Nancy Reagan: 'I See Ronnie'

First Lady puts tries to do things differently

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama often says she “wasn’t meant to be” in the White House, but those watching her “natural” progression to international figure might beg to differ, write Nancy Gibbs and Michael Scherer in Time. Most First Ladies get asked about what they’re “really like”—but with Michelle’s enormous “symbolic power,” the question put to her is: “What does she mean?” More»

Host to give fans a look at White House interview, new puppy

(NEWSER) - Oprah Winfrey will tell viewers all about her White House interview with Michelle Obama on today's show, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The host also plans to give fans their first look at the cocker spaniel puppy she adopted from a Chicago shelter recently. The Obama interview will be showcased in next month's issue of Oprah's O Magazine. More»

First lady dishes on husband's skills with Jay Leno

(NEWSER) - If you thought the recent clip of President Obama singing was a fluke, think again: "He does have a beautiful voice, and he sings to me all the time," Michelle Obama told Jay Leno last night. Her husband often sings that very same song (Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"), she said, adding, "He sings a lot of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, a little Stevie [Wonder]. He likes the classics." More»

First lady responds to claims made in Jodi Kantor's book

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama says she hasn't read Jodi Kantor's new—and, at times, unflattering—book on the Obamas, but she does take offense to what's in it. Speaking to CBS co-anchor/long-time pal Gayle King, Obama explains that she has grown weary of people portraying her as "some kind of angry black woman." Kantor's book sets a scene in which tension (and, on one occasion, profanities) ran rampant between the first lady and Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs ; the New York Times reporter also depicts Michelle Obama as a somewhat unwilling participant who felt wary of and constrained by life in the White House. More»

First lady has been a powerful player in her husband's White House: Book

(NEWSER) - A new (unauthorized) book by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor depicts Michelle Obama as an "unrecognized force" in her husband's administration, according to an adaptation of The Obamas in the Times . Though initially reluctant to be a meddling first lady, she began voicing concerns when she felt her husband's big-picture agenda was getting sacrificed to mundane politics and even pushed the president to shake up his team of advisers, writes Kantor. Some highlights:

• Clashes with Rahm: She had a testy relationship with former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and he "chafed" at her influence. The president once passed along a criticism of hers to his staff ("She feels as if our rudder isn't set right"), and Emanuel reportedly repeated it with disdain to others. The excerpts also note that Emanuel offered his resignation at one point, when his criticisms about health care reform went public.