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A look at the president’s week ahead…

President Obama will have a full plate this Thanksgiving holiday -- with crucial domestic and foreign policy issues on the menu. On Saturday the democratic-led Senate will hold a test vote on a massive health care bill that is expected to be determined along party lines.  The vote will be an indication as to how quickly the Senate can pass reform, which has been the president's top domestic policy along with getting the economy back on track.

 

On the international front, a decision on Afghanistan is looming.  The president is expected over the next several weeks to announce whether he'll send more troops to the region.  White House officials have confirmed that Mr. Obama won't take any of the current options offered to him.  Instead he's seeking clarification on how long U.S. troops would stay in the country and how much responsibility the Afghan government will assume in the near future.

 

Mr. Obama's week will also include his first state dinner, where he'll host Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The event usually consists of high-profile guests including lobbyists, dignitaries, lawmakers, and celebrities.  Though the White House has remained mum on the details, a large tent is currently being constructed on the South Lawn to accomodate the hundreds of guests expected.

Vice President Biden Tours Georgia Flooding

While President Obama tended to foreign policy at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, Vice President Biden toured flood-damaged Marietta, Georgia and met with displaced residents at a Red Cross shelter. The trip comes a day after the president declared a major disaster in the state and ordered federal aid to fund recovery efforts.

Mr. Biden announced today that three more counties have qualified for government assistance, which can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, loans to cover property loss, and help for small business owners.

In his brief remarks outside the Cobb County Civic Center the vice president called it "destabilizing" for people to lose a home. "This is more than a physical loss, it's tough stuff psychological loss. This is tough stuff... for someone who has lost their home it IS Katrina," he said.

Republican Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson praised the Obama administration for its quick response and thanked the vice president for taking the time to talk to families who have been affected.

Nine people have died as a result of the floods, and damage is estimated to be $250 million.

President Obama Friday Schedule

President Obama wakes up in Pittsburgh, PA at the G-20 summit and will make a statement at 8:30 a.m. accusing Iran of trying to hide a uranium plant. At 9:30 the president attends the first plenary session at the G-20. Following a summit lunch and the afternoon plenary session, Mr. Obama will hold a news conference at 4:40 p.m.

U.S. to Accuse Iran of Trying to Hide Uranium Plant

President Obama and world leaders attending the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh will make a statement at 8:30 a.m. ET accusing Iran of trying to hide a highly enriched uranium pilot plant.

President Obama Statement on Kennedy Replacement

"I am pleased that Massachusetts will have its full representation in the United States Senate in the coming months, as important issues such as health care, financial reform and energy will be debated. Paul Kirk is a distinguished leader, whose long collaboration with Senator Kennedy makes him an excellent, interim choice to carry on his work until the voters make their choice in January."

President Obama Chairs UN Security Council

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White House Wednesday Schedule

 9:00AM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Hatoyama of Japan 

10:00AM THE PRESIDENT addresses the United Nations General Assembly 

1:15PM THE PRESIDENT attends a lunch hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for Heads of State and Government

 3:30PM THE PRESIDENT holds a bilateral meeting with President Medvedev of Russia

BRIEFING SCHEDULE:

1345 Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Gibbs Refers to War on Terror

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may have slipped in yesterday's daily briefing when he referred to "our war on terror" in response to a question about the current situation in Afghanistan.

This morning he was asked why he used the Bush-era term, since the Obama White House quickly abandoned it after the president took office. Mr. Gibbs simply responded, "We're focused on getting the strategy right."

The phrase -- coined by President Obama's predecessor after the September 11th attacks -- has not been used at all by the current White House, whose budget referred instead to funding for "Overseas Contingency Operations."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed in March that the administration had stopped using "war on terror" but the president's own counterterrorism adviser John Brennan went beyond that early last month telling reporters, "...describing our efforts as a 'global war' only plays into the warped narrative that Al-Qaeda propagates."

Update for Friday White House Schedule

President Obama is now expected to talk about the Afghan election at 1:20 pm ET.

Watch it live on FNC!

White House Friday Schedule

11 a.m. The President meets with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle

The President leaves for Camp David in the afternoon.

11:15 a.m. Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs