WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Tuesday it was starting to get ready for potentially painful year-end spending cuts, and was committed to shielding U.S. military pay from any government budget crunch.

Jeffrey Zients, acting director of President Barack Obama’s Office of Management and Budget, said discussions would start soon on how to weather the looming automatic spending cuts, known as “sequestration,” that would take place starting January 2 if Congress cannot achieve a deficit reduction deal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions on Tuesday against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil, efforts that he said would increase pressure on Tehran for failing to meet its international nuclear obligations.

Obama’s decision, in an executive order, came ahead of congressional votes on new sanctions intended to further strip Iran of its oil-related revenues. It also followed criticism from Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney that the White House is failing to act strongly enough to stop Iran’s suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House cut its outlook for U.S. growth in 2012 and 2013 on Friday, hours after data showed the economy grew at a tepid pace in the second quarter, raising concerns about a slowdown that could mar President Barack Obama’s re-election chances.

In its semi-annual budget review, the White House said it expected gross domestic product to rise 2.3 percent this year and 2.7 percent next year – less than the 2.7 percent and 3.0 percent growth projections it made in February.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House cut its outlook for U.S. growth in 2012 and 2013 on Friday, hours after data showed the economy grew at a tepid pace in the second quarter, raising concerns about a slowdown that could mar President Barack Obama’s re-election chances.

In its semi-annual budget review, the White House said it expected gross domestic product to rise 2.3 percent this year and 2.7 percent again next year – less than the 2.7 percent and 3.0 percent growth projections it made in February.

/ROXBURY, Massachusetts (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sought a boost for his campaign in the crucial state of Florida on Thursday, amid new signs that voters are increasingly dissatisfied with his handling of the U.S. economy and questions about whether his attacks on Republican Mitt Romney are resonating.

Kicking off a two-day swing through this politically divided state, Obama tried to shore up his support with senior citizens and continued to cast Romney as a defender of the rich at the expense of the middle class.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Reuters) – President Barack Obama reveled in the support of Latino leaders on Friday and took a swipe at his election rival Mitt Romney for giving mixed messages on how to handle illegal immigration.

In an emotive speech to Hispanic public officials meeting in Florida, Obama reminded the friendly audience that Romney had promised to veto the DREAM Act, which would help the children of illegal immigrants win citizenship.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama assured Hispanic Americans on Friday he would champion immigration reform in a second term, contrasting his vision with Republican White House contender Mitt Romney to court voters who could help sway the election on November 6.

Addressing an enthusiastic Latino crowd, who had given his rival a cool reception a day before, Obama is already polling ahead of Romney among Latinos in swing states like Florida, Virginia and Colorado vital to the November vote.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Talk about a venue change.

Fresh from giving an economic speech in America’s industrial Rust Belt, President Barack Obama headlined big-dollar campaign fundraisers at the home of “Sex and the City” actress Sarah Jessica Parker and in a landmark New York hotel.

Obama has shaped his re-election message around appealing to middle-class voters, many of whom continue to struggle to find work and afford their homes years after economic recession hit.

CLEVELAND (Reuters) – President Barack Obama cast his re-election battle with Mitt Romney as a clash between starkly different economic visions on Thursday and warned that his Republican rival would hollow out the middle class in a speech that could set the tone for months of intense campaigning.

Seeking to gain some footing after a string of bad economic news and a political stumble, Obama said the November 6 election would put the United States on one of two paths: an economy built on education and scientific research that delivers a broadly shared prosperity, or a Republican approach that cuts taxes for the wealthy and undermines opportunity for many others.

NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and
first lady Michelle Obama on Thursday toured the soaring
skyscraper being built to replace the twin towers destroyed on
Sept. 11, 2001, in a poignant visit to mark a new chapter of
recovery from the traumatic attack.

Inscribing one of the steel beams that will be part of the
building’s framework, Obama wrote: “We remember, we rebuild, we
come back stronger!” followed by his signature.