Bush, Clinton Plan Public Chat in Toronto

(NEWSER) - The audience probably expected a throw-down. What they got was a sewing circle. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush sat down for a friendly chat yesterday in Toronto, emphasis on the friendly. The ex-presidents went out of their way to be agreeable, at times almost seeming like a support group, the New York Times reports. Bush even said that his mother thinks of Clinton “like a son,” then turned and said, "So, brother, good to be with you." More»

In new book, ex-prez discusses Lewinsky, Yeltsin's drunken caper

(NEWSER) - Between 1993 and 2001, historian Taylor Branch met regularly with then-President Clinton for a series of taped interviews. The transcripts form the basis of a new book, The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President, to be released next week. USA Today got a look and singles out some highlights:

• Secret Service agents had to corral a drunk Boris Yeltsin trying to hail a cab on Pennsylvania Avenue—wearing only his underwear. The Russian leader, who was bunking at Blair House, told them he wanted a pizza.

Leaders traditionally release limited number of pictures

(NEWSER) - When the five current, former, and future occupants of the Oval Office mugged together at the White House last week, one could almost hear the cash registers cha-chinging, reports Politico. All five will sign a limited 250 copies of the photo—with each keeping 50—instantly jacking the value to an estimated $6000 per photo. Works out to a cool $300000 for any chief exec looking for a little pocket money. More»

Book deal could be worth millions; lame-duck President must shelve ambitions

(NEWSER) - Laura Bush is likely to net millions from publishers bidding on her memoirs, the New York Post reports—not exactly the case for her lame-duck husband. “The wives of presidents generally write books that have a greater public interest,” one insider says. “Husbands usually try to rewrite history.” Adds another: “Dubya is going to have to wait about 5 years.” More»

US increasing spending on HIV treatment by $50 million

(NEWSER) - President Obama marked World AIDS Day with a promise of more money and increased attention both in the US and abroad, reports AP :

• The US will increase spending on HIV treatment within its own borders by $50 million.
• He promised to help 6 million people in hard-hit countries get access to proper medicine by 2014, raising the original goal by 2 million.
• The US also aims to help get drugs to 1.5 million pregnant women who are HIV-positive, to distribute 1 billion condoms in the developing world over the next two years, and to pay for 4.7 million male circumcisions in Africa.