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(CBS News) Michelle Obama said depictions of friction in a new book, "The Obamas," between her and former top aides to her husband, President Obama, aren't true. In a wide-ranging interview with "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King, the first lady also said that some have tried to portray her as an "angry black woman" since Mr. Obama first announced he was seeking the presidency. " ... I guess it's more interesting to imagine this conflicted situation here and a strong woman and-- you know? But that's been an image that people have tried to paint of me since the...

<p>Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely vacation. Because I’m not actually on vacation. Unless you consider drinking coconut coffee from the Keurig while I work in my office a vacation. Because I don’t. At any rate, I saved the US taxpayers nearly $4 million by not being First Lady and flying off for a 17-day vacation in Hawaii on the taxpayers dime. You can thank me later.</p>

The road to gastric hell is paved with first lady Michelle Obama's Nanny State intentions. Don't take my word for it. School kids in Los Angeles have blown the whistle on the east wing chef-in-chief's healthy lunch diktats. Get your Pepto Bismol ready. The taste of government waste is indigestion-inducing. According to a weekend report by the Los Angeles Times, the city's "trailblazing introduction of healthful school lunches has been a flop." In response to the public hectoring and financial inducement of Mrs. Obama's federally subsidized anti-obesity campaign, the district dropped chicken nuggets, corn dogs and flavored milk from the...

Looks PERFECT!

First lady MICHLLE OBAMA fuming as PAULA DEEN dishes on her unhealthy eating habits despite new book “American Grown” PR blitz! MICHELLE OBAMA is now furious with Southern cooking queen PAULA DEEN for crowing that the first lady, a healthy-eat­ing advocate who’s waging a war against childhood obesity, pigs out on fatten­ing foods. While plugging her new book, “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible,” the feisty TV chef took a pot shot at Michelle for gorging herself on greasy french fries, fatty hot chicken wings and sug­ary deep-fried Snickers bars! “Michelle’s spitting mad,” a source told The ENQUIRER.

First lady Michelle Obama has gold-plated her appeal, in part, by playing it safe, focusing on signature issues and family while staying out of the partisan politics so deeply loathed by many Americans Her value as the most popular member of the Obama administration is inevitably sending her back into the field, raising money and delivering speeches for a 2012 reelection effort that increasingly needs some happier news. ... Humanizing the president is a traditional and nearly inevitable role for the first lady at campaign time, which tends to roll around after the shine has come off a president and...

When Paula Deen met Michelle Obama, it wasn't exactly the queen of butter versus the first lady of garden greens. Deen, known for her delicious not-so-good-for-you recipes like Gooey Butter Cake, said the two women had more in common than you might expect. "Well, I did a show with Michelle and I just loved being with her," Deen told Yeas & Nays. "She probably ate more than any other guest I've ever had on the show —she kept eating even during commercials." Deen taught Obama how to fry shrimp during a TV segment in September before the 2008 presidential election....

First lady Michelle Obama may want to go on another Target shopping trip in February: That’s when a limited-edition collection by Jason Wu, one of her favorite designers, will hit stores across the country. Women’s Wear Daily reported Monday that after Target’s Missoni collaboration was a huge success, the store has tapped Wu to be the next to design an affordable collection for the design-conscious retailer. The 60’s inspired line will reach stores Feb. 5, and items will be priced at $60 or less - a considerable discount from his eponymous fashion line.

First lady Michelle Obama, wearing a hat and sunglasses, center, stands in line at a Target Department ...

Michelle Obama, the most glamorous of all U.S. First Ladies, dazzled the crowd at a DNC fundraiser Tuesday night wearing over $42,000 worth of diamond bracelets ($42,150 to be precise). Designed by Katie Decker, a 23-year-old Texas-based jeweller, the First Lady dropped a few dimes on some serious bling: (Daily Mail) - The First Lady, 47, chose to wear Miss Decker's Lotus cuff, with 2.9 carats of diamonds, costing $15,000, the Gothic cuff with 2.17 carats of diamonds, costing $15,350, and the $11,800 Quatrefoil bracelet with 1.73 carats of diamonds to the Gotham Hall event.Damn, for that kind of money...

The Obamas' summer break in Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets. But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances. White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year. Branding her 'disgusting' and 'a vacation junkie', they say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol. The 'top source' told the National Enquirer: 'It's disgusting. Michelle is taking advantage...

First lady takes on ‘food deserts’ Posted by: CNN White House Producer Alexander Mooney Michelle Obama unveiled the latest push in her healthy-eating campaign Wednesday, announcing several national and regional food retailers have pledged to expand into a string of low-income markets where finding nutritious food options is nearly impossible. “If a parent wants to pack a piece of fruit in a child’s lunch, if a parent wants to add some lettuce to a salad at dinner, they shouldn’t have to take three city busses…to go to another community to make that possible,” the first lady said at during a...

"Better Homes and Gardens" hasn't had a public figure on its cover in 48 years. With President Obama's approval rating plummeting along with the nation's employment picture, they must have figured now was the time to break with tradition and do an ultimate exposure puff piece on his wife: Better Homes and Gardens will feature First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover of its August issue - the first public figure to grace the magazine's cover in 48 years. Obama will be the focus of an article on healthful eating for children. The issue will hit newsstands July 19. Editors...

EXCERPT A Washington Post journalist on the scene confirmed the first lady, who’s made a cause out of child nutrition, ordered a ShackBurger, fries, chocolate shake and a Diet Coke while the street and sidewalk in front of the usually-packed Shake Shack were closed by security during her visit. According to nutritional information on Shake Shack’s Web site, the meal amounted to 1,700 calories.

First Lady Michelle Obama has told her husband the President she's "had enough" and is packing up their daughters and moving back to Chicago. Only this week's GLOBE has the exclusive story of what triggered Michelle's shocking decision to leave the White House - and her husband.

Headline only .... with picture!

SOWETO, South Africa — Graca Machel, the wife of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, took the pulpit of the Regina Mundi church here Wednesday to introduce Michelle Obama, the wife of America’s first black president. “We welcome you as a daughter of African heritage, and we can call you the queen of our world,” said Machel, an advocate for women and children, noting that Regina Mundi means queen of the world in Latin. The prickly ambivalence that South Africans often show toward the United States, which is often perceived here as an overbearing superpower, seems to have been...

During her visit to South Africa, First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by the University of Cape Town for an event with young people. She told the audience how she came from modest circumstances and was able to attend top schools and build a career at a big law firm, saying they too can achieve their dreams if they try hard enough. After her speech, she was asked a series of soft questions like, "What advice can you give the youth today?" But at the end of the session, one young person in the audience asked Mrs. Obama, who has devoted...

EXCERPT Mrs Obama met for about a half-hour on Tuesday morning with Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma at President Jacob Zuma's official residence in the capital of Pretoria. Ntuli-Zuma is one of the President's three wives. There were two further wives who are no longer with him. He divorced Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in 1998. Kate Mantsho Zuma killed herself in 2000, after describing her marriage to him as '24 years of hell'. Mr Zuma, who was out of the country, is said to have more than ten children, and possibly as many as 19.

First lady Michelle Obama visited Nelson Mandela on the first day of her trip to South Africa today and told one greeter that her husband was "pouty" that he couldn't come along. The first lady's weeklong trip to South Africa and Botswana began with a meeting with one of the three wives of South African President Jacob Zuma. During her stop at the president's official residence in Pretoria she was greeted by Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma. Nic Dawes, the editor of South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper, tweeted that he shook the first lady's hand and wrote: "Michelle Obama certainly convinced the...