White House Live Video, March 10:

3:50 4:50 pm ET: President Obama speaks on health insurance reform in St. Louis, Missouri (audio only)

CW: if you don't see the livescreen, go to www.whitehouse.gov/live

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President Obama discusses his meeting with Haitian President Preval:

Here's a transcript of the remarks of both Presidents.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010.

President Obama makes remarks about health care reform in St. Louis, Missouri at 4:50 pm ET. St. Louis Post-Dispatch story here.

First Lady Michelle Obama & Secretary Hillary Clinton present the International Women of Courage awards at 2:45 pm ET.

The First Lady addresses a national PTA conference at 12:30 pm ET.

President Obama met with President Preval of Haiti late this morning. See video, transcript above.

Detroit Free Press: Connie Saltonstall, a former county commissioner, announced that she would challenge Michigan Congressman Bart "Coathanger" Stupak in the Democratic primary because of his threats to bring down health insurance reform.

Reuters: "Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies on Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits and stop fighting President Barack Obama's health reform plans." Politico story here. You can see Sebelius' remarks on C-SPAN here; she begins speaking about 6 minutes in. Here is a transcript of excerpts of her prepared remarks.

Washington Post: Vice President Biden issued a condemnation of Israel's announcement that it would build 1,600 more housing units in East Jerusalem while he was having dinner with Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu; an Israeli Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog apologized today for embarrassing Biden. Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad met with Vice President Biden today & joined him in the condemnation of the Israeli move....

... Politico: "Vice President Biden met Tuesday with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now the Quartet's Middle East Envoy, and Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad."

AP: Defense Secretary Gates "was keeping up the pressure on Iran on Wednesday, consulting with...[Saudi Arabia] about how to respond to Iran's disputed nuclear program."

New York Times: "A tour of the United States arranged by the State Department to improve ties to Pakistani legislators ended in a public relations fiasco when the members of the group refused to submit to extra airport screening in Washington, and they are now being hailed as heroes on their return home."

New York Times: China announced that its exports were 46% higher in February than a year earlier. "The data signaled a rebound in consumer demand from the United States and other Western markets...." ...

... Los Angeles Times: U.S. manufacturing, in decline for decades, is making a comeback, largely because of green energy firms which President Obama has been encouraging....

... Politico: "Motorola CEO Greg Brown on Tuesday praised President Obama’s outreach to the business community. He said the Obama Administration was "more active than any one I can remember."

Washington Post: President Obama is targeting Medicare & Medicaid fraud in a memorandum he is signing today signed yesterday; he'll also announce his support for a bipartisan effort to control fraud at his St. Louis speech today. Update: here's the White House press release, which is fairly informative.

ABC News: Robert Gibbs responds to Supreme Court Justice John Roberts' criticism of the President: "What is troubling is that this [5-4 Supreme Court] decision opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections -- drowning out the voices of average Americans."

Washington Post: "The nation's governors and state school chiefs will propose standards Wednesday for what students should learn in English and math..., a crucial step in President Obama's campaign to raise academic standards across the country."

     New York Times Update: the panel has released its proposal, which you can read & comment on, on their website here.

Politico: "The Obama administration on Tuesday waived visa requirements for Greek citizens visiting the United States."

President Obama celebrates Greek Independence Day:

Here's the whole presentation, with remarks by Greek PM George Papandreou & Archbishop Demetrios:

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Michelle Obama presents her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. See more under today's news, below, & "Infotainment" further down the column:

Tuesday, March 9, 2010.

"Jihad Jane." New York Times: U.S. federal prosecutor have accused Colleen LaRose, an American living in the Philadelphia suburbs, of participation in a plot to assassinate Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. Her case is "linked to the arrests on Tuesday of seven Muslims in Ireland in connection with the scheme...." Here's the Irish Times story on the arrests in Ireland.

AP: speaking to law students in Tuscaloosa Supreme Court Justice John Roberts criticizes President Obama for speaking out against the Court's decision in the Citizens United case.

New York Times: in Washington, pro-health reform protesters picketed the Ritz Carlton where insurance industry lobbyists gathered. Dr. Howard Dean spoke. (CW: the Washington Post couldn't be bothered to cover the story.) Here's a hard-hitting DNC statement on the insurance lobbyists confab.

President Obama made remarks at a reception honoring Greek Independence Day early this evening. See video above.

The President met with Greece's PM George Papandreou this afternoon. BBC News story here. Washington Post: PM Papandreou will seek President Obama's support...for a European campaign to crack down on global financial speculation.

New York Times: "Israel announced Tuesday its intention to build 1,600 new housing units in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem, infuriating Palestinians and upsetting the American administration...." Vice President Biden denounces the decision.

The First Lady will present her inaugural gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History at 10:00 am ET. New York Examiner story here. Update: Chicago Sun-Times item. Also, see video about preserving & displaying inaugural gowns under "Infotainment" below. Here's the Museum's press release. And a New York Times item.

New York Times: "Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. opened talks with Israeli leaders on Tuesday, part of a concerted U.S. effort to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks." AP story here....

     ... Politico Update: "Vice President Biden [& Dr. Jill Biden] visited the Israeli national cemetery, Mt. Herzl, Tuesday and toured the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem." Update: the Vice President's remarks at Yad Vashem.

AP: today was the first day same-sex couples could marry in Washington, D.C., so they did.

AP: The Senate will take up legislation today which extends unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless, "prevents doctors from absorbing a crippling cut in Medicare payments, extends health insurance subsidies for the unemployed and gives cash-starved states help with Medicaid." The bill faces a filibuster test.

Los Angeles Times: CHP officer helps driver stop runaway Prius after the driver called 911 for assistance; the car reached speeds up to 90 mph outside San Diego, California. CHP advice: pull the emergency brake at the same time you step on the brakes.... Update: here's the AP story; with video.

     ... The Street: as a result of the above incident, which occurred in a 2008 vehicle, Toyota will expand its recall of Prius to all 2004-2009 models.

Reuters: The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers fund filed suit in Delaware seeking "to stop Goldman Sachs from allocating roughly 47% of 2009 net revenue as compensation, saying such allocations 'vastly overcompensate management and constitute corporate waste.'"

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: the 50-member executive committee of the Pennsylvania Democratic party selected former congressional aide Mark Critz as the Democratic nominee for the special election to succeed his former boss, the late U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha.

AP: Defense Secretary Gates visited American troops in a remote section of Afghanistan today; the unit had suffered heavy losses since arriving last summer.

AP: Rep. Bart Stupak says he'll resume talks with House leaders this week to resolve a dispute over abortion language in the health insurance bill & thinks "prospects are good" for reaching an agreement. CW translation: "God meant me to rule all women, so I'll get my way again."

President Obama met yesterday with El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes. Here's a transcript of the Presidents' remarks:

The First Lady & President speak at a reception marking International Women's Day & celebrating Women's History Month. Includes some great funnies, right up to the end:

The President's Weekly Address March 6:

Here's the transcript.

Obamavision!  The White House Channel.
For a larger picture, start video, then click on the image:

   M. Wuerker, Politico.

New York Times: "...new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers and are at lower risk for obesity."

Smithsonian conservators discuss the First Ladies' inaugural dresses:

ABC has a slideshow of dresses of the First Ladies.

Politico's late-night jokes:

The Wrapup:

Los Angeles Times: at the Academy Awards "The Hurt Locker," a little-seen film was named best picture, & Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win for best directing. In best acting categories, Jeff Bridges won for "Crazy Heart" and Sandra Bullock won for "The Blind Side."

Here's the Los Angeles Times' Academy Awards page. The New York Times' awards page is excellent. But, as noted above, if you live in New York or Connecticut you might have to get out the rabbit ears & that digital decoder to see the show....

... Rick Hertzberg explains how voting for Best Picture works & why the ex-wife club's could be vindicated this year.

Politico liveblogs the Sunday shows; so far they seem captivated by Tom DeLay -- hey, it's Politico. Update: here's what passes for Sunday show highlights:

Fiction writer Julian Barnes reads Frank O’Connor’s "The Man of the World" and discusses it with The New Yorker’s fiction editor, Deborah Treisman.

Michael Scherer of Time writes that Massa got the best of Beck: "...in Massa, Beck found a sort of liberal doppelgänger, a mesmerizing train wreck of a man who was impossible to undercut in the classic fashion." CW: Maybe I'll watch the show after all. It's linked below.

"This is a very sick person." Bloomberg: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed claims by former Democratic Representative Eric Massa that he was pressured to leave Congress because of his opposition to health-care legislation."

Once again, Steve Benen has the rationale view of the Massa-Beck "train wreck."

Dana Milbank: Eric Massa just fracking disappoints Glenn Beck.

Washington Post: "If Massa's shower tableau did take place -- a scenario the White House denied -- several [lawmakers] said it's far from the norm."

The Washington Post has a recap of Eric Massa's appearance on "Larry King Live" Tuesday. The Post has a brief recap & full video of Massa on Glenn Beck's show here. Here's a brief clip of Massa on Beck today. CW: I'd say 30 seconds is as much as I can stand:

Politico: Limbaugh backtracks; says the press miscontrued his positive remarks about Massa.

New York Times: Eric Massa has a new story, which he tells Glenn Beck -- something about "tickling" an aide. And here's the Politico story with a brief clip of Massa on Beck's show.

Washington Post: "Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) has been under investigation for allegations that he groped multiple male staffers working in his office." The allegations go back at least a year & contradict statements Massa made in recent days.

Politico: the House accepts Rep. Eric Massa's resignation.

Politico: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tells reporters that Eric Massa's charges the he was muscled out of his seat are "absolutely untrue."

Robert Gibbs talks to Stephanopoulos about Eric Massa's strange resignation & other stuff:

CW: I think Steve Benen hits the right note.

Lawrence O'Donnell & Chris Hayes discuss Eric Massa's weird behavior:

... Washington Post: Democrat Eric Massa becomes "an unlikely hero for the right" as he attacks his own party....

... Rahm & Eric in a Naked Brawl. Glynnis MacNicol of Mediaite has the best synopsis of the Eric Massa debacle, along with this audio clip:

Here's some stuff from earlier: 

Eric Massa, who resigns today (Monday) to avert a House Ethics Committee investigation, tells a Rochester, New York radio station that "he's the victim of a power play by Democratic leaders who want him out of Congress because he's a 'no' vote on health care reform. CW: that's believable.

AP: TV producer Robert "Joe" Halderman "is expected to plead guilty to attempted grand larceny for attempt to shake down David Letterman over the comic's sexual affairs" today (March 9). Here's the updated ABC story, filed after Halderman pled guilty; with video.

Glenn Thrush & John Bresnahan of Politico say the claims against Democratic Rep. Eric Massa are about more than "salty language"; allegations of "inappropriate behavior" go back 8 months.

The National Enquirer, the paper of record in the John Edwards fiasco, reports that the former Senator & baby-daddy is about to be indicted for something. To get FULL DETAILS, you'll have to run to your favorite supermarket checkout counter.

The Constant Weader

Do you think John Roberts knows or cares how people get elected? I think we've had enough of them. I think what we need are people on that bench who have been legislators, people who are lawyers, people who are academics. You look at our Supreme Court and all these people, all they know is working with people in black robes. We have got to change that. -- Harry Reid

You can't show up at a 'tea party' rally and claim that the entire budget deficit happened this year.
-- Eric Massa to Glenn Beck's audience

This guy's got issues. A year's subscription, in fact.
-- Commenter Shortstop, on Eric Massa, in the Washington Monthly

'See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.'
-- Hebrew God [Isaiah 49:16]'
-- Sarah Palin, using the "God did it, too" excuse for the crib notes on her hand (it took her only 3 weeks to come up with this)

We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I think now, isn't that ironic?
-- Sarah Palin

Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil’s spawn.... He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote.
-- disgraced, soon to be ex-Rep. Eric Massa

She's got to have tits.
-- James Cameron, on casting criteria for the heroine of "Avatar"

It means that the bill will be pushed through the senate with 50 votes instead of the usual 60.
-- Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, explaining reconciliation

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Michelle Obama's 2009 Inaugural Ball gown is pictured at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, prior to a ceremony where the First Lady donated it to the museum. Obama unveiled the new Jason Wu-designed centerpiece to the popular exhibit "The first ladies at the Smithsonian". Reuters picture. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.The Dress, the Designer, the Lady. AP photo. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Vice President Joe Biden during their meeting at Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem March 9, 2010. Biden assured Israel of Washington's commitment to its security & said the agreed resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks provided a "moment of real opportunity" for peace. Reuters picture. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.

Vice President Biden with Israeli President Shimon Peres. AP photo.

Jill Biden & Sara Netanyahu, wife of the Israeli PM, visit a YMCA in Jerusalem. Getty image.Dr. Jill Biden in Jerusalem; behind her, the Dome of the Rock & the Western Wall. Reuters picture. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.

"The Palisades" is a work by Peter J. Hoffmeister, who studied painting at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, he started working nights at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Hoffmeister. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.New York Times: "A group of Met guards...is stepping into the spotlight with a new art journal called Sw!pe Magazine: Guards’ Matter, and an accompanying art exhibit, which runs through Sunday at 25CPW, a gallery at 62nd Street and Central Park West. Sw!pe, a reference to the process of clocking in and out for work, was planned and financed by current and former guards."

The DNC launches a fairly mild- mannered ad against the RNC's Crayola-crude characterizations of the Democratic leaders:

Tom Hanks talks politics on "Morning Joe":

Absolutely the Coolest First Lady. Ever. Michelle Obama participates in a free soccer clinic organized by the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Reuters picture. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE....... I rest my case. In this recently-released White House photo, Margarita Zavala de Calderon, the First Lady of Mexico, with Michelle Obama in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, February 25, 2010. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE. 

President Obama stops by HHS Secretary Kathleen's Sebelius' meeting with health insurance company CEOs to read them a letter from a woman fearful of losing her insurance. White House photo. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.You can read the letter here. 

John Cassidy & George Packer of The New Yorker discuss President Obama's economic successes & political failures:

President Obama appeals to his supporters to help push health insurance reform legislation through Congress:

The Sierra Club hits Arkansas ConservaDem Blanche Lincoln for her co-sponsorship of big-oil bailout legislation: "The Senate has been unable to do anything on energy independence and now Senator Lincoln wants to do even less." Here the Sierra Club's radio ad:

Thanks to Ben Smith of Politico for the link.

AND... AP: "AFL-CIO leaders said Tuesday their decision to oppose Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln's re-election bid should send a powerful message to other Democrats who fall out of step with unions."

AND... MoveOn.org is raising money for Lincoln's primary challenger, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.

First Lady Michelle Obama & Education Secretary Arne Duncan participate in a "Read Across America" NEA event at the Library of Congress. Getty image. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet holds one of the Satellite phones that US Secretary of State Clinton gave her to help with the relief efforts, during a news conference at the airport in Santiago, Chile. AP photo. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE. 

Michelle Obama speaks to hundreds of school nutrition professionals to advocate for adequate funds for healthy school meals, at the School Nutrition Association annual legislative action conference. Reuters picture. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.ABC News story here.

After a morning speech, the President strolls through Lafayette Park on his way back to the White House as a means to "walking off some of that cholesterol," after doctors told him his cholestorol levels were borderline high. AP photo. CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.Here's the AP story.

A study by the Southern Poverty Law Center finds that "the number of extremist groups in the United States exploded in 2009 as militias and other groups steeped in wild, antigovernment conspiracy theories exploited populist anger across the country and infiltrated the mainstream." The number of such groups increased by 244% last year.

Washington Post: two days before same-sex marriage becomes legal in Washington, D.C., Catholic Charities "is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers -- the latest fallout from a bitter debate between District officials...and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington."

The Hill: "A Senate Armed Services Committee investigation found that Blackwater contractors had no regard for policies and rules in Afghanistan." And here's the AOL News report. And the Washington Independent report, which includes a representation of this guy...

Comedy Central artwork.... the "Blackwater employee" who checked out weapons from a U.S. weapons bunkers. The pistols & rifles, intended for Afghan police, ended up in Blackwater's hands. Blackwater has not returned hundreds of the firearms. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Blackwater today. CNN is carrying the hearing here.

I've moved Remainders to its own page, which you can link on the navigation bar under the masthead. I'll keep the stuff that's only a few days old here on the front page.

To offer suggestions or to comment on Reality Chex content, click on this link to e-mail the Constant Weader.