The Sleuth: January 4, 2009 - January 10, 2009
Got Cash, Connections? Watch Obama's Inaugural Parade in Style
Looking for the perfect spot to watch the inaugural parade? A place where you can stay warm, have a cocktail in one hand, a gourmet hors d'oeuvre in the other and still have a great view of the presidential procession and all its revelry? Consider it done. As long as you're a $50,000 donor to the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The committee has rented out Central...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 9, 2009; 4:05 PM ET |
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Root Ball Could Draw Them All: Obamas, Oprah and...
Oprah Winfrey gestures at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast in Beverly Hills, Calif., Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Ah-hah! So now we know - or so we're told - where Oprah Winfrey will be celebrating the inauguration of her favorite president-elect. At least one of the nights while she's in town. She's widely expected to attend The Root Inaugural Ball,...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 8, 2009; 4:45 PM ET |
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Blackballing Official Balls, Blue Ball is Born
Think of yourself as a mover and shaker but haven't scored a ticket to one of the hotter unofficial balls on inauguration night? Or maybe you don't want to stand in line for hours on end on sticky floors just to get a rail drink at a cash bar at one of the 10 official balls at places like the National Guard Armory? Don't fret....
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 8, 2009; 12:50 PM ET |
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Can Sen. Kerry's New Chief of Staff Be Muzzled?
There are staffers on Capitol Hill who cash in big time after a few years and go make gobs of money in the private sector. And then there are those who are so loyal - almost to a fault - to their bosses that they never leave. And so it goes with David Wade, the longtime aide and sidekick to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who's...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 7, 2009; 1:30 PM ET |
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Freshest House Freshman Aaron Schock Carries a Big Stick
The House's youngest member brought the biggest entourage to his swearing in yesterday. (Photo -- Tina Aggee, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Photography, courtesy of Rep. Aaron Schock) The freshest of the fresh faces in the new freshmen class of the 111th Congress won the prize for bringing the largest contingent of supporters to his swearing-in ceremony Tuesday. Aaron Schock, a Republican of...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 7, 2009; 12:12 PM ET |
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Three House Members Wearing New Rings in the 111th
There was a whole lotta lovin' going on over the holidays for three members of Congress in particular. Perhaps most notably, rising Democratic star and - until now - heartthrob bachelor Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), 41, got married on New Year's Day to Tara Johnson, the state outreach coordinator for Alabama's forestry commission. The two were married in a small ceremony at the Renaissance Hotel...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 6, 2009; 4:42 PM ET |
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Defeated Tom Feeney, One Happy Warrior, Finds Work
There is life after Jack Abramoff after all. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.), who as of today is a former member of Congress, is rejoining his old law firm in Orlando. The firm, Fowler, O'Quinn, Feeney & Sneed, announced late yesterday that Feeney, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, would be rejoining the practice. Feeney lost his reelection in November thanks in part to...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 6, 2009; 12:26 PM ET |
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For Norm Coleman, a Juicy Steak on a Sour Night
So, where does a guy go when he loses his Senate seat to a comedian? To eat a big juicy steak at the Capital Grille, of course. And that's exactly what Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) did last night after Democratic challenger Al Franken, of Saturday Night Live fame, declared himself the winner of the zaniest Senate race of the cycle. But even though Franken's 225-vote...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 6, 2009; 10:10 AM ET |
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Obamamania Hits the Hill
While his goal was to win support for his economic stimulus plan, President-elect Barack Obama wound up not just wooing but outright wowing an already solid fan base in House Democratic leadership offices. Just by being there. Before meeting privately with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Obama went around her office introducing himself to the staff. "Hi, I'm Barack," he'd say, according to aides who were...
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Mary Ann Akers
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January 5, 2009; 4:14 PM ET |
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