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By the numbers: Defense spending

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Friday passed a nearly $643 billion military spending bill -- a measure at odds with prior defense spending agreements and President Barack Obama's Pentagon plans.

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Minnesota same-sex marriage fight re-energized — on both sides

Minneapolis is a conflicted city. It's home to one of the largest gay pride festivals in the Midwest and was once dubbed the "gayest city in America" by The Advocate magazine. The metropolitan area is also home to the conservative power base of Rep. Michele Bachmann.

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Obama hosts G8, NATO leaders

U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders are set to address a host of pressing economic and military security issues this weekend as the United States hosts a high stakes Group of Eight summit outside Washington and a NATO summit in Obama's adopted hometown of Chicago.

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Obama’s North Carolina math problem

The state Democratic Party here is consumed with an ongoing sex scandal. The embattled governor is so unpopular she decided not to run for a second term. And supporters of same-sex marriage were dealt a crushing defeat at the ballot box last week.

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Super PAC’s reported anti-Obama ad sparks backlash, quick denial

Predictions of super PAC-fueled campaign ugliness seemed to come to reality on Thursday when reports broke of a potential conservative group's ad campaign aimed at tying President Barack Obama to a controversy many thought put to rest nearly four years ago.

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Obama likely to tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Despite the recent fall in oil prices, analysts say President Obama is still likely to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as sanctions on Iran take hold.

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Obama: They still like him, but will they vote for him?

President Barack Obama lags in several polls on fixing the economy. His favorability rating is virtually even with that of presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. His signature health care reform law appears on the verge of being overturned. Women, once central to his base, are now drifting toward his opponent. He has even lost support among once-passionate young voters.

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Can Obama use Hollywood’s soft power?

Barack Obama's appearance on "The View" on Tuesday topped a week spent cozying up to the world of entertainment, including a dinner hosted by George Clooney that raised $15 million and a $5,000-a-plate extravaganza with Ricky Martin.

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Obama falls to Earth as just a politician

Conventional wisdom has it that President Barack Obama's campaign four years ago was a political masterpiece. Yes, the Republican brand was in the toilet; the economy had cratered; his real opponent, George Bush, was a political pariah; and the country despaired for a new direction. Still, we recall the Obama campaign as a crushing force, brilliantly harnessed, riding the tide of history.

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Obama awards Medal of Honor posthumously to Vietnam hero

President Barack Obama, in awarding an overdue posthumous Medal of Honor to a Vietnam hero Wednesday, paid tribute to soldiers who received a cold reception when they returned home from the Southeast Asian war.

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