American Morning
Meet Obama's counter-terrorism 'general'
Understanding the president's approach to combatting al Qaeda means getting to know the man who is described as Mr. Obama's "general" on counter-terrorism – John Brennan. Our Jim Acosta has the report.
Obama to get update on terror plot inquiry
After eleven days in Hawaii, the president is back to work at the White House today. He'll be huddling with his homeland security team in the basement of the West Wing this afternoon.
He wants to know how a suspected terrorist managed to board a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Eve, armed with explosives. And that's just for starters. Our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has the report.
Feds: Couple crashed Obama's state dinner
Washington (CNN) - Two people without invitations crashed President Obama's first White House state dinner, the U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://am.blogs.cnn.com/files/2009/11/story-salahi-biden-fb.jpg caption="A photo shown on Michaele Salahi's Facebook page shows her, Tareq Salahi and Vice President Joe Biden."]
The Secret Service confirmed a Washington Post report that the couple who crashed Tuesday night's dinner were Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Post described the couple as polo-playing socialites from northern Virginia.
A Secret Service checkpoint "did not follow proper procedures" to determine if the two were on the guest list for the dinner, said Edwin M. Donovan, a Secret Service special agent, in a statement.
Playing down any security threat, Donovan's statement said: "It is important to note that these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of security, as did all guests attending the dinner."
The incident represents a security breach for the White House at the Obama administration's biggest social event to date. More than 300 guests, including Cabinet members, diplomats and Hollywood celebrities, attended the dinner in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
White House prepares for an elegant evening
Washington (CNN) - President Obama will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for an official state visit Tuesday.
The two leaders will discuss a range of global, regional and bilateral issues, the White House said. Those discussions are likely to center on Afghanistan, climate change and nuclear energy cooperation. Singh has been quoted as saying that a Taliban victory in Afghanistan would be disastrous for Central and South Asia.
Singh's visit will be the first state visit hosted by the administration, the highest honor extended to a foreign dignitary. It will be Singh's second visit to Washington; he has also met with former President George W. Bush.
Obama's first state dinner more than a meal
Washington's A-list heads to the White House tonight as the Obamas host their first official state dinner. The guest of honor is Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and Lisa Caputo, former press secretary for First Lady Hillary Clinton, spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN's American Morning Tuesday about the significance of the state dinner.
Related: Putting India center stage 
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