Vice President Joe Biden opened a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration with a poke at his boss -- and himself -- as he asked for a teleprompter to be removed.

"You can't tell Barack that the teleprompter's down," Biden said. "The standing joke in the office is Barack's learning to speak without a teleprompter; I'm learning to speak with one."

Biden is widely considered to be pondering a third presidential run and the speech was at least the third he's made in the past month to a key Democratic constituency. In his remarks, he credited Judaism with inspiring the U.S.

"The core, core, core basic values that make us distinguished from almost every nation is the heritage that you're celebrating in Jewish Heritage Month," he said. "The truth is that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are that's it's fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage."

His remarks at the reception at the American Institute of Architects building on New York Avenue were delayed as he called Oklahoma Thunder forward Kevin Durant for giving $1 million for tornado relief.

Introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who sponsored the heritage legislation, Biden credited her work during the 2012 campaign, saying she was "one of the reasons why Barack and I were reelected."

With immigration reform up for debate in the Senate, President Obama and vice president Joe Biden met Tuesday with a group of young immigrants who received deferred action and with siblings and spouses of undocumented immigrants.

The White House called the meeting an "important opportunity" for Obama and Biden to meet with "families who are directly affected by our nation's broken immigration system." It said the two were "moved" by what they heard and that the "Dreamers shared how their lives have been positively affected by the deferred action process and emphasized that they and their families need a permanent solution that will allow them to fully contribute to the country they call home."

The White House says Obama -- who has been buffeted in recent weeks by a trio of controversies -- "reiterated his commitment to passing a bipartisan, commonsense immigration reform bill this year." It said that although a Senate bill under consideration, "is not perfect, it does represent an important step towards the broad principles that need to be part of any immigration reform package."

The White House said Obama "encouraged them to continue to share their stories with the American public to move the hearts and minds of individual leaders and to propel the immigration debate forward."

The White House today released the President and Vice President's 2012 financial disclosure reports -- as required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

The act requires high-level federal officials to publicly disclose their personal financial interests and the WHite House says its "serves to prevent financial conflicts of interest by providing for a systematic review of the finances of government officials." 

The White House says neither Obama nor Biden had "any conflicts of interest, and their reports have been reviewed and certified by the independent Office of Government Ethics."

The forms show Obama is still receiving royalties from his books, two between $100,000 and $1 million and one between $50,000 and $100,000. Biden's books don't appear to be as best selling: he reported royalties of less than $201 for his books.

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago during the last week of May.

In each country, Biden will meet with  leaders to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the economy and security.

"This trip will be an important chance to discuss our collective efforts to promote economic growth and development, access to energy and our ongoing collaboration on citizen security," according to the White House.

On the eve of congressional hearings into last September's terrorist attack in Libya, Vice President Joe Biden hailed US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, who came under criticism from Republicans for her role in the administration's explanation of what happened that day.

Speaking at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies 2013 gala -- which paid tribute to Rice -- Biden lavished praise, saying "no one is more capable or more competent" than Rice.

Biden said he'd known Rice for a long time and though he'd worked with many people in his career, said he's "never met someone as dedicated, as competent" and that he's "never seen an ambassador to the United Nations who has more ability to promote the interests of the United States of America than Susan Rice."

He went on to call her "one of the most brightest, most accomplished" persons that he's known and said she has the "absolute, total, complete confidence of the President of the United States of America. So when she speaks, in this discordant world we reside in right now, no one wonders whether or not she's speaking for the president."

Biden says he relies on Rice "when I have a really tough question... I will be on the phone after an assignment from the president, calling Susan, saying, 'Susan, what do you think?'...I need Susan to help me out with foreign policy."

Biden told the crowd at the Mandarin Oriental that he'd just left Rice "in the situation room," but stopped himself before he could finish the sentence, prompting a round of laughter.

There will be a round two on gun control legislation.

At least that's what we might glean from Vice President Joe Biden's op-ed Sunday in the Houston Chronicle on the final day of the three-day meeting of the National Rifle Association in Houston.

"For too long, members of Congress have been afraid to vote against the wishes of the NRA, even when the vast majority of their constituents support what the NRA opposes," he said. "That fear has become such an article of faith that even in the face of evidence to the contrary, a number of senators voted against basic background checks, against a federal gun trafficking statute and against other common-sense measures because they feared a backlash."

President Barack Obama said after the defeat of the gun control legislation that he would continue ti push Congress to act in the wake of multiple mass shootings, including the one in Newtown, Conn.

"In the end, I believe we will prevail. And those who wrote off gun safety legislation last month will come to realize that moment wasn't the end at all," Biden wrote. "It was the turning point."

Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address to the South Carolina Democratic Party -- but insisted his appearance in the key presidential primary state has nothing to do with the next presidential campaign.

Biden joked at the top of his remarks that he knew his appearance would draw press speculation about 2016 -- but said he's here at the request of Rep. James Clyburn: "I'd go anywhere for him."

Still, he promised a little pork: pledging support for expanding the port of Charleston -- to accomodate the giant ships coming up from Panama.

Biden assailed Republicans, accusing them of wanting to cut Medicare and Medicaid: "Where are these guys from? Where are they from that they don't understand this country?"

Republicans are holding their dinner just miles from the Democratic event, Biden noted, before stopping himself: "I don't want to make any news tonight," he said. "Go ahead," a man in the audience shouted.

EMILY's List, which aims to elect Democrat women who support abortion rights, is out Thursday with new polling describing what voters are seeking in a woman president--and, it adds, voters in key states are quite ready for a woman in the White House.

The survey appeared on the same day that a new Quinnipiac University poll showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton an overwhelming choice among Democratic primary voters, with Vice President Joe Biden a distant second. If Clinton does not run, though, Biden becomes a strong favorite.

In the EMILY's List poll, Lisa Grove and Jeffrey Liszt of Anzalone Liszt Grove Research found that in battleground states:

• 90% would consider voting for a qualified woman candidate from their party
• 86% believe that America is ready to elect a woman president
• 72% believe that it is likely that America will elect a woman president in the next presidential election
• 51% believe that the women elected to Congress and Senate last cycle are making a positive difference
• 75% believe a woman president would be a good thing for this country, and that it will send a positive signal to our children and grandchildren
• And a female president is perceived to be as capable or more capable than a male president when it comes to:

o   Understanding the challenges that middle class families face and the challenge of juggling work and family

o   Ending partisan bickering

o   Putting families ahead of politics

The poll was conducted in nine states. To read more: https://emilyslist.org/sites/default/files/Madam_President_Poll_Release.pdfhttps://emilyslist.org/sites/default/files/Madam_President_Poll_Release.pdf

Hillary Clinton for President? In New Hampshire, Democrats sure tend to think so.

New Hampshire is traditionally the nation's first primary state, and a new WMUR Granite State poll found the former Secretary of State with an overwhelming lead in the 2016 presidential primary race.

Clinton, who won the state's 2008 Democratic primary, was the choice this time of 61 percent of likely Democratic Primary voters. Vice President Joe Biden was far behind with 7 percent. Trailing were New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Asked who they would not choose under any circumstances, 7 percent mentioned Biden and 4 percent named Clinton.

The Republican picture was murkier. "There is no clear frontrunner," a poll analysis said.

Fifteen percent of likely Republican Primary voters said they'd back Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. Next was Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 11 percent.

The survey was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center from April 4 to 9.

Read more here