Unsurprisingly, this double-whammy of privacy scandals has prompted a number of unfavorable comparisons between the Obama administration and the Bush administration. As you may recall, the Bush administration came under fire repeatedly for programs – including warrantless wiretapping of suspected terrorists – that were seen as violations of the civil rights of American citizens. These comparisons have run the gamut from articulate and well-thought to… less so (as you might expect from the internet). None, perhaps, is as simple and succinct as the Huffington Post’s front page image from yesterday.

The image, which you can see above, consists of the title “GEORGE W. OBAMA” and a blending of a photo of former President Bush with a photo of President Obama. The image is quite well done, and surprisingly unsettling, as though my brain can’t decide who it thinks I’m looking at.

The president, who has long been reluctant to discuss government surveillance programs, finally spoke out in defense of the two controversial programs today, claiming that the programs were necessary, and that they carried on under the watchful eye of Congress, which he said could stop the programs easily if it felt there were abuses.

How comforting you find that depends, I suppose, on how much you trust Congress.

During his speech, Obama pointed to the lipstick on his collar and blamed it on Jessica Sanchez. He quickly corrected himself to say it was the aunt of Sanchez. He said he was calling her out in public so as not to get into trouble with the First Lady. The short bit elicited laughs from the crowd. Here’s the full video:

Regardless of what you think of the man, he definitely knows how to work a crowd. He’s also incredibly calm and collected when dealing with hecklers.

[h/t: MSN]

A transcript of the President’s humorous exchange:

“I want to thank everybody who’s here for the incredible warmth of the reception. A sign of the warmth is the lipstick on my collar. I have to say I think I know the culprit. Where’s Jessica Sanchez? It wasn’t Jessica. It was her aunt. Where is she? Auntie, right there. Look at this. Look at this. I just want everybody to witness. I do not want to get in trouble with Michelle, so I’m calling you out right in front of everybody.”

For being called out like that, I’m sure Jessica, like everyone else it seems, said “Thanks, Obama.” Considering the pockets of vitriol surrounding Obama’s second term, the fact that his sense of humor is securely intact is perhaps a little surprising to some.

Video courtesy of CBS News.

“The electoral research was commissioned. We did not spend $1 million on this research for it just to sit on my bookshelf,” Trump’s special counsel Michael Cohen said. “At this point Mr. Trump has not made any decision on a political run, but what I would say is that he is exactly what this country needs. The turnout at these political speeches indicates his following remains very strong and is growing.“

Indeed, Trump can command quite a crowd and even spoke about his political aspirations at the recent Oakland County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, saying:

“Everybody tells me, ‘Please run for president. Please run for president.’ I would be much happier if a great and competent person came along. I’d be happy if President Obama did a great job. I’m a Republican, but before anything, I love this country. I would love to see somebody come in who is going to be great.”

Of course, if Trump does run, he won’t be able to keep control of his company; by law, he’ll have to turn it over to his kids or put it into a trust, and that doesn’t seem like something the real-estate mogul would be willing to do. However, he may just surprise us all and jump into the game once and for all. He did mention at the dinner that he believes Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic frontrunner, despite Clinton’s assurances that she’s not willing to put herself in that position.

It’s no surprise, then, that simple etiquette slipped the U.S. president’s mind this week.

A video of the President boarding boarding Marine One went viral this week. In it, Obama can be seen striding confidently into the helicopter- bypassing the U.S. marine stationed at the helicopter’s entrance without so much as a nod. It is traditional for presidents to salute soldiers as they board.

As seen in the video, the President quickly realized his mistake and doubled back to apologize to the soldier:

What makes the gaffe slightly ironic is that the President was on his way to the U.S. Naval Academy to speak at a graduation ceremony. During his address, Obama praised the U.S. military, calling it “the most trusted institution in America.”

Despite the Obama administration’s recent bad press, the President’s approval ratings remain high. Americans polled recently did state, however, that issues such as the IRS scandal are important to them.

Obama will have a chance to take is mind off of things in late summer, when he is expected to join First Lady Michelle Obama and the couple’s two daughters for a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.

Not that he’d want to – a white jacket and a blue tie is a good look for President Obama. But still, come on, right?

The photos come from a former classmate, Kelli Allman, who attended Punahou School in Hawaii with the President back in 1979. TIME Magazine originally obtained the photos.

Allman’s yearbook also contains a note from Obama (then Barry Obama), which reads:

Kelli,

It has been so nice getting to know you this year. You are extremely sweet and foxy. I don’t know why Greg would want to spend any time with me at all! You really deserve better than clowns like us; you even laugh at my jokes! I hope we can keep in touch this summer, even though Greg will be gone. Call me up, and I’ll buy you lunch sometimes. Anyway, good luck in everything you do and stay happy.

Your Friend,
Barry Obama

“Greg” refers to Greg Orme, a basketball player and Obama’s close friend at the time.

As to what happened at the prom:

“It was a really fun, happy time. We were all cracking up, and everyone was smiling,” said Allman. “It was pretty typical from there out as far as what happens at prom: the dinner and the dancing and the photos.”

It’s enough to make someone want to get away for a while, and that’s exactly what First Lady Michelle Obama is rumored to be doing.

According to a report in the Boston Globe, the Obamas and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, are looking to vacation this summer in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Michelle Obama and the girls will reportedly stay on the island for an “extended period” with the President joining them on “occasional weekends” throughout the summer, and two weeks in August.

The Globe report states that, in the past, the first family has vacationed at a farm on the island that has now been bought for almost $22 million. The Obamas are now rumored to be looking at a house in a secluded part of the island called Farm Neck as their summer vacation destination.

Bin Laden was killed on May 2nd, 2011 and President Barack Obama revealed shortly thereafter that the death photos would not be released.

“The risks of release outweigh the benefits,” Obama said at the time. “Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East.”

“Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaida killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the internet,” he added. “Osama bin Laden is not a trophy – he is dead and let’s now focus on continuing the fight until Al Qaida has been eliminated.”

In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard oral arguments in the case, which stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by the group Judicial Watch. The group appealed the decision of a U.S. District court, which ruled that the images could harm national security. The group had said in a brief:

Specifically, Defendants have failed to provide any evidence that all 52 images, including those depicting bin Laden’s burial at sea, pertain to “foreign activities of the United States.” Defendants also have failed to provide any evidence that images depicting the burial at sea actually pertain to “intelligence activities.” Nor have they demonstrated that the release of images of a somber, dignified burial at sea reasonably could be expected to cause identifiable or describable exceptionally grave damage to national security.

The U.S. Justice department said there were obvious “sensitivities” with the situation, and that releasing the images could lead to violence against Americans.

Reuters reports that the court ruled today that the risk of violence is indeed a justification to keep the images classified.

There are some fakes out there, however, easily found with a Google image search.

It seems, however, that none of the negative press has affected President Obama’s approval ratings. According to a CNN/ORC poll released this weekend, the President still enjoys a 53% approval rating.

This is despite the fact that those polled knew about the recent scandals and even considered them important. 71% of those polled considered the IRS’s actions unacceptable, while 52% thought the Justice Department’s phone record seizures were unacceptable. Over 60% of these same respondents believe that President Obama’s statements about the IRS scandal have been at least mostly true.

Presidential spokespersons have been aggressively combating efforts to link Obama directly to the IRS scandal. White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer this Sunday hit the talk show circuit, stating that the President did not know of the policy before it hit the media.

The President himself did not address the topics this weekend. Instead, the President used his weekly address to speak about building up the middle class in the U.S.:

In January, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s bicep kiss started a new trend on Twitter. Now, “Kaepernicking,” as it’s called, has reached all the way to the White House.

Kaepernick this week tweeted out that he was lucky enough to meet the First Lady of the United States. It turns out Michelle Obama might be a football fan, as she posed with the quarterback in the infamous “Kaepernicking” pose:

Follow @Kaepernick7

Colin Kaepernick
@Kaepernick7

I got the opportunity to meet one of the greatest women in the world, the first lady first_obama and… http://t.co/58kxGmmBkR

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