Barack Obama

More

• Reid predicts U.S. Congress will pass immigration legislation

  WASHINGTON, Feb 3- The top Senate Democrat on Sunday predicted that Congress will pass and send to President Barack Obama legislation overhauling the U.S. immigration system, saying "things are looking really good." Obama last week expressed hope Congress can get a deal done on immigration, possibly in the first half of the year.

• UPDATE 1-U.S., Mexico reach tomato deal to avert trade war

  The draft agreement substantially raises the minimum "reference" price at which Mexican tomatoes can be sold in the United States and accounts for changes that have occurred in the tomato market since the original agreement, Sanchez said.

• US, Mexico in weekend talks on tomato pact

  The department made a preliminary decision in September to terminate a 1996 U.S.- Mexico tomato trade agreement after Florida growers complained the arrangement did not protect them against Mexican tomatoes sold below the cost of production.

• Sequestration & Jobs Growth 

  

  Discussing whether it is time to let the sequester kick in, with Mark Simone, WOR Radio Talk Show host and CNBC's Contributors Keith Boykin and James Pethokoukis.

• Contraception & Religious Freedom 

  

  Discussing the shift in contraception policy, with Mark Simone, WOR Radio Talk Show host and CNBC's Contributors Keith Boykin and James Pethokoukis.

• Obama names Stock as member of Council of Economic Advisers

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- President Barack Obama on Friday named James Stock to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Stock has been chief economist for the council since 2012. He was previously an economist at Harvard University and a member of the committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research that dates the start and end of recessions.

• UPDATE 1-Republicans pledge to block Obama consumer finance pick

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- U.S. Senate Republicans on Friday pledged to block President Barack Obama's choice to lead the consumer finance watchdog until Democrats agree to restructure it, ramping up an expected fight this year over the controversial new bureau.

• UPDATE 4-Obama offers compromise on birth control health coverage

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- The Obama administration on Friday sought to settle a dispute with some religious leaders over the inclusion of contraceptives in employees' health insurance plans by proposing to separate birth control from other benefits.

• Republicans pledge to block Obama's pick to head consumer bureau

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- U.S. Senate Republicans on Friday pledged to block President Barack Obama's choice to lead the consumer finance watchdog until Democrats agree to restructure it, ramping up an expected fight this year over the controversial new bureau.

• Chu praises Gregoire, possible choice for Obama energy team

  Chu lauded Gregoire, a Democrat who served as governor of Washington state from 2005 until mid-January and is long-time backer of President Barack Obama.

• Obama Offers Compromise on Birth Control Coverage

  

  The Obama administration is offering a compromise on new Obamacare rules that would allow religious employers to exclude contraceptives from health insurance for employees, but would still guarantee those employees access to free coverage for birth control.

• UPDATE 2-White House strikes compromise on birth control coverage

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- The Obama administration on Friday offered a compromise on controversial new health care rules that would allow religious employers to exclude contraceptives from health insurance for their employees, but would still guarantee those employees access to free coverage for birth control.

• Fla. Gov. unveils $74.2 billion spending plan

  But Scott's third proposed budget was also notable for what it did not include: A recommendation on whether the state should accept federal aid and expand Medicaid _ a key part of the Affordable Care Act. Instead Scott continued to insist there were too many "unanswered questions" about how the Medicaid expansion would work.

• White House's Krueger: Main Risk We Face Is Gridlock 

  

  Alan Krueger, White House Council of Economic Advisers chairman, discusses today's employment report, adding 157,000 new jobs in January, with the unemployment rate rising to 7.9 percent.

• Letter to Senate Judiciary critical of ATF nominee

  MINNEAPOLIS-- A former head of the Minneapolis FBI office sent federal lawmakers a letter Thursday sharply criticizing President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, calling B. Todd Jones an ineffective leader who consistently declined to prosecute violent gang, drug and gun crimes.

• Biden: Gun curbs can't end killings but can help

  WASHINGTON-- Curbing guns can't ensure an end to mass slayings like December's killings of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn., but it will reduce firearm deaths, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday.

• Arizona lawmakers struggle to stay on priorities

  It's early on in the Arizona legislative session, but so far the proposals described by one top Republican as "esoteric" and criticized by Democrats as unconstitutional have dominated the headlines _ despite promises from GOP leaders to focus on top-tier issues such as balancing the state budget and improving education.

• New law lets tribes seek direct disaster aid

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-- The response to natural disasters and other emergencies in American Indian communities is expected to improve thanks to legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama. Former Santa Clara Pueblo Gov.

• Taking the Economy to the Next Level 

  

  Vincent Reinhart, Morgan Stanley; and Kelly King, BB&T Corporation, discuss the rally's recent run, and what needs to be done to get the economy back on track.

• New York's 'Hizzoner' Ed Koch Dead at 88

  

  Edward I. Koch, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as mayor of New York with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified his city of golden dreams, died Friday morning at age 88.