What's weighing on Obama
Watch President Obama's press conference on CNN.com/Live and the CNN app for iPhone, starting at 11 a.m. ET Friday.
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama, looking to assure the country that he's the man with an economic plan, is taking his message to the media, and ultimately, the American public.
His Friday press conference at the White House undoubtedly will focus on the economy, but other controversial topics more than likely will come up: from the Florida pastor who had threatened to burn Qurans on September 11 to the building of an Islamic center near ground zero to the possibility that chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will leave his post to run for mayor of Chicago, Illinois.
CNN takes a look at the top issues Obama is facing on the economic front before the critical midterm elections in November.
Meeting the press
Friday's p ress conference is his first full-scale, question-and-answer session at the White House in nearly four months.
His last news conference there was on May 27 in the East Room, and was devoted in large part to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It will be Obama's eighth news conference since taking office.
barak obama hillary clinton george w bush nancy pelosi harry reid