News

Every work of narrative builds on those that preceded it. In the case of Steve Oney’s On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR, two books cited by the author as inspirations are illuminating as to his approach to the sprawling, decades-long story of public radio.

One of them is David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914. The other is Adam Nagourney’s The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism.

McCullough’s tale is “about great American projects and how Americans do things,” Oney told Deadline in an interview. Nagourney’s approach to a contemporary news organization, meanwhile, was published in 2023 but takes readers only through 2016. Similarly, Oney makes no effort to bring readers into the disorienting Donald Trump era, when social media, AI and “fake news” condemnations battered traditional news purveyors. Trump...

Find out everything you need to know about the episode of The Second Inauguration of Donald J. Trump — An ABC News Special, including a full preview, videos, release date, cast information and how to watch!

The Second Inauguration of Donald J. Trump — An ABC News Special Preview

On January 20, 2025, ABC will air a special program titled “The Second Inauguration of Donald J. Trump — An ABC News Special” at 10:00 Pm. This episode promises to provide comprehensive coverage of the historic event as Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office for his second term as President of the United States.

The special will feature a range of prominent ABC News anchors and correspondents. David Muir, known for his insightful reporting and engaging style, will lead the coverage. He will be joined by seasoned political analyst Cokie Roberts, who will provide expert commentary and analysis on the implications of this inauguration.

Linda Wertheimer, one of the “founding mothers” of National Public Radio, said today that she is retiring.

“I have had a great ride over more than fifty years – and now that ride is over,” Wertheimer wrote in a memo to staffers, in which she recalled being one of the first hires on the news side at the time of the network’s debut in 1971, when “the only part of the company that was fully staffed was top management and engineering.”

Wertheimer, Susan Stamberg, Nina Totenberg, and Cokie Roberts were dubbed the “founding mothers” of the network, becoming famous voices at a time when jobs for women at media outlets were scarce. “There were also more women doing that kind of work from the beginning than there were at most broadcast operations,” Wertheimer wrote in her note.

Wertheimer was the first director of All Things Considered at its debut on May...

NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, accepting a lifetime achievement award from the Women’s Media Center, said that there “was a lot left undone” for women in the news media, citing the situation in other countries and also in the United States.

“Now we have women executives at the highest levels in our news divisions and women proving their courage every day in Ukraine,” Mitchell said in her remarks to the group. “But there is a lot left undone for women here, and around the world, not just in China, but in Afghanistan, where women broadcasters, judges and teachers are being driven back into the Middle Ages by the Taliban. In Iran, where women are beaten and jailed and some, killed, for challenging the regime according to human rights advocates. Surely none of us who came of age in the 1960s thought that a right embraced by the Supreme Court nearly a...

Simone Swink has been named executive producer of Good Morning America.

Swink, who has been with the show since 2010, is filling the top job following the departure in April of Michael Corn.

Corn, who is now president of Nexstar’s NewsNation, was accused last week of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by Kirstyn Crawford, a producer on the show. She also claimed that a former ABC News staffer also accused Corn of sexual assault. Corn denied the claims.

Swink had been senior broadcast producer of the show, where she has been overseeing the GMA second hour. She originally joined the show as a writer.

“Simone is a dynamic, thoughtful and creative leader, experienced in collaborating across platforms,” ABC News president Kim Godwin wrote in a note to the staff. “I’m confident that she and the GMA team will continue to lead the show in new and innovative directions.

ABC News will turn to an insider to lead its flagship morning program, “Good Morning America,” one of the most critical roles in live television.

Simone Swink, a longtime senior staffer at the show, has been named its senior producer, according to a memo sent to employees by Kim Godwin, president of ABC News Sunday.

Swink takes a role which has been left vacant for months. The show, a pillar of the economics of both ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney, was previously supervised by Michael Corn, who left abruptly in April, and was recently accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed last week. Corn has denied the allegations. ABC News has been sifting through candidates for the top job at “GMA” for weeks, and had considered a number of prominent executives from outside the company, according to people familiar with the process.

“Simone is a dynamic, thoughtful and creative leader,...

If it wasn’t for the common cold, National Public Radio’s Susan Stamberg might never have gotten a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Radio was the glamour medium of my childhood,” Stamberg tells Variety, recalling her airwaves-obsessed, pre-tv youth. “I loved getting a cold, because I could stay home and my mother would move that radio out of the kitchen into my bedroom, and the two of us would sit and listen to all the soap operas.”

Stamberg discovered a passion that would burn brightly as her radio career flourished in tandem with NPR’s five-decade ascent — from host of such evergreen programming as “All Things Considered” and “Weekend Edition Sunday to her current role as special correspondent. She will receive her Hollywood star on March 3.

Stamberg recalls how a “boring” early gig as a magazine typist led her to sniff out an opportunity at a just-launched...

Sunday’s telecast of the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards will feature a special In Memoriam segment devoted to many of the actors and actresses who have died since last year’s ceremony in late January. Sure to be among those saluted include Oscar-nominated actresses Diahann Carroll and Doris Day, plus nominated “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” actor Luke Perry. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam gallery for the year of 2019.

The 26th annual ceremony will be live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 19, at 8:00 p.m. Et; 5:00 p.m. Pt. The SAG life achievement award will be presented to Robert De Niro.

SEE2020 SAG Awards nominations: Full list of Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees

Over 100 people in SAG/AFTRA have passed away in the past 12 months. Which of the following 50+ names will also be featured in the televised tribute?

Julie Adams

Danny Aiello

Jed Allan

Bibi Andersson...

Save the Children, the international humanitarian organization, held its “Centennial Celebration: Once in a Lifetime” on Wednesday evening, paying tribute to the organization’s 100th anniversary and mission to do whatever it takes for the most vulnerable children in the U.S. and around the world.

James Taylor performs at Save the Children's Centennial Celebration

Credit/Copyright: Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Save The Children

The West Coast event, held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, was hosted by Save the Children trustee and actor Jennifer Garner and honored The Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger with the Centennial Award, which was presented by Oprah Winfrey. James Taylor performed hit songs “You’ve Got a Friend” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, and ‘Shower the People" accompanied by the Amani Children’s Choir from Uganda and the Mid Cities Youth Choir.

Iger...

The 71st Emmy Awards featured a major gaffe during the In Memoriam tribute when a photo of living composer Leonard Slatkin was used to honor the late André Previn. The Television Academy issued the following statement reacting to the In Memoriam segment error: “The producers for the 71st Emmy Awards, the Television Academy and Fox sincerely apologize for this error. All In Memoriam mentions on the Television Academy’s website feature accurate imagery for Mr. Previn.”

Previn was nominated for 11 Academy Awards throughout his career, winning the Best Original Score prize for “Gigi,” “Porgy and Bess,” “Irma la Douce,” and “My Fair Lady.” Additional movies composed by Previn include “All in a Night’s Work,” “Designing Woman,” “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” and “Paint Your Wagon.” The composer passed away in February at the age of 89. The 75-year-old Slatkin is the Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and...

The Fox broadcast of the Primetime Emmys on Sunday featured the usual In Memoriam segment, this year highlighted by Halsey’s live rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” It also showed the wrong picture of composer Andre Previn during the montage of photos accompanying the song.

Previn is the four-time Oscar-winning composer and conductor who died in February at age 89. But the photo shown was that of fellow Grammy-winning composer Leonard Slatkin, who is 75, very much alive and currently Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon.

Slatkin, whose Hollywood credits include working on the music for Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One and A Capitol Fourth while conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, took the high road Monday about the gaffe on Twitter.

I saw that @theemmys posted a photo of me "In Memoriam" rather than the intended Andre Previn.

As alt-pop singer Halsey stirred emotions with her moving rendition of “Time After Time,” the 2019 Emmy Awards that aired on Fox on September 22 paid tribute to the television legends who left us in the last year during the show’s “In Memoriam” segment. They included actors Tim Conway, Valerie Harper, Katherine Helmond, Penny Marshall, Luke Perry, Doris Day and Rip Torn.

Let’s look back at some of the contributions made by these beloved TV icons.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2019: In Memoriam Gallery

Tim Conway died on May 14 at age 85. The comedy legend won six Emmy Awards during his lengthy career, including four for “The Carol Burnett Show,” one for “Coach” and one for “30 Rock.” He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2002. And he took pride in getting his co-stars on Burnett’s variety show to laugh at his antics and break character.

Legendary singer and...

Aron Eisenberg, who played Nog on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” died Sunday at the age of 50, his wife Malissa Longo announced of Facebook.

“It is with extreme regret and sadness to announce that my love and best friend, Aron Eisenberg, passed away earlier today,” Longo wrote. “He was an intelligent, humble, funny, emphatic soul. He sought to live his life with integrity and truth.”

A cause of death has not been announced.

Eisenberg played Nog on 40 episodes of “Deep Space Nine,” which came as a surprise to him, as he took the role without being told any details about his character or how long he would play it. Nog is the first member of the Ferengi, a greedy alien race always looking for a profit, to join Starfleet thanks to the recommendation of Captain Sisko.

Also Read: Suzanne Whang, Hgtv's 'House Hunters' Host, Dies at 56

Nog...

Cokie Roberts, the ABC News and NPR journalist, will be remembered at a reception on Friday and a funeral mass on Saturday, both of which will be open to the public.

The reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Et at the National Press Club, located in downtown D.C. A funeral Mass will be said on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, according to ABC. The network will stream the Mass on ABC News Live.

In lieu of flowers, her family is asking for contributions to the Children’s Inn at Nih in Bethesda, Md. The residential facility is for families who have seriously ill children participating in research at the National Institutes of Health.

Roberts, 75, died on Tuesday of breast cancer. She was a pioneering woman journalist who gained prominence in her reports from Capitol Hill for NPR and...

Sander Vanocur, a network news correspondent who covered presidential elections, the White House and the Falkland Islands War, has died. He was 91.

Vanocur passed away Monday night in a hospice facility in Santa Barbara, California of complications from dementia, his son, Chris Vanocur, told The Associated Press.

The veteran newsman served as a White House correspondent and national political reporter for NBC News in the 1960s. During his tenure at the network, he posed questions to John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon during the nation’s first televised presidential debate in 1960.

He jumped to ABC News, and was employed by the network from 1977 to 1991. During his time at ABC, Vanocur was dispatched to South America and covered the 1982 Falkland Islands War between the U.K. and Argentina. Later, he moderated the vice presidential debate between George H.W. Bush and Geraldine Ferraro.

Vanocur was Born in Cleveland, and grew up in Peoria,...

Four U.S. presidents paid their respects to ABC News’ longtime correspondent Cokie Roberts today, but only one also whined about the late reporter’s treatment of him. Any guesses?

“I never met her,” President Donald Trump told pool reporters aboard Air Force One today. “She never treated me nicely. But I would like to wish her family well. She was a professional, and I respect professionals. I respect you guys a lot, you people a lot. She was a real professional. Never treated me well, but I certainly respect her as a professional.”

Roberts died today due to complications from breast cancer.

The pool report noted that Trump’s 50-minute conversation with journalists during the Albuquerque-to-Mountain View flight mostly was off the record, but the president did allow the Roberts comments, among others, to be on the record.

The former commanders in chief, presented here in chronological order, were...

Refresh for updates Cokie Roberts, the ABC News and NPR journalist whose death from breast cancer was announced by ABC News today, is being remembered as a top-rank reporter, a pioneer for women in media and one of broadcast news’ savviest Beltway analysts.

“My friend, my colleague, my hero Cokie Roberts has died,” tweeted Terry Moran, ABC News’ senior national correspondent. “Brilliant. Brave. Kind. Hilarious. A fierce patriot. And one of the best human beings I have ever known.”

Tweeted Katie Couric: “She was a pioneer for so many and will be sorely missed.”

In a statement, Barack and Michelle Obama said, “She was a trailblazing figure; a role model to young women at a time when the profession was still dominated by men; a constant over forty years of a shifting media landscape and changing world, informing voters about the issues of our time and mentoring young journalists every step of the way.

Cokie Roberts, the longtime NPR and ABC News journalist, has died at age 75 of complications from breast cancer, her family said in a statement released Tuesday.

In a morning email to the news division, ABC News President James Goldston highlighted Roberts’ career accomplishments and said, “She will be dearly missed. Cokie’s kindness, generosity, sharp intellect and thoughtful take on the big issues of the day made ABC a better place and all of us better journalists. Please take a moment today to remember an exceptional reporter and remarkable friend.”

“Cokie’s career as a journalist at National Public Radio and ABC News took her to the heights of her profession, and her success as an author on history and family put her on the best seller list,” said the statement form her family. “But her values put family and relationships above all else.”

More to come…

Read original story Cokie Roberts,...

ABC News journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts died on Tuesday due to complications from breast cancer, She was 75.

Roberts recently alluded to her health with a statement following an August appearance on This Week, saying, “Over the summer, I have had some health issues which required treatment that caused weight loss. I am doing fine. I very much appreciate the kind comments I have received and expect to be, as I have been, working away in the days and months to come, covering what promises to be a fascinating election. I am grateful to everyone who has been in...

Journalist Cokie Roberts, who was a contributing senior news analyst for NPR, a regular round-table analyst for “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” and a political commentator for ABC News, among many other contributions during a four-decade career, has died. She was 75.

Roberts died Tuesday due to complications from breast cancer, her family confirmed.

“Cokie’s career as a journalist at National Public Radio and ABC News took her to the heights of her profession, and her success as an author on history and family put her on the best seller list. But her values put family and relationships above all else,” her family said in a statement. “We will miss Cokie beyond measure, both for her contributions and for her love and kindness.”

“Our dear friend and colleague Cokie Roberts passed away this morning in Washington, surrounded by her family and closest friends,” ABC News President James Goldston said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Cokie Roberts, a pioneering journalist who was perhaps best known for her savvy insight and analysis of politics, government and Washington D.C., has died at the age of 75, ABC News has announced. Her death was due to complications from breast cancer.

“We will miss Cokie beyond measure, both for her contributions and for her love and kindness,” her family said in a statement.

“Cokie Roberts will be dearly missed,” said James Goldston, president of ABC News. “Cokie’s kindness, generosity, sharp intellect and thoughtful take on the big issues of the day made ABC a better place and all of us better journalists.”

Roberts won many awards, including three Emmys, throughout her decades-long career, according to ABC News, which adds she has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting.

Journalists, public figures and Hollywood stars took to social media Tuesday to remember Cokie Roberts. The political journalist died of complications from breast cancer Tuesday morning. She was 75.

Roberts was best known for her work as a journalist on National Public Radio and ABC News. She began her 40-year career as a contributor for ABC's This Week With David Brinkley. She also worked as ABC’s chief congressional analyst and anchored This Week With Sam Donaldson from 1996 to 2002.

She was viewed as one of the smartest political commentators and pioneers for women in journalism.

Katie Couric took ...

Cokie Roberts, longtime political reporter and analyst at ABC News and NPR, has died. She was 75.

Roberts died Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C., surrounded by her family and closest friends. "Her loving family announces the passing of journalist and author Cokie Roberts, due to complications from breast cancer," read a statement from the family. "Cokie was — first and foremost — a wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin and friend."

Born Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs on Dec. 27, 1943, Roberts' made a name for herself as a journalist at National Public Radio ...

Save the Children, the international humanitarian organization, announced today that Jennifer Garner will host its “Centennial Celebration: Once in a Lifetime” event on October 2 in Beverly Hills, with a special performance by five-time Grammy Award winner James Taylor.

Tommy Hilfiger, founder of Tommy Hilfiger, will be honored at “The Centennial Gala: Changing The World for Children” gala in New York City on September 12. To help celebrate the night in New York, chef and humanitarian José Andrés will create a special dessert for guests to enjoy. As previously announced, the two events are a culmination of the organization’s 100th year anniversary and will celebrate Save the Children’s mission to do whatever it takes for the most vulnerable children in the United States and around the world.

Save the Children will present the Humanitarian Award to Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer and American icon, for his unceasing dedication to uplifting the lives of others.

It may be one of the most infuriating moments in TV history, as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and university professpr Christine Blasey Ford, one of several women who has accused him of sexual assault when they were teens, are expected to testify Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The hearing, which is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Et in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, comes despite the fact that Ford and Senate Democrats have asked for an FBI investigation into Ford’s claims. The Senate committee officials and Donald Trump have refused to allow the FBI to examine the allegations.

Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who refused to even hold a Senate hearing in 2016 on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, is now looking to “plow right through” the confirmation process despite growing number of allegations against Kavanaugh.

“I believed he was going to rape me,...

At least 8 major U.S. TV networks launched a new show they believed would generate bigger ratings than anything being replaced on their Thursday daytime schedules.

The nation’s biggest TV-news outlets replaced game shows, “The View,” regular news programming and even “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” to cover a congressional hearing that is expected to become a lighting rod for national attention. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing of testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of assaulting her sexually when they attended high school in the 1980s, represents a conflagration of the highest degree over whether the judge should be approved to sit on the Supreme Court and influence so many national issues.

CNN called the event an “Historic Hearing.” CBS News labeled it a “High-Stakes Hearing.”

Ford’s testimony made for early water cooler moments, When asked how certain...

The most anticipated Supreme Court confirmation hearing in a generation is set for 7 a.m. Pt Thursday, when nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexual assault when they were teenagers in the 1980s, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Deadline is offering a livestream of the hearing (watch it here). But if you can’t be at a computer or on your phone, here’s a rundown of how to watch it. The day will begin with a statement by Republican committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, followed by a statement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the panel.

CBS News is offering gavel-to-gavel coverage starting at 7 a.m. Pt. Its programming with kick off with CBS This Morning at 6 a.m. Pt. Cbsn will stream coverage led by Vladimir Duthiers and Anne Marie Green starting at 6 a.

Editors Note: This story was originally published August 29.

John McCain was unsuccessful in both of his attempts to become President of the United States, but in death the Arizona senator is has been getting a send-off from the networks worthy of a Commander-in-chief.

CBS, NBC and ABC provided extensive coverage of events this week leading to Sunday’s private funeral of the American hero and self-described maverick, who passed away from brain cancer at the age of 81 on August 25. CNN, Fox New Channel and MSNBC have been going wall-to-wall with coverage of McCain’s memorials leading to his funeral September 2.

While Donald Trump has not been invited to any of the events, former Presidents and respective McCain White House bid rivals George W. Bush and Barack Obama are scheduled to deliver eulogies for the six-term senator at Washington National Cathedral on September 1. The son of a distinguished military family, the...

On Good Morning America today, Cokie Roberts said that President Trump's return to Texas today is a "re-do" of his visit earlier this week.

The reigning Queen Bee of political satire outdid herself Saturday night in Washington, D.C., delivering on her promise to “Finally answer the question, ‘What if Washington D.C.’s annual nerd prom were hosted by a lady nerd and had way more curse words?'” at the first annual “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”

Coincidentally, the event took place on the same day as the People’s Climate March, making it rather difficult for guests to get into the Dar Constitution Hall in their black tie attire (only cocktail was specified). The event took place just a few blocks from the White House, where President Donald Trump will not be attending the actual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. (It’s anyone’s guess where he actually will be: “President Trump has been in office for 100 days, and in the White House for 17,” said Bee.

Journalist and author Cokie Roberts said Democrats are “nervously beginning to whisper” about needing to replace Hillary Clinton as the presidential nominee because of her health issues. Clinton was forced to leave a Sept. 11 memorial service early on Sunday after she felt overheated and wobbled while entering a van. It was later revealed that Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday. “It has them very nervously beginning to whisper about her stepping aside and finding another candidate,” Roberts said Monday on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Also Read: Hillary Clinton Body Double Conspiracy Theories Takeover Twitter “It’s taking her off of the campaign trail,...

TheWrap’s guide to television coverage of President Barack Obama’s speech, including who’s anchoring the broadcasts and providing analysis

President Barack Obama will give his seventh annual State of the Union address on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Et, with expected topics including national security, immigration, health care and the environment. Sen. Jon Ernst (R-ia) is expected to provide the Republican response.

After the president’s address, while the Republicans are giving their response and the networks are starting to break down their analyses, Obama will be preparing for something altogether different. His administration has invited three YouTube...

Meet the new gays of Awkward, ABC’s This Week devotes religion segment to gay bashers, Denis O’Hare to square off with Jessica Lange in Ahs:Freak Show

A gay man reflects on his own reaction to the Alan Carr PETA fairy advertisement. “This is how I could have justified my instinctive flinch. When gay people appear on TV, it is invariably as one-dimensional, caricatured camp clowns, a kind of gay minstrel show. But Carr has never claimed to be emblematic of gay men. Of course we should see a wider spectrum of gay men – including, say, the beer-swilling, football-obsessed lad alongside the body-pumping Kylie-loving scene queen – but why does that mean discriminating against a funny comedian because he’s outrageously camp? What fuelled the backlash was a sense that the likes of Carr invite homophobia with their loud-and-proud campness, and all gay men suffer as a result. It is complicity with oppression,...

A comment by Reverend Franklin Graham, in which he alleged gay parents are "recruiting" when they adopt children and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was right to prohibit same-sex adoption, sent a panel on This Week with George Stephanopoulos going, with Cokie Roberts asking Ralph Reed whether he thought leaving children in orphanages was better than moving them into same-sex households.

Bringing more focus onto those in need, Jennifer Garner joined the global board of trustees for Save the Children.

The “13 Going on 30” star’s involvement in the campaign will assist little ones in America and all around the world.

Per a release from the non-profit organization, Jennifer is committed to a six-year term as one of 30 members of the organization's board and joins former ABC News president David Westin, former chairman of the Xerox Corporation Anne Mulcahy and ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts.

"In my new role with Save the Children, I hope to make an even bigger difference in the lives of children right here in America and around the world," Jennifer said in a statement. All children, whether they are born into poverty or affluence, have the right to grow up healthy, learn and make something of their lives."

"Jennifer Garner brings not only star power but also a wealth of knowledge,...

On Wednesday, the hosts and guests of Morning Joe tackled new polls which showed President Barack Obama suffering in public job approval polls. They noted that the Republican Party, too, is not popular with the public. Contributor NPR Cokie Roberts attributed at least some of Obama’s falling polls to the Gop’s animus towards him which, she said, is motivated in part by racism.

Apparently so for the First Lady, whose comment came during her discussion with former First Lady Laura Bush at the African First Ladies Summit in Tanzania during an interview moderated by journalist Cokie Roberts. The Wall Street Journal reports that First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday described living in the White House as like being in a .really nice prison.. Roberts noted that Martha Washington even agreed and felt like a state prisoner. Obama said, .There are some prison elements to it,. she joked. .But it.s a really nice prison.. Former first lady Laura Bush reminded the crowd that First Ladies had a chef. .You can.t complain,. Michelle Obama admitted. .But there is definitely elements that are confining..

Taylor Swift and the Jackson 5: together at last.

Dan Chamberlain, who once "wowed the world" with his fake Cokie Roberts Twitter account, is back to his world wowing ways once again. The enterprising young comedian has taken Swift's breakup anthem "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and married it to "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5, resulting in the greatest song ever -- or at least of Jan. 8.

Listen by heading over to Dan's Tumblr blog. Then listen again. And again. And again. It's exhausting, but worth it.

Soulja Boy, tell ‘em about the fantastic sale going on at Dress Barn! If you’re a person, place or thing that has $10 to spare, we’re excited to inform you that the “Pretty Boy Swag” rapper will hype you on on his music group’s Twitter account. Bossip alerted us to the fact that Soulja Boy’s website is selling everything from retweets and shout-outs for under $5 to a beat or verse for $10,000. You can buy it all right now on PayPal! How much to have Soulja Boy namecheck you in his next leaked dick pic? Too soon?

Considering his personal Twitter profile brags that he “just signed an 8 Million Dollar Endorsement Deal,” we don’t know exactly why Soulja Boy is giving out his Twitter love at such reasonable prices. That being said, there are plenty of people and places we think could use the Soulja Boy boost.

The broadcast and cable networks will be going all out for coverage of the 2012 presidential election, which now kicks off less than 24 hours from now. Most results shows will ramp up between 6-7 Pm Et on Election Day and all seem to be planning for a long night in the presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Here’s a rundown of plans: Broadcast ABC: “ABC News Your Voice, Your Vote – Election Night Coverage” will originate live from Times Square, with real-time results appearing on Times Square screens. Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will host beginning with a special edition of “World News with Diane Sawyer” at 6:30 Pm Et and continuing until at least 2 Am. A special edition of Nightline will air at 2:35 Am Et. Team: Jake Tapper, David Muir, Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Jonathan Karl, Ron Brownstein and Cokie Roberts, Josh Elliott, Amy Robach, Cecilia Vega,...

Awesome: 68-year-old NPR news analyst and ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts apparently confused Twitter with Google this morning. [Update: According to NPR Director of Media Relations Anna Christopher, this account is a fake -- and Cokie Roberts isn't actually on Twitter.] Awesomer: After a few futile searches, she decided to stop looking for an Applebee’s and start trying to recreate the chain’s dishes at home. Awesomest: The moment when she realized what she had done –

oh no.— Cokie Roberts (@CokieRoberts) October 26, 2012

Roberts followed that tweet with a link to a Reba McEntire song and a quote from its music video: “I don’t need any more accidents in my life.”

Oh, and Cokie — there doesn’t seem to be an Applebee’s in DC proper,...

On Sunday, This Week's panel clashed when it came to discussing the Democratic National Convention, particularly when the conversation veered toward the contentious topic of abortion. As Newark Mayor Cory Booker defended his party's stance on women's health issues, Cokie Roberts remarked that the convention was "over the top" when it came to abortion. That it risked alienating some Democrats.

Michelle Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger's estranged wife Maria Shriver, ex-President George W. Bush and former First Ladies Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter were among the dignitaries mourning the death of Betty Ford at a memorial service in Palm Desert, California on Tuesday.

Ford, the widow of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, died on Friday.

Carter joined news anchor Cokie Roberts among those who delivered eulogies to honour the beloved humanitarian, who founded the Betty Ford Clinic. The centre has become a sanctuary for celebrities dealing with addiction issues.

Though she's not known as a basketball fan, Katie Couric was honored Tuesday by the Wnba with the league's 2011 Inspiration Award. The award "recognizes an individual who inspires others through her commitment and dedication to work, family, and community." (Previous winners of the award include Susan Rice, United States ambassador to the United Nations and ABC News' Cokie Roberts and Robin Roberts.)...

Read More >...

Yesterday's Easter Sunday episode of This Week was titled "God and Government" and focused on the unique relationship between "politics and the pulpit" according to host Christiane Amanpour. The later half featured a roundtable discussion about Barack Obama's faith and the perception by some that the president is actually Muslim (supported by a poll that indicates that a fifth of America think believes so.) Cokie Roberts explained the reason why: Americans are racist.

Interesting roundtable on the proposed Mosque in lower Manhattan today on This Week, one that demonstrated the wide array of opinions both on the building of the center and President Obama's comments on it this weekend. Cokie Roberts thinks that despite Obama's follow-up remarks yesterday saying that he was not weighing in on the wisdom of the mosque, merely the group's right to build it, his initial comments on Friday were "clearly and endorsement" and to "walk back is just silly." Not everyone agreed.

Man, you don't want to get on Cokie Roberts' bad side. During a Web roundtable discussion for Sunday's This Week With George Stephanopoulos, the esteemed political analyst weighed in on the ongoing firestorm over director Roman Polanski's recent arrest with this blunt assessment: "Roman Polanski is a criminal. You know, he drugged and raped and sodomized a child. And then was a fugitive from justice. As far as I'm concerned, just take him out back and shoot him." Even assuming she didn't mean her comments to be taken literally, there's something jarring about hearing the words "take him...

More developments from the bombed-out front of the Roman Polanski Culture War:

· Offering a little context to Samantha Geimer's avowed support of her recently apprehended rapist, the L.A. Times got a hold of court records saying that Polanski settled the woman's civil suit in 1993 for a cool half-million dollars. Interest had increased the amount to more than $600,000 two years later after Polanski failed to pay up and Geimer's lawyers attempted to garnish Polanski's directing fees. The records don't indicate if or when the parties ever squared up, but they haven't been in court for more than a decade, and Geimer's forgiveness and urge to put the put the matter behind her seem to suggest a resolution was achieved.

After the jump: Cokie Roberts calls for an execution, Bill Maher distances himself, and France shrugs as usual.

A League Of Their Own. Clockwise from top: Senator Susan Collins, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Considering that baseball is referred to as “America’s pastime,” it’s no surprise that ball games are a popular summer social activity in Washington, D.C., bringing out a competitive streak in everyone from the District’s elite to the lowly interns. There’s the annual Roll Call Congressional baseball game, in June, where Republican and Democratic members of Congress are given the chance to slug it out on the field instead of the floor; the R.N.C.-vs.-D.N.C. matchup, also in June, where national-party staffers aim to win bragging rights; and the weekly Senate and House softball leagues, where Hill workers battle it out for office pride. This year, even President Obama will have the chance to show his skills: today...

Legendary actor Sidney Poitier will be honored with a 2007 Common Wealth Award for his contributions to the movie industry at the a ceremony next month. The 80-year-old star - who became the first black man to win the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Lilies Of The Field in 1963 - joins former Polish president Aleksander Kwansniewski, veteran broadcast journalist Cokie Roberts, and author Ian McEwan as honorees of the awards. The Common Wealth Awards recognize people who demonstrate both excellence in their respective fields and serve as an inspiration to others, according to committee member Connie Bond Stuart. Each recipient will receive a $50,000 check, when they are presented with the awards at a ceremonial dinner in Delaware on April 28.