Results tagged “laurabush”

The Senate Judiciary Committee announced that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings would begin on July 13. However, Politico reports that Republicans are "infuriated." Apparently Committee chairman Pat Leahy set the date "without informing Republicans on the Judiciary Committee"; Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), the senior Republican on the committee, said, "I don't think it’s a good way to begin the proceedings." Leahy pointed out that this schedule follows what was done for Justice John Roberts in 2005: "That agreement was reached before the Committee received the answers to the bipartisan questionnaire, and before the Committee had received any of the 75,000 pages of documents from his years working in Republican administrations. If 48 days were sufficient to prepare for that hearing, in accordance with our agreement and the initial schedule, it is certainly adequate time to prepare for the confirmation hearing for Judge Sotomayor." In the meantime, former First Lady Laura Bush, who hoped her husband would replace Sandra Day O'Connor with a female justice (instead, Samuel Alito was chosen) said of Sotomayor's nomination, "As a woman, I'm proud that there might be another woman on the court. I wish her well."

It's almost time for the Presidential torch to be passed, and, in keeping with tradition, President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama met with President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush for the pre-Inauguration coffee at the White House. Michelle Obama, who is wearing a yellow Isabel Toldeo dress and coat with teal pumps (ooh), gave Laura Bush a gift—the NBC commentators did not recall seeing an incoming Presidential family giving the outgoing family a gift before.

First Lady Laura Bush spoke to Fox News's Chris Wallace and she wasn't very happy with the shoe-y reception her husband got on his surprise trip to Iraq two weeks ago. Wallace said though many Americans thought it was a joke, the First Lady didn't, which she confirmed, "Of course I wasn't amused. It was an assault. And that's what it is. And it would be an assault to anyone for -- if anybody had been there. And the president laughed it off. He wasn't hurt. He's very quick. As you know, he's a natural athlete. And that's it. But on the other hand, it is an assault, and I think it should be treated that way." She said whatever happens to the Iraqi reporter who threw the shoes is up to the Iraqis, "But I know that if Saddam Hussein had been there, the man wouldn't have been released. And he probably wouldn't -- you know, would have been executed. So it is -- as bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves."

     

President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have arrived in NYC for Veterans Day events. Bush will be awarded the 2008 Intrepid Freedom Award at the USS Intrepid; the award is for "world leaders who embody the ideals of world freedom and democracy." Air Force One landed at JFK Airport, and then the Bushes took a helicopter to the aircraft carrier off Manhattan's West Side.

After dropping his daughters off at school in Chicago this morning, President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama flew to Washington D.C. to visit the White House. President George Bush and Obama are expected to discuss transition while the First Lady Laura Bush will give Michelle Obama a tour of the White House and private residence.

    

Earlier this month, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum was one of ten museums and libraries awarded the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the country's "highest honor for institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities." The Institute of Museum and Library Services honors these institutions for "reach[ing] out to people of all ages and backgrounds and invite them to explore our wonderfully diverse history, culture, and literature."

Last night, the Republican National Convention got off to a subdued start as most of the focus was on Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Gustav. First Lady Laura Bush and First Lady aspirant Cindy McCain asked for delegates and the country to extend aid to the affected region. While President Bush had to cancel his Monday night appearance, he will address the convention tonight via satellite at 9:30 p.m. EST. Other speakers will include former presidential candidate Fred Thompson and one of John McCain's VP shortlisters, Senator Joe Lieberman. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is bowing out due to California budget battle and it seems like Rudy Giuliani's keynote speech is getting bumped from today.

Who knew that Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush's children's book tour would prompt violence? The Post reports a wheelchair-bound girl was assaulted by a Bush protester after the Bushes' 92nd Street Y appearance on Tuesday.

First Lady Laura Bush was in Battery Park yesterday to help the National Park Foundation launch First Bloom, a program to encourage children in urban centers to learn about the environment and what they can do for their parks and neighborhoods.

President George Bush gave his final State of the Union address, sounding positive about his leadership but also noting that there's still more to do: "From expanding opportunity to protecting our country, we have made good progress. Yet we have unfinished business before us, and the American people expect us to get it done." (You can read the entire text here.)

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a scaffolding collapse on 127th St. and Morningside Ave. in Manhattan, a stabbing at East 96th St. and Rutland Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on Guy R. Blvd. in Queens.
• That huge fire visible across the Hudson last night was a blaze that consumed a sailboat docked in Weehawken, NJ.
• A cyclist was hit by several different cars while on the Manhattan Bridge this week.
• Rev. Al Sharpton marched in DC this week to call for widespread racial justice.
• Muddy paths and trails through the woods may not be NYC's strong suit, but NYU has a nationally ranked cross-country track team.
• The B Train only scored a "C-" in the MTA's most recent survey of riders.
• First Lady Laura Bush visited the city to honor an elementary school teacher.
• Almost 15,000 families stand to lose their homes in the ongoing credit-crunch sub-prime mortgage meltdown.

First Lady Laura Bush visited a school on the Lower East Side with Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials yesterday. The first lady, a former school librarian, announced a $1.3 million grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for school libraries across the country to update their book collections. Twenty-eight schools in the city will get grants up to $5,000, including the the Island School on East Houston. The Post reports that the Island School's head librarian Lewis Lhana, who conducts puppets shows, had one of the puppets "gentle dragon Qualia" tell Mayor Bloomberg he smelled "like a rocket ship."

Note to all politicians: If you need a shot of adrenalin at one of your events, get subway superhero Wesley Autrey on board. Because when President Bush cited Autrey's amazing rescue of another subway rider who had fallen into the tracks, we feel that Autrey brought down the house. Bush said:

Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails, and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he's not a hero. He says: "We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We have got to show each other some love." There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.

Yesterday, President Bush arrived in New York City for September 11 anniversary rites. He and First Lady Laura Bush went to Ground Zero to lay memorial wreaths at the reflecting pools in the World Trade Center's footprints. They also visited a firehouse near Ground Zero and attended a memorial service at St. Paul's Chapel. Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, and former Mayor Giuliani, who all accompanied the Bushes to Ground Zero, were also at the memorial, as were Senators Schumer and Clinton. The Bushes will be visiting a firehouse on Pitt Street this morning in the city and will later travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Flight 93 crashed. Then, at 9PM, the President will be in the White Houes and will address the country at 9PM.

Kerryites, still wracking your brain for a reason why George W. won. Well, Air America host, Laura Flanders has a theory which she uncovers in her latest book Bushwomen: How They Won the White House for Their Man.

Though the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is over, Gothamist has been enjoying city rag's photographs from the final night. The win of the "liver-colored" German pointer Ch Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses (aka Carlee) was shocking to us, because "liver-colored" doesn't really sound so good, unless it's foie gras. But the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the only awards show where they get to say, "This bitch really deserved to win"...well, the only awards show until Chris Rock hosts the Oscars in a week and a half. Anyway, Gothamist found this NY Times piece almost helpful on why purebred dogs have such crazy names; we say almost because the names are still insane.

Tonight is the keynote address by Democratic Governor Zell Miller and Dick Cheney accepting the Vice-Presidential nomination. Here's the schedule. And in a move to spite critics who noted that he would only be in town for barely a night, the President will be watching Uncle Dick and the crew from a fire station in Queens tonight; our heart goes out to all the commuters in Elmhurst.

The Republican National Convention opened yesterday with two of its more liberal politicians, Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, taking the stage. Senator McCain, whose dalliances with the other side have confused the more right-leaning conservatives, won the affection of delegates by "mauling" Michael Moore, who was at the convention under the auspices of writing for USA Today. On the Today Show Tim Russert called Moore the GOP's favorite pinata; Moore, for his part, seemed to revel in the attention. Related: Analysis of Day 1 from NY Times and Washington Post says it's all about terror and September 11. And then there's the Republican Party platform (PDF) that's driven by the social conservatives in the party.

We were stoked to read in Playbill that Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter (.

- Bad acting Arnold

First Lady Laura Bush visited France to formally usher the U.S. back into UNESCO; the U.S. left during the Reagan era, when we claimed that UNESCO was distributing anti-U.S. propaganda. French President Jacques Chirac took the opportunity to make nice with the First Lady, by giving her extravagant kisses on her hand. Mrs. Bush told reporters, "I think that was just French hospitality," but Gothamist can tell an annoyed/frightened smile from a mile. All we can say is "Hands off our First Lady!" Where was the Secret Service?

Laura Bush meets with Iran Brown, left , the 13-year-old victim of the Washington-area sniper, and his mother, Lisa Brown, after visiting with children in the neurology and orthopedic units at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Thursday, December 12, 2002. Mrs. Bush invited Brown to co-host the annual children's Christmas program. White House photo by Susan Sterner.