Obama heads to Hill to push on health bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is paying a rare visit to Capitol Hill to urge Senate Democrats forward as they work through the weekend to try to resolve their differences on his sweeping health care overhaul. The president's planned appearance at a Senate Democratic caucus meeting Sunday afternoon answers appeals from a number of lawmakers eager for him to step in and help Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., finish the job.
In Tuesday speech, Obama to promote new job ideas
WASHINGTON (AP) — In his latest job creation effort, President Barack Obama is trying to find practical and politically feasible ways of spurring hiring among skittish employers. Among the ideas expected in his economic speech Tuesday is an expanded program that gives people cash incentives to fix up their homes with energy-saving materials, senior administration officials have told The Associated Press. Obama is leaning toward new incentives for small businesses that hire new workers and new spending on roads, bridges and other public works, the officials said.
Gay House members say gay-friendly bills are near
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two of Congress's three openly gay members said Saturday that the U.S. House is poised to pass bills to provide health coverage for the same-sex partners of gay federal workers and to protect all gay and transgender employees from job discrimination. Speaking to an international conference of gay politicians in San Francisco, U.S. Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jared Polis, D-Colo., said they expect a domestic partner benefits bill to come up for a vote by the end of the year and the employment bill to reach the floor early in 2010.
US envoy stops in SKorea en route to NKorea
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — President Barack Obama's special envoy arrived in South Korea on Sunday en route to North Korea for a rare meeting aimed at bringing the communist country back to international nuclear disarmament talks. Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, will travel to Pyongyang on Tuesday in what would be the first one-on-one talks between the U.S. and the North since Obama took office in January.
Gates: Afghan relationship will begin to change
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States' relationship with Afghanistan is going to begin changing in July 2011. Gates made the comments in an interview to be aired Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation.
Baucus: Girlfriend merited US attorney nomination
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus defended recommending his girlfriend for appointment as Montana's U.S. attorney, saying Saturday his one-time staff member and the former state prosecutor is "highly qualified" but eventually withdrew her nomination. Baucus said that he began dating former state office director Melodee Hanes after they were both separated from their spouses. The Montana Democrat said they did not have an affair, but began dating while she worked for him.
At war, honored for peace: Obama's tricky moment
WASHINGTON (AP) — He's the Nobel Peace Prize winner who just ordered 30,000 more troops to war. He's the laureate who says he doesn't deserve the award. He's not quite 11 months on the job and already in the company of Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. This is President Barack Obama's Nobel moment, an immense honor shadowed by awkward timing.
Palin pokes fun at herself at journalists' dinner
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sarah Palin poked fun at herself in a speech to journalists Saturday night, drawing laughter when she announced she "came down from my hotel room and I could see the Russian Embassy." The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate also joked that she had orginally thought of titling her book "How To Look Like a Million Bucks For Only $150,000" before settling on "Going Rogue." In one of the controversies surrounding her candidacy, the campaign spent about $150,000 on her wardrobe.
CAPITAL CULTURE: When folks swarmed People's House
WASHINGTON (AP) — The folks who sneaked into the president's state dinner are part of a long tradition of people showing up as they please at the People's House. It's just that the tradition vanished ages ago. Americans staked their claim to the White House in muddy boots on fine carpet, picnicked on the grounds, parked their carriages and then their cars outside and tromped inside to look for the man, often finding him. They did not need invitations, engraved or otherwise.
FACT CHECK: Unprovable claims stoke health debate
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Republican Sen. Tom Coburn warned seniors, "you're going to die sooner" if Democrats pass health care legislation, it stood out as an memorable, unprovable moment in an opening-week debate over President Barack Obama's top domestic initiative. But not the only one.
