Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Happy Birthday Mr. President, fundraising style
Washington - President Obama will head home to Chicago Wednesday for birthday-themed fundraisers.One thousand five hundred people are expected at the historic Aragon Ballroom Wednesday night, according to Katie Hogan, deputy press secretary for Obama's re-election campaign. Attendees paid a minimum of $50 per ticket, which will flow to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint account with the Democratic National Committee and the Obama re-election campaign.
Entertainment for the event, on the eve of the president's 50th birthday, will include rock band OK Go, Jennifer Hudson and Herbie Hancock.
Entertainment for the event, on the eve of the president's 50th birthday, will include rock band OK Go, Jennifer Hudson and Herbie Hancock.
The president will attend a 100-person dinner before the larger event. Individuals spent up to $35,800 for a ticket, $5,000 of which will go to the Obama campaign. The remainder of the funds will go to the DNC.
Prior to the fundraisers, the president will hold video teleconferences in 1,100 birthday house parties across the country set to last between 10 and 15 minutes. In addition, top Democrats and campaign officials will host seven "surrogate fundraisers" throughout the country, according to Hogan.
Wednesday's events are the first held by the president during the third fundraising quarter. His last event on June 30th was in Philadelphia.
Republicans jumped on the string of events, accusing the president of playing politics amid rough economic times.
In a conference call with reporters, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said the president's leadership has been nonexistent, "unless of course it's taking the initiative to raise campaign cash."
"The fundraiser in chief is back in Chicago doing the one thing that he's really good at and that's raising money to save his job," Priebus said according to a transcript provided by the RNC.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released a videoWednesday morning in-step with his campaign message that "Obama isn't working." The nearly minute-long spot highlighted the rise in unemployment and drop in housing prices in Chicago since Obama took office.
The White House announced a Midwest bus tour on Wednesday to refocus the president's attention on the U.S. economy, one day after he signed legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling.
Six California police officers placed on leave in homeless man's death
Los Angeles -- Six Fullerton, California, police officers were placed on involuntary administrative leave as the FBI and Orange County District Attorney investigate the death of a homeless man who was in police custody, authorities said Wednesday.The decision by Police Chief Michael Sellers came just hours before a contentious Fullerton City Council meeting Tuesday evening. More than 100 residents spent three hours at the meeting expressing outrage about the death of Kelly Thomas, who sustained serious injuries during the July 5 arrest by the officers, a police spokesman said.
"They're pretty much homebound," police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Goodrich told CNN Wednesday. The officers will remain on salary; their names weren't released, he said.
"Any sort of termination, suspension or exoneration for the matter will occur at the end of the investigation," Goodrich said.
During Tuesday evening's council meeting, Thomas' father, Ron, expressed anger about how his son died in police custody. He accused the police of beating his son.
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"I just wonder where my son's rights went as a citizen," Thomas told the council. "Where were his rights? Listen to my son beg those officers, 'Please, please, God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.' And the last words of his life, 'Dad! Dad!' I want you to hear that for the rest of your life like I will."
The FBI is investigating whether Kelly Thomas' civil rights were violated during the incident, said Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles office.
The Fullerton police have classified the incident as an "in-custody death," Goodrich said.
The incident between Kelly Thomas and the police officers, at a Fullerton bus depot, was captured on video, local authorities said.
"There are things that you can see and there's things you can't," Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the Orange County District Attorney's office, told CNN about the video. "Your heart is sad watching what happens in the case."
So far, the district attorney's office has interviewed 80 persons, and it is expected to interview 20 more, Schroeder said.
Authorities haven't established an official cause of death and are awaiting results from a coroner's autopsy and toxicology tests, Schroeder said.
On July 5 at around 8:30 p.m., officers responded to reports that a man was trying to break into cars near the city bus depot three blocks from city hall, police said. Fullerton is 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
The responding officers identified the suspect as Kelly Thomas, 37, a homeless man who frequented the area, police said.
An altercation took place between the police officers and Thomas. Thomas sustained serious injuries during his arrest and was taken to a local hospital, police said. Five days later, Thomas was removed from life support and died, police said.
Upon the police department's request, the Orange Country District Attorney took over the investigation of the case, police said.
Football great and 'Police Academy' star Bubba Smith dies
Former college and pro football star Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith, who went on to an acting career after his retirement from sports, was found dead at his home, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said Wednesday. He was 66.Police and fire officials were called to Smith's home after "he was found unresponsive" and pronounced him dead, said Ed Winter, assistant chief of operations and investigation for the coroner.
An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death, Winter said. However, asked if there was any reason to believe the death was due to anything other than natural causes, he replied, "Not at this time."
An imposing 6 foot 8 and 260 pounds, Smith was considered one of the most fearsome pass rushers of his day. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 National Football League draft, he played nine seasons in the NFL -- for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers.
He played for the Colts in two Super Bowls and was also a two-time Pro Bowl pick.
Smith was one of the anchors of an overwhelming defense that was heavily favored to win Super Bowl III. Nonetheless, the New York Jets, led by Joe Namath, defeated the Colts in the 1969 championship of pro football, widely considered one of the biggest upsets in U.S. sports history.
The Colts atoned for that embarrassment -- somewhat -- two years later in a 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, but Smith reportedly said he was so dismayed by the game's sloppiness that he never wore his Super Bowl ring.
Smith was sidelined by a severe knee injury during an exhibition game in 1972, and the next season joined the Raiders. He told Sports Illustrated in 1973 that "not playing was terrible. I didn't want to show my face in public. I don't know if it was that we were losing or what, but it almost drove me crazy."
After retiring from pro football in 1975, Smith landed small roles on TV series such as "Good Times," "Charlie's Angels" and "Semi-Tough," according to IMDb, before landing his signature role as Lt. Moses Hightower in the first "Police Academy" movie in 1984. He reprised the role in all six movies in the popular comedy franchise.
Smith was a two-time All-America defensive end at Michigan State University. He played in what the national media dubbed "the game of the century" between Michigan State and Notre Dame in 1966, a 10-10 tie that resulted in the two teams' splitting the vote for that year's national championship.
Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988, an event he called "the jewel in my crown, for my collegiate days were very special to me."
Smith was born on February 28, 1945, in Beaumont Texas. His father was a high school football coach and his mother had earned two college degrees. According to his member biography on the College Football Hall of Fame website, he said he took his parents with him when he went to speak to youth groups "to demonstrate my respect for them."
Halle Berry's ex-husband marries Prince's ex-wife
Get ready to throw some e-rice: Eric Benet, (Halle Berry's ex-husband) tied the knot with Manuela Testolini (Prince's ex-wife) on Sunday, CNN has confirmed.The longtime couple reportedly married in Newport Beach, California after being engaged for eight months. Benet told Us Weekly in January that he used a love song to propose to Testolini last November.
"During a romantic dinner, I decided to finally let Manuela hear 'Never Want to Live Without You,' a song off my new album that I had written for her," Benet recalled. "I sang it to her, then got down on one knee and proposed."
Benet, who has teen daughter India from a prior relationship, may also be expecting a little one. According to Radar Online, the newlyweds are rumored to have announced that Manuela is pregnant during the reception.
After four years of marriage, Halle Berry divorced R&B singer Benet in 2005 amid allegations he was cheating. Testolini and Prince split in 2006, after five years of marriage.
Jennifer Lopez Gives Vanity Fair Her First Interview Since Announcing Her Divorce from Marc Anthony
“That was my biggest dream, and I really worked hard at it. We both did,” Jennifer Lopez tells Vanity Fair in her first interview since announcing that she and Marc Anthony are divorcing. “Sometimes it doesn’t work—and that’s sad. But I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love,” Lopez says. “It’s still my biggest dream. I am positive—determined to move forward with my life, bring up my babies, and do the best job I can as a mother, entertainer, and person. I now look forward to new challenges. I feel strong.”Lopez opens up to contributing editor Lisa Robinson about her life with Anthony and the example she hopes to set for her children; she talks about her relationship with P. Diddy and breaking off her engagement to Ben Affleck; she’s honest about the diva rumors that surround her, and shares her attitudes toward money, fame, and especially love. “I’m a hopeless romantic and passionate person when it comes to love,” Lopez explains, describing the passage that has brought her to her current state of mind. “It’s not that I didn’t love myself before. Sometimes we don’t realize that we are compromising ourselves. To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself—if I stay, then I am not doing the right thing for me. I love myself enough to walk away from that now.”
“I will always respect Marc as a singer and performer,” Lopez tellsVanity Fair. “We actually work great together, and he was always very supportive. Together we could make magic—and we did. He will always be in our lives. He will always hold a special place in my heart as the father of my children.”
Photo by Mario Testino.The September issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands in New York and L.A. on Wednesday, August 3 and nationally and on the iPad on Tuesday, August 9.
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