The Mercyhurst University junior is still working her way through a political science and strategic communications track, but she insists Congress has been on her mind since way back when.

“I’ve wanted to be a staffer since middle school,” Javed said. “I’ve been overexposed to ‘The West Wing,’ so I run around thinking I’m Josh Lyman.”

She’s fairly certain her natural goofiness may preclude her from running for office — “I don’t think the electorate will take me seriously once they find out I once did a dreamcast of members of Congress as Jersey Shore characters,” she posited — but seems confident it could pay dividends elsewhere.

“I’d also like to do some work in political humor eventually,” Javed said.

(Courtesy Zainab Javed)

No time like the present.

The post YOLO Queen Can’t Wait to Conquer Washington appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The invite-only taste around is scheduled to take place tonight from 5-7 p.m. in the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building.

(Courtesy Jeanne Shaheen)

You guessed it: the iconic, 7-foot stuffed bear will be there. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., will be joined by Reps. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., and Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., in showing off the Granite State’s culinary chops.

We anticipate long lines to sample the following: truffle egg salad fashioned from cage-free eggs, smoked bacon and Robie Farm Toma (Omni Mount Washington Resort), seared New Hampshire sirloin with blue cheese mousse and walnut shortbread (Hanover Street Chophouse), braised barbecue venison sliders with blueberry balsamic glaze and New Hampshire cheddar (Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa) and strawberry shortcake “shooters” infused with New Hampshire honey and served on whipped cream-topped pound cake (Common Man restaurants).

Meanwhile, staff said Shaheen remains entranced by the gourmet sweets shared by Granite State Candy Shoppe and L.A. Burdick.

Peep at the full list of participating purveyors here.

The post Eat Free or Die in Russell appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Courtesy Paul D. Ryan)

“With P90X guru Tony Horton, a workout photo I’m proud to share,” the Wisconsin lawmaker and avowed gym rat gushed on Twitter.

He also included a shout-out to Time magazine, the publication that last fall ran a bunch of workout photos of the iron-pumping candidate that were freely Photoshopped and mercilessly lampooned by hordes of online detractors.

(Screenshot)

Horton appears to be making the most of his swing through town, popping by the Canadian Embassy bright and early this morning to sweat the poutine out of our neighbors to the north.

He’s in Washington to attend the Congressional Award Gold Medal Ceremony, an annual event celebrating youth fitness. Per Horton, he’s being honored as this year’s Horizon Award recipient.

The post Paul Ryan’s Kind of Photo-Op appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Ted Poe took to the House floor Monday to deliver yet another conservative indictment of wasteful government spending.

His latest target: the party boys living high on the hog at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

“’English as a second language,’ ‘Pashto to English,’ ‘Arabic to English,’ ‘art,’ ‘life skills,’ ‘computers,’ ‘personal health and wellness,’ ‘finance and business’ — sounds like courses at a swanky New England university, but these are just a few classes offered at Gitmo University on the Caribbean,” the Texas Republican deadpanned for the C-SPAN cameras.

He went on to denounce the career training some of the detainees have been receiving (“Are they going someplace?” he wondered) and their access to a multimedia library (“17,000 books, video games and CDs”). And, just for good measure, he railed against their recreational options.

“Terrorists have access to the fancy, new taxpayer-funded $750,000 soccer field — play volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and even foosball,” Poe raged. “Mr. Speaker, why does the government spend millions to train and entertain those who kill Americans?”

That multipurpose field does sound pretty sweet.

But we highly doubt any other prisoners anywhere would sign up to endure religious persecution and prolonged sessions of interrogatory Twister just to partake in a few pickup futbol games.

And let’s not forget the 40-odd detainees who will presumably never see the inside of a courtroom or be let off that floating tomb.

The post Ted Poe Decries Gitmo Perks appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The Mercyhurst University student first popped up on HOH’s radar during the 52nd Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.

(Courtesy Zainab Javed)

That’s where she scored big laughs from the Capitol Hill-centric crowd after her cheeky jab at government surveillance efforts got splashed across the Jumbotron.  But it was her response to all the adulation that really piqued our interest.

“Just got on the screen with my I’d Wiretap That sign! #Congresstude #YouOnlyLegislateOnce” she blasted out on one of her two Twitter accounts.

Turns out Javed picked up the politicized proverb last spring while enrolled in her “American Congress” course. And she’s made it her own ever since.

“It’s become a bit of a motto,” Javed told HOH of the play on the better known “You Only Live Once.”

The unabashed policy geek — “’I’m actually just a congressional enthusiast,” is how she hedged it — is so smitten with the saying, she’s tweeted it at other political reporters and, last summer, per a friend’s tumblr, she couldn’t contain herself from spreading her personal gospel all across Washington whilst the duo raced around town stalking the cast of “Parks and Recreation”:

“#you only legislate once #zainab was this u,” one acquaintance inquired online.

“yes that was her. i legit spent a whole afternoon running around dc with her where she yelled this phrase repeatedly,” the co-show stalker, identified only as “norrington,” corroborated via social media.

It’s even crept into her schoolwork.

(Courtesy Zainab Javed)

Javed used it as the title for a term paper on Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va. — a politician whom she described as “ridiculously awesome.”

(Screenshot)

Javed has worked for Obama for America and will spend this summer interning for Pennsylvania state Sen. Sean Wiley. Might we one day see her on Capitol Hill?

Confidence is high she’ll make her mark one way or another.

So, as others pile atop the “You Only Legislate Once” bandwagon, just remember that Javed led the original charge.

The post Political Junkie Makes Modified YOLO Her Mantra appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Johnson was filling in for Budget ranking member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., at a hearing with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the department’s budget when he imparted the wisdom he usually reserves for students to his colleagues and the nation’s top education official.

“There’s no doubt about it that we all know that education is real key. We share that same goal that we want to make sure our children are armed with the tools to lead a successful and productive life. When I meet with students, I frequently cite the three things that if you either do or avoid doing, you’ll have a pretty good chance at leading a successful life,” Johnson said at the top of his remarks.

“The first of those is really make sure you graduate from high school. At least, you know, get as much education beyond that is going to dramatically increase your chances at being successful in life. And then of course, don’t do drugs. And don’t have a baby out of wedlock, you know, get married first. Just basically, follow those three rules, you have a very high probability of leading a successful life, so education is obviously important.”

So to recap: 1. get a high school diploma; 2. just say “no” to drugs; 3. no babies before taking the plunge.

Voilà! Success!

The post The Ron Johnson Facts of Life appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

According to local news outlets, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro first revealed his twin brother’s very recent engagement to longtime girlfriend Anna Flores on Facebook.

Castro aides said the boss made it official June 15, proposing to Flores in front of the Memorial Church at Stanford University, his alma mater. Castro was visiting that weekend to address graduates from the Stanford Latinos group:

News spread quickly on the Internet — “Congrats to @JoaquinCastrotx on his engagement. Being happily married will make politics seem like a big waste of time, my friend,” Austin American-Statesman/MSNBC columnist Jason Stanford proclaimed on Twitter — but things slowly trickled back to us folks in Washington, D.C.

Per staff, there is no wedding date yet.

But Castro does plan to have some people from Capitol Hill join in the festivities. “Haven’t started invite list, but expect to invite many colleagues,” Team Castro told HOH.

Now, on to the registry hunt …

The post Joaquin Castro Takes the Plunge appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Chicago Sun-Times D.C. bureau chief Lynn Sweet reports that attorneys for the embattled lawyer have done an about-face on which of the Jacksons, Jesse or his wife, Sandi, should get locked up first should the court throw the book at them for the $750,000 they funneled from campaign accounts.

“Mr. Jackson’s health issues preclude him from working at this time. If he serves his period of incarceration first, Mrs. Jackson would be able to work and could stabilize the family’s finances,” Lynn said the ex-lawmaker’s lawyers proposed in a memo filed Monday.

With sentencing hanging over both of their heads just before the July Fourth holiday, it would seem Jesse is ready to get on with the rest of his life ASAP.

The post Jesse Jackson Jr. Lobbies to Be Locked Up First appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Here’s hoping local schoolchildren can stomach the same with a little help from a guy in a stovepipe hat and a pocketful of shiny copper pieces.

Michael Shank, a one-time aide to Rep. Michael M. Honda, D-Calif., who has since moved on to serve as director of foreign policy at Friends Committee on National Legislation, will be returning to the Hill on Tuesday for an encore performance of his 2010 portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln.

He’ll again don Honest Abe’s kit, fake beard and everything, to help more than 40 third-graders from Oyster-Adams Bilingual School wrap their heads around how Congress hashes out federal spending. The academic exercise is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. in Room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building.

Shank intends to use a powerful pronouncement (“with malice toward none, with charity for all”) from Lincoln’s second inaugural address as the starting point for the adventure in appropriating. He plans to provide the kids with pennies they can then divide among the programs that are most important to them.

“I’m not going to prescribe categories,” he told HOH of his desire to, hopefully, have the kids go all Socratic and divine the best possible uses of public funds — though Shank did mention education, health care and the environment as topics he’d like to address.

The post Pinching Pennies, the Lincoln Way appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

It seems the TPP is organizing an “Audit the IRS Rally” in Washington on Wednesday, and, as an extra enticement for the long bus rides tea partyers might be in for from parts unknown to the capital, the party is announcing its own in-ride movie entertainment.

Ah, the American road trip. Is there any better film genre? It’s given us everything from “The Wizard of Oz” to “Easy Rider,” from “Smokey and the Bandit” to “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Road Trip” and a personal favorite, “Midnight Run.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1_N28DA3gY

So which indelible flick is going to help pass the long hours on the road?

“The Tea Party Patriots, the nation’s largest tea party organization, today announced they will show ‘Hating Breitbart,’ a documentary that explores the life and impact of the late media guru Andrew Breitbart, on the buses carrying local and national tea party groups to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for the ‘Audit the IRS Rally.’ The film chronicles Breitbart, the man, through some of his biggest media battles as he exposed the corporate media’s unwillingness to cover certain stories,” the TPP said in a Monday release.

Oh, well. Can’t be entertained all the time.

The post Road-Tripping With a Dash of ‘Hating’ appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

It was the 350-millimeter lens he was pointing every which way at Nationals Park.

The Texas Republican told HOH he’s been a shutterbug for decades, noting that he took lots of candid shots for his high school yearbook and had a dark room at home while growing up. The passion only intensified once he became a parent, a move that prompted him to invest in his first professional grade camera, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

(Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

Farenthold has since graduated to a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, which was the eye-catching apparatus he kept training all around the diamond during the June 13 matchup.

“Really, I took it just to have something to do with my hands,” Farenthold said, though it sounds like the high-tech gadget made quite an impression on fellow lawmakers — particularly Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.

(Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

“Shuster named it the ‘Mac Daddy’,” Farenthold shared of his colleague’s take on the motorized memory maker.

Farenthold said he keeps the camera at the office for snapshots with visiting constituents, but also carries around a 12 megapixel point-and-shoot for chronicling life on Capitol Hill on the fly.

Still, there are certain scenes he’d love to haul out the big monster for.

His current wish list includes:

• Shooting sunrise/sunset from atop the Capitol dome;
• Capturing the view from the Capitol after a major snowfall;
• Getting up close and personal with the Washington Monument while it’s undergoing renovations.

Until those magic moments materialize, we’ll have to make do with this member’s-eye-view of last week’s game:

Rep. Dennis A. Ross, R-Fla., at bat. (Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

Re. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., attempting to bring the heat. (Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

The GOP squad taking the field. (Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

A Republican staffer letting her Twitter followers know she’s at the Congressional Baseball Game. (Courtesy Blake Farenthold)

The post Blake Farenthold Develops Photo Fixations appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The post Claire McCaskill at Her Most Multitaskingest | Overheard appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

As the Senate plods forward on a bipartisan immigration overhaul, many House members have been reluctant to take up a comprehensive bill. And one of the Senate bill’s authors, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida, is insisting his own bill needs stronger border security provisions to pass either chamber. What’s the future for this mine field of a policy debate?

Leave us your caption in the comments section below. Editors will pick five finalists on Wednesday, and then everyone can vote for the winner until Thursday afternoon. The winner gets a signed print from Matson.

The post The Writing’s on the Wall | Capitol Quip appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Thanks to the many readers who contributed captions for last week’s Capitol Quip contest. Here’s the winning entry as voted by readers of Heard on the Hill.

The winner will receive a signed color print suitable for framing from Roll Call cartoonist R.J. Matson.

The post Your Votes Were Properly Recorded | Capitol Quip appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Silver Tour founder Robert Platshorn, a convicted drug trafficker cum reform advocate — “I caught the first kingpin charge for marijuana,” he shared, having served three decades of a whopping 64-year sentence — is bringing busloads of senior citizens who are interested in medical marijuana along for the congressional tour.

An old school pitchman (he listed Vitamix and Ginsu as former clients), Platshorn produced an infomercial-style video about the health benefits of legal pot called, “Should Grandma Smoke Pot?” He’s been airing it in various TV markets for the past several months.

He also does a fair amount of speaking tours but is looking forward to having the group of ailing Americans he’s assembled — a clique set to include retirees from New Jersey, D.C., Colorado, Ohio and Florida — share their stories with elected officials.

Per Platshorn, his people will grab lunch and do some preliminary interviews beginning around 11 a.m. in the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria. Then it’s off to canvass congressional offices till 4 p.m.

They’ll regroup in Rayburn B369 and join Students for Sensible Drug Policy for a reception featuring a buffet and open bar.

Platshorn said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., who also helped secure the room in Rayburn, is scheduled to address the crowd at 4:30 p.m. SSDG supporter and conservative coalition builder Grover Norquist is slotted to give his two cents on getting Big Government to lay off dime bags at 4:45 p.m.

The post Pot-Seeking Seniors Hope to Light a Fire Under Pols appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The winner, announced at Thursday’s 52nd Annual Congressional Baseball Game, rose above the rest of the Elite Eight: Iowa bacon, Arizona chimichangas, Illinois Italian beef, Maryland crab cakes, South Carolina shrimp and grits, Oregon pear tarts and Georgia peach cobbler.

Voting seems to be similar to that of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Some states have inherent advantages, kind of like the New York Yankees’ and Los Angeles Dodgers’ big-market reach. But the whole point is to have fun and introduce people to foods they might not normally try.

“I’ll eat one of your [chimichangas] if you eat some Georgia cobbler,” Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., offered to HOH at the Taste of America soiree.

Some of the crowd might have been a little perplexed at the success of the modest pepperoni roll, a humble pastry-protein combo first developed, as legend has it, by Frank Argiro in the 1920s. Argiro, an Italian-American coal miner, happened upon the idea of baking small slices of pepperoni into Italian rolls so he and his fellow miners could easily transport their lunch down into the mines. It was successful enough that he opened up the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, W.Va., which operates to this day.

When reached for comment by HOH, the woman at the Country Club Bakery asked us to hold on for a minute, put the phone down, took a few orders from customers — “Two dollars? And eight cents? Oh, that’s right,” HOH overheard — then picked the phone back up and said, “You’re going to have to call back on Monday. That’s when the manager gets back.” Before we could get a name, she hung up the phone.

So it is: the allure of the mysterious pepperoni roll. Stay tuned.

The post The Modest Pepperoni Roll Abides appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The Democrats are in a great position with Louisiana Rep. Cedric L. Richmond burning through the GOP lineup, giving up three hits in a complete game, 22-0, shutout. He’s given up only four runs in three games. And he’s 39 years old and represents a safe district.

Rep. Cedric L. Richmond in action at Thursday night’s 52nd Annual Congressional Baseball Game. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

On the other side of the field, Republicans are looking to shore up their rotation. Democrats hooked early into Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman, the only GOP pitcher not to give up a run last year, scoring five runs in the first. Stutzman, at 37, is younger than Richmond. But his relievers Thursday evening (Reps. Patrick Meehan and Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania) are both 57,  which doesn’t bode well for the future of the team.

Perhaps the Republicans should recruit Roger Clemens, who gave some campaign cash to his friend Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas. Also, Clemens wouldn’t have to worry about those pesky performance-enhancing drug allegations because the Congressional Baseball Game doesn’t test.

Could Roger Clemens be the answer to the GOP’s pitching woes? (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Another opportunity could be with Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who campaigned for former Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul. He’s currently the president of the Texas Rangers.

Former President George W. Bush was co-owner of the franchise, and the Rangers started life as the expansion Washington Senators before moving to Arlington, Texas, in 1972, so the bloodlines make the franchise the equivalent of an elected official farm team.

The post Could GOP Turn to Texas for Pitching Help? appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Courtesy HOH Tipster)

Nor are Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii.

It all comes on the heels of Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., musing on the floor that he had been in so many gangs in the Senate that “it might be time to get some tattoos.”

Your move, Durbin, et al.

The post Steny Hoyer and the Gang of NOH8 appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

First off, don’t think for a second you can break out of the two-party system. It’s Republicans or Democrats all the way:

(Julie Ershadi/CQ Roll Call)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accepts an official game program from Mary Cadwallader.

(Julie Ershadi/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., rocks boat shoes, mini cargo shorts and hardcore sock marks around his calves. But we can’t fault him; a man’s got to wear socks some of the time.

(Julie Ershadi/CQ Roll Call)

Staffers Rebecca Nathanson and Karen De Los Santos were ready to root for their boss, Rep. Adam “Adam Bomb” Smith, D-Wash.

(Julie Ershadi/CQ Roll Call)

And finally, what would a game in Nationals Stadium be without the mascots?

(Julie Ershadi/CQ Roll Call)

Here’s to next year.

The post Before the Storm: Highlights Leading Up to the Congressional Baseball Game appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Screenshot)

“Is this tweet stupid, or just wildly inappropriate for a chief of staff to be making?” one of several HOH tipsters wondered after stumbling upon the unflattering comment Chris Connelly, right-hand man to Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., broadcast to his online flock.

The consensus was that Connelly had crossed the line into —ist (Race? Sex? Elite?) territory.

More like sour grapes, he insists.

“She crushed us. She got more hits than the whole GOP squad,” Connelly told HOH of California Democratic Rep. Linda T. Sánchez’s rank on his list of athletic grievances.

By his calculus, Florida Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy was headache numero ocho.

And Nos. 1 through 7 would be Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, D-La., Connelly assessed.

The post GOP CoS Ranks Congressional Baseball Game Foils appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

– Unidentified staffer at Thursday’s 52nd Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game, enthusiastically assessing the freshman California Democrat.

(Courtesy Rep. Raul Ruiz’s Facebook Page)

The post The Baby-Faced Assassin | Overheard appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

Richmond slides headfirst into third for a triple during the 52nd Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Richmond, donning an old-school Brooklyn Dodgers No. 42 jersey in honor of the late Jackie Robinson, dominated the game, pitching 7 shutout innings, notching 4 hits and driving in 2 runs, to lead the Democrats to the most lopsided win in 52 years of CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball, 22-0. The Louisiana Democrat told teammates and reporters he was sick before the game. Yet he recorded a Michael-Jordan-in-Game-Five-Of-The-1997-NBA-Finals-like performance, making everyone else on the field look like the out-of-shape congressional amateurs that they are.

“If it was high school or college, I wouldn’t dare try to get away with it,” Richmond told Roll Call before the game at Nationals Park.

Richmond said there was a lot of pressure being the best athlete on the field, but he was sure to point out fellow Democrats who also know how to play ball. In particular, he said, freshman Patrick Murphy of Florida, a former varsity high school baseball captain, was a “true story.” “He can play and he can hit,” Richmond said.

Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., no relation, overhearing a claim of Patrick as “the better Murphy” outside the dugout pregame, bristled at such a designation.

“He hasn’t even played a game, how can you say he’s the better Murphy yet?” the Democrats’ catcher quipped. While the senator might not be the better player, he impressed this reporter by passing my baseball trivia test, knowing that former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona was Jordan’s manager at Double-A Birmingham (See? And you thought I wouldn’t tie all my obscure sports references together?).

With their victory Thursday night, Democrats took their fifth straight win from Republicans, a small solace for being the House minority for three years and counting. The previously most lopsided win was a 17-1 GOP drubbing of the Democrats in 1999.

Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, dressed in a casual light-pink dress shirt, tried to rally his troops in the dugout before first pitch. True to form, the speaker’s effort was valiant but ultimately futile.

“Keep your eye on the ball. When it comes to you in the field, just keep your eye on it,” Boehner said, his voice raised. “Let’s go out there and kick their ass!”

Rep. Linda T. Sánchez, D-Calif., the only female player, was a fan favorite, getting to first base twice and taking second base on an error in the 5th inning after notching a single.

Roll Call’s most quotable player award, however, goes to Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y. Crowley, dressed head-to-toe in Mets gear, warmed up before the game on the third-base line with Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., who once mulled challenging the New Yorker for his leadership post.

Crowley said he’s “still a Mets fan” despite the recent demotion of family friend Mike Baxter to Triple-A Las Vegas. Roll Call asked if he would play better than the last congressman to wear a full Mets uniform in the game, current New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, Crowley brought the quintessential Empire State lawmaker sass.

“I don’t know that I’m going to play better than him, but I’m definitely going to use the Internet better than him,” Crowley said.

When pressed on whether there was a “Sports Illustrated”-like Congressional Baseball Game cover jinx, given that this year’s program featured defeated Republican Rep. Robert Dold of Illinois in a Cubs jersey, Crowley had an answer for that, too.

“They had a hard time finding a decent picture of a Republican with a smile on his face, so that’s all they could come up with. it was a rough night for them,” Crowley said.

If only he knew there would be even fewer smiles this year, and more Republican staffers hitting the exits early.

But as the image of a smiling defeated congressman in a Cubs jersey reminds everyone, there’s always next year.

The post Richmond Dominates Again for Democrats appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

One last item of business, though? Who is your choice for Most Valuable Player?

Leave your vote in the comments section below.

The post Most Valuable Member of Congress? appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

According to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, the car Snellings was driving hit a pedestrian, who was not seriously injured. Snellings and a passenger were not hurt.

“We love our son wholeheartedly, but we are extremely disappointed by his irresponsible actions last night,” Landrieu told the Times-Picayune. “These actions have serious consequences both at home and in our legal system.”

Landrieu asked people “to respect his privacy as we work through this challenging time for our family.”

The post Mary Landrieu’s Kid Arrested on DWI Charges appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

“Hey @JoanBaez — thanks for dedicating “Deportee” to me last night at Wolf Trap!” Kaine gloated on Twitter.

Staff told HOH the Virginia Democrat did not attend the actual concert and does not know Baez personally but that he had heard from friends who were at the show that he’d been name-checked.

Baez’s publicist did not respond to inquiries about what sparked the mention. But the song selection, an ode to the plight of Mexican immigrants, would suggest Baez may be tracking the swirling fight in the Senate, where Kaine delivered a speech on the immigration overhaul in Spanish on the floor Tuesday. It was the first time an entire speech had been delivered in Spanish in the chamber’s history.

The post Baez Tuned In to Tim Kaine appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Screenshot)

According to Cheesetique Founder Jill Erber, the government crackdown was set in motion this past March, when the FDA put the brakes on further shipments of the bowling-ball-shaped fromage, trapping tons of the stuff at the port in New Jersey.

The biggest concern: that the aforementioned parasites, which Erber said remain relegated to the rough brown exterior of the cheese, might cause an unspecified allergic reaction among consumers.

“You would have to take an uncleaned wheel and rub it all over your face to get any significant exposure,” Erber argued, noting that, “Mimolette is not the only cheese in the world that has microscopic mites.”

She’s battling back against the de facto ban by offering free quarter-pound slabs of the aged Gouda-like cheese to everyone that posts a “frowny face” picture on the retailer’s Facebook page by June 16.

Erber told HOH she’s expecting about 50 pounds of the savory stuff on June 18 and assured us that she’ll begin distributing the gratis samples at both her Del Ray and Shirlington, Va., locations just as soon as it all arrives.

“The public should have the right to choose what they want to eat,” the defiant dairy maven said.

The post Cheesemonger Serves Up FDA Protest appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Steve King is desperate to know how Senate lawmakers plan to keep the unwanted elements outside the Capitol.

The Iowa Republican sounded a distress call Thursday after several members of United We Dream, a pro-immigration overhaul outfit, showed up unannounced at his little slice of heaven in the Rayburn House Office Building.

“20 brazen self professed illegal aliens have just invaded my DC office,” King raged on social media.

According to staff, the naturalization advocates were provided contact information to set up a future visit. “It is our office policy, like most offices on the Hill, that meetings be scheduled in advance,” a King aide told HOH.

King, meanwhile, continued milking the near-confrontation for all it was worth — demanding that Senate immigration blueprint co-authors John McCain, R-Ariz., and Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., march across the way to ward off further intrusions.

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., chided King for the publicity-seeking panic attack.

“Poor Steve King. When Dreamers come to his office to address his attacks on them, he calls them invaders and hides under his desk,” Grijalva charged in a statement. “Don’t be afraid, Steve. Talk to them. … You’ll learn something about the United States.”

The post Steve King’s Immigration SOS appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The shot callers behind the 52nd Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game have taken the weather warnings under consideration, but feel confident members of Congress can handle some precipitation and potentially blustery conditions.

That means the pregame Taste of America reception is still on, and the opening pitch will sail toward home plate at 7:05 p.m.

Snag your tix here.

See you at the ballpark.

The post Game On! Congressional Baseball Game Still on Track appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The five finalists for this week’s caption contest are ready for your votes.

Using the comments section below, vote for your favorite caption until 9 a.m. EDT Friday.

Here are this week’s finalists:

• The administration did promise to listen to the people …
• No more dome tours then?
• Richard Nixon, eat your heart out.
• I still can’t get a signal for ESPN.
• Who says government doesn’t listen to what its citizens have to say?

The cartoon with the winning caption will appear on this blog June 17 and in that day’s print edition of Roll Call. The contest winner will receive a signed color print of his or her Capitol Quip cartoon from the cartoonist, R.J. Matson.

The post We’re Listening! | Capitol Quip appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.

The caustic communication hit Capitol Hill inboxes around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday; that’s when legislative assistant Oscar Urteaga loosed his screed against new-media aide Jeff Leieritz.

An HOH tipster forwarded the expletive-filled rant, which purportedly stunned Small Business Committee aides before trickling out to less-than-amused K Street contacts.

And it’s that overreach that appears to have earned Urteaga his walking papers.

“Our office has always upheld the highest of standards for personal decorum and professionalism. Introducing personal problems into the realm of one’s professional duties is inexcusable and will not be tolerated,” Urteaga’s supervisor explained after terminating the loose cannon.

As is often the case between feuding bros, the source of the intrahousehold friction appears to be a woman: a newly minted fiancee, to be exact.

Per Urteaga’s NSFW complaint, Leieritz had become a “backstabbing little b—-” since slipping his lady a ring, a situation that has escalated into a “War of the Roses”-style battle for control of their homestead.

“Most recently, he went behind my back and told my landlord that I was planning on moving out, which is not true. We both are on the lease, hes [sic] the one decided to get married and start a new future; therefore, he should take it upon himself to find a new place for them to start their lives together. Common sense…right?” Urteaga preached from a personal email account.

The backbiting only intensified from there, with Urteaga attacking Leieritz’s and his betrothed’s character (“They sure are the religious and godly couple they want you to perceive of them, aren’t they?”) before insulting the very people he is presumably attempting to win over (“No need to respond to this. To be honest, I could care less what you have to say.”).

In case you were wondering, the passive-aggressive signoff is punctuated with an F-bomb (‘natch).

Leieritz did not respond to repeated calls and emails requesting comment about what appears to be a rapidly deteriorating living situation.

Not so for Urteaga, who expressed respect for his former employer and vowed to move past this bit of melodrama.

“I’m aware that I made a mistake and therefore accept all consequences. People who know me know that my integrity and hard work speak for itself and that I will triumph through this situation,” he assured HOH, mapping out plans to pursue other opportunities, including his fledgling job search portal.

The post Angry Staffer Stressed About Becoming Homeless Is Now Jobless appeared first in Heard on the Hill on rollcall.com.