 President Obama has some fun at the 2011 White House Correspondent's Dinner. (PHOTO CREDIT) Getty Images
April 27th, 2012
07:47 PM ET
The POTUS with the most-est preparing his comedy monologue Jimmy Kimmel might be the high power entertainment at this year's White House Correspondent's Dinner Saturday night but don't write off the president's comedy material just yet. We are told by a senior administration official a White House brainpower trust including the President’s head speechwriter Jon Favreau, David Axelrod, and speechwriter David Litt are hard at work. Presidents have typically had some funny zingers prepared for their remarks for this annual dinner with the press that covers the White House. And it appears the fun is already starting. An official told us on background that when he wasn’t busy power lunching at Spago and ducking the paparazzi, former White House speechwriter turned LA heartthrob Jon Lovett has been offering suggestions – the offensive kind.  President Obama laughs during the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner
April 27th, 2012
12:04 PM ET
D.C. dinner brings out the barbsIt’s the one night of the year when the president, his staff and those who follow him are allowed to loosen up and tickle their funny bones. Every year, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner gives politicians and the reporters who cover them a chance to laugh at themselves and the world around them. And for the comic tapped to deliver the keynote address at the dinner, it’s an opportunity to entertain Washington’s elite. But there are times where the comic makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons. You’ve gotta watch these moments when the keynote comics made more headlines than the jokes.  
2011: Obama laughs off Osama jokeIn 2011, “Saturday Night Live” star Seth Meyers joked about Osama bin Laden hiding on C-SPAN. What Meyers did not know was that U.S. intelligence had already found bin Laden and that he would be killed within hours. Watch President Obama and his staff put on their game faces about 30 seconds into the clip while Meyers poked fun. 
2009: Sykes' controversial Limbaugh jokeComedienne and actress Wanda Sykes pulled no punches and took no prisoners when she addressed the 2009 Correspondents’ Dinner. But Sykes heard a few “boo birds” when she connected radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh to Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 hijackers. Listen to Sykes’ remarks about 10 seconds into the clip and see if they were appropriate. 
2006: Colbert rips Bush, WashingtonIn 2006, just a few months after his Comedy Central show premiered, Stephen Colbert brought his brand of satire to the Correspondents’ Dinner. While many laughed, his jabs at then-president George W. Bush and his administration angered a number of Bush’s aides and supporters, some of whom walked out during the performance. Watch and decide for yourself if Colbert was funny or infuriating. 
April 27th, 2012
10:41 AM ET
Obama targets fradulent loan marketing aimed at military President Obama wants to crack down on for-profit colleges his administration says deceptively recruit post-9/11 veterans with false promises of lucrative careers. The president will travel to Fort Stewart in Georgia Friday where he will unveil a new executive order aimed at forcing schools to be more transparent in their recruitment and marketing efforts. While 9/11 GI Bill federal loans can be used at private, public, and for-profit schools alike, a recent Senate Committee report found eight of the ten largest recipients of GI Bill loans are for-profit schools. According to the report, for-profit colleges heavily recruit ex-service members with misleading military-themed websites that falsely suggest the federal funds can only be used at their schools. The Senate report also found the average dropout rate at these schools hovers around forty percent. In the Executive Order the president will announce Friday, all schools who market to veterans will be required to be more transparent about the educational opportunities they provide and likely career placement outcomes. The Department of Defense will also be tasked with setting forth rules on how schools are permitted to recruit service members on military bases while the Department of Veterans Affairs will crack down on the school’s deceptive websites specifically targeted to military members. The executive order also mandates better financial aid and academic advising to enrolled veterans and a centralized complaint system for veterans who feel their school has defrauded them. |
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