WASHINGTON (AP) — For the second time in three days, the White House is on lockdown because of a security breach.
The Secret Service says two people threw something over the fence surrounding the White House complex — one person from the south side and one from the north.
The two people were being detained and questioned Thursday afternoon. Secret Service officers were ordering people in the West Wing to stay inside.
The incident follows an hourlong lockdown Tuesday after a vehicle followed a motorcade bringing President Barack Obama’s daughters home through the gates. The driver was charged with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor.
President Obama continued his personal tradition at this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner, of being the funniest man on the room.
Watch, as even Boehner’s color got a laugh with this remark, “These days, House Republicans are giving [Speaker John Boehner] a harder time than they give me – which means orange really is the new black,”
The President even went after Chris Christie when he spoke about the partisan gridlock in Washington, saying that partisan gridlock “has gotten so bad in this town – you’ve got to wonder, ‘What did we do to piss off Chris Christie so bad?”
An Idaho man who fired an assault rifle at the White House in 2011 was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 23, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer in Washington Monday afternoon. He was arrested shortly after the November 11, 2011 attack and indicted on charges including attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama.
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were not at home at the time the shots were fired from the vicinity of Constitution Avenue that night. However, bullets believed to be from the attack struck the White House, with one lodging in a window on the south side of the White House.
Ortega-Hernandez pled guilty last year to reduced charges of damaging a dwelling and using a firearm in a crime of violence. In addition, he conceded his acts amounted to a terrorist attack
Thanks Sarah Palin! Because if you, Americans, even some in Alaska, have had enough;! I blame you!
A White House petition is gathering thousands of signatures urging the return of Alaska to Russia. The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.
The “Alaska Back to Russia” petition was created by an unnamed Anchorage resident (S.V.) last week and it has already gotten more than 18,000 signatures. The petition needs 100,000 signers by April 20 to warrant a response from the Obama administration.
The petition reads:
“Groups Siberian russians crossed the Isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Russian began to settle on the Arctic coast, Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Archipelago. First visited Alaska August 21, 1732, members of the team boat St. Gabriel »under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 years…Vote for secession of Alaska from the United States and joining Russia.”
Inside the National Security Council, most officials aren’t allowed to use or even look at Twitter, the popular social-networking service.
But that didn’t stop some of President Obama’s top advisers from trying to identify the person responsible for @natsecwonk, an anonymous Twitter account that published a steady stream of personal and sometimes offensive attacks on White House and State Department officials.
Three weeks ago, the group hatched a plan to trick the suspected NSC staffer into revealing himself. They would intentionally plant inaccurate, but harmless, information with him to see if it would pop up as a 140-character tweet, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the effort.
It is not clear whether the sting led directly to the unmasking last week of Jofi Joseph, 40, who was identified as the creative force behind @natsecwonk and was fired from his position on the administration’s Iran negotiations team. But the lengths to which White House officials went to find Joseph reveal how much of an embarrassment his Twitter feed had become inside the West Wing and across the street at the stately Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where Joseph worked alongside his NSC colleagues while secretly skewering them online.
“It was like they were hunting for bin Laden in a cave and he was right in the belly of the beast all along ,” said a former NSC official who worked with Joseph, marveling that he was able to keep his identity secret for over two years.
“We talked about it from time to time in the hallways, ‘Did you see what @natsecwonk posted?’ ” said this former official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal operations. “He probably heard people walking around saying things about the account.”
Joseph said in a statement Wednesday that “I deeply regret violating the trust and confidence placed in me.”
“What started out as an intended parody account of DC culture developed over time into a series of inappropriate and mean-spirited comments,” the statement continued. “I bear complete responsibility for this affair and I sincerely apologize to everyone I insulted.”
White House press secretary Jay Carney confirmed Wednesday that Joseph no longer worked for the administration, but he declined to discuss specifics.
House Republican “Leader” John Boehner went on television again on Sunday and told George Stephanopoulos that he would not bring a clean CR to the floor of the House for a vote, because he say, the bill will not pass. But the White House and other Democrats disagree, and they are asking Boehner to prove them wrong.
The White House on Sunday challenged Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to prove his assertion in an ABC News interview that “there are not the votes in the House” to pass a “clean” continuing resolution.
“If he’s right, why not prove it?” White House press secretary Jay Carney asked on Twitter. Dan Pfeiffer, the White House’s senior adviser for communications, tweeted that either Boehner “is all wrong or all his members are lying.”
“That files in the face of all the math and public statements of GOP members,” Pfeiffer said.
Democrats have repeatedly called on Boehner to allow a vote on a so-called “clean” Senate bill that would reopen the government for a short period of time, but not include Republican demands to delay or defund ObamaCare.
A whip count by The Washington Post found that 20 Republican representatives supported a so-called clean continuing resolution (CR), with another four counted as “leaning yes.” If all 200 Democrats voted for the legislation, they would need just 17 Republicans to vote with them.
Boehner made the comment during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” after host George Stephanopoulos asked him if he was “prepared to schedule a clean bill on government funding.”
When Stephanopoulos pressed Boehner on whether it was true that the votes did not exist, the Speaker said that the American people expected leaders in Washington to “sit down and have a conversation.”
“We’re interested in having a conversation about how we open the government and how we begin to pay our bills,” Boehner said. “But it begins with a simple conversation.”
Other Democrats have also seized on Boehner’s assertion, daring the Speaker to bring the clean CR to a vote.
A dental hygienist from Connecticut was the female driver who tried to ram her car into a White House barricade and was shot dead near the US Capitol after a high-speed chase through Washington streets Thursday afternoon, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Sources said Miriam Carey, who formerly lived in Brooklyn, was licensed to practice in New York and Connecticut and had a permit to work as a hygienist in Connecticut prisons.
At least a dozen gunshots were fired when she tried to flee cops, who had trapped her two blocks from the Capitol. She was believed to have been hit several times.
A child believed to be a girl about 2 or 3 years old was found unhurt in her black Infiniti sedan, which had Connecticut license plates.
Authorities had no immediate explanation of the woman’s motive. But Capitol Police chief Kim Dine told reporters there was no reason to believe it was an act of terrorism “or anything other than an isolated incident.”
ABC News said the 34-year-old woman had a history of mental health issues. A task force of FBI and Secret Service agents was executing a search warrant at her Connecticut home, CNN said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service has arrested a man for tossing firecrackers over a fence at the White House.
A federal law enforcement official says the shoeless man was immediately arrested Monday. An Associated Press photographer heard what sounded like two gunshots outside the White House. Three uniformed Secret Service officers arrested a middle-aged man. The man was white, with dark hair, a blue shirt and white shorts. His white shoes lay on the ground near where the officer tackled him.
The incident happened just hours after at least one suspect opened fire inside the Washington Navy Yard, killing at least 12 people. The gunman was also killed.
Okay, so last week I talked about The Walking Dead and all its glory, but now I must give mention to my true TV guilty pleasure and that is the uncompromising Shonda Rhimes’ tv creation, Scandal.
The show is celebrating its 1 year anniversary today, April 5, 2013 and has attracted quite a bit of a cult-like following.
Why are so many flocking to this show?
Well, one big reason revolves around a small, little word:
Olitz
And if you’re a fan of this show, then you already know what that means, but let me digress for a bit and give you a bit of a backdrop on this crazy mayhem of a TV show.
Scandal is featured in Washington, DC where politics leads itself to some simple, complicated, and veering all the way to the absolutely bizarre and insane happenings of a scandal.
People who wake up one day and find themselves in a mess they could never venture out of without a media catastrophe occurring to completely ruin their elitist careers.
This is where Olivia Pope, played by the illustrious Kerry Washington, and her team of Pope & Associates (Gladiators in Suits) come in to ‘fix’ the situation and manage a crisis that has gone unhinged. Most weeks we get to view a scandal that Olivia Pope and her team rescues with leaving the clientele as unscathed as possible (sometimes, not always) that often include some twisty turns to keep you guessing until the end.
Yet, the bigger storyline that has everyone on pins and needles is the story that revolves around Olitz. Yes, Olitz. You see, Olivia Pope once was a White House Communications Director before forming her crisis management team. A position that had her working very closely with the current President Fitzgerald Grant(Tony Goldwyn). A man who captured her heart while helping his campaign and run for presidency.
As you may have already guessed, the two developed a striking tortured love saga that becomes quite the messy triangle due to the fact that the President is of course married to Mellie (Bellamy Young) with children. Granted his marriage is more of a business, political arrangement with no love lost between the two, and Mellie will stop at nothing to remain in political power and that includes tolerating an illicit affair of her husband with a woman she hates.
And as Ewww as the affair sounds when written, it is this relationship between Olivia and Fitz that has everyone tuning in wondering what will happen next with those two and the crazy world they both have to manage with no consolation. From the first episode that we meet Olitz, the two characters express a chemistry (HOT!) that is rarely captured on a television show and people are mesmerized by it. It also helps that creator and writer of the show, Shonda Rhimes, delivers these awesome roller coaster rides as we go through scandals that pepper not only Olivia Pope and her team, but just the worlds of all those involved with Olivia and the President.
This show is not for everyone. You really have to take a bit of your own personal morality out of the picture when watching this because no character is purely black or white. They all have various shades of grey that they must accept which makes this show fascinating as there is no real Good Guy. Just a bunch of people trying to do a little bit of good, if it allows, to save the day.
This show has it all and with a strong cast like Jeff Perry who plays Cyrus, (the President’s right-hand man), Joshua Malina as David Rosen, (the US attorney always losing out to Olivia Pope), and the remaining team of Pope & Associates that really help to bring home a deliciously scandalous viewing pleasure.
This petition is well worth your support, considering many in Congress represent Corporations and not the actual people who went to the polls and voted them into office. The petition, although it may be considered a joke by many, hits the nail on the head and correctly identifies the main problem with today’s politicians – they cater to those special interests who donate millions to their re-election campaign, and forget the suffering of the constituents they’re supposed to represent.
I especially like the part suggesting that the size of the logo should reflect the amount of money the politician accepted in donations from the company. Brilliant!
Since most politicians’ campaigns are largely funded by wealthy companies and individuals, it would give voters a better sense of who the candidate they are voting for is actually representing if the company’s logo, or individual’s name, was prominently displayed upon the candidate’s clothing at all public appearances and campaign events. Once elected, the candidate would be required to continue to wear those “sponsor’s” names during all official duties and visits to constituents. The size of a logo or name would vary with the size of a donation. For example, a $1 million dollar contribution would warrant a patch of about 4″ by 8″ on the chest, while a free meal from a lobbyist would be represented by a quarter-sized button. Individual donations under $1000 are exempt.
At the time of this post, the petition had 18,000 signatures. It needs a total of 100,000 signatures to receive a response from the White House. Click on the link above and add your name to this petition.
Word is out that VP Joe Biden is looking to throw his hat into the ring for president in 2016. Not for nothing, but if I were to go with the present mood of the country, I’d have to say that Hillary Rodham Clinton (Stop! We all know she’s running lol!) stands a better chance of becoming the Democratic nominee than the beloved Joe. And it won’t be because Mrs. Clinton is the better politician, or the more experienced legislator or even better liked than Biden. It’s what she isn’t that’s more likely than not going to give her a clearer shot as successor of the Obama Administration.
I don’t think the country has experienced this much diversity since John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the first Irish Catholic American to hold court in the Oval Office. That major feat seems like small potatoes compared to the election of a Barack Hussein Obama to the White house.
Thirteen years into the 21st century and America is slowly showing signs of embracing its diversity, the main reason why its so attractive to others born outside its perceived borders. Whichever way you may wish to see it, for better or for worse, President Obama and his Administration have successfully ushered in The New Vanguard in American politics.
THE ERA OF THE ‘NEW VANGUARD’ IN AMERICAN POLITICS
In the 2009 appointment of his Cabinet members, Obama’s choice of seven women (including Hillary as his Secretary of State), nine racial and ethnic minorities and only eight white men among its 21 members–whose overall age averaged 54 years–made his the most diverse Cabinet in history according to political analysts. It’s predicted that his new Cabinet selections, once completed, will also reflect more accurately what America looks like today.
As it should.
It doesn’t help the resistance to this change, that Americans–particularly the young voters who came of voting age within the last ten years or so–have witnessed the slow, embarrassing decay and deterioration of an antiquated Republican Party. It offers such a clear juxtaposition of how we no longer want our politics to look and act as opposed to what we do want.
Virtually unknown, seemingly untainted and un-corrupted by Big Money lobbyists, grass-rooted, youthful, innovative, broad-minded, humanist, energized and unafraid…these are the adjectives being applied to NewPolitician_5.0!
And just to be fair, Clinton and her people should not consider her a shoe-in for the candidacy in four years (remember how that worked out in ’08? Not so good.) There are quite a few politically aspirant stars out there who have cut their teeth on this new political vibe and are looking to go supernova in the American political galaxy. Gays and Lesbians, Latinos, Asians, young white and black men and women, the secular, the handicapped, Little People and even Mormons!…anyone can step up to the plate at any inning and upset her whole game, hoping for the opportunity to represent America, as seen through their eyes. Whether they’ll be the political trailblazers that these difficult times call for, well–only time will tell.
President Obama spoke to a group of women today at the White House and his message was clear – if you want a president who will fight for women’s rights, then he’s your man. Looking for someone who will erase all the gains women have made and return the nation to the 1900’s then vote for the other guy.
Though he never mentioned Romney – or the word Republican – in his 20-minute speech, Obama cautioned an auditorium of female entrepreneurs, academics and business leaders against returning “to the policies that got us into so many of the problems that we’ve been dealing with in the first place. That’s what’s at stake.”
“When it comes to our efforts on behalf of women and girls, I’m proud of the accomplishments that we can point to,” he said. He cited the first bill he signed into law, making it easier for women to demand equal pay, along with efforts to boost the number of girls taking science and math classes. “We’ve got a lot more to do. But there’s no doubt we’ve made progress.”
Citing his signature health care law – which Republicans and Romney have vowed to repeal – Obama charged that “they’re not just saying we should stop protecting women with pre-existing conditions. They’re also saying we should kick about a million young women off their parents’ health care plans.”
He also took issue with GOP support for cutting government funding of Planned Parenthood, saying: “They’re not just talking about restricting a woman’s ability to make her own health decision. They’re talking about denying, as a practical matter, the preventive care like mammograms that millions of women rely on.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/06/3540540/obama-touts-his-record-on-womens.html#storylink=cpy
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