Washington, DC – News Stories About Washington, DC - Page 41

Please, White Folks: Let Us Have DC for the Big Day

OPINION

Jan 13, 2009 5:59 PM CST

Please, White Folks: Let Us Have DC for the Big Day

You've had 43 chances to see a white prez inaugurated, after all; how about a day of atonement?

(Newser) - A unique plea for keeping crowds manageable in Washington during Barack Obama's inaugural festivities next week gets an (admittedly tongue-in-cheek) airing from blogger Sister Toldja on Me, Myself An Eye: Stay home, white people. Sheer math, for one thing, should do it: "Chances whites have had to go see...

I, Barack Obama's Stand-In ...

Jan 11, 2009 1:00 PM CST

I, Barack Obama's Stand-In ...

Full scale rehearsal for inauguration features ersatz First Family

(Newser) - A full-scale rehearsal for Barack Obama's inauguration unfolded in Washington before dawn yesterday, featuring a stand-in first family. A 26-year-old Army staff sergeant took an ersatz oath of office while a Navy yeoman playing Michelle Obama looked on, reports the Washington Post. Two children played Malia and Sasha. Each character...

Inaugural Parade a
'Staggering' Challenge

Jan 7, 2009 12:54 PM CST

Inaugural Parade a 'Staggering' Challenge

'Nobody has ever worried about where to put 10,000 buses before,' says Obama planner

(Newser) - The inauguration of Barack Obama will be a historic occasion, but some involved have other things on their minds, USA Today reports. “Nobody has ever worried about where to put 10,000 buses before,” said Peter Gage, an aide charged with planning the Jan. 20 Inaugural Parade. Some...

Networks
Prep for
Mega
Inaugural

Jan 7, 2009 7:08 AM CST

Networks Prep for Mega Inaugural

Exhuastive coverage of historic inauguration planned

(Newser) - TV networks are gearing up to cover what could be the most-watched presidential inauguration in history, the New York Times reports. The major networks are planning exhaustive coverage. Channels not known for political coverage like MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon plan to send reporters, and even the Home Shopping Network is...

Obama Arrives
in Washington

Jan 4, 2009 7:33 PM CST

Obama Arrives in Washington

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama landed in the Washington area tonight, setting up the final march toward his Jan. 20 inauguration. Obama landed hours after his pick for commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, took his name out of the running amid a federal grand jury investigation. The president-elect faces a...

Obama Girls
Off to DC

Jan 3, 2009 6:17 AM CST

Obama Girls Off to DC

Malia, Sasha start off in their new school Monday morning

(Newser) - Malia and Sasha Obama are on their way from the Windy City to Washington to start the new school semester on Monday, the Chicago Tribune reports. The family, who will be staying in a luxury hotel suite for the next 10 days, timed the move so the girls would experience...

Obamas to Move Into DC Hotel

UPDATED

Dec 31, 2008 10:34 AM CST

Obamas to Move Into DC Hotel

First family to settle into Hay Adams this weekend so girls can start school Monday

(Newser) - Barack Obama, who has mostly avoided the capital since the election, will move his family into a hotel suite this weekend, aides tell the New York Times. The girls will start school Monday and Obama will begin working with the new Congress on his stimulus package. While the Times didn't...

First Granny Mulls
White House Move

Dec 30, 2008 3:59 PM CST

First Granny Mulls White House Move

Resident mom-in-law good for the nation, if not the Obamas

(Newser) - With the Cabinet-pick mania waning, Beltway buffs are left speculating on whether first granny Marian Robinson will join the Obamas in their new residence. One poll places the move-in likelihood at 70%, and there's a petition going that supports "her presence in the Obama White House." Even...

Minneapolis, Seattle Top List
of Most Literate Cities

Dec 30, 2008 5:29 AM CST

Minneapolis, Seattle Top List of Most Literate Cities

Read all about it

(Newser) - New York may be America's cultural capital, but Seattle and Minneapolis top the list as the nation's most literate cities, reports LiveScience. The rankings are based on newspaper, magazine, and online news readership, library usage, book purchases, and educational levels. The two cities also topped the list last year....

House Movers Shuffle
182 Offices Over Recess

Dec 29, 2008 6:11 PM CST

House Movers Shuffle 182 Offices Over Recess

Congress buzzes with activity even without lawmakers

(Newser) - Congress may be on Christmas recess, but movers are working overtime to shuffle the contents of 182 House offices to new digs for the new session beginning Jan. 6. Returning members of Congress are trading up to bigger offices, better views, or more convenient locations, CQ reports. New members of...

Obama's Inaugural Dance Card Is Full: Ten Balls

Dec 24, 2008 2:15 PM CST

Obama's Inaugural Dance Card Is Full: Ten Balls

Next First Couple will be stretched thinner, by one gala, than Bushes in '05

(Newser) - The new First Couple will have plenty of opportunity to showcase their dance moves, the Washington Post reports, with 10 different inaugural balls scheduled for the night of Jan. 20—one more party than President Bush had in 2005. But the question on many minds is: What will Michelle wear,...

Huge Pipe Break
Traps DC-Area Drivers

Dec 23, 2008 9:46 AM CST

Huge Pipe Break Traps DC-Area Drivers

Boats used for rescue as 4-foot-deep, frigid water gushes around cars in Md. suburb

(Newser) - Rescuers in helicopters scrambled to pull motorists from frigid floodwaters unleashed by a massive water pipe break this morning on a commuter road just outside Washington. TV images showed two people in a minivan climbing into a basket lowered from a helicopter overhead. Rescuers also used a boat to save...

DC Cuts in Half Inaugural Crowd Estimates

Dec 22, 2008 8:05 AM CST

DC Cuts in Half Inaugural Crowd Estimates

Transit survey shows about 2.5M are heading for the capital

(Newser) - Washington officials have sliced in half earlier estimates for the number of people expected to swarm Washington for the inauguration, the Washington Post reports. The original projections, as high as 5 million, were founded on the election’s historic nature, while revised numbers are based on talks with transport companies...

Deep Throat Made
Newspapers 'Cool'

APPRECIATION

Dec 20, 2008 1:10 PM CST

Deep Throat Made Newspapers 'Cool'

(Newser) - Mark Felt's life inspires an appreciation of a heroic man, but also of the romance and significance of journalism, Hank Stuever writes in the Washington Post. In fact, you could say “that the idea of him had died already, a few years ago, when he allowed the world to...

Detroit's Not the Only Place
That Needs 'Restructuring'

OPINION

Dec 19, 2008 12:46 PM CST

Detroit's Not the Only Place That Needs 'Restructuring'

DC should streamline many useless layers

(Newser) - Lawmakers want to restructure Detroit’s auto industry—but Congress could use a little makeover, too, writes Philip K. Howard in the Wall Street Journal. He offers a prescription to streamline the government as one would a corporation:

Dump “legacy obligations.” Like Detroit, Congress must ditch old promises

...

Oprah House-Hunting
in DC

Dec 19, 2008 12:19 PM CST

Oprah House-Hunting in DC

Oprah Winfrey starts housing search in DC.

(Newser) - Call it Chicago on the Potomac—Oprah Winfrey and the Obamas may soon be neighbors again. The multimedia titan, an early and enthusiastic supporter of the president-elect’s campaign, is house-hunting in Washington, the New York Post reports. The hot rumor is that she's leaning toward a $50 million Georgetown...

Cash-Poor Newspapers Decamp From Washington

ANALYSIS

Dec 18, 2008 2:43 PM CST

Cash-Poor Newspapers Decamp From Washington

Cost of covering DC wins out over concerns about informing the public

(Newser) - US newspapers are shuttering their Washington bureaus—though hardly for lack of news, the New York Times reports. Consolidation and a steep fall-off in ad dollars have forced many to reevaluate their coverage in recent years, leading to a focus on local news and a reliance on agencies for coverage...

DC Ups Defenses
for Inauguration

Dec 17, 2008 1:57 PM CST

DC Ups Defenses for Inauguration

No specific threat, says general in detailing January plans

(Newser) - The Pentagon plans a dramatic expansion of the military presence in Washington to coincide with Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 4,000 National Guardsmen and 7,500 active-duty troops will augment local police and security forces, while air patrols will be increased. No...

Obamas Can't Check in Early to White House Guest Pad

Dec 13, 2008 6:31 AM CST

Obamas Can't Check in Early to White House Guest Pad

President-elect told he can't move into official guest house early

(Newser) - Washington's hotels are booked solid for January and the Obamas have joined those struggling to find a place to stay, the New York Times reports. The president-elect and his wife had hoped to move into Blair House, the official White House guest house, in time for the girls to start...

DC's Moods:
Excitement,
Audacity,
Anxiety

OPINION

Dec 12, 2008 8:43 AM CST

DC's Moods: Excitement, Audacity, Anxiety

Brooks sees three themes in the capital

(Newser) - David Brooks "has been working tirelessly to understand the spirit of the American capital," and he lays out three main themes in the New York Times:

This isn't so much a transition as a "season of rebirth.” The impending inauguration feels like an "ancient tribal

...