warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Politics Today: Jon Stewart Debates Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck's Next Rally, And More

Tracy Bloom |
May 17, 2011 | 12:17 a.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted to fathering a child with a longtime member of their staff before his first run for office. Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced earlier this month that they were splitting up after 25 years of marriage.

He said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times: "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."

The Daily Show host Jon Stewart went on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday night to debate the controversy surrounding rapper and actor Common’s invitation to a White House poetry reading. 

On his own show previously, Stewart had called out the cable commentator for slamming the White House’s invitation to Common. The debate had been heavily anticipated and the duo did not disappoint.

The Baltimore Sun reported:

O'Reilly made the case that White House guests should be thoroughly vetted and be "almost unimpeachable."

Stewart argued that Common was not celebrating cop killing with some of his lyrics, but merely arguing that he believed certain convicted murderers were actually innocent.

At that, O'Reilly joked: "Is this Perry Mason we're talking about now?"

Stewart then pointed out that Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Bono all have lyrics questioning convictions and have been to the White House.

"There is a collective outrage machine here at Fox that pettifogs only when it suits the narrative that suits them.,” Stewart said. “But then guess what? Bono can't go to the White House, Springsteen can't go to the White House, Bob Dylan can't go to the White House. You got a lot of people that aren't allowed to sit in the White House because they've written songs about people convicted of murder."

"When a President invites someone, or in this case the First Lady invites someone, the resumé has to be put in front of them,” O’Reilly responded. “And they have to select people who are almost unimpeachable, alright? Because they're getting that honor to go to the White House."

Stewart will appear again on “The Factor” Tuesday night, where the two will discuss presidential politics.

Glenn Beck is
planning to hold another rally this summer to follow up with last year’s “Restoring Honor” event.  Beck told his listeners on his radio program Monday that the “Restoring Courage” rally will be held in Jerusalem in August.  Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally drew massive crowds in Washington, D.C. when it was held last August, but Beck said that drawing a huge audience in Jerusalem will be a big challenge.

From The Huffington Post: “Beck candidly admitted that he didn't know how many people would show up, or how much the event would cost. But he called the rally a ‘life altering event’ and warned that the ‘very gates of hell’ would fight his attempts to hold the rally.”

Sixteen candidates are on the ballot of Tuesday's special election in California's 36th congressional district  to replace Jane Harman's vacated seat. Voter turnout is expected to be light.

The Associated Press reports:

With that many candidates dividing the vote, it's almost a certainty no one will clear the 50-percent threshold needed to claim the 36th Congressional District seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman outright. That means the top two finishers will advance to an expected July 12 runoff.

Harman resigned in February to head the nonpartisan Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Secretary State Debra Bowen and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn are considered the frontrunners to win the seat.

President Obama is a millionaire with assets worth up to $12 million, acccording to the financial disclosure form The White House released Monday. Most of the president's assets come from his two best-selling books. There has been little change in the president's financial disclousres since he took office in 2009. Read the financial disclosure form here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.