Mitt Romney is attacking new Affordable Care Act guidelines that require most insurance providers to cover contraceptive services, accusing President Obama's administration of "using Obamacare to impose a secular vision on Americans who believe that they should not have their religious freedom taken away."

But the facts tell a different story. Just as he criticizes federal health reform based on the law he passed in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney is attacking the President for providing women with the same access to contraception and preventive health care services Romney did as governor. Our new infographic takes a look at how contraception coverage compares under the Affordable Care Act and the Massachusetts law Romney stood behind.

In 2010, the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case opened the door to a new wave of so-called Super PACs—non-candidate political committees that can receive and spend unlimited money from special interests. For the first time, these committees could accept money from corporations, not just wealthy individuals.

The decision has accelerated a dangerous trend toward a political system increasingly dominated by big-money interests with disproportionate power to spend freely to influence our elections and our government.

It's a trend the President has fought against, coming into office with a mission to limit special-interest influence in Washington. He put in place the most sweeping ethics reforms in history to close the revolving door between government and lobbyists. And he's overseen the most open administration ever—reversing Bush-era policies designed to limit Freedom of Information Act requests and disclosing White House visitor records so that Americans can see how their government works.

The President opposed the Citizens United decision. He understood that with the dramatic growth in opportunities to raise and spend unlimited special-interest money, we would see new strategies to hide it from public view. He continues to support a law to force full disclosure of all funding intended to influence our elections, a reform that was blocked in 2010 by a unanimous Republican filibuster in the U.S. Senate. And the President favors action—by constitutional amendment, if necessary—to place reasonable limits on all such spending.

But this cycle, our campaign has to face the reality of the law as it currently stands.

Over the last few months, Super PACs affiliated with Republican presidential candidates have spent more than $40 million on television and radio, almost all of it for negative ads.

Last week, filings showed that the Super PAC affiliated with Mitt Romney's campaign raised $30 million in 2011 from fewer than 200 contributors, most of them from the financial sector. Governor Romney personally helped raise money for this group, which is run by some of his closest allies.

Meanwhile, other Super PACs established for the sole purpose of defeating the President—along with "nonprofits" that also aren't required to disclose the sources of their funding—have raised more than $50 million. In the aggregate, these groups are expected to spend half a billion dollars, above and beyond what the Republican nominee and party are expected to commit to try to defeat the President.

With so much at stake, we can't allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm.

Therefore, the campaign has decided to do what we can, consistent with the law, to support Priorities USA in its effort to counter the weight of the GOP Super PAC. We will do so only in the knowledge and with the expectation that all of its donations will be fully disclosed as required by law to the Federal Election Commission.

What this change means practically: Senior campaign officials as well as some White House and Cabinet officials will attend and speak at Priorities USA fundraising events. While campaign officials may be appearing at events to amplify our message, these folks won't be soliciting contributions for Priorities USA. I should also note that the President, Vice President, and First Lady will not be a part of this effort; their political activity will remain focused on the President's campaign.

But here's what this doesn't change: the fact that ordinary people stepping up to take control of the political process is essential to our strategy.

This decision will help fill a hole on our side. But it's only one part of the overall effort.

Supporting Priorities USA means that our side will not concede the battles on the air in the months to come, but we continue to believe that this election will be won on the ground. Super PACs haven't opened offices. They haven't hired organizers. They haven't registered voters. They haven't knocked on doors or made the kind of personal contact with voters that we know is the single most effective way to persuade people and turn them out on Election Day.

And this is where we have the advantage. It will be up to us—the grassroots organization, funded by an average donation of $55—to win this election.

It's a point of pride that 98 percent of all our donations are $250 or less. Mitt Romney won't reveal that number about his own campaign, but filings show that just 9 percent of the Romney campaign's money in the fourth quarter of last year came from people giving less than $200.

Americans across the country are supporting the most extensive neighbor-to-neighbor, grassroots organization in history.

It's my hope that by making this decision and doing what we can to neutralize the onslaught of special-interest money, we can ensure that the decisive factor in this election won't be an unprecedented flood of special-interest spending, and the outcome will be back in the hands of ordinary Americans.

Peggy from Virginia Beach, Virginia reports back on running her very first team meeting as a neighborhood team leader:

“My goal as a team leader is to keep this fire spreading like the Santa Ana winds. And so far, the wind has been powerful. By the end of our team meeting, 18 team members committed to attending a phone bank to reach out to supporters in their neighborhood, 15 others pledged to register voters, and 14 folks dedicated themselves to data entry, an integral aspect of this data-driven campaign. My first team meeting as a neighborhood team leader has been a memorable experience—with many more to come, I am sure.”

See photos from the Virginia Beach team meeting, and check out Virginia’s blog for more updates from the field.

President Obama sat down with Matt Lauer this weekend to talk about foreign policy, the economy, and the upcoming election. Here’s what the President had to say about the choice facing voters—and politicians—this November:

I do think that this is going to be a critical election because having yanked ourselves out of the risk of a great depression, having stabilized the economy, we now have a broader question, which is how do we take it to the next level? And I think whoever comes in, both in Congress and in this White House, is going to have to take a strong message from the American people about which direction to go, and I think that will allow us to make more progress over the next couple years.

Catch the full interview here.

As of this afternoon, over 60,000 of you have pitched in to the Two-Term Fund, raising over $2.5 million and surpassing our original goal by half a million dollars. This campaign is possible because you’re chipping in what you can afford to build the grassroots organization that will help President Obama win November—thank you.

Thanks to new guidelines under the Affordable Care Act, women will have access to contraception with no co-pays or deductibles under most insurance plans. Here's a look at the impact the new policy will have—from saving women hundreds of dollars on prescriptions to providing the family planning services supported by a majority of Americans and used by nearly all women.

The election in November will be the first one I will be old enough to vote in, and Barack Obama will be the first president I will vote for.

What first drew me to stand with Barack Obama is the way he can inspire a crowd. He can make people believe they are capable of anything, and restore their faith in their government, simply by the words he says. Listeners can tell he is genuinely passionate about the topics he addresses, and truly has America’s best interest at heart.

I know firsthand the power of Obama’s speeches. After hearing him talk about the American Jobs Act at my high school, I decided to volunteer with the campaign in my city. I want to do everything in my power to ensure that America sees four more years of hope. Obama’s speeches are not simply filled with eloquent wording. They are filled with promises he has kept. Barack Obama has done so much good for our country in the past three years. From health reform to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," to ending the war in Iraq, to doubling funding for Pell Grants and reforming student loans, to putting Americans back to work—the list goes on forever.

With all he has done in the past three years, I cannot wait to see what he can accomplish in the next four years.

—Emily, New Hampshire

The Department of Health and Human Services is taking a step forward in the fight to eliminate Alzheimer's disease. According to an article in The New York Times this weekend:

“There is hopeful news in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia that gradually robs millions of older Americans of their memories and mental capacities and ultimately kills them. Scientists are beginning to close in on possible diagnostic tests and treatments for this incurable disease. And the Obama administration, carrying out a law enacted in 2010, has just issued a ‘draft framework’ for an aggressive campaign to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease effectively by 2025.”