WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday will seek to turn the spotlight from controversies threatening to swamp his agenda to the economy by announcing he will cut in half the time it takes to get federal approval for large job-creating projects.

Obama travels to Baltimore, where he is due to say that he has signed a presidential memorandum streamlining the review and permitting of federal infrastructure projects.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior White House officials responsible for navigating the administration through a trio of scandals met on Thursday with outside Democratic strategists for advice on how to get past the controversies and back on track advancing the president’s agenda.

The White House is trying to regain the upper hand after being knocked on the defensive over its response to deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, the seizure of journalists’ phone records in a Justice Department leak investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups for special scrutiny.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top White House officials and lawmakers met on Thursday to discuss how to toughen up laws to prevent and punish sexual assault in the military, and provide better support for victims of the crimes.

A bipartisan group of nine senators and seven representatives talked about their ideas to address the long-standing problem which hit the headlines this week, prompting President Barack Obama to angrily vow to “root this out completely.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican senators boycotted a confirmation vote on President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, saying they were “completely unsatisfied” with answers provided by Gina McCarthy on several topics.

This was the latest tactic in a series of procedural moves by Republicans that have made it difficult for Obama to get his second-term cabinet in place – and achieved what some say is a new record in the number of written questions asked to a nominee.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) – Republican senators boycotted
a confirmation vote on President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, saying they
were “completely unsatisfied” with answers provided by Gina
McCarthy on several topics.

This was the latest tactic in a series of procedural moves
by Republicans that have made it difficult for Obama to get his
second-term cabinet in place – and achieved what some say is a
new record in the number of written questions asked to a
nominee.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House has invited about a dozen lawmakers to a meeting on Thursday to discuss how to combat the sharp increase in sexual assaults in the military, a White House official said.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon released its 2012 annual report on sexual assault in the military, which showed a 37 percent jump in estimated sex crimes to 26,000.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate’s top Republican on Wednesday came out strongly against President Barack Obama’s labor secretary nomination, accusing Thomas Perez of being a crusading ideologue who would bend the laws to advance his agenda.

The speech from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggests that Republicans will throw up procedural hurdles to prevent Perez from serving as the Obama administration’s next labor secretary.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama took his second-term “schmooze offensive” to the golf course on Monday, bonding in a bipartisan foursome as Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss hit a hole-in-one.

Obama, an avid golfer with a respectable 17 handicap, rarely takes politics to the greens, preferring instead to golf with friends and staffers far out of the sight of the reporters who travel with him.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama hit the golf course on Monday with two Republican senators and a Democrat, part of an effort to advance his second-term agenda by having better relationships with Congress.

Obama, an avid golfer with a respectable 17 handicap, rarely takes politics to the greens, preferring instead to golf with friends and staffers far out of the sight of the reporters who travel with him.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will travel on Thursday to Austin, Texas, the first stop in a new series of day trips designed to draw attention to policies and programs that help spur the economy, and build support for his economic policies, the White House said on Sunday.

In Austin, Obama will visit a high school and a technology company, and will talk with entrepreneurs and workers about proposals he made earlier this year to boost jobs and training.