Rangel Sorry for Obama 'Life in Danger' Crack

Gibbs says president didn't spend too much on Broadway jaunt

(NEWSER) - Barack and Michelle Obama didn’t break the bank on their much-publicized date in New York City, Robert Gibbs told the White House press corps yesterday. “I would say the costs are proportionate with other presidents,” Gibbs said, though he declined to name a specific figure. He said the Obamas would have rather taken the shuttle flight from Washington, but Secret Service restrictions prevented it. More»

(AP) - President Barack Obama made good on a campaign promise to his most important supporter tonight—his wife, Michelle. The president and first lady jetted for a date in New York late this afternoon, aides and media in tow. "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished," the president said in a statement read by an aide. More»

Key congressman's probe could hurt Obama's agenda

(NEWSER) - The Blagojevich mess may appear more damaging, but the bigger concern for Barack Obama is the scandal surrounding Charles Rangel, who is under scrutiny for a number of questionable dealings, writes Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal. Blago may soon be out of Obama’s hair, but Rangel's status as chair of the House Ways and Means committee could mean bigger political impediments for Obama. More»

Evoking memories of King, Kennedys stirs anxieties over safety

(NEWSER) - "Stop worrying," Barack Obama tells supporters. “I've got the best protection in the world.” But they're worrying anyway: Even as supporters have watched their candidate rocket from longshot to frontrunner, their anxieties about a possible assassination attempt have grown, the New York Times reports. “Some candidates are bigger targets than others," ex-contender Gary Hart notes. "Any transition candidate or change candidate has a higher profile.” More»

Winfrey-Obama relationship breaks down, Edward Klein alleges

(NEWSER) - BFFs no more? A new, unauthorized, and contentious Barack Obama biography alleges that the relationship between Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey has been deteriorating ever since the early days of Obama’s presidency, the Telegraph reports. According to The Amateur, by former New York Times Magazine editor Edward Klein, Obama advisers Valerie Jarrett and Desirée Rogers grew worried about Winfrey’s closeness to the Obama family and Michelle herself became jealous of the influence Winfrey had over her husband. More»