Obama to hold 11 a.m. press conference

President Obama will hold a press conference on Thursday morning at 11 a.m., according to the White House.

No topics were announced, but Obama is expected to reiterate his ongoing push to pass the American Jobs Act, his $447 billion job-creation plan.

{mosads}On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blocked a vote on the jobs bill when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sought to bring it to a vote in its entirety, gambling that the Democrats did not have the support to pass it without splitting it into separate pieces of legislation, which the White House strongly said it opposed.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate have pronounced the bill “dead” as a whole, but both sides of the aisle have indicated they can support certain components if it is split.

Obama will also likely take questions about the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests, one of which is taking place in Washington, D.C., not far from the White House on Thursday, as well as the investigation into “Operation Fast and Furious.’  GOP lawmakers have been pressing the administration for answers on allegations that Attorney General Eric Holder knew about the controversial ATF gun-tracking operation earlier than he previously claimed.

Obama’s press conference replaces the usual White House press briefing.