Obama says the UN has often been forum for discord, urges leaders to focus on common good

October 6th, 2009 Palin urges troop buildup in AfghanistanANCHORAGE, Alaska — Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is urging President Barack Obama to increase the number of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan.

September 23rd, 2009 Obama urges relaunch of Mideast peace negotiationsUNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama says the time has come to re-launch negotiations toward the long-elusive goal of Mideast peace. In a speech to the U.N.

September 23rd, 2009 Obama lays out 4 pillars for global cooperationUNITED NATIONS — President Barack Obama says all nations have a responsibility to work toward a future of peace and prosperity. In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, Obama told world leaders Wednesday he believes there are four pillars necessary to ensure that future — nuclear disarmament, the promotion of peace and security, preservation of the planet, and a global economy that offers opportunity for all people.

September 14th, 2009 Obama urges financial industry to rebuild trustNEW YORK — President Barack Obama is telling Wall Street to take steps on its own to rebuild trust with the public, and not wait for Congress to legislate the tighter oversight of the industry he is pushing. Obama says many of the firms now seeing improvement in their finances owe a debt to the American people, who financed a $700 billion bailout last year.

September 11th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Following an apparently unyielding diplomatic engagement in Iran, the Obama administration is preparing the groundwork for sanctions against the Islamic country, two senior US officials have told Jewish leaders in Washington. The Jerusalem Post quoted US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, as saying that the Obama administration wants to lay the sanctions now, so that it will be ready to implement them at the end of the year.

August 21st, 2009 Brazil's Silva urges Obama to explain bases planRIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil's leader is urging President Barack Obama to meet with South American nations and discuss the growing U.S. military presence in Colombia.

August 13th, 2009 Obama to attend APEC conference in SingaporeWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will attend a meeting of Asian and Pacific leaders in Singapore in November. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced the trip Thursday.

August 7th, 2009 Obama headlines Va. political rally, fundraiserMcLEAN, Va.

July 28th, 2009 Obama says he, first lady have 'living wills'WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he and first lady Michelle Obama each have "living wills," but he hopes it will be a long time before either one has to put them to use. Living wills allow very sick or terminally ill people to specify how they want to be cared for before they become incapacitated.

July 28th, 2009 Obama: Existing health system threatens MedicareWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is telling participants in an online forum on health care that the current system and its skyrocketing costs are a threat to Medicare. Obama says the Medicare trust fund will be in the red and out of money in a decade unless Washington overhauls the system.

July 7th, 2009 Putin says Obama meeting went wellMOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says his first meeting with President Barack Obama went "very well." The former Russian president called the two-hour meeting "substantive, informative and collaborative." Putin told reporters he and Obama "covered the issues from previous years" and found "many positives" and "many points in common." Obama also had good things to say about their meeting Tuesday, and said he found Putin's views similar to those of Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev. Before heading to Russia, Obama had described Putin as still having a confrontational Cold War mentality, while the younger Medvedev seemed to understand that it was time for a new approach to U.S.-Russia relations.

June 23rd, 2009 Obama: Bernanke doing good jobWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is doing a fine job under difficult circumstances but he declines to say whether he will reappoint the chairman in January. Obama said he would not make news about Bernanke at a White House press conference Tuesday.

June 10th, 2009 Zimbabwe PM urges US support despite abusesWASHINGTON — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is urging the United States to support his government despite abuses by his coalition partner, President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai plans to make his case Friday in a meeting with U.S.

May 14th, 2009 Obama urges compromise on labor billRIO RANCHO, N.M. — President Barack Obama says he hopes a compromise would preserve the core ideas of labor-backed legislation and persuade holdout senators to support making it easier for workers to form unions.

April 24th, 2009 US urges Pakistan to focus on Taliban, not IndiaWASHINGTON — The United States is urging Pakistan's military to focus more on the Taliban and extremists advancing inside their borders instead of the nation's longtime enemy — India. The top U.S.