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Four weeks earlier than anticipated, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and husband Brian Rodgers welcomed the arrival of their son, Cole McMorris Rodgers.
He was born on Sunday at 3:14 a.m. at Bethesda Naval Hospital.
“Brian and I are overjoyed,” said McMorris Rodgers in a statement. “Although he arrived early, both the baby and I are doing well and recovering at the hospital. We look forward to soon being able to bring our son home.”
Cole weighed five pounds, nine ounces and is in the neonatal intensive care unit to address minor complications.
McMorris Rodgers was hoping to miss as few votes as possible, but Cole opted not to wait until the Memorial Day recess to accommodate Mom’s schedule.
Jill Strait, spokeswoman for the lawmaker, said she spoke with her boss Saturday morning by BlackBerry, but there were no indications that the birth was looming.
“Little did I expect that Sunday morning she would be having her baby,” Strait said.
Another addition to the McMorris Rodgers circle is the newborn baby of the congresswoman’s chief of staff, Connie Correll, who delivered a boy named Garo last week.
“Thankfully the baby and I are doing great. We’re home now and we are elated, exhausted and loving every moment of it,” Correll said.
Jefferson needs a roommate Nearly three years ago, the FBI raided Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) house in New Orleans. Now, the lawmaker wants to rent out part of it.
Jefferson is seeking $1,300 per month for the third-floor apartment, which has two bedrooms, one bathroom and a furnished kitchen. And yes, that would include a freezer.
Jefferson’s office told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Friday that after the last of his five daughters moved out, it made sense for the lawmaker to rent out the extra space.
Of course, the money could come in handy for Jefferson, who has set up a legal defense fund to combat an expected bribery-related indictment.
Rep. Clyburn wears a toga MSNBC’s Chris Matthews had some fun with Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) last week before the Democratic presidential debate.
With Clyburn as his guest, Matthews told the majority whip, “Let’s talk about the toga party now.”
Clyburn responded, “The toga party?”
Matthews then proudly showed a photo of a much younger Clyburn acting in the Shakespearean tragedy Julius Caesar.
A laughing Matthews asked, “Who were you? Were you Brutus?”
Clyburn responded, “See that thing on my head? Julius Caesar. … I’m always the one to get betrayed.”
That line reminds us of Clyburn’s response after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she didn’t even know who had voted against the high-profile war supplemental that narrowly passed the House in March.
“I do,” Clyburn said at the time.
Move on over, Oprah — here comes Rep. Loretta Sanchez Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) has a new monthly cable-access show that is taped in a basement studio in the Rayburn House Office Building.
“Loretta Live” will premiere in California in mid-May (OK, so it’s not actually live), according to a report in the Santa Ana Orange County Register.
“I’ve been told by people for a long time that I should do it,” Sanchez told the newspaper. “It takes a lot of time, but we decided that this year was the right time.”
Her first guest was Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), but Sanchez is committed to a bipartisan show, hoping to book some of her GOP colleagues.
For now, the 30-minute shows will run on a monthly basis, though the pace may pick up if constituents demand to see more of “Loretta Live.”
Other members who have taped shows that were aired back home included Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and then-Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.). Seems like the California legislators are attracted to the camera. Go figure.
No poker face here — he folds Even though Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) wants to repeal the 2006 online gambling law, don’t get the impression that the congressman has been taking road trips to Atlantic City or Vegas to get a blackjack fix.
Frank has a philosophical problem with the government trying to clamp down on personal freedoms, but he’s no Kenny Rogers.
He thinks playing cards is boring and admitted that he would be a terrible poker player.
“You can’t do well at something that bores you,” he said.
Ready, set, run! For the 26th consecutive year, lawmakers and other Washington insiders will get up early and run (or jog, or walk fast) three miles in tomorrow’s ACLI Capital Challenge, sponsored by the American Council of Life Insurers.
Many legislators from both chambers are scheduled to run, along with their staffers. Sen. Jack Reed’s (D-R.I.) team is called “There’s no ‘I’ in Reed,’” while Rep. Bart Gordon’s (D-Tenn.) team is “Dash Gordon.”
The Hill’s team, “Fast as Hill,” will be chugging along, captained by our campaign scribe Aaron Blake.
— Jonathan E. Kaplan and Betsy Rothstein contributed to this page. |
