April 30th, 2012
05:53 PM ET
President Clinton joins forces with Obama re-electionWashington (CNN) - If case you had any doubts, don't - Bill Clinton's fully on board President Barack Obama's re-election effort. "Barack Obama deserves to be re-elected president of the United States," the former president said Sunday night, as he joined the current officeholder at a fundraiser for the Obama re-election campaign. It was a very different story four years ago, when Clinton was the biggest and most vocal supporter of his wife, Hillary Clinton, in her historic battle against Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Read the full story here. 
April 30th, 2012
04:53 PM ET
Romney: 'Even Jimmy Carter' would have ordered bin Laden attackWashington (CNN) – President Barack Obama on Monday appeared to call out Mitt Romney over what he said about going after Osama bin Laden on the campaign trail four years ago, as opposed to on the eve of the first anniversary of the raid that killed the terrorist leader. Asked about Romney's comments earlier in the day that the decision to go after bin Laden was a clear one and that "even Jimmy Carter would" have made the call, Obama referred to a difference between what Romney said during his 2008 presidential campaign and on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack. 
April 30th, 2012
09:19 AM ET
POTUS' Day Ahead: Back to work After a busy weekend of telling jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner and fundraising with former President Clinton, Obama kicks the week off with a speech before the Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference in Washington. Then, the president heads back to the White House for a sit down meeting with Prime Minister Noda of Japan. The two will make remarks in the oval office and later hold a press conference in the Rose Garden. Full Schedule:  President Obama has some fun at the 2011 White House Correspondent's Dinner. (PHOTO CREDIT) Getty Images
April 27th, 2012
07:47 PM ET
The POTUS with the most-est preparing his comedy monologue Jimmy Kimmel might be the high power entertainment at this year's White House Correspondent's Dinner Saturday night but don't write off the president's comedy material just yet. We are told by a senior administration official a White House brainpower trust including the President’s head speechwriter Jon Favreau, David Axelrod, and speechwriter David Litt are hard at work. Presidents have typically had some funny zingers prepared for their remarks for this annual dinner with the press that covers the White House. And it appears the fun is already starting. An official told us on background that when he wasn’t busy power lunching at Spago and ducking the paparazzi, former White House speechwriter turned LA heartthrob Jon Lovett has been offering suggestions – the offensive kind.  President Obama laughs during the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner
April 27th, 2012
12:04 PM ET
D.C. dinner brings out the barbsIt’s the one night of the year when the president, his staff and those who follow him are allowed to loosen up and tickle their funny bones. Every year, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner gives politicians and the reporters who cover them a chance to laugh at themselves and the world around them. And for the comic tapped to deliver the keynote address at the dinner, it’s an opportunity to entertain Washington’s elite. But there are times where the comic makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons. You’ve gotta watch these moments when the keynote comics made more headlines than the jokes.  
2011: Obama laughs off Osama jokeIn 2011, “Saturday Night Live” star Seth Meyers joked about Osama bin Laden hiding on C-SPAN. What Meyers did not know was that U.S. intelligence had already found bin Laden and that he would be killed within hours. Watch President Obama and his staff put on their game faces about 30 seconds into the clip while Meyers poked fun. 
2009: Sykes' controversial Limbaugh jokeComedienne and actress Wanda Sykes pulled no punches and took no prisoners when she addressed the 2009 Correspondents’ Dinner. But Sykes heard a few “boo birds” when she connected radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh to Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers. Listen to Sykes’ remarks about 10 seconds into the clip and see if they were appropriate. 
2006: Colbert rips Bush, WashingtonIn 2006, just a few months after his Comedy Central show premiered, Stephen Colbert brought his brand of satire to the Correspondents’ Dinner. While many laughed, his jabs at then-president George W. Bush and his administration angered a number of Bush’s aides and supporters, some of whom walked out during the performance. Watch and decide for yourself if Colbert was funny or infuriating. 
April 27th, 2012
10:41 AM ET
Obama targets fradulent loan marketing aimed at militaryPresident Obama wants to crack down on for-profit colleges his administration says deceptively recruit post-9/11 veterans with false promises of lucrative careers. The president will travel to Fort Stewart in Georgia Friday where he will unveil a new executive order aimed at forcing schools to be more transparent in their recruitment and marketing efforts. While 9/11 GI Bill federal loans can be used at private, public, and for-profit schools alike, a recent Senate Committee report found eight of the ten largest recipients of GI Bill loans are for-profit schools. According to the report, for-profit colleges heavily recruit ex-service members with misleading military-themed websites that falsely suggest the federal funds can only be used at their schools. The Senate report also found the average dropout rate at these schools hovers around forty percent. In the Executive Order the president will announce Friday, all schools who market to veterans will be required to be more transparent about the educational opportunities they provide and likely career placement outcomes. The Department of Defense will also be tasked with setting forth rules on how schools are permitted to recruit service members on military bases while the Department of Veterans Affairs will crack down on the school’s deceptive websites specifically targeted to military members. The executive order also mandates better financial aid and academic advising to enrolled veterans and a centralized complaint system for veterans who feel their school has defrauded them.  President Obama presenting the Citizens Medal of Freedom - the nation's second highest civilian honor - in the East Room of the White House in October 2011.
April 26th, 2012
05:02 PM ET
White House announces 2012 Medal of Freedom recipients The White House announced 13 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday. Along with previously announced recipients Madeleine Albright and Pat Summitt, the recipients or their representatives will be invited to the White House in late spring to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor. Three of this year's recipients will be awarded the medal posthumously. In a statement, the White House said that the Medal of Freedom is “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” President Obama said in the statement, “These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our Nation. They’ve challenged us, they’ve inspired us, and they’ve made the world a better place. I look forward to recognizing them with this award.” Here is a list of this year’s recipients and some of the information released by White House on why they were selected:  (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)
April 26th, 2012
11:59 AM ET
Madeleine Albright to receive Presidential Medal of FreedomA senior administration official confirms the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. A White House release described the Presidential Medal of freedom as an honor presented to individuals "who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The White House had previously announced former University of Tennesee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt and former Polish Underground officer Jan Karski, who was one of the first people to provide accounts of the Holocaust to the outside world, will also receive honor. A ceremony honoring them will take place sometime later this year at the White House.
April 26th, 2012
11:23 AM ET
Government official acknowledges past Secret Service misconduct WASHINGTON (CNN) –With more reports surfacing of misconduct by Secret Service personnel and other federal law enforcement officers during overseas trips, a U.S. government official familiar with the Secret Service acknowledged missteps by Secret Service agents in the past, but was quick to defend the government’s internal review process. “We have had employees that have engaged in misconduct” the official told CNN. “People make mistakes.” The government official noted that’s to be expected given that the Secret Service has been around for 147 years. Citing a privacy policy against discussing specifics the official said the Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility dealt with those matters. The official was quick to point out that the latest allegations of misconduct in advance of President Obama’s trip to El Salvador last year are not limited to the Secret Service. In fact, Seattle TV station KIRO, a CNN affiliate, cited an unnamed U.S. government contractor who worked extensively with the Secret Service advance team in San Salvador prior to President Barack Obama's trip there in March, 2011. The source said he was with about a dozen Secret Service agents and a few U.S. military specialists at a strip club in the city a few days before Obama arrived, KIRO reported. CNN cannot independently confirm the allegations.  (PHOTO CREDIT) Kevin Liptak, CNN
April 26th, 2012
11:03 AM ET
Secret Service responds to more allegations of misconductResponding to reports from Seattle’s KIRO TV of additional allegations of misconduct by Secret Service agents in the past…
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