dan lothian traveling with the president. what's the president's goal? why was he in philadelphia? >> it was much like a pep rally. the president and vice president as you pointed out really try to pump up democrats, the base, but also, independents that played such a big role in ushering in so many democrats in 2008 and president obama himself. it was a challenge we heard to voters today, first of all to get engaged, to knock on doors, but more importantly, to show up on election day. right now, enthusiasm and the race for enthusiasm, republicans are leading and president obama is trying to recapture the ma c magic. >> i need you working even harder in this election than you did in the last election. we need you to fight their millions of dollars with our millions of voices. i look out on this crowd and i see millions of voices. all across the country. we've got to finish what we started in 2008. >> now, in making his pitch tonight, the president was focused on the economy. laying out what his administration has done and continues to do to turn things around and how is the -- we d

let's begin in boston where we find dan lothian. we know the president will be speaking momentarily, what is the expectation? >> well, first of all, i can tell you a large crowd here, i'm looking to my right where there's this large line that snakes outside of the building. a lot of people trying to get inside, we're told by deval patrick campaign that they're expecting roughly 15,000 to 17,000 people inside and outside the building as well. president obama is coming here to stump for his very close friend. they have the chicago connection, the harvard connection. when it was senator obama, he campaigned for deval patrick twice here in massachusetts, and when president obama announced his candidacy early on, deval patrick endorsed him, the president trying to return the favor, if you will, trying to rally supporters here to make sure that his friend does win. you remember the last time the president was here pushing for a candidate, martha coakley was a democratic candidate for the former ted kennedy's seat. he was hoping to help he

in boston with dan lothian. dan? the president is on the campaign trail again, not for himself, not directly. but for at least the massachusetts governer. >> that's right, we've seen the president and the first lady really step up their campaigning over the last few days, the president has just landed here in boston, the campaign for governor patrick, they are very close friends. they have the chicago connection, both went to harvard. when senator obama came in the campaign twice in the state for governor patrick when he was running in his first gubernatorial race, and governor patrick was one of the earliest endorsements. the president coming to help him out to solidify the democratic base, many political analysts believe that in order for deval patrick to pull off a win, he really needs to get the base, the democratic base. and president obama still remains popular among that group here. he does, deval patrick, have a seven point lead, this remains very competitive race, he's running against republican businessman

cnn white house correspondent dan lothian is following the president in philadelphia and, dan, tell us what is the main thrust or the main accomplishment the dnc and the obama administration want to get out of today's event there? >> well, obviously, you just pointed it out with the enthusiasm gap showing that republicans have the edge there. so, democrats really want to get the base and in addition to that, independents fired up. these are the folks who help the democrats get into power in 2008, ushered president obama into office, but many had been disappointed that the administration had not been moving quickly enough to do some of things that they promised out on the campaign trail. the democratic party believes that these kind of events, these large events can really get the party faithful fired up. as they are fired up here. waiting for president obama who just landed here in philadelphia. he will be arriving shortly. but, yes, democratic officials hope that these kinds of events will get the party faithful and those independents fired up again. this is the second of four events

dan lothian, cnn, washington. >> all right.w, not every state nor every city is in the midst of a shaky economy. news flash there. want to know where the bright spots are? josh levs is looking at incomes across the country. >> all right. kind of a little quiz question for you. name the one state and the one major city in which incomes have actually gone up in this recession. how they manage this and what they're doing right. i'll have the answers just after this. i used to see the puddles, but now i see the splash. ♪ i wanted love, i needed love ♪ ♪ most of all, most of all... ♪ good gravy, bill. our insurance company doesn't have anything like it. magnificent, isn't it? with progressive, it's easy to cover all of your favorite rides. progressive has truck insurance? number one in truck and motorcycle. is that a golf cart? yep. we also cover rvs, boats, atvs. anything else i can help you with? can i take a ride? you need a ticket -- i'm first! and that's by the water slide. okay. no running. oh, dear. save on all your rides. no

dan lothian, cnn, washington. >> let's talk about the week ahead in politics.einhauser joins me from washington. president hitting the campaign trail this weekend. what's the first stop for him? >> reporter: first stop will be maryland on the campaign trail later this week, fred. he'll go out there to help the incumbent democratic governor right now who is fighting for re-election and thinks it's a tough rematch against a guy he beat four years ago. and this will be interesting. this is one of the first times we'll see president obama at an actual rally. we haven't seen that many of those. >> and so we also hear the president will be making a stop in chicago. his old hometown. who is he campaigning for? >> among the things he'll do in chicago is campaigning for the state treasurer in illinois and democrats nominee for the senate seat there. it's a tough election right now between him and the congressman from the chicago area. the republican nominee. this is barack obama's old senate seat. the one he stepped down from in late 2008 after he won the presidency. th

dan lothian, cnn, washington. >>> we have heard a lot the past couple years of what is going wrong withhe economy. some places, people were making more money during the recession. josh has the answers for us. >> good morning to you, t.j. we got a little quiz here. this, to me came out this week. it's striking. name the one state and the one major city in which incomes have gone up during this recession. there's only one. one state. one major city saw incomes rise. i'll have the answers for you right after this. everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. so i can't have any? if you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol... and live with yourself. right. mmm, i worry about your mother. cry herself to sleep every night over my arteries, but have yourself a bowl. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain o

. >> reporter: i'm dan lothian at the white house. after campaigning hard out west for democrats, the president hits the campaign trail on the east coast starting out monday in rhode island where he will be attending a fundraiser for the democratic congressional campaign committee. there's not a hotly contested senate race in rhode island, but democrats there very much want to hang on to that house seat being vacated by the retiring patrick kennedy. then on saturday, the president campaigns in pennsylvania, connecticut and back to chicago. >> reporter: i'm chris lawrence. coming up this week at the pentagon, military leaders will be dealing with the fallout of the wikileaks documents of 40,000 documents from the iraq war. they will be also keeping a close eye on the ninth circuit court in california as it rules on whether don't ask don't tell stays or goes for the next few months while that court is considering an appeal. and for that matter pentagon leaders will be keeping a close eye on the lead up to the election because there's a

>>> dan lothian, thanks very much. we're minutes away from the start of the dramatic rescue operation to free 33 miners trapped thousands of feet underground in chile, half a mile underground. back live to the scene. stand by. >>> also, more top stories, including new legal troubles for the embattled megachurch bishop, eddie long. five years after you do retire? ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. >>> looking at live pictures in chile right now. they're getting ready to send two individuals down to begin this process of rescuing these 33 trapped miners. they're half a mile underground and they're going to begin this process that one by one wil

our white house correspondent, dan lothian, spent the day with the president. >> president obama triedo pump up an audience of thousands at a rally for his close friend. while the president was making his remarks, he was interrupted by hecklers. the president later answered their criticism saying his administration has increased funding for aids research, but the president did talk about the frustration across the country, saying this election will be difficult for democrats not only in massachusetts, but around the country. >> i understand that sometimes, hope may have faded as we've grinded out this work. it's hard to keep faith when a family member still hasn't found a job after months of trying or another foreclosure sign is hung on the house down the street. and you're watching tv and all you see are politicians tearing each other down. i know it can be discouraging, but don't ever let anybody tell you this fight isn't worth it. don't let them tell you you're not making a difference. >> the governor's race remains competitive. patrick has a seven-point lead over baker, a business

dan lothian is working this story for us. what's going on. >>> rolled out this theme in maryland last week. some critics may see this as a hail mary pass leading to the midterm elections. the president and his fellow democrats are trying to seize on a message they believe will resonate with voters. president obama lifts off for another political fundraiser. destination, miami. it's only one of the arsenal they're using to try to win the midterm elections. >> karl rove -- >> the new tv ad from the democratic national committee with the ominous voters beware voice targets republican heavyweights karl rove and ed gillespie, along with the u.s. chamber of commerce. it suggests they're taking secret money to influence the elections. rove fired back on fox news sunday. >> they're tossing out the baseless charges. >> this teem was pushed by the president himself in a sunday rally in philadelphia when he went after republican-leaning groups at the source of their ad money. >> even the corporations, we don't know, they don't have the

let's bring in our white house correspondent dan lothian. he's got more on this part of the story. dan? >> that attack is just another example of the difficulty of going after the taliban and al qaeda in pakistan. this is something that the white house is clearly focused on, a new report showing that the pakistani government is not making lasting gains against the insurgency. this comes at a very difficult time, because the u.s. really needs pakistan to make significant gains in neighboring afghanistan. behind every decision president obama makes in afghanistan is the human cost, and this battlefield casualty in 2008 is a reminder. army staff sergeant robert miller, a green beret, now honored with the medal of honor posthumously. >> he had been hit, but still kept calling out enemy positions, still he kept firing, still kept throwing his grena s grenades, then they heard it. rob's weapon felt silent. >> reporter: as forces continue to die in that war, there's real concern that a key player in that are parks stan is falling short, despite the obvious optimistic tone. >> i am actuall

cnn white house correspondent dan lothian is also there. what is the real motivation behind the president's visit? >> reporter: the bottom line is democrats, president in particular, trying to tap into the yenergy they saw in 2008. a lot of democrats have been discouraged so they think that these large events are just the right setting that can really energize the base. this is a second of four such events just recently the president was in madison, wisconsin, where more than 17,000 students, young people, came out. it was a big rally there aimed at young voters. some of the young voters that i spoke to about a week or so ago in a story that i did are discouraged because they don't believe the administration has been moving quickly enough and delivering on some of its promises and these young people played a key role in getting president obama elected so that's why you see that big push to reach out to these young voters as we move toward the midterm elections. the big message that you'll hear here today is don't be discouraged and make sur

let's bring in our white house correspondent, dan lothian, who was monitoring what was going on. dan, was the president asked about boxers or briefs? >> that was not a question that the president received at this town hall meeting which by the way was sponsored by not only mtv but bet and cmt. there were some serious questions from these young people about immigration, about the economy extaxes, even sudan, but there was one pointed question from a young republican woman from austin, texas, who pressed the president on his pledge for more bipartisanship had. take a listen. >> how are you going to improve the dialogue among the two parties? >> when i ran, it was based on the notion that washington was broken. we were having arguments that had more to do with who would win an election than how we were gonna soft country's problems. and i continue to believe that that is holding us back. now, i will tell you that with respect to health care, we actually spent months trying to obtain cooperation from republicans to see if we could negotiate a common sense solution. this is not, by th

our white house correspondent dan lothian has details. >> it was not unexpected, wolf. mr. jones said for quite some time he would leave after two year, but that aside, he also seemed not to gel with the obama's inner circle, and some administration officials didn't think that he had the right management style. well, today in the rose garden, president obama made the announcement official. >> reporter: all president obama had to do was to swivel the chair around in his inner circle to find new national security adviser tom donnelly. >> over the last two years there is not a single critical national security issue that has not crossed tom's desk. >> reporter: he brings a sharp foreign policy mind to the new job and while the leading democrats were quick to heap praise on the president's choice, and bob woodward suggested in the recent book that defense secretary robert gates didn't consider him right for the job, because he didn't understand the military. but a senior defense official called that characterization outdated and no signs of t

cnn white house correspondent dan lothian is with the president in pennsylvania. dan, what is the main thrust that the dnc and president obama want to get out of today's event? >> well, the message that we've been hearing from the vice president and other state and local officials throughout the afternoon is that they want a democratic base to get energized, to go out and do canvassing and notobely that, but on election day actually show up to vote. there's concern among democratic officials that there's a big enthusiasm gap. republicans have been taking the lead in polls in that area, so they want to get everyone eng e engag engaged, energized, much like democrats were in 2008 when they were ushered into office when president obama was voted president. now, that is what they're trying to re-create. democratic officials believing that these grand events can really accomplish that. this is the second of four events recently president obama was in wisconsin addressing young people, that's the group that worked very hard to get him elected and now the president just

my colleague dan lothian did a story on cnn.com.y have the senior staff meeting, super serious. rahm emanuel's really last day as chief of staff. hard charging always yelling at people or what not. austan goolsbee, someone else from chicago presented a problem and he opened it up and turns out that there's a dead fish in there. that's because erlt in his career rahm emanuel sent a dead fish to a political enemy to send a message, a joking message, we should point out, harkening back to one of "the godfather" movies and shows that on the last day it got emotional but people were having a little fun at rahm's expense as well because they realize this has been somebody who is a high wattage personality, a lot different than steve rouse. >> that's the funny story, a dead fish? they are hilarious up there in d.c., aren't they? >> that's our idea of a joke in washington. >> you mentioned steve rouse. see if you can do this quickly. a contrast in style we keep hearing. >> reporter: the bottom line is this is someone long time in the senate

my colleague, dan lothian, just sent this in, posted on cn inch.com, austan goolsbee, also worked witharack obama back here in chicago, now at the white house, a top economic adviser, presented this big going away gift at the white house, looked very formal, rahm emanuel toned up and it was a dead fish. so his colleagues playing a little bit of a practical joke on rahm emanuel, maybe having a little fun at his expense, making light of the fact this is someone who has been seen as very ruthless, very tough and aggressive there in washington. now going to have to bring that style to chicago and as you noted, some people like that. i talked to people outside city hall, one woman put it chicago mare, sometimes you need to be nice, sometimes you need to be not so nice, don. >> i heard one of the pundits this morning saying you can't make it in washington, you can make it in chicago. we will see. ed henry, stand by, we are waiting for president obama to arrive in the east room of the white house at any time right now. those are live pictures, they are gathering there. he has really got a big

dan lothian is here in "the situation room" to get some new details. >> the group we're talking aboutger voters that played such a crucial role in getting president obama elected. that's why you saw this week the white house pushing to get young people energized believing they can again make a difference in the midterm elections, well, what a difference a couple of years can make. this hip, energy filled loud music craving crowd is once again feeling the love from president obama. >> hello, wisconsin! >> reporter: this week, a massive rally at the university of wisconsin. a conference call with college journalists, and a 40 and under dnc event to pump them up for the midterm elections. >> the biggest mistake we could make is to let impatience or frustration lead to apathy and indifference. because that guarantees the other side wins. >> reporter: but some of those frustrated young voters wondered why it took a midterm election to get the president's undivided attention again. >> it's like you go out on a really great first date, right, and it was awesome. and you sat there and waited

there you see just in, just behind me there we want to go now to our white house correspondent dan lothianuse. we hear there is some movement, some information on don't ask, don't tell. what do you know? >> that is right. we expected that the justice department would be making some movement on this and in fact, they have. the federal government now requesting an immediate stay pending an appeal of this federal court's injunction, which was barring don't ask, don't tell, rather openly gay members from serving in the military. this is something that the white house has been pretty much pushing to the justice department when we asked them for a comment but this a broader sense today, robert gibbs at the briefing said that he believes the president believes this policy undermines our national security, discriminates against those who would sacrifice their lives for their country this is unjust and this is a policy that should be changed. again, the latest that we are getting here just in the federal government requesting an immediate stay, pending an appeal. back to you. >> all right, dan, we