OMAROSA VICIOUSLY STABBED APRIL RYAN IN THE BACK TOO (SEAN SPICER)

OMAROSA VICIOUSLY STABBED APRIL RYAN IN THE BACK TOO:

APRIL RYAN'S JOURNALISM CAREER WAS THREATENED BY OMAROSA DUE TO APRIL NOT APPEARING IN OMAROSA'S WEDDING.

JIMMY KIMMEL ALSO SAID SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH OMAROSA.

TRUMP THREATENS TO SILENCE OMAROSA WITH NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT LAWSUIT.


Post Sources: Fox News, MSNBC, Washington Post, Youtube


******* CNN's April Ryan slams Omarosa: 'She stabbed in the back, the neck, the eyeballs'


CNN’s April Ryan said Omarosa Manigault Newman stabbed her in the back and attempted to end her career when their once-friendly relationship soured.

“It was really ugly. It was so ugly,” Ryan said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Karen Hunter Show” on Tuesday.

Manigault Newman has been on a media blitz in support of her new book, “Unhinged,” and she has played various secret recordings of Trump and his staffers that she said were collected during her time working in the White House.

Ryan was on “The Karen Hunter Show” to promote her own book, when was asked asked if there's a section on Manigault Newman -- whom she considered a friend before the former Trump aide turned on her.

"I talk about her taping me. I warned everybody. I talk about her taping me. We had that fight between the Oval Office and the press office,” Ryan said. “It probably stemmed from the fact that she was very upset with me because I ...wouldn't be in her wedding and people were telling me she was very upset that I chose not to be in her wedding.”

The CNN contributor said that in addition to the wedding party beef, Manigault Newman turned on her in order to help Trump go after the media.

“She stabbed in the back, the neck, the eyeballs and in the front. She tried to cut my head off and put it on a platter and serve it up to Donald Trump,” Ryan told Hunter.

The feud between Ryan and Manigault Newman goes back to at least February of last year, when The Washington Post published a story headlined, “‘This is . . . Nixonian’: Reporter was taped by White House in heated exchange”. The Post’s Paul Farhi wrote that Ryan then claimed Manigault Newman said the CNN political analyst “was among a handful of journalists on whom the White House was keeping ‘dossiers’ of negative information.”

At the time, Manigault Newman called Ryan a “liar” and admitted to having a tape, while Ryan said she was considering legal action regarding the recording.

Ryan -- she's White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, in addition to her gig at CNN -- then told the SiriusXM host that Manigault Newman attempted to spread lies about her relationship to Hillary Clinton.

“I was very upset about that and we'll take care of what she said and the lies that she was spreading that is career-ending and I was doing this for about 20 years, when she did this,” Ryan said. “She said I was taking money from Hillary Clinton. I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

The Post also reported that Manigault Newman sent Ryan a note citing an unnamed story that tied her to Clinton.

“This story suggests that as a reporter, you are (or were) a paid Clinton surrogate. I pray this is not true! This could be hurtful to your legacy and the integrity of your work,” Manigault Newman reportedly wrote to Ryan at the time.

Ryan told the radio host that Manigault Newman wanted to “kill” her career, and that the truth could be easily proven.

“Now, here I am, a divorced single mother of two girls who works hard, and it's not just about taking food off my table. You are hurting my children. I'm a fierce mama bear. She lied on me,” Ryan said.

Ryan also claimed that Manigault Newman urged Trump's former press secretary, Sean Spicer, not to call on her during White House briefings.

Manigault Newman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

OMAROSA TWO-FACED SNITCH vs APRIL RYAN & TRUMP (TALE OF TWO BLACK WOMEN)

OMAROSA TWO-FACED SNITCH vs APRIL RYAN & TRUMP (TALE OF TWO BLACK WOMEN):

OMAROSA IS NOT A VICTIM & COMMITTED A CRIME; LAWYER UP.

SECRETLY RECORDING WHITE HOUSE CONVERSATIONS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY CRIME.

OMAROSA USED TRUMP & BLACK JOURNALISTS LIKE APRIL RYAN UNTIL NEITHER OF THEM NO LONGER MATTERED TO HER.

THE MEDIA SHOULD NOT HAIL OMAROSA AS A SHERO.

CLEARLY OMAROSA DOES NOT UNDERSTAND DEFINITION OF THE WORD "LOYALTY".


Post Sources: Washington Examiner, NY Times, Washington Beacon, CNN, Youtube


******* April Ryan warns Omarosa not to name-check her: 'Your lies and crazy behavior are catching up to you'


Omarosa Manigault Newman and April Ryan traded barbs Sunday after the former reality TV star said the White House exploited American Urban Radio Networks' Washington bureau chief by leaking a colorful, unflattering story about her departure from the Trump administration.

"Don’t reference me or use my name. Keep my name out of your mouth," Ryan wrote on Twitter. "You have done enough. Your lies and crazy behavior are catching up to you. Can you say National Security breach? Lawyer up!"

Ryan's comments follow Manigault Newman's explosive interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," which aired a tape the former star of "The Apprentice" recorded in the Situation Room of White House chief of staff John Kelly talking to her about "leaving" her role in the Trump administration. The tape has raised concerns that Manigault Newman breached national security protocol by taking a recording device into what is supposed to be among the most secure parts of the presidential complex.

"He knew that John Kelly was going to take me into the Situation Room, and lock me in there, threaten me, and say that things were going to get ugly for me, and there would be damage to me reputation," Manigault Newman said Sunday, referring to President Trump. "And you know what, the next day there was damage to my reputation because they then put out a story using and exploiting an African-American reporter to say that I was running around the residence and trying to break into a Christmas party, which is ludicrous."

Ryan additionally slammed Manigault Newman as "evil" during a Sunday appearance on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

"She was complicit, but she was doing all this knowing that there was going to be a payoff in the end for her, and then once she got upset with him or he got upset with her or whatever happened, she decides to turn on him," Ryan said of Manigault Newman's initial support of Trump, despite now calling him "a racist, a bigot and a misogynist.” "She’s not a friend, she’s a liar, and I would say she’s evil," Ryan added.

Manigault Newman is promoting her book, "Unhinged," which is set to be released Aug. 14. Ryan also has a memoir coming out. Ryan's "Under Fire" will be widely available from Sept. 1.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


***** April Ryan Calls Omarosa ‘Evil’ and a ‘Liar’


April Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks and a CNN contributor, called former Trump administration aide Omarosa Manigault Newman a "liar" and "evil" on Sunday.

Ryan, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" where she told host Brian Stelter about her own dealings with Newman.

The former Trump aide and reality TV contestant said earlier on Sunday that she had provided NBC a recording she made of her firing from the administration. Newman had worked on Trump's campaign and then in the administration for about a year before White House Chief of Staff John Kelly fired her.

She had previously known the president from being on "The Apprentice," the reality TV show hosted by Donald Trump before he was won the 2016 presidential election.

Ryan first explained her current relationship with the former Trump aide.

"I've known Omarosa for years and we are not friends anymore," she said.

The CNN contributor said that while working in the Trump administration, Newman made moves to derail her career and reporting.

"She's not a friend; she's a liar and I would say she's evil," Ryan said.

"I hope she can respond to that at some point soon, calling her ‘evil,’" Stelter said.

"She will. I'm sure she will," Ryan said.

Newman has been making media appearances to promote her new book, Unhinged.

Ryan is not the only one to criticize Newman recently. Trump himself called her a "lowlife" on Saturday. The president followed up his comments on Monday via tweet, saying "Wacky Omarosa" was "vicious, but not smart" and "People in the White House hated her."

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's husband, George Conway, a Democrat, also said that claims Trump made racial comments about him were untrue. Pollster Frank Luntz also said Newman's claims he heard Trump make racial slurs were "flat-out false."

TRUMP TRUMPS APRIL RYAN; MEETS W/ CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS

TRUMP ANSWERS APRIL RYAN'S QUESTION; MEETS WITH CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS LEADERS:

TRUMP HAS DONE MORE FOR BLACK VOTERS IN 88 DAYS THEN OBAMA DID IN 8 YEARS.


Sources: Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, YouTube


Kudos to Pres Trump!

The substance of his meeting today with Black Congressional Caucus members is yet another reason why so many Black voters took a leap of faith and chose to cast their ballots for Trump on Nov 8, 2016.

MSM tried to falsely report that Hillary & DEMS secured a majority of the Black vote.

Not true!

If Hillary and DEMS had a lock on the Black vote why isn't she sitting in the Oval Office as Madam President?

I'm just saying.


***** Congressional Black Caucus leaders meet with Trump, push for policy proposals not photo ops


President Trump met with leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday, pulling reporters into the room to hear him praise African Americans.

“They’ve lifted up the conscience of our nation in the march toward civil rights, enriched the soul of America in their faith and courage, and they’ve advanced our country in the fields of science, arts and medicine,” the president said.

As he spoke, the CBC’s six-member executive board was sitting on the other side of a table — out of the TV cameras’ shot. That was no accident. The CBC, many members of which boycotted Trump’s inauguration, agreed to meet with the president only if the meeting was substantive.

“The Congressional Black Caucus is not going to be a potted plant or a photo opportunity,” said Rep. Donald A. McEachin (D-Va.), a CBC member who did not attend the meeting. “He did a photo op with the presidents of historically black colleges, and they got nothing.”

After eight years of working hand in glove with the first black president, the CBC is facing off against a president who portrayed that presidency as a disaster for black Americans — and spent years demanding Barack Obama’s birth certificate and college records. On the trail, speaking before largely white audiences, Trump would ask black voters “what the hell do you have to lose” by voting Republican.

The CBC’s leaders arrived at Wednesday’s meeting with a policy memo titled “A Lot to Lose.” Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), the CBC’s chairman, was joined by Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), André Carson (D-Ind.) and Anthony G. Brown (D-Md.).

“We never thought we’d agree on everything in this meeting, but the one thing we did ask is for both sides to be candid,” Richmond said afterward. “He listened, and we talked, and we proposed a lot of solutions, many of which I think he had not heard before, and we’re going to keep advocating.”

Wednesday’s meeting grew out of an awkward incident last month, when during a 77-minute news conference Trump asked April Ryan, a black reporter with the American Urban Radio Networks, if she could set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.

friends of yours?” Trump asked.

Ryan noted that she was a journalist, and not part of the CBC. “I’m sure they’re watching right now,” she said.

That gaffe started negotiations about a possible meeting, one that CBC members wanted to avoid turning into presidential PR. Since winning the presidency, Trump has had several awkward moments involving African Americans. At a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump thanked black voters who decided to sit out the election: “That was big.”

At an event he held to mark the outset of Black History Month, Trump rambled about his 80-point defeat among black voters, hypothesized about what could get him to a majority of the black vote in 2020, and mentioned the abolitionist Frederick Douglass as “an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more.” Douglass died in 1895.

“He has not surrounded himself with people who can keep him informed,” said Lawrence, whose state broke for Trump in part because of weakened black turnout. “He painted us as one homogenous group — broke, being shot at, uneducated. He needs to be given the opportunity to learn.”

The CBC’s proposals for Trump did sync with what he’d occasionally promised on the trail. During the press scrum, Trump said that “every American child has a right to grow up in a safe community, to attend great schools, to graduate with access to high-paying jobs,” implying that African Americans had been denied this. But CBC members are waiting for actual policy proposals.

“There could be something, perhaps, in the area of infrastructure, or in better employment opportunities,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.). “I can’t point to anything he’s done so far.”

Instead, in the White House’s “skinny budget,” spending for domestic programs was cut to make the math work on increased defense funding. In a Wednesday article for the political journal Democracy, Matthew Colangelo, deputy assistant to the president for economic policy in the Obama administration, listed other Trump decisions that disproportionately hurt black voters, such as an executive order that weakened the Federal Housing Administration and a Justice Department decision to abandon a legal challenge — which had been winning in court — against alleged racial gerrymandering in Texas.

“In just two months, the Trump Administration has already made it harder for African Americans to buy a house, to vote, to enjoy clean air and water, and to retire with dignity,” wrote Colangelo. “The President’s campaign pledge was correct: The results of his policies for African Americans have in fact been ‘amazing’ — it is amazing how much harm can be done so quickly.”

And CBC members did not quite dodge the photo op. Late Wednesday evening, White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted a photo of CBC members sitting around Trump in the Oval Office. The people in the photo shrugged it off.

“Our objective is to walk away having given the president an opportunity to hear, to be enlightened, and to start a dialogue for the next four years — if he stays in office,” said Lawrence.

Obama's 2012 Budget Hurts Black Voters; Gives More $$$ For Prisons???

Here's A Warning (Retaliation) From Pres. Obama To The American Black Community For Low Voter Turnout In Nov. 2010. Fewer Black Votes = Less Money To Black Communities. During This Morning's Press Conference He Revealed His 2012 Budget. CUTS: Pell Grants For Summer College Classes, LIHEAP (Help For Heating Bills), Small Biz Programs. REQUESTS: $$$ For Public Schools & To Build More Prisons.

When Barack H. Obama Was Elected Prez In 2008 I Don't Believe Black Voters Expected Him To Focus Solely On America's Black Community Or To "Fix" The Black Community. However Since He Labels Himself As A Black Man, We Did Expect Him To Demonstrate More Fairness Towards Our Plight. Other Ethnic Groups Expect More From Their Politicians. Why Not Black Voters? Only Stupid Voters Don't Expect A Return On Their Investment!

By The Way Great Question April Ryan! (American Urban Radio Networks)

Here's The PDF Link To Prez. Obama's Official 2012 Budget.

Please Check Out The Video Below Of Pres. Obama's Press Conference Today.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why Are Blacks Always The Biggest Targets Of Budget Cuts?


Why are African-American interests such an easy target for budget cuts?

One reason is a failure to develop what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called permanent units of political power. King once said "the civil rights movement will have to engage in the task of organizing people into permanent groups to protect their own interests and produce change in their behalf."

Also, there are not enough African-American lobbyists on Capitol Hill calling attention to the fact that African-Americans can not be asked to share equally in budget cuts to social programs when they entered this recession as Dr. Ronald Walters wrote, "suffering from double the rate of unemployment, triple the rate of incarceration, nearly double the lack of home ownership, and serious gaps with whites in almost every category of life."

Even within the administration itself, the White House Office on Urban Policy has not been at the forefront of advocating for substantive policies to help address the issues effecting urban America.

In an attempt to run a race neutral administration based upon a deracialized political strategy the Obama administration has failed to pay significant attention or provide targeted assistance to the African-American community. The rising tide won't lift all boats equally if some boats as indicated above are not seaworthy.

After more than 30 years of former President Ronald Regan's conservative ideologues impacting domestic policy, the country is experiencing what Dr. Walters called the "politics of resentment" or what Dr. King called "white backlash...the surfacing of old prejudices, hostilities and ambivalences that have always been there."

Socrates introduced the concept of "social worth". In today's context, one can determine the values of a society based upon the manner in which it allocates its limited resources. In the "guns versus butter" model, America continues to value its investment in defense over the real needs of its civil society making it easy for African-American interests in social programs to become easy targets for budget cuts.

This past Monday President Obama unveiled his FY 2012 budget submission.

In his proposed $3.7 trillion spending plan the president seeks to trim or eliminate 200 federal programs, pledging $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade. The proposed reductions, which average just over $100 billion each year, will disproportionately impact already cash-strapped social programs.

Understanding that the president's submission is the first salvo in a long budget battle many are asking why start with such steep cuts to much needed social programs.

Why start the negotiation process with programs that represent such a small fraction of the federal budget and will disproportionately impact African-Americans?

These proposed cuts come less than two months after the president signed tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans into law, increasing the deficit by $858 billion dollars. According to David Bradley, director of the National Community Action Foundation, "Once the Obama administration throws a poverty program in the water, it starts a feeding frenzy...the White House has thrown chum into the waters swirling around the budget-cut debate" setting the stage for Republicans to propose even deeper cuts to the same programs.

A few examples of the programs that are on the chopping block:

1. The president proposes to cut roughly 50 percent or $2.5 billion from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The National Energy Assistance Directors' Association director Mark Wolfe said the administration's proposal would cut off 3.5 million households.

2. $405 million from community service block grants and $300 million of Community Development Block Grant dollars.

3. According to the Huffington Post, The Food Research and Action Center estimated that a family of four will receive $59 less per month starting in November 2013 as a result of the $2.2-billion budget cut in the food-stamp program.

4. The president is planning on slashing billions in education over the next decade saving the government over $60 billion in next decade -- interest on graduate school loans will begin building up while students are still in school under Obama's new plan. Currently, interest does not begin compiling until after students graduate.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus released a statement that says in part, "Rebuilding our economy on the backs of the most vulnerable Americans is something that I simply can not accept.

For example, the President's recommendations to slash Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding that ensures economic growth in our communities is troubling. Moreover, the recommendations to consolidate programs in the Department of Education that overwhelmingly support the educational development of our children, and to freeze salaries of federal workers who in many instances-in communities of color-are disproportionately the primary bread winners in their homes is equally problematic."


View Larger Map


Sources: American Urban Radio Networks, CBC, Huffington, MSNBC, The Grio, White House, Wikipedia, Google Maps

Desiree Rogers Steps Down! Heads Back To Chicago; Who's Next?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers To Step Down


White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers told me Friday she will step down next month, after presiding over 330 events in the White House in 14 months.

Rogers is departing after achieving a major goal of President Obama and First Lady Michelle -- opening up the White House to make it the "peoples house."

"As we turn the corner on the first year," Rogers told me, "this is a good time for me to explore opportunities in the corporate world."

Rogers told me it has been "an honor and a privilege to serve this president and First Lady, in what has certainly been a historic presidency."

Rogers, a friend of the First Couple for years, was one of the first Obama administration appointees.

"When I took on this assignment, we talked about the importance of creating the people's house. My work was really to create this framework," she told me.

"I think I completed that work. Our office has been able to lay the foundation for what will be known as the 'people's house' and it has already taken shape."

Rogers tenure was marked by high points--she was a moving force behind a White House music series--and a low point, when the Obama's first state dinner was crashed by a publicity seeking couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi. Though the Secret Service immediately said it was their fault--agents did not follow security protocols--Rogers got some of the blame.

I asked Rogers if the Salahi episode was a factor in her resignation. "The incident at the State Dinner was not a deciding factor," she told me. "But it did show me a side of the job and of Washington that I had not seen before."

After I spoke to Rogers, President Obama and First Lady Michelle said in a statement, "We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she's done as the White House Social Secretary.

When she took this position, we asked Desiree to help make sure that the White House truly is the People's House, and she did that by welcoming scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers. She organized hundreds of fun and creative events during her time here, and we will miss her. We thank her again for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

I've been told by several sources that Rogers will be replaced by Julianna Smoot, the chief of staff to the U.S. Trade Representative who was the Obama presidential campaign chief fund-raiser.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Alleged Dinner Crashers Invoke Fifth Amendment Rights


In what one member of Congress called "a charade," a couple that showed up at President Obama's first state dinner -- uninvited, the White House claims -- declined to answer questions surrounding the event before a House committee Wednesday.

Under questioning from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, and others, Tareq Salahi repeated over and over again, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully assert my right to remain silent and decline to answer your question."

The Salahis' attorney notified the committee in December that because of a pending investigation by federal prosecutors, they would not answer questions about how they gained entry to the White House on November 24, despite not being on the guest list to attend that night's state dinner for the prime minister of India.

In a brief statement that opened the often-contentious hearing, Salahi chastised the committee for requiring the couple to appear despite having been told the two would invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if subpoenaed. That, he alleged, is against the ethical rules of the Washington bar.

He incensed some committee members by reiterating the couple's respect for U.S. troops, the Secret Service and the president.

"You have shown effrontery here," said Daniel Lungren, R-California. He called it "an abomination" that the Salahis would invoke the name of those in uniform "and suggest that somehow what you do provides support to them."

"The Constitution protects fools," Lungren said. "The Constitution protects stupidity. The Constitution protects errant thought. Thank God it does."

"This was not a hearing looking for information," the couple's attorney, Stephen Best, told reporters after the hearing. "This was an opportunity for a public flogging."

"I think today's procedure is a charade," Rep. Mark Souder, R-Indiana, said in the hearing, referring to the Salahis' refusal to answer questions.

Other committee members also lambasted the couple, alleging they put their own desire for celebrity before the security of the president and are wasting the committee's time and taxpayers' money.

"I don't respect your right to take the Fifth Amendment. Not at all," Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, told the couple.

"Were you there?" he asked Salahi, referring to the dinner.

When Salahi began, "On the advice ..." Pascrell interrupted him, asking, "Are you here right now? You gonna get an answer from your attorney on that?"

Pascrell noted the committee had offered to allow the couple to speak behind closed doors. After conferring with his attorney, Salahi said, "Yes, but you didn't offer us any legal protection."

Salahi's wife, Michaele, also invoked her Fifth Amendment right under questioning by committee members, but replied, "yes," when asked if she would return to testify after the investigation has concluded.

Asked by Thompson whether the state dinner appearance was part of a "reality TV stunt," Tareq Salahi said the couple was under a non-disclosure agreement and "should not discuss matters related to the television matter."

The Salahis contend they were told they could attend the program to honor India's prime minister, but the White House says they were not invited and were not on the guest list for the exclusive affair.

Best said after the hearing the couple received "representations that they relied upon" that they were invited guests. Two Secret Service investigators were privy to this information from a person who knows the Salahis, he said. "This was not a stunt, and they committed no criminal act."

There was no connection to any reality TV show, he said, and the Salahis were not seeking publicity. The couple has turned down multiple offers from the media to be "rewarded handsomely," he added.

"Whatever the real story is, it's on the other side of the gates of the White House, not with the Salahis," Best said. "They thought they were invited. ... If it was a misunderstanding, it was a misunderstanding caused by representatives of the government."

Tareq Salahi also noted in his opening statement that the couple's attorneys have offered to provide information to the committee, but that offer was declined by Thompson's staff.

"Those offers are not satisfactory," Thompson said. "These lawyers were not at the state dinner and have no firsthand knowledge of the facts."

Tareq Salahi also said the couple has provided phone records, e-mails and other documentary evidence to the committee.

There also was criticism of the White House in Wednesday's hearing.

Rep. Peter King, R-New York, said the White House "continues to stonewall" and will not allow social secretary Desiree Rogers to testify on the security breach.

Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs has said that allowing a White House staff member to testify before a congressional committee would violate the Constitution's separation of powers.

"I don't know what the White House is trying to hide," King said. "Obviously, something went wrong, and it originated with the White House, not the Secret Service."

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, in previous testimony before the committee, took responsibility for the security breach, acknowledging that "appropriate procedures were not followed."

Rep. Charles Dent, R-Pennsylvania, said Wednesday he thought it was "unfortunate" that Sullivan "had to take all that grief from us."

"I hold you responsible for it," he told the Salahis.

"Your actions ... made a mockery of this country, a mockery of our security," Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, told the couple. "I'm saddened, and I'm disappointed, and I'm outraged."

Best reiterated afterward the Salahis do not want the events surrounding the dinner to detract from the "extraordinary institution" of the Secret Service.

"They are Americans," he said. "They are proud Americans."






TRANSCRIPT OF THE EXCHANGE:


APRIL RYAN: Was there a concern in this White House that she came out being, some might have called her the ‘belle of the ball,’ overshadowing the first lady at the…

ROBERT GIBBS: I don’t who some are. I’ve never heard that. Again…

RYAN: Well, it’s been bantered around Washington, and it’s been in Democratic circles as well as Republican circles, high-ranking people…

GIBBS: April, I, I, that’s not a station I live in in life.

RYAN: Just answer the question, please.

GIBBS: Are you done speaking so I can?

RYAN: Oh yes, I’m done.

GIBBS: I’ve not heard any of that criticism. I’ve not read any of that criticism. The president, the first lady, and the entire White House staff are grateful for the job that she does. And thinks she has done a terrific and wonderful job pulling off a lot of big and important events here at the White House.

RYAN: Did she invite herself to the state dinner or was she a guest? Did the president invite her or did she put her… No, that’s a real question. Do not fan it off. I’m serious.

GIBBS: I, I, Jonathan-

RYAN: No, no, no. Did she invite herself or did the president ask her? Her name was on that list, and social secretaries are the ones who put the names on the list…

GIBBS: Right. Was she at the dinner? April, April, calm down. Just take a deep breath for one second. Now see? This happens with my son. He does the same thing.

(Here there is an Audible reaction from other reporters as, Ryan mouths, “I’m older than your son.”)

RYAN: Don’t play with me. I’m being serious. Do not blow it off.

GIBBS: I’m not… And I’m giving you a serious answer. Was she at the dinner? Yes. She’s the social secretary.

RYAN: Social secretaries are not guests of the dinner.

GIBBS: She had the primary responsibility for running the dinner. I’m going to get back to weightier topics like 98,000 men and women in Afghanistan.






April Ryan's Professional Profile.


April Ryan, White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN), is a 23-year journalism veteran who has worked in that capacity since January 1997. During her tenure as White House Correspondent, Ryan has conducted one-on-one interviews with President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, Senator Barack Obama and a host of other dignitaries. Ryan has been credited by a White House historian as having the most radio interviews with President Bill Clinton during his White House years.

In February of 2008, Ryan conducted an exclusive interview on Africa with President Bush in the White House Oval Office. Ryan also conducted a one-on-one with South African President Thabo Mbeki. She has traveled to Africa on numerous Presidential missions with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and President George W. Bush. Ryan’s exclusive coverage of Presidential visits to Africa and first-hand viewpoints were utilized in a 10-part AURN series that centered on Clinton's historic six nations African tour and was broadcast in June 1998. An exclusive interview with then First Lady Hillary Clinton followed and excerpts from the interview were not only broadcast in the news on AURN's SBN and AUN networks, but was also featured on the CBS evening news, among other national television and radio broadcasts.

Ryan traveled aboard Air Force One and interviewed President and Mrs. Bush while flying to the Gulf Coast for the Hurricane Katrina one year anniversary. In 2006, Ryan traveled with the First Lady to Mississippi where Mrs. Bush met with New Orleans Hurricane Katrina survivors. In September 2005, Ryan flew to Haiti with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and reported on America’s support for democratic elections and while there – due to the volatile political climate – was under the protection of the United Nations Blue Helmet Security forces. .

In addition to her White House coverage, Ryan also hosts “The White House Report,” a daily feature broadcast over hundreds of AURN affiliated stations nationwide. The Baltimore native has also utilized her journalistic prowess beyond the steps of Capitol Hill and has traveled to China and Switzerland for newsworthy events. In September 2005, Ryan’s breaking news coverage with First Lady Laura Bush was also highlighted on NBC’s Today show. Additionally, many of Ryan’s breaking news stories and interviews have also been spotlighted on ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and FOX as well as in some of the nation’s top newspapers.

Ryan is an esteemed member of the National Press Club and serves on the newsmakers committee. She has also garnered numerous professional accolades to include receiving an American Swiss Foundation Young Leader Award in 2004 and being named one of the Outstanding Young Women in America in 1997.

Ryan began her radio career in Baltimore, MD where she worked for several radio stations including WXYV-FM where she served as news director. She is a graduate of Morgan State University and resides in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.


View Larger Map

Sources: Chicago Suntimes, CNN, MSNBC, WSJ, American Urban Radio Networks, C-Span, Left Coast Rebel, Bitten and Bound, Google Maps

Where's The Elegant Ms. Desiree Rogers Now?

Desiree Rogers: The New White House Wallflower


As 50,000 people attend 28 White House Christmas parties, glamorous social secretary Desiree Rogers is on the sidelines. Sandra McElwaine on the new security policies—and how her ex-husband is trying to help.

Desiree Rogers will no longer be swanning about at White House parties. Au contraire. Ever since the glamorous social secretary was hobnobbing with celebrities, oblivious to two reality-TV wannabes who were crashing the Obamas’ first State Dinner in November she has been given a timeout.

Even though her Louboutin stilettos still click down the historic hallways of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there have been no more appearances in designer gowns or pronouncements about pushing the unique Obama brand. Instead, the sophisticated Harvard MBA seems to be adapting to a more formal protocol and attempting to play a more traditional behind-the-scenes role as she oversees the care and feeding of more than 50,000 guests at 28 different holiday receptions.

Being on the sidelines is not a familiar place for the 50-year-old Rogers. The descendant of a Louisiana voodoo priestess, she has always been a star with a penchant for publicity.

Once married to a powerful hedge-fund manager, John Rogers—they remain close friends (“John is very shy, Desiree is always out front,” says a friend)—Desiree Rogers was a leading member of Chicago's business and philanthropic world. It was Rogers who introduced the Obamas to the social elite, not the other way around. (She also helped raise $200,000 for his Presidential campaign.)

“She’s a big deal in politics and the community and so well connected Obama can’t fire her,” says a well-placed Chicagoan. “I’m surprised she took this job. I didn’t know she wanted to work this hard.”

Until Desiree Rogers, White House social secretaries were considered worker bees who stayed in the shadows compiling lists, organizing events and seating charts, and averting last-minute disasters, but the high-flying business executive had no intention of playing an inconspicuous or subservient role.

From the moment she arrived, she quickly broke the mold by flaunting her upscale lifestyle and interests, sometimes outshining her boss, posing for Vogue and other glossies, and announcing a totally new agenda for the social office. “You have to think about [The Social Secretary Job], in my mind, almost like a business,” she told The Wall Street Journal in April. “Otherwise, you never get there. You get caught in linen hell and flower hell, list hell.”

Her outspokenness did not endear Rogers to the elite clique of former social secretaries. Many inside the Beltway felt she was too wedded to the Obamas’ inner circle, known as the Chicago Mafia, and much like others in new administrations, she seemed reluctant to leave her cocoon in order to learn the ways of the capital.

“They realized she never had a clue how to plan a State Dinner,” says one Washington socialite. “This is such a different environment from Chicago. You simply can’t do what you did there.”

According to one recent party goer, a visibly chastened Rogers has now had to tone down her glitzy image: “She’s out there looking like a working stiff, a fashionable one, but not dolled up like before.”

Since the Salahis incident at the State Dinner—when the Secret Service assumed responsibility for the security breach while Rogers stayed silent—there are new regulations and protocols in place at the White House.

All guests must now run a lengthy official gauntlet before entering the Presidential mansion. For starters, there are two checkpoints manned by a representative of the administration and a Secret Service officer. Next, attendees will now be asked to provide a photo ID at two other checkpoints, while aides swirl around to deter any unexpected visitors.

Finally, at the East Colonnade, guests are now greeted by Rogers, sporting a chic black suit, a standard White House identification badge around her neck, a clipboard in hand. ”Welcome to the White House on behalf of the Obamas,” she says with a dazzling smile.

Despite the new policies, there was already a kerfuffle over invitations to two of the White House press parties last week. Apparently, the invitations went out late and the White House did not issue them by name.

Rather, they sent a batch to the manager of each bureau, who doled them out to whomever they wanted. As such, a number of reporters who cover the White House for leading newspapers and other news organizations were never included. This latest misstep was blamed on press secretary Robert Gibbs, but many in Washington blame Rogers.

Another recent flap involved the White House receiving line. The Obamas decided not to shake hands and pose for pictures with every guest at every party, as their predecessors had done. Being denied a prized photo op has created considerable angst among a number of invitees—including Dee Dee Myers, President Clinton’s former press secretary, who observed: “I totally understand that doing a receiving line is exhausting, yet people have come to expect it. It means a lot to them.”

Rumors abound about plans to resurrect Rogers' reputation. Will she stay on for a grace period and then be reassigned as ambassador to some neutral country like Switzerland or Luxembourg? "Once you put yourself out there the way she has, it’s hard to come back in,” observes a friend.

Even her ex-husband has been talking to an eclectic mix of journalists about the best way to revive her fortunes. One concept under consideration: orchestrating a humorous mea culpa as Nancy Reagan did at one of the annual Gridiron Dinners.

Known for her extravagant taste and fancy outfits, the former first lady donned oversize rubber boots and a seriously frumpy dress and waltzed out on the stage singing “Second Hand Clothes” to the tune of “Second Hand Rose.” Her performance brought down the house and all was forgiven.

Might this ploy this work for the troubled social secretary? After all, Washington is a city of redemption.

Speech writer and humorist Landon Parvin, who wrote those lyrics for Nancy Reagan, doubts that frivolity will solve her problem. “She can’t get out of it with a one-liner," he says. “What she needs to redeem herself is not humor but the truth. She should admit her mistake and tell us exactly what happened. The sooner the better.”


View Larger Map


Sources: The Daily Beast, C-Span, Bitten & Bound, American Urban Radio Networks, Google Maps

Obama & April Ryan Addressing Specific Concerns Of Black Voters

POTUS's Outlook On Black America


President Barack Obama deflected criticism Monday that he has not been attentive enough to the African-American community, telling American Urban Radio Networks that he was unconcerned to see that kind of message coming from former supporters such as actor Danny Glover.

"If you want me to line up all the black actors, for example, who support me and put them on one side of the room and a couple who are grumbling on the other, I'm happy to have that," Pres. Obama said, adding that polls show African-Americans express "overwhelming support for what we've tried to do."

In an interview with reporter April Ryan, Obama argued that the fact of his sitting with Ryan for an interview with the Oval Office was significant on its own.

"Is there grumbling?" he asked rhetorically. "Of course, there's grumbling, because we just went through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

"We were some of the folks who were most affected by predatory lending. There's a long history of us being the last hired and the first fired.

As I said on health care, we're the ones who are in the worst position to absorb companies deciding to drop their health care plans,” Obama said. “So, should people be satisfied? Absolutely not. But let's take a look at what I've done."

Pres. Obama repeatedly used the pronoun "we" in discussing America's black community, but insisted that he shouldn't be expected to target policies exclusively to African-Americans.

"The only thing I cannot do is, by law I can't pass laws that say I'm just helping black folks," Obama said.

"I'm the president of the entire United States. What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need. That, in turn, is going to help lift up the African-American community."

The president pointed to his push for health care reform as one part of his agenda that would benefit African-Americans, along with the rest of the country.

"We've got 30 million people who are going to get health insurance because of this bill and disproportionately they will be African-American as well as Latino," Obama said. "Whether there's a public option in there or not, if you don't have health insurance, you are going to have now the option of getting it at a reasonable cost.

That's the most important thing, and as I said, nobody has a bigger stake than the African-American community in this because disproportionately we're the ones without health insurance."

As for the state of Black America, Obama said it's a mixed picture.

"I'm optimistic about the long-term future of the African-American community, but it's going to take work," Obama said. "It was never going to be done just because we elected me."



View Larger Map


Sources: American Urban Radio Networks, April Ryan.com, Politico, The Daily Beast, CNN, Youtube, Google Maps

April Ryan vs Robert Gibbs..."Calm Down April"

Check out C-Span's video below of the infamous heated exchange between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and American Urban Radio Network's White House Correspondent April Ryan.

(American Urban Radio Networks has an audience of more than 20 million listeners (mostly African-American) and April is a well-educated, credentialed Journalist.)

Ryan and Gibbs "bantered" about Desiree Roger's professional performance relative to the Obama Admin's first State Dinner "Party Crasher" incident.

Do you think April was a little over the top on this one or was Gibb's reply unnecessary?

I'd say both of them handled it incorrectly.

With all due respect to April, she behaved as if she were angry while posing her questions to Robert Gibbs.

While I do agree that April's concern for President Obama's safety is most definitely a serious matter, sometimes its not what you say but how you say it.

Let's face it Desiree Rogers and the Obamas are close, Chicago buddies. In addition she's quite wealthy and influential.

Its obvious they will continue to cultivate this loyal relationship with her.

Nothing Ms. Rogers does wrong or right will ever face meaningful scrutiny from the Obama Administration, so case closed on that issue.

Gibbs on the other hand is supposed to be professional enough to NOT have made such a degrading statement.

After all April is a seasoned, Journalist and White House Correspondent who was treated with great respect by Former President George W. Bush.

I've never heard him make that kind of statement to a White Female or White Male reporter regardless of their line of questioning. Hmmm. Something to think about.

Could it be Gibb's statement is a reflection of how the Obama Administration feels about African-Americans in general?

Just because an organization hires African-Americans doesn't mean that organization necessarily cares about the welfare of African-Americans or sees them as valuable, productive Human Beings.

Note:

By the way anyone concerned about Pres. Obama ever firing Robert Gibbs can forget it!

Robert is Pres. Obama's link to the South and winning over White Southern Voters.








TRANSCRIPT OF THE EXCHANGE:


APRIL RYAN: Was there a concern in this White House that she came out being, some might have called her the ‘belle of the ball,’ overshadowing the first lady at the…

ROBERT GIBBS: I don’t who some are. I’ve never heard that. Again…

RYAN: Well, it’s been bantered around Washington, and it’s been in Democratic circles as well as Republican circles, high-ranking people…

GIBBS: April, I, I, that’s not a station I live in in life.

RYAN: Just answer the question, please.

GIBBS: Are you done speaking so I can?

RYAN: Oh yes, I’m done.

GIBBS: I’ve not heard any of that criticism. I’ve not read any of that criticism. The president, the first lady, and the entire White House staff are grateful for the job that she does. And thinks she has done a terrific and wonderful job pulling off a lot of big and important events here at the White House.

RYAN: Did she invite herself to the state dinner or was she a guest? Did the president invite her or did she put her… No, that’s a real question. Do not fan it off. I’m serious.

GIBBS: I, I, Jonathan-

RYAN: No, no, no. Did she invite herself or did the president ask her? Her name was on that list, and social secretaries are the ones who put the names on the list…

GIBBS: Right. Was she at the dinner? April, April, calm down. Just take a deep breath for one second. Now see? This happens with my son. He does the same thing.

(Here there is an Audible reaction from other reporters as, Ryan mouths, “I’m older than your son.”)

RYAN: Don’t play with me. I’m being serious. Do not blow it off.

GIBBS: I’m not… And I’m giving you a serious answer. Was she at the dinner? Yes. She’s the social secretary.

RYAN: Social secretaries are not guests of the dinner.

GIBBS: She had the primary responsibility for running the dinner. I’m going to get back to weightier topics like 98,000 men and women in Afghanistan.





April Ryan's Professional Profile.


April Ryan, White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks (AURN), is a 23-year journalism veteran who has worked in that capacity since January 1997. During her tenure as White House Correspondent, Ryan has conducted one-on-one interviews with President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, Senator Barack Obama and a host of other dignitaries. Ryan has been credited by a White House historian as having the most radio interviews with President Bill Clinton during his White House years.

In February of 2008, Ryan conducted an exclusive interview on Africa with President Bush in the White House Oval Office. Ryan also conducted a one-on-one with South African President Thabo Mbeki. She has traveled to Africa on numerous Presidential missions with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and President George W. Bush. Ryan’s exclusive coverage of Presidential visits to Africa and first-hand viewpoints were utilized in a 10-part AURN series that centered on Clinton's historic six nations African tour and was broadcast in June 1998. An exclusive interview with then First Lady Hillary Clinton followed and excerpts from the interview were not only broadcast in the news on AURN's SBN and AUN networks, but was also featured on the CBS evening news, among other national television and radio broadcasts.

Ryan traveled aboard Air Force One and interviewed President and Mrs. Bush while flying to the Gulf Coast for the Hurricane Katrina one year anniversary. In 2006, Ryan traveled with the First Lady to Mississippi where Mrs. Bush met with New Orleans Hurricane Katrina survivors. In September 2005, Ryan flew to Haiti with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and reported on America’s support for democratic elections and while there – due to the volatile political climate – was under the protection of the United Nations Blue Helmet Security forces. .

In addition to her White House coverage, Ryan also hosts “The White House Report,” a daily feature broadcast over hundreds of AURN affiliated stations nationwide. The Baltimore native has also utilized her journalistic prowess beyond the steps of Capitol Hill and has traveled to China and Switzerland for newsworthy events. In September 2005, Ryan’s breaking news coverage with First Lady Laura Bush was also highlighted on NBC’s Today show. Additionally, many of Ryan’s breaking news stories and interviews have also been spotlighted on ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and FOX as well as in some of the nation’s top newspapers.

Ryan is an esteemed member of the National Press Club and serves on the newsmakers committee. She has also garnered numerous professional accolades to include receiving an American Swiss Foundation Young Leader Award in 2004 and being named one of the Outstanding Young Women in America in 1997.

Ryan began her radio career in Baltimore, MD where she worked for several radio stations including WXYV-FM where she served as news director. She is a graduate of Morgan State University and resides in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.



View Larger Map


Sources: American Urban Radio Networks, C-Span, Left Coast Rebel, Bitten and Bound, Google Maps