Yesterday was not only Veterans Day but the kick-off game for the NCAA season. The Navy and NCAA came together to celebrate both veterans and basketball (despite the NBA lockout). more ›

With the time suck that was the debt ceiling deal finally signed, it's time for President Obama to get back to raising money for his re-election campaign. Fortunately for the campaign, President Obama is celebrating his birthday today (the big 5-0), which provides ample opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments while collecting campaign cash. more ›

Attention-starved real estate tycoon and reality television superstar Donald Trump is going to run for president in 2012, according to the media. Visibly embarrassed after being shamed by The President, The Donald, and The Public at large after seeing the clamp come down on a far-right fringe group called The Birthers, the media establishment gladly passed the mic off to Trump on Wednesday. more ›

President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union "Sputnik" address on Tuesday night illustrating convoluted inefficiencies in department structure with stories about salmon, urging people to become teachers, stressing innovation, emphasizing education that begins at home, detailing the realities of global competition and outlining a plan that includes a whole lot of working together to recapture the American dream. Here's a clock-y representation of how the speech was divided up c/o the folks at Neon Tommy. They've also posted an interesting look at word choice in Obama's speeches over the past two years with a Wordle roundup. more ›

A selection of pieces by street artist Banksy and a limited edition Shepard Fairey are at auction today at Bonhams in London. Among the Bansky pieces is a series of commissioned works by Greenpeace as part of a campaign against deforestation that depict cartoon characters from "The Jungle Book" bound and blindfolded against a photographic backdrop of a ravaged forest. more ›

Conflicting reports have been released about the condition of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot at close range this morning in Arizona. Last CNN update reported nine patients, including a child in either serious or critcial condition and undergoing surgery. more ›

Well, she's been threatening it for weeks, but now apparently it's official - Orly Taitz has decided to run for the Republican Party's nomination for California's Secretary of State. Goddess help us. Who is this Taitz, you ask? Well, after escaping the musty totalitarian backwater of Moldova and washing up on the sunny, liberal shores of Orange County, attorney/dentist/real estate agent, Lady Miss Taitz, has become well known as the "Queen of the Birthers." more ›

Wiley Drake, a Southern Baptist Pastor in Buena Park, is one of those people trying via legal means to oust President Barack Obama from office, contending he's not a natural born citizen. And that's after he dropped praying for the President's death, saying he now rather see Obama face charges. But other politicians and places are still within Drake's rada like Haiti, which apparently made a deal with Satan, and Congressman John Murtha, who recently passed away. more ›

Today the LA Lakers will be meeting President Obama at the White House in honor of their last season NBA championship win, according to the Daily News. Heading to the nation's capital is the team, along with Coach Phil Jackson and Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson, all of whom will join President Obama for a ceremony in the White House's Palm Room. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

David Plouffe, at 42-years-old, has likely reached the pinnacle of his career. He successfully guided a little known junior senator from Illinois to the highest echelon of national power while galvanizing an electorate burnt out from eight years of rancorous political discourse. In, "The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory," Plouffe details the campaign from its infancy to present day. He takes us on a highly detailed journey in which he initially demurred at the prospect of managing the campaign, through the difficulties of the two-year campaign and the ultimate elation felt after America elected its first black president. He joined us Monday for a chat about what that experience was like, why he was surprised by McCain's campaigns tactics and what lies ahead for the architect of Change as he readies for an appearance Tuesday in Pasadena. more ›

Believe it or not, Shepard Fairey’s work isn’t in this art exhibit. M+B gallery presents the first exhibit of never-before-seen photographs of President Barack Obama from his freshman year Occidental College. (Eagle Rock in the house!) Lisa Jack, then a photo student at Oxy, sought a striking subject for a portrait project and was tipped off about a charismatic student named “Barry” Obama. Little did anyone know that 28 years later, the subject would become the 44th President of the United States. The opening reception (with eco-friendly cocktails provided by Veev) will be held tonight from 6-9 pm. “Barack Obama: The Freshman” runs until July 18. more ›

Did you like Heidi and Spencer’s Q&A yesterday? Then tonight’s your night because the Paley Fest brings the cast of The Hills to the Cinerama Dome at 7 pm tonight. Though Spence isn’t on the bill, Heidi, Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Brody Jenner and Lo Bosworth are. And you never know what may happen with this crew anyway. Tickets are $45-$60. If you have a question for them, post it here. more ›

Last month, when President Barack Obama announced his town hall-style meeting in Los Angeles, thousands of locals scrambled, as directed, to enter their names in a lottery to win free tickets to the "public" event. But, while "it was free [...] it wasn't exactly public," points out the Daily News. more ›

President Obama (he's in SoCal today and tomorrow) is a known hoops fan. Taking five minutes out of his busy schedule, he offers his Presidential take on how college basketball's annual horserace may start and finish. Sorry Bruins and Trojans, he's not too kind on the Pac-10. more ›

Australia is the sort of sprawling, epic film that I typically lap up like gravy on a biscuit. Something about it just felt flat, though. Probably the presence of the icy, tight-faced Kidman who continues to defy belief by getting prominent roles in big-budget films despite being proven box-office poison. I would have watched London Yorkshire Terriers, but I refuse to watch Beverly Hills Rat Dogs. I wonder if Alan Moore hates this "digital comic" version of his graphic novel as much as he hates EVERY OTHER adaptation of his work. more ›

Los Angeles-based PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley hosted the State of the Black Union today at the Convention Center. On this, the last day of Black History Month--in the same year an African-American man took the Presidential oath--thousands of people gathered to take part in the event that "was created to educate, enlighten and empower America by bringing people together and engaging them in thoughtful dialogue, leading the way to constructive action." more ›

San Gabriel Valley Congresswoman Hilda Solis is President Barack Obama's choice for Labor secretary. But a republican senator is using a secret hold--more formally known as a senatorial hold--to delay a vote on her confirmation. It's apparently because of her "support for 'card check' legislation aimed at facilitating union organization and another bill regarding pay-discrimination, and for non-responsive answers during her confirmation hearing," the Pasadena Star News reported via the Washington Post. If she's ultimately rejected, a group of hopefuls eyeing her seat are going to be disappointed. more ›

Outside Mozza at Melrose and Highland, there are two fresh posters comparing Obama's inauguration as the 44th President to Sidney Poitier's portrayal of Dr. John Wade Prentice in the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In the classic movie, Prentice's Caucasian fiance introduces him to her family--who is expecting him to be white--for the first time at dinner. Could this be artist Robbie Conal's work or someone else? Posters are graffiti and graffiti is illegal, but it's nice when street art brings dialogue, or at the very least, an interesting perspective. more ›

Barack Obama was sitting next to George Clooney at a 2006 National Press Club event in Washington D.C. when freelance photographer Mannie Garcia snapped some shots of the now-president for the Associated Press. One o those images is now one of the most famous in the world. "It looks like the image that poster artist Shepard Fairey said looked presidential, telling the Washington Post: 'He is gazing off into the future, saying, 'I can guide you,' ' actually showed our new president listening to George Clooney. Or, probably more likely, fellow Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.)," said photographer and sleuth blogger Tom Gralish of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gralish was obsessed with finding the photo behind the Obama poster and he finally did. more ›

Here in Los Angeles, we often get satellite images showing smoke cover as wildfires burn across the Southland. But today was a day for Washington D.C. All those black little specks, or "ants" as CNN called them, are people. more ›

There was no way to avoid President Barack Obama's inauguration today if you were anywhere on the 'net, radio, or television - well, maybe if you were watching the Game Show Network you might've missed it. Most media organizations jumped into this inauguration with both feet which was encouraging. Hulu and Facebook streams were reportedly failing, along with several others. Twitter seemed to do OK after doubling capacity in preparation for the day. more ›

Just as fast as George Bush left for Texas, the new Barack Obama administration website was launched. It's quite slick and wants to communicate with you via a blog, RSS, an e-mail newsletter and more. more ›

In honor of this momentous occasion—a newfangled regime and a new lease on life—LAist would like to extend a musical goodie bag of sorts. LA-based record label Vosotros has released their latest endeavor ¡YES WE PUEDE!, a compilation of local artists covering nationalistic public domain tunes in honor of today's Presidential inauguration. The free eight-song disc, released under a CC BY-NC license, features LAist favorites Obi Best (LAist Interview, Review, #2), weyou and Learning Music. After all, we all deserve a handful of sweet songs for roughing it the last eight years. more ›

Overnight, french documentary filmmaker turned street artist Mr. Brainwash, or MBW, took his wall and redid it for inauguration day. On the side it states: Rosa Parks sat, so Martin Luther King Jr. could walk. Martin Luther King Jr. walked, so that Barack Obama could run. Barack Obama ran, so we could fly. more ›

On this historical day Barack Obama will toss his suddenly-dated business card, reading "President Elect," in favor of a new batch. President Of The United States of America. Congratulations Mr. President. more ›

Here's the full transcript as prepared for delivery of President Barack Obama's inaugural address: My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. more ›

Left the house this morning at 6 a.m. (that's 3 a.m. in California). The streets were already teeming with inauguration goers. There was a palpable sense of excitement, as there has been in DC for days. The swarm walked toward the capitol building in heavy anticipation of... something. No one knew exactly where they were going and security wasn't sure what to tell anyone. It was a mad house, a chaotic scene that was calmed by hundreds of red hatted volunteers who wished all a "happy inauguration day" and gave high-fives. more ›

* 6:45 a.m.: Prayer service at St. Johns ends; Obamas depart for the White House * 7:05 a.m.: Obamas have coffee with the Bushes. * 8 a.m.: Motorcade departs for the Capitol. * 8:30 a.m.: Sen. Dianne Feinstein will issue the call to order and deliver brief welcoming remarks. * 8:35 a.m.: Invocation from Dr. Rick Warren. * 8:40 a.m.: Performance by Aretha Franklin * 8:50 a.m.: Joe Biden is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice John Stevens * 8:56 a.m.: Barack Obama is sworn in as president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. more ›