The White House and Congress are butting heads over who authorizes military action in Libya. The 60-day deadline for President Obama to get approval from Congress to go to war passed on May 20th.

Tuesday, the White House offered its first public argument on why the administration thinks it has not violated the War Powers Resolution. The White House Press Secretary said that President Obama’s actions are consistent with the War Powers Act. However, ten members of Congress, led by Representative Dennis Kucinich filed a lawsuit Tuesday, effectively asking a judge to order an end to U.S. involvement in the war.

The details and narrative of what happened during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan have come out in bits and pieces over the last few days. Initial reports that Bin Laden met American forces with armed resistance seemed to be inaccurate and reports that bin Laden used one of his wives as a shield has also been recounted. Are White House officials revising history?

El Salvador is the last stop on President Obama's three-nation tour of Latin America. Mr. Obama's stops in Brazil and Chile were largely overshadowed by events in Libya, but his reasons for visiting the strategically important South American nations were clear: with their galloping economies, Brazil and Chile are emerging as power players in the region and in the world. However, his reasons for visiting El Salvador are less obvious.

How does the president and the White House prepare for such a major event as the State of the Union? Jen Psaki, deputy communications director for the White House, says that this is an opportunity for the president to talk about what to expect in the future. But how much of this speech is just a laundry list and how much is a real opportunity to talk to the public about moving forward?

It's been a big week as Washington gets back to work. There are questions about whether the Republican-dominated House can actually repeal the health care plan. Meanwhile, Democrats are finally "finding their voice" on health care, says Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, as they prepare to counter GOP claims about the bill.

President Obama returns from his family holiday in Hawaii to the first major reorganization of his administration. When restructuring, does he choose a team for governing or a team for winning and campaigning for 2012? Marcus Mabry, associate editor for our partner, The New York Times, joins us to discuss. Also,major snow storms hit multiple parts of the country over the weekend; we'll find out how the weather affected post-Christmas sales, and what retailers made during the shopping craze before the big day from Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway.

The Pentagon will release its highly awaited review of U.S. policy in Afghanistan today. Early leaks from the report indicate that some progress has been made in President Obama's stated goal of defeating al-Qaida in Afghanistan. But The Washington Post reports a high-level U.S. official says Pakistan is failing to pursue insurgents who cross the border into Afghanistan and then retreat into Pakistani territory. We talk to Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the former Pakistani ambassador to the U.K., for more on the story. 

President Obama meets today with governors and mayors from around the nation to talk about “investing in America’s infrastructure.”

President Obama will announce the departure of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel later today. As the right hand man to the president, Emanuel championed Obama’s causes behind the scenes and brokered deals to push through legislation. But his wasn’t a flawless record. Critics argue that Emanuel’s pugilistic nature often attracted negative attention to himself, and that his focus on short term goals squandered some of the political capital the president carried into his first term.  

Profane, cantankerous, polarizing, and strong-willed, he's perhaps the most out-sized personality to occupy the office of the chief of staff; and now, he's gone. Rahm Emanuel, who has been President Obama's right hand man for the last two years, is leaving his White House digs with his eye on the mayor's office in his hometown of Chicago. John remembers some of Rahm's best moments.

This year marks 50 years of independence for 17 sub-Saharan African countries and, partly to honor this milestone, President Obama is hosting a three-day forum in Washington, D.C. with approximately 120 "young African leaders."  The event kicks off today and ends Thursday.

Yesterday we spoke with Shirley Sherrod about her forced resignation from the USDA after an edited online video suggested she had withheld aid to a white farmer because he was white. Many listeners commented on the role of the media in this incident and the current state of the race discussion in the U.S., while a few said she deserved to be fired.

Mike from Denver writes on The Takeaway website:

"I'm concerned that this is becoming a new trend of retaliatory racism, where ultra-right wing conservatives in the media take snippets out of context that result in people wrongly losing their jobs."

This Fourth of July weekend, a lot of us will be eating hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and hamburgers. But when we’re done feasting on the char-broiled delicacies that have come to represent our nation’s independence, how should we finish it all off?

Bill Yosses has some suggestions. He’s the official White House Pastry Chef, and author, along with Melissa Clark, of a new cookbook called “The Perfect Finish.” Chef Yosses joins us live from the White House, where he gives us the scoop on everything from what he serves official visitors to the first family's favorite sweets.

Below, Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark's red, white and blue berry buttermilk bundt cake with orange glaze.

President Obama on Tuesday relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his duties in Afghanistan, less than 48 hours after it was revealed that McChrystal and his aides made disparaging remarks about high-ranking members of the Obama administration to a freelance journalist from Rolling Stone. McChrystal will be replaced by Gen. David Petraeus. We want to know what you think. Should Gen. Stanley McChrystal have kept his job?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Obama today. Talks between the two leaders were originally scheduled to come on the heels of a meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu cancelled those talks last week after Israeli commandos raided a Gaza-bound ship, killing nine activists.

Last night, The President and First Lady Obama made the White House’s East Room center stage for a star-studded performance, in tribute to Paul McCartney.

Congressman Ed Markey, chairman of the House energy commitee, came out strongly yesterday against BP, accusing the oil company of under-estimating the leak in order to pay smaller fines. "I think that without question if the word criminal should be used in terms of an environmental crime against our country, what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico is going to qualify," Markey said on "Face the Nation."

Julie Mason, White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner says some Democrats now expect President Obama to follow Markey's footsteps.

President Obama is releasing the White House’s 30-day safety review of deep-water drilling. Watch the coverage live here or click below for the audio. The announcement is expected to begin at 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

Listen to live coverage.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in Washington today for a week of meetings with President Obama and other high-level U.S. officials. The tenor of this visit is vastly different from the last time the two leaders met when Obama flew to Kabul in late March to lecture Karzai on corruption in Afghanistan. 

President Obama was on Wall Street yesterday pushing for stronger oversight of the financial industry, which he set forth as the best way to prevent another massive financial collapse.

"The only people who ought to fear the kind of oversight and transparency that we're proposing are those whose conduct will fail this scrutiny," Obama said during a speech at Cooper Union.