Do These Genes Make Our Government Look Big?

PLUS: Bush’s global warming nonsense ain’t foolin’ anyone...What the heck is a scuppy?..What your fried foods says about your party affiliation...The $50 million scandal you haven’t heard about...Bush ignores the Pope...And huess who’s cooking dinner tonight? It’s April 18th, and we love singing children.

Celebration Excuse

Become a princess, save the nation, or beat the Red Sox: Dreams come true on April 18.

1775

Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere! Riding from Charlestown to Lexington to warn Massachusetts that the British were coming! The British were coming!, Paul Revere becomes a legend.

1906

The jokes about California falling into the ocean stop being quite so funny, as the Great San Francisco Earthquake registers a whopping 8.0 on the Richter scale.

1923

The Yankees play their very first game in Yankee Stadium, beating the Boston Red Sox 4–1.

1955

Farewell to a legendary brain (and college poster): Albert Einstein died at age 76..

1956

Actress Grace Kelly fulfills every little girl’s dream and becomes a princess by marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco.

2002

Actor Robert Blake is arrested for (allegedly) killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.

2003

Scott Peterson is arrested for the murder of his wife, Laci.

Is there such a thing as an “ugly,” late-night, monkey cake?

1857: A legendary lawyer in the trial of the century, Clarence Darrow defended teacher John Scopes in the “monkey trial”

1946: The actress who made us all dream of one day meeting our twin at camp, Hayley Mills

1963: Lanky, late-night funnyman, Conan O’Brien

1984: The most beautiful “ugly” character on television, America Ferrera

2006: Tomkitten Suri Cruise

Daybook

POTUS

8:30am

President Bush gives remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast at the Hilton in DC

11:10am

President Bush speaks to the America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, DC

Afternoon

Then it’s off to Camp David, to spend the weekend hanging with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok

OTHER PEOPLE

Pope Benedict XVI

8:45am

The Pope takes “Shepherd One” (that’s his plane) from DC to New York, then takes a helicopter into Manhattan.

10:45am

The Pope gives a speech to the U.N. General Assembly

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff

2PM

Gives a presser with the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan after signing a “memorandum of understanding on the Visa Waiver Program”

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

1:30PM

Gives a speech on global warming at a Yale summit of environmental officials and governors

WATCH MORE TV

Set Your TiVo

The View: Actor Laurence Fishburne; Saved By The Bell alum Elizabeth Berkley

Regis & Kelly: Actor Willem Dafoe; child bride of Billy, Katie Lee Joel

Stay Up Late

Letterman: Baby Mama’s Amy Poehler; Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s Jason Segel

Leno: British funny lady Tracy Ullman

Conan: A totally random lineup with comedian Martin Short and Boston Celtic Ray “Jesus Shuttleworth” Allen

Kimmell: Our favorite show of the week, with the Round Mound of Rebound himself, Charles Barkley, and Knocked Up/Forgetting Sarah Marshall brain Judd Apatow

 

Eavesdrop

Steal This Audio

The State of Homeland Security

Who: Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MI), Chairman of Homeland Security Committee

What: The Chairman talks about the state of homeland security.

Why You Should Care: With the invasion of Iraq spawning more enemies than friends, we are not as safe as we should be. As the government’s dysfunctional response to Hurricane Katrina tragically illustrated, homeland security faces a host of important challenges: pandemics, natural disasters, man-made events and, yes, terrorism. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still far from filling its large shoes of responsibility. The reasons? Ineffective leadership, budgetary waste, misplaced priorities, poor employee morale, and a lack of planning and regulatory authority. Hear Chairman Thompson share his thoughts on the problems:

  • Chairman Thompson wants a nation of laws that also protects its citizens.
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  • It’s like musical chairs at DHS, according to the Chairman.
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  • We’re shocked, simply shocked, that the Chairman hasn’t gotten an invite to the White House to talk about homeland security issues.
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  • The Chairman’s got a point: “when the bad people show up, they don’t ask party affiliation or anything else so it’s in our best interest to get it right.”
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  • Chairman Thompson wants a DHS that reflects America.
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Popularity Contest

It’s Friday, and suddenly, you have no idea what you’re going to talk about at Happy Hour tonight. Never fear, we’re here! See how plugged in you can get in 10 minutes or less with the hottest stories on the top news sites.

NYT: Raves (Yes, It’s True) for New Hearing Aid

WP: In Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC

USAT: Democratic debate targets gaffes before critical Pa. vote

LAT: Woman convicted of murder in homeless men’s deaths

ABC: Philly Fight Night: Dems Spar Over Electability

NBC: Researchers find rare giant turtle in Vietnam

CBS: Clinton, Obama Collide In Tense Debate

CNN: Ex-sect members escape polygamy, but not pain

FOX: Fresno Student Shot, Killed by Police Officer After Bat Attack

REUTERS: Sickened pork workers have new nerve disorder

BBC: Drunk Russian sleeps off knifing

Masthead

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Mic Check is produced every weekday by Christy Harvey, Sara Langhinrichs and Nicole Murphy, and is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Read more about Mic Check.

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