MOLINE, Illinois (Reuters) - Republican White House hopeful Rick Santorum said on Monday he did not care about the U.S. unemployment rate, perhaps the nation's most closely watched economic indicator, despite being embroiled in a campaign largely focused on the still-sputtering economy. "I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me. ...

It’s St. Patrick’s Day at the White House today. President Obama will kick off the belated celebration with a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the White House this morning. “The president looks forward to commemorating his fourth St. Patrick’s Day in the...

MOLINE, Illinois (Reuters) - Republican White House hopeful Rick Santorum said on Monday he did not care about the U.S. unemployment rate, perhaps the nation's most closely watched economic indicator, despite being embroiled in a campaign largely focused on the still-sputtering economy. "I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deficits for the next two fiscal years would be slightly higher than the White House envisions if President Barack Obama's budget plan were adopted, the Congressional Budget Office said on Friday. The CBO's latest analysis shows the plan would pile up $6.39 trillion in cumulative deficits over a 10-year period, but that figure is about $294 billion less than the White House estimated in February for the same 2013-2022 period. ...

White House officials Friday defended President Obama’s request that the government of Yemen keep a local journalist detained for alleged terrorist ties. Al-Sha’i had investigated a series of airstrikes in December 2009 against what Yemeni officials described as an Al Qaeda training camp in al...

The Obama administration confirmed Friday that President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke by phone amid confusion over Karzai's demand that U.S. forces leave posts in Afghan villages, a key tenet of the current military strategy. But the White House did not immediately confirm Karzai's claim that Obama had called him seeking clarity, and that Karzai had reiterated the demand.

The former U.S. senator faces charges that he broke federal campaign finance laws, allegedly using nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide the pregnant mistress and prevent a scandal from erupting as he campaigned for the White House in 2008. He has pleaded not guilty.

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Actor and activist George Clooney visited the White House today to lobby the president on the plight of the people in South Sudan. “The good news is we feel like there is a commitment at a very high level,” Clooney told reporters at the White...

Rod Blagojevich Reported to Jail Today – Other pols behaving badly – http://abcn.ws/xzHvDz Sen. Lugar Can’t Vote for Himself – http://abcn.ws/xdl6yV ‘That’s Why He’s Not on Mt. Rushmore’ – Obama Accuses Rutherford B. Hayes, Who Installed first telephone in the White House, of being anti-telephone...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday it remains committed to supporting a reconciliation process in Afghanistan, despite the Taliban's announcement that it was suspending nascent peace talks with the United States. "We support an Afghan-led process toward reconciliation. There is no likely resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan without a political resolution," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. He denied Taliban accusations that U.S. statements had been erratic and insisted that Washington had been consistent in its message. (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick)

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama pose for photographers with British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron, as they arrive in the North Portico of the White House for a State Dinner March 14, 2012, in Washington.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama appears in an upcoming Cartoon Network documentary aimed at encouraging bullied children and others to speak up, and says that as the father of two young girls he is deeply concerned about the issue. In an introduction to the 30-minute film, the president appeals to students, parents and teachers to take a stand on bullying. "It's wrong, it's disruptive and we can all prevent it," said Obama, who hosted the first White House conference on bullying last year. He said that he was speaking not only as the president but as a father. ...

Tonight’s glamorous White House State Dinner brought Hollywood celebrities, political financiers and Washington power players together to celebrate the relationship between the U.S. and Britain. The election-year State Dinner was the largest hosted by the Obama administration yet, with 300-plus guests. Among those invited to...

(Reuters) - The Obama administration has been quietly negotiating with representatives of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in an effort to tamp down their furious opposition to a federal mandate that insurance companies cover birth control, according to sources familiar with the talks. Both sides have indicated that they hope to continue the negotiations, despite scant progress so far. ...

The White House extended state dinner invitations to more than 30 of President Barack Obama's top fundraisers, including a handful of donors to an independent political group backing his re-election effort, an Associated Press review has found.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama appears in an upcoming Cartoon Network documentary aimed at encouraging bullied children to speak up, and says that as the father of two young girls he is deeply concerned about the issue. In an introduction to the 30-minute film, the president appeals to students, parents and teachers to take a stand on bullying. "It's wrong, it's disruptive and we can all prevent it," said Obama, who hosted the first White House conference on bullying last year. He stressed that he was speaking not only as the president but also as a father. ...

President Obama showcased his comedic side as he formally welcomed British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha to the White House this morning. “It’s now been 200 years since the British came here, to the White House — under somewhat different circumstances,” the...

This morning President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will formally welcome British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha to the United States. After an official arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House this morning, the president and prime minister...

The White House came out today in strong support of a move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to try to force Senate Republicans to vote on the president’s halted judicial nominees. “What the president is really asking — what he’s demanding — is...

“The United States takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered,” President Obama said today in the White House Rose Garden, speaking of the 16 Afghans, nine of them children, killed over the weekend by...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday that the Pentagon would spare no effort in investigating a U.S. soldier's deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan and said he remained committed to "responsibly" winding down the war there. "We will follow the facts wherever they lead us," Obama said at the White House. "And we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of law." (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday it is not reviewing options for further U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan in the aftermath of a shooting of 16 civilians there by a U.S. soldier. The New York Times reported that the Obama administration was discussing whether to reduce U.S. forces in Afghanistan by at least an additional 20,000 troops by 2013. "The White House is not currently reviewing options for further troop withdrawals and no decisions have been made. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will make a statement at 11:10 a.m. ET on Tuesday about new efforts to enforce U.S. trade rights with China and "level the playing field for America's businesses and workers," the White House said. The United States, along with the European Union and Japan, formally asked the World Trade Organization to settle a dispute with China over Beijing's restrictions on exports of raw materials, including rare earth elements critical to major industries. (Editing by Christopher Wilson)

Facing attacks on his energy policies amid rising gas prices, President Obama has gone on the offensive, touting the progress his administration has made in reducing reliance on foreign oil. The White House today released a new “progress report” spotlighting the administration’s “historic achievements” and...