Storm forces president to urge thousands of spectators at Elwood cemetery to seek shelter A violent thunderstorm forced President Barack Obama to cancel his Memorial Day address Monday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, where he took to a rain-soaked stage and urged thousands of spectators to seek shelter.

President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he deeply regretted the loss of life in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday and urged him to quickly get to the bottom of the incident.

President Barack Obama planned to meet Tuesday with the co-chairmen of an independent commission investigating BP's catastrophic spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Vice President Joe Biden hailed America's fighting men and women Monday as the spine of this nation, while President Barack Obama's Land of Lincoln tribute in Illinois got washed out by a severe thunderstorm and high winds.

President Barack Obama voiced deep regret over Monday's deadly Israeli commando raids, and the White House said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed by phone to reschedule White House talks at the first opportunity.