By Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images
President Obama discusses the shootings in Aurora, Colo, on Friday.
Good morning from The Oval, as President Obama kick-starts a three-day bus tour of Iowa.
Today, the president begins at a park in Council Bluffs, moves on to another park in Boone, and winds up spending the night in Des Moines.
Over the next three days, also expect meet-and-greet stops at diners, ice cream shops, or other places in Iowa that strike the president's fancy.
"The President will discuss the choice in this election between two fundamentally different visions of how to create an economy built to last and restore middle-class economic security," says the campaign schedule.
He will also announce new efforts to cope with drought.
Obama is also likely to discuss the newest member of the presidential race: Republican running mate Paul Ryan, picked over the weekend by Mitt Romney.
USA TODAY's Chuck Raasch and Jackie Kucinich note that Ryan's selection elevates a new generation into American politics. And our Catalina Camia looks at whether Ryan's home state of Wisconsin is now in play.
USA Today