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January 15, 2010, 10:40 am
By
Christina Wilkie
President Barack Obama will write a cover story for Newsweek magazine about Haiti, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal's Russell Adams. Obama has already pledged $100 million in U.S. aid to the earthquake-ravaged island nation, and when Newsweek editor Jon Meacham asked senior adviser David Axelrod if the president would write about the recovery effort, he said yes.
Already a best-selling author, the piece will be Obama's first major story for a U.S. magazine.
The issue is due to hit newsstands on Monday.
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January 15, 2010, 10:34 am
By
Jordan Fabian
The
White House on Thursday quickly took away the possibility of Boise
State University's football team joining the national champions Alabama
at an honorary Rose Garden ceremony.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- a well known opponent of college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) -- sent a letter
to President Barack Obama requesting that the undefeated Boise State
Broncos join the undefeated University of Alabama Crimson Tide at the
ceremony.
But a White House
spokesman indicated to The Hill that Boise's presence at the ceremony
is unlikely, but did not rule it out completely. "The
president has previously articulated his displeasure with the BCS
system, but he’s focused on more important things right now," White
House spokesman Adam Abrams said in an e-mail.
Obama has
criticized the BCS and backed a playoff system in past media
appearances but today's indication shows that he is not quite willing
to make a large-scale statement on the issue. The president is
simultaneously trying to shepherd healthcare reform legislation through
Congress before his State of the Union address in a few weeks and help
coordinate U.S. disaster relief efforts in Haiti after a massive
earthquake struck there this week.
In 2008, Hatch's home
state Utah Utes went undefeated but were not selected to play in the
national championship game. The Utes were not invited to the White
House when the BCS national champion Florida Gators made their
appearance in April 2009.
President George W. Bush did
invite both Southern California and Louisiana State to the White House
in 2004 but while LSU won the BCS national championship game, USC also
finished number one in the final AP poll. Boise State finished number
four in final polling.
Today's announcement is a bit of
good news for BCS supporters who appear to have averted a moment that
would have called into question the legitimacy of the system. A
new poll showing that 73 percent of college football coaches support
the current BCS system was released this week and could help buoy the
White House's announcement. The anti-BCS political action
committe PlayoffPAC criticized the president for missing an opportunity
to "make a statement" against the BCS without spending taxpayer
dollars. "No one's saying this is a top-tier issue on the
President's agenda, but college football's off-the-field impact on
schools isn't trivial either," PlayoffPAC official Matt Sanderson said
in an e-mail. "He promised a year ago to 'throw his weight around,' but
now it looks as if he may pass-up a golden opportunity to make a
statement without spending one extra taxpayer minute or dollar. An
overwhelming majority of college football fans will be disappointed if
the President doesn't make good on his word."
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January 14, 2010, 4:55 pm
By
Kate Oczypok
First Lady Michelle Obama read Green Eggs and Ham to children of federal employees while encouraging them to try new foods during a visit to the Labor Department Thursday.
The first lady read the Dr. Seuss classic during a stop at a daycare center on the premises and then answered questions from pre-school-aged children about her own daughters and the family dog, Bo.
“I’m a sucker for kids,” Mrs. Obama said.
Michelle Obama did share that the girls enjoy playing on their computers and the swing set, but do not own horses.
Bo, the family dog, has never had pizza, as one child asked. Before she left, Mrs. Obama encouraged the children to try new things to eat, responding to one that she’s never eaten a crabby patty (from Spongebob Squarepants fame).
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January 14, 2010, 4:50 pm
By
Kate Oczypok
After many months of “will it or won’t it air?” D.C.’s Blonde Charity Mafia debuted in the U.K. and will air this Sunday on MTV here in the U.S. at 9:30 p.m., MTV U.K. reported. The show is a combination of The Hills and Gossip Girl. It follows six women as they navigate D.C.’s social scene.
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January 14, 2010, 4:39 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
A bipartisan group of congressional staffers is throwing an impromptu fundraiser Thursday after work at the Hawk n' Dove on Capitol Hill to help raised money for Haitian relief efforts. The event is from 6-8 p.m., donations of any amount are appreciated (no minumum), and will go directly to the Red Cross and to musician Wyclef Jean's charity, Yele Haiti. Organizer David Barnes stressed that the hosts are participating in the event as private citizens, not congressional staffers (who are forbidden from engaging in fundraising). Nevertheless, the Hill-centric group should guarantee a fun crowd. Host Committee
David Barnes, House Foreign Affairs Committee (majority) Yuri Beckelman, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) Teresa Bravo, House Natural Resources Committee (majority) Cory Crowley, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Brian Greer, Office of the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md) Annie Minguez, Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade (majority) Kristal Quarker, House Republican Policy Committee J. Williams, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) UPDATE, Jan. 15: Organizers report that the event raised more than $2100 for Haitian relief, and that Linda Mathes, CEO of the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, made an appearance. Here are some pics: 
Brian Greer, Yuri Beckelman, Annie Minguez, Linda Mathes, David Barnes, Teresa Bravo



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January 14, 2010, 4:33 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
President Barack Obama spoke by phone Thursday with four world leaders, two former U.S. presidents, and the United Nations secretary general to drum up international support for Haiti.
Among those on his call list: President Lula of Brazil, Prime Minister Harper of Canada; President Calderon of Mexico; President Bachelet of Chile; former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton; UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon; and the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Ken Merten.
So far, Obama has been unable to reach President Rene Preval of Haiti, but Amb. Merten relayed a conversation he'd had with Preval following Tuesday's earthquake, where he conveyed the United States' commitment to helping the island nation recover from the tragedy
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January 14, 2010, 3:30 pm
By
Jordan Fabian
Former
Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have agreed to help the U.S.
disaster relief efforts in Haiti, a source familiar with the matter
told The Hill Thursday.
President Barack Obama reached out to the
past two presidents following Tuesday's magnitude 7 earthquake, effectively replicating President George W. Bush's
approach when he recruited Clinton and his father, former President George
H.W. Bush, to assist with relief after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia.
Their efforts will be announced in the coming days, according to the source. First Lady Michelle Obama is also reportedly filming a Public Service Announcement encouraging Americans to donate to the Haitian relief effort.
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January 14, 2010, 3:14 pm
By
Kate Oczypok
Amtrak announced Thursday that its trains will now have free Wi-Fi. USA Today said that Acela Express trains serving D.C., New York and Boston will be able to use the new technology by March. This comes with addition of leather seats, more electrical outlets and new tray tables, all an attempt to make passengers happy.
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January 14, 2010, 2:04 pm
By
Kate Oczypok
A new book about the 2008 election, Game Change, has comedian Stephen Colbert questioning author John Heilemann of New York Magazine about the accuracy and reliability of his sources. Heilemann was on The Colbert Report last night to talk about it.
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January 14, 2010, 1:56 pm
By
Christina Wilkie
Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) got a big thank you on the Today Show
Thursday from two constituents for helping to get their adopted
children out of a Haitian orphanage following Tuesday's magnitude 7
earthquake.
The couple, Brett and Kendra Schlenbaker, said the
lawmaker has been great about contacting the U.S. embassy and working out
official paperwork.
"[The Schlenbakers] first contacted our office in October," Larsen told ITK, "when they were in the final
stages [of the adoption]. Since then, we've been working with the U.S. embassy in
Haiti, and they've been absolutely great with information."
Following the devastating earthquake, Larsen said the embassy is concentrating on "getting injured American citizens home," not
working out passport and visa situations.
"As soon as they get back to
working on passports, we're hoping to get the two kids home to
Washington."
The Schlenbakers aren't the only constituents Larsen is helping to get out of Haiti.
A
22 year-old missionary, Katie Zook, from Larsen's hometown of
Arlington, Wash. (one of 26 towns in the country named Arlington, he notes) was
trapped under rubble for three hours before rescue workers were able to
pull her out. She had been in Haiti since September, teaching English.
Her family had no word of her after the earthquake, but eventually
learned from other missionaries that she was safe, although injured.
Larsen
called Zook's dad on Wednesday after he learned that Katie was on her
way from Haiti to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for medical treatment.
"Next stop is to fly her to Miami, where [parents] Greg and Donna can meet her," Larsen said.
"It's part of what we do, we want to be helpful."
Larsen said he couldn't speculate on whether other members of Congress
are facing similar situations, but "if the most Northwesterly district
in the continental U.S. has people there, then the rest likely do, too."
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