US shows doubt over monitoring in Syria

2011-12-19T19:30:40Z

The Obama administration expressed doubt Monday that Syria was genuine in its promise to allow Arab observers to monitor a deal to end a nine-month protest crackdown that has killed over 5,000 people.

"A signature on a piece of paper from a regime like this, that has broken promise after promise after promise, means relatively little to us," State Department spokeswoman

House Republicans oppose Senate payroll tax bill

2011-12-18T14:00:25Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fate of an expiring tax break for 160 million American workers was in doubt on Sunday after the top Republican lawmaker declared his opposition to a two-month extension passed overwhelmingly by the Senate.

House of Representatives US Senate approved a deal Saturday to avoid a federal shutdown, voting for a spending bill worth roughly $1 trillion to fund the government through fiscal year 2012.

Senators voted 67 to 32 to approve the massive bill, which after approval Friday by the House of Representatives now goes to

Obama, pushing back at Republicans, defends Israel

2011-12-16T16:30:32Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama assured Jewish voters on Friday he remains committed to Israel's security and a two-state solution with the Palestinians as he defended himself against attacks on his policy from Republican presidential challengers.

Obama,...

Obama, pushing back at Republicans, vows support for Israel

2011-12-16T15:30:48Z

Obama,...

US Republicans turn guns on Obama in debate

2011-12-16T09:30:34Z

Republican White House hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney took aim at President Barack Obama more than each other Thursday in their final debate before the first nominating event in Iowa.

In an event hosted by

Obama raps Republican 'lurch' to extremes

2011-12-15T20:30:33Z

US President Barack Obama has complained that Republicans see "compromise" as a dirty word, in an interview aired as his aides pressed for a deal in Congress on ending the latest political standoff.

Obama told ABC News in an interview, parts of which were to be broadcast Thursday, that he belie...

Veterans to tout Obama's record as military leader

2011-12-15T15:00:31Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - As the war in Iraq draws to a close, U.S. President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has quietly enlisted an army of veterans to urge other military men and women to vote for him in November.

The Obama c...

Special Report: Tea Party grassroots army readies for battle

2011-12-14T21:30:09Z

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (Reuters) - For insight into the conservative Tea Party movement's battle plan in 2012, check out Joe Dugan's Google spreadsheets.

Dugan, 66, a retired manufacturing executive and chairman of the Myrtle Beach T...

Obama to give 'State of the Union' speech Jan 24

2011-12-14T14:30:29Z

Republican US House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday invited President Barack Obama will deliver his annual marquee "State of the Union" speech on January 24, at the dawn of a hard-fought election year.

By tradition, the speaker must invite the president to make the address to a joint session of the US Congress<...

Obama ratings down but Gingrich worse: poll

2011-12-14T12:30:18Z

US President Barack Obama's overall popularity has slipped to a new low but his approval ratings are still ahead of current Republican frontrunner Newt Gingrich, a poll showed Wednesday.

The ABC News/Washington Post

Big U.S. deficit-reduction bill needed: Boehner

2011-12-14T08:30:16Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday that one of his top wishes for the new year is to help win passage of a bill to cut the record - and still mounting - U.S. debt.

Having...

Gingrich surges ahead in Republican race: NBC/WSJ poll

2011-12-13T20:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has taken a commanding lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, hitting the 40 percent mark for the first time in the campaign, according to an NBC/Reuters) - So much for that focused anti-Mitt strategy.

President Barack Obama's campaign signaled on Tuesday it would attack the new Republican presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich just as hard as KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) - In the wake of criticism, a Kansas tea party group has removed from its web site home page a comparison of President Obama to a skunk.

The Patriot

Rick Perry Criticizes Obama On DADT Repeal

2011-12-10T09:30:36Z

Rick Perry on Friday criticized President Barack Obama on repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Rick Perry on Friday criticized President Barack Obama on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the recently ended policy that for 18 years banned gay and bisexual troops from serv...

US Republican hopeful Huntsman blasts rivals, Obama

2011-12-08T20:30:35Z

Struggling Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman lashed out Thursday at his top two rivals for the nomination and took a swipe at US President Barack Obama, saying all of them lacked solutions.

Suffering from a drag that has him polling in the single digits in most states, Huntsman is placing his bets on

Republicans block Obama's consumer nominee

2011-12-08T15:30:49Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans on Thursday beat back Democratic President Barack Obama's pick to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and each party accused the other of holding consumers hostage to politics.

Democrats were able to muster only 53 of th...

Lawmakers rush to broker spending bill

2011-12-08T15:00:40Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top lawmakers are aiming to forge a deal to keep the government operating beyond next week, even as Republican measures to restrict funding for abortions and the Obama administration's health care act threaten to derail it.

If Congress fails to iron out differences before December 16, lawmakers will b...

In Hispanic-heavy Colorado, Obama must work to win

2011-12-08T09:00:13Z

DENVER (Reuters) - Though demographic trends lean in his favor, President Barack Obama has work to do in Colorado to woo Hispanics, the voting bloc that holds the key to victory in this battleground state and, potentially, nationwide.

Strong support from Latinos helped Democrats win the governorshi...

Gingrich takes big poll lead in 3 states

2011-12-08T07:01:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newt Gingrich has taken double-digit leads over his Republican rivals in three states, according to a poll on Thursday.

Gingrich, former House of Representatives speaker and recent frontrunner in t...

Obama channels Roosevelt, eyes 2012

2011-12-06T21:30:32Z

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday the "gaping inequality" facing the middle class was the "defining issue of our time" in a passionate outline of his 2012 reelection message.

Obama traveled to Kansas in a bid to commandeer the aura of barnstorming president Theodore Roosevelt, who battl...

Can Gingrich Derail Romney?

2011-12-05T11:30:29Z

He’ll make it interesting, but GOP voters will find Romney the better bet to beat President Obama.

It's hard to ignore Newt Gingrich’s return fr...

The 2012 election cybercrime

2011-12-02T04:30:30Z

Then-candidate Barack Obama masterfully leveraged the web in a way never before done by a presidential candidate, but he also witnessed the online medium's underbelly.

As he campaigned for president in 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama witnessed both the sheer power, and to a lesser extent, the shortcomings of the internet.br /

br /

Indeed, the eventual 44th president of the MADISON, Wis (Reuters) - Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson officially launched his campaign on Thursday for the Senate seat being vacated by four-term Democratic

Biden not 'ready to close the door' on 2016 run

2011-12-01T10:30:24Z

US Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he is keeping his options open about a 2016 White House bid.

"I am never ready to close the door on anything. That is a foolish thing to do. I learned a long time ago," he said in an interview with NBC television's "

Obama Thanks Barney Frank For His Service; Karl Rove Says Frank Won't Be Missed

2011-11-29T09:00:27Z

Reacting to the news that Barney Frank won't seek a 17th term in 2012, President Barack Obama thanked Frank for his service

Reacting to the news that Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank will not seek a 17th term in 2012, President Barack Obama thanked Frank for his...

Quietly, Obama getting reorganized in Nevada

2011-11-29T02:30:13Z

As most of the political world's attention is captured by the circus of the Republican presidential primary, Barack Obama's campaign has been assiduously reactivating the formidable infrastructure that helped drive him to victory four years ago.

Obama and the Democratic Party have been pouring organizing resources into battleground states such as Nevada

Obama pardons holiday turkeys, pokes fun at media

2011-11-23T15:00:20Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It may not help the economy, but President Barack Obama found another move he can make without congressional approval on Wednesday: pardon a turkey.

Obama, a Democrat, has spent the last several weeks criticizing the Congress and Republicans for not embracing his jobs proposals, launching...

Romney campaign will keep controversial Obama ad

2011-11-23T13:30:27Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's campaign said on Wednesday it will not pull a television ad criticized for being dishonest in its use of an out-of-context quote by President Barack Obama.

Gail Gitcho, communica...

Gingrich rises to the fore in US Republican debate

2011-11-23T08:30:46Z

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich cemented his place as the main rival to Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination with a solid debate performance on foreign policy.

Buoyed by opinion polls that gave him a four percent lead over the former Massachusetts governor, Gingrich, whose campaign had been all but written off a few months ago, came out o...

Is GOP missing chance to grow?

2011-11-23T02:31:09Z

Rick Perry, the immigration moderate, is sinking in the Republican presidential polls. GOP Sen. Dean Heller is ditching scheduled campaign appearances at Latin Chamber of Commerce meetings. And even conservatives in the Hispanic community are gaga for Democratic congressional candidate Ruben Kihuen.

So as Latino Republican leaders in The White House accused Republican Mitt Romney's camp of blatant dishonesty Tuesday after he savaged President Barack Obama's jobs record in a testy preview of a possible 2012 election showdown.

The row erupted after the Romney camp's first television advertisement ripped an Obama quote out of context, making it ...

Gingrich looks to shine in US Republican debate

2011-11-22T18:30:43Z

Newt Gingrich has a chance to solidify his position atop the pack of US Republican presidential hopefuls on Tuesday as candidates duel it out over foreign policy, national security and the economy.

The former House of Representatives speaker has surged in opinion polls in the run-up to the MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought to turn up the heat on congressional Republicans in a campaign-style visit to

Obama: Asia-Pacific defence immune from budget cuts

2011-11-16T17:30:26Z

President Barack Obama Thursday pledged he would not let a Washington budget crunch compromise an expansive vision and military presence designed to cement America as a top Pacific power.

In a message aimed both at a dynamic region he sees as key to the US economic future and warring lawmakers at home, Obama told the Australian parliament the Reuters) - Congressional negotiators agreed late on Monday to extend funding for many U.S. government programs to mid-December in a bipartisan move to avert any shutdown of agency operations that would otherwise occur by this weekend.

The funding measure crafted by House of Re...

Republican Cain stumbles in Libya gaffe

2011-11-14T20:30:27Z

Republican White House hopeful Herman Cain stumbled badly in responding to a basic question on Libya, casting further doubt on his ability to revive an embattled campaign.

A five-minute video of Cain's rambling response to a question posed by the Milw...

Romney campaign: Obama obsessed with me

2011-11-14T12:30:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took a verbal swing at President Barack Obama on Monday, saying that the Democrat and his allies have an "obsession" with attacking him.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts

Romney campaign: Obama obsessed with attacking him

2011-11-14T09:30:10Z

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts

Obama administration to announce healthcare job push

2011-11-14T06:30:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will announce a $1 billion program on Monday to support healthcare innovation to lower costs and boost the training and deployment of workers, a White House official said.

The move is the latest in a string of execu...

With no end in sight, Guantanamo work goes on

2011-11-11T13:30:43Z

In the midst of the barbed wire and watchtowers dotting Guantanamo's green hills, construction workers continue to build despite US President Barack Obama's promise to close the prison.

Nearly 10 years since the first handful of detainees arrived at the US naval base in southern Cuba from President Barack Obama on Monday met NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as top officials again defended the US role in the western alliance's campaign that helped topple Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

Obama and Rasmussen spo...

Poor economy strikes at heart of Obama support

2011-11-07T10:32:23Z

The state of the US economy matters, but President Barack Obama's hopes of reelection may hinge on the economic fate of a small group of voters in key states who handed him the keys to the White House.

For much of Obama's three years in office, healing the economy has been a Sisyphean race against the clock.<...

Obama congratulates Sarkozy on birth of daughter

2011-11-07T10:32:21Z

US President Barack Obama congratulated France's Nicolas Sarkozy on the birth of his daughter on Thursday amid signs of a thaw between two leaders with a history of tense relations.

Obama made the gesture ahead of a difficult G20 summit hosted by Sa...

Economy tests limits of US presidents' power

2011-11-07T10:32:19Z

President Barack Obama occupies the most powerful political office in the world, but when it comes to managing the economy he -- and his predecessors -- are more impotent than many Americans believe.

It is a truism of American politics that the president carries the can.

Whether it is a war going sour or a roaring legislative victory years in the making, as the sign on Reuters) - Thousands of protesters opposed to a new oil pipeline from Canada to the United States circled the White House complex on Sunday to press CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ron Paul was declared the winner on Saturday of a weeklong Republican presidential straw poll in Democratic President Barack Obama's home state of Illinois.

Republican candidates woo Iowa insiders

2011-11-04T20:30:08Z

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Five Republican presidential hopefuls auditioned for Iowa's party insiders at a fund-raising dinner Friday, sparing each other from criticism but dishing up plenty of red-meat attacks on Washington and President Barack Ob...

Insight: In 2012, some "Obamacons" turn back to Republicans

2011-10-31T22:30:07Z

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - In contrast to 2008, Democratic President Barack Obama cannot count on a wave of support for his re-election bid next year from well-known moderate Republicans.

Unhappy with Obama's handling of the economy, conservative backers from three years ago...

Obama to take executive action on drug shortages

2011-10-31T07:30:14Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will sign an executive order on Monday to tackle an escalating shortage of life-saving medicines, including cancer treatments, according to a White House official.

Hospitals and doctors across the country...

Top Obama aide vents frustration with Congress

2011-10-28T14:00:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top aide to President Barack Obama expressed frustration on Friday with his fellow Democrats as well as Republican members of Congress for resisting the White House's domestic agenda.

The comments by Obama's chief of staff

House passes minor element of Obama jobs plan

2011-10-27T10:00:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday passed a minor element of President Barack Obama's jobs bill as consensus remained elusive on other efforts to boost the struggling economy.

Wi...

Obama hoping jobs bill gets Nevada support

2011-10-27T02:30:51Z

When President Barack Obama visits Las Vegas today, he'll speak to would-be voters about his No. 1 legislative priority: his jobs bill.

It's a proposal the president has been trying to sell voters since early September, when he laid out to Congress his $447 billion plan to invest in infrastructure. But his message has changed since then.

Obama ha...

Obama willing to work on China legislation: Treasury

2011-10-25T08:00:29Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is willing to work with Congress on a bill to address China currency and trade concerns but believes some provisions of pending legislation would violate international trade rules, a top

Obama campaign takes to Tumblr

2011-10-24T18:30:22Z

US President Barack Obama added popular microblogging platform Tumblr on Monday to the Internet arsenal for his 2012 re-election campaign.

The Obama campaign urged supporters at barackobama.tumblr.com to contribute stories, pictures and even jokes to the official Tumblr site.

"We're looking at this as an opportunity to create something that's not just ours, but yours,...

US House panel to scrutinize Uganda deployment

2011-10-24T13:30:32Z

A key US House of Representatives committee on Monday announced plans to scrutinize President Barack Obama's decision to send 100 US troops to Uganda, amid worries the limited mission could escalate.

The CONCORD, New Hampshire (Reuters) - White House hopeful Mitt Romney kept his attacks focused on President Barack Obama<...

Biden leaves door ajar on 2016 presidential run

2011-10-23T15:30:13Z

US Vice President Joe Biden is not ruling out a tilt for the top job himself in 2016, although he stresses his current focus is on reelecting Barack Obama next year.

Biden, who ran twice for president before becoming Obama's running-mate in 2008, was asked in a CNN interview broadcast Sunday if he ...

Biden leaves door open for White House run in 2016

2011-10-23T09:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden left open the possibility on Sunday that he might run for the White House in 2016.

Biden told CNN that his focus is on helping

Perry, Bachmann take veiled swipes at Cain in Iowa

2011-10-22T20:30:09Z

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republicans Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann took veiled swipes ...

Obama savors escape, but gets little respite from ills

2011-10-19T19:30:50Z

President Barack Obama wrapped up a battleground state bus tour Wednesday with more free-swinging jibes at obstinate lawmakers, but headed back to Washington no closer to passing major jobs measures.

Obama, in his million-dollar black Secret Service armored bus, spent three days rolli...

Pens, podiums and parity at candidates' debate

2011-10-19T08:32:00Z

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Participants in Tuesday's Republican presidential debate will take part in a classic American political ritual, where the questions are closely vetted for fairness and even the pens and bottled water are regulated.

Good debate performances can boost or break a candidate's Republicans have settled on January 3 as the date of the first state contest to vote on which candidate will challenge US President Barack Obama in the 2012 White House race.

"On behalf of over 600,000 Iowa Republicans, I?m excited to announce the first step Iowans will have to replace Ba...

Back on the bus: Obama hits the jobs trail

2011-10-16T05:30:24Z

President Barack Obama clambers back aboard his campaign bus on Monday, to clock up more miles on his crusade to force Congress to pass his jobs plan and to ease his own perilous political plight.

His sleek, armored bus will spend three days cruising Virginia and North Carolina -- traditionally, southern, conservative territory, but states wh...

Candidate Romney reaps $14 million in latest quarter

2011-10-14T06:30:23Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney raised more than $14 million for his presidential campaign in the third quarter ended September 30, his campaign said on Friday.

Expectations had been that Romney and the other candidates in the 2012 election would pull in less cash than in the three months en...

Republican senator McCain rivals Obama jobs bill

2011-10-13T18:30:54Z

Veteran Republican Senator John McCain on Thursday unveiled an alternative employment plan after his party this week blocked President Barack Obama's jobs bill in the Senate.

McCain presented proposals drawn up with fellow Senator Rand Paul, a member of the conservative Tea Party movement, pledging to halt new r...

Obama team slams 'brazen' Romney reversals

2011-10-12T17:30:47Z

US President Barack Obama's reelection campaign on Wednesday accused Republican 2012 frontrunner Mitt Romney of "brazen" political reversals and an "appalling" neglect of the middle class.

The fact that the campaign took the trouble to attack Romney in a conference call -- in its most direct strike at him yet -- appeared to signal Obama aides see the ex-Massachusetts govern...

Not subtly, Obama campaign prepares for Romney race

2011-10-12T15:30:19Z

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eight candidates took part in Tuesday's Republican presidential debate, but President Barack Obama's campaign focused its attention almost exclusively on one: Mitt Romney.

A day aft...

Biden 'absolutely, positively' Obama's 2012 running mate

2011-10-12T11:30:39Z

US Vice President Joe Biden left no room for doubt as to whether he will be President Barack Obama's 2012 running mate, saying Wednesday he "absolutely, positively" will be on the Democratic ticket.

Asked on NBC television's "

2011-10-11T09:30:27Z

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - The White House vowed to push forward with President Barack Obama's jobs package "piece by piece" if a vote fails on Tuesday in the U.S. S...

Democrats wary of their unpopular president

2011-10-10T22:30:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four years ago, Senator Claire McCaskill was one of Barack Obama's biggest boosters in his presidential campaign. But when he recently visited her state of Missouri, she did not have time to join him.

Many of McC...

Presidential race loses fizz for Tea Party

2011-10-09T04:30:09Z

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - With their favored candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination lagging or out of the race, many U.S. Tea Party activists are shifting focus to the struggle for control of the U.S. Senate

Romney: God wants America to lead

2011-10-07T15:30:23Z

Leading Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared Friday that God created America to lead the world, and accused President Barack Obama of deliberately weakening his nation.

Romney sought to bolster his credentials to serve as commander-in-chief as new polls showed him back at the top of the Republican field and in a tight potential head-to-head matchup with Ob...

Rick Perry woos social conservatives

2011-10-07T14:30:09Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Rick Perry, hoping to revive his struggling presidential bid, promised social conservatives on Friday that he would protect the family and restore the economy by getting the federal government out of their way.

The Texas governor, who has seen his lead in polls in t...

John Boehner Criticizes Obama's Gay Marriage Decision

2011-10-07T11:00:08Z

House Speaker John Boehner on Friday criticized President Obama over his decision to no longer defend DOMA in court

House Speaker John Boehner on Friday criticized President Obama over his decision to no longer defend in federal court the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

Top foe praises Obama on 'war on terrorism'

2011-10-06T18:30:37Z

US President Barack Obama has done a good job in battling Islamist extremism, accomplishing more than predecessor George W. Bush in Pakistan's tribal areas, Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday.

"I think so far the president's done just fine," Boehner...

Obama 'comfortable' with tax on millionaires

2011-10-06T14:30:42Z

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said he was "comfortable" with a plan by Senate Democrats to pay for his $447 billion jobs bill with a 5.6 percent surcharge on millionaires.

Obama had proposed cutting itemized deductions for individuals earning $200,000 and families taking home $250,000 to ensure that the legislation does not inflate the already large deficit.

But Senate Democratic leaders, seeking to unite their c...

Trying to fix ties with Mexico after gun sting

2011-10-05T15:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will have to work to restore frayed ties with Mexico after a bungled operation allowed guns to illegally cross the border to violent Mexican drug cartels, a top U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The acting head of the

2011-10-05T13:30:59Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Marco Rubio, a rising Republican star from Florida who is considered a top candidate to be his party's vice presidential nominee, said on Wednesday he would not take the job if offered. Probably.

Rubio, who represents a state that swings between voti...

Some big-money donors double down on Romney, Obama

2011-10-04T15:00:23Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Many wealthy donors who gave the maximum allowable amount to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign have doubled down with big donations to an outside group backing the Republican's run for the White House.

A study released on Tuesday o...

Obama

2011-01-04T13:33:01Z

President Barack Obama talks with media aboard Air Force One soon after leaving at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, en route to Washington after a family vacation. (AP Photo/Caro...

Congress Health Care

2011-01-03T12:31:31Z

FILE - In this June 8, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama, listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks during a town hall meeting in Wheaton, Md. Eager to show who's now in charge, the House's new Republican majority plans to vote to repeal President Barack Obama's landmark he...

Obama Africa

2011-01-03T01:30:25Z

FILE - In this July 11, 2009, file photo, a Ghanaian police officer mans a security barrier ahead of the arrival of President Barack Obama, at the Presidential Castle in Accra, Ghana. Obama is quietly but strategically stepping up his outreach to Afr...

Specters Legacy

2011-01-02T10:01:04Z

FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2009, file photo, President Barack Obama embraces Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., at a fundraising event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. As Specter leaves the Senate after 30 years of roll calls,...

Obama Congress

2011-01-02T02:30:22Z

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2010, file photo President Barack Obama makes a statement in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington about his meeting with Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders. In the president's taped his weekly address from

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