This week, President Obama delivers the State of the Union, then travels to five states that promise to be key battlegrounds for this year’s election: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan. As the President begins his swing state tour, Republican candidates will be setting up camp in Florida, preparing for two debates in the next primary state. While Mitt Romney readies his tax returns for the prime-time, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prepares for a press conference on interest rates. Finally, the U.S. Department of Commerce will release GDP data for the fourth quarter of 2011 on Friday.
Louise Story is investigative reporter for our partner The New York Times. Todd Zwillich is Takeaway Washington correspondent.