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The production studio behind ABC’s The Rookie says it has launched an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and racial bullying made by cast member Afton Williamson, who quit the series after sensing that her complaints had been largely ignored. As first reported by TVLine, Williamson is not returning for Season 2 of the procedural, where she played training officer Talia Bishop opposite Nathan Fillion’s title character. In a message posted to Instagram early Sunday morning, the actress alleged that starting with the pilot shoot in spring 2018 and throughout all of Season 1, she “experienced racial discrimination/racially charged inappropriate...

At 29 years old, U.S. Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be the youngest woman ever in Congress, but her first few days as an elected official have come with challenges — some of which have nothing to do with politics. As Capitol Hill holds orientation meetings this week, the incoming congresswoman said on Twitter that people keep mistaking her for an intern or someone's spouse. **SNIP** "People keep giving me directions to the spouse and intern events instead of the ones for members of Congress," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Wednesday. When a critic pointed out there were no scheduled intern events that day,...

As police struggled to get Wiley inside a cruiser, she lunged at the face of Officer Jessica Rondinelli, a rookie cop who has been on the job barely a month. Wiley, cops charge, “grabbed a hold of Officer Rondinelli’s right ear in her teeth and refused to let go.” Rondinelli yelled, "She has my ear!" Wiley released her bite when Rondinelli, 27, gouged her in the eye. “She bit my ear off,” Rondinelli then told fellow officers. The cop’s right ear was bleeding and had a “jagged chunk missing from the top of it,” according to the report.

Jeff Roe @jeffroe 1h MISSING #SleazyDonald: Why no events in 4 days; none planned for 8. Ever had psychological eval? What is hiding in medical records! Release!

Eyebrows are being raised as financial disclosure forms show that the “National Draft Ben Carson For President Committee” is spending most of its contributions … on raising money. The PAC — which is not affiliated with Carson himself — has raised more than $12 million since July 2013. The group says it is working to convince Carson, the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, to run for president in 2016.

Romney still wrong about Russia, says Obama. Speaking at a brief news conference in the Hague, President Obama said he's more worried about a loose nuke being detonated in Manhattan than he is about Russia: "With respect to Mr. Romney's assertion that Russia is our number one geopolitical foe, the truth of the matter is that America has a whole lot of challenges," said the president. "Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neigbors, not out of strength, but out weakness. "Ukraine has been a country which Russia had enormous influence for decades, since the...

Rookie Democrat draws fire for Holder voteBy CHARLES MAHTESIAN | 7/1/12 8:00 AM EDT More fallout on the left against Democrats who voted last week to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. In this case, it’s newly elected Rep. Ron Barber who is under fire just weeks after he won the special election to replace Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. From an open letter to Barber posted on the liberal Blog for Arizona: **SNIP** True, you voted against the worst of the two contempt measures against Holder, the one calling for criminal contempt. But your vote for the...

Obama and the politics of disappointmentBy Tom Foreman, CNN updated 8:49 PM EST, Tue December 13, 2011 Washington (CNN) -- All politicians disappoint their supporters. It is a relentless truth in D.C. They make pledges they can't keep, say things they don't mean, and encounter stiff headwinds in office that were just distant breezes on the campaign trail. The bigger their failed promises, the bigger the disappointment. And just a few hours north of Washington, in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, it is easy to see that President Obama has a lot of disappointment standing between him and re-election. "I...

Obama on the debt ceiling; then and nowEthel C. Fenig January 5, 2011 Almost five years ago, in March, 2006, the usually silent junior Democratic senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, unexpectedly piped up to oppose increasing the nation's debt ceiling, explaining The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. ... Increasing America's debt weakens...

After wrapping her arms around the retail giant Wal-Mart and trying to cajole food makers into producing nutrition labels that are easier to understand, Michelle Obama, a healthy-eating advocate, has her sights set on a new target: the nation’s restaurants. A team of advisers to Mrs. Obama has been holding private talks over the past year with the National Restaurant Association, a trade group, in a bid to get restaurants to adopt her goals of smaller portions and children’s meals that include healthy offerings like carrots, apple slices and milk instead of French fries and soda, according to White House...

The World as He Finds ItBy PAUL KRUGMAN Published: November 14, 2010 On Wednesday David Axelrod, President Obama’s top political adviser, appeared to signal that the White House was ready to cave on tax cuts — to give in to Republican demands that tax cuts be extended for the wealthy as well as the middle class. “We have to deal with the world as we find it,” he declared. The White House then tried to walk back what Mr. Axelrod had said. But it was a telling remark, in more ways than one. The obvious point is the contrast between...

O’s magic wanesBy Boston Herald Editorial Staff Saturday, October 16, 2010 - Updated 3 hours ago So, has the magic gone? Sure, there’s always a certain level of excitement during a presidential visit. The motorcade, the prospect of a wave here, a photo op there, for a few brief hours being the center of the political universe. Asked about the “why” of today’s visit by Barack Obama on his behalf, Gov. Deval Patrick said, “He’s the president of the United States. I haven’t been doing this so long that it doesn’t excite me that the president of the United States...

Why O's 'bank tax' won't fix Wall St.Last Updated: 6:46 AM, January 14, 2010 Today, President Obama will announce plans to levy a big fee on "too big to fail" financial firms. The fees, as much as $120 billion, seem designed to attract a crucial support base: New York's delegation in Congress. But a tax on finance won't fix Wall Street -- and New York should reject it. The move is supposedly a response to furor over Wall Street bonuses. "Given the mood of the country, it is essential that we do it," says Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who chairs...

Obama: 'I'm Skinny...But Tough' Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:30 AM President Barack Obama has lashed back at critics who fear he lacks the steel to be a successful president, saying "I'm skinny ... but I'm tough." Obama, who is trying to navigate a climate of sharp political partisanship, said he was spoiling for a fight to enact his ambitious agenda. "There are people saying mean things about me and folks are worried," Obama said on Monday, as he headlined a pair of Florida Democratic Party fundraisers that racked up a total of 1.5 million dollars. "Just 'cause I'm skinny doesn't...

Obama's Nobel: The Last Thing He NeedsBy Nancy Gibbs – 1 hr 51 mins ago The last thing Barack Obama needed at this moment in his presidency and our politics is a prize for a promise. Inspirational words have brought him a long way - including to the night in Grant Park less than a year ago when he asked that we "join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand." **SNIP** At this moment many...

NEW YORK – A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started. One of the NYPD's newest officers made his first arrest Thursday just minutes after graduating from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden. Officer Dariel Firpo, 23, was leaving the midtown Manhattan ceremony when he saw a 79-year-old man being robbed of his wallet and thrown to the ground by a mugger, police said. The mugger tried to run away, but Firpo caught him without incident, they said.

Just over a month ago, President Barack Obama broke a 30-year embargo on US relations with Iran: He offered goodwill not only to "Iranians" but to the country's government. Less than two weeks after the Nowruz adress, Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the US military command overseeing Iran and the Gulf, offered a far different portrayal of Iran to a Senate committee: Iranian activities and policies constitute the major state-based threat to regional stability. ... Iran is assessed by many to be continuing its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, which would destabilize the region and likely spur a...

Obama is flying to St. Louis today for another "town hall" meeting. How much does it cost each time he takes a boondoggle? 747 Fuel costs, cargo transport fuel costs, limos, SUV's, his posse, etc?

OUR OPINION: First months reveal a poised, disciplined, pragmatic politician President Barack Obama has run a fast race thus far. His first 100 days in office have been remarkably productive, particularly for someone who was serving in the Illinois state Senate only five years ago. A successful start augurs well for the rest of his tenure, but critics have reason to remain skeptical. Huge deficits, a seemingly limitless agenda and Washington's enduring partisan divide are just some of the challenges that could trip up this presidency. In truth, the 100-day test is an artificial political construct. It is too little...