Jim Messina, the chairman of Organizing for Action, wrote in an op-ed published Thursday by CNN.com that the group believes in being "open and transparent" and had decided not to accept corporate money, a move in keeping with Obama's past campaign practices. Every donor who gives $250 or more will be disclosed on the group's website with the exact amount on a quarterly basis, he said.

The close ties between the White House and Organizing for Action, a nonprofit that was formed from Obama's 2012 campaign, have drawn questions about whether bundlers who raise $500,000 or more for OFA will get quarterly meetings with Obama. OFA and the White House have disputed those charges.

Open-government groups have said Obama has changed course since being critical of the role of money in politics during his first campaign and the start of his presidency, and they say the nonprofit provides new ways for corporations and individuals to influence the administration.

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The White House said Tuesday that the president intends to hold a series of events to build support for his approach to avoid across-the-board tax increases and steep spending cuts in defense and domestic programs. Obama will meet with small business owners at the White House on Tuesday and with middle-class families on Wednesday.

The president's visit to a small business in Hatfield, Pa., that makes parts for a construction toy company will cap a week of public outreach as the White House and congressional leaders negotiate a way to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The trip will mark Obama's first public event outside the nation's capital since winning re-election.

Both sides warn the so-called "fiscal cliff" could harm the nation's economic recovery, but an agreement still appears far from assured. The White House and congressional Republicans have differed on whether to raise revenue through higher tax rates or by closing tax loopholes and deductions.

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Obama was meeting Wednesday with about a dozen business executives as the White House and Congress face a series of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect because lawmakers failed to reach a deal to reduce the federal debt. Business groups want an agreement before the end of the year, warning that the uncertainty could roil the financial markets and harm the economic recovery.

The White House meeting follows a gathering of labor leaders and liberal groups Tuesday in which participants said Obama remained clear that he would push for his campaign pledge of making the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes.

"We're prepared to stand up to make sure there is shared sacrifice here, so the rich actually start paying their fair share and the middle class don't get soaked for that," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

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Romney's campaign on Monday reported a July haul of more than $101 million with the Republican National Committee, compared to the $75 million that Obama's campaign said it had brought in with the Democratic National Committee.

Romney also raised more cash than Obama in May and June.

The July fundraising reports came as Obama was set to raise at least $2.5 million at a pair of events in Connecticut, with a Hollywood touch. One fundraiser was scheduled at the home of film mogul Harvey Weinstein. The hosts include actresses Anne Hathaway, Joanne Woodward and writer Aaron Sorkin.

Romney's level of fundraising has prompted Obama, known for his prodigious fundraising, to redouble his efforts.

GOP-aligned super PACs also are raising and spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat Obama on Nov. 6.

The candidates are locked in a tight White House contest three months before Election Day.

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It was the second straight month that Romney has raised more money than Obama as the two campaigns prepare for the November election.

Obama's campaign says in an email to supporters that June was their best fundraising month of the campaign. But they tell supporters, "We still got beat. Handily."

Ann Marie Habershaw, the campaign's chief operating officer, says in the email that if they lose the election, "it will be because we didn't close the gap enough when we had the chance."

Obama officials have warned the fundraising deficit could harm the president's chances of winning re-election.

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President Barack Obama said in a statement that he had accepted the resignation and thanked Bryson for the “invaluable experience and expertise” he brought to the administration.

Bryson, a 68-year-old former utility executive, served as a member of Obama’s economic team and has advised the president on energy issues. He made his resignation official in a letter to Obama, dated Wednesday, and said it was a “consequence of a recent seizure and a medical leave of absence.”

“I have concluded that the seizure I suffered on June 9th could be a distraction from my performance as secretary, and that our country would be better served by a change in leadership,” Bryson wrote.

His resignation followed a series of traffic incidents in California earlier this month. Authorities said Bryson was driving alone in a Lexus near Los Angeles when he struck a vehicle that had stopped for a passing train. He spoke briefly with the three occupants, and then hit their car again as he departed.

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Addressing Ohio Democrats, Biden said there had been great progress in talks with Republican lawmakers on a deficit-reduction plan agreement. But he insisted that his party wouldn't agree to cuts that would undermine the elderly and middle-class workers.

"We're not going to let the middle class carry the whole burden. We will sacrifice. But they must be in on the deal," Biden said in a speech at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual dinner.

Biden led efforts on a deficit-reduction plan but Republicans pulled out of the discussions last week, prompting President Barack Obama to take control of the talks.

The sides disagree over taxes. Democrats say a deficit-reduction agreement must include tax increases or eliminate tax breaks for big companies and wealthy individuals. Republicans want huge cuts in government spending and insist on no tax increases.

On tax breaks for the wealthy, Biden used the example of hedge fund managers who "play with other people's money."

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After discovering spider webs in the vents, the Japanese automaker is recalling more than 50,000 Mazda6 cars from the 2009-2010 model years in the United States and an additional 15,000 vehicles in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The company said Thursday a spider could weave a web in a vent connected to the fuel tank system and clog up the tank's ventilation. Pressure on the fuel tank could lead to a crack, causing fuel leakage and the risk of a fire.

Mazda said it was unaware of any fires, injuries or crashes in the vehicles.

Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes said dealers had identified 20 cases in which spider webs were found in the vents. The webs were linked to yellow sac spiders, Barnes said, but it was unclear why they were crawling into the Mazda6 rather than other vehicles.

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The Transportation Department said it had reviewed more than 400,000 pages of Toyota documents to determine whether the scope of the company's recalls for pedal entrapment was sufficient.

"As a result of the agency's review, (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) asked Toyota to recall these additional vehicles, and now that the company has done so, our investigation is closed," said NHTSA administrator David Strickland.

Toyota has now recalled more than 14 million vehicles globally to fix gas pedals and other safety problems since 2009. U.S. regulators said earlier this month that electronic flaws were not to blame for reports of sudden, unintended acceleration. The company paid the U.S. government a record $48.8 million in fines for its handling of three recalls.

The world's No. 1 auto company said more than half of the vehicles under recall were being added to a massive 2009 recall that fixed gas pedals getting trapped in the floor mat.

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The Transportation Department, assisted by engineers with NASA, said its 10-month study of Toyota vehicles concluded there was no electronic cause of unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. The study, which was launched at the request of Congress, responded to consumer complaints that flawed electronics could be the culprit behind Toyota's spate of recalls.

"We enlisted the best and brightest engineers to study Toyota's electronics systems and the verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended acceleration in Toyotas," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Toyota has recalled more than 12 million vehicles globally since fall 2009 to address sticking accelerator pedals, gas pedals that became trapped in floor mats, and other safety issues. The recalls have posed a major challenge for the world's No. 1 automaker, which has scrambled to protect its reputation for safety and reliability.

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GM, which has posted three straight profitable financial quarters since its 2009 bankruptcy, said it no longer needed the loans because the company's cash position has improved. GM applied for the loans in 2009 to modernize plants to build fuel-efficient vehicles.

"This decision is based on our confidence in GM's overall progress and strong, global business performance," said Chris Liddell, GM vice chairman and chief financial officer. Liddell said withdrawing the application was "consistent with our goal to carry minimal debt on our balance sheet."

The $25 billion low-interest loan program is administered by the Energy Department. It was created by a 2007 law to help car companies retool older factories to build green cars.

Separately, GM said it would explore ways to increase production of the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car. GM's vice president of global design Ed Welburn said at the Washington Auto Show that GM would also accelerate its distribution of the Volt, making it available to dealers in 50 states by the end of the year.

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A person familiar with the discussions says negotiators reached a deal on outstanding issues related to the automobile industry. South Korea is agreeing to allow the U.S. to lift a 2.5 percent tariff on Korean cars in five years, instead of cutting the tariff immediately. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of an official White House announcement.

The agreement also allows each U.S. automaker to export 25,000 cars to South Korea as long as they meet U.S. federal safety standards.

The U.S. had hoped to reach an agreement last month when President Barack Obama was in Seoul, but negotiators were unable to resolve outstanding issues.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States and South Korea are reporting progress in the latest round of their trade talks but they stopped short of announcing an agreement.

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The action, announced earlier, involves the same issue that led Toyota to recall 1.5 million vehicles.

Honda says the recall affects 471,820 2005-2007 model year Acura RL sedans and Honda Odyssey minivans from the 2005 to early 2007 model year.

Honda says there have been no injuries or accidents tied to the problem.

The Japanese automaker told the government that certain types of brake fluid could affect the seal on the brake's master cylinder and lead to a leak.

If the leaks are left unattended, they could cause a spongy feeling in the brake pedal and adversely affect brake performance.

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Honda says the recall affects certain 2005-2007 model year Acura RL sedans and Honda Odyssey minivans from the 2005 to early 2007 model year.

Honda says it does not immediately know how many vehicles will be covered by the recall.

There have been no injuries or accidents tied to the problem.

The Japanese automaker says it plans to officially notify the U.S. government of the recall on Thursday.

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The Japanese automaker said Tuesday it had asked dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own tests on the GX 460.

"We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified," said Mark Templin, Lexus vice president and general manager.

The decision to stop selling the SUV is the latest blow to Toyota's tarnished safety reputation after the recall of millions of cars and trucks over gas pedals that are too slow to retract or that can become stuck under floor mats. The GX 460 is not covered by the pedal recalls.

Toyota said about 6,000 have been sold since the vehicle went on sale in late December.

Consumer Reports is closely read by many car buyers before choosing a new car or truck. In January, it pulled its "recommended" rating on eight vehicles recalled by the automaker due to faulty gas pedals.

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A House panel on Thursday planned to examine the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's oversight of the auto industry in the latest congressional hearing linked to Toyota's recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide. Safety groups have accused NHTSA of being too cozy with the Japanese automaker while lacking the resources to test for vehicle problems that could be electronic, not mechanical.

"NHTSA has been viewed by the motor vehicle industry for years as a lapdog, not a watchdog," Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator under President Jimmy Carter, said in prepared testimony.

Congress is considering new auto industry reforms following Toyota's recalls to fix problems with accelerator pedals and brakes. NHTSA has tied 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by the accelerator problems, and the agency has received new complaints from owners who had their cars fixed and said their vehicles suddenly accelerated afterward.

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David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says the agency is contacting these consumers to find out what's happening and make sure Toyota is doing everything possible to make its vehicles safe.

Strickland says in a statement that if owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration after taking their cars to the dealership, "we want to know about it."

So far, the government has received a limited number of acceleration complaints from the Toyota owners whose floor mats or gas pedals already have been fixed. Toyota recalled more than 8 million vehicles.

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Toyota officials said they saved $100 million by successfully negotiating with the U.S. government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators.

Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said it saved $100 million or more by negotiating an "equipment recall" of floor mats involving 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 vehicles in September 2007.

The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota -- Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.

The documents could set off alarms in Congress over whether Toyota put profits ahead of customer safety and pushed regulators to narrow the scope of recalls. Two House committees are holding hearings this week on the Japanese automaker's recall of 8.5 million vehicles in recent months to deal with safety problems involving gas pedals, floor mats and brakes.

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Reno welcomed fans and voters to "Janet Reno's Dance Party" at a trendy nightclub, reliving the famous "Saturday Night Live" skit that parodied her days as attorney general.

"We have got to fight hard -- fight hard for all of the people and not some of the people," she said.

Wearing a simple black dress, Reno danced with club co-owner Gerry Kelly as red and white balloons bounced on their heads. The party was based on her January 2001 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

Her cameo with comedian Will Ferrell, who portrayed her in drag, was memorable. Wearing a royal blue dress and pearls, Reno broke through a fake brick wall, danced the twist and shouted: "It's Reno time!"

The fund-raiser was billed as a way to attract young people in her campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. Polls show Reno leading Tampa lawyer Bill McBride in the Democratic primary but trailing the president's brother by double-digits.

"It's an example that people can come together -- young and old," Reno said to a cheering crowd that waived blue campaign placards.

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