Interview with the President: 'This is a Health Care Bill, Not an Abortion Bill'
President Obama told ABC News' Jake Tapper today that Congress needs to change the Abortion

Obama: Healthcare bill not 'abortion bill'
Washington, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Congress should change language in a healthcare reform bill passed by the House that restricts Abortion coverage. "I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a healthcare bill, not an Abortion bill," Obama told ABC News in an interview. "And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize Abortions." Obama acknowledged "there...

Interview with the President: Jail Time for Those without Health Care Insurance?
During an exclusive interview with ABC News' Jake Tapper today, President Obama said that penalties are appropriate for people who try to “free ride” the Health Care system but stopped short of endorsing the threat of jail time for those who refuse to pay a fine for not having Insurance.

Some Democrats to fight abortion amendment in health bill
President Obama and Senate Democrats sought on Sunday to generate momentum from the House's passage of Health-care legislation, even as a new hurdle emerged: profound dismay among Abortion-rights supporters over antiabortion provisions inserted into the House bill.

Vending Industry Concerned About Requirement to Label Calories on Snack Food
A provision in Health Care reform legislation requires snack food purveyors to post nutritional information on vending machines, which the industry says will cost $56 million to implement.  A student is shown here walking past vending machines in a Wisconsin high school. (AP Photo) Twinkies are not a Health food.  In case that comes as news to you, the point will be hammered home, thanks to a provision in Health Care reform legislation that requires snack food purveyors to post...

Obama to sign vets employment order
Washington, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The White House Monday announced the implementation of an initiative designed to transform the federal government into a model employer of U.S. veterans. The initiative, outlined in an executive order scheduled to be signed Monday by President Barack Obama, aims to increase employment of vets within the executive branch and helps recently hired vets adjust to a civilian workplace, The White House said. "Honoring our sacred trust with America's veterans means doing...

Obama Has Harder Task Ahead Lobbying Tougher Senate on Health Care
President Obama got deeply involved in lobbying House Democrats in person to pass the Health Care bill this weekend, but the close vote Saturday night may make it more difficult for the president to convince Senate lawmakers to approve their version of Insurance reform. President Obama speaks in the Rose Garden Nov. 8. (AP Photo) President Obama got deeply involved in lobbying House Democrats in person to pass the Health Care bill this weekend, but the close vote Saturday night may make it more...

Senate tips Richmond appeals court to Democrats
Washington — The Senate gave President Barack Obama a major victory Monday in his efforts to remake the federal courts, confirming a judge who will tip the political balance on the once-conservative appeals court based in Richmond. The 72-16 vote for U.S. District Judge Andre Davis gives Democratic nominees a 6-5 edge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has been tough in death penalty cases, backed Abortion restrictions and supported President George W. Bush's detainee...

Women Lacking Health Care According to WHO Report
November 9, 2009 Boston (DbTechNo) - The WHO have just released a new report stating that when it comes to women’s Health, the female sex is often short changed by the medical profession. The report states that women are often denied critical Health Care during the critical times of adolescence and old age due to social inequalities and a male dominated industry. Women often outlive men, and actually have a longer life expectancy yet despite this fact, the report finds that in many cases...

President, Top Leaders to Attend Fort Hood Service: VIDEO
President, Top Leaders to Attend Fort Hood Service By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service Washington, Nov. 9, 2009 – President Barack Obama will join Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Army Secretary John M. McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. at Fort Hood, Texas, tomorrow for a ceremony to honor the victims of the Nov. 5 Shooting rampage that left 13 dead and 38 wounded. Many of those wounded in the attack have...

Abortion foe seeks curbs in Senate health bill, similar to limits in bill passed by House
Washington — Abortion opponents in the Senate want tough restrictions in the Health Care overhaul bill, similar to the limits passed by the House this past weekend. The issue could roil an already shaky Democratic effort to pass a Health Care bill by year's end for President Barack Obama. Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska said Monday it's highly unlikely he would support a bill that doesn't clearly prohibit federal dollars from going to pay for Abortions. His spokesman said Nelson is...

Don't Mess with Madam Speaker
Love her or not — and I’m in the “not” category, most of the time — Speaker Pelosi’s legislative maneuvering on the House Health Care bill was impressive. See the second item at First Read , h/t Ben Smith .

My Conversation with President Obama
I sat down with President Obama in an exclusive interview this afternoon. The conversation was wide-ranging -- on whether Health Care reform would allow taxpayer funds to subsidize Abortions, the nation's deficit and economic recovery, last Tuesday's Elections, and the...

Monday: Around the political blogosphere
Video: Heated Health Care protest in Shawnee Review of death penalty in Kansas seems likely Skelton explains decision to vote against Health Care reform bill Reactions to the U.S. House of Representative's vote to approve the Health Care reform bill, what's the real crisis in the news today, and U.S. Sen. Kit Bond is scheduled to be on The Daily Show tonight.

Healthcare bill's tough sell in House signals tougher fight ahead
Reporting from Washington - With the struggle over healthcare entering an even tougher phase, President Obama has hit both a milestone and a speed bump in his dual pursuit of a major overhaul of the nation's medical system and a rebirth of progressivism in America. House approval of legislation Saturday -- even if Democrats can move it no farther -- was an accomplishment that has eluded presidents for decades. But the close vote and the exertions it took to secure a majority were laden with...

Illinois Rep. Kirk Calls on Obama to Cut Gasoline Deliveries to Iran
Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., called Monday for an international coalition to block gasoline deliveries to Iran because of its rejection of a U.N. plan to curb its Enriched Uranium stockpile. A Republican congressman is calling on President Obama to cut off gasoline deliveries to Iran because of the Islamic Republic's rejection of a U.N. plan to curb its stockpile of Enriched Uranium. "It is time for the Obama Administration to recognize that negotiations with Iran in the absence of effective...

Obama to sign vet jobs order, meet with Netanyahu
WASHINGTON (AP)

Interview with the President: White House Looks for Ways to Stimulate Job Growth
Faced with increasing pressure to do more for The Economy as the nation's Unemployment rate jumped to 10.2 percent in October, , Mr. Obama said today that two key legislative priorities for next year are stimulating job growth and tackling the nation's debt.

Asia drawn to a rising China's orbit looks to Obama's trip for signs of US staying power
Beijing — Days after coming to power in September, Japan's new prime minister broached forming a new East Asian trading bloc with rival China — one that would exclude the United States. Some in Washington took it as a snub from the nation that has been America's rock in Asia for decades. Even more, Tokyo's new rhetoric underscored how China's rapid rise to power is challenging Washington's once-dominant sway in the region. This is the reality President Barack Obama confronts as he...

White House Leans Toward Sending More Than 30,000 Troops to Afghanistan
Officials said President Obama will not announce his decision until after he returns from his upcoming trip to Asia and stressed that no final decision has been made, even in private. But the plan under consideration would represent a middle ground between different requests made from the top commander in Afghanistan.  Gen. Stanley McChrystal speaks during a ceremony in Kabul June 15. (Reuters Photo) The White House and Military officials are leaning toward sending more than 30,000...

Interview With the President: Afghanistan Decision and Visits to Dover Air Force Base, Walter Reed
In an exclusive broadcast interview today with ABC's Jake Tapper, President Obama said his recent trips to Dover Air Force Base and Walter Reed Army Medical Center have had a profound effect on this war strategy decision in Afghanistan.

House Health Bill Unacceptable to Many in Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Don't look for the Senate to quickly follow the House on Health Care overhaul. A government Insurance]Health Insurance plan included in the House bill is unacceptable to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the Senate. They're locked in a battle with liberals, with the fate of President Barack Obama's signature issue at stake. If a government plan is part of the deal, "as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote," said Sen. Joe...

Obama, Netanyahu to meet as U.S. peace bid flounders
By Jeffrey Heller and Ross Colvin Washington (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Palestinians on Monday to resume negotiations with Israel, issuing the call before a meeting with President Barack Obama on the stalled Middle East peace process. Saying "no Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activity," Netanyahu told a conference of American Jewish leaders: "I say today to (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas ... let us seize the moment to...