Whether you consider yourself a Republican or a Democrat, Independent or blissfully unaware, one thing’s for certain when it comes to President Barack Obama: the man can sing. While speaking at a fundraiser at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, Obama belted a couple phrases of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and even the original soul singer is in shock from what he heard.

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What do we really know about Betty White? Is she really as old as she claims? Or is this “90th Birthday Party” all a sham to get gifts? Trust me, I play that game too. I’ve changed my birthday on Facebook more than once just to soak up a few more “Happy Bday” wall posts. Well President Obama (Or Barack as he likes to be known around here) is also pretty skeptical about the whole thing and he’s asked her to do the responsible thing and release her birth certificate.

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GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney came out ahead in Tuesday’s Iowa Caucus, with Ron Paul trailing closely behind. In the closest race in Iowa history, conservative Santorum and longtime frontrunner Romney both got 24.5% of the vote, with Santorum behind by only 8 measly votes. Ron Paul, a candidate many commentators had written off, received 21.5% of the vote. The caucus (because it’s first) basically predicts how the next year will go until a GOP challenger is chosen- so what we’ve got on our hands is a 3-way battle. Keep in mind, nothing’s a guarantee; Newt Gingrich (13.3 percent) and Rick Perry (10.3 percent) aren’t out of the race yet. It should be noted, however that Michele Bachmann (5 percent) did step down. But their not-so-great numbers mean getting back in the game won’t be easy. The New Hampshire primary is tomorrow, so stay tuned.

President Obama, America’s Commander in Chief, announced a new defense plan on Thursday that would cut $487 billion from the Pentagon’s defense budget in the next ten years. How would we save the money? By significantly downsizing the Army and Marine Corps ground troops. Lest the U.S. seem weak, the change will go along with an increased number of unmanned weapons and special forces, which are cheaper and for the most part safer. But is it a mistake to replace people with robots? We really don’t have any specific details yet, those won’t show up until the prez officially submits the plan to Congress for approval later this month.

Iran is getting closer to creating dangerous nuclear weapons. A week ago, they announced that Iranian scientists have produced the country’s first nuclear rods. Fuel-rods are a key step in the ultimate creation of an advanced nuclear weapon arsenal, and one the West thought Iran was incapable of. The last thing most U.S. politicians want is nukes in the hands of the Iranian government. Obama recently signed legislation toughening sanctions (financial penalties) against their production, and top two Republican Presidential contenders Romney and Santorum both announced they would consider launching military strikes against the country. So, basically, we’re nervous and scared.

The police showed up at the home of a little girl in Massachusetts to collect her overdue library books. 5-year-old Hailey of Charlton, Mass. had two books that were months overdue — tsk, tsk! — and the library (apparently worried they were dealing with a dangerous criminal?) contacted local police. Reportedly, Hailey burst into tears when the cops showed up and asked if she was going to be arrested and taken to jail… awwww! If you’re concerned, no, the offense won’t go on her permanent record.

Pic o’ the Week

Parent groups applauded Target for featuring a child with Downs Syndrome, 6-year-old Ryan, in their latest catalog. Here’s hoping retailers will continue to use more diverse models that accurately represent our population. Designers, are you listening?

If you’ve been on the internet at some point since Tuesday night (and if you’re reading this, then yes, I’m talking to you), then you’ve probably read one headline or another about the Iowa Caucus, which was one of the first “races” for the Republican presidential candidates. It’s usually supposed to be an accurate early indicator for who will win a political party’s nomination, but what happens when over 120,000 votes are tallied and a candidate leads by only eight votes? Should we even care about these caucuses at all?

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Senate Republicans blocked President Obama’s hu-mun-go jobs plan when it went up for vote in Congress this week. The $447 billion bill included a number of incentives and policies that Obama said would increase job growth, support small, struggling businesses and ultimately bolster the still-faltering economy. Fortunately or not, enough of Congress didn’t agree. Only 51 Democrats of the 60 needed signed on to a filibuster that would force the bill back into discussion. Some political strategists say Obama never expected the thing to pass, especially considering the GOP majority in the House, he just wanted Republicans to go on the record against it. Hmmm…tricky, tricky.

The man responsible for the yearlong hacking of over 50 celebrities’ private accounts, known as “Operation Hackerazzi,” was arrested this week. Christopher Chaney, a 35-year-old man from Florida, was perhaps most famous for stealing and leaking nude photos of Scarlett Johansson, which in turn caused the trend of “#ScarlettJohanssoning” (google it…). Chaney acted alone, and claimed his scheme “started as curiosity and it turned to just being addictive.” Other possible victims (nobody is quite sure yet) include Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera, Ali Larter, Miley Cyrus, Natalie Portman and Vanessa Hudgens. This is only one of the many reasons I am thankful I’m not famous. How did he do it? He simply guessed their e-mail passwords by researching their lives. Chaney could face up to 121 years in prison. Read More »

The debt deadline looms, and everyone’s getting nervous. Congress and President Obama have until August 2nd to reach a deal to raise the U.S. debt limit. If they don’t, America’s bank accounts will effectively be completely drained, meaning some of the nation’s bills just won’t get paid, including, quite possibly, Social Security checks to needy seniors. President Obama even went all stern Mama on Congress this week in a press conference, pushing for a quick agreement:  ”We might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid…eat our peas.” Never one to miss an opportunity for publicity, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council jumped on the comment, responding, ”We know that if tasty and nutritious meals featuring peas are served more frequently in the White House and in the cafeterias of both houses of Congress, it will contribute to a balanced diet, if not a balanced budget. Eating more lentils, couldn’t hurt either.” Uhhh… ok, then.

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The Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Recession, Depression, Stimulus, Democrats, Republicans, Congress — sometimes the big issues in today’s world can make your head spin. There’s so much going on and it’s tough to keep up with all the details, but even though it’s hectic, the big issues can have a big impact on your life, your career, and your future. Lucky for you, I’ve taken the  top headlines and condensed them into easy-to-read tidbits with all the info you need to know. And trust me, this is the stuff you need to know.

Are you a fan or a critic of Obama? Were you counting on a new stimulus package this year? How do you feel about Congress’ decision over whether or not to keep troops in Iraq? What issues matter most to YOU?

The former leader of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, was arrested on Monday after months of refusing to concede power to the rightfully elected president, Alassane Ouattara. (Read more on that here.) Ever since the election back in November, the country has been in the throes of a violent standoff between supporters of Gbagbo and Ouattara. Unfortunately, though, the violence hasn’t ended; on Wednesday, it was reported that citizens are still going into hiding and fleeing the big cities. Killings continue, adding to the over 1,500 lives that have already been claimed.

In a speech on Wednesday, President Obama announced a plan to cut the federal budget deficit by $4 trillion over the next twelve years. Things have been tense lately as we get closer and closer to the $14.3 trillion legal limit on borrowing.  Obama’s plan includes increased taxes on the wealthy and cuts on military and domestic spending. He did not, however, agree to Republican proposals to cut back his recent health care initiative. During the speech, news cameras caught the vice president nodding off; it’s OK Joe, I think it’s kinda boring, too Read More »

The news event of the week: since last Tuesday, Egyptians unhappy with their authoritative government have taken to the streets in protest. Inspired by the week prior’s events in Tunisia, the protesters are calling for the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the in-statement of a democratic government. So far, though, American politicians have remained pretty quiet on their stance on the week’s riots. A well-known Egyptian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, even said that the U.S. appears to be “lending support to a dictator,” which is, of course, never a good thing. On Friday, the Internet in Egypt went dark, a response to the key organizing role the web has played.

On Tuesday night, President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address. If you know three words from his speech, know these: win the future. He mostly discussed how to make the U.S. competitive again as we become less and less of the superpower we once were. For a more complete summary of and response to the speech, read this. The more notable thing about the night was the bi-partisan seating arrangement of the audience. Usually, Congress sits exactly divided: Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other. This year, they were all mixed up, with politicians scrambling for the choicest seats much like high schoolers in a lunchroom. The power pair of the night may have been John Kerry (D- MA) and John McCain (R- AZ), chummily sitting side-by-side. Oh, and there was some not-that-funny joke about salmon.

A suicide bomber set off a deadly blast at an airport in Moscow, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100. The explosion happened last Monday, and the details as to who the bomber was and what his motivations were are as of yet unclear, though there have been reports that he was linked to a terrorist camp in Pakistan. The incident has made many anxious about airport security (more so than they already were); apparently, the bomber walked right through deactivated metal detectors to enter the arrivals section of Russia’s busiest airport.

Rahm Emanuel was taken off, then put back on, the ballot for Chicago’s mayoral election. Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, stepped down from his position at the White House in order to run for mayor in his hometown. He is famous for his dirty, dirty mouth; some choice quotes include referring to D.C. as “f**knutsville” (creative, at the very least) and saying of the Obama’s un house-trained dog, Bo, “I’m going to kill that f**king dog” (awww, poor puppy!). He was thrown off the ballot because he was not a Chicago resident while working in D.C., but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned that ruling on Thursday, deciding he did meet the rules of residency. Watch out, Chicago!

President Obama gave his second State of the Union address last night, and ooooo-weeee was it good. No matter how you feel about the man, it’s impossible to deny that his oratory skills are a huge part of what got him where he is today. In my opinion, last night’s speech didn’t disappoint. At the end of the night, I found myself singing I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free… under my breath as I washed my face and brushed my teeth.

If you didn’t catch it last night, it’s available here, and if you’ve got a free hour, I highly recommend watching it. If nothing else, it’s a great summary of everything going on in our country right now so you can get caught up on all the main points that will affect you moving forward.

But if you don’t have the time, here’s a summary of his main points: Read More »