Obama Honors NASCAR as 'Uniquely American'

Jimmie Johnson will show, but Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, others bow out

(NEWSER) - Are some of NASCAR’s top drivers snubbing the president? Barack Obama has invited 12 NASCAR drivers to the White House for an event honoring champion Jimmie Johnson—and five of them aren’t planning on showing up, SB Nation reports. While Johnson himself will be there, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart have all bowed out citing “schedule conflicts.” More»

(NEWSER) - It's no secret that Barack Obama is an avid hoopster and that his presidency could usher in an era of basketball diplomacy, but a New York Times feature on the politics of presidential sports notes a potential hurdle for the president-elect: He's inheriting a cruddy basketball court. Little-used since Bush the elder installed it outside in 1991, the court is small, suffers a weathered and cracked surface, and has but one hoop. More»

'Accommodation' for religious employers will likely be announced today

(NEWSER) - The White House yesterday signaled a compromise over its contentious birth control decision, and the Wall Street Journal confirms that an attempt to accommodate the Catholic Church will likely be announced today. Details remain hazy, but one source tells the Journal that insurance companies, not religious employers, will become the ones who pay for contraception coverage. ABC News notes the move would be cheaper for health insurance companies than having to cover unwanted pregnancies and complications. But since the "accommodation" will still allow female employees access to birth control, Jake Tapper notes, it will likely not satisfy religious leaders. More»

Tim Thomas skips out on White House visit

(NEWSER) - All-star goalie Tim Thomas skipped out on a visit to the White House with the rest of his Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins yesterday, snubbing President Obama's offer of congratulations because he's not happy with the size of the federal government. "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People," he wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and the Bruins website . "This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government." More»

Nope, says spokesman: event reports, pics are online

(NEWSER) - At the nadir of the economic crisis, the Obama White House held a lavish Alice in Wonderland-themed Halloween costume party, organized by Johnny Depp and Tim Burton and full of Star Wars character. But with unemployment at 10%, the Tea Party at its apex, and the economic downturn still rocking the country, officials feared the 2009 party would look terribly decadent, so kept it a secret, reports the New York Post . “White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans—or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care—that the event was not discussed publicly, and Burton’s and Depp’s contributions went unacknowledged,” alleges Jodi Kantor in her new book, The Obamas . More»