CNN

SHANGHAI, China (CNN) - It was the one question that got the most attention at President Obama's Shanghai town hall meeting. And it set him up to address the issue of censorship:

"Should we be able to use Twitter freely?"

In a country that routinely blocks access to cyberspace, the president said "I've always been a strong supporter of open Internet use. I'm a big supporter of non-censorship.

"I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes."

U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman read the question that President Obama said "was generated through the Web site of our embassy," and added that it was "selected … by I think one of the members of our U.S. Press corps."

But that wasn't quite right.

While Bloomberg reporter and White House Correspondents Association President Ed Chen was asked by an administration official to select a question, he declined. Instead he picked numbers from a bag that the White House ultimately used to get the Twitter question.

Less than nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

(CNN) - President Obama got a shocking wake up call…it wasn't at 3 a.m., but shortly before 6. A senior administration official says White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs told the president that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, and that Mr. Obama was "humbled to be selected by the committee."

The stunning announcement by the committee caught the White House off guard. One senior administration official said, "we were quite surprised."

As pundits debate the merits of the award, two themes are emerging. That the prize could give President Obama some clout as he pushes for health care reform, forms a strategy for going forward in Afghanistan, and works to engage Iran and North Korea. In fact, another senior administration official told CNN he hopes the White House can "use it for the positive."

On the other hand, getting such a lofty nod just nine months into his presidency will provide fuel for his Republican opponents. A top Republican in the Bush administration says "this will backfire on them for a while," then added that it was "a gift to the right."

President Obama was initially scheduled to make public remarks this afternoon on regulatory reform in the financial sector. But the White House has now added a Rose Garden event at 10:30 a.m., where he will make a statement on receiving the Nobel Prize.

(CNN) - President Obama will make a statement on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize award Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET from the White House Rose Garden, two senior administration officials tell CNN.

President Obama and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will announce research grants Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama, in an effort to stimulate the economy and support critical research, will announce $5 billion dollars in grants when he visits the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, according to an administration official.

The money comes from Recovery Act funds and is aimed at supporting "12,000 critical research projects - and tens of thousands of jobs associated with them, ranging from teachers and lab technicians to database managers and scientists," the official wrote in an e-mail.

Obama, who will be joined by Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other top medical experts, will tour a lab before speaking at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

More than 450 NIH employees, scientists, local officials and members of Congress are expected to be on hand.

The White House says the research grants are part of the Recovery Act's overall investment of $100 billion in innovative research and advancing science and technology infrastructure.

Obama is lobbying for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games to be held in Chicago.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will travel this week to Copenhagen, Denmark, to make a big push for the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Chicago, the White House said Monday.

Obama will join First Lady Michelle Obama and other administration officials in pitching Chicago to the International Olympic Committee on October 2, spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

No other U.S. president has ever attended an IOC meeting.

Chicago is vying for the Summer Games against Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Leaders from Brazil, Spain and Japan are expected to also make an in-person pitch.

The United States has hosted four Summer Olympic Games. In 1904, the Games were held in St. Louis, Missouri; in Los Angeles, California, in 1932 and 1984; and most recently Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996.

Read the rest of this entry »

The president's interview with CNN will appear on State of the Union with John King at 9 am ET this Sunday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A senior administration official confirms that President Barack Obama will appear on five Sunday morning talk shows this weekend. The president will sit down with CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Univision. The official said Obama will not be appearing on FOX.

The president's interview with CNN will appear on State of the Union with John King at 9 am ET this Sunday.

Obama will talk about the impact that the senator has had on him.

(CNN) – A senior administration official tells that President Obama will describe Sen. Ted Kennedy as a "legislator, mentor and friend" in a 15-minute eulogy Saturday that will be a "personal message about the life of [the senator]."

Obama will talk about the impact that the senator has had on him, says the aide, but will not include a lot of stories about the relationship between the president and the man whose endorsement played a major role in his capture of the Democratic presidential nomination. Instead, it will be a broader message of a national goodbye and national tribute from the president. Obama will talk about Kennedy's legacy - his "impact on the American people" - but the exact language is not set - the president is still going over his remarks with a speechwriter

The first couple are expected to depart Martha's Vineyard for Boston, where Kennedy's funeral service will be held, around 9 pm Friday night.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – If the White House was downplaying President Obama's first 100 days, it's downright ignoring the second hundred.

"It's the second hundred days?" quipped a senior administration official when told about the approaching date.

On reflection, the official was only too willing to take us behind the scenes as he settled back into his desk chair.

Two hundred days in, "the incline on the treadmill is not as steep," the official said, but added, "it's still moving very fast."

Obama has not slowed since coming into office. Restructuring the auto industry, a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, and his big push to get health care reform are just a few of the president's ambitious efforts since the last "Hallmark holiday."

Full story

Get a preview of CNN's look at Obama's second 100 days with Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley

CNN takes a look at Obama's second 100 days tonight 8 p.m. ET.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Blair House is usually used for hosting foreign dignitaries, top-level White House staff and Cabinet secretaries will gather there and at the White House Conference Center this weekend to assess the first six months of the Obama presidency, according to a White House official.

"All 22 Cabinet-rank members were invited and are attending," the official said, adding that "they will discuss goals and priorities for the administration's agenda moving forward."

The "working sessions" will take place on Friday and Saturday, and have been "long planned," according to the official. The official said President Obama and vice President Biden will drop in on Friday and the vice president will return on Saturday.

White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield also confirmed the sessions and said it is "an opportunity to collaborate," like "every administration since President Eisenhower's."

President Obama challenged his Cabinet in April to find $100 million in savings in 90 days.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A challenge that President Obama made to his Cabinet in April resulted in cost-cutting measures that more than doubled the original $100 million target, his administration said Monday.

At his first Cabinet meeting, Obama asked Cabinet members to find $100 million in savings in 90 days. The deadline passed last week with no announcement, and the White House responded to reporters that information was being compiled.

The Office of Management and Budget announced the results Monday, saying Cabinet members identified $243 million in savings through the end of next year.

The Defense Department had the bulk of the big-ticket items. Replacing the standard jet fuel used by the military with commercial jet fuel was expected to save the Air Force more than $51 million, the report said. Increasing the number of soldiers per chartered aircraft going on leave was estimated to save the Army more than $33 million, it said.

The Department of Homeland Security was expected to save $47,000 by consolidating subscriptions to professional publications and newspapers, while the media relations office at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was expected to save $2,000 by using electronic copies of daily newspaper clippings instead of hard copies.

"These savings reflect the president's belief that even small savings can add up," Budget Director Peter Orszag said in a message on the OMB Web site.

Orszag added that the White House would continue to work with federal agencies "to identify further savings as part of the 2011 budget process," with hopes that such steps "will start to instill a culture of cost-savings and care when it comes to using taxpayer dollars."

Full story

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Michael Strautmanis knew the Obamas before they were the Obamas.

While working as a paralegal for a large law firm in Chicago, Illinois, he met the then-Michelle Robinson and her fiancé, Barack Obama.

Strautmanis, 40, looked to the Obamas as both friends and role models. He and his wife got married the same year as the Obamas and followed their path into law.

Since then, Strautmanis has volunteered for Obama's U.S. Senate campaign, worked as a staffer in his Senate office and now serves as White House chief of staff for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Through his years with Obama, he didn't imagine he'd follow him to the White House.

Full story

The Obama administration says community colleges could play a key role in helping to boost the ailing economy.

(CNN) – Community colleges are only two-year institutions, but the Obama administration says they could play a key role in helping to boost the ailing economy for years to come.

To underscore that contention, the president headed to Warren, Michigan, on Tuesday to unveil a plan that will invest $12 billion over the next decade in community colleges across the country.

In comments released by the White House before the Michigan event, Obama noted that the economic recession and a changing U.S. economy are reducing the number of automotive industry jobs, a mainstay in Michigan.

The "hard truth is that some of the jobs that have been lost in the auto industry and elsewhere won't be coming back. They are casualties of a changing economy," Obama said, adding that "even before this recession hit, we were faced with an economy that was simply not creating or sustaining enough new, well-paying jobs."

Obama called the investment in community colleges crucial because "jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience" in coming years.

"We will not fill those jobs - or keep those jobs on our shores - without the training offered by community colleges," the statement quoted Obama as saying.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gibbs got dunked Thursday afternoon by an enthusiastic reporter.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It's the White House South Lawn, but turn the right way and ignore the looming Washington monument, and you just might think that you're in Waikiki, Hawaii.

Welcome to the first ever White House Luau for congressional members and their families. There are Tiki torches and Tiki huts. Potted palm trees and a shell shaped performance stage. And if you hear the theme music from Jaws, it's because there are two inflatable sharks swimming in the fountain pond.

Some of the tables, where an estimated crowd of 2500 people will be seated, are wrapped in grass table skirts. Pineapples, bananas and coconuts are tastefully arranged as centerpieces.

There's also a dunk tank where guests will try to sink White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, and Chief Congressional liaison Phil Schiliro with yellow softballs.

Read the rest of this entry »

After holding a bilateral meeting in the Oval office with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the two leaders walked out to the Rose Garden podiums. That's when the left-right two-step happened. Mr. Obama took his place behind the right podium, leaving President Lee a bit confused. He smiled as Obama realized the mistake and switched to the left podium.

That oops moment alone wouldn't have deserved a write-up, but for the fact that there was more confusion after the press availability. After thanking reporters, Obama and Lee turned and walked back toward the Oval Office. Oops again! Reggie Love, President Obama's personal assistant, stepped in and the two leaders pivoted before making the long walk along the colonnade.

They are now having lunch in the Old Family Dining Room. I presume the president will use the right fork.

As the Holocaust Memorial shooting was unfolding and during its aftermath, President Obama received regular updates through the White House Situation Room.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As the Holocaust Memorial shooting was unfolding and during its aftermath, President Obama received regular updates through the White House Situation Room, according to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

"We're in contact with and get updates from [the] Homeland Security Council, and other agencies like the FBI," Gibbs added.

The president was first informed of the shooting by his spokesman prior to the daily briefing. At the time, details were sketchy, and the death of security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns had not yet been confirmed.

Gibbs said everyone is "saddened" by what has happened.

Just last week President Obama visited the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, in what senior aides described as an extraordinarily powerful stop.

Related: Guard killed during museum shooting

WASHINGTON (CNN) - As the FBI and U.S. Navy continue to negotiate with Somali pirates for the release of the kidnapped American captain, a senior administration official says President Obama is "receiving continuous updates" on the situation. The official added that these briefings are being conducted by the president's national security team.

When asked if the president had spoken to the family members of the kidnapped captain, the official replied, "no, he hasn't."

The President will rely on a bipartisan, diverse group of experts to help build the framework for legislation, the officials said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The White House is planning to start dealing with the nation's immigration system as early as this May, according to two senior administration officials.

The president will rely on a bipartisan, diverse group of experts to help build the framework for legislation, the officials said.

One official noted that immigration will "not be on the same track" as other key initiatives like health care and energy, and "nobody's promising legislation or a vote this year."

Meanwhile, the administration is dismissing suggestions that taking on immigration this year will put pressure on the president's already ambitious domestic agenda. Moving forward on immigration would fulfill another campaign promise.

Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (CNN) - In yet another effort to get outside the White House bubble, the Obama administration will be hosting an on-line town hall meeting on Thursday morning.

The president has already posted a video on the White House Web site asking the public to send in questions. Participants are also getting a chance to vote on the questions that are posted, then the president will answer the most popular ones.

The town hall will focus on the economy. It will be streamed on WhiteHouse.gov.

President Obama will deliver opening remarks Thursday for a summit to overhaul health care.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Obama administration is hosting a summit Thursday designed to cure a frustrated patient battling a persistent ailment: the United States and its rising health care costs.

The administration's health care summit will focus on reducing and containing costs as well as expanding coverage, one senior administration official said.

Doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical representatives, lawmakers and hospital officials are among the 150 people expected to take part in the gathering, which President Obama sees as a starting point in tackling the overhaul of health care.

"This isn't a luxury; this is a necessity," Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, told CNN's "American Morning" on Thursday, explaining that health care reform is a must for the U.S. to get its "economic ship steady."

"Health care costs are exploding. Many people are bringing in less income every month and seeing their premiums go up at the same time. It's affecting the bottom line and businesses. It's also affecting the fiscal well-being of our country," Barnes said.

"So this is something we have to do, because of the tough economic times, and we feel like we've learned lessons from the past that are going to help us get health care reform on the president's desk for his signature this year."

Full story

WASHINGTON (CNN) –A senior administration official tells CNN that a list of names for consideration to the top post at Health and Human Services has been compiled, and that the people on that list are now being vetted.

The official added that the list is not necessarily complete and that other names could be added. While there has been speculation about who might be considered for the position, the official would not confirm any of the names on the list.

Tom Daschle withdrew as President Obama’s cabinet nominee Tuesday.