Congress' Christmas present to President Barack Obama may not be health-care reform, but rather a helicopter he insists he doesn't need. The 2010 defense appropriations bill is expected to provide more than $100 million to continue work on the VH-71 -- the next Marine One -- even though it was officially terminated this spring.

In his weekly radio and Web address, President Barack Obama says the economy has started to get back on track. And thanks to recovery efforts, "we're no longer facing the potential collapse of our financial system," he adds. Obama also announces that in the coming week he'll send Congress a job-creation plan.

Under enormous pressure to reduce the high unemployment rate, President Barack Obama is warming up to job-boosting legislation touted by congressional allies -- even though such a bill would likely add to the nation's ballooning debt.
Politics Daily: Can Democrats Save Enough Jobs to Save Themselves in 2010?
Sphere: Congress Grills Bernanke | Many Execs at Summit Have Cut Jobs
DailyFinance: U.S. Unemployment Rate Drops a Bit

President Barack Obama says a jobs summit at the White House generated good ideas for getting jobless Americans back to work. The president vows to take "every responsible step to accelerate job creation," but says the government's resources are limited and that growth will largely have to come from the private sector.
Sphere: Job Cutters Attend Summit

Even though some lawmakers from both parties have loudly criticized his strategy for Afghanistan, it appears President Barack Obama will have little trouble next year in securing the billions of dollars he needs to fund the faltering war effort.
Politics Daily: Obama Sounding Like Bush

In a major speech Tuesday night, President Barack Obama laid out his vision for America's involvement in Afghanistan, telling the nation he's sending 30,000 more troops to the country but that U.S. forces will begin coming home in July 2011.