AP - The last ferry left for the mainland and coastal residents hunkered down at home as Hurricane Earl closed in with 105 mph winds Thursday on North Carolina's dangerously exposed Outer Banks, the first and perhaps most destructive stop on the storm's projected journey up the Eastern Seaboard.

AP - An oil platform that burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday was the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed.

AP - In an early sign of promise, Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged Thursday in a cordial first round of talks to keep meeting at regular intervals, aiming to nail down a framework for overcoming deep disputes and achieving lasting peace within a year.

AP - It will go down as one of the most painful openings to a political debate in recent memory.

AP - This year's back-to-school season isn't as big a bust for retailers as they feared — or as last year's — but it's not great either.

AP - Investigators have identified the owner of a trunk in which the mummified remains of two babies were found, bringing them a step closer to solving the intriguing international mystery.

AP - Soldiers killed 25 suspected cartel members Thursday in a raid and gunbattle in a Mexican state near the U.S. border that has seen a surge in drug gang violence, the military said.

AP - The former television producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail for a plot that put a spotlight on the comic icon's office affairs, city Correction Department records show.

AP - Roger Federer is one cool customer.

Reuters - An oil and gas platform operated by Mariner Energy burst into flames in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, but the crew of 13 escaped and there were no signs of an oil spill, the Coast Guard said.

Reuters - Hurricane Earl began to strafe North Carolina's barrier islands with dangerous surf and winds on Thursday as it spun parallel to the U.S. East Coast on a northward trek toward New England and Canada.

Reuters - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to a series of direct talks on Thursday, seeking to forge the framework for a U.S.-backed peace deal within a year and end a conflict that has boiled for six decades.

Reuters - At least 25 suspected drug gang members were killed in an army raid in rural northeastern Mexico on Thursday, the army said in a press release.

Reuters - The White House stressed on Thursday that no second economic stimulus package is being considered as part of new measures under review by President Barack Obama's team.

by Mike Memoli

The White House has announced that President Obama will hold a formal news conference on Friday, Sept. 10, his first in nearly four months.

According to CBS Radio's Mark Knoller, the in-house record keeper of the White House press corps, it will be the president's eighth solo Q-and-A session. His last was May 27, when he fielded questions about the BP oil spill.

Also next week, the president will mark Labor Day in Wisconsin, and speak on the economy in Ohio on Wednesday.

by Mike Memoli

The Cook Political Report has revised some of its race ratings in contests for House, Senate and governor, and none of them are good for Democrats.

Most significantly, the non-partisan political handicapper now says Republicans are poised to gain a net of 7-9 seats in the Senate, a result that would put them on track potentially to forcing a 50-50 split in the upper chamber (Vice President Biden might be a busy man for two years). That's revised up from a 4-6 seat gain.

Among the changes: the West Virginia Senate race, a special election to fill Robert Byrd's former seat, moves from Likely to Lean Democratic. Joe Manchin (D) still has strong approval ratings for his job as governor, but one poll this week showed state voters aren't necessarily sold on the idea of sending him to Washington.

The Ohio and Arkansas Senate races both moved from the Toss Up category to Lean Republican. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) has not led in a single poll for some time, and in fact trails by as many as 30 points in some surveys. The Ohio contest seems to be slipping away as well, though both President Obama and Vice President Biden will be in the state next week.

More race ratings are available after the jump:

Governor: Oregon: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up Pennsylvania: From Toss Up to Lean Republican Tennessee: From Lean Republican to Likely Republican Wyoming: From Likely Republican to Solid Republican

Senate: Arkansas: From Toss Up to Lean Republican Ohio: From Toss Up to Lean Republican West Virginia: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat

House: Arizona-01: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up Arizona-05: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up Colorado-03: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up Florida-22: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat Illinois-17: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat Michigan-09: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat North Carolina-11: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat Texas-23: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up Washington-02: From Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat Wisconsin-08: From Lean Democrat to Toss Up

by Mike Memoli

Fox News host Glenn Beck did not mention President Obama at his "Restoring Honor" rally Saturday. But on his show this week he has been discussing what he calls the president's belief in "liberation theology," which he considers "Marxist."

"People aren't recognizing his version of Christianity," Beck said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday" this weekend, in which he also criticized Obama for his alleged belief in "collective salvation."

Asked about Beck's comments today, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs questioned what evidence the conservative icon would have as to "what the president does or does not believe."

"The president is a committed, mainstream Christian," he said.

Paraphrasing the late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, he said: "People are entitled to their own opinion, as ill-informed as it may be. But they're not entitled to their own facts."

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found that 18 percent of Americans believed the president was Muslim. Thirty-four percent said he was Christian, while 43 percent said they didn't know what faith he practiced.

In an interview this weekend, Obama attributed such confusion to "a network of misinformation" about him.

by Mike Memoli

Kathleen Hennessey and I reported for today's papers on Tea Party Express, a group credited in part for Joe Miller's upset win in Alaska's Republican Senate primary, and active in a number of other 2010 contests.

The group has now turned its attention to the Delaware Republican Senate primary on September 14, a race featuring Mike Castle, the state's 9-term Congressman and former governor, against Christine O'Donnell, the 2008 nominee against Joe Biden.

Castle has been considered a heavy favorite, but the group is targeting him for his centrist positions.

"Castle is Republican in name only. He's not conservative," said Amy Kremer, director of coalitions with Tea Party Express. "We're going to give voters there a chance to compare and contrast their records. I think you'll see how liberal he is."

O'Donnell welcomes their support for her underfunded effort -- she said she just now has raised $250,000 total in the campaign; Castle had $2.6 million in the bank through the end of June.

"They've got a winning track record, so that's great news for us," she said. "For them to [potentially] drop six figures in a state like Delaware where the winner needs just 19,000 votes, those six figures can go a long way."

But Republican leaders in the state say the conservative group is making a huge mistake and putting its credibility at risk by backing someone they say is deeply-flawed.

"They're stepping into a race where we have the opportunity to take back what was Joe Biden's Senate seat and send a Republican to Washington," said Tom Ross, chair of the Delaware Republican Party. "The terrain in Delaware for Republican candidates is very difficult. ... It's just so foolhardy for the Tea Party Express to come in and waste their donors' money -- well meaning, conservative, grassroots activists -- when you could take that money and plow it into a state Wisconsin or a state like Washington where you have a Republican candidate who might be up only a point or two and really help make a difference."

Ross listed specific charges about O'Donnell, ranging from her lack of support for other state Republican candidates compared with Castle's decades of party-building work, to more personal accusations about her personal finances and lack of serious employment. (Some of those concerns are raised in this interview with a Delaware radio station._

O'Donnell calls Ross's comments "unbecoming" of a state leader.

"Maybe the reason why Tom Ross is pushing back so hard is because the Tea Party Express has a better win/loss ratio than the National Republican Senatorial Committee," she said.

Analysts are equally perplexed, however, by the conservative group's decision.

"On the one hand, they took out two incumbent senators. On the other hand, they did it in pretty Republican states. This is where I think going to Delaware gets a little tougher for them," said Jennifer Duffy, Senate race analyst for the Cook Political Report. "They clearly did no vetting [on O'Donnell] cause I don't think she meets their test on fiscal responsibility."

Ross remains confident that Castle will prevail in the race, and ultimately in November. But he doesn't take O'Donnell for granted, particularly with the added support of third-party funds.

"I liken an election to a football game: no matter how weak your opponent is you never want to look past it. You take all elections seriously," he said.

by Mike Memoli

The first television ad of the cycle from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee signaled what the party hopes can be a life-preserver of an issue this year: Social Security.

It's an offensive that President Obama himself led several weeks ago as the party marked the 75th anniversary of the program's creation.

"Some Republican leaders in Congress don't seem to have learned any lessons from the past few years. They're pushing to make privatizing Social Security a key part of their legislative agenda if they win a majority in Congress this fall," he said in his weekly address August 14.

In several races where the Democrats are playing defense, they say Republican candidates have gone too far with rhetoric on the program. In Indiana's 9th district, candidate Todd Young (R) appears in a TV ad for Rep. Baron Hill (D) saying Social Security is a "ponzi scheme."

In Arizona's 8th district, Jesse Kelly (R) called the program "a pyramid scheme."

Matt Doheny, the Republican candidate in New York's 23rd district, is quoted in a local newspaper just this week as saying Social Security is "the worst, worst, worst investment you can ever make."

Social Security has often been a boogeyman in midterm campaigns, since senior voters tend to be one of the demographics most likely to turn out. But could the issue be less impactful in a year when the economy is a paramount concern'

A Democratic strategist points to one part of the Duffy line in particular in answering that, where it's pointed out that families "could have lost 40% in the stock market crash" of September 2008 if Social Security had been privatized.

"What Social Security does is enable us to highlight the choice between going forward and back to Bush's failed policies," the strategist says. "House Democrats will be making clear: if House Republicans and their candidates have their way, they would jeopardize the economic security of our seniors by bringing back President Bush's risky plan to privatize Social Security and leave it to the whims of Wall Street."

One of the ways Democrats tie Republicans to favoring a privatization plan is by equating it for support of the so-called "Road Map" authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, ranking member of the House Budget Committee. His plan calls for allowing workers under age 55 to invest up to one-third of their Social Security taxes in a private account.

But Ryan this week hedged on whether that plan would be pursued aggressively if Republicans win back the House.

"I wrote that as an individual in Congress, not as the ranking member of the Budget Committee," he said on a conference call Monday. "When I write budgets, those are as ranking member or chairman of the budget committee, which are done is a consensus way."

Republicans meanwhile scoff at the Democratic attack strategy.

"Seniors won't be affected by the Democrats' desperate scare tactics, but they certainly will be affected by their efforts to slash hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare to pay for their government healthcare takeover," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Paul Lindsay said in a statement. "At the end of the day, misleading attack ads aren't going to restore the permanent damage Democrats inflicted on their association with older voters."

by Michael Muskal

Neophyte Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is running far ahead of any possible challenger, a bright spot for Democrats trying to prevent Republicans from seizing control of Congress in the midterm election year.

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, Gillibrand, who is running for her first term after being appointed to the seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, easily outdistanced all three possible GOP challengers. Former Rep. Joe DioGuardi gives Gillibrand the toughest fight but still loses by 43% to 28%, according to the poll.

Gillbrand was a two-term congresswoman from a district near the state capital of Albany when she was appointed to the Senate by beleagured Gov. David Paterson in a surprise move on Jan. 23, 2009. Paterson -- who replaced Gov. Eliot Spitzer who was forced to resign amid a sex scandal -- saw his political base quickly evaporate and was not seeking election. Gillibrand is seeking election to a term that ends 2013.

Gillibrand should have long been a target for Republicans, who need a net gain of 10 seats to wrest control of the U.S. Senate. She is an upstate Democrat, more conservative than most of the party still centered on New York City. Even now, after more than a year and a half in office, the poll found that 39% of those surveyed said they didn't know enough about her to form an opinion.

Her ace in the hole, however, has turned out to be the GOP, facing internal splits in a year when New York and national politics should have given Republicans a boost.

Continue reading at D.C. Now

by Mike Memoli

In his Oval Office address last night, President Obama pivoted from remarks on the war in Iraq to the economy, saying that because of our involvement abroad "we've not done what's necessary to shore up the foundations of our own prosperity."

"And so at this moment, as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy, and grit, and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad," he said.

In a series of interviews this morning, Vice President Biden echoed the president's message, arguing in one that America's ability to maintain its national security "is in fact dependent upon the economy."

"Just as we turned the page and are cooperating as Democrats and Republicans on the issue of Iraq, we should be doing the same thing on the economy," he said on CBS' "The Early Show."

Asked what the administration could do further to help the economy, Biden said it would be "a continuation of what we're doing now."

"Which is to stimulate the economy by continuing to focus on infrastructure, by giving taxes and more tax breaks to small businesses," he explained. "And I hope the Republicans when we get back will in fact lift their hold on us being able to vote on a tax cut for small businesses that is tied up in the Senate."

That echoes Obama's own call on Monday for the GOP to end its "blockade" in the Senate on small business tax cuts.

Speaking on the "Today" show on NBC, Biden also commented on Republican calls for Obama to acknowledge former President Bush's role in pursuing the surge strategy that they argue made yesterday's announcement possible.

"The question about whether or not credit is deserved, who deserves the credit for this beginning of a fundamental transition, I don't think is worth arguing about," Biden responded. "There's no doubt that the president and I both disagreed with the way in which the war was begun, how it was conducted, et cetera. But the truth of the matter is, that -- that by the end of the last administration the transition was in place, there was a political movement that was afoot. We kept on Secretary Gates, our present -- we kept on General Petraeus. We kept on a continuity here to finish the job. And that's what we're in the process of doing."

Biden later spoke at the ceremony in Baghdad marking the formal transition to Iraqi security forces.

"We have kept a promise, a promise made to the American people and to the people of Iraq by drawing down our forces to roughly 50,000," he said. "We are on track [to remove] all of our troops by the end of next year according to the agreement signed by President Bush made with the Iraqi government. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over."

President Obama's speech from the Oval Office, as prepared for delivery, is available after the jump.

by Mike Memoli

The common theme as Republicans comment ahead of President Obama's Iraq speech tonight is that he should acknowledge the surge strategy he opposed as a U.S. senator is what made tonight's announcement possible.

From a speech given today in Wisconsin by House Minority Leader John Boehner:

From Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking today in Kentucky:

And Sen. John McCain, Obama's 2008 rival, wrote in the Wall Street Journal today about lessons learned from Iraq that could be applied to Afghanistan:

by Mike Memoli

While President Obama was on vacation, his West Wing office got a bit of a face lift, complete with a new rug, fresh wallpaper and paint, and new furniture -- all done at no taxpayer expense, the White House says.

Details of the renovation were released to the pool reporter this morning. The White House, it seems, took pains to ensure that new additions were American made -- including New York wallpaper and a Michigan-made rug.

That wheat, cream and blue colored oval-shaped rug has the presidential seal in the center, and is encircled by five quotes chosen by the president. Four of the quotes are from former presidents -- Kennedy, Lincoln and both Roosevelts -- with the fifth quote from Martin Luther King.

It replaces the rug designed by former First Lady Laura Bush for her husband (one that former President Clinton had seemed particularly fond of).

In an interview on MSNBC this morning, press secretary Robert Gibbs described the renovations as "very modest."

"Each president puts his stamp on the office," he said. "None of the modest changes that were done inside the Oval Office were done at any taxpayer expense, much like they've been done by previous presidents."

The changes were paid for by the White House Historical Association, which received a donation from Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee.

We may get a brief glimpse of some of the changes tonight when the president addresses the nation from the room. You can see the full details from the pool after the jump.

(The Oval Office, before renovations)

Oval Office renovations:

* New and reupholstered furniture, new paint and wallpaper.

* New rug produced and donated by a Michigan-based business and paid for by the non-profit White House Historical Association through a contribution from the Presidential Inaugural Committee. (This fund is being used to pay for the design costs of numerous rooms at the White House including the Oval Office, Yellow Oval Room, Center Hall and West Sitting Hall.)

* The existing furniture in the Oval Office will remain the property of the White House and will be placed in a storage facility.

* Oval Office walls were covered with handmade striped wallpaper produced in Amagansett, N.Y. The trim around the Office was re-painted with American-made Benjamin Moore paint custom-mixed by Donald Kaufman Color.

* The new wheat, cream and blue colored oval-shaped rug is made of 25 percent recycled wool. The rug has the Presidential seal in the center and historical quotes of meaning to President Obama around the border. The rug was made and donated by the Scott Group, an American carpet manufacturer headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Scott Group previously made the Oval Office rug designed for former President Bill Clinton as well as rugs for the White House State Dining Room.

* President Obama selected the following five historical quotes for the rug: "The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself" -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt "The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Towards Justice" -- Martin Luther King, Jr. "Government of the People, By the People, For the People" -- President Abraham Lincoln "No Problem of Human Destiny is Beyond Human Beings" - President John F. Kennedy "The Welfare of Each of Us is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us" -- President Theodore Roosevelt

* Armchairs: The two mahogany arm-chairs in front of the fireplace, previously used by President George W. Bush, were reupholstered with a caramel-colored leather.

* Desk Chair: The President's brown leather desk chair was produced in New York.

* Coffee Table: The coffee table is made out of American walnut and mica by a New York company.

* Couches: The couches in the Oval Office were custom-made in New York. The fabric, a custom-made light brown cotton with red, white and blue threads running through it, was woven in Pennsylvania.

* Lamps: The two new table lamps have blue ceramic bases and were produced in New York.

More photos:

by Mike Memoli

President Obama addresses the nation from the Oval Office tonight, marking the fulfillment of a campaign pledge to wind down the war in Iraq. But his remarks will be carefully calibrated, officials say, to avoid any definitive declaration of victory - or "Mission Accomplished."

"You won't hear those words coming from us," press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday. "Obviously tomorrow marks a change in our mission. It marks a milestone that we have achieved in removing our combat troops. That is not to say that violence is going to end tomorrow. We understand that those that would foment violence will still continue to try to do so."

In advance of his speech, Obama is now en route to Texas, where he will meet with servicemen at Fort Bliss to thank them for their service. On Monday, the president spent more than two hours at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he awarded 11 purple hearts.

Though the president's speech marks the end of America's combat mission in Iraq, approximately 50,000 troops will remain in a support role, assisting Iraq's security forces. Those forces will also be capable of responding in the event of escalated attacks.

"It's gonna be smooth sailing from here on out," Obama said in an interview with NBC Sunday. "That's why we've still got a training operation there. That's why we're gonna continue to conduct joint counterterrorism operations. ... But the bottom line is that we have been able to successfully transition and turn over sovereignty and security operations to the Iraqis."

Vice President Biden is in Iraq to preside over the ceremonial transition. Before a meeting this morning with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, he disputed reports of increased violence since U.S. forces have scaled down.

"Notwithstanding what the national press says about increased violence the truth is things are still very much different," he said "Things are much safer."

Obama is also expected to speak today with former President George W. Bush, who initiated the war in Iraq nearly eight years ago. Republicans say that Obama tonight should credit his predecessor for employing the strategy that makes today's transition possible.

"Some leaders who opposed, criticized, and fought tooth-and-nail to stop the surge strategy now proudly claim credit for the results," House Minority Leader John Boehner will say this afternoon in a speech to the American Legion National Convention. "Today we mark not the defeat those voices anticipated - but progress."

It's Boehner's second major speech in as many weeks as he leads the GOP campaign to reclaim a Congressional majority.

"I don't think there is any doubt, as candidate Obama said, that adding 20,000 men and women into Iraq would improve the security situation," Gibbs said in an interview on Fox News Channel this morning. "He said he was against the surge, he said there was no doubt, adding 20,000 men and women into Iraq would improve the security situation. But as we know our efforts in Iraq weren't going to be done simply militarily."

Obama's focus on foreign affairs continues Wednesday, when he welcomes leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the first direct peace talks in years.

by Mike Memoli

For the first time in history, Gallup finds that Republicans have a double-digit advantage in its generic ballot test.

If the election were held today, 51 percent of respondents surveyed from August 23-29 say they'd vote for the Republican Congressional candidate, while 41 percent say they'd choose the Democratic candidate.

Gallup has conducted this generic ballot test since 1942, and until this year Republicans never had an advantage of more than 5 points.

The poll also finds that Republicans are twice as likely to be "very enthusiastic" about voting -- 50 percent say so, compared to 25 percent of Democrats.

"The last Gallup weekly generic ballot average before Labor Day underscores the fast-evolving conventional wisdom that the GOP is poised to make significant gains in this fall's midterm congressional elections," the pollster says in its release.

Girding for a tough November, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today launched its first TV ad of the cycle, targeting the open-seat contest in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District. Rep. Dave Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, is retiring.

The race is currently classified as a Toss Up by the respected Cook Political Report. Former "Real World" cast member Sean Duffy is the GOP nominee, targeted in this spot for his stated support for a budget blueprint from another Wisconsin Republican, Rep. Paul Ryan.

Ryan today said that blueprint is not necessarily the course House Republicans would pursue, however, if they retake the majority. But he cited the presence of a new class of conservative members like Duffy who would help the party restore its record as responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.

"We just didn't go far enough on controlling spending, on reforming entitlements, and we let discretionary get out of control, especially earmarks," Ryan said of the previous Republican majority. "We need to face up to it, own it, and make sure we never do it again. And I think what you're seeing is a new generation of conservative leaders coming into the Republican caucus that is basically making atonements for that and making sure that we don't repeat those kinds of mistakes."

by Mike Memoli

The possibility of a real three-way race for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat disappeared this morning as the state's Libertarian party has ruled out replacing their current nominee with Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

"Let's put this to rest: it's not happening," state chairman Scott Kohlhaas told the Anchorage Daily News after a unanimous vote of the Libertarian Party executive committee.

Murkowski, who trailed Joe Miller by nearly 1,700 votes after last Tuesday's Republican primary election, had not ruled out staying in the race as a third party candidate. Another of the state's minor parties, the Alaskan Independence Party, has flatly ruled out nominating Murkowski as well, leaving a difficult write-in candidacy as her only option if she fails to win the GOP nomination.

The state Division of Elections says that through Sunday, 15,730 absentee ballots have been returned; another 9,117 disputed or questioned ballots remain as well to be considered; and there were 663 uncounted early votes. Officials will begin sifting through those 25,510 ballots Tuesday.

Miller said in an interview with ABC News today that he is confident his lead will hold, but that he was unnerved by national party officials he said remained in the state.

"There is certainly an effort still under way I think to skew the results in favor of the opponent," he said.

He also said his campaign ran an aggressive absentee ballot program, and that he would perform strongly particularly among military voters.

A Public Policy Polling survey released Sunday found that Miller leads Democratic nominee Scott McAdams by a 47-39 margin. In a hypothetical three-way race, Murkowski would have led with 38 percent of the vote, with 34 percent for Miller and 22 percent for McAdams.

by Mike Memoli

President Obama today criticized Senate Republicans for blocking a measure aimed at boosting small businesses, saying it was "directly detrimental to the economy."

In his first event at the White House since his week-long vacation, Obama also promised after meeting with his economic team that "additional measures" to jump-start a stagnant economy were being considered, though he offered no specifics.

"In the meantime there's one thing we know we should do, something that should be Congress' first order of business when it gets back," he said of the small business measure. "I ask Senate Republicans to drop the blockade. I know we're entering elections reason. But the people who sent us here expect us to work together to get things done and improve this economy."

The president's five-minute statement comes amid new fears of a so-called double-dip recession. Last week, new unemployment claims reached their highest level since November 2009, and the Commerce Department revised GDP growth in the second quarter down to a sluggish 1.6 percent.

Speaking before the president's remarks, Rep. Paul Ryan (R) warned that Obama's failed policies could lead to a "lost decade" like Japan experienced in the 1990s.

"We should be growing at 5, 6, 7 even 8 percent like we did coming out of the '81 recession. Unfortunately we're going back down to extremely slow growth," he said. "We could have come out of this recession in a much more vibrant way if we had the right fiscal policies in place."

by Michael Muskal

Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Monday as part of the formal end of the United States' combat role in Iraq, the White House announced.

Biden will also hold talks with Iraqi officials, who have been struggling to form a new government. This is Biden's sixth trip to Iraq since January 2009, when the Obama administration took office.

There are currently less than 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, down from the high of 160,000 under former President George W. Bush. Combat troops completed their withdrawal last week. The remaining U.S. troops will assist and train Iraqi troops.

President Obama is scheduled to address the nation on Tuesday on Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to the White House, Biden will meet with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Vice President Tariq Hashimi, Vice President Adil Abd Mahdi and Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.