Obama chides governors for education cuts

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama told U.S. governors attending a luncheon Monday that they are cutting too much funding for education and need to make reforms while continuing to invest in the future of America's students. While acknowledging the tough economic climate for state governments, Obama cited the need to prioritize the long-range significance of a strong education system. "We've all faced some...

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Obama Payroll Tax Cut: President Finally Scores Coveted Win

WASHINGTON -- The $143 billion payroll tax cut won by President Barack Obama may be the last significant measure he receives from a deeply divided Congress that promises to only get more polarized as Election Day approaches. Obama's coveted renewal of the payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and jobless benefits for millions more caps a five-month campaign-style drive against reluctant Republicans. Under the bill...

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Obama Administration asks for delay in legal fight over contraception coverage

Washington (CNN) -- An ongoing political dispute over the Obama administration's new mandate on contraceptive coverage has reached the federal courts, with the Justice Department on Friday urging judges to stay out of the controversy until a compromise can be worked out. At issue is whether religious institutions should be exempt from mandated employee coverage for birth control and other reproductive care. A North...

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President Obama unveils $3.8 trillion budget

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget request Monday that hikes taxes on the rich, spends new money on infrastructure and education, but does little to reform the entitlement programs that pose the biggest long-term threat to the federal budget. "We built this budget around the idea that our country has always done best when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and...

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Obama In San Francisco: President's Major Fundraisers Feature Quince Dinner, Chris Cornell Show And Tobias Wolff Reading

The smear campaigns. The satirical candidates. The protests. It's officially 2012, and election season is in full swing. On Thursday evening, Barak Obama himself will pay a visit to San Francisco. And while he's been here before, this time he's serious. The President's first stop: a small, private literary-themed (!) fundraiser at the home of author Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner, including a dinner by Quince's...

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Fox News Poll: Obama holds edge over Republicans in matchups

Barack Obama bests each of the Republican presidential candidates in hypothetical matchups. In addition, the president’s job approval rating hits its highest point in over six months -- despite a decline in optimism on the economy.A Fox News poll released Friday shows 48 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing as president. That’s up from 45 percent in January, and the highest positive rating Obama has...

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Obama Tells Gay Donors More Work To Be Done

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama told gay and lesbian supporters at a big-ticket fundraiser Thursday that there's more work to do to ensure fairness for all, but he said he "couldn't be prouder" of his track record for them. Citing accomplishments like overturning the ban on gays serving openly in the military, Obama said the remarkable thing is how readily the public has gone along. "The perception was somehow...

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Obama unveils $5 billion veterans jobs proposal

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama unveiled a new $5 billion veterans jobs plan Friday that the administration says will put thousands of men and women who once wore their country's uniform back to work. The new Veterans Jobs Corps initiative, first mentioned in the president's State of the Union address last week, involves partnerships with the Veterans Administration and the Interior Department, as well as...

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Obama announces contraception compromise

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama announced a compromise Friday in the dispute over whether to require full contraception insurance coverage for female employees at religiously affiliated institutions. Under the new plan, religiously affiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free...

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Obama budget: $901 billion deficit in 2013

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- President Obama will propose a budget on Monday that forecasts a $901 billion deficit in 2013, and includes plans to make targeted investments in areas like infrastructure while hiking taxes on the rich. The White House bills the document as a "blueprint for how we can rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded." Print Comment But given the intense acrimony...

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