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February 5, 2010, 7:57 pm
By
Ian Swanson
Rep. Joseph Cao (La.), the only House
Republican who voted
for healthcare reform, is also the only GOPer going to the Super Bowl
party at
the White House.
The White House released a list of lawmakers
expected to
attend that included seven Democrats and Cao, the Republican who won the
New
Orleans seat held by Rep. Willliam Jefferson (D-La.).
Jefferson was defeated in the heavily Democratic
district
amid charges that he had accepted bribes. He was later convicted by a
jury, but
is appealing the verdict.
Cao probably represents the seat that is the
Democrats’ best
chance to pick up a seat in what looks to be a difficult election year
for the
party. Obama won 75 percent of the vote in Cao’s district in 2008.
If last year’s Super Bowl is an indication,
Cao’s attendance
could be good for Democrats and the New Orleans Saints, who are making
their
first Super Bowl appearance after a fairly miserable history in the NFL.
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) attended last
year’s Super Bowl
party at Obama’s new house. He rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who
won
their sixth Super Bowl that year. A few months later, the Republican
switched
parties and became a Democrat.
Most of the lawmakers invited to watch the
game at the White
House are from the states represented in the game.
Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Brad Ellsworth
(D-Ind.) and
Baron Hill (D-Ind.) presumably will be rooting for Peyton Manning and
the
Indianapolis Colts.
Cao is the only Louisiana lawmaker attending
the White House
party.
Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) and Barbara
Lee (D-Calif.)
and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) will also attend, according to the White
House.
So will a number of cabinet members,
including Attorney
General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano.
Here's
the full list of attendees, according to a White House release: Members
of Congress:
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rep. Rick
Boucher (D-VA)
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA)
Rep. Andre Carson
(D-IN)
Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)
Rep.
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Cabinet
Members:
Secretary Shaun Donovan
Secretary Arne
Duncan
Attorney General Eric Holder
Administrator Lisa
Jackson
Secretary Janet Napolitano
Ambassador Susan Rice
Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary Eric Shinseki
Secretary Tom
Vilsack
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February 5, 2010, 4:25 pm
By
Eric Zimmerman
Todd Palin was intricately involved in official business of his
wife's administration, according to newly released emails. Obtained by
MSNBC, the thousands of pages of emails demonstrate that former governor Sarah Palin's (R) husband, known informally as the "First
Dude," was involved in "countless areas of state government and
politics," including "potential board appointees,
constituent complaints ... oil and gas production,
marine regulation, gas pipeline bids, postsecondary education,
wildfires, and native Alaskan issues."
Todd Palin also played a role in state efforts to save a dairy, oil shale
leasing, budget planning, and possible budget vetoes.
Closer to the former Vice Presidential candidate's personal life, Paling weighed in on staffing, both at the governor's mansion and in her office. He also had a say in how to handle the media, both for responding to "allegations" leveled at the then-governor and answering questions about daughter Bristol Palin's pregnancy.
Read MSNBC's full report
here.
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February 5, 2010, 2:56 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) lost his wife, Ethie Radanovich, on Thursday evening after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
On Friday, Radanovich released a statement which read in part, "Ethie was the love of my life. Her smile would light up a room and her boundless energy brought joy and beauty to everyone she met. Ethie truly lived life to the fullest ... she was a most wonderful wife and mom — we’ll miss her every day.” Ethie Radanovich was 50 years old; she is survived by her husband, 54, and their son, King, 11.
Memorial services will be held in Mariposa, Calif., and Alexandria, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to Mariposa Bears Football League, c/o Dave McNally, P.O. Box 2098, Mariposa, CA 95338 or to Mariposa Parks & Recreation Department for the Mariposa Little League, c/o Shannon Hansen, P.O. Box 732, Mariposa, CA 95338.
ITK would like to express our condolences to the congressman and his family.
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February 5, 2010, 12:30 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
Vice President Joe Biden and his family left Washington on Friday for a weekend in Beaver Creek, Colo., the ski resort that abuts its more famous neighbor, Vail. Weather permitting, the veep will return to Washington on Sunday.
The trip was well timed, as Washington prepares for what meteorologists are billing as a snowstorm of historic proportions.
President Barack Obama and his family will stay in snowy Washington for the weekend. Daughters Sasha and Malia Obama had a day off from school on Friday. Like many Washington-area schools, Sidwell Friends School declared a snow-day.
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February 5, 2010, 11:15 am
By
Christina Wilkie
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) had some fighting words for Connecticut's Independent senator on Thursday night during an appearance on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Stewart praised Weiner for his passionate defense of a medicare buy-in, saying, "Lieberman said because you're so for the medicare buy-in, and he singled you out, then that's why he would vote against it.
"My question for you is this: Is he a d***?"
Weiner paused, "Yes, John" he said.
The lawmaker then laughed and shook his head, as though he were about to qualify what he'd just said, as politicians often do when they realize they've said something that could be controversial.
But instead of saying something nice about Lieberman, Weiner just went on to talk more about healthcare policy. Lieberman's office declined to comment on Weiner's statement.
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February 5, 2010, 11:06 am
By
Christina Wilkie
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) will join performers Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and Justin Bieber Friday night in a concert and telethon in Miami to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief efforts.
The event, dubbed "SOS Saving Ourselves—Help for Haiti” will be hosted by Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Pharrell.
The Senate hopeful made news last month when he was one of the first U.S. lawmakers to visit Haiti after the quake, traveling there alone with little more than a backpack and staying for three days, filming rescue efforts and reporting on what he saw.
"SOS" will air simultaneously on BET, MTV, VH1 and CENTRIC at 8:00 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go directly to Yele Haiti, CARE, Project MediShare and Children's Safe Drinking Water.
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February 4, 2010, 7:20 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had a laugh with reporters on Thursday, telling them that he prepped for press briefings with "a couple margaritas," adding "same as you guys, right?"
The quip was in response to joking hoots from the White House press corps of "We want Bill!", a reference to deputy press secretary Bill Burton, who filled in behind the podium this week while Gibbs was on the road with President Barack Obama.
"Hey, I'm all for [Burton filling in], man," said Gibbs. "I've got a -- I've got a couple margaritas getting warm right now anyway, so I'm happy to."
Gibbs quickly backtracked, however: "That's just a joke, Mom. We're not doing that at work."
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February 4, 2010, 7:12 pm
By
J. Taylor Rushing
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Thursday he is "honored" to take
over the Senate desk occupied for nearly 50 years by the late Sen. Edward
Kennedy (D-Mass.) and before him by his brother, President John F. Kennedy.
Kerry
for years had been using the middle-of-the-floor seat used by the
second of the three Kennedy brothers, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.),
who was assasinated in 1968. That desk will now be used by Sen. Charles
Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The Kennedy desk that Kerry will now occupy is located near
the back of the chamber.
Sen. Edward Kennedy reportedly preferred that
desk to one more forward in the chamber, as his seniority would
have allowed him to choose, because it was used by JFK during his days as a junior senator.
"I
will take it over very proudly, and be forever reminded, as I work at
that desk, of Ted Kennedy," Kerry said.
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February 4, 2010, 5:51 pm
By
Alexander Bolton
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is letting senators
go home early to escape a massive snowstorm headed directly for Washington.
The
Senate held its last vote of the week at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to give
lawmakers enough time to catch flights before the snow starts falling.
Forecasters are predicting that Washington will get a foot of
snow and possibly more, with precipitation beginning sometime Friday morning.
"I'm just worried about the airport in
Indiana," said Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) as he hustled back to his
office after the final vote.
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February 4, 2010, 5:32 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
The White House recently released a recipe for the apple pie that President Barack Obama has called "the best pie I've ever tasted." With its many steps, this dessert makes a perfect culinary project for a snowed-in Washington weekend.
White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses shared some of his secrets with Obamafoodorama, including pre-baking the bottom shells, cutting the apples into chunks (not slices), and using plenty of lard, which, as writer Eddie Kohan points out, is technically no worse for you than butter.
In an AP interview last summer, when Obama was asked to reveal a secret about the White House, he responded, "The pastry chef makes the best pie I've ever tasted, and that is causing big problems for Michelle and myself. I mean, whatever pie you like, he will make it, and it will be the best pie you've ever eaten." The photo here was taken at Obama's Aug. 4 birthday party, and two of the pies can be seen in the lower left.
White House Apple Pie
Ingredients for the crust:
3 cups All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
10 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
3 ounces lard, cold, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup ice water
For the filling:
2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
Sugar, for sprinkling
Method
To make the crust, in a food processor pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and lard, then pulse briefly until the mixture forms small crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
When chilled, to prepare the pie shell, on a floured surface roll out one disc to a 14-inch circle using a rolling pin. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased, deep 9-inch pie pan, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Refrigerate the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to bake the bottom crust, heat the oven to 375 F. Line the cold crust with foil and fill with baking weights, rice or dry beans to hold it in place. Bake the pie shell for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Leave the oven on once the crust is done.
While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large saucepan, toss together the apples, sugar, honey, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon zest and juice. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the fruit thickens. Let cool.
When the bottom the filling has cooled, pour the it into the baked crust. Roll out the second disc of dough to about 12 inches.
In a small bowl, beat the egg with the salt. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg on the edges of the cooked crust. Place the top crust over the filling. Using a fork or crimper, gently crimp the top crust, sealing the pie around the edges.
Slit the top of the crust with a paring knife in several places to create steam vents. Brush egg wash over the crust, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is golden brown. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Servings: 8
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