Obama committed to going to climate summit.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will travel to Copenhagen,Denmark, Thursday evening to attend the U.N. Climate Conference as planned,despite growing uncertainty that the talks will lead to an agreement, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

"The president is going to travel in hopes of making progress for a strong operational agreement" on climate change, Gibbs said. "There are no changes in the president's plans."

The statement came amid rumors from Copenhagen that Obama would not come if talks deteriorated and it appeared no agreement could be reached.U.S. officials in Copenhagen and at the White House confirmed talks brokedown Wednesday after the Chinese delegation rejected U.S. demands that China, along with other nations, be required to provide "transparency" - proving a commitment to cutting emissions.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday morning in Copenhagen that "we have presented and discussed numerous approaches to
transparency with a number of countries and there are many ways to achieve transparency which would be credible and acceptable. But there has to be a willingness to move towards transparency in whatever form we finally determine is appropriate. So if there is not even a commitment to pursue transparency, that's kind of a deal breaker for us."

Gibbs said the Chinese "balked" at the "strong transparency requirement,"though he "hoped that they would reconsider."

The Obama administration is trying to lower expectations for the president's visit. The last time he traveled to Copenhagen - in October to try to win the 2012 Olympic bid for Chicago - he came back empty-handed. Regarding this trip, Gibbs said, "coming back with an empty agreement would be far worse than coming back empty-handed."

The agreement Obama is hoping for out of Copenhagen would not be a treaty, nor would it be legally binding. Gibbs acknowledged it would be "a political agreement that would lead to a treaty" later.

Before heading overseas for the Copenhagen climate talks, EPA chief Lisa Jackson will make an announcement about greenhouse gases.

Washington (CNN) - The Environmental Protection Agency will announce Monday that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, two senior administration officials told CNN.

The anticipated announcement by EPA administrator Lisa Jackson stems from a Supreme Court ruling which ordered the agency to determine the impact of carbon emissions not only on the environment, but on public health.

Immediately after the announcement, Jackson will head to Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in the Copenhagen Climate Conference ahead of President Barack Obama's appearance on Friday.

Her statement could provide proof to the conference that the agency and the Obama administration are taking global warming seriously. However, White House aides caution the finding does not mean the EPA will immediately begin regulating industries that pollute the air.

The Obama administration is pushing for comprehensive energy legislation from Congress that puts a price on carbon emissions, a so-called "cap and trade" policy that uses market forces as an incentive for businesses to reduce carbon emissions.

In her announcement, Jackson will make the case that climate change affects weather patterns like droughts, hurricanes, heat waves and the air that people breathe, the officials said. She will say that carbon dioxide emissions go beyond damaging the environment, but also endangers public health.

The agency is making this announcement because it is required to issue an "endangerment finding" - evidence that carbon emissions are dangerous to the public health - before it can regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act.

The EPA said in April 2009 that it would likely make such a ruling regarding carbon emissions and public health. The agency completed a public-comment process before making the announcement.

Washington (CNN) – President Obama will propose using $200 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support creating jobs, White House officials confirmed Monda

The president, in an economic speech before the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, will argue that the money would be well spent by funding projects to build bridges and roads, weatherize homes, and provide other assistance for small businesses as well as the unemployed.

Congress in October 2008 authorized President George W. Bush's plan for $700 billion for TARP to bail out the nation's largest banks and financial institutions. But the banks have been repaying their loans faster than
expected, so the government finds itself with untapped TARP money that it potentially could use for other domestic programs.

Congress is split over whether this is a good idea, with many Republicans preferring to use the bailout money to reduce the federal deficit.

In a blog previewing the president's speech, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said, "We don't think there is one silver bullet, one plan, one speech or a singular piece of legislation that alone will solve double digit unemployment. And the president's speech will not represent the totality of our plans for continued economic recovery."

President Obama to appear with NFL players for Thanksgiving public service announcement.

Washington (CNN) - Several White House officials confirm President Obama will appear in a public service announcement with NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Drew Brees, and Troy Polamalu. The 90-second spot will air during the NFL Thanksgiving games, and a shorter version will run throughout the football season.

The ad has Obama playing touch football on the White House lawn with local children and the Pittsburgh Steelers safety Polamalu, New Orleans Saints quarterback Brees, and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Ware. The spot is to promote the NFL's Play 60 campaign which tackles childhood obesity by encouraging physical exercise, and Mr.Obama's community service project United We Serve. During the spot the president wears a Chicago Bears jacket recognizing his home team.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A White House official involved in negotiations with Congress on health care reform confirms to CNN that President Obama will go to Capitol Hill Friday to meet with the House Democratic caucus to push forward on health care legislation.

The House is expected to hold a floor vote Saturday on the bill.

Derrion Albert, 16, was beaten to death outside a Chicago high school.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama is sending a pair of top Cabinet officials next week to visit the Chicago, Illinois, school where an honors student was beaten to death, the beating videotaped and broadcast around the world.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder will make the trip October 7, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

"It's a great concern to the president, as somebody who lives in Chicago and should be a concern for every American," Gibbs said.

Obama spoke with his advisers about the killing on Wednesday and directed Duncan and Holder to meet with officials from the school, the students and the community to "talk about the issue of school violence," Gibbs said.

The beating death of 16-year-old honor student Derrion Albert occurred outside Chicago's Christian Fenger Academy High School and has raised attention to the alarming figure of 30 students killed last year in Obama's home city.

Cook County prosecutors have charged four suspects with first-degree murder in Albert's killing.

Gibbs, who called the video of the beating "chilling," said he did not know whether Obama had watched it himself but said the president was "concerned about the incident."

Obama was leaving Thursday for Copenhagen, Denmark, to lobby the International Olympic Committee to choose Chicago as host of the 2016 Olympic
games.

The White House seeks to balance expressing sensitivity and concern about the murder with projecting a positive image of Chicago as a safe city.

"This isn't a Chicago problem. Violence, youth violence is a problem throughout our country," Gibbs said.

Nevertheless, Obama will be prepared to address the issue if asked about it by members of the IOC.

"The president has full confidence in the safety of the city and will be prepared to talk about that if that comes up as a question," Gibbs said.

Clinton and Bill Clinton are set to have lunch Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Talk about a power lunch.

President Obama will meet for lunch Monday with former President Bill Clinton in New York City, the White House confirmed.

The two men are slated to meet after Obama gives a speech on the economy at Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.

Both attended a memorial service in New York City last week for Walter Cronkite.

White House spokesman Bill Burton says President Obama's speech to school children was not altered.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – White House spokesman Bill Burton says President Obama's speech to school children was not altered as a result of the controversy over the remarks - that it is the same speech that was originally to be delivered to students before critics began accusing the President of trying to indoctrinate the nation's children.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the speech was "largely written (over) the past week or two." White House officials say the claims by Jim Greer, the chair of the Republican party of Florida, are not credible.

Greer originally said the speech was "socialist ideology." Since Greer read the speech he has backed off that claim and reversed his position, saying he will now send his four children to school to listen to the President's remarks. Greer accused the White House Monday of putting out an altered speech, but admitted he had no proof substantiating his claim.

President Obama's limo is casually known as 'the Beast.'

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The President's vehicle fondly known as "the Beast" just pulled into the BP gas station on the corner of 13th and N Streets, NW in Washington.

I was filling my own tank when the four-vehicle motorcade pulled up to the station.

The heavily-armored black limousine with license plate #800-002 was unmistakable.

The other black vehicles with their flashing red lights stood by as Secret Service agents jumped out of their vehicles to fill up.

People pumping their gas at the local station looked on incredulously.

The station is a popular neighborhood hangout next to the Mr. Wash full service brushless car wash, and Jerry Chan's Chinese takeout. Cigarettes are sold by the singles, and occasionally the homeless ask for change.

I approached the agent who got out of the car and asked "that's the beast, isn't it?"

He said yes, they had returned the President to the White House after a health care event at the AARP.

"We come here all the time" he said.

I asked how much it costs to fill the Beast.

"We're just topping it off" he said. "We never let it go close to empty, but we fill it with the Ultimate."

$2.88 a gallon here, and a lot of curious onlookers.

President Obama will be more directly involved in health care talks, the White House said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - On the eve of his fourth prime-time news conference, President Barack Obama was working the phones, calling lawmakers involved in the health care talks to push them to embrace reform, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn said Wednesday.

It follows the president's Tuesday meeting with Democrats at the White House, dubbed a "serious working session" where "major progress" was made, Dunn said.

Senior administration officials said the president will not meet with lawmakers Wednesday but was temporarily shifting focus to the discussions with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki, the joint news conference with him, and then the prime-time news conference Wednesday. Obama was talking with his advisors and staff throughout the day regarding any updates from Capitol Hill on the state of play in the health care debate.

Aides said the president's opening statement at the news conference will be approximately seven minutes long. It will focus primarily on health care, but also will be a "report card" on the administration's accomplishments during the first six months, and where the administration needs to go, aides said. The president was still tinkering with the speech at mid-afternoon, but aides said there were no "holes" in it as such, to put in news of any anticipated legislative "breakthroughs" from Congress.

Officials said Obama will be taking a more hands on approach with members of Congress in the days and weeks to come regarding the health care debate.

Tuesday, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman of California and six other committee members met at the White House for more than two hours - and during one hour the president was with them, aides said.

During that meeting the six so-called Blue Dog Democrats gave their list of ten demands on how they want the bill changed, including ways to cut costs, according to aides.

Some argued that the Medicare advisory council, which advises Congress in setting rates for reimbursement to medical providers under the Medicare program, should be empowered to make changes in cost-related issues. White House aides said they want the panel to be empowered to make cuts in benefits and increases in premiums, and to force those changes, unless Congress rejects.

While lawmakers say a tentative deal was reached on this point, White House officials would only say the president "agreed with the lawmakers he met (on) with the need to cut costs."

They refused to confirm that there was a verbal agreement because there was "not an actual ink agreement" regarding the council. "The process is still going on," one official said.

White House Communications Director Dunn said the White House, through OMB Director Peter Orszag, has been lobbying for, and supportive of, the idea of an independent board of medical professionals working to set and cut costs of health care. The president took his "direct concerns" to members of Congress and they did the same, Dunn said. "The president feels as if the Blue Dog Democrats and the Senate Finance Committee are 'working together in a bipartisan way,'" Dunn said.

White House aides say the administration is concerned about three centers of serious opposition from House Democrats: the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats who are worried about the cost and a public health care plan; the freshmen and other Democrats from high-income districts who are concerned about taxes for high-income Democrats, and the anti-abortion Democrats who are concerned about federal funding going for abortion services, and whether health care providers can opt out of certain procedures.

One official said the administration is aware that "if any of these three groups abandon the effort the bill would be impossible to get out of committee, much less pass."

Aides say the president and lawmakers also discussed the public option versus a co-op option.

A violent thunderstorm that ripped through the nation's capital late Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A violent thunderstorm that ripped through the nation's capital late Tuesday afternoon knocked down a tree at the White House.

"It was a European Linden that was planted in 1940," said White House spokesman Bill Burton. "It is not a commemorative tree – meaning that it wasn't planted by a President to mark an occasion or individual. Tomorrow, the National Parks Service will likely grind it up into mulch to be used on the grounds."

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The White House will unveil reforms to the nation's international tax code on Monday intended to close loopholes for overseas tax havens and end tax incentives for creating jobs overseas.

Senior administration officials briefed reporters Sunday evening in a conference call ahead of the announcement that will be made by President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

The two components of the president's plan include reforms that ensure the tax code does not handicap companies seeking to create jobs at home, as well as reforms that reduce the amount of tax revenue lost to tax havens.

The White House is targeting companies that use loopholes in the law that allow them to legally avoid paying billions in taxes. It also focuses on wealthy individuals who break the law by creating hidden overseas accounts.

The Obama administration plans to raise $103.1 billion dollars by removing tax advantages for investing overseas and will use that money to help make a tax credit permanent, the officials said. The administration also hopes to raise $95.2 billion dollars over the next 10 years by cracking down on overseas tax havens.

The White House, under the plan, would eliminate the "check-the-box" provision which allows corporations to designate overseas subsidiaries as branches of the company, not subjected to taxes. This tax loophole enables companies to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

One senior administration official said it has cost the U.S. government $86.5 billion over 10 years and is "the most unjustified loophole in the international tax system which needs to close down." It is a legal practice, the officials said, involving "companies taking advantage of a very bad law."

The U.S. government also loses about $9 billion in tax revenue from wealthy individuals who use illegal tax havens overseas, a senior administration official said.

The White House will announce the changes as part of the administration's budget. The plans includes the IRS hiring almost 800 new employees, who would be devoted to cracking down on overseas tax abuse.

The administration expects these initiatives to raise at least $210 billion over the next 10 years "to cut taxes for American families, increase incentives for businesses to create jobs in America, and reduce the deficit."

When asked about the intense lobbying effort already underway against these reforms, including 200 opposition letters sent to Congress, a senior administration official said, "We expect many lobbying against us ... "

(CNN) – President Obama shocked the White House Press Corps Friday afternoon when he crashed the daily briefing to announce Justice David Souter's retirement.

The surprise appearance took a little maneuvering and a lot of discipline from administration staff not to leak.

According to administration officials, President Obama was waiting for Justice Souter's letter to arrive to officially notify him of the retirement. But the letter didn't show up in time for Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to announce the news in his afternoon briefing. So Gibbs, after delaying the briefing for about 30 minutes, began his afternoon exchange with reporters anyway. He said he had no official confirmation that any Supreme Court Justice intended to step down. Then he went on to take reporters’ questions.

But during the briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said Souter's letter arrived at the White House. The president received the letter in the Oval Office, and immediately called Justice Souter to congratulate him. Then the president headed to the briefing room to tell reporters himself that he had spoken with the Justice and was working toward nominating his replacement. His appearance was met with shock and laughter following a day in which White House staff remained mum and sometimes coy about reports of Souter's imminent retirement.
It appeared that Obama's arrival even caught his press secretary off guard.

When the president jumped behind the podium, Gibbs headed in the wrong direction as he tried to exit the stage, stepping toward a bank of cameras before doing an about face and walking around the president to get out of way.

After Mr. Obama's announcement, Gibbs was asked if he knew the president was coming: "No. We would've put a fancy seal up and everything," he said.

It turns out Gibbs didn't know for sure, but was warned it could happen. Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said several in the press office were given a head's up that if Souter's letter arrived during the briefing the president could make an appearance.

Burton, who was sitting in the briefing, said he got a message on his BlackBerry from a co-worker inside, tipping him off that Obama was indeed coming.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would serve as an adviser to President Obama on the Supreme Court vetting process, but he would not "lead" the vetting team, a White House aide told CNN.

"If there were to become a vacancy, the vice president's role would be as an advisor to the president," the aide said. "As a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he brings a lot of experience and knowledge of how this process works on the Hill – but reports he's leading or would be leading a 'vetting team' etc aren't true."

Listen: 44 with Ed Henry

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama returns to Washington on Sunday night with his eye back on his domestic agenda and a plan to save government money.

On Monday, Obama will gather his full Cabinet together for the first timeas president and challenge it to cut a total of $100 million in the next 90 days, two senior administration officials said.

The officials spoke anonymously because the announcement had yet to come from the president, who returned Sunday from the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

The agencies would have to report how they saved on expenses after 90 days, the officials said.

A senior administration official described the edict as part of Obama's "commitment to go line by line through the budget to cut spending" and "reform the government." As House and Senate lawmakers return from recess this week, they are expected to start reconciling their versions of the fiscal 2010 budget resolution. The president's budget request is $3.67 trillion.

In context of the federal budget, $100 million in savings is a small amount, but the White House wants to demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

On Monday, Obama will offer examples of how various agencies have started cost-cutting measures, including:

–The Department of Homeland Security's plan to save an estimated $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk.

– The Department of Agriculture's effort to consolidate 1,500 employees from seven locations into a single facility in 2011. It's estimated to save $62 million over a 15-year lease.

– The Veterans Affairs Department's move to cancel or delay 26 conferences, saving nearly $17.8 million. Veterans Affairs also will use video-conferencing to cut costs.

The president moved on Tuesday. Most of the White House press corps didn’t.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) - While President Obama took off for home around Tuesday 2 pm ET from Baghdad aboard Air Force One, the bulk of the journalists who followed him on his European journey found themselves stuck in Turkey.

Several hours before the president took flight, the United crew providing transportation for the White House Press Corps' return discovered a problem with the United 777 scheduled to leave a few hours later.

It turns out the motor that moves the captain's left chair forward to reach the controls was broken.

Hearing the news, a few eager journalists began reporting it on Facebook and Twitter. Julie Mason of the Washington Examiner, who is a frequent blogger, reported the snafu around 11:30 am ET on her own Facebook page. She says immediately she began to hear speculation from other journalists that perhaps the president would have other surprise stops beyond Baghdad, and that this delay must have been a ploy by the White House to keep the press in position. (Turns out it really was just a broken seat.)

Mason says other more colorful conspiracy theories emerged. "Maybe there was a security breach that was the reason to stay or worst case scenario the White House was telling the truth," Mason said.

Around 3:30 pm ET, it was the director of the White House travel office Peter Newell who had to deliver the ugly truth to the nearly 100 journalists eager to leave.

In front of a podium in the hotel ballroom where the traveling press was working, Newell explained United ordered the part to be delivered on the next flight from London to Istanbul - but unfortunately, that part didn't make it on board. The airline ordered for it to be put on the second flight from London, but for some reason the motor didn't make that flight either. So now United is rerouting a United 777 out of Dubai to travel to Istanbul so the crew can literally pull the captain's chair out of its cockpit and switch it out with motorless chair on the press corps' plane sitting on the runway.

"I'm just the messenger," Newell pleaded to the incredulous crowd. He then offered goodies and condolences. He said United was giving double miles for the journey, and was planning to join with Air Partner (the broker that arranges White House press charters) to pay for another night's stay in Istanbul, plus dinner.

The press corps' luggage, which was checked in hours ago, is now in the belly of the broken plane, along with all the TV gear. "You'll see your luggage when you get to Washington," Newell said.

The reaction from the White House press corps was mixed. The corps is made of up wide-eyed newbies, as well as whiners who have already traveled the world.

CNN White House Senior Producer Emily Schultze simply called it a "hitch-in-yer-gitalong." CBS pool producer Kia Baskerville began passing around a tray of "Turkish Delight" (a local jelly dessert) offering "at your service, ma'am." Her colleague Tom Seems' retirement will have to be postponed one more day. Several correspondents got on the phone to break the news to their spouses and kids. After a grueling eight days of Obama coverage, most headed to the hotel bar.

Obama was awakened early in the morning with news North Korea launched a rocket.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (CNN) - Visiting Prague, Czech Republic, U.S. President Barack Obama was awakened at 4:30 a.m. Sunday with the news that North Korea had launched a rocket, as it had threatened to do over the past several weeks.

During his presidential campaign, Obama and former rival Hillary Clinton debated over who would be better qualified to take a hypothetical early-morning call of an international crisis. But in Prague, where both Obama and Clinton - now Secretary of State - are participating in the European Union summit, they acted in concert.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he personally woke up the president to tell him the launch had been confirmed. Obama consulted with his top aides - some by phone and others in person, as some are traveling with him. They included Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and various other intelligence officials.

Emerging from meetings with the Czech Republic's president and prime minister, Obama said Sunday that Clinton and the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice, were also "reaching out to our friends and allies" ahead of the U.N. Security Council's emergency meeting to be held in New York later in the afternoon.

"North Korea made a launch this morning that defies U.N. Security Council resolutions, that harms peace and stability for Northeast Asia," the president said.

Security Council Resolution 1718 prohibits the regime from conducting ballistic missile-related activities. The council adopted the resolution in 2006 after North Korea conducted a test of a nuclear weapon.

"This action demands a response from the international community, including from the United Nations Security Council, to demonstrate that its resolution cannot be defied with impunity," Obama said.

Obama also called on North Korea to "abandon its nuclear programs" and to "work to promote peace and stability in northeast Asia." As for the timing of the launch coming right before his speech on nuclear non-proliferation, Obama said the "launch only underscores the urgency" of his agenda.

The launch was not a surprise, Gibbs said. The president has been involved in several meetings about the potential North Korea launch over the past three to four weeks, and it was anticipated and planned for.

"Had at any moment we determined the launch posed a threat to the United States of America, we would have taken whatever steps were necessary to ensure the safety and security of the American people," Gibbs said.

Obama was awakened early in the morning with news North Korea launched a rocket.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (CNN) - Visiting Prague, Czech Republic, U.S. President Barack Obama was awakened at 4:30 a.m. Sunday with the news that North Korea had launched a rocket, as it had threatened to do over the past several weeks.

During his presidential campaign, Obama and former rival Hillary Clinton debated over who would be better qualified to take a hypothetical early-morning call of an international crisis. But in Prague, where both Obama and Clinton - now Secretary of State - are participating in the European Union summit, they acted in concert.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he personally woke up the president to tell him the launch had been confirmed. Obama consulted with his top aides - some by phone and others in person, as some are traveling with him. They included Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and various other intelligence officials.

Emerging from meetings with the Czech Republic's president and prime minister, Obama said Sunday that Clinton and the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice, were also "reaching out to our friends and allies" ahead of the U.N. Security Council's emergency meeting to be held in New York later in the afternoon.

"North Korea made a launch this morning that defies U.N. Security Council resolutions, that harms peace and stability for Northeast Asia," the president said.

Security Council Resolution 1718 prohibits the regime from conducting ballistic missile-related activities. The council adopted the resolution in 2006 after North Korea conducted a test of a nuclear weapon.

"This action demands a response from the international community, including from the United Nations Security Council, to demonstrate that its resolution cannot be defied with impunity," Obama said.

Obama also called on North Korea to "abandon its nuclear programs" and to "work to promote peace and stability in northeast Asia." As for the timing of the launch coming right before his speech on nuclear non-proliferation, Obama said the "launch only underscores the urgency" of his agenda.

The launch was not a surprise, Gibbs said. The president has been involved in several meetings about the potential North Korea launch over the past three to four weeks, and it was anticipated and planned for.

"Had at any moment we determined the launch posed a threat to the United States of America, we would have taken whatever steps were necessary to ensure the safety and security of the American people," Gibbs said.

London, England (CNN) – President Barack Obama is meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Wednesday morning at the G-20 summit and hopes to set a date for a joint of U.S.-Russian summit to be held in Moscow this summer, two senior U.S. administration officials said.

The two leaders will also discuss the negotiations of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) to reduce their nuclear arsenals, the officials said.

That treaty expires on December 5.

In addition, the meeting will include such subjects as the controversial plan for a U.S. missile defense system based in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, Iran, and the global economic crisis.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former President Jimmy Carter met Wednesday with National Security Adviser Jim Jones, White House officials said.

Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said the private briefing was planned in advance. "This is a general briefing as he has had with past administrations," she said in an e-mail.

During the meeting, President Barack Obama "dropped by" to greet Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said.

President Obama and Geithner will announce a plan to encourage lending to small businesses.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Monday will announce administration plans to make lending to small businesses more attractive, two senior administration officials confirm.

Many small businesses, suffering from dried-up coffers and unpaid bills, are having a tough time getting loans from lenders.

"We know that small businesses are the engine of growth in the economy, and we absolutely want to do things to help them," Christina Romer, who heads the Council of Economic Advisers, said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday.

Romer said the government would pump "a significant amount" of money into boosting small business lending, but she did not reveal a total figure.

The administration's plan deals with two programs handled by the Small Business Administration, the senior administration officials said.

The first one, the "7(a) program", allows small businesses to get loans of up to $2 million backed by the federal government through the SBA. Currently, the government guarantees up to 85 percent of loans below $150,000, and up to 75 percent of larger loans. Under the administration's plan, the government will temporarily increase the loan guarantee to 90 percent as an incentive to banks to lend.

The administration believes this increase will reduce the risk lenders face when they make loans to borrowers who cannot find credit elsewhere, and ultimately give the banks more confidence to sell and make more loans, the officials said.

The second program, the "504 program", guarantees up to $4 million worth of economic development projects for small businesses. Starting Monday, the administration will temporarily eliminate fees for lenders and borrowers on any new 504 applications. The aim is to reduce the costs to both borrowers and lenders participating in the program, the officials said.

The administration will also temporarily eliminate the upfront fees for 7(a) loans that banks charge borrowers. These fees go up to 3.75 percent for larger loans. The administration believes this will decrease the cost of borrowing for small businesses and make it easier for them to get the credit they need to make new investments, the officials said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Two senior administration officials confirm that Daniel Fried will be named a special envoy to oversee the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Fried is currently assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs. The new job is intended to underscore the administration’s seriousness in shutting down the facility. Fried is a veteran diplomat who worked under former President George W. Bush. His main job will be to negotiate transferring Guantanamo detainees to third countries, mainly in Europe.

Romer chairs the Council of Economic Advisors.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - She is known for her cheery disposition and motherly demeanor, especially beside some of the dour faces that surround her, but Christina Romer, the president's chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisors, is delivering the cold, hard facts on the nation's new jobless numbers. Making her way from camera to camera, Romer is the face of the administration's bad news.

"I think there's no way we could or should spin these. They are terrible. We know that we've lost now more than 650,000 jobs each of the last three months, and that's a tragedy for the American families that are losing those jobs and for the whole economy," Romer told CNN.

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the February unemployment figures, which showed an increase from 7.6 to 8.1 percent - numbers Romer said were not surprising. "I think the important thing is they were much of what we expected. But they are still very bad," she said. "The unemployment rate clearly went up a little bit more than the market had been expecting. The job loss is just what we were expecting."

Romer, who stands just over five feet tall, speaks with pride about being part of a group of several dozen academics who've joined the Obama administration's economic team. Born on Christmas, Romer is sporting a bright red coat and her trademark smile today. Her reassuring demeanor has some observers likening her to a school teacher or librarian.

She is a powerhouse player with a PhD from MIT and numerous books and papers under her belt regarding the Great Depression. But Romer delivers the economic blows with a kind of optimism not displayed by the rest of the presidents economic team.

Romer told CNN Friday she is confident the administration is on the right path. "The message I'd like to give to the American people is the president has been so careful to say to the American people we know it will get worse before it gets better. Precisely because we knew that plans we put in place take time to work. But they are in place. The fiscal stabilization plan, the financial stabilization plan, and the housing plan. Those are our three big doses of medicine for the economy but they're likely to take unfortunately a few months to work."

Romer does not believe any one plan is more important than the other in getting accomplished quickly. "I'm actually a great believer that they all need to work at once. That I think they reinforce each other. That it's not, you need to get the financial markets working before the fiscal package does something. I think there's influence the other way. As we get people creating jobs they're more likely to pay their loans and so the banks are healthier. I think we just got to go through on each one of these simultaneously," Romer said.

On a day when Americans are learning this is the worst unemployment rate in a quarter century, Romer is consistently realistic but rosy. "The President's message is we will recover. I think that's what the American people need to hear. Cause sometimes in the midst of it it's hard to keep your eye on that, on that hope that is absolutely coming down the line."

President Obama wrote Russian President Dmitry Medvedev seeking help in talks with Iran, sources say.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama has told Russia that the United States might not proceed with a missile defense system in eastern Europe if Iran drops plans for producing nuclear weapons, senior administration officials said Tuesday.

Obama raised the possibility in a letter to Russia seeking help in trying to end Iran's nuclear program, a senior administration official said. Contrary to news reports, it was not a secret letter, the official said.

Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the letter that the U.S. missile defense system in Russia's backyard would not be necessary if Iran stopped it own ambitions to build nuclear warheads and long-range ballistic missiles, the officials said.

The letter suggested Russia could have a role in reducing Iran's nuclear threat, and therefore could dissuade the United States from going forward with its plans to establish a missile base in Poland and a radar facility in the Czech Republic.

Full story

Administration officials say President Obama is expected to name Nancy Ann Min DeParle as his new director of the White House office on health reform this afternoon.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Administration officials say President Obama is expected to name Nancy Ann Min DeParle as his new director of the White House office on health reform this afternoon. The announcement is expected to come at the same East Room event where the president will name Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

DeParle's position, also referred to as White House health care czar, was initially to be filled by Obama's first HHS pick, former Senator Tom Daschle. DeParle would work with Sebelius as the President's point person to coordinate the administration's outreach to Congress regarding health care reform. It is not a cabinet position, but considered a key post.

Daschle was to hold both positions as someone who had health care expertise, and a former Senate Majority Leader with the Washington know-how to maneuver Obama's ambitious health care agenda through Congress, before tax problems derailed his nomination and he withdrew.

DeParle is a managing director at CCMO Capital, a private-equity firm. She is a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (medPAC), a group that advises Congress on Medicare payment and policy issues. She previously served a top health official in the Clinton administration. 

Obama administration officials say the health care czar position will be similar to the role Hillary Clinton played when, as First Lady, she attempted to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

(CNN) - Two senior administration officials say President Barack Obama will declare in his speech Friday at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina: "Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."

Related: Obama to pull most troops from Iraq by August 2010

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Several dozen mayors from across the country emerged from their meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday with one message - they are determined to get their money.

The mayors met with Obama to discuss the implementation of city-related funding from the $787 billion stimulus package.

"This plan does more to lay a new foundation for our cities' growth and opportunity than anything Washington has done in generations," Obama told them at a White House reception.

The economic stimulus package sets aside billions of dollars for highway construction, transit improvements, school modernization and community development block grants, among other things.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom noted, however, that getting those dollars is a competitive process.

"I think those cities that have stepped back and have not organized to date are in real peril of missing out on the competitive dollars, in particular. ... We need to be front and center, because you've got short timelines here and the timelines are not only to get the dollars distributed, but more importantly to make sure they're spent within 18 months, as we're prescribing most of these dollars to be spent."

Newsom said local leaders can no longer tolerate the traditional red tape, "it's incumbent upon us to make sure these applications are accurate, to make sure there's no holes, to make sure that we're following through on our promises and commitments," HE said.

Getting this kind of money is an unbelievable opportunity, he said. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime. As a mayor, I'll never experience this again and perhaps as a citizen of this country and as the next ex-mayor of San Francisco, I don't think I'll ever experience it either, so we don't want to screw it up."

Democratic Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans vowed that he would get his share of the stimulus, even if his state's republican governor Bobby Jindal tries to block it. Jindal has threatened to refuse the billions of dollars in stimulus money Louisiana is qualified for because he believes the economic stimulus package is a waste of money.

Nagin suggested politics are the motivation of Jindal's hard line stand saying "I think the governor of the state of Louisiana, the republicans, he thinks he's been tapped as the up and coming republican. He'll potentially run for it the next time it goes around. So he has a certain vernacular and a certain way he needs to talk right now."

Nagin vowed not to let the governor get in his way, "I don't think it's going to impede us, because Representative Clyborn basically said if a governor does not want this money, the legislator can vote to accept the money. I told the governor personally, any dollar he does not want, we will take them gladly."

Republican Mayor Patrick McCrory of Charlotte, North Carolina acknowledged he was one of those Republicans who were no fan of the $787 billion dollar plan, but he's still pursuing his city's share.

"I thought too much emphasis was on non-infrastructure projects. My hope was if we're going to do a stimulus it would be on long-term infrastructure projects, like during the Eisenhower administration, which would have impact for generations to come, since they'll be paying for it. But since the bill's been passed now I've got to work with the bill and try to implement it the best way I can in my city and as other mayors will do in their cities," McCrory said.

McCrory rejected the suggestion that he should refuse the money to be consistent with his party's stand. Only three Republican Senators voted for the stimulus package.

"It's our money that's being spent. I mean, I'm sending my tax dollars, my income tax dollars along with my constituents' tax dollars to Washington, and if I don't spend it these other mayors will spend it, and that wouldn't be fair to my constituents. So I do not think it's a sign of hypocrisy or a contradiction. We do this every year with bills that are passed or not passed. During the last 14 years I've been mayor, there've been many bills that have been passed which I disagree with, but once it's passed, you've got to make it work, and that's what I hope to do in Charlotte," McCrory said.

McCrory believes Republican governors who are threatening to block funds to their states are making a big mistake.

"I would disagree with them, unless some of the money, you've got to be careful with, because it could be tied to long-term operating money, which could put you in a bind only two or three years from now. That I understand, but just overall rejecting the infrastructure money would be a mistake for their own taxpayers because those taxpayers are paying for it whether they get it or not.

"So we're given no choice; the taxpayers are going to be paying for this, so I think that our cities or states that even opposed this stimulus bill should try to make it work the best way we can and that's exactly what I'm going to do as mayor of Charlotte."

Newsom said despite the rush for the funds, the Obama administration has set a reasonable timetable.

"I think it is under the circumstances, but it focuses peoples' attention, and in politics our attention sometimes wanders. And so this is an opportunity in the next two or three months to get very serious because it can play a huge role in dramatically changing the direction of a lot of American cities."

Newsom said the Federal dollars are especially helpful to his high tech area. "...we're seeding a modernization strategy: on WiFi, on ubiquitous broadband access, on modernizing integrated traffic management systems, on smart grids, on transmission lines, on focusing on electric vehicles and greening of our workforce."

Newsom said the biggest challenge in getting money right away is "making sure that the grant applications are consistent, collaborative and coordinated and that they meet the criteria that have been set out.

"That was the advantage of this meeting, because we were able not only to meet with the President and Vice President, but the secretaries and the cabinet-level officials that are really drawing down on the specific prescriptive nature of some of these applications, and that was, for me, a great opportunity to take notes, read between the lines in terms of what they're looking for, again particularly on the competitive dollars."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - As auto giants General Motors and Chrysler face Tuesday's deadline to submit plans to show the government how they can repay billions in federal loans, the White House is creating a Presidential Task Force on Autos to oversee the restructuring of the auto industry, a senior administration official said.

The task force will include members from the Departments of Treasury, Labor, Transportation, Commerce, and Energy, the National Economic Council (NEC), the White House Office of Energy and Environment, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Environmental Protection Agency, the official said.

It will be overseen by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and NEC Director Larry Summers.

Geithner will oversee the loan agreements with the automakers.

Teams at the Treasury Department and  the National Economic Council are working with the automakers and stakeholders to prepare for their Tuesday submissions, the official said.

From February 17 to March 31, "the auto companies and stakeholders are expected to show progress in meeting the restructuring goals set forth in their plans" the senior administration official said.

The adminstration would work with the automakers daily over the next two weeks on their strategies to repay their loans, the official said.

Despite weeks of speculation over whether the administration would
appoint a "car czar", the senior administration official said there would be none.

Ron Bloom, a nationally recognized restructuring expert, will join the
administration's team as a senior adviser at the Treasury Department, the senior administration official said.

Bloom is a former vice president of Lazard Freres & Company LLC, and is a former restructuring expert for labor for the U.S. Steelworkers.

The team will provide advice and analysis to Geithner and Summers about the auto industry.

Updated 9:25 a.m.

Full story

President Obama will sign the economic stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver, Colorado, two officials said Saturday.

(CNN) - President Obama will sign the economic stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver, Colorado, two senior administration officials confirm to CNN.

Both officials cited a desire to get out of Washington - to go, in the words of one official, “out west in an area hit hard economically, away from the politics of Washington.”

The other official described Denver as “a place that will see the benefits of the bill in hiring workers.”

Obama traveled to areas hit hard by the economic downturn last week, holding town hall meetings in Elkhart, Indiana and Fort Myers, Florida. He met with workers at a Caterpillar plant in Peoria, Illinois on Thursday, after the company announced 22,000 layoffs.

President Obama will sign the economic stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver, Colorado, two officials said Saturday.

(CNN) - President Obama will sign the economic stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver, Colorado, two senior administration officials confirm to CNN.

Both officials cited a desire to get out of Washington - to go, in the words of one official, “out west in an area hit hard economically, away from the politics of Washington.”

The other official described Denver as “a place that will see the benefits of the bill in hiring workers.”

Obama traveled to areas hit hard by the economic downturn last week, holding town hall meetings in Elkhart, Indiana and Fort Myers, Florida. He met with workers at a Caterpillar plant in Peoria, Illinois on Thursday, after the company announced 22,000 layoffs.

(CNN) – White House officials say President Obama’s speechwriter has had several conversations with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in crafting today’s speech for the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in Springfield, Illinois.

The president's brief, 5-10 minute remarks will touch on the familiar themes of reconciliation, rising to the challenge of the times, and changing history, but will not break any policy ground. The only time he will talk about the economic stimulus package today is at the Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Illinois, before 200 workers.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Partnerships with the private sector - aimed at restoring the flow of credit to families and businesses– will be a key feature of an overhaul of the $700 billion financial bailout to be announced by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Tuesday morning, according to a senior White House official.

The public-private par are expected to buy troubled assets that now clog banks' balance sheets and to provide incentives so banks will start lending again, the official said.

The plan will continue to rely heavily on companies injecting capital into banks, but it will require more from those companies, such as caps on executive compensation. The government also will boost monitoring to make sure those banks use the money to increase lending, the official said. The bailout, launched by the Bush administration, has come under fire for its lack of transparency.

The plan also will commit up to $100 billion of the program's remaining $350 billion to stem the tide of foreclosures, without seeking more money from Congress at this time, the official added.

The official also said the plan will significantly expand a Federal Reserve program aimed at unclogging lending to consumers and small businesses by widening the program to cover other types of loans, such as those for commercial real estate.

Obama officials reveal pay and spending limits.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Executives of companies receiving federal bailout money will have their pay capped at $500,000 under a financial compensation plan that President Barack Obama is expected to announce Wednesday, two senior administration officials said.

Obama himself alluded to a change in executive salary in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper Tuesday night.

"Tomorrow I'm going to be talking about executive compensation and changes we're going to be making there," he said. "We've now learned that people are still getting huge bonuses despite the fact that they're getting taxpayer money, which I think infuriates the public."

Under the president's plan, companies that want to pay their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the companies pay back the money they borrow from the government.

The restrictions will most affect large companies that receive "exceptional assistance," such as Citigroup.

The struggling banking giant has taken about $45 billion from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Last month, the bank reversed plans to accept delivery of a new $42 million corporate jet, after Treasury Department prodding.

The new rules also will mandate that shareholders of banks have a greater say about the salaries paid to company heads. The measures will put in place greater transparency for costs such as holiday parties and office renovations.

Institutions that are financially healthy - and receive more generally available government funds - can waive these requirements if their shareholders vote to do so, according to the plan.

Last month, Obama ripped Wall Street executives for their "shameful" decision to hand out $18 billion in bonuses in 2008.

The president said it was the "height of irresponsibility" for executives to pay bonuses when their companies were asking for help from Washington.

"The American people understand we've got a big hole that we've got to dig ourselves out of, but they don't like the idea that people are digging a bigger hole even as they're being asked to fill it up," he added.

Congress also was furious, with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, introducing legislation to cap compensation at bailed-out companies to no more than the salary of the U.S. president.

Obama's annual salary is $400,000.

"We have a bunch of idiots on Wall Street that are kicking sand in the face of the American taxpayer," an enraged McCaskill said on the floor of the Senate on Friday. "They don't get it. These people are idiots. You can't use taxpayer money to pay out $18 billion in bonuses."

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger received a call from the president after winning the Super Bowl Sunday night.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The White House theater was packed, all 40 seats filled, so guests spilled out into the East Wing, where big TV sets were set up overlooking the first lady's garden. The Super Bowl game blasted from the theater, but Sunday's party hosted by the president and first lady focused more on family.

Attendees say about 75 people showed up, including several dozen children from age 2 on up.

The children gathered around a Nintendo Wii where, Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent said, his 8-year-old son, Jack, took on two sisters determined to win. No, not the two sisters who live upstairs.

President Barack Obama, wearing a casual button-down shirt, walked from room to room serving his guests brownies, and oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. Michelle Obama worked the crowd, too.

There were hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, chips and salsa, soft pretzels, hot fudge ice cream and pizza.

The crowd was diverse. Attending were Attorney General-designate Eric Holder, Rep. Elijah Cummings, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, wounded soldiers, and plenty of children running around in oversized jerseys.

Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona, decked out in an Arizona Cardinals jersey, placed a wager with Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, whose wife and kids donned Steelers gear. The loser would have to wear the other guy's team jersey when the House returned on its first full day in session on Wednesday.

Franks accepted his loss Monday, saying he'd be wearing the Steelers jersey –"It's always important to be magnanimous in victory and humbling in defeat."

Franks, who had voted against the House version of the stimulus plan, said he and the president did not talk about the economic package, but rather about their children. Franks now has 6-month-old twins, a boy and a girl.

He said the president was "very gracious." The Arizona congressman gave the president a Cardinals jersey with the number 40. It is the number of former Cardinals player Pat Tillman, who left the team to join the military and was killed in Afghanistan.

Franks said Obama responded, "I'd be honored to accept that."

He was making no political statement about the war in giving the president the shirt, he said: "He was a very famous Cardinal who personified everything that is noble. The men who are on front lines so some can stay home and watch the Super Bowl."

Later several guests cracked up when a young boy approached Obama and asked, "Mr. President. Where is the bathroom? Can you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Obama responded with a smile, "How would I know? I've only been living here 10 days."

Despite a healthy group of Arizona representatives, Steelers' fans outnumbered the Cardinals. Among them were Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers Rep. Patrick Murphy and Sen. Bob Casey.

Attendees described the cheering as "somewhat restrained" and any foul language was "under control."

Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican representing Pennsylvania's 15th District, said the party was "really fun." But he warned it wouldn't necessarily change his view about the president's stimulus plan.

Dent voted against the House version and said, "I take each issue on a case-by-case basis. There are areas on which I agree and disagree. I think it's important to have some kind of stimulus package, it just depends on what's in it. I'll have to see the revised version."

But politics aside, Dent said his family had a ball. "I really commend the president for reaching out. Very smart."

Franks agreed.

"It's always good for members of Congress and the president to personalize and humanize each other, regardless of what events they face together in the future," he said. "The hope is it will diminish politics and encourage working together for the country's best interest."

Obama was rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama called the Superbowl winners the Pittsburgh Steelers after their big win Sunday night, White House officials said Monday.

Obama started with the team's owner Dan Rooney. The two developed a rapport after Rooney had given Obama a game ball from the conference championship earlier.

The president also called coach Mike Tomlin, and the quarterback "Big Ben" Roethlisberger to congratulate them. He invited everyone to visit the White House.

Obama was rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers and threw a bipartisan Superbowl party for the occasion.

The administration is raising expectations on Karzai.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A senior administration official told CNN Wednesday morning that "we expect more from the Afghan government and from Hamid Karzai on corruption" and "we expect more from the international community, from NATO, in doing their part."

The demands on the Afghan president come as President Obama gets ready to meet with the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the joint chiefs at the Pentagon later this afternoon to get what the White House calls a "comprehensive view of the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the impact on our forces."

Obama considers Afghanistan, not Iraq, as "the central front in the war on terror." The official said that as the president promised during his campaign, there will be a "robust military effort" inside Afghanistan, as well as a "non-military effort" to "increase non-military resources to provide alternative livelihoods to drug trafficking."

Afghanistan under Karzai has further deteriorated into a narco-state, providing 90 percent of the world's illegal poppy or opium supply, according to the World Bank.

The senior administration official criticized Karzai for not being able to "govern outside Kabul [the nation's capital] or provide services to Afghans" outside the city.

But the official took issue with any suggestion that the Obama administration would support another Afghan leader for the country's elections later this year. "Far be it for us to dictate who they chose," the official said.

The official said he was unaware if anyone was considering ending the frequent video conference calls with Karzai that President Bush enjoyed. A report in the New York Times said Vice President Joe Biden told Karzai they would stop.

The official confirmed that Richard Holbrooke, the President's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to travel to the region soon.

Secretary Gates testified before Congress yesterday and said he expects to send up to three additional combat brigades, a minimum of 10-12,000 troops, to Afghanistan.

Today's Pentagon meeting is described by the senior administration official as part of a "comprehensive review","a methodical, logical process whereby the President, after reaching out to commanders in each of the impacted countries, [General Petraus] to get a national and regional view. Now he will turn to the Chiefs to get a full view of the impact on our forces. To get the global picture beyond Afghanistan."

Obama is pressing members of Congress to vote for the stimulus bill

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama is taking a hands-on approach in shaping the $825 billion economic stimulus package under consideration by Congress, urging his fellow Democrats to take out provisions he feels are unnecessary and controversial, according to a senior administration official.

An Obama aide said the President has personally called House Democratic leaders recently to urge them to remove a $200 million family planning provision which would have made it easier for states to use federal funds to provide contraception for poor families.

One of those calls was to Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California, chairman of the House Energy Committee and one of the most influential liberal members in the House. The Obama aide said the President urged Waxman and other Democrats to take out the provision because it was a hot-button issue among Republicans, and did not focus on the mandate of creating jobs as quickly as possible.

In trying to win over Republicans, President Obama is also bringing a Republican ally along for his trip on the Hill. By his side will be his Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the former congressman from Illinois, who is one of two Republicans in his Cabinet. The moderate LaHood is a veteran of Capitol Hill, and a longtime friend of Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, with whom he co-hosted bipartisan dinners as a member of Congress.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama will announce Monday new renewable energy directives - including an executive order which allows California and 13 other states to set their own auto emissions and fuel efficiency standards beyond what is called for by federal law, a senior administration official told CNN.

The states can regulate their own auto emissions in their states by requiring automakers to produce trucks and cars that get better mileage than what is required of the national standard, the senior administration official said.

Obama will do this by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to grant a waiver for the states, which was denied under former President Bush, to allow them to set their own standards for emissions.

Automakers agreed with Bush and vehemently opposed the waivers, saying creating another set of rules regarding pollution standards for some states would be confusing and unenforceable.

Obama will also call for:
– automakers to increase their fuel efficiency standards nationwide;
– make government buildings more fuel efficient;
– and, find new ways for federal agencies to save energy.

More

Obama has reversed the Mexico City policy.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will issue an executive order Friday afternoon reversing a controversial abortion policy from the past three Republican administrations, a senior administration official said.

The order comes the day after the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States.

The order reverses the "Mexico City policy," initiated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, canceled by President Bill Clinton and reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001.

The policy prohibits U.S. money from going to international family planning groups that promote or provide information, counseling, or referrals about abortion services. It says any organization that receives U.S. family planning funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) cannot offer abortions or abortion counseling.

The policy - referred to by critics as "the global gag rule" - was initially announced at a population conference that took place in Mexico City.

Reversing the previous administrations' stance on the policy was one of Clinton's first acts as president in January 1993 and the very first executive order issued by Bush on January 22, 2001 - the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Critics, including Planned Parenthood, called Bush's move a "legislative ambush."

He defended his action, saying, "It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortion or actively promote abortion."

The group Population Action International praised Obama's move, saying in a news release from spokesman Tod Preston that it will "save women's lives around the world."

"Family planning should not be a political issue; it's about basic health care and well-being for women and children," it said. "... Women's health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama's actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning."

Malveaux: President Obama personally congratulated White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs after his first official press conference Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - It was a funny moment in the White House Press Office. And a rare one. I was in the White House press office when in walks President Obama. It happened so fast, it even startled his aides.

President Obama walked in to see his Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. An aide, looking down at her papers, didn't notice who was whisking by her, and said Gibbs was on a conference call. "I'm the President. I can do anything I want," joked Obama, proceeding directly into Gibbs’ office with a single photographer in tow as staffers laughed.

I overheard the president say "congratulations, congratulations man." Today, after all, had marked his press secretary's first official briefing with the White House press corps. Then, just as soon as he'd come in, the President moved off in the direction of the Oval Office - too fast for even a shouted impromptu question.

Moments later, I left the White House through the front gate and ran into the president's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, with her young daughter. She greeted me warmly and said "you remember my daughter." A couple of passersby began to assemble with cameras. When one recognized her as the President's sister, we said goodbye.

The new administration still appears to be working out the kinks.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – When reporters arrived at the White House around 5 am today, the door to the press office was locked, and the press office phone lines went directly to a busy signal. The lights in the White House residence and West Wing were on, but there were no other signs of anyone.

Just before 6 am, the press office door was unlocked. Each empty office had a paper handwritten sign attached to the door or desk with the name of the anticipated occupant, like Bill Burton, Ben LaBolt and Dan Pfeiffer. Some names were misspelled. Later, the doors were locked again.

Around 7:30am David Axelrod was seen entering the West Wing with a couple of boxes in hand. An usher could be seen in the window of the White House residence moving from one room to another.

In the 8 o’clock hour, a Marine was posted outside the front door of the West Wing drive, indicating the president was indeed in his office.

By 9:20 am the press office door was unlocked, and spokesman Bill Burton was surrounded by reporters and producers. He told them there would be no White House briefing by the Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today.

A group of four workers - one wearing a badge labeled “contractor” - then filed into the lower press office to hook up phones and computers. One woman was armed with a container of Clorox disinfecting wipes.

There’s a lot of buzz about Obama making bold moves on his first full day - but communicating that is proving to be a challenge.

Tonight the Bushes are eating their final White House dinner.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush is sharing his last dinner at the White House residence with his family tonight, according to White House spokesman Dana Perino. The president and the first lady will be joined by his parents, and their daughters Barbara and Jenna.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President-elect Barack Obama is considering issuing an executive order to reverse a controversial Bush administration abortion policy in his first week in office, three Democratic sources said Monday.

Obama's second full day as president falls on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States.

Source said Obama may use the occasion to reverse the "Mexico City policy" reinstated in 2001 by Bush that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion services. It bans any organization receiving family planning funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development from offering abortions or abortion counseling.

The "Mexico City policy," commonly referred to by critics as "the global gag rule," was devised by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 at a population conference in Mexico City.

President Bill Clinton lifted the ban in January 1993 as one of his first acts as president, but President George W. bush reinstated it in his first executive order on January 22, 2001, the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

At the time, critics - including Planned Parenthood - called the move a "legislative ambush."

Bush defended the action, saying then: "It is my conviction that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortion or actively promote abortion."

Sullenberger was invited to the inauguration by the president-elect.

(CNN) - Two Obama inaugural officials tell CNN Chesley Sullenberger - "Sully", the US Airways 1549 pilot who safely landed the plane on the Hudson River last Thursday - will attend the Presidential inauguration. He and his crew were personally invited by President-elect Barack Obama when the two spoke by phone last week.

The Inaugural Committee is working out the logistics for both captain and crew.

Senior staffers from President-elect Obama's transition team will be taken to the White House as soon has his swearing in is complete.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team will be wasting no time getting to work Tuesday, according to two sources close to the Obama transition team. 

Twenty senior staff on Obama’s team have already had their paperwork cleared to enter the White House Tuesday, as soon as Obama is sworn in as the country’s 44th president. Vans will take them from the Capitol to the White House as soon as the swearing in is completed. 

Some senior staff will stay behind to attend the traditional lunch with the new president, but even those staffers will get to work quickly.  They’ll be arriving at the White House even as the inaugural parade snakes through Washington.

Related: Obama plans ambitious first week

President Bush spent part of his last full day in office calling world leaders.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President George W. Bush spent his last full day in office Monday on the phone, extending a farewell to several world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Bush spent the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, before returning to Washington for a private dinner Sunday evening with outgoing Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, as well as a brief appearance at a reception for current and former administration staffers.

Bush is expected to fly to his ranch in Crawford, Texas shortly after President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in on Tuesday at noon.

President-elect Obama collected his daughters after detraining in Washington Saturday evening.

WASHINGTON, AT UNION STATION (CNN) - It was quiet near the president-elect's train when it arrived, but inside Union Station, there was a lot of activity and a lot of noise from folks who knew they would not even get a chance to see him.

Watch: Obama arrives in Washington

People from all over the country and all over the world were at the station.

Asked what Obama meant to him, Terry Kinney of Georgia said it was how he will affect the future. "When I think about the Supreme Court justices that he might appoint and how it's going to affect my son," he said. "The economy is important, but when he appoints the Supreme Court justices, it's going to change my son and all of our kids' lives for over 50 years."

Eleven-year-old Grant Ibeh said Obama's presidency shows him that "my dreams can come true."

"I'm really excited of having him as our new president, and he's going to do well for this town," Grant said.

There are a lot of people in Washington who are eagerly awaiting the inauguration and happy just to be here, a lot of people who will be sleeping on cots, staying with family and staying with friends. A lot of them don't even have tickets, but they're here to share in this moment.

WASHINGTON, AT UNION STATION (CNN) - They have come here from as far as Liberia. Eager and anxious Obama fans have descended on Washington.

They are impatient to get a glimpse of the man who in just a few days will become president. While they wait, we are their biggest curiosity. There are camera lights and a table, and a TV monitor is tuned to CNN's coverage. They huddle around us, and the question is always, "When is he arriving?" As the last stop on his whistle-stop tour here at Union Station, we've had a chance to hear the stories from those who have traveled from Seattle, Miami, Atlanta and frigid Cleveland.

One man wearing a black down coat is covered in Obama buttons that blink in red lights. A proud father from Chicago hands me an 8×10 poster of Obama that he says his son, an artist, drew, of Obama's face, that also includes the flag of Kenya, Illinois and the United States.

Even though we're indoors, it's cold here, as we are sitting by a train station exit. Everyone is bundled up, from snow gear to elaborate fur. An Au Bon Pain store farther inside the station is selling specially made Obama sugar cookies, with an Obama face and a flag. There is a dish of crumpled sample pieces to entice customers. At another popular corner here, people are lined up to take their picture at a life-size cardboard placard of Obama.

Though there will be no arrival sighting here, as on the other stops on the tour, or even a chance to get a glimpse of Obama coming off the train, there is a contagious buzz about how the next 48 hours will unfold. Red, white and blue balloons decorate the entrances of several restaurants as Union Station will host a Latino inaugural gala tomorrow. A red rope line cordons off a small stage.

Outside, there are a handful of protesters wearing black shirts with white lettering that say "Arrest Bush." They say President Bush is guilty of war crimes and are calling for him to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. It's a controversy Obama has already addressed, pledging to use his executive power next week to shut down the facility.

But inside Union Station, the mood is light, even if most of the out-of-towners are shivering. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait for tomorrow to get a glimpse of the new first family when official events kick off here in Washington.

– CNN White House Producer Jamie Crawford contributed to this report

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has learned that Sen. Clinton will speak Tuesday night at the Democratic convention. Photo credit: Getty Images/File.

(CNN) - Sen. Hillary Clinton has agreed to speak on the second night of next month's Democratic convention, headlining on the 88th anniversary of the day women earned the right to vote, sources say.

Two sources close to Clinton said the former presidential candidate will speak August 26 with all female U.S. senators on stage with her.

"Tuesday night is Hillary night," said one supporter.

That night is the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.