White House staffers may have lulled the Twitterverse to the deepest depths of boredom with a live #WHCHAT on fiscal policy. But the potentially never ending back and forth was punctuated with an interrobang. more ›

The blog Failed Messiah was the first to post an image from a story in a Hasidic newspaper, Der Tzitung (or Der Zeitung depending on which Bubby you ask), showing an altered reality of the newly iconic Situation Room photo taken during the Osama bin Laden strike. more ›

Roast was on the menu Saturday night at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner thanks to aspiring comedian and President of the United States, Barry McSassypants. Following a short film montage and a barrage of birther-absurdity jokes, Obama went on to skewer Trump and others. Further proving his American-ness, Obama also screened a clip from his "official birth video," which hilariously turned out to be a clip from [SPOILER BLOCK]. more ›

At 8:00 a.m. West Coast time, President Obama will lead the nation in a moment of silence to mark a shared grief and support for the victims of this weekend's shooting in Arizona, according to the LA Times. The shooting rampage of suspect Jared Lee Loughner has left six people dead and another 14 injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). more ›

It's down to six finalists in the White House's Commencement Challenge, and one of the contenders is a Lawndale high school with an amazing story of growth and success. 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 ›

Last night, the President and First Lady welcomed guests to the White House's first state dinner of the Obama administration, and the event was occasion to show off the bounty harvested from their garden. On the menu were items like "potato and eggplant salad with White House-grown arugula, and entrees that included roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra, or a meal of green curry prawns," according to TreeHugger. more ›

Here in Los Angeles there is a valued relationship between the food on our plates and the ground from which it comes. From weekly stops at favorite farmers' markets to digging in at a local community garden, the bounty of the land and its role in our eating lives has a profound meaning for many Angelenos, and Americans. Local Chefs are eager to share how they use the market to influence their menu, like Grace and BLD's Neal Fraser and Ford Filling Station's Ben Ford, while some, like Border Grill and Ciudad's Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have partnered with the LAUSD to help reinforce the importance of garden-based learning and to be conscious of what we eat. The politics of eating has become a local focal point, thanks to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's championing a Food Policy Task Force this summer as we celebrated 30 years of farmers' markets in L.A. more ›

The man accused of making a false bomb threat the White House and later leading police and Secret Service agents on a chase that ended in a standoff that last over eight hours, was charged today in court. Joseph Moshe, 56, of Westchester racked up two counts--making a false bomb threat and criminal threats against a 911 operator--pleaded not guilty today in court. If convicted on both charges, Moshe could end up with four years in prison. His next court date is September 16th. more ›

The man standing off with police in Westwood since 10:30 a.m. was arrested without incident more than eight hours later when police approached the vehicle and pulled him out. He is reportedly Joe Moshe, 56, of Westchester. more ›

A police pursuit that began in Westchester has ended in a standoff between the suspect and police outside the federal building in Westwood. Officers from Pacific Division attempted to detain the suspect on a warrant when he fled in a Volkswagen, prompting the pursuit around 10 a.m. The suspect reportedly has made threats against the White House and the Secret Service is apparently involved, according to the LA Times. Veteran Avenue has been shut down near Wilshire and a nearby apartment building has been evacuated. UPDATE, 2:15 p.m.: The SWAT team has been deployed. UPDATE, 5 p.m.: Standoff still ongoing, suspect possibly identified. UPDATE, 7:45 p.m.: The suspect has been arrested. more ›

Who knew our little freeway that could was the largest and most stimulated project in all of the state. Ripped from a White House press release about California meeting Recovery Act goals ahead of schedule: "As of today, California’s largest ARRA-funded project is the I-405 in Los Angeles County that will be widened and include several interchange upgrades along a 10-mile stretch of HOV lanes. This project is located in an economically distressed area and relies on $190 million in ARRA funding to go toward the total cost of $739 million for the project." The only 10-mile 405 freeway HOV widening project listed on Metro's website is located in the "economically distressed" areas between the 10 Freeway and Ventura Blvd... you know, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Brentwood, Westwood Village, etc. Still, once completed, it should be happier days for many. more ›

President Barack Obama's trip to Southern California just got a lot better. Not only will he be hosting a town hall in Orange County on Wednesday, he'll have one in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, too. 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 ›

According to Cassandra LaValle at coco + kelley, Los Angeles-based designer Michael Smith, has been selected to design the White House interiors for the Obama family. Smith's California mixes classic European influences with a more casual California sensibility. more ›

A rollercoaster ride may resemble Democratic National Committee member Ed Espinoza's 2008 but it doesn't paint the whole picture. Rollercoasters don't quite peak like Espinoza's year. He was part of the process which saw his party’s historic candidate elected to the country’s highest office. more ›

Vice President-Elect Joe Biden has a new puppy. more ›

Henry Waxman, the congressman who represents the Westside, was voted today as the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most important House committees with "sweeping jurisdiction over energy, the environment, consumer protection and health care programs," the Associated Press says. He had chaired the committee for 16 years, but most recently was the Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee that investigated the White House, among other tasks. more ›

It's official(ish). Delaware Senator Joe Biden is Senator Barack Obama's vice presidential pick, according to a CNN text message alert. more ›

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Yesterday's Britney Spears conservatorship hearing was like a ghost town. You see, only lawyers representing both sides of the family were there and in the end, father James Spears' temporary control over her life and estate was extended until at least March 10, allowing him to handle financial matters at the moment such as her taxes. more ›

• As was reported today on LAist, the writer's strike, which cost the city about $1 billion, is nearly over. We all know how involved Mayor V has been nudging the two sides back together. Oh, wait. But at least he weighed in today: "This agreement is a blockbuster for the Los Angeles economy. It will put thousands of writers, set designers, caterers, and behind-the-scenes workers back on the job this week." Blockbuster! HA!
• Election central: Barack Obama added a Grammy to his momentous weekend and Hillary Clinton sacked her campaign manager today. Obama won the award for his oratorically smooth stylins, reading Audacity of Hope and Clinton announced today that she replaced her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with longtime aide Maggie Williams in what has had to be a long weekend for beset by four resounding primary and caucus wins by Obama in Washington, Maine, Louisiana and Nebraska.
• The rest of the Grammy winners can be found here and you'll be happy to know that Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra took the prize for best polka album.
• Is Scientology a cult? Blogging.la found a few Anonymous people who might think so at a demonstration outside the L. Ron Hubbard center on Sunset today.
• A week after a plane crashed into the mountains near Banning Pass, rescuers reported Sunday that they have found the plane more than 11 miles from the site where it was originally reported missing. The fate of all four people on the plane is still unknown.
• Six kids and three adults from southern California fell ill today in D.C., where the group of students from West Covina and their chaperone's were visiting the White House. Insert [Bush Makes Me Sick, Too] joke here.
• From the turnabout is fair play department: A former Internal Revenue Service officer working as a tax preparer in Inglewood has been arrested in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the government by filing false tax returns. How big of an economic stimulus check do you think he's getting?

Los Angeles is $75 million in the red and the state is using the same colored crayon at $14 billion. And where's the Mayor? He's spending a lot of time with Hillary Clinton. more ›

Pass the Bud Light and hold your babies tight to your laps: A grassroots movement has shot up on Venice Beach (surprise, surprise) to elect two of the most high-profile names in America to the White House. (And, no, Lindsay, that doesn't mean your dealer's pad.) more ›

For baseball fans under the age of 35, reading the Mitchell report should be like taking repeated shots to the groin without the Nutty Buddy. more ›

President Bush may have passed a $460 billion defense bill, but he has vetoed a $150 billion bill that would have funded the Labor and Health and Human Services departments according to a report by the Daily News. It is also rumored that he will veto an upcoming $105.6 billion transportation bill. Congress is gearing up for a battle, with House Republicans upholding presidential vetoes and Democrats accusing their GOP counterparts of ignoring the... more ›

1. The Obvious- My parents and sister are the most important people in the world to me. They support me in every boneheaded endeavor I partake in, and believe me, there are tons. It's astonishing how many, actually. 2. My friends. Once again, totally obvious. Once again, they're totally awesome. Much love to Porter House, SLC, Shalhevet, AU, and everyone who fits into all, some, or none of those categories. World rockers, each and every... more ›

In a stunning accusation of a crime that in most circles is tantamount to treason, former White House mouthpiece Scott McClellan claims that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Karl Rove and others were all in on outting 20-year CIA agent Valerie Plame. Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan blames President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity... more ›

The other shoe has dropped in the Barry Bonds steroid scandal as today federal prosecutors formerly accused the former Giant of obstructing justice and lying under oath. "I'm surprised," John Burris, one of Bonds' attorneys, told the AP, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. "I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before." Even the president of the United States chimed in - thru a proxy.... more ›