Obama returns to Washington after summer vacation

           
President Barack Obama returned to the White House late Sunday after a weeklong getaway to the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard.                         

Before returning, the president squeezed in one final round of golf, his sixth of the vacation, before boarding Air Force One on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for the trip home with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha. His golf foursome at Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown included World Bank President Jim Kim, New York lawyer and Obama fundraiser Eunu Chun, and aide Mike Brush, the White House said.                     

Obama was on the picturesque island for all or part of nine days, spending most of it out of public view. He spoke out publicly just once, making a statement against violence in Egypt that left scores of people dead. National security adviser Susan Rice was on the island with the president, giving him regular updates on Egypt and other world affairs, the White House said.                       

The political upheaval in that Middle Eastern country is one of several issues Obama will have to contend with in the coming weeks. Also competing for his attention will be negotiations with congressional Republicans to get a new spending plan in place by the Sept. 30 end of the federal budget year or risk a government shutdown, and to increase the government's borrowing authority.                     

Obama has a private meeting Monday with various financial regulators to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen the financial system, including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank law revamping the nation's financial system and the Consumer Protection Act.             


AP