Recently in Barack Obama Category

WASHINGTON--President Obama is back in the U.S. after a swing through Japan, China and South Korea. Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force Base at 3:48 p.m. eastern on Thursday afternoon; by 4:01 p.m. est Obama was bounding down the stairs to the tarmac. He motorcaded from Andrews AFB to the White House, arriving at the White House at 4:22 p.m. est.

WASHINGTON--Here's the lighter side of President Obama, about five pounds worth.

Two male network correspondents asked Obama about his weight, after a serious discussion about other issues during one and one interviews in Bejing, China.

Obama told NBC's Chuck Todd, "My weight fluctuates about five pounds. It has for the last 30 years. It's unchanging. I still wear the same -- some of the same stuff I did when I got married 17 years ago. My hair's gotten a lot grayer; there's no doubt about that. But I'm not sure whether that's just because I was about the age where my hair was going to start getting gray."

Chip Reid from CBS also asked Obama about his health. "Well, look, my weight doesn't fluctuate too much. It goes in a five-pound band width," Obama said.

New York Magazine has a very interesting story about all of President Obama's relatives--especially on his father's side. Read it here.

Click below for transcript

WASHINGTON--President Obama, reacting Thursday afternoon to the murders at Ft. Hood, said the shootings were "horrific."

"As some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. We don't yet know all the details at this moment; we will share them as we get them. What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed, and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.

"My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and with the families of the fallen, and with those who live and serve at Fort Hood. These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."

The economic meltdown impacting almost all of us highlights the need for individual financial literacy. While the U.S. regulatory system failed, people also got themselves into jams by agreeing to mortgage terms that set them up for financial failure.

First Lady Michelle Obama, in launching her mentoring program on Monday, said one goal is to coach young women on financial literacy.

Studies show students especially lack basic financial skills.

Noteworthy: The President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy is only getting around to having it's first meeting under the Obama administration today. The last meeting was under former President Bush, on Jan. 6, 2009. The council was created on Jan. 22, 2008.

Today will be its eighth meeting.

Chicago Sun-Times writer Mary Houlihan profiles Chicago fifth grader Lorenzo Rivera, a break out star in HBO's "By the People" documentary on the Obama presidential campaign, where he is featured making canvassing calls. Read Houlihan's Sun-Times article here.

Houlihan: "Lorenzo Rivera may be only 11 years old, but he knows more about politics than many adults.

The Chicago fifth-grader proves just how much in the new documentary "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama," where he is filmed making campaign calls on Obama's behalf in 2008.

In the movie, debuting at 8 p.m. Tuesday on HBO, filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams capture Lorenzo, only 9 at the time, handling a call to a confused voter with a calm and grace belying his young age.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released on Thursday the 1,990-page House Democrats' health reform legislation, which includes the controversial government sponsored health plan that has come to be called a public option. It would mandate everyone to buy health insurance and ban insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Read the bill here.

The bill is expected to go to the House floor next week and is not expected to get any Republican votes.

If the House approves the bill, it will have to be melded with the Senate version--where everything can change--and return to the chamber for a final vote.

WASHINGTON--President Obama, pondering sending more troops to Afghanistan, helicoptered to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware near midnight on Wednesday to witness the return of the bodies of 18 soldiers. Obama returned to the White House a 4:45 a.m. Thursday morning.

Click for the pool reports.

WASHINGTON--A 1,000 pound pumpkin has been delivered to the Obama White House and on Sunday volunteers were painting pumpkins. On Saturday night, the Obama's host their first Halloween party. And, as my Sun-Times colleague Hedy Weiss reports, Chicago's Redmoon Theater company has been asked to perform. Members of the troupe will see Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Roland Burris is critical of the compromise health plan Senate leaders crafted to allow states to opt out of a government-sponsored "public option" insurance plan. With Burris' vote potentially crucial, I've learned that the Obama White House will be paying attention to him for the first time today, dispatching the health "czar" to his Senate office.

What is certain about the presidency of Barack Obama--whether one term or two--is that there will be an Obama presidential library some place in the United States. Given that Chicago is Obama's adopted home town, where First Lady Michelle was born and the city where he launched his political career, it is hard to imagine that the library won't be in Chicago.

AP photo by Susan Walsh