Q Is the President's decision to commute the sentence of Scooter Libby -- is that the final word in this case, or does he leave the door open for a pardon later?

On July 3rd, the director of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, Michael J. Colburn, was promoted to the rank of colonel by President George W. Bush in an Oval Office ceremony.

President Bush Monday spared former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby from going to prison for 2 1/2 years for obstructing the CIA leak investigation, a White House official said, according to Reuters.

President George W. Bush said he appreciates the new British government's "strong response" to terrorist threats in London and Scotland that prompted the United States to tighten airport security and add air marshals to overseas flights.

Majority Democrats are vowing to go ahead with plans for a new legislative push to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq after Congress returns next month from a week-long break. House and Senate Democratic leaders met with reporters as lawmakers began the July 4th Independence Day break.

The Bush administration says it has no immediate plans to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba despite demands by some members of Congress and human rights groups. As VOA correspondent Meredith Buel reports from Washington, the administration says it wants to close the facility but has issues to resolve before that can happen.

President Bush says America needs to rely on alternative sources of energy, including nuclear power, to meet its future needs. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, the president focused on the need for more nuclear power plants during a visit Thursday to a facility in the southern state of Alabama.

Budget Director Rob Portman is resigning and President Bush intends to name former Iowa Rep. Jim Nussle as his replacement, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried has reaffirmed the Bush administration's position that Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo must be granted independence.

As debate continues over Iraq, U.S. lawmakers have heard from a number of voices including U.S. military officials, and current and former U.S. and Iraqi diplomats. VOA's Dan Robinson was present during many of the discussions by some of these figures as the battle of wills between the Democratic-led Congress and President Bush over the war in Iraq continues.

President Bush - in an effort to revive an immigration reform bill that has stalled in the Senate - has expressed support for a Republican plan that would use fines and fees collected from illegal immigrants in the United States to pay for border security.

President Bush is meeting in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi for talks expected on Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran, the Balkans and Kosovo.