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• Obama salutes Air Force Academy football team

  April 23, 2012 8:29 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama struck a football running back's pose after congratulating the Air Force Academy football team for winning the Commander in Chief trophy, the academy's second in two years and 18th overall. Obama presented the trophy during a ceremony Monday in the White House East Room.... more »

• Obama says nation needs 'Buffett Rule'

  April 16, 2012 1:27 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says the nation can't afford to keep giving tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans "who don't need them and didn't even ask for them." Obama is using his weekly radio and Internet address to urge Americans to ask their member of Congress to support... more »

• Obama: Scenery may help Broncos lure Manning

  March 12, 2012 5:51 PM

  DENVER (AP) - President Barack Obama says the Denver Broncos will have an advantage if scenery is a factor in Peyton Manning's decision on what team to join. Obama made the comment Monday at the end of a White House interview with KCNC-TV in Denver. The president said, "If natural... more »

• Colorado gets No Child Left Behind exemption

  February 9, 2012 6:14 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press has learned that President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict requirements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. The move gives long-sought leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students. A White House... more »

• Huntsman out of GOP race- to endorse Romney

  January 16, 2012 11:30 AM

  CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Jon Huntsman staked his presidential campaign on New Hampshire and his bid to become a legitimate competitor on distinguishing himself from front-runner Mitt Romney. But less than a week after a disappointing third-place finish in the GOP primary there, Huntsman decided to quit the race and... more »

• Negative ads mix with holiday cheer in Iowa

  December 20, 2011 7:12 PM

  DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - Iowa residents flipping their TV channels this season aren't finding a whole lot of Christmas cheer. A barrage of negative campaign ads is flooding the airwaves, with ghoulish images of Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi crowding Santa and doomsday music drowning out holiday song. Mitt Romney... more »

• Obama adviser says president best for middle-class

  October 27, 2011 10:14 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A presidential campaign adviser says that Barack Obama can tap into the frustrations typified by the Occupy Wall Street movement better than any Republican rival in 2012. Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs tells NBC's "Today" show Obama "is out there fighting for the middle class."... more »

• White House aims to speed up job-creating projects

  August 31, 2011 3:44 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama wants to hit the accelerator on job-creating infrastructure projects. The White House says Obama has directed the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development to identify up to three high-priority projects that will create jobs and that already have... more »

• Libyan rebels say they are closing in on Tripoli

  August 21, 2011 4:42 AM

  TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - Libyan rebels say they are closing in on Tripoli from the west and the front line is now less than 20 miles from the capital. They say a 600-strong rebel force that set out eastward from the coastal city of Zawiya reached the outskirts of... more »

• Appeals court strikes health insurance requirement

  August 12, 2011 1:47 PM

  ATLANTA (AP) - A federal appeals court has struck down the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health insurance or face penalties. A divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday struck down the so-called individual... more »

• 'Really close' to debt deal as deadline nears

  July 31, 2011 4:21 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Racing to avoid a government default, President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders reached urgently for a compromise Sunday to permit vital borrowing by the Treasury in exchange for more than $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the two sides were... more »

• President sends message to Congress to reach a deal

  July 30, 2011 10:43 AM

  In a weekly radio address President Barack Obama made reference to a ticking clock counting down to a Tuesday deadline proclaiming that the disagreements are not that great in urging Democratic and Republican lawmakers to work together in reaching a deal that would avoid a default in the US government... more »

• Obama calls Giffords' recovery a miracle

  June 14, 2011 8:26 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has an "incredible spirit," and calls her ongoing recovery from a gunshot to the head "a genuine miracle." Obama says it's "almost unimaginable" that Giffords is now walking, talking and laughing. He met with the congresswoman in April... more »

• Obama cheered over bin Laden's death

  May 10, 2011 10:17 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The killing of Osama bin Laden has given President Barack Obama a new applause line for fundraising events. Obama boasted at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Tuesday night that thanks to the U.S. military and American intelligence agencies, "Osama bin Laden will never again threaten... more »

• President Barack Obama says, "we cannot stand idly by"

  March 19, 2011 6:06 PM

  BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) - President Barack Obama says the United States has launched a limited military action against Libya because the U.S. and its allies, as he puts it, "cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy." From Brazil, Obama reiterated the U.S.... more »

• White House takes credit for Bush-era wind jobs

  October 21, 2010 8:38 AM

  The Obama administration is crediting its anti-recession stimulus plan with creating up to 50,000 jobs on dozens of wind farms, even though many of those wind farms were built before the stimulus money began to flow or even before President Barack Obama was inaugurated. Out of 70 major wind... more »

• Chief of Staff Emanuel says goodbye to White House

  October 1, 2010 12:37 PM

  President Barack Obama has formally announced the departure of his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, praising him as "extraordinarily well-qualified" for his new challenge - a run for mayor of Chicago. Emanuel stood next to Obama as the president gave him a high-profile send-off in the East Room. ... more »

• President signs $30 billion small business lending bill

  September 27, 2010 4:10 PM

  President Barack Obama has signed a bill creating a $30 billion fund to help small businesses expand and hire. The bill also includes eight separate tax breaks for small businesses and a boost for Small Business Administration loan programs. Obama says the incentives will help small businesses create jobs... more »

• President to address the nation on Iraq

  August 31, 2010 8:32 AM

  President Barack Obama speaks to the nation tonight to herald the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. The president will say tonight he's fulfilled a campaign promise. Ahead of the speech, he's thanking troops at Fort Bliss, Texas, for the valor they've shown in Iraq.... more »

• GOP House leader: Obama economic team should resign

  August 24, 2010 10:48 AM

  In a speech on jobs and the economy, House Republican leader John Boehner is urging President Barack Obama to support an extension of tax cuts and to fire key economic advisers. The text was released in advance before the lawmaker from southern Ohio spoke to the City Club of... more »

• US troops in Iraq fall below 50,000 number

  August 24, 2010 8:21 AM

  The American military says the number of US troops in Iraq has fallen below the 50,000 figure that was mandated by President Barack Obama. This is the lowest troop level in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. American forces in Iraq will no longer conduct what are described... more »

• President Obama politicking, raising money

  August 16, 2010 8:54 AM

  President Barack Obama is touching nearly every region of the country to stir up cash and attention for Democrats, launching a three-day trip. Obama will spend the heart of his Monday in Wisconsin, raising money for gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett and other Wisconsin Democrats. He will cap his... more »

• Obama playing host to Super Bowl champs

  August 9, 2010 8:53 AM

  Now that training camp is underway for the new NFL season, President Barack Obama will welcome the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints to the White House on Monday. The Saints will hold a football clinic with Washington-area children before the event with Obama. After their White House meeting,... more »

• States continue legal battle against health care law

  August 6, 2010 8:19 AM

  Twenty states and the nation's most influential small business lobby are about to respond to the federal government's attempt to dismiss their lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The states, the National Federation of Independent Business and several individual taxpayers will file their response Friday. A key... more »

• Obama pleads with Colorado Dems to stick with Bennet

  August 4, 2010 8:29 AM

  President Barack Obama is pleading with Colorado Democrats to stick with Sen. Michael Bennet in a primary challenge, calling the appointed senator "the person that I want alongside me." Bennet is facing a primary challenge from Andrew Romanoff, a former state lawmaker who has blasted Bennet as too cozy... more »

• Obama defends education policies to critics

  July 29, 2010 1:39 PM

  President Barack Obama says the country's long-term economic success will be tied to the success of the nation's schools. Speaking at the centennial convention of the National Urban League, Obama says he won't tolerate a status quo where United States lags behind other countries in education achievements. The... more »

• Obama's message to voters: Things could be worse

  July 26, 2010 8:42 AM

  President Barack Obama is trying to convince a cranky electorate not to change course in mid stream -- or in this case, at mid-term. His message for the fall elections, which are looking ominous for his Democrats, is that Republicans caused the nation's economic troubles, but he and the... more »

• Volcker sees economy as unstable

  July 23, 2010 9:13 AM

  Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker says years of over-consumption and the resulting debt have made the country's economy unstable. He told about 750 people Thursday in Steamboat Springs that both political parties have to come together to move the country forward and expressed frustration with the current political... more »

• Gulf Coasters skeptical of Obama, BP promises

  June 15, 2010 11:25 AM

  President Barack Obama promised that life would return to normal for people living on the stricken Gulf Coast, and BP said by the end of the month it would contain more than three times as much oil spewing from a ruptured undersea well. The pledges didn't placate some residents.... more »

• Obama to head to gulf in pivotal week for disaster response

  June 14, 2010 8:09 AM

  A crucial week is beginning for the disaster recovery effort along the Gulf coast as President Barack Obama heads there for his fourth visit to the oil spill zone. Obama will wrap up the two-day visit with a national address and on Wednesday, he plans to lay down the... more »

• White House used Bill Clinton to get Sestak out of senate race

  May 28, 2010 11:22 AM

  The White House confirms that it used former President Bill Clinton as an intermediary to discourage Rep. Joe Sestak's Democratic primary challenge in the Pennsylvania Senate race. A White House official familiar with the matter says Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used Clinton as a go-between to ask Sestak... more »

• Obama heading to Louisiana for oil spill update

  May 28, 2010 8:11 AM

  President Barack Obama is heading to coastal areas of Louisiana for an update on the latest efforts to stop the devastating spill of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Obama was to get a briefing today from Adm. Thad Allen, who is overseeing the response to the spill... more »

• New Hawaii law shuns Obama document requests

  May 13, 2010 10:12 AM

  It's now law in Hawaii that the government can ignore requests for President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Republican Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law Wednesday a bill allowing state government agencies not to respond to follow-up requests for information if they determine that the subsequent request is substantially similar... more »

• Despite gulf spill, Americans still want drilling

  May 13, 2010 8:11 AM

  A new poll finds that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hasn't stained President Barack Obama nor dimmed the public's desire for offshore energy drilling. While some conservative pundits have called this "Obama's Katrina," that's not how the public feels. The AP-GfK poll found that BP PLC, the company... more »

• Obama to choose Kagan for Supreme Court

  May 10, 2010 8:15 AM

  The woman President Barack Obama is set to nominate to the Supreme Court is known as sharp, politically savvy and someone who has led a blazing legal career. Solicitor General Elena Kagan was the first female dean of Harvard Law School and the first woman to serve as the top... more »

• White House adviser spills secret: Obama loves pie

  April 24, 2010 11:06 AM

  Presidents have had their indulgences - Ronald Reagan loved jellybeans and Bill Clinton binged at McDonald's. What's President Barack Obama's weak spot? Pie. Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, tells Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" Friday that the president was forced to "separate" from the White House pastry chef to... more »

• Colorado school competes for Obama graduation speech

  April 10, 2010 1:14 PM

  A Colorado high school is in the race to win a commencement speech delivered by President Barack Obama. The Denver School of Science & Technology was one of six schools named a finalist in the national competition on Friday. The charter school was selected after submitting answers to essay questions,... more »

• Obama to allow oil drilling off Virginia coast

  March 31, 2010 9:30 AM

  President Barack Obama plans to announce that the government will allow oil drilling 50 miles off Virginia's shoreline but will reject some proposed drilling sites in Alaska. Obama scheduled an announcement Wednesday at Andrews air base near Washington. In the speech, he was set to discuss why he is changing... more »

• Scientists look to tobacco as a potential biofuel

  March 29, 2010 10:23 AM

  Some researchers say an age-old cash crop long the focus of public health debate could be used to help solve the nation's energy crisis, by genetically modifying the tobacco leaf for use as a biofuel. The golden leaf is the latest in a series of possible biofuels like switchgrass... more »

• Obama makes surprise trip to Afghanistan

  March 28, 2010 12:40 PM

  President Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan for a surprise visit, his first in-person view as commander in chief of the war he dramatically escalated. Obama landed at night and for a stay of just a few hours. He flew by helicopter from Bagram Air Field to the capital.... more »

• Obama to announce loan guarantee for nuclear plant

  February 16, 2010 10:53 AM

  President Barack Obama is expected to announce federal loan guarantees for construction of a new nuclear power plant as he highlights investment in energy jobs. Obama is scheduled to make remarks after touring a job training center at the headquarters of Local 26 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers... more »

• White House defends year-old stimulus

  February 16, 2010 8:47 AM

  It's the fist anniversary of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan and he's sending top administration officials out to defend it. Cabinet members will fan out across the country to try to calm an anxious public as Democrats head into potentially devastating midterm elections. A weeklong push to highlight the... more »

• Obama to announce nuke plant loan

  February 13, 2010 11:49 AM

  President Barack Obama next week will announce a loan guarantee to build the first nuclear power plant in the United States in almost three decades, an administration official said Friday. The two new Southern Co. reactors to be built in Burke, Ga., are part of a White House energy... more »

• Obama making a pitch for jobs bill

  February 9, 2010 9:57 AM

  President Barack Obama meets with top lawmakers from both parties today in hopes of launching a new jobs bill toward quick passage. The president's proposed a package of small business tax breaks and new lending that he hopes will appeal to Democrats and Republicans. But Many Republicans are suspicious of... more »

• Obama predicts Colts victory in Super Bowl

  February 7, 2010 9:55 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says the Indianapolis Colts "have to be favored" in the Super Bowl, even though he has a "soft spot" for the New Orleans Saints. Obama's Super Bowl prediction was based on his opinion that the Colts have "perhaps the best quarterback in history." "Peyton... more »

• Ditching moon mission could cost Colorado Play Video

  February 2, 2010 8:12 PM

  President Obama has scrapped NASA's $100 billion plan to return astronauts to the moon. Around $9 billion has already been spent on the Constellation Project, much of it through aerospace companies whose research and development branches are based in Colorado. The Orion Crew Vehicle, a modern day equivalent... more »

• Health care bill apparently moves to back burner

  January 31, 2010 11:28 AM

  Congressional Democrats are still looking for a way forward on health care reform, though the issue appears to have been moved to the back burner with the new administration focus on jobs. Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, a leader of House progressives, wonders if it'll get done. He says he's "not... more »

• Obama sets framework for cooperation with political opponents

  January 30, 2010 12:17 PM

  President Barack Obama says trimming budget deficits is as important as creating jobs. In his weekend radio and Internet address, Obama says steps to rein in spending include a rule requiring that spending or tax cuts be offset by cuts to other programs or tax increases. There's also a freeze... more »

• Obama to announce aid for middle class

  January 25, 2010 10:30 AM

  President Barack Obama is set to announce a series of economic initiatives aimed at helping struggling middle class families. The proposals, to be announced Monday, include a doubling of the child care tax credit, caps on student loan payments, and aid for families taking care of elderly relatives. The plan... more »

• President preparing for Wednesday's big speech

  January 25, 2010 9:10 AM

  Aides say President Barack Obama is preparing for a State of the Union address that will refocus -- but not redefine -- his presidency. With his poll numbers down and facing a resurgent Republican party, Obama knows a lot's riding on this week's speech. Aides say Americans will see... more »

• Adviser says Obama is pursuing health care changes

  January 24, 2010 10:00 AM

  White House adviser David Axelrod says President Barack Obama isn't giving up trying to overhaul the country's health care system. Obama's chief political aide says it would be politically foolish for lawmakers who supported the overhaul so far to walk away from it now. The Senate election Tuesday in Massachusetts... more »

• Obama lashes out at campaign finance ruling

  January 23, 2010 12:42 PM

  President Barack Obama on Saturday sharply criticized a Supreme Court decision easing limits on campaign spending by corporations and labor unions, saying he couldn't "think of anything more devastating to the public interest." He also suggested the ruling could jeopardize his domestic agenda. In its 5-4 decision this week,... more »

• Obama's 1st year gets mixed verdict

  January 20, 2010 10:10 AM

  Americans like Barack Obama, but do they like the job he's doing? Nearly nine out of 10 people questioned in a new poll say they like Obama personally. Even three-quarters of Republicans say they think Obama is a good guy. But the Associated Press-GfK poll suggests mixed reviews on the... more »

• Blagojevich: I'm 'blacker than Barack Obama'

  January 11, 2010 9:38 AM

  Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he's "blacker than Barack Obama" and tells Esquire magazine that he was a real person in a political arena dominated by phonies. Blagojevich, referring to the president as "this guy," says Obama was elected based simply on hope. "What the (expletive)? Everything... more »