Obama and Biden head back to school
(CNN) - President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other top Democrats are heading back to school Tuesday, in hopes of convincing first time voters from the 2008 election to vote again in 2010.
The president is scheduled to headline a Democratic party rally at the University of Wisconsin in Madison while the vice president is the main attraction at a similar event at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania.
The idea is to fire up "surge" voters and motivate them to go to the polls again in this November's midterm elections. According to national exit polls from 2008, 11 percent of people who cast ballots in the presidential contest said they were first time voters, and seven out of ten of those new voters said they backed Obama in the election. Many of those people were young voters, and exit polls indicated that two-thirds of people age 18-29 voted for Obama.
Democrats may attack Rove in ads
(CNN) - A senior Democratic strategist said Monday that the party could release campaign ads in some targeted congressional districts attacking Karl Rove and his ties to a new conservative group, American Crossroads. Rove, a former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, is helping to lead the new cash-flush group.
Democrats have been testing Rove's popularity, and he "continues to be unpopular with the Democratic base" says the Democratic strategist. The political spots presumably would remind voters that Rove is still a campaign presence for Republicans, particularly given his involvement with what the Democratic strategist calls "a secretly funded corporate campaign."
Tea Party Express set to reveal plans of latest bus tour
(CNN) - The Tea Party Express is set to reveal details on Monday about its upcoming bus tour. Last week, the group announced in a press release that it would reveal details on Monday.
Levi Russell, Tea Party Express Communications Director, confirmed to CNN Monday afternoon that those plans are still on track. Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer told CNN the group is "finalizing the details" of the "Tea Party Express IV: Liberty At the Ballot Box" tour, its fourth since 2009. The final deciding points, Kremer said, were which cities the tour should swing through. On Friday, a source did reveal to CNN some details of the upcoming tour.
In past Express tours, the group has visited areas represented by lawmakers who are prime political targets for conservative activists. For example, the group stormed through Nevada in previous tours drawing attention to its campaign against Sen. Harry Reid, the most powerful Democrat in the Senate. The Tea Party Express supports Republican candidate Sharron Angle in that Senate race.
–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Lawyer: Prosecutor in former Sen. Ted Stevens' trial commits suicide
(CNN) - One of the prosecutors who handled the corruption trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens committed suicide over the weekend, according to his lawyer.
Justice Department prosecutor Nicholas Marsh and five others have been the subject of an investigation by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility over their handling of the Stevens case, which the Justice Department ultimately dropped amid charges the government did not properly share evidence with Stevens' defense attorneys. The judge in the Stevens case also ordered a special prosecutor to look into it.
Bob Luskin, an attorney for Marsh, told CNN Marsh killed himself but did not provide details. "It did seem he was overwhelmed by the emotional cost of this investigation," said Luskin. According to the attorney, Marsh was in his late 30s.
CNN Poll: Plurality say GOP would do a better job fixing economy
(CNN) - Although more people blame the Republicans than the Democrats for the country's economic problems, a larger number of people think the Republicans are more likely to fix those problems, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday indicates that 41 percent of adult Americans say congressional Republicans are more responsible for the nation's economic problems, with 35 percent saying the Democrats are more to blame, and nearly one in five saying both are equally to blame.
But 47 percent of those questioned say the economic policies of congressional Republicans are more likely to improve economic conditions, with 41 percent saying Democrats in Congress have the better prescriptions, five percent saying both have equally good solutions and five percent saying neither are more likely to improve conditions.
Arrests expected at WH
2:44 p.m.: There is a large group of protesters on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.
U.S. Park Police say they expect to arrest about 100 of them for "failure to obey a lawful order.
The group has a permit, but some of the protesters aren't following the rules said a park spokesman.
2012 Watch: Thune says he's serious
(CNN) – He's kept a low profile relative to other Republicans thought to be eyeing a 2012 White House bid, but South Dakota Sen. John Thune says he is taking a "full look" at launching a bid for president.
"I'm getting a very full look at it. I suppose you try to think what it would look like," Thune told the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes in an article published online Monday.
"One, is it something you want to do. Two, do you think there's a pathway to get there. And that's obviously a thought process that involves a lot of other people - your family and whatnot."
Obama to students: Get involved in midterms
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama made an urgent plea Monday for college students to get more involved in the upcoming November midterm elections, warning that a disengaged youth vote could lead to major policy reversals over the next two years.
Speaking on a conference call to student journalists, the president said he wanted to send a message to "young people across the country [about] how important this election is."
Obama signs $42 billion bill aimed to help small businesses
Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama signed into law a $42 billion bill to aid small businesses Monday, saying it would create jobs by providing tax credits and helping banks increase loans.
"It's going to cut taxes. It's going to make more loans available for small businesses. It's a great victory for America's entrepreneurs," Obama said to applause at the White House signing ceremony.
While the bill's major provisions had backing from both parties, it took months of legislative wrangling to work it out.
FULL STORY
Poll: GOP odds of keeping N.H. Senate seat improving
(CNN) - Democrats' hopes of capturing a Republican held Senate seat in New Hampshire appear to be fading, according to a new poll.
According to an American Research Group survey released Monday, 46 percent of likely voters in New Hampshire support former state attorney general Kelly Ayotte, the GOP nominee, with 32 percent backing two-term Rep. Paul Hodes, the Democratic nominee, and one in five undecided.
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