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06 Feb 2012 23:46

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U.S.: Former White House intern’s book claims to expose Kennedy sex scandal

  • An 18-month affair: A former intern for the Kennedy administration plans to release a tell-all book titled “Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and its Aftermath.” Starting when she was 19, Mimi Alford worked at the White House and claims to have had an 18-month affair with President Kennedy. Alford, who says she lost her virginity to the president, claimed that the president overpowered her, but he did so using his charm, not physically, “because I really think I was willing to do it.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jan 2012 10:50

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Politics: Five things rumored to be on Obama’s State of the Union agenda tonight

  • one He’ll likely propose reforming taxes, ending the Bush tax cuts and raising taxes for the wealthy.
  • two He’ll likely make another push for the “Buffett Rule,” which would set a minimum tax rate for the super-rich.
  • three More tax breaks for big business, in an effort to encourage them to bring jobs back to the U.S.
  • four More job-training and education, largely meant for high school grads who want technical degrees.
  • five A renewed push to help refinance homeowners who are still struggling to make ends meet. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 15:43

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U.S.: WH press secretary disputes Jodi Kantor’s book on the Obamas

  • This is a remarkably harmonious place.
  • White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, rebutting the new book “The Obamas” • Writer Jodi Kantor’s latest book, “The Obamas,” is all about life inside the White House, with a focus on Michelle Obama’s experiences.  There have been quite a number of critics coming out, claiming that she got a lot wrong. Thanks to BuzzFeed, we learned that (excepting some smaller errors on her part) many of those criticisms haven’t held weight. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Nov 2011 15:16

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U.S.: Suspected White House shooter charged with “attempted assassination”

  • Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the man apprehended as the suspected source of the gunfire directed at the White House last week, will face a charge of “attempted assassination.” This is a curious case for reasons of proximity — President Obama wasn’t in the White House, or even on the East Coast, when the shots were fired. That said, whether or not this qualifies as an assassination attempt in a legal sense (we’re not lawyers, so any clarification would be helpful) may have to do with whether Ortega-Hernandez actually knew that, or believed the President to be sitting in the White House when he opened fire. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2011 14:26

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U.S.: White House shooting suspect apprehended by authorities

  • friday Shots were fired outside the White House, though fortunately nobody was injured or killed — one bullet hit a window but failed to break the ballistic glass.
  • today Authorities have arrested the man they consider the chief suspect, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, who was found in a hotel room in the city of Indiana, PA. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2011 10:38

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U.S.: Guns around the White House: One week, two incidents

  • Friday Two vehicles were spotted in the midst of a gunfight within a relatively close distance to the White House — within a few hundred yards of the building. An AK-47 was recovered.
  • Tuesday White House officials found a single bullet that had been fired at the White House itself, but was held off by ballistic glass. Officials don’t know if Friday’s incident was the cause for the find. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Oct 2011 14:16

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U.S.: Obama puts the kibosh on marijuana legalization

  • Simply put, [marijuana] is not a benign drug.
  • Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy • In the official White House response to a number of petitions calling for weed legalization. This is part of the Obama administration’s “We The People” program: Anybody can submit a petition on a topic of their choosing, and if it gathers enough signatures, the White House will issue an official response. It’s cool that they’re actually following up on the promise to address the petitions, though we imagine proponents of medical marijuana won’t be pleased at the response.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Sep 2011 09:49

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Culture: Michaele Salahi + Journey guitarist Neal Schon ≠ Kidnapping. Lulz.

How you know you’re famous for being famous: Your claim to fame is gate-crashing the White House, and you get reported missing … but you’re really just hanging with the Journey’s lead guitarist. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 14:13

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U.S.: The White House annoyed about this Weinergate thing

  • The president feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction, as Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate, dishonesty was inappropriate.
  • White House Press Secretary Jay Carney • responding to Weinergate. He didn’t go so far as to say Weiner should resign, though. It seems like the White House is pretty upset about this whole thing, which is understandable. Obama just made a speech about jobs today, and it’s easy to imagine him being fed up with Weiner getting all this press. Not only is Weiner’s situation bugging Democrats, but he’s taking press away from Obama. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2011 16:18

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Politics: Sarah Palin, Common, and the White House have a tussle

  • This week in objections: There’s been a controversy swirling over the White House’s decision to invite rapper Common (his real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn) to a poetry event. The outcry, spearheaded by Sarah Palin, centers rather predictably around his lyrics through the years, some of which people might find offensive (the New Jersey State Police union, for example, is upset about this). Here’s the reality: Michelle Obama probably likes Common, mostly known for his socially-conscious rapping and this terrible album, and she wants him to attend. How many of us can honestly say if somebody else found an artist we enjoyed controversial, we’d like the art less? It’s certainly rich coming from Sarah Palin, whose ethics on controversial speech are plainly situational — it places lyrics above actions, which seems backwards to us. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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