President's Schedule: Thursday, April 15

"Happy" Tax Day! Well, not really. But if it makes you feel any better, the Obamas (and Bidens) will release their 2009 returns for all to see around noon. No question the President and First Lady, being in a sky-high bracket, will write a hefty check to the IRS (last year they paid $855,323 on a total income of $2,736,107). So they won't be getting a tax cut like you hopefully are.

Speaking of sky high, the future of NASA and the U.S. space program dominates Obama's agenda today. He'll fly down to Cape Canaveral for a 2:50 speech.

It's an out-of-this-world controversy. Obama is scrapping George W. Bush's plans to return to the moon (a base for an eventual Mars landing) and shifting towards a space program more reliant on the private sector, while it develops a big, new government rocket. But icons from America's glory days of yesteryear - including the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong - are angry. They accuse Obama of ceding U.S. leadership in space to the Chinese and Russians.

But younger space cadets say Obama's shift makes sense. There are big bucks to made in space; and entrepreneurs are already itching to build their own launch vehicles. These younger folks say Obama's plan is the best way to get to Mars. They have older allies, by the way, including Buzz Aldrin, who was the second man to walk on the moon.

After the 2:50 speech, Obama hops down to Miami for a pair of fundraising events. He returns to Washington late tonight.

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In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: Politico
Radio: CBS

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: NBC
Print: Washington Post
Radio: NPR


EDT

9:30AM In-Town Travel Pool Call Time

9:30AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:15AM THE PRESIDENT meets with Secretary of Labor Solis and Mine Safety and Health Administrator Main
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:50AM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on mine safety
Rose Garden
Open Press (Pre-set 9:50AM – Final Gather 10:20AM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

1:55PM THE PRESIDENT tours a commercial rocket processing facility
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Travel Pool Coverage

2:50PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on the bold new course the Administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight
Kennedy Space Center
Open Press

5:00PM THE PRESIDENT attends DNC fundraiser
Private Residence
Closed Press

7:10PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at DNC fundraiser
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Travel Pool Coverage

Briefing Schedule

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton will gaggle aboard Air Force One.

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On This Day

1865 - Vice-President Andrew Johnson became the 17th President, following the death of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson served until 1869. He also became the first president to be impeached, but was acquitted by a single vote in the Senate.

Presidential Quote

"The goal to strive for is a poor government but a rich people." - Andrew Johnson