The Week Ahead: Recess winds down

As Congress begins its last full week of recess, the White House keeps its attention on efforts to turn around the struggling economy.

Fresh off a “Laborfest” event on the Monday holiday in Milwaukee, President Obama travels to Cleveland on Wednesday to deliver remarks on the economy again.

Saturday will mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and first lady Michelle Obama and former first lady Laura Bush will speak at a ceremony in Shanksville, Pa.

• President Obama hosts the secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the White House to “discuss NATO’s role in advancing our shared interests in Europe and beyond,” including in Afghanistan.
• Michelle Obama welcomes dance companies to the White House for the first in a series of events "celebrating the joys of dance." The 5 p.m. event in the East Room will feature American dance from ballet, modern and contemporary dance, hip-hop and Broadway. A dance workshop with students from around the country is being held earlier in the day.
  
• Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts an iftar at 7 p.m. at the State Department to celebrate Ramadan. She and Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith will deliver remarks at around 8 p.m. Prior to the iftar, Pandith will host a “Generation Change” event featuring American-Muslim leaders under the age of 30.
• Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden host a Rosh Hashanah reception at the Naval Observatory.
  

Wednesday, Sept. 8

• President Obama travels to Cleveland, Ohio, to talk about the economy and “targeted” administration proposals to grow it, Democrats hope, before the November elections.
  
• The international defense conference ComDef takes place at the Press Club at 8 a.m. The theme is “Sustaining Programs for Defense Cooperation: Doing More with Less.” 529 14th St. NW.
  
• Michelle Obama travels to New Orleans for a morning event at an elementary school in Slidell, La., that is part of her anti-obesity Let’s Move! campaign. In the afternoon, she will join NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former NFL coach Tony Dungy to highlight the NFL’s efforts to support Let's Move!
  
• The Brookings Institution holds a live Web chat on Mexico’s drug wars from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  

Friday, Sept. 10

• The president holds a news conference at the White House.
• The Press Club hosts a discussion on the Tea Party movement with the authors of three new books examining it. Among them: former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas). The event begins at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 11

• Michelle Obama will be the keynote speaker at a memorial ceremony in Shanksville, Pa., along with former first lady Laura Bush. Other attendees: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D). United Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville after crew and passengers tried to take back the plane from terrorists intending to target other Washington landmarks, possibly the White House or the Capitol.
• The president’s schedule has not been released.