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Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has a very busy schedule. After all, the city has a budget deficit, and even after that, Goodman has to bolster tourism to keep the local economy running, and Vegas has had some setbacks on that front. Goodman doesn’t have time for frivolities … like accepting a meeting with the President of the United States on his next visit: Mayor Oscar Goodman has refused an invitation to meet with President Obama when he arrives in town on Thursday. Mayor Goodman called President Obama a slow learner after he told Americans not to blow money on...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When it was unveiled in late January, the insider book about the "real" Pope John Paul II looked at first glance like the Vatican's own effort at a pre-beatification biography. But as the fallout over the next two weeks made clear, the Vatican was not directly involved. Nor was everyone happy that the book was co-authored by the official postulator, or promoter, of Pope John Paul's sainthood cause, using information that is generally considered confidential. In addition, several officials thought the book's simple presentation of the late pope's reported penitential practices, with little explanation or context,...

The relationship between the US and the European Union is cooling. By declining to come to Spain for a trans-Atlantic summit, President Barack Obama made it clear that Brussels is far down on his priority list. The reasons for that can be found in Europe. The US president is traveling a lot these days -- and a clear pattern has emerged. The deeper into the United States it takes him, the better -- be it Nashua, New Hampshire or Tampa, Florida. The issue is always the same: How can Barack Obama create more jobs?

WaPo's Howie Kurtz writes about increasing grumblings from the White House press corps over the lack of presidential news conferences in recent months: "It's a source of great frustration here," says Chip Reid, CBS's White House correspondent. "It's important for us to hold the president's feet to the fire." NBC White House reporter Chuck Todd calls the situation a "shame," saying the administration is trying to control the message rather than allowing Obama to be seen "unscripted." While the White House argues that there has been no shortage of appearances by the president on television and in print, some White...

Six months ago, network executives were complaining that the White House was costing them tens of millions of dollars by pressing them to carry presidential news conferences in prime time. Problem solved: President Obama hasn't held a full-scale news conference since July. Instead, he answered a dozen people's questions last week on YouTube, most of them easily finessed and -- extra bonus! -- no annoying follow-ups of the kind posed by real, live journalists. It would be hard -- impossible, actually -- to argue that Obama hasn't been accessible to the media, not with his constant television interviews. The man...

EU summit off after Obama 'snub' The European Union has scrapped a summit with the US, after President Barack Obama decided not to attend. The event in Madrid in May was to have been the highlight of Spain's six-month EU presidency, and the cancellation is seen as a humiliating blow. Officials say the summit may be take place later this year. BBC European affairs correspondent Oana Lungescu says many see Mr Obama's decision as a snub to the EU's hopes of boosting its global role. On Tuesday, the White House said Mr Obama had had no plans to attend the...

Martha Coakley and her husband, Thomas F. O’Connor, Jr., went to vote this morning in Medford, Massachusetts. Martha Coakley extended her hand to the police officer at the door and he complied rather unenthusiastically. When her husband, who is a former cop, extended his hand and the officer misses and makes no effort to “reconnect”. Fail.

President Barack Obama is flying into Boston on Sunday to try and help the struggling Martha Coakley campaign in the final days of the Massachusetts Senate race. Mr. Obama must have swallowed a lot of his pride to make this trip, knowing it is all about keeping the Senate Democrats at sixty, because Ms. Coakley was not as courteous to Mr. Obama during his Boston birthday bash in 2008.

Q: He has spoken quite a bit on the Christmas Day incident but he hasn't opened himself up to questions from the media. Do you think he might entertain some questions on that -- MR. GIBBS: No. Q: and isn't it unusual that on an event this big that he would not open himself up to questions? MR. GIBBS: I don't want to speculate. He's not taking questions today. Q: Well, Mr. Knoller, I think, will back me up on this. He hasn't had a press conference since July at the White House. Why can't we get him to respond...

The greatest second baseman ever to play the game who isn't named Joe Morgan pulled up eight votes shy of making the Hall of Fame this year. And while Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is far from the only one who is not amused, there are those---Dave Perkins of the Toronto Star is one---who say calm down, relax, Roberto Alomar isn't even close to the only no-questions-asked great who didn't make it in year one. Calm down and relax because Joe DiMaggio did not get into the Hall of Fame in his first year's eligibility. The Clipper needed four years....

Barack Obama once again proved he has a tin ear for politics when he did NOT visit Rush Limbaugh in the hospital. With his low approval ratings, Obama could have done himself a lot of good by visiting Rush who was nearby in the Hawaiian hospital. Too late now. Obama missed a great opportunity to help himself. This just demonstrates his poor ability at politics at even a personal level.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6689418

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown has been all but abandoned by the same national Republican committees that pumped hundreds of thousands in campaign cash to former governors Mitt Romney and William Weld during their long-shot bids for U.S. Senate. The snub has outraged local Republicans who say national conservatives should be jumping at the chance to nab the first open Senate seat in decades despite Brown’s tough odds in the Jan. 19 special election.

Why did Chinese premier Wen Jiabao choose to publicly humiliate Barack Obama at Copenhagen? In their eyes, and those of much of the world, he has lost face, and with it, power and influence. While getting widespread play overseas, this story has been kept very quiet by our disinterested, nonpartisan media (I haven't seen it mentioned in any major U.S. outlet). After promising to meet the Messiah at 7:00 p.m., Premier Wen stiffed him in favor of a meeting with the leaders of India, South Africa, and Brazil. Rather than wait, a no-doubt infuriated Obama stalked into the room in...

Britain is the only European country President Barack Obama can really count on to respond positively to his plea for NATO to provide extra forces for Afghanistan. So why is it, then, that the Obama administration can barely conceal its disdain for a nation that, by its deeds, time and again proves itself to be America's staunchest and most reliable ally? Shortly before Mr. Obama's Afghan policy speech at West Point earlier this month, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Britain was sending another 500 troops to that beleaguered country, bringing the total number of British troops to around 10,000....

Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama skipped a "Save the Children" benefit concert in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, and a cardboard cutout of the American president was placed on stage in his absence.

Wait ’til you hear what the event was. Obama had quite a whirlwind day Thursday – he signed the Nobel guest book, huddled with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, met with King Harald V and Queen Sonja, and delivered an acceptance speech after he was formally presented with the prize. He also joined the king and queen at an evening banquet. But he skipped out on several other activities, including lunch with the king, a news conference at Oslo’s Grand Hotel, CNN’s traditional interview with the prize winner and a “Save the Children” benefit concert, where organizers replaced him with an...

Barack Obama's trip to Oslo to pick up his Nobel peace award is in danger of being overshadowed by a row over the cancellation of a series of events normally attended by the prizewinner. Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit. The White House has cancelled many of the events peace prize laureates traditionally submit to, including a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel committee, a press conference, a television interview, appearances at a children's event promoting peace and a music concert, as well as a visit to an...

Barack Obama has arrived in Oslo to receive his Nobel peace prize amid considerable anger over the White House's decision to cancel a series of events normally attended by the prizewinner. Obama is scheduled to meet the Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, and the Norwegian royal family before receiving his medal at a ceremony due to begin at midday. His main speech is scheduled at a banquet tonight. But Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit. The White House has cancelled many of the events peace prize laureates...

Finally some Europeans are angry with Obama—the very ones who are awarding him his peace prize. Katarina Andersson on the president’s rebuff of King Harald, a group of Norwegian children, and his own Nobel exhibit. A day before President Obama receives his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the president’s treatment of his Norwegian hosts has become hot news across Scandinavia. News outlets across the region are calling Obama arrogant for slashing some of the prize winners’ traditional duties from his schedule. “Everybody wants to visit the Peace Center except Obama,” sniped the Norwegian daily Aftenposten, amid reports the president would...