WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh signs of a national housing rebound and growing support in public opinion polls boosted President Barack Obama's bid for a new term in the White House on Wednesday as Republican rival Mitt Romney struggled to quell his video controversy. The challenger's attempts to get his campaign back on track ran into new difficulty in the form of criticism from rank-and-file Republicans concerned about their own election prospects in the fall.

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told donors Wednesday that he cares about the poor and middle class as he tried to stem criticism and address concern from within his own party over secretly-recorded comments that he doesn't need to worry about the half of the country that doesn't pay federal income taxes. The White House accused Romney of desperately trying to change the subject from an unauthorized video as its political allies continued to drum up heat over the remarks. The video was a welcome change of subject for Democrats from the campaign's long-running debate over the lackluster economy during Obama's presidency.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's campaign allies continued to push out an unauthorized video of rival Mitt Romney dismissing the half of Americans who don't pay income taxes, while the Republican nominee tried to turn the campaign disruption into a debate over the role of government in family finances. "My course for the American economy will encourage private investment and personal freedom," Romney wrote in an op-ed essay in Wednesday's USA Today. "Instead of creating a web of dependency, I will pursue policies that grow our economy and lift Americans out of poverty."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bad stretch for Mitt Romney just got worse, and Republican insiders now are growing increasingly pessimistic about the GOP presidential nominee's chances of winning the White House. The latest heartburn for these insiders is Romney's refusal to back down from his statement that nearly half of Americans believe they are victims dependent upon government.

CINCINNATI (AP) — President Barack Obama lodged an unfair-trade complaint against China Monday and immediately used it as a wedge against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, whose beleaguered campaign hit another pothole — in the form of private remarks made to donors — just as it was trying to reassure anxious supporters. Obama told voters in Ohio, where the auto industry is important, of his administration's new push for the World Trade Organization to sanction China for subsidizing exports of vehicles and auto parts — and costing American jobs.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney is making a fresh appeal to Latino voters and trying to cut into President Barack Obama's advantage with a key portion of the electorate. Romney, in Los Angeles to address the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, says he'll work with both parties to address immigration and push economic policies to help small-business owners. He accused Obama of "playing politics" by pursuing a temporary measure to exempt from deportation immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

CINCINNATI (AP) — President Barack Obama says when it comes to unfair Chinese auto subsidies, he's fighting back — but Mitt Romney's mostly talk. Campaigning in Ohio, Obama announced a new challenge with the World Trade Organization, saying the subsidies have cost thousands of jobs at auto and auto parts companies.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Appealing to Rust Belt voters, President Barack Obama announced a new trade enforcement action against China on Monday, while Republican challenger Mitt Romney planned a greater emphasis on policy details that distinguish him from Obama to stop the incumbent's election momentum. Romney's shift comes as Republicans openly fret about the state of their nominee's campaign and press him to give voters a clearer sense of how he would govern. In newly published polls, Romney has lost the edge he held over Obama as the candidate better able to handle the federal budget deficit and taxes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is launching a new trade enforcement case against China as he seeks an advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney on an economic issue that has become a flashpoint in the presidential campaign. Senior administration officials said Obama will announce the new action, targeting Chinese subsidies for exports of automobiles and automobile parts, Monday during a campaign trip to Ohio. The swing state has a large manufacturing base where many blame China for depressing its industry. The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the trade action publicly ahead of the president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican activists are incredulous: Why can't Republican Mitt Romney seem to break open a tight race with President Barack Obama given the nation's sluggish economy and conservative enthusiasm to beat the Democrat? "He ought to be killing Obama, and he's clearly not doing that," said 32-year-old R.J. Robinson, one of the thousands of activists attending the annual Values Voters Summit this weekend. "He should be doing better."

BOSTON (AP) — Sensing an opening on the economy, President Barack Obama launched an aggressive new effort Saturday to convince voters in the most competitive states that Republican rival Mitt Romney is risky for the nation's recovery with a plan that caters to multimillionaires over the middle class. "They want to go back to the same old policies that got us in trouble in the first place," former President Bill Clinton is shown saying in the 60-second TV ad set to run in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia.

BOSTON (AP) — As Election Day nears, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is looking to recover from a tough week dominated by foreign policy as President Barack Obama balances campaigning for a second term with the duties of the Oval Office in the face of spreading anti-American violence in the Muslim world. It is a delicate balance of politics and policy for Obama as the world watches. For his part, former businessman Romney is working to refocus attention on the nation's economy and broaden his appeal with polls giving the Democratic incumbent a narrow, but stubborn, lead.