All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

A White House official says China has assured the U.S. there will be no media censorship of President Barack Obama's remarks during a three-day visit that will take him to Shanghai and Beijing.

The official told CBS News the administration secured a Chinese government promise to carry the President's remarks "as spoken." The official also said the White House would be ready to "make it a big story" if China blocks out any of the President's words.

Government censors removed references to communism and dissent from the official Chinese language translation of President Obama's January inaugural speech. The main Chinese television network also wiped out certain passages from the inaugural speech.

John Delury, Associate Director of Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations, says Chinese people are very aware of government efforts to control information flow.

"There's a cat and mouse game that goes on, but the reality on the ground in China is there is pretty good access to most of the information," Delury said. "China is a pretty wired place, especially the cities and the younger generation."

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President Obama met Wednesday with his national security team, the latest in his series of meetings on the best way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This is the eighth in the series of meetings Mr. Obama has had on drafting a new strategy in the turbulent region – a decision that includes how many additional U.S. troops to send to Afghanistan.

Those taking part in today’s meeting include the usual members of the war council: Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen, National Security advisor James Jones, and the top U.S. officials in Afghanistan – Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, who take part in the meeting by way of a secure video teleconference.

Also taking part was Gen. David Petraeus, who, as head of U.S. Central Command, oversees military operations in Afghanistan.

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President Obama heads to Portsmouth, N.H., Tuesday for a town-hall meeting on the health-care legislation still pending in Congress. Protesters plan to voice their opposition for the Democrats' plan outside the meeting and could possibly bring the kinds of disruptions found at similar meetings for members of Congress inside the gym at Portsmouth High School.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told CBS' "The Early Show" Anchor Harry Smith Tuesday how Mr. Obama would respond should anyone disrupt this afternoon's town hall.

"I think what the president will do is turn to that person and probably ask them to be civilized and give them an answer to their question," Gibbs said.

Gibbs noted he's attended more than 500 town-hall meetings Mr. Obama hosted throughout his political career.

"We've been to a lot of meetings where people didn't agree with us, but the tradition of a town-hall meeting is to give people information so that they can make a decision about a policy that impacts their lives," Gibbs said. "I know the president is excited about engaging the public again."

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Did the President meet with Governor Jennifer Granholm about the Supreme Court nomination?

Long rumored to be on the president’s short-list of potential nominees to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court, all eyes on were on the Michigan governor today as she made an appearance at the White House.

While the governor and Harvard Law grad was there to talk about new fuel economy and emissions standards for cars and light trucks, the speculation was that she would get face-time with President Obama to talk about the Supreme Court vacancy.

The question today is, did President Obama meet with the governor about the job?

We don’t know for sure, but based on what Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today on the topic, as compared to what he said yesterday, you be the judge.

Yesterday Gibbs said this: “The president has not had any interviews as of yet.”

Today, when asked by CBS’s Mark Knoller if there was a meeting with Granholm about the court, he said this: “I'm not going to get into discussions he might have had related to Supreme Court or other issues.”

Later, CBS’s Peter Maer challenged Gibbs directly about his about-face. Here’s the transcript:

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Following a meeting with his Cabinet today, President Barack Obama refused to address reports that Supreme Court Justice David Souter will step down from the bench in June.

"No Supreme Court questions," Mr. Obama said as reporters pressed him to comment on Souter's rumored departure, according to a pool report. "Have a great weekend, guys."

The president did take time to discuss the H1N1 virus (popularly known as "swine flu"), saying that there is a possibility that a more virulent strain could develop during next flu season. He labeled the current situation "cause for concern but not alarm."

"We are essentially ensuring that, in the worst case scenario, we can manage this appropriately, government working with businesses and individuals, the private sector, and containing an outbreak and that we can, ultimately, get through this," Mr. Obama said.

While pledging vigilance, he also praised his administration's response to the outbreak.

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At their meeting today ahead of the G20 summit in London, Chinese President Hu Jintao invited President Obama to visit China "in the second half of this year," according to the White House. The president accepted the invitation.

Mr. Obama has also agreed to visit Moscow during the summer, the White House said in a separate statement.

The U.S. and Chinese leaders also agreed at the meeting to establish a “U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.” The dialogue, which will be held in Washington DC over the summer, will be chaired, on the U.S. side, by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Clinton will chair the "Strategic Track," while Geithner will chair the “Economic Track." Both countries will seek "to advance mutually beneficial cooperation in economics and trade through the mechanism of the high-level Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade," the White House said.



The interaction between the U.S. and China on the economic front will be particularly interesting to watch. Spooked by the US recession and spending that could lead to inflation and the devaluation of bonds, China has recently begun pushing for a global reserve currency to replace the dollar as a stable source of investment, something President Obama and administration officials have said they oppose.

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President Obama met today met with the CEOs of 15 financial institutions, including the heads of Bank Of America, Citi, Freddie Mac and American Express.

According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the president found the conversation to be “good, productive and frank.”

Topics discussed included toxic assets, bank lending, and the administration’s housing plan, the last of which Gibbs, who noted that mortgage finance rates have hit historically low rates, said the CEOs discussed “positively.”

Also touched on was regulatory reform. The press secretary said the CEOs “agreed on the need to update the framework of regulation.”

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When asked on "Meet the Press" about the differences between President Bush and President Obama, both of whom he has served as Defense Secretary, Robert Gates said, "I think probably President Obama is somewhat more analytical, and he makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue, and if they don't speak up he calls on them."

In contrast, President Bush didn't go out of his way to elicit input from those in the room, Gates said.

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