Judging by Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Pa.) turn on MSNBC Tuesday, Philadelphia may not be quite ready for live political broadcasts.

Specter, who was facing Rep. Joe Sestak in a tight Democratic primary, chatted with Andrea Mitchell around lunchtime.

But the set's rainy window background was repeatedly messed up by a goofy pedestrians.

First there was the big guy with the little camera, who took pictures of the TV set for about a minute. Then the blue sweatshirt guy, pointing, with his buddy. Then two huge red and white striped golf umbrellas, which filled up the entire background for about 30 seconds. And on and on.

The local color didn't seem to bother Mitchell and Specter for most of the interview, but it may have contributed to Specter's awkward sign-off.

Before leaving the set, Specter appealed to voters to get out and vote for him. The only trouble? Specter was looking into the wrong camera.

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) has deleted a YouTube video promoting abstinence-only education that he taped last year with the woman who was his mistress at the time.

On Tuesday, the Indiana Republican acknowledged an extramarital affair with a staff member, and announced his resignation from Congress.

That staffer is Tracy Jackson, who can be seen "interviewing" Souder in the now-removed video clip. Specificallty, she asks him about a recent, contentious Government Oversight hearing about abstinence education.

In the clip, Souder accuses then-Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) of bias against abstinence education. He also drops a pun, saying "I personally feel I should have probably abstained from the hearing."

Until Tuesday, the video been posted for months on a YouTube account called RepMarkSouder. But as of ten minutes ago, the video has been "removed by the user."

Other videos along the bottom of the screen are still intact.

President Barack Obama reported that he earned between $2 million and $10 million in royalties alone from his two books in 2009, according to his financial disclosure forms released Monday. 

The proceeds from the president's books -- "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope"  are heavily invested in U.S. Treasury bills, according to the disclosure forms.

The forms also show the price of First Dog Bo -- $1,600 -- a gift from late Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife, Victoria. 

Obama also reported holding between $500,000 and $1 million in Treasury notes. 

Vice President Joe Biden's statements also were released today and reflect modest assets -- mostly in mutual funds -- in the hundreds of thousands, not millions. 

He did have one interesting entry -- $3,500 -- he recorded receiving a gift of a first edition copy of "Anna Livia Plurabelle" signed by its Irish author, James Joyce. The book was a gift from Democratic donor Margaret R. Spanel.

For the president's form, click here. 

For the vice president's form, click here. 

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) is expected to announce Tuesday that he is resigning from Congress.

President Barack Obama hosted the 2010 NCAA women's basketball champions, the University of Connecticut's Lady Huskies at the White House on Monday, where he thanked them for being role models for his two young daughters, Sasha and Malia.
 
"As the father of two tall girls who are also very cute and also do great work in the classroom -- I'm just so glad that they’ve got all of you to look up to."
 
Obama also told the athletes that he followed their season during his morning workouts, when he watches ESPN's SportsCenter with First Lady Michelle Obama. The president said he would tell his wife, over and over, that the Lady Huskies were "the best team in all of sports, any sport, any gender, by far."
 
This was the Huskies' second trip to the White House in as many years, after visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last spring after they won the 2009 title. During that trip, Obama said he played some hoops with the team on the White House basketball court. The president declined to say who won.
 
The East Room ceremony was attended by Connecticut Sens. Chris Dodd (D) and Joe Lieberman (I), as well as Reps. John Larson (D) and Joe Courtney (D).

Have you ever noticed the reality gap between Hollywood's version of congressional hearings (tense, fast-paced, and always jam-packed) and the real thing? If so, you're not alone, and one former Capitol Hill staffer is trying to help.
 
The plot of "Iron Man 2," the comic book blockbuster that swept box offices last weekend, hinges on a scene in a fictional Senate hearing. And for once, it seems, Hollywood relied on an actual former Capitol Hill staffer.
 
In order to give the film an authentic Senate feel, directors called in political strategist Todd Bouldin, who worked closely with director Jon Favreau (not to be confused with White House speechwriter Jon Favreau), as well as actors Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow (both shown here) and Don Cheadle to make sure the details of the hearing reflected the real personalities, language, and rhythm of the upper chamber as much as possible.
 
Bouldin knows what he's talking about: During nearly a decade in politics, he worked for Vice President Al Gore, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and former Rep. Bob Clement (D-Tenn.) before moving to Los Angeles in 2003 to teach at Pepperdine University.
 
Bouldin explained a few of the changes he made to "Iron Man 2" during an interview with ITK. For instance, he added lots more congressional staff, interns and pages around the senators.
 
He also corrected a term used repeatedly by Downey in early versions of the script, that something be "put into the minutes" of the hearing. Moviegoers will note that Downey says "put this into the record" on the big screen.
 
Bouldin even added cufflinks to the senators' wardrobes. 
 
Despite his best efforts, Bouldin admitted that there are still a few things in the scene that don't make sense. For example, actor Sam Rockwell stands up and walks around while giving testimony, courtroom-style. And Cheadle's character walks into the room moments before he testifies, a big no-no in real life.
 
Perhaps the most authentic character in the film is Bouldin himself, who was cast as an extra in the scene. Look for him as “Senate aide” on the right side of the room.

Great music has the power to cross party lines, and the hot ticket this Wednesday night crosses three, to be exact.

Blues Traveler, the Grammy award-winning act led by frontman John Popper (at left), will perform in Eastern Market at a party to celebrate Everglades restoration efforts.

Guests of honor include Florida Democrats Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Alcee Hastings, as well as their GOP counterparts, Sen. George LeMieux and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

Billed as an old-style Florida barbecue, the evening's menu is unlikely to jive with Popper, who lost more than 200 lbs. after undergoing gastric bypass surgery nearly a decade ago.

But while the dinner choices may not suit the legendary harmonica player, the political mishmash sure will: Popper is a registered Libertarian, a former Republican, and a 2008 supporter of President Barack Obama.

Now that's tri-partisanship.