 By - Steven Kraske
Obama: U.S. will dispatch F-16s to Poland for training
The move, announced Saturday in Warsaw, was welcomed by Polish officials as a sign that the United States was strengthening its commitment to defend Central and Eastern Europe. Under the agreement the U.S. will rotate fighter jets and C-130 cargo aircraft to Poland four times a year for training, but won't base the planes there. | 05/28/11 11:09:03 By - Steven Thomma
Volcano ash cloud forces Obama to leave Ireland early
President Barack Obama will cut short a visit to Ireland and leave Monday evening as a plume of ash from a volcano in Iceland heads toward the British Isles, threatening to strand him on the ground. | 05/23/11 13:45:50 By - Steven Thomma
Obama visits his family's ancestral village in Ireland
President Barack Obama made a triumphant visit to Ireland Monday, where he was kissed and cheered as he visited the tiny village of a distant ancestor and toasted in a bar where he raised a glass of Guinness. | 05/23/11 13:29:04 By - Steven Thomma
Obama heads for Ireland, first leg of a six day European trip
President Barack Obama arrives in Ireland Monday, a sentimental visit to the home of one of his distant ancestors and a part of his personal heritage lost to the furor of past years over where he himself was born. | 05/22/11 16:02:56 By - Steven Thomma
Here's the text of Obama's AIPAC remarks on Israel
This is the text of President Barack Obama's speech Sunday to the America-Israel Political Action Committee, as released by the White House. | 05/22/11 15:58:29 By -
Netanyahu rebukes Obama's idea on Israel's '67 borders
In a public rebuke, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a White House appearance with President Barack Obama on Friday to flatly reject any suggestion that Israel might even consider withdrawing from territories it seized in the 1967 Six-Day War. | 05/20/11 14:49:17 By - Steven Thomma and William Douglas
Obama visits Ground Zero to honor bin Laden's victims
It took nearly 10 years. But long after one president stood amid the rubble of the World Trade Center to vow that the guilty would soon hear from an outraged America, another returned Thursday to mark the hard-won moment of justice. "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say," President Barack Obama said during a sober but triumphant visit to New York. | 05/05/11 17:53:49 By - Steven Thomma
President Obama: U.S. kills Osama bin Laden in Pakistan
Osama Bin Laden is dead. President Barack Obama made the dramatic late-night announcement Sunday from the East Room of the White House, ending the long, elusive international manhunt for the leader of the al Qaida terror organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Justice has been done," the president said in a 10-minute address shortly before midnight. | 05/01/11 22:46:44 By - Margaret Talev and Jonathan S. Landay
Will Obama rise to meet the next budget challenges?
It was, in the grand scheme, just a little change of course, but the decision to cut spending even a little after years of huge increases brought the government to the brink of a shutdown and sets the stage for a much bigger fight that will dominate Washington politics through the 2012 elections and perhaps for years to come. | 04/09/11 16:10:02 By - Steven Thomma
White House announces trade deal with Colombia
The White House on Wednesday is announcing a deal to ratify the long-stalled free trade agreement with Colombia — a move that backers say will boost the U.S. economy and improve the U.S. standing in Latin America. | 04/06/11 11:51:06 By - Lesley Clark
ANALYSIS: Obama earns high marks on South America tour
With Japan’s nuclear crisis, an escalating Libyan conflict and a bitter budget debate, the fact that President Barack Obama made it to Latin America at all was something of an achievement. In his first extensive trip to Latin America since assuming office, Obama has won high marks for his conciliatory tone and acknowledgment of Latin America as a powerful economic and political force that deserves a partnership of equals. | 03/23/11 06:52:07 By - Jim Wyss, Mimi Whitefield and Tim Johnson
Obama gets to know Brazil's people, including its poorest
President Barack Obama toured the favela, a squatter settlement created in the 1960s when authorities displaced thousands of residents from favelas closer to the center city, on the second day of his Latin American trip that also will take him to Chile and El Salvador. Later on Sunday, he gave a speech in which he reached out to the Brazilian people. | 03/20/11 19:46:29 By - Mimi Whitefield
Obama: Gadhafi must restore water, phones or face assault
Prsident Barack Obama said Friday that the United States will assist if international force is needed to stop Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi from killing his people, but will not send American ground troops to Libya or take over the effort. Any ceasefire must include an end to pro-Gadhafi troops marching on rebel-held cities. | 03/18/11 15:27:05 By - Margaret Talev
Obama's Latin America trip offers look at changed region
As President Barack Obama prepares for his trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador this week, there is optimism in the region that his swing south will begin a new relationship — one that reflects the profound changes Latin America has undergone in the past decade. | 03/14/11 06:58:45 By - Mimi Whitefield
Clinton, Crowley statements on Crowley's resignation
These are the State Department's statements on the resignation of Philip J. Crowley after his comments criticizing the prison treatment of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who's being held at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va., on charges related to documents that found their way to the WikiLeaks website. | 03/13/11 14:19:24 By -
In person, on camera, Obama calls for Gadhafi to go
For the first time, President Barack Obama called publicly and personally Thursday for Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to go, said he'd authorized U.S. military aircraft to help evacuate refugees at the Libyan border and said the U.S. might need to intervene more there to get food to starving civilians. | 03/03/11 19:32:22 By - Margaret Talev
Text of President Obama's remarks Friday on Mubarak's resignation
This is the text of President Barack Obama's remarks Friday on the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It was released by the White House. | 02/11/11 16:46:49 By -
Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt
The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. | 02/10/11 20:00:06 By -
Poll: Obama has public's support on his handling of Egypt
The poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 57 percent of the respondents said the Obama administration is handling the situation in Egypt about right. | 02/08/11 17:11:40 By - Michael Muskal
Obama: Timing of Mubarak exit not up to United States
President Barack Obama said the decision of when the Egyptian leader leaves office will be made by Mubarak and the Egyptian people. He said he has warned Mubarak "going back to the old ways is not going to work." | 02/04/11 17:08:59 By - Margaret Talev
Text of President Barack Obama's remarks on Egypt
The following is the text of President Barack Obama's remarks after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not seek reelection. The text was distributed by the White House. | 02/01/11 19:35:19 By -
Michelle Obama brings 'Let's Move!' campaign to Fort Jackson
Traffic around Fort Jackson — always heavy on basic training graduation days — will be even more challenging today as first lady Michelle Obama attends the ceremony. Obama also will meet at the fort with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, who said the city is prepared to adopt the “Let’s Move!” program. | 01/27/11 07:36:19 By - Jeff Wilkinson
Michelle Obama to visit Fort Jackson
First lady Michelle Obama will visit South Carolina this week for the first time since moving into the White House when she comes to Fort Jackson to highlight the impact of childhood obesity and decreased physical activity on military recruitment. | 01/24/11 12:30:39 By - James Rosen
Guest list for state dinner for Hu Jintao of China
The White House released the following list of invitees to the state dinner honoring Hu Jintao. | 01/19/11 18:01:46 By -
Obama administration eases cultural travel rules to Cuba
The Obama administration Friday said it will allow for more U.S. travel to Cuba, making it easier for schools, churches and cultural groups to visit the island. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., a Cuban exile and the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, assailed the revisions. | 01/14/11 17:12:42 By - Lesley Clark
With Obama's Tucson speech, his presidency turns a corner
There are moments that define a presidency, and Barack Obama's speech Wednesday night to a memorial service for Arizona shooting victims may be one. | 01/13/11 20:08:14 By - Steven Thomma
At Arizona memorial, Obama urges a discussion that heals
President Barack Obama played the part of "healer in chief" Wednesday night, honoring the victims of Saturday's mass shooting while seeking to calm an increasingly angry political debate, urging all Americans to stop pointing fingers and "make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." He also told the crowd of 26,000 gathered in Tucson, Ariz., that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords "opened her eyes for the first time." | 01/12/11 22:57:16 By - Sam Stanton
Obama's remarks on Arizona shooting
The White House released this transcript of President Obama's remarks on Saturday's shooting in Tucson, Ariz. | 01/08/11 19:46:35 By -
Gibbs' departure begins retooling of Obama's staff
President Barack Obama's departing chief spokesman said Wednesday that a "pretty major retooling" of White House staff will unfold over the next several weeks, giving Obama needed "different and fresh perspectives" as he enters the second half of his four-year term. | 01/05/11 11:25:28 By - Margaret Talev
Obama prepares to defy Congress's Guantanamo limits
The Guantanamo provisions, which include limits on where and how prisoners can be tried, were attached to a spending bill for military pay and benefits approved by Congress late last year. White House aides are recommending that President Obama sign the spending bill and then issue a "signing statement" challenging at least some of the Guantanamo provisions as intrusions on his constitutional authority. | 01/03/11 15:14:46 By - Dafna Linzer
Obama begins 2011 with slightly lower approval rating
The Gallup tracking poll released Thursday found that the president's approval rating was 47 percent, down from the 51 to 53 percent he enjoyed the week between Christmas 2009 and New Year's Day 2010. | 12/31/10 13:33:38 By - Michael Muskal
Obama's lame-duck lesson: 'We are not doomed to gridlock'
President Barack Obama basked in a series of year-end legislative victories Wednesday, calling them a testament to bipartisanship. “If there's any lesson to draw from these past few weeks, it's that we are not doomed to endless gridlock,” Obama said in a year-end news conference, his 11th since moving into the White House. | 12/22/10 18:34:52 By - Margaret Talev and William Douglas
Raucous crowd cheers as Obama ends 'don't ask, don't tell'
President Barack Obama signed the repeal of the military's prohibition against gays serving openly in the armed force on Wednesday at a ceremony that was packed with 500 advocates, lawmakers, members of the military and former soldiers who'd been discharged for their sexual orientation. The crowd was jovial and a little rowdy, chanting "Yes, we did!" and "U-S-A, U-S-A." Many shouted out, "Enlist us now." | 12/22/10 13:46:01 By - Margaret Talev
Lame duck? For Obama, it could be the golden goose
President Barack Obama's success this week in pushing the New START nuclear arms treaty to the verge of Senate passage is but the latest of an extraordinary string of victories he's won in the seven weeks since Republicans gave his Democrats a "shellacking" in the Nov. 2 midterm congressional elections. The unusually productive lame-duck session of Congress gave Obama a second chance to redeem his leadership skills in the eyes of voters. | 12/21/10 19:32:10 By - Margaret Talev and David Lightman
Congress repeals 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on gays in military
The Senate voted 65-31 Saturday to end the Pentagon’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on gays and lesbians in the military, as President Barack Obama declared “it is time to close this chapter in our history.” | 12/18/10 17:31:00 By - David Lightman
Levin urges Obama to let GOP bear blame for tax increases
Democrats, led by President Barack Obama, should force a New Year's Eve showdown with Republicans over tax cuts, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Sunday. The Bush-era income tax cuts expire Dec. 31. Levin said Obama should insist that tax cuts for the wealthy be allowed to expire and if the Republicans don't go along, then he should make sure the country understands that it's the Republicans who are to be blamed for the expiration of middle class tax cuts too. | 12/12/10 14:47:02 By - David Lightman
Is Obama as lousy a negotiator as liberals say?
President Barack Obama isn't a great negotiator. He's not as bad as some liberals claimed this week. But he's seldom been able to match the promise of his campaign, when his soaring rhetoric and ability to sway voters suggested he might do the same in Washington. The key reason may have more to do with his office and his times than with the man himself. | 12/12/10 10:22:53 By - Steven Thomma
Holder blasts attempt to block 9/11 domestic trials
The Obama administration Thursday urged Senate leaders to reject a legislative ban on the transfer of any Guantánamo prisoner to U.S. soil, a move meant to corner the White House into staging a Sept. 11 mass murder trial at the U.S. Navy base in southeast Cuba. The House included the clause in a catchall spending bill Wednesday that passed by a 212-206 vote. The Senate has yet to vote on it. | 12/10/10 07:13:34 By - Carol Rosenberg
Obama: Tax cut deal is best Democrats can hope to get
President Barack Obama worked to sell a sweeping tax cut agreement to skeptical Democrats Tuesday, arguing that he took the best deal he could get from congressional Republicans and vowing to fight them again in two years when it expires. | 12/07/10 15:45:59 By - Margaret Talev and Steven Thomma
Democrats could scuttle Obama-GOP tax cut deal
President Barack Obama reached agreement Monday with congressional Republicans to extend and deepen tax cuts temporarily — and extend unemployment insurance — in hopes of stirring the economy and creating jobs. But in the bargain, he risked rebellion from his own party. | 12/07/10 14:18:42 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman
Obama talks science, 'Sputnik moment' during N.C. visit
President Barack Obama downplayed politics Monday, emphasizing the need for Republicans and Democrats to work together and tested out talking points for his re-election campaign. Obama warned of a new "Sputnik moment," and said the United States is in danger of being left behind in the sciences and technology just as the Russians had bypassed America in the space race in the 1950s. | 12/07/10 07:25:00 By - Rob Christensen
Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan
President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan late Friday night amid renewed concerns about his administration’s plans to stabilize the country and bring American troops home. | 12/03/10 12:08:26 By - Dion Nissenbaum and Margaret Talev
Meet Bruce Reed, Obama's point man on cutting deficit
It's going to require sacrifice, it might not be pretty, and people across the political spectrum will have to come together to get it done, warns Bruce Reed, an Idaho Democrat who's the executive director of the presidential commission that's finding ways to stem the red ink of the nation's deficit. | 11/28/10 19:53:17 By - Erika Bolstad
Democrats in Congress worry that Obama will cave to GOP
Impatient and worried about their futures as their power wanes, the liberals who dominate Democratic congressional caucuses want to see President Barack Obama fight harder for their causes. | 11/22/10 13:26:49 By - David Lightman and Margaret Talev
Obama: GOP endangers U.S. with delay on START treaty
President Barack Obama emphatically put his personal prestige behind the pending New START arms control treaty with Russia, calling it a "national security imperative" that the Senate pass it by year's end as he huddled Thursday at the White House with a bipartisan cast of foreign-policy luminaries from previous administrations. | 11/18/10 16:12:46 By - Margaret Talev
China's shadow followed Obama throughout Asia
As President Barack Obama wrapped up his tour of Asian democracies this weekend, there's no question that the region has unique appeal for the U.S. as it tries to position itself for resumed economic growth. Yet China's rising economic and military clout, and the stagnant U.S. economy, inevitably asserted themselves at each stop. | 11/13/10 17:14:56 By - Margaret Talev, Tom Lasseter and Kevin G. Hall
Obama taps bank regulator for troubled Fannie, Freddie
President Barack Obama on Friday tapped North Carolina's top bank regulator to take over the troubled mortgage-lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, potentially putting him at the center of one of the major economic debates facing Congress next year. | 11/12/10 18:56:00 By - Barbara Barrett and Christina Rexrode
Obama: Pakistan's terror fight 'not as quick as we'd like'
President Barack Obama on Sunday defended the U.S. alliance with India's bitter rival Pakistan, but acknowledged that Pakistan's slow progress in rooting out terrorists "is not as quick as we'd like." But he implored Indians to trust Pakistan. | 11/07/10 20:44:11 By - Margaret Talev
Dancing first couple — but mostly Michelle — wows India
One of the biggest questions facing President Barack Obama in the wake of the Democrats' Election Day "shellacking" was whether he'd still have that "Yes We Can" charisma that energized people around the world. | 11/07/10 16:36:59 By - Dion Nissenbaum and Margaret Talev
Obama tells India Pakistan making slow progress on terror
President Barack Obama on Sunday touched on the sensitive topic of Pakistan during a question-and-answer session with Indian students, defending the U.S. alliance with India's bitter rival and saying Pakistan is making slow progress in rooting out terrorists. | 11/07/10 07:11:22 By - Margaret Talev
Obama makes it all about business on first day in India
The Obama administration on Saturday announced $9.5 billion in private sector export deals with India that it said would support an estimated 54,000 jobs in the United States as President Barack Obama began a three-day visit here intended to deepen U.S.-India trade ties. Most of the deals had been in the works for months, but the White House used them to underscore Obama's trade message that India shouldn't be seen as a competitor. | 11/06/10 17:53:21 By - Margaret Talev
White House list of U.S-India business deals
This is the list of U.S.-India business deals announced by the White House on Saturday. | 11/06/10 09:36:59 By -
Souvenirs and firecrackers as Mumbai awaits Obama
President Obama's arrival here tomorrow is having a ripple effect in this megacity of roughly 18 million people. Various Obama-themed souvenirs are for sale. Security precautions have sealed off Mani Bhavan, a former home to Gandhi that Obama will visit. And Diwali fireworks are banned once Obama arrives. | 11/05/10 14:35:44 By - Margaret Talev
White House seeks fuel efficiency standards for trucks, buses
The Obama administration on Monday proposed the first fuel-efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction standards for trucks and buses and said the new program would reduce the nation's use of oil, cut emissions of heat-trapping gases and save money. | 10/25/10 20:04:43 By - Renee Schoof
Report: White House squelched release of BP oil spill estimates
Government scientists wanted to tell Americans early on how bad the BP oil spill could be, but the White House denied their request to make the worst-case scenarios public, a report by staff for the national panel investigating the spill said Wednesday. The staff paper does not assign any motive to the administration's moves but says underestimating the flow "undermined public confidence in the federal government's response." | 10/13/10 08:09:26 By - Renee Schoof and Margaret Talev
Woodward's book hastened Jones' exit from Obama circle
Retired Marine Gen. James Jones resigned Friday as the White House National Security Adviser and was replaced by his deputy, Thomas Donilon. The change isn't likely to affect policy, but it could strain relations between the White House and the military. | 10/13/10 08:08:47 By - Steven Thomma and Nancy A. Youssef
Obama pushes infrastructure plan to create jobs
With the weak economy driving voter discontent three weeks out from congressional and state elections, President Barack Obama Monday renewed his call to spend an additional $50 billion on improving the nation's transportation infrastructure. | 10/13/10 08:08:16 By - Margaret Talev
Dissin' cousins? Obama, Limbaugh and Palin are related
Rush Limbaugh calls President Barack Obama "imam," even though he knows the president isn't a Muslim. Sarah Palin has openly doubted the president's "cojones." Turns out these two conservative firebrands have been dissin' their own cousin, according to Ancestry.com. | 10/13/10 07:58:30 By - Margaret Talev
Peace talks stall over Israel's West Bank settlement policy
Dozens of senior Palestinian leaders announced Saturday that they would support President Mahmoud Abbas’ refusal to take part in peace talks, as long as Israel continued to expand its settlements. Neither side seemed willing to compromise, though the Obama administration refused to give up hope. | 10/02/10 21:04:46 By - Sheera Frenkel
Obama's likely new staff chief was known as '101st senator'
Pete Rouse, who's widely expected to take over Rahm Emanuel's chief of staff duties at the White House, spent 25 years as the consummate Democratic insider in the U.S. Senate, including four years as chief of staff to then Sen. Obama. His political career includes a stint as an aide to a Republican politician in Alaska. | 09/30/10 17:27:47 By - Tom Kizzia
Jill Biden to host summit on community colleges
Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden and a community college instructor, will host the inaugural White House Summit on Community Colleges next month. The Oct. 5 summit aims to reduce stigmas about community colleges versus universities, to portray them as tools to keep the U.S. competitive globally and to highlight success stories of alumni with community college backgrounds. | 09/15/10 06:01:00 By - Margaret Talev
What Obama told America's school kids
This is the official transcript of President Barack Obama's back-to-school speech today. The transcript was distributd by the White House. | 09/14/10 14:49:04 By -
Obama praises TCU's champion all-female rifle team
The five members of Texas Christian University's national championship rifle team were already beside themselves to be on the South Lawn of the White House Monday evening at a celebration of all NCAA sports champions when President Barack Obama gave them the first shout-out. | 09/13/10 20:57:27 By - Maria Recio
Obama calls plans to burn Qurans 'bonanza' for al Qaida
Obama said the plans by a Florida pastor to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Saturday by burning the Muslim holy book could encourage violence in Muslim countries. Meanwhile, the State Department warned Americans overseas that anti-U.S. demonstrations are likely, and Iraq's prime minister urged the U.S. to stop the proposed burnings. | 09/09/10 12:38:16 By - Margaret Talev
Daley won't run in Chicago, opening way for Rahm Emanuel
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday he won't run for re-election, a move that almost certainly will prompt White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to head home to seek the job himself. | 09/07/10 15:53:13 By - Steven Thomma
Following tradition, Obama redecorates Oval Office
When President Barack Obama moved into the White House last year, he didn't rush into the presidential tradition of redecorating the Oval Office. | 08/31/10 22:32:52 By - Margaret Talev
Text of President Obama's remarks on Iraq
This is the prepared text of President Obama's speech Tuesday, Aug. 31, marking the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. | 08/31/10 20:00:00 By -
Obama's Iraq speech will come from a redone Oval Office
The White House didn't release the tab for the renovation of the president's office, but called it "a comparable level of redesign" to what Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton spent to redo the office. The cost was paid through the White House Historical Association with funds from the Presidential Inaugural Committee. In other words, not by taxpayers. | 08/31/10 12:43:28 By - Margaret Talev
Poll: Majority now disapproves of Obama's job performance
More than half of Americans now disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, new polling found, but it's unclear what that means to the political future. Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter all had job approval numbers as low or lower in the Augusts of their second year in office. | 08/17/10 19:08:02 By - Margaret Talev
Supreme Court rejects plea from 'birther' attorney Orly Taitz
Taitz wanted the court to toss out a $20,000 fine that was levied against her by a judge in Georgia who said she was filing baseless lawsuits questioning Obama's citizenship. On Monday, the court rejected her request. | 08/16/10 17:47:29 By - Alan Riquemy
Obama courts GOP's McConnell — a vision of life after November?
Is President Barack Obama preparing for a new political balance in Washington if Democrats lose or significantly narrow their congressional majorities in November's elections and he'll need more Republicans to get anything done? | 08/06/10 16:51:25 By - Margaret Talev and David Lightman
Obama won't campaign for Democrats when he visits Texas
When President Obama visits Texas on Aug. 9, the state's top-tier Democratic candidate, gubernatorial nominee Bill White, will likely be miles away, reaching out to voters in Johnson County near Fort Worth. Another Democratic hopeful for statewide office, Austin attorney Hector Uribe, says he'll be elsewhere, and Barbara Radnofsky, the Democrats' nominee for attorney general, says she too has no plans to attend an Obama event. | 08/01/10 09:36:12 By - Dave Montgomery
Senate likely to break deadlock on jobless benefits
President Barack Obama escalated his attacks on Republicans Monday, blasting them for opposing an extension of benefits for the out-of-work while pushing tax cuts for the wealthy. | 07/19/10 06:00:00 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma
Obama calls for immigration overhaul, but prospects bleak
President Barack Obama on Thursday once again urged Congress to tackle comprehensive legislation to overhaul immigration law, citing the urgency of Arizona passing its own punitive statute in the absence of federal action. | 07/03/10 18:04:53 By - William Douglas
Obama, Europeans split on economic policy
President Barack Obama and European leaders failed Saturday to bridge a fast growing divide over government spending and will emerge from a weekend summit on Sunday charting different courses for ending the global recession. But the G8 leaders were united on North Korea, Iran's nuclear program, Afghanistan, and Israel's blockade of Gaza. | 06/26/10 17:59:39 By - Steven Thomma
BP defense: Palin pushes article comparing Obama to Hitler
Sarah Palin is urging her followers to read an article likening President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler in the way Obama pressured BP to set aside $20 billion for oil spill damage claims. "This is about the rule of law vs. an unconstitutional power grab. Read Thomas Sowell's article," Palin tweeted. | 06/26/10 14:09:42 By - Steven Thomma
Obama will skip next month's NAACP convention
President Barack Obama will not be attending the NAACP convention in Kansas City next month as its supporters had hoped. Michelle Obama will instead. The first lady, who had been invited along with the president, will be the headliner at the July 10-15 gathering. | 06/24/10 18:39:13 By - David Goldstein and Dave Helling
BP's oil recovery stats show how wrong leak estimates were
BP recovered 18,600 barrels of oil from its gushing Deepwater Horizon well on Wednesday, the most so far, but still just a fraction of what is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. The amount serves as a reminder of the weeks-long reluctance of both BP and the Obama administration to recognize the full extent of the disaster. | 06/17/10 13:19:45 By -
From Oval Office, Obama vows to restore Gulf Coast
President Barack Obama on Tuesday night used his first Oval Office address to try to change Americans' perceptions of his handling of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that's gushed out of control for nearly two months and to make the case that he and his team are finally in the driver's seat. | 06/15/10 21:49:54 By - Margaret Talev
Obama tells Florida he'll do "whatever it takes"
Hours before President Barack Obama was to address the nation, he came to Florida's ground zero on the Gulf oil spill crisis and pledged that his administration would do "whatever it takes" to deal with the mess. | 06/15/10 21:49:36 By - Jennifer Lebovich, Niala Boodhoo and Carol Rosenberg
Poll: Obama's doing OK overall, but not on the Gulf spill
While 50 percent of the American people approve of how President Barack Obama is doing his job overall, a 41 percent plurality disapproves of how he's handling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and only 33 percent approve, according to a new Ipsos-McClatchy poll. | 06/15/10 21:49:18 By - Robert A. Rankin
Transcript of Adm. Thad Allen's Tuesday BP oil leak briefing
Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the National Incident Commander for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill response, and Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, briefed reporters Tuesday. This transcript was provided by the White House. | 06/08/10 19:02:25 By -
Obama's comments Monday on the BP Gulf oil spill
This is the White House transcript of President Obama's comments after meeting with Cabinet secretaries on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. | 06/07/10 21:03:53 By -
Transcript of Thad Allen's White House briefing Monday
This is the transcript of the White House briefing Monday with Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen on the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. | 06/07/10 14:28:05 By -
With oil spill in patches, Coast Guard cuts use of dispersants
Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Monday that the Gulf oil spill has broken into "hundreds or thousands" of oil patches, forcing federal officials to adapt their plans to keep up. He also made clear that the amount of oil flowing from the Deepwater Horizon well is far greater than previously acknowledged. | 06/07/10 14:11:03 By - Steven Thomma
Helen Thomas, under siege about Israel comments, retires
Helen Thomas, the longest serving White House correspondent, retired Monday after White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called her anti-Israel comments reprehensible, and the White House Correspondents Association called them indefensible. | 06/07/10 12:40:07 By - Steven Thomma
Muslim praise for Obama dries up a year after Cairo speech
A year ago Friday, President Barack Obama stood in Cairo and vowed "a new beginning" in a speech about how he'd change U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Egyptian vendors sold T-shirts portraying Obama in King Tut regalia, and Muslims throughout the region thrilled at his middle name: Hussein. | 06/03/10 21:44:40 By - Miret el Naggar and Margaret Talev
Obama orders firms to change drill plans that mimic BP's
The Obama administration ordered oil companies to resubmit dozens of exploration plans that were virtually identical to BP's and that also called major spills and environmental damage "unlikely." The action came after McClatchy informed the White House and Interior officials that it had reviewed 31 deepwater exploration and development plans approved for the Gulf under the Obama administration and found that all of them downplayed the threat of spills to marine life and fisheries. | 06/02/10 20:24:20 By - Shashank Bengali
Obama's remarks after meeting with oil spill study chairmen
Obama met with former Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., and former EPA administrator Bill Reilly on Tuesday. They are the co-chairs of a presidential commission investigating the cause of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the official transcript of Obama's remarks. | 06/01/10 15:11:13 By -
Thunderstorm forces Obama to cut Memorial Day appearance
A violent, fast-developing thunderstorm Monday forced President Barack Obama to cut short his Memorial Day remarks at a national cemetery outside Chicago and urge guests to take shelter in their cars until the storm passed. | 05/31/10 14:07:31 By - Steven Thomma
White House: Appointment offer to Sestak was proper
The Obama administration said Friday that it used the promise of a presidential appointment to try to get a Pennsylvania congressman to abandon a planned primary challenge to White House favorite Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and that it used former President Bill Clinton as the middleman. | 05/28/10 12:03:21 By - Steven Thomma
A frustrated White House press corps bites the hand that feeds it
President Barack Obama Thursday grudgingly faced his first full-blown East Room news conference at the White House in almost a year, and it was no love-fest. A press corps that's been accused of treating him with kid gloves has grown increasingly critical, and the result was more aggressive and skeptical questioning. | 05/27/10 20:28:49 By - Margaret Talev
Rahm Emanuel travels in Israel, and right-wing protesters follow
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's visit to Israel with his family was meant to smooth over tensions between the two countries, but right-wing Jewish activists cursing him as a "hater of Israel" did their best Thursday to disrupt the visit. | 05/27/10 17:50:37 By - Sheera Frenkel
NCAA champ Duke evens the score at White House
The Rose Garden ceremony honoring the 2010 NCAA men's basketball champions was Krzyzewski's fourth trip to the White House. It was his first chance to personally remind the current leader of the free world that Duke shouldn't be counted out of anyone's bracket, even the president's. | 05/27/10 17:50:15 By - Barbara Barrett
Obama concedes mistakes in oil spill as he halts drilling
President Barack Obama on Thursday tried to regain Americans' sinking confidence in his response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying "from the moment this disaster began the federal government has been in charge of the response effort." He also formally announced his administration is suspending the planned exploration of two locations off the Alaskan coast and halting other drilling operations. | 05/27/10 14:04:14 By - Steven Thomma and Margaret Talev
An Obama win: Senate passes financial reform bill, 59-39
The bill would be the most sweeping changes in government regulation of the nation's financial institutions since the Great Depression, including strong new consumer and investor protections and provisions that seek to shine a bright light on the dark corners of Wall Street. The bill must still be reconciled with a House version passed six months ago. | 05/20/10 21:02:28 By - David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall
Low estimate of oil spill's size could save BP millions in court
BP's estimate that only 5,000 barrels of oil are leaking daily from a well in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Obama administration hasn't disputed, could save the company millions of dollars in damages when the financial impact of the spill is resolved in court, legal experts say. | 05/20/10 19:53:26 By - Marisa Taylor, Renee Schoof and Erika Bolstad
Obama's state dinner guest list includes bank executives
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan was on the guest list for Wednesday's state dinner, along with a smorgasbord of other financial heavy-hitters. American Express CEO Ken Chenault, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Sen. Chris Dodd, head of the Senate banking committee, were also on the guest list. | 05/19/10 21:58:05 By - Rick Rothacker and Christina Rexrode
Change you can believe in? Secrecy still veils Guantanamo hearings
The military commission hearings on Canadian Omar Khadr's claim of abuse at Guantanamo and in Afghanistan opened with a new rule book and closed with the Pentagon banishing four veteran reporters. One of the witnesses was subpoened in secret, six testified under pseudonyms, and security officers closed the court to screen a video that's available on YouTube. Critics say the spectacle underscored that military commissions under Barack Obama are no more transparent than under George W. Bush. | 05/17/10 12:56:34 By - Carol Rosenberg
Here's what Obama said on the Gulf oil spill and regulation
This is a transcript of the president's remarks Friday on the Deepwater Horizon oil well disaster. | 05/14/10 21:35:25 By -
Obama calls BP, Transocean testimony 'ridiculous spectacle'
President Obama, usually calm, reserved and above the fray, dressed down BP and the other companies connected to the Gulf oil spill in remarks from the Rose Garden at the White House. He promised to end the cozy relationship between the oil industry and the government agency that oversees it. | 05/14/10 13:05:06 By - Margaret Talev
Obama administration recruits outside experts to help BP
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu said they'd recruited the experts to inject what Chu called "intellectual firepower" into BP's efforts to figure out how to stanch the flow from the Deepwater Horizon well. Salazar and Chu met with reporter briefly outside BP's headquarter in Houston. | 05/12/10 14:55:14 By - Dave Montgomery
Washington state's Gregoire on short list to replace Kagan
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is on the short list to replace Solicitor General Elena Kagan, an administration official confirmed Wednesday. Gregoire, who has been one of Obama's favorite governors attending meetings at the White House on everything from health care to education, is a two-term incumbent and former state attorney general. She endorsed Obama early, before the 2008 Washington state caucuses. | 05/12/10 13:39:31 By - Les Blumenthal
National soda tax, regulation not part of Obama obesity plan
The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity issued a blueprint Tuesday that's thick with ideas but doesn't put the hammer down yet on taxpayers or private industry. A national soda tax? Worth further study, but not this year. New regulatory authority over food marketing to children, or changes to agricultural subsidies to make fresh fruit and vegetables cheaper? Possibilities down the road, but why not first encourage more voluntary steps by the private sector? | 05/11/10 10:00:00 By - Margaret Talev
Obama to visit Gulf Coast as oil spill threatens Louisiana
President Barack Obama will travel to the Gulf Coast on Sunday as a massive oil spill lurked just off the Louisiana shore and could spread to other Gulf Coast states in the next several days. The well, 50 miles offshore in waters 5,000 feet deep, continued leaking more than 200,000 gallons of sweet crude oil a day, though some estimates were far higher. | 05/01/10 19:08:32 By - Les Blumenthal
U.S. may send Navy to oil spill as threat to environment grows
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday designated a widening oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico as "a spill of national significance" as government officials acknowledged that the amount of oil spewing daily from the well is far more than earlier thought. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration may dispatch military ships to the area. | 04/29/10 12:50:55 By - Lesley Clark and Curtis Morgan
At Missouri ethanol plant, Obama touts biofuels
President Barack Obama visited Macon, Mo., Wednesday and told 200 people that green energy was a key to the country's future. Speaking at Missouri's first ethanol plant, which produces 46 million gallons a year, he said that the biofuel was important to the country's move to green energy. | 04/28/10 17:09:38 By - Steve Everly
White House, mountain resort mum about Obamas' getaway
No one at the White House, or in the city of Asheville, N.C., or at one of the nation's most posh resorts will talk much about what President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle might be doing on this weekend retreat to the mountains of western North Carolina. | 04/22/10 17:37:55 By - Barbara Barrett
Obama, mine safety head to discuss West Virginia disaster
President Barack Obama's scheduled meeting with federal mine regulators is being hailed as a refreshing change by mine safety advocates following the deadliest U.S mining disaster in 40 years. The bodies of four missing miners were found early Saturday in Montcoal, W. Va., bringing the death toll from the disaster to 29. | 04/09/10 19:38:23 By - Halimah Abdullah
2012 preview? Obama, Palin trade insults on nuclear policy
President Barack Obama and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin traded barbs over nuclear policy Friday, with each mocking the other's experience in an early look at what a 2012 presidential campaign might look like. | 04/09/10 15:35:17 By - Steven Thomma
Obama has plans for Asian-American judge: So does GOP
Goodwin Liu couldn't speak English until kindergarten, but he went on to become his high school's co-valedictorian, then a Rhodes Scholar and a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Now he's under attack on Capitol Hill, where Republicans are opposing his nomination to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. | 04/07/10 18:27:22 By - Rob Hotakainen
Obama hardens stance over Cuba's crackdown on dissent
President Barack Obama, in his harshest censure of Cuba's repression of dissent, Wednesday said Havana had used "a clenched fist" against "those who dare to give voice to the desires of their fellow Cubans." Obama also appeared to hint that his efforts to improve U.S. relations with the Raul Castro government have lost steam in the face of the recent string of tough actions by Havana. | 03/25/10 07:08:36 By - Juan O. Tamayo
House Democrats poised to enact sweeping health care overhaul
With Democrats increasingly confident they have enough support, the House of Representatives planned for an historic vote Sunday that would enact the most dramatic changes in the nation's health care system in decades. As a sign of that confidence — and to quiet concerns among Democrats as well as Republicans — House leaders Saturday abandoned a plan to approve the Senate's health care legislation without a direct vote. | 03/20/10 19:35:31 By - David Lightman and William Douglas
Obama's popularity declines in California, according to poll
President Barack Obama's popularity is declining in California, with slightly more than half of the state's voters still approving of his job performance, according to a Field Poll released Friday. The poll found 52 percent of Californians giving Obama good marks, down from 56 percent in January and 65 percent a year ago. At the same time, Californians gave a resounding thumbs-down to Congress, with only 12 percent of the state's voters approving of its performance. That's the lowest assessment since Field began tracking Congress two decades ago. | 03/20/10 06:40:40 By - Rob Hotakainen
House Democrats draw closer to having votes for health bill
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives continued scouring for votes Friday among reluctant anti-abortion and conservative Democrats in search of enough "Yeas" to triumph in Sunday's historic vote on a $940 billion health care overhaul — and they appeared tantalizingly close to their goal. | 03/19/10 12:38:13 By - William Douglas, David Lightman and Margaret Talev
Idaho's Crapo will serve on Obama's debt commission
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, has been selected as one of six congressional Republicans for the debt-reduction commission created last month by President Barack Obama. The 18-member commission will be made up of 10 Democrats and 8 Republicans. | 03/13/10 19:02:33 By - Erika Bolstad
Obama expects health care vote by 21st, delays foreign trip
President Obama now expects Democrats can get the votes in Congress for final passage of the health care overhaul by March 21 — the calculation that triggered his announcement today that he will delay by three days his trip to Guam, Indonesia and Australia. The president's plan to expand coverage to 31 million more Americans and impose new regulations on the insurance industry is his biggest domestic policy promise. | 03/12/10 11:22:55 By - Margaret Talev
Haiti's Preval seeks renewal of direct U.S. aid to government
Haitian President Rene Preval said he lobbied both President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for direct payments to help support government services in Haiti. The U.S. had cut such payments in 2008 out of concerns about corruption in the Haitian government. But Preval said without money, the government will have to cut services, with dramatic consequences. | 03/10/10 15:15:19 By - Lesley Clark
Money hunt turns aid agencies into rivals in shaken Haiti
At an encampment on the outskirts of Haiti's capital, physicians from three international aid agencies provide identical services. On a charter flight to Miami, competing doctors get into a shouting match before takeoff. And at a search-and-rescue operation, one international team claiming ownership of the effort asks another to leave -- although the departing group has the equipment to do the job. The reason: a grab for cash. | 03/10/10 08:10:59 By - Jacqueline Charles
Robert Harding is named to take over the TSA
The last nominee to head the Transportation Security Agency withdrew after Sen. Jim DeMint put a hold on his appointment over concerns about union membership. The new nominee, retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding, is a former operations director for the Defense Intelligence Agency. | 03/08/10 17:25:56 By - Margaret Talev
Obama: The future of Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq
President Barack Obama congratulated the people of Iraq for voting in the face of violence. He pledged to continue the U.S. withdrawal. "By the end of next year, all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq," he said. The White House released the full text of his remarks. | 03/07/10 18:11:55 By -
Text of Obama's speech on reconciliation and health care
The White House released this text of Obama's speech in which he called for Democratic leaders in Congress to use the controversial reconciliation procedure to pass health care legislation. | 03/03/10 14:47:53 By -
Obama still using nicotine replacement to fight smoking
The president underwent a physical on Sunday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was reported in good health, with slightly elevated cholesterol. He's still fighting a smoking habit. | 03/01/10 05:47:07 By - Margaret Talev
Few signs that Obama summit moved needle on health care
There was little evidence on Capitol Hill Friday that Obama's 7 1/2-hour bipartisan summit on health care had boosted momentum to pass a massive overhaul of the health care system. More likely, Congress will take up smaller issues for which there's consensus. | 02/26/10 17:48:17 By - David Lightman
No word on substance of White House meeting with atheists
A spokesman for the Secular Coalition for America, a group that includes atheists, said its representatives met for nearly 90 minutes with Obama administration officials. Paul Fidalgo, however, said he couldn't offer any details about what Obama aides said in the meeting because of an agreement that their discussion be kept private. | 02/26/10 15:18:02 By - Margaret Talev
You can watch the White House health care summit here
This is the live stream from the White House of today's health care conference. The summit runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. | 02/25/10 09:58:20 By -
Conservatives hail DeMint as he slams Obama for 'selling socialism'
More than 1,000 delegates to the annual convention sponsored by the American Conservative Union gave Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a rousing hero's welcome, urging him to run for president and delivering a sustained standing ovation. | 02/18/10 18:13:26 By - James Rosen
Can Obama's debt commission overcome Congress' politics?
Experts think the chances are not good. Republicans won't consider tax hikes and Democrats won't cut programs, so the likelihood is that Congress will still be gridlocked, whatever the commission proposes. That's especially true with the GOP expecting big gains in November's elections. | 02/17/10 17:29:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas
Obama sidesteps Congress to create bipartisan debt panel
University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles, a Democrat, and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, a Republican, will lead a bipartisan commission to recommend ways to rein in the nation's escalating federal debt under an executive order that President Barack Obama plans to sign on Thursday. | 02/16/10 19:23:00 By - Margaret Talev and David Lightman
Obama grants loan guarantee to build new nuclear reactors
President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced his administration's first nuclear energy loan guarantee — $8.33 billion to build the first new U.S. reactors in nearly 30 years. | 02/16/10 18:08:00 By - Renee Schoof
GOP hopes to capitalize on Latino disappointment with Obama
As one of the first Latinos in the nation to endorse Barack Obama, Democratic state Sen. Gilbert Cedillo of Los Angeles campaigned hard for the president, but he's disappointed now. | 02/15/10 15:31:00 By - Rob Hotakainen
U.S. begins Mideast push for ideas on Iranian solution
The top U.S. military officer and the secretary of state kicked off a series of visits throughout the Middle East Sunday, reaching out to the Arab world as the Obama administration pushes for tougher sanctions against Iran and its nuclear ambitions. | 02/14/10 16:42:00 By - Nancy A. Youssef
U.S. apologizes for killing of 12 Afghan civilians
Twelve Afghan civilians died Sunday after U.S. rockets mistakenly hit a house during the much-trumpeted offensive to clear the last Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, a loss of life that is likely to seriously undermine the operation and the renewed American-led mission to win the trust of the population. | 02/14/10 14:53:00 By - Saeed Shah
Surprise tactic in Afghanistan offensive befuddles Taliban
U.S. Marines and Afghan forces airlifted over Taliban-laid minefields into the center of Marjah town Saturday, apparently surprising the insurgents and taking strategic positions from them, according to military officials. The first day of the offensive saw only sporadic fighting. | 02/13/10 17:04:00 By - Saeed Shah and Janan Zerak
Casualties mount in Afghan campaign against Taliban
The massive Marine-led offensive in southern Afghanistan against the last remaining Taliban stronghold in Helmand province claimed the first two casualties from coalition forces. | 02/13/10 11:17:00 By - Saeed Shah
White House predicts weak job growth for rest of year
President Barack Obama's top economic advisers offered a cautious forecast on Thursday that U.S. job gains for 2010 will average 95,000 a month, with analysts expecting hiring to expand by spring. | 02/11/10 06:00:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
Job talks between Obama, black leaders focused on region, not race
President Barack Obama met with three prominent African-American leaders Wednesday on how to improve economic and employment opportunities for all Americans — not just minorities. | 02/10/10 17:32:00 By - William Douglas
When Washington freezes over: Work with me, Obama asks GOP
President Barack Obama urged Republicans Tuesday to work with him and Democratic lawmakers on ways to create jobs, saying that it's critical to agree on something even if neither side gets all it wants. Republicans countered that they've yet to see the Democrats' complete jobs proposal or its price tag. | 02/09/10 18:26:00 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman
Obama's remarks at CIA memorial service
The following transcript of President Barack Obama's remarks at a memorial service for seven CIA workers killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan was released by the White House on Friday. | 02/05/10 16:41:14 By -
Obama tells CIA 'win this war' at service for 7 killed in Afghanistan
Security was tight this morning around the CIA's suburban Washington headquarters as President Barack Obama joined agency leaders and personnel for a memorial service for the five CIA officers and two contractors who were killed by a suicide bomber in Khost, Afghanistan, on Dec. 30. | 02/05/10 11:20:41 By - Jonathan S. Landay
Democrats in Congress balk at Obama's debt outlook
President Barack Obama's 2011 budget got a cool — at times frosty — reception Tuesday from the lawmakers he needs most, as congressional Democrats offered a host of reasons they're skeptical of the White House plan. | 02/02/10 18:00:00 By - David Lightman
Did Obama tackle too much? Poll finds divided views
Americans hold mixed views of President Barack Obama's first year in office, with 41 percent saying that he tried to do too much, 35 percent concluding that he did about the right amount and 19 percent saying that he didn't do enough, according to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll. | 02/02/10 16:20:00 By - William Douglas
Obama's budget would boost funds for health research
The Obama administration, in an effort to forge ahead with its controversial effort to compare various medical treatments, is proposing a big boost in funding for the agency that oversees the research. | 02/02/10 14:35:00 By - Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Appleby
Obama's budget sober on jobs, optimistic on growth
The Obama administration projects rosier economic-growth prospects than most mainstream economists do but a sobering jobless recovery, according to documents released Monday about underlying assumptions in the government's $3.83 trillion federal budget for 2011. | 02/01/10 18:50:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
Obama's budget deficits to rise from wars, recession
Fighting wars and lingering effects from a deep recession, President Barack Obama will run up a record $1.56 trillion budget deficit this year and is proposing a 2011 federal budget that would spend $1.27 trillion more than the government takes in next year. | 02/01/10 17:05:00 By - Steven Thomma
Obama budget foresees deficits for a decade
President Obama's proposed 2011 budget, which will be officially unveiled today, calls for spending $1.3 trillion more than the government takes in — then continue with deficits of more than $700 billion a year for at least a decade. The proposal would keep in place Bush-era tax breaks for those earning under $250,000, but let them expire for those making more. | 02/01/10 06:00:00 By - Steven Thomma
Obama budget aims at solidifying women's support
With women's advocacy groups voicing growing unease with administration policy, President Barack Obama will propose a $3.8 trillion budget on Monday that would exempt programs for women and girls from spending restrictions he's proposed for other programs. | 01/31/10 19:44:00 By - James Rosen
China responds angrily to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan
China curtailed military exchanges with the United States on Saturday and threatened to sanction U.S. firms in retaliation for proposed American weapon sales to Taiwan. China has cut off U.S. military exchanges before, but threatening sanctions on U.S. companies is new and may signal China's willing to use its growing economic power in diplomatic disputes. | 01/30/10 16:13:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Obama outlines plan to boost small business hiring
Two days after he announced that job creation is his administration's top priority, President Barack Obama detailed a proposal, which he unveiled Friday in Baltimore, to encourage small businesses to start hiring. | 01/30/10 09:10:08 By - Allison Stice
Bipartisanship? Well, at least Obama and House GOP talked
In a session that was intended to foster bipartisanship with Republicans in the House of Representatives, President Barack Obama blasted them Friday for distorting his health care plan to the point that "you'd think that this thing was some Bolshevik plot." | 01/29/10 18:09:00 By - William Douglas
Moving 9-11 trial could have wide repercussions for Obama
President Barack Obama's willingness to consider moving the trial of self-professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed out of New York reflects the trouble that Obama's facing in Congress, not just from Republicans but also from Democrats in this tough midterm election year. | 01/29/10 17:36:00 By - Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor
2010: Analysis: Obama channels Reagan, 'Stay the course'
Despite the stinging defeat his party suffered in Massachusetts, the erosion of his own political support and calls from Republicans and moderate Democrats to change his agenda, Obama signaled that he'll make no abrupt turn from the path he set more than a year ago. | 01/27/10 22:26:00 By - Steven Thomma
2010: Obama: 'I will not give up,' and neither should lawmakers
Acknowledging Americans' frustration with the slow pace of the nation's economic recovery, President Barack Obama dedicated more than half of his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to pocketbook themes, from jobs to tax breaks to taming the national debt. He revived his campaign theme that Republicans and Democrats must work together for the nation's good — as he said previous generations did for centuries, to do "what's best for the next generation." | 01/27/10 19:59:00 By - Margaret Talev
Geithner, predecessor and Fed defend AIG payments
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, his predecessor Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke denied Wednesday any wrongdoing in secretive decisions surrounding the September 2008 bailout of failing insurance giant American International Group. | 01/27/10 11:46:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Greg Gordon
Obama to emphasize jobs, economy in State of the Union
The Barack Obama who'll deliver the State of the Union address Wednesday night faces a grimmer, more dubious audience than the popular new president who was riding high when he first addressed Congress last February did. | 01/26/10 17:55:00 By - Margaret Talev and Steven Thomma
Obama thanks Kentucky basketball team for Haiti fundraiser
What started as an effort to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief led to the University of Kentucky basketball team being thanked via telephone by President Barack Obama Tuesday in Columbia, S.C. And it was clear the nation's No. 1 ranking basketball fan knows the nation's top-ranked team well. | 01/26/10 16:57:04 By - Seth Emerson
Aspiring teacher to watch speech from first lady's box
Should the television camera pan to the first lady's box at the State of the Union address Wednesday night and find a young former Marine in a dark blue suit, viewers can expect to see a smile. Julia Frost, an aspiring teacher who left the military on disability, tends to find the good in life. | 01/26/10 13:25:00 By - Barbara Barrett
Obama quietly continues to defend Bush's terror policies
Although the FBI has acknowledged it improperly obtained thousands of Americans' phone records for years, the Obama administration continues to assert that the bureau can obtain them without any formal legal process or court oversight. | 01/22/10 17:45:00 By - Marisa Taylor
Obama moves to restrict banks, takes on Wall Street
Obama's proposal is designed to limit the size of the nation's largest commercial banks and reduce the risks they take in complex and exotic investments. It stopped short of a return to the days when commercial banks just lent money and were completely locked out of investment activities, but the shares of the largest banks declined in trading. | 01/21/10 13:07:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Steven Thomma
How will Obama adjust, and will it save his presidency?
President Barack Obama grappled Wednesday with the fallout from the stunning Republican Senate election in Massachusetts, a stinging loss that could drive him to stay the course in tough times — a la Ronald Reagan in 1982 — or tack toward the center and work more with the Republicans — as Bill Clinton did after 1994. | 01/20/10 18:40:00 By - Steven Thomma and Margaret Talev
Obama tells Senate to wait on health care overhaul bill
Obama said Senate Democrats should wait on health care until after Republican Scott Brown, the victor in Tuesday's Massachusetts election, takes his Senate seat. "The Senate certainly shouldn't try to jam anything through," he told ABC News. He also said leaders should sift through recently passed legislation and find those elements on which there is wide agreement. | 01/20/10 18:19:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas
Obama gets an 'incomplete' in foreign policy for first year
A year after he took office to global acclaim, President Barack Obama has yet to translate his mantra of "change" into foreign policy success or to define how he'll use America's clout to advance its security, economic and political interests. | 01/18/10 15:10:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Obama: More than a Senate seat at stake in Massachusetts
President Barack Obama put it on the line Sunday for the people of Massachusetts — the entire Democratic agenda ranging from expanded health care to fighting big banks may rest on whether they vote Tuesday to send a Democrat to fill out the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's unexpired term.The president's stake in the outcome is huge, particularly for getting an overhaul of the nation's health insurance. The Democrats must keep the seat to maintain the 60 votes they need in the Senate to pass the health care proposal over Republican objections. | 01/17/10 19:58:38 By - Steven Thomma
Obama taps former Presidents Clinton and Bush for Haiti relief
President Barack Obama tapped former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton Saturday to head a fundraising effort to underwrite Haiti's long-term recovery. The three men said a Web site, www.clintonbushhaitifund.org, has been established to accept donations for the relief and reconstruction effort. | 01/16/10 14:08:00 By - Warren P. Strobel and Margaret Talev
It isn't going to get easier for Obama in the second year
There'll be no parade this time for President Barack Obama. No grand speech from the west front of the Capitol, no fireworks, no glittery balls to kick off the second year of his presidency on Wednesday, as there were for the first. | 01/15/10 18:23:00 By - Steven Thomma and Margaret Talev
Lawmakers, regulators have banks' bonuses in their sights
With public furor rising over big bonuses for bankers, the White House, Congress and financial regulators all suddenly say they want strong restrictions on executive pay. They're offering bold ideas, probing hearings and a pledge that something finally will get done. | 01/13/10 18:04:00 By - David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall
Senate leader Reid apologizes to Obama for racial remarks
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., apologized Saturday for newly revealed racial remarks he made about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. Obama accepted his apology, but Reid's comments could hurt his re-election hopes. | 01/09/10 18:01:47 By - Steven Thomma
Obama takes responsibility, won't order firings in bomb plot
President Barack Obama Thursday declined to fire anyone for the lapses that allowed a suspected terrorist carrying explosives to board a plane for Detroit on Christmas Day, and said for the first time that he bears the ultimate responsibility for any breach that endangers Americans. | 01/07/10 17:45:00 By - Steven Thomma and Margaret Talev
Obama: Feds knew more about terror suspect, but didn't act
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that U.S. intelligence officials had had more warnings about the alleged Christmas airplane attacker, including reports that al Qaida was working with him and the group was planning attacks on American targets in Yemen and the United States. | 01/05/10 19:01:00 By - Steven Thomma
Obama links al Qaida affiliate to Christmas bombing attempt
President Barack Obama on Saturday gave his most detailed comments to date on the failed attempt to bomb a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day, blaming an al Qaida affiliate for training and equipping the man who allegedly smuggled explosives aboard a Detroit-bound airliner. | 01/02/10 17:18:00 By - Renee Schoof
Obama sets Tuesday meeting on air bomber security failures
In a statement released Thursday from Hawaii, where he's been vacationing with his family, Obama said he'd meet in Washington with multiple agency heads to address the investigation into how a 23-year-old Nigerian was able to board a Detroit-bound airliner with explosives on Christmas Day. In Washington, some federal agencies already were moving to improve their procedures. | 12/31/09 16:51:00 By - Margaret Talev
Text of White House briefing on investigation of Christmas Day attack
This is the transcript provided by the White House of a background briefing by a senior administration official Tuesday on what a preliminary investigation has found about intelligence failings in the Christmas Day attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253. | 12/29/09 22:44:09 By -
Obama calls airline security breach 'totally unacceptable'
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Tuesday blamed "systemic failure" in the nation's national security and anti-terror system for allowing a Nigerian man to board a Detroit-bound airliner with explosives, even after his father had warned the government of his extremist views. | 12/29/09 22:08:00 By - Margaret Talev
Obama's remarks on the 'systemic failure' that led to the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253
The White House provided this transcript of Obama's remarks Tuesday on the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner in which he blamed the intelligence community for missing signs that might have prevented the suspect, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, from boarding the place. | 12/29/09 21:04:09 By -
Obama: 'Intelligence community' blew air bomber tip
Obama blamed the intelligence community for failing to share "bits of information" that would have resulted in Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab being placed on a no fly list after his father warned U.S. officials of his son's extremist views. "It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list," Obama said. | 12/29/09 17:52:00 By - Margaret Talev
Despite Obama's campaign vow, federal budget still a mess
2009 was supposed to be the year that federal budgeting was finally done smoothly and efficiently. It didn't happen. Spending on discretionary items, or those under White House and congressional control, is expected to run about 4 percent higher than last year, well above the rate of inflation. Still, that's less than the 7.5 percent annual average increase of the last 10 years. | 12/27/09 15:40:00 By - David Lightman
The lingering Bush legacy: What to do about those tax cuts
In the back of every Washington politician's mind is this sobering fact: Unless Congress acts, the temporary tax cuts it passed when George W. Bush was president will expire at the end of next year. If Democrats who control Congress do nothing and let the tax rates on the highest income brackets return to their pre-2001 levels, their Republican rivals and many Americans will slam them as tax hikers. | 12/25/09 14:42:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
Here's what Obama said about Senate health care vote
This is the official transcript from the White House of the president's remarks after passage by the Senate of health care overhaul bill. | 12/24/09 09:43:05 By -
Obama names conservatives to Legal Services board
Sacramento-based attorney Sharon L. Browne is a Republican and a principal attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which promotes limited government. But she also voices support for the Legal Services Corp.'s goal of providing legal services to low-income Americans. Obama also named Victor B. Maddox, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to the board. | 12/22/09 18:31:28 By - Michael Doyle
Obama's sleigh, er, motorcade, calls on Boys and Girls Club
He was dressed all in a suit from his head to his foot, but President Barack Obama was channeling Santa when he dropped in on a Boys and Girls Club in Northeast Washington Monday with a basket full of Christmas cookies and a copy of "The Polar Express" tucked under his arm. | 12/21/09 18:57:00 By - Margaret Talev
New turmoil in Pakistan threatens to stall Obama's Afghan strategy
WASHINGTON — Less than a month after he unveiled it, President Barack Obama's Afghanistan strategy is in trouble, overtaken by new political turmoil in Pakistan that threatens to distract its bickering leaders from the fight against al Qaida and its Afghan and Pakistani allies. | 12/20/09 17:54:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay
After Senate passage, compromise begins for a real health care law
WASHINGTON — The Senate began its final, frantic steps toward passage of historic health care legislation on Sunday, as lawmakers and interest groups began turning their attention to the difficult battles over abortion, taxes and the public option that lie ahead. | 12/20/09 16:38:00 By - David Lightman
Senate now poised to adopt historic health care bill
Senate passage of historic health care legislation seemed all but assured Saturday after Democratic leaders won the support of the final senator they needed to bring the measure to a vote. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announced he'd vote for the measure after changes that would put limits on federal abortion funding, increase Medicare taxes on the wealthy and create a federally supervised health care alternative. | 12/19/09 16:01:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas
Frustrated liberals voice discontent with Obama
On health care, the war in Afghanistan, civil liberties and the economy, President Barack Obama is meeting growing resistance from the very group that propelled his election last year: liberal Democrats. | 12/18/09 18:20:00 By - Margaret Talev and David Lightman
Once the 'change' candidate, Obama now a changed man
Nearing the end of his first year in office, President Barack Obama is in many ways a changed man. Governing has proved to be far different from campaigning. The world looked different once elected. The economy raced even faster toward collapse and Afghanistan worsened. Congress turned out more difficult. The world proved resistant to his charms. | 12/18/09 17:55:00 By - Steven Thomma
Michelle Obama urges donating gifts for older children
First lady Michelle Obama is asking Americans who plan to donate to the Marines' Toys for Tots program but haven't yet to choose gifts for 11- to 14-year-olds, an age group for whom she said there was a dearth of gifts this year. | 12/16/09 17:51:00 By - Margaret Talev
Stimulus II: Congress ponders aid for cash-strapped states
Washington soon could come to the aid of California, New York and other cash-strapped states that face the need to raise taxes or cut spending again next year to balance their books. | 12/16/09 16:51:00 By - Rob Hotakainen
Pelosi: Obama's on his own to win money for Afghan buildup
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that it's up to President Barack Obama to persuade reluctant Democrats to fund his Afghanistan troop buildup — his most important foreign policy initiative — because she has no plans to do so herself. | 12/16/09 15:27:25 By - William Douglas and David Lightman
Obama might not get health care overhaul for Christmas
President Barack Obama tried mightily Tuesday to jolt the Senate's stalled health care overhaul effort, but after an hour-long closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats, the fate of his top 2009 domestic priority remains unclear. | 12/15/09 19:24:00 By - David Lightman
'Start lending,' Obama tells the bankers
President Barack Obama gave the nation's top bankers an earful Monday, telling them in no uncertain terms that it's time for them to start lending again to help boost the economy after being bailed out themselves by the nation's taxpayers. | 12/14/09 16:20:00 By - Steven Thomma
Unlikely support: GOP loved Obama's Nobel speech
By using his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech Thursday to justify expanding the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama won over some Republican critics at home, even as he preached messages of multilateralism, diplomacy and civil disobedience that resonate in anti-war circles around the world. | 12/10/09 08:37:15 By - Margaret Talev
Obama choice to head Alaska pipeline project wins bipartisan praise
President Barack Obama has nominated Larry Persily, a former journalist and political aide, to serve as the federal coordinator for the Alaska natural gas pipeline project, a multi-billion dollar project that would carry natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48. Persily, who worked in Alaska's D.C. office when Sarah Palin was Alaska's governor, was recommended for the post by U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska. | 12/09/09 19:49:52 By - Erika Bolstad
Poll: Obama, Democrats end the year politically weaker
President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party end the year far weaker than they started it, according to a McClatchy-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. | 12/08/09 17:28:00 By - Steven Thomma
Obama: Use leftover bank bailout money to create jobs
President Barack Obama's call Tuesday to spend much of the $200 billion in "extra" bank bailout funds on job creation efforts embodies Democrats' strategy to make a second economic stimulus more palatable to wary taxpayers. | 12/08/09 13:00:00 By - Margaret Talev Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman
Obama, Biden phoned Kurds to press Iraq election deal
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden intervened personally to save an agreement allowing Iraq's elections to proceed, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Monday, highlighting the stakes in the deal for an eventual American troop withdrawal. | 12/07/09 17:47:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Jones: Obama still wants Guantanamo closed in 2010
President Barack Obama is insisting that his administration still close the prison camps at Guantanamo in 2010 despite the missed Jan. 22 deadline, National Security Adviser James Jones said Sunday, predicting closure by summer. CNN's John King could not get Jones to commit to a specific new deadline but, when pressed, Jones said he expected the camps emptied within six months. | 12/06/09 22:31:29 By -
U.S. action on climate policy is key to international treaty
Negotiators in Copenhagen will try to nail down all the main elements of a treaty to curb global warming in the next two weeks, but a final agreement won't be possible until the United States figures out what it will do to reduce emissions of heat-trapping pollution. | 12/04/09 17:56:00 By - Renee Schoof
Will Obama's heartland visits convince Americans he cares?
President Barack Obama traveled to small-town Pennsylvania Friday to tell Americans that he empathizes with their pain from the deep recession, that he's working hard all the time to create jobs and that his plans will work. It was the first stop of a campaign-like effort to connect to Americans at a time when they may not think he's paying enough attention to their top priority: jobs. | 12/04/09 16:57:00 By - Steven Thomma
Afghanistan was Tuesday. Now, what to do about jobs?
With the jobless rate rising and his approval ratings sinking, President Barack Obama hosted academics and leaders of business and labor at a White House jobs summit Thursday, seeking advice on how to boost employment. The White House gathering came a day before the Labor Department is expected to report that the 10.2 percent unemployment rate has risen further. | 12/03/09 19:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman
U.S. steps up pressure on Iran over missing ex-FBI agent
The White House and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Thursday for Iran to divulge any information it has about Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who went missing from a Persian Gulf island in March 2007. The statement from the White House came as the Coral Springs, Fla., man's family marked the 1,000th day of his disappearance with meetings at the State Department and the FBI. | 12/03/09 17:50:00 By - Lesley Clark
Fresno mayor face of economic woes at White House forum
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin carried a heavy burden Thursday at a high-level White House jobs forum and brainstorming session. | 12/03/09 17:27:00 By - Michael Doyle
3 Secret Service officers placed on leave over party crashers
The head of the Secret Service accepted full responsibility Thursday for last week's security breach at President Barack Obama's first state dinner, but insisted that the president and Vice President Joe Biden were never in danger from a party-crashing couple who shook hands and posed for pictures with them. | 12/03/09 14:51:00 By - William Douglas
California woman helps decorate White House for Christmas
For Julie Reinking, this is a Christmas dream come true. After years of trying, the Carmichael nurse helped deck the White House halls. For five days in Washington, D.C., Reinking dutifully hot-glued decorations and hung handmade ornaments. With Secret Service hovering nearby, she fussed over intricate floral arrangements and straightened garlands under presidential portraits. | 12/03/09 06:55:31 By - Debbie Arrington
White House staff gets partial blame for party crashers
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs cited "separation of powers" in explaining why White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers won't talk to a congressional committee investigating how a Virginia couple crashed a state dinner last week. Meanwhile, a White House memo says that the White House staff did not do "everything we could have" to prevent the interlopers from being admitted to the event. | 12/02/09 15:36:14 By - Steven Thomma
Lawmakers confused, divided over Obama's Afghanistan plan
The Obama administration sent what many lawmakers saw as vague and sometimes confusing signals Wednesday about its intentions in Afghanistan, leaving members of Congress unsure how to proceed as they consider his plan to deploy 30,000 more American troops there. | 12/02/09 00:48:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas
Congress casts wary eye on Obama's Afghanistan buildup
Obama's biggest challenge will be his fellow Democrats, who control 60 of the Senate's 100 seats and 258 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Worried about retaining their majority in next November's elections at a time when polls show the public turning against them and the war in Afghanistan, they are by no means ready to throw their support behind Obama's plan to escalate the U.S. war effort. | 12/01/09 17:58:00 By - William Douglas and David Lightman
What the Salahis told the Today Show about their White House invite
| 12/01/09 16:06:21 By -
Obama faces steep challenges in new Afghan policy
With eight years of blood and treasure already spent and perhaps his presidency hanging in the balance, President Barack Obama will tell the world Tuesday how he'll escalate the war in Afghanistan — and how he hopes his risky decision will lead finally to a path home for U.S. forces. | 11/30/09 19:00:00 By - Steven Thomma and Nancy A. Youssef
As U.S. focus turns to Afghanistan, Iraq challenges remain
While President Barack Obama prepares to announce that he's sending tens of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, his problems in Iraq are far from over. The country's power struggles among Sunni and Shiite Muslim Arabs and between Arabs and Kurds are unfinished, and whether they will turn violent again remains uncertain. | 11/30/09 18:01:00 By - Warren P. Strobel
Secret Service takes blame for White House party crashers
The director of the Secret Service took the blame Friday for security failures that allowed a publicity-hungry couple from Virginia who weren't on the guest list for President Barack Obama's first state dinner to slip through security and directly encounter the president. | 11/27/09 19:01:00 By - Margaret Talev
White House says world moving toward new Iran sanctions
The United Nations nuclear agency Friday blasted Iran for obstructing investigations into its suspected nuclear weapons program and demanded that the Islamic Republic stop construction of a once-secret facility. | 11/27/09 14:12:00 By - Margaret Talev and Nancy A. Youssef
Obama vows to 'get the job done' in Afghanistan
In a preview of his speech next week announcing his plan to send more than 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama Tuesday vowed that he'll "finish the job" of stabilizing the country and destroying the al Qaida terror network. | 11/24/09 19:50:00 By - Jonathan S. Landay, Steven Thomma and John Walcott
GOP senators, Holder clash over New York trials for 9/11 plot
Attorney General Eric Holder said he foresaw no judicial obstacles to convicting the five terrorism suspects and putting them to death, despite complaints from the Republican senators about the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other accused terrorist conspirators in New York. Meanwhile, Obama said he was confident they'll be found guilty. | 11/18/09 18:42:00 By - James Rosen
Obama orders financial fraud task force beefed up
Citing a wide belief that "Wall Street does not play by the same rules as Main Street," Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday the creation of a sweeping state-federal task force to uncover crimes contributing to the recent financial crisis or threatening to cause one in the future. | 11/17/09 17:47:00 By - Greg Gordon
New president, same result on China currency flap
China's rebuff this week of President Barack Obama's call to stop controlling the price of its currency sparked renewed calls for legislation to allow U.S. retaliation against Chinese-made goods. | 11/17/09 19:08:00 By - Kevin G. Hall
China, U.S. announce they'll work together on clean energy
President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao agreed Tuesday that U.S. and Chinese scientists and engineers will work together to speed the widespread use of electric cars, buildings that need far less energy and coal-fired power plants that don't pump out gases that cause global warming. | 11/17/09 15:28:00 By - Renee Schoof
Book: Edwards tried to trade Obama endorsement for VP nod
Democrat John Edwards tried to cut a secret deal with both Barack Obama and perhaps Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential primaries, offering his endorsement in exchange for the vice presidential nomination, according to a new book by Obama's campaign manager. Obama ruled out any deals, and Edwards' endorsement in May 2008 anyway. | 11/17/09 10:23:30 By - By Steven Thomma
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