President's Schedule: Thursday, April 22

Financial reform - Wall Street reform - tops the President's agenda today. He'll give a much anticipated speech at New York's Cooper Union on why it is essential.

Here are some excerpts from the President's speech today:

"I believe in a strong financial sector that helps people to raise capital and get loans and invest their savings. But a free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it," Obama will say. "Some on Wall Street forgot that behind every dollar traded or leveraged, there is family looking to buy a house, pay for an education, open a business, or save for retirement. What happens here has real consequences across our country."

In an interview on CNBC yesterday, Obama emphasized he's a free marketeer - but not so "laissez faire" as to allow markets to run amok and bring the U.S. economy to its knees, like it did two years ago - and leaving American taxpayers holding the bag. To that end, he wants a new consumer protection agency, ends the concept that big banks are "too big to fail" and to subject derivatives - the murky financial products that are widely blamed for igniting the market collapse - under greater control and transparency.

It looks like there will be some Republican support for Obama here. Not much, but probably enough to have his way - a second major legislative victory for the White House appears likely here.

The trip to New York is a quick one. Obama has an afternoon meeting in the Oval Office with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in the Oval Office. Then, this being Earth Day, he'll deliver remarks at a Rose Garden reception.

The Schedule

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

Out-of-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Print: AFP
Radio: FOX

EDT

11:55AM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks on Wall Street reform
Cooper Union
Pooled TV, Open to pre-credentialed correspondents & still photographers

3:30PM THE PRESIDENT meets with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner
Oval Office
Closed Press

5:30PM THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at Earth Day reception
Rose Garden
Pooled Press (Pre-set 4:30PM – Final Gather 5:10PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

Press Briefing: Robert Gibbs will brief on Air Force One.

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On This Day

1994: Richard Nixon died. He was the 37th President, serving between 1969-74. Nixon, of course, was the only President to resign from office.

Presidential Quote:

"Don't get the impression that you arouse my anger. You see, one can only be angry with those he respects." - Richard Nixon