President Barack Obama screened “Nuclear Tipping Point” at the
White House on Tuesday night.
Guests included former officials featured in the documentary, including
ex-Secretaries of State George Schultz and Henry Kissinger, former
Defense Secretary William Perry and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.). Also
attending were actor Michael Douglas, Sens. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and former Secretary of State Gen.
Colin Powell.
The screening came on the same day as the
administration’s new nuclear posture, which includes assurances of
no-nuclear use on countries that don’t have nuclear capabilities. On
Wednesday, the president is scheduled to fly to Prague to sign a new
START treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and next week Obama
will host 46 countries in Washington at a nuclear security summit.
The porn star who has toyed with a run against the Sen. David
Vitter (R-La.) announced today that she is becoming a Republican.
Stormy Daniels has been considering a (joke?) campaign ever since Vitter was
linked to the "D.C. madam" in in 2007. But back then, she was a
Democrat.
Now that the RNC has patronized a lesbian bondage themed
club in Hollywood, Daniels says the GOP is the party for her.
"It
is time again to inspire positive risks and out-of-the-box thinking in
the interest of growing a strong economy and a strong America," Daniels
said in a tongue-in-cheek press release. “For me, this spirit can be
summed up in the RNC’s investment of donor funds at Voyeur."
She
continued: “As someone who has worked extensively in both the club and
film side of the Adult Entertainment Industry, I know from experience
that a mere $1900 outlay at a club with the reputation of Voyeur is a
clear indication of a frugal investment with a keen eye toward maximum
return."
Though Daniels said she has been a lifelong Democrat, she
"cannot help but recognize that over time my libertarian values
regarding both money and sex and the legal use of one for the other is
now best espoused by the Republican Party.”
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) appears to know who's going to play the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League's first playoff game next week. Only trouble is, the Capitals don't know. Nor does anyone else. Nor could they.
Thune's campaign sent out an invitation Tuesday to a fundraiser on April 15 at the Verizon Center, first reported by the hockey website Japersrink.com. The occasion? According to the invitation, an NHL playoff game between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins.
But the Boston Bruins aren't set to play the Caps in a game on the 15th yet. In fact, the Capitals aren't even sure there will be a game on the 15th at all, let alone against the Bruins.
Washington Capitals spokesman Nate Ewell explained to ITK that the rankings won't be set until the regular season is over this Sunday. "We're glad to know we're in the playoffs," he said, "but we'll wait to see what days we play and who we play. We play the Bruins this weekend, but there are still a number of teams we could be matched against for the playoffs."
Ewell went on to say the date isn't set, either. "We'll probably start the 15th or 16th, but we don't know yet."
The Capitals were unaware that Thune was planning to hold a fundraiser for the game, but Ewell said that suite reservations at the Verizon Center are handled by the venue, and not by individual team franchises.
Thune's campaign declined to comment on the proposed event. Here's the invitation:
One might think that celebrating your birthday over the Easter recess would mean a day off for a busy member of Congress. But not if you're Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).
The outspoken conservative lawmaker turned 54 on Tuesday, but instead of relaxing in a canoe on one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, Bachmann was doing something else she seems to enjoy: back-to-back media appearances.
Bachmann took to the airwaves Tuesday to preview Wednesday's visit from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who is scheduled to make an appearance with Bachmann at a campaign event.
According to Bachmann spokesman Dave Dziok, the congresswoman is hoping she'll have some time later in the week to celebrate with her family, but it's all work until after Wednesday's big event.
As for what's on Bachmann's wish list this year? "She wishes that Obamacare gets repealed," Dziok told ITK.
Bachmann fans who are not in a position to repeal federal legislation might want to consider a bouquet of Queen's Lady Slippers, the rare wildflower that is Minnesota's official state bloom.
ITK wishes the congresswoman a very happy birthday.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) finally confessed to something many people have long suspected: politicians don't always tell the truth. In fact, he said, they lie.
Speaking at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, on Friday, Hoyer took a moment to remember political science professor Saul Stern, who passed away last month.
"Saul Stern came into my life 46 years ago," said the 69 year-old lawmaker, "I was four."
The crowd chuckled. "OK, I'm a politician," Hoyer joked, "We lie. You understand that."
Hoyer also said that, second to meeting his wife, his experience as a Terrapin (shown here on the right, with Hoyer) was the most formative thing that ever happened to him, which is quite a compliment coming from one of the nation's most powerful politicians.
There was an all-star lineup of the nation's most influential, and financially successful, Christian pastors in America at the White House on Tuesday for the annual Easter prayer breakfast.
There aren't your typical Sunday preachers, they're mega-preachers, with mega churches to back it up. Many of them deliver sermons to tens of thousands of people every Sunday, sell millions of copies of their books, and run huge operations that function more like small towns than your local church.
For example, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell's Windsor Village United Methodist Church, in Texas, has 14,000 members, and his book, "The Gospel of Good Success: A Road Map to Spiritual, Emotional, and Financial Wholeness" sold millions of copies.
So did both of Pastor Joel Osteen's books, "Become a Better You" and "Your Best Life Now." As the leader of the Lakewood Church in Texas, Osteen (shown here with his wife, Victoria) has a weekly viewership that hovers around seven million people on TV and online with 16,800 in the pews.
Perhaps the biggest megachurch star in the country was in D.C. for the event, too: Pastor Bill Hybels, considered by many to be the most influential Christian leader of the past decade. Every Sunday, more than 18,000 believers show up to hear Hybels at his Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois. And when it comes to authorship, Hybels is seriously prolific. The pastor has written or contributed to more than 45 separate titles.
One of the Senate's most conservative members defended House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and criticized Fox News in audio
released Tuesday.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) spoke at a recent town
hall meeting that was taped by
KGOU Radio.
When discussing the short-term unemployment benefit
extension that he is stalling, to the chagrin of Democrats, Coburn said
he is "180 degrees in opposition" to Pelosi but that "she is a nice
lady."
That comment drew boos and jeers from the crowd, but Coburn asked the
crowd for calm and spoke about civility.
“Come on now. She is
nice – how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person,” Coburn
said. "Let me give you a little lesson here. I hope you will listen to
me. Just because somebody disagrees with you don’t [sic] mean they’re
not a good person. And i want to tell you, I've been in the senate for
five years and I’ve taken a lot of that, because I’ve been on the small
side –- both in the Republican Party and the Democrat Party."
The
Oklahoma senator is seen by many as a divisive figure.
A
physician, he is known as "Dr. No" for his penchant to grind the
legislative process to a halt.Democrats have put him in the spotlight
the last few weeks, saying that because he stalled the benefits
extension, 200,000 unemployed lost their federal assistance starting
Monday. But Coburn says he wants the benefits package funded before it
passes.
To underscore his point about civility, Coburn formed
a friendship in 2004 when he joined the Senate with then-Sen. Barack
Obama (D-Ill.), who was also a freshman at the time.
After an
audience member suggested that the government could jail people for not
buying health insurance under the new healthcare law, Coburn said "that
makes for good TV news on Fox but that isn’t the intention."
The senator continued, telling told the mostly conservative crowd to not
be fooled by the "biased" information from Fox News.
"What
we have to have is make sure we have a debate in this country so that
you can see what’s going on and make a determination yourself,” Coburn
said. "So don’t catch yourself being biased by Fox News that somebody is
no good. The people in Washington are good. They just don’t know what
they don’t know."
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) put on his chef's hat and and made pasta sauce on Monday night at Sila's Pizzeria in Berkley, Mich.
According to a Tweet he sent out, the lawmaker cut tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and "made some al fredo sauce."
He even washed the dishes.
Hopefully Hoekstra, who is running for governor, put some extra flavor into the Alfredo sauce. The most recent review of the restaurant at the website My Travel Guide.com wrote "don't bother with the Alfredo."
First Lady Michelle Obama rocked out with her daughters Sasha and Malia on Monday to a live performance by 16 year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber, who took the stage during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
For someone who released their first professional album less than five months ago, Bieber's rise to fame has been astronomical. His first album "My World" went platinum in eight weeks, and his appearance at shopping malls has caused riots that required police intervention.
Bieber started off his White House set by playing the drums, a talent that surprised even frequent Bieber-watchers, like the folks over at Popeater.
Here's the video of Bieber's show. Note the first lady dancing and clapping near the front row.
