SPOTTED: Three power couples getting their nosh on Tuesday at hot new Penn Quarter eatery nopa Kitchen + Bar.

Former “West Wing” star Rob Lowe and his wife, Sheryl, were eyed dining with Susanna Quinn and her mega lobbyist hubby Jack, along with Fox News Channel White House correspondent Ed Henry and his wife, Shirley, and a few younger tablemates Tuesday night.

We hear Lowe, who played White House Communications Direction Sam Seaborn in the NBC series, was in town for a Wednesday trunk show held by his jewelry-designing spouse. Some of the proceeds from the show, hosted at the Quinns’ suburban Washington home, benefit the Children’s National Medical Center.

Vice President Joe Biden called NBA star Kevin Durant to thank the Oklahoma City player for pledging a $1 million donation to the victims of Monday's deadly tornado.

"You're not only a great athlete, you're a great humanitarian. On behalf of all of us, thank you for your generosity," the vice president told Durant, according to his official Twitter feed.

The Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday that Durant had pledged the donation to the Red Cross through his family foundation. 

Michelle Obama and actress Kerry Washington will visit Savoy Elementary School in Anacostia on Friday.

Washington, the star of ABC's "Scandal," adopted the Savoy school under The Turnaround Arts Initiative, which is part of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The actress is a member of the committee of which the first lady is honorary chairwoman.

She is one of several celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Forest Whitaker and Yo-Yo Ma, who have adopted a school under the program. 

Sen. Barbara Mikulski put her singing chops on full display Monday night, as she belted out “You are My Sunshine” as part of a farewell tribute to a retiring Washington T.V. meteorologist.

Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) came into Congress with a trademark catchphrase.

“I just want to be able to close and say, ‘I’m Randy Weber, and that’s the way I see it from where I sit here in America,’” the Texas Republican explains to ITK of the expression, or some variation of it, that he typically tacks on to the end of his remarks on the House floor.

In the digital age, Weber says, “I think it’s important that people know who you are and what you stand for.”

That’s why he pegged his third-person patriotic phrase. “I wanted to make it kind of my tagline, so if people are going to send YouTube videos around — of course that doesn’t mean they won’t edit it out — but I wanted to make sure that people knew who I was because, you know, I’m pretty opinionated at times.” Read more...

The co-creator of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” is apologizing after posting a message on Twitter Monday saying the tornado in Oklahoma was aimed directly at conservatives.

Lizz Winstead reportedly wrote Monday, “This tornado is in Oklahoma so clearly it has been ordered to only target conservatives.”

She also wrote:

How long has Obama known about this Tornado?

— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) May 20, 2013

Following an outcry from some of Winstead’s more than 75,000 followers, she contended she was making light of last week’s revelation that the Internal Revenue Service targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status.

“If Its not OK to YOU for me to combine news stories to point out hypocrisy AND Im not making fun of victims u shld Unfollow,” the New York Daily News reported Winstead tweeted.

Freshman Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) on Tuesday marked Harvey Milk day, which is tomorrow, by reading a famous speech on the House floor from Milk, the first openly gay person to win election in California.

Takano, the first openly gay non-white member of Congress in U.S. history, recalled Milk's comments that the election of gay people helps bring hope to gay children across the country.

"Two days after I was elected, I got a phone call, and the voice was quite young," Takano said as he read Milk's speech. "It was from Altoona, Pa. And the person said, 'Thanks.'

A bipartisan group of senators is going fishing.

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) are poised to co-host a preview screening of the soon-to-premiere National Geographic Channel documentary “American Heroes Fishing Challenge.”

The hour-long special, which airs on Memorial Day, follows a dozen wounded American veterans competing in a series of fishing tournaments.

The network describes the show as one that “illustrates the powerful effect that nature, coupled with competition, has on their healing process.”

The son of a former lawmaker and nephew of a current congressman has died.

Twenty-nine-year-old Lincoln Diaz-Balart, one of former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart's (R-Fla.) two sons, and nephew of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), passed away Sunday. 

The family did not say how Diaz-Balart died, but noted in a statement that the young man suffered from depression.

“Lincoln Gabriel was a kind and loving human being. His love and compassion touched many lives during his 29 years. We will remember him with profound love and devotion for the rest of our lives,” the family told The Miami Herald. Read more...