President Barack Obama White House exclusive!

He discusses the worst oil spill in U.S. history, economic turmoil, and two wars.

An interview you don’t want to miss!

What do you think of Obama's handling of the oil spill?

Filed under: Larry King Live • Obama

President Obama goes one-on-one with Larry King on Thursday night to talk about the oil spill, economic turmoil and war.

(CNN) - In the weeks since an oil rig exploded and later sank into the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama has dealt with the tragedy with his signature cool, calm and collected approach.

But with the oil still gushing in what is now the worst spill in U.S. history and the environmental devastation coming ashore, the president is becoming a target of the anger that was originally directed only at BP.

"One time, go off!" director Spike Lee urged on CNN's "AC 360°." "If there's any one time to go off, this is it, because this is a disaster."

Lee's sentiment echoes the frustration of people who want to see Obama get loud, take charge and inspire them like he did during his presidential run.

Recalling then-candidate Obama's ability to rouse crowds into chants of "Yes, we can," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said, "There was a feeling he was going to be one of these presidents that moved us with words the way John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan did in recent decades."

Instead, Obama has presented himself as the unflappable president, with the engineer-like approach of Jimmy Carter and the legislative astuteness of Lyndon Johnson, Brinkley said.

"But in a time of great crisis, people aren't looking for Johnson or Carter. They are looking for powerful rhetorical leadership - words that move the country in a positive direction," he said.

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Larry King Live • Obama

State of the Union Preview

The White House has already leaked some of the themes President Obama will hit tomorrow night in his State of the Union speech. Is the spending freeze over the next three years a good idea - or too little too late? How will he reach out to middle class Americans? We'll preview the speech tonight with Ben Stein, Penn Jillette, Stephanie Miller, and Tanya Acker. Plus - Tavis Smiley and John Avlon will weigh in with their analysis.

That's all tonight on Larry King Live at 9ET/6PT!

And we want to hear from you:

Do you think President Obama's proposal to freeze non-security federal spending over the next three years is a good idea?

Filed under: Haiti Earthquake • Larry King Live • Obama • Politics is King

Haiti

As search and rescue operations end, the people of Haiti are trying to put their lives back together. Many are suffering from crush injuries that require amputations. We'll hear from Heather Mills - who has a heartfelt appeal based on first-hand experience - and our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta on this growing problem and what can be done to help the amputees.

Reunited

You've read on this blog about Joe and Jill Wilkins, whose adopted son Samuel Chancelet was still in Haiti when the earthquake struck. They have finally reunited with their son and will join Larry tonight to talk about their desperate journey to bring Samuel Chancelet home.

The Economy, Stupid!

Rep. Ron Paul vs. former Labor Secretary Robert Reich square off on whether President Obama is doing enough about the economy. Is the stimulus plan working? Where are the jobs? Is the administration more concerned with bailing out Wall Street than bailing out Main Street?

That's all tonight at 9ET/6PT!

And we want to hear from you:

Is President Obama doing enough to help middle-class Americans?

To learn more about the organization Heather Mills discussed on Larry King click here or visit Heather Mills own site.

Filed under: Economy • Haiti Earthquake • Obama

Note: Larry King Live will have the latest tonight on the fallout from the Massachusetts special election. That's at 9ET/6PT. Don't miss it!

By Jim Vandehei and Mike Allen via Politico

Scott Brown has turned this town upside down.

Usually, the tendency among political reporters and operatives alike is to overreact and overinterpret elections.

 And there are caveats to the stunner in Massachusetts. Yes, this was a special election, which often produces unusual results. Yes, Democrat Martha Coakley ran a timid, sometimes terrible, campaign for Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat. And it’s true that Massachusetts is not as liberal as many people assumed.

But none of that counters the stunning reality of an election where breathtaking results more than justify breathless analysis. Here’s why:

The lock is broken

There is no way for Democrats to spin an upside to losing their 60th vote in the Senate.

Without it, the health care bill that passed one month ago with 60 votes would go down today. Same goes for any other bill Republicans decide to torpedo with unity, obstruction or whatever one wants to call zero votes.

 There are ways Democrats can jam through the current health care bill with procedural tricks or legislative creativity. But what seemed a certainty a week ago feels unlikely today. Don't take the word of Republicans or even reporters on this one. Listen to what Democrats are saying as they appraised the results overnight:

 Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) told a local reporter, “It’s probably back to the drawing board on health care, which is unfortunate.” Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) told MSNBC this morning he will advise Democratic leaders to scrap the big bill and move small, more popular pieces that can attract Republicans. And Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said his leadership is “whistling past the graveyard” if they think Brown’s win won’t force a rethinking of the health care plan.

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who now might draw a challenge from Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), said the party needs to rethink its entire approach to governing.

The fear is unleashed

Any Democrat with even the faintest fear of a tough race in 2010 is rattled. It was easy for some to rationalize the defeats in New Jersey and Virginia last year — and even the flood of polls showing bad news since then.

They are in denial no more: If Democrats can lose in Massachusetts, they can lose anywhere. That is the mind-set that will shape the next nine months for Democrats. It will affect who runs for reelection, who bolts on big votes, who gives money and who speaks out against Obama. All of this will make governing harder.

The focus has been on the special election for the past week. But Democratic insiders were equally concerned about other signs of trouble that got insufficient notice: Polls show Democrats could lose the New York Senate seat, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson’s favorable ratings plummeted in Nebraska, new polls showed Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) trailing badly in his swing district, and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) is in a statistical tie and in more trouble than previously expected.

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Larry King Live • Obama • Politics • Politics is King

Note: Larry King Live will have the latest reaction to Sen. Harry Reid's remarks and the political fallout. That's tonight at 9ET/6PT!

Washington (CNN) - The Congressional Black Caucus said Sunday that it had accepted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's apology for a newly published remark he made about Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign and dismissed calls for the Nevada Democrat to step down.

Earlier in the day, the chairman of the Republican Party and a leading GOP senator had called on Reid to give up his post.

"Over the years, I have had an opportunity to work with Majority Leader Reid," Rep. Barbara Lee, chairwoman of the caucus, said in a statement.

"Senator Reid's record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities."

Lee added that she looked forward to Reid serving as majority leader.

"There are too many issues like the economy, job creation and energy for these regrettable comments to distract us from the work that must be done on behalf of the American people," she said.

Colleagues on the other side of the aisle were not as forgiving.

The remarks were "embarrassing and racially insensitive," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, head of the GOP's Senate campaign arm, said in a statement to CNN.

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele, on NBC's "Meet the Press," said, "Racism and racist conversations have no place today in America."

Steele was also on the defensive for a remark he made last week that members of both parties have called a racial slur.

Reid's office made clear he has no plans to step down.

"Senator Reid will stay in his position as majority leader and will run for re-election," his spokesman said.

"As the leader in the fight to pass the Voting Rights Act and legislation banning hate crimes, Senator Reid has a long record of addressing issues that are important to the African-American community. His Republican critics who are looking to politicize the issue can't say the same."

Reid is already embroiled in a tough re-election campaign in his home state to stay in the Senate. Only one-third of Nevada voters have a favorable opinion of him, while 52 percent have an unfavorable opinion of the four-term senator, according to a survey by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research for the Last Vegas Review-Journal released over the weekend.

The poll was conducted January 5-7, before news of Reid's comments.

The controversy surrounds remarks published in the book "Game Change," which goes on sale Monday.

It quotes Reid as saying privately in 2008 that Obama could succeed as a black candidate partly because of his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Congress • Obama • Politics

"The System Failed"

The President says the "system failed in a potentially dangerous way." What went wrong and how will he fix it? We'll talk to the Washington Post's Bob Woodward to get some perspective on how Obama is handling the terror threat and how he compares with his predecessors. Plus, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte join Larry. How would they have handled the situation differently?

Is Joan Rivers A Security Threat?

Joan Rivers says she was not permitted to board her commercial flight from Costa Rica to New York on Sunday because of her "suspicious" passport. Her seat was given away and she was told she couldn't fly. Find out what happened next and whether this can happen to you!

And we want to hear from you:

How do you think President Obama is responding to the foiled Christmas Day terror attempt?

Filed under: Bob Woodward • Joan Rivers • Larry King Live • Obama • Terrorism • War on Terror

Obama's Deadline

Tonight President Obama is set to receive the report on the Christmas Day terror attempt. How exactly did the U.S. miss all the warning signs surrounding Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab? What will actually change as a result of the near-disaster? And will heads roll at any of the responsible government agencies? We'll talk the politics of terror.

Rush Limbaugh Hospitalized

We'll get an update on how the radio talk show host is doing tonight. Limbaugh was rushed to the hospital last night after complaining about chest pain. How is he feeling? When will he back on the air?

Happy 2010!

Last but not least, we'll take you around the country as we say hello to 2010!

Which brings us to the question of the night:

What's your resolution for the new year?

Filed under: Larry King Live • Obama • Politics • Terrorism • White House

Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) - President Obama worked overtime for a breakthrough agreement Friday at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Obama took part in third multilateral talks with world leaders and scheduled a second side meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The U.S. president earlier told participants at the two-week conference nearing its end that "there is no time to waste" in forging an agreement.

"Now, I believe, it's the time for the nations and the people of the world to come behind a common purpose," Obama said. "We are ready to get this done today, but there has to be movement on all sides."

Amid signs the talks could be falling apart at a critical stage, Obama arrived Friday morning in the Danish capital and immediately ripped up his planned schedule in a desperate attempt to salvage a global deal to cut carbon emissions.

He abruptly canceled a ceremonial one-on-one meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen so he could jump into an emergency meeting with almost 20 key leaders, including representatives from China, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and India.

China's involvement is critical because it has been holding up progress toward a climate deal over whether the United States and other wealthy nations should pay to help developing countries deal with the cost of global warming.

Obama met with Wen for 55 minutes earlier Friday, a White House official said.

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Global Warming • Obama • Politics

Missing Mom

Susan Powell of West Valley City Utah was last seen on Sunday and now her husband is being called a "person of interest". Powell's father talks to Larry tonight about the mystery surrounding his daughter's disappearance.

'It's Your Time' with The Osteens!

Megachurch pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen talk to us about Joel's new book, "Its Your Time", and give us their take on Tiger Wood's problems, the passing of their friend Oral Roberts, and how President Obama is handling his job so far.

Gov. David Patterson

He's running for re-election in New York but there are reports that President Obama doesn't want him in the race. Is there are rift between the Governor and the White House? That's all tonight at 9ET/6PT!

And we want to hear from you:

What would you like Larry to ask Joel and Victoria Osteen?

Filed under: Joel Osteen • Obama • Politics