While things were quiet around the White House grounds yesterday, today we might hear the roar of NASCAR engines pulling into the complex. This afternoon, President Obama welcomes NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart to the White House South Lawn. We'll have to see if his number 14 car comes along with him. This is the third time he's won the Sprint Cup Series.

But the White House has also added a morning statement in the Rose Garden about gas prices and more oversight in the oil markets. The politics of oil prices is still a major issue on the president's plate. He and Attorney General Eric Holder will outline the administration's newest proposal on how to combat those who are profiting from the volatile markets.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney will hold a briefing at 12:30p.

For the full White House schedule, click below. FULL POST

After a day of fundraising in California and a stop by the Great Eastern Restaurant in Chinatown of San Francisco for some dim sum, President Obama heads to Everett, Washington to visit the Boeing Everett Production Facility. He'll tour the facility and then make remarks to promote manufacturing and the importance of American exports. He'll announce the administration's next steps to provide financing for manufacturing in order to keep American companies competitive on the world stage. Some of those steps include giving small business an additional tax credit for exports and introducing legislation to assist businesses in exporting.  This is one of the latest executive actions put forth by the administration as part of their overall jobs plan.

After the official event of the day, President Obama will then hold two fundraisers in the Seattle area- one of which will be on camera. He'll return to DC after midnight. Click below to see the entire schedule as released by the White House. FULL POST

President Obama continued the tradition of hosting championship sports teams to the White House and today it was the NHL's Boston Bruins' turn.

The Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks in a seven game series to win their Stanley Cup since 1972. President Obama congratulated the team for their long-fought victory.

"These Bruins understand that winning the Stanley Cup is more than just men on ice.  It’s about the people that stand behind them," the president said. "And that’s why, since the last buzzer sounded in June, the Bruins have been taking their Cup all over the world to share it with their fans."

The president told the crowd assembled in the East Room that the Cup had been to a sauna in Finland, used in a christening, made its way to Pebble Beach and even was used by head coach Claude Julien's daughter as a cereal bowl.

The Boston Bruins were also congratulated for their work off the ice. The Boston Bruins Foundation donated more that $7 million to charities in New England last year. They also hosted a hockey clinic with local DC children on Monday.

One key member of the Boston Bruins was absent from today's event, goaltender Tim Thomas. According to ESPNnews.com, Thomas made the choice not to come and wouldn't discuss his reasoning with the media. He was expected to make a statement on his Facebook page later in the day.

In the last two weeks, the president hosted the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dallas Mavericks to celebrate their championship seasons as well. The Boston Bruins were in town to play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.

President Obama spent Thursday night in New York City raising money from lawyers and entertainers in a series of four campaign events.

The president spoke to 160 hundred people in two separate fundraisers at Daniel Restaurant, the Manhattan eatery by renowned chef Daniel Boulud.

The second event of the night was hosted by the group "Lawyers for Obama" where tickets started at $15,000 each. President Obama talked about his administration's successes for the past three years but said there is still more work to do.

"We have an economy that, although now is getting close to where we were before the financial crisis struck, continues to struggle with these long-term trends that had been going on for decades, where middle-class families felt less and less secure; where the education system wasn’t equipping our kids to compete in a global economy," the president told the group of attorneys.

President Obama took his campaign to the entertainment industry with his third fundraiser of the night- this time at the home of Spike Lee.

He told his supporters, who each paid $38,500 a ticket, that no matter what their background,

"There’s no contradiction between excellence and diversity, and that making sure that everybody - regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation - is able to live out their dreams if they’re willing to work hard and be responsible, that that's what America is all about," he said. "Everybody getting a fair shake and everybody doing their fair share and everybody playing by the same set of rules - that’s what’s at stake in this election. And I’m absolutely confident we’re going to win this thing."

Singer Mariah Carey & her husband Nick Cannon and former New York Knicks star Allan Houston were among the 45 people in attendance.

The final event of the night was in the famed-Apollo Theater where more than 1,400 people rallied for the president's re-election campaign. He told the crowd there that he promised to work just as hard as he did in 2008.

"I'm not a perfect man. I'm not a perfect president, but I promise you that I kept that promise I made to you in 2008. I always told you what I thought. I always told you where I stood,  and I would wake up every single day fighting as hard as I can for you. I'm just as determined now as I was then and if you are willing to stand alongside me, we will knock those obstacles out of the way, we will reach for that vision of America that we believe in our hearts, and change will come," he said.

Al Green and India.Arie performed for the event that was emceed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. According to the DNC,  proceeds of all tonight's events go to the Obama Victory Fund, which is a joint fundraising group authorized by Obama for America and the DNC.

CNN's Laura Dolan contributed to this report.

(CNN) – What better place to talk about the increasing tourism in the United States than on Walt Disney World’s Main Street USA?

With Cinderella’s castle as a backdrop, President Barack Obama announced a new strategy to increase tourism to the United States.  Hoping it will bring much-needed money and jobs; the president’s plan is set to make it easier for travelers from emerging countries to visit the many iconic sites across the US.

“Look at where we are. We’ve got the most entertaining destinations in the world,” Mr. Obama commented. “I’m here because I want more tourists here tomorrow. I want America to be the top tourist destination in the world.”

The plan, signed as an executive order by the president this morning, is expected to dramatically increase the number of foreign tourists allowed entry into the US.  The hope is that millions more tourists will travel around the country and spend money in local economies which could lead to the creation of over a million jobs over the next decade.

“That’s why we’re here today- to tell the world that America is open for business. We want to welcome you and to take concrete steps to boost America’s tourism industry so that we keep growing our economy and creating more jobs- here in Florida and all across the country,” the president said.

The United State’s tourism industry has heavily lobbied the administration for the changes in visa policies. The aim is to help tourists, especially from Brazil, India, and China, decrease the wait-time to obtain or renew U.S. visas. Among other reforms, the plan calls for an additional 100 consular officers in those three countries over the next year. FULL POST

You'll notice by the White House schedule that President Obama has a light day ahead. After getting home from fundraising in Chicago early this morning (1:40a), we assume he'll have meetings in the Oval Office but at this point we won't see him on camera at all today. As of right now, all the action at the White House day will have to center around the briefing which happens at 1:30p.

Guidance from the White House:
EST
10:00AM        Pool Call Time

Briefing Schedule
1:30PM           Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney   

###

The 1600 Report's daily roundup of what the White House is reading this morning online and in the papers:

2012 New Hampshire:  The high horse primary (Politico)

Alabama wins national championship (isportsweb)

 Iran imposes death sentence on U.S. man accused of spying   (NYT)

Latest Syrian violence (CNN)

Mississippi Gov pardons killers (CNN)

IRS gives offshore tax cheats chance another chance to come clean (CNNMoney)

The 1600 Report's daily roundup of what the White House is reading this morning online and in the papers:

As he takes aim at Congress, Obama risks hitting Democrats [New York Times blog]

Obama should not get carried away with jobless fall [Financial Times (ft.com)]

Iran court sentences American to death [Washington Post]

Chris Christie turns Romney protests against Obama in New Hampshire [LA Times]

New Hampshire Primary: The land of make-believe [POLITICO.com]

And we know this has been out there but just in case you missed it:

Michelle Obama's Evolution as First Lady [New York Times]

President Obama will have a treat for his Monday when he welcomes the champions of his favorite sport to the White House. The Dallas Mavericks who won the NBA championship last June. The team will be in the East Room of the White House today for a ceremony where President Obama will highlight their victory but also their work with military families off the court.

Tonight he turns his attention back to his re-election and has two campaign events here in DC. One will be closed to the press but the other one will have travel pool coverage.

Also, Vice President Biden and the president will sit down for their weekly lunch but we won't have any way of knowing what they discuss since it is closed to the press.

For the full guidance from the White House, click below. FULL POST

TGIF! Just days after the controversial recess appointment of Richard Cordray, President Obama will go over to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to meet and greet one of his newest hires. He'll meet the entire staff of the CFPB and deliver brief remarks to staff members of the new agency.

Also our radar screen today, we're looking forward to what the new jobs numbers are. We'll see if and how the White House will respond to the numbers out for December's unemployment rate and jobs created.

President Obama also has lunch plans today. He'll dine with winners of a campaign contest at a local DC-area restaurant.

For full guidance from the White House, click below. FULL POST