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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she had better things to do than attend former President Barack Obamas extravagant 60th birthday celebration.

I didnt go. I had other parties to go to, Pelosi (D-Calif.) replied when asked about Obamas birthday bash on Marthas Vineyard, according to the Daily Mail.

Pelosi had just attended a church service Sunday morning when Kevin Blake, who was visiting the area from Connecticut, asked her about the party before thanking the veteran Democratic politician for keeping the Republicans in line.

Pelosi and Blake, a 61-year-old lawyer, then posed for a picture.

To be her, the most powerful woman in Congress, and not even go to his party? I find that hilarious, Blake told The Daily Mail.

And shes the one carrying forward his agenda.

Obamas party originally slated to have a nearly 500-person guest list along with 200 workers at the posh Winnetu Ocean Resort was scaled back due to the recent rise in cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

A Pelosi aide told The Post she was on Marthas Vineyard to attend private events in support of House Democrats and not for Obamas party.

Attendees of the former presidents affair included George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce and Jay-Z. Other A-list celebrities rumored to have partied it up with the president included Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson, Bradley Cooper, Don Cheadle, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Erykah Badu and Steven Colbert.

Read more from the original source:
Nancy Pelosi had 'other parties' to attend over Obama's birthday bash - New York Post

Conan O'Brien was among those axed from Barack Obama's birthday party guest list after COVID forced Obama to scale back the affair. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Picture it: Your long-awaited soire is approaching and all the invites have been sent out. The guests have RSVPed, the band and venue have been booked, then all of a sudden, changing COVID restrictions force you to downsize.

In other words, you have to scale back by disinviting a certain number of guests. Ouch!

Its never easy. Just ask former President Barack Obama, who had to scale down his 60th birthday bash on Marthas Vineyard last weekend by cutting a significant number of VIP guests including, reportedly, Stephen Colbert, Larry David, David Letterman, Conan OBrien and even his top adviser David Axelrod, among others.

Its been a rough year for party hosts.

According to Forbes, at the start of the pandemic,nearly 100 million attendees of sporting events, conferences and other events worldwide were forced to change their plans in 2020.

New data from Wedding Wire also revealed that weddings had to make big shifts in 2020. For the 43 percent of couples who got married last year, over half had to make modifications to adapt to health and safety regulations including social distancing, and in some cases, opting for virtual celebrations leading up to the event.

Its clear the pandemic created several hurdles in our social lives. And sadly, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines have loosened up for those who are fully vaccinated, the pandemic's impact is still being felt as large-scale events are shifting to more intimate venues.

Enter the dreaded moment you have to tell your guests theyve been disinvited. It's never easy, but here, experts offer a few tips on how to make the experience a bit smoother on everyone involved:

Before you even start planning the event, it's important to know what sort of COVID precautions you want it to include or need it to, based on event-space protocol: Is it going to be a fully masked, fully vaccinated indoor event? An outdoor, physically distanced event? Something in between?

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According to Elaine Swann, etiquette expert and founder of the Swann School of Protocol, approaching the event planning from this perspective will help you modify your guest list from the start, so you can (hopefully) limit the amount of disinvites should capacity rules change and that need arises.

"It's no different than saying: Do I want my drunk friends here? Or do I want my friends that are going to enjoy this kind of low-key evening? If [the latter is] the case, you will typically leave your drunk friends off the list, right?" Swann explains to Yahoo Life, recalling standard pre-COVID ways of whittling down guest lists. "We have to approach it from the same perspective."

Once you know the type of event you're throwing, Swann explains, you'll be able to observe the guest list with a critical eye.

A helpful tip would be to divide your guests into lists from the get-go, according to their vaccinated status and comfort levels, then make hard decisions from there. "You have your A List: those who you know for sure are vaxxed. You have your B List: those who you're not quite sure of. And you have your C List: those who you know are against [being vaccinated]," says Swann.

This way, she adds, you can save yourself the heartache of needing to rescind an invitation from someone you know is unvaccinated or someone who is uncomfortable being near someone who is unvaccinated.

"There is no one-size-fits-all" when it comes to choosing whom to disinvite, Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas, tells Yahoo Life.

However, a helpful tip to narrow it down is to consider the relationship you have with the person and their role in your life. For example, just because they're a blood relative does not mean you should forfeit someone else's invite, especially if that person is more vital to your life. Of course, Gottsman explains, "If they are paying the bills," or are elderly and may not get to a family event again, you have more of "an obligation."

It's never an easy decision and you don't need to take it on alone, she says: Looping in others you trust especially those who will be attending the event themselves so they can see the bigger picture might help direct your judgment in a better way.

Still, while everyone is going to have an opinion, especially parents or in-laws (if it's a family affair), says Gottsman, "as an adult, you have to make your own decisions based on sound judgment."

"One of the things we can do right now when we are planning events is to include in the invitation that you are watching what's happening in your local community, and if anything changes you'll be sure to let them know," explains Swann.

"This way, if they get a notification that it's been downsized, it won't be such a shock," she adds. "In the back of their mind, they were preparing for it."

Gottsman adds that the safety of your guests is of the "utmost importance." If the venue requests that you downsize, that's its prerogative and may be a legal obligation, depending on local safety mandates or ordinances. While this is something you can't control, what you can control is the peace of mind of your guests who do make the cut.

"Its the hosts job to make their guests feel comfortable and safe at an event," says Gottsman. "Everyone has different comfort levels, even among the vaccinated, and a host can only try and do their best to set the groundwork. Let people know what they can expect when they arrive, and give them conditions that are proactive like hygiene stations, bottles of water, individual drinks rather than a make-your-own cocktail bar, plated food rather than a buffet."

Expect that people are going to be hurt by being disinvited, but if you handle the situation with grace, says Swann, that's what they're going to remember most.

"We cannot control other people's emotions," says Swann. "But what we can control is the way we interact with them. If we are reassuring, if we are kind and measurable and thoughtful in what we say and how we say it, the relationship has the ability to survive this particular disappointment."

To break the news, she says, "reach out to your guest that you're disinviting and tell them that in light of all of the new developments, you've had to make the difficult decision to scale back your event and that it will be a much smaller affair, but you're looking forward to us getting together at another time," she recommends. That way, she says, you're being clear with them about being disinvited, but at the same time, you "give them some hope."

She adds, "They'll be able to see that it has nothing to do with your relationship with them, but everything to do with what's happening in our world right now."

Adding a personal touch also helps, Gottsman notes, such as doing the disinviting with a phone call, a handwritten note or even a personal meeting. Otherwise, she warns, you run the risk of coming across as cold.

Also, she suggests, keep it private by not announcing your disinvites on social media or blasting it in a group text. Additionally, once the event takes place, try to limit the amount of sharing you do on social media. "Try not the make the situation worse," says Gottsman. "Remember: Whatever you say is going to affect the relationship moving forward."

It's always a challenging thing, Swann notes, but the most important thing is to stand your ground.

"The three core values of etiquette that I live by, and I encourage people to live by, are respect, honesty and consideration," she says. "My recommendation is to put forth the greatest effort to always be honest in everything you say, and brace yourself. You have made a decision. Stand firm in that decision."

Swann warns not to place the blame on any one person including the venue if it's not true. After all, "Murphy's Law could alway happen, right?" So instead, accept your decision "and live in it."

"Own it and stand firm," Swann suggests. "Don't try to make a bunch of excuses. Don't let it turn into this long discussion. Just acknowledge it and own it. Say, 'I apologize. I'm sure it did hurt, but it was really a difficult decision for me and I hope you can understand. I love you and we will definitely get together again.' And that's it."

Read more:
Obama disinvited several guests from his birthday bash. Experts share how to gently do the same. - Yahoo Life

Despite many more important things going on in the world this week, there's a lot of talk about former President Barack Obama's birthday celebration, especially from people critical of the event.

Madison Cawthorn, the Republican Representative of North Carolina, decided to wade into those waters himself. However, his comments didn't go over well, as people online shredded his comparison.

On Twitter, Cawthorn asked why there were different reactions to Obama's birthday party during a pandemic versus Texas Senator Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun during a record cold snap in February.

These are very different things, but Cawthorn acts like it's some kind of "gotcha."

Democrats were outraged when Ted Cruz took a trip to Cancun, but remain silent about Obamas birthday bash...funny how that works.

Barack Obama, who is not holding public office or representing the people anymore, held his birthday party at his home in Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. The event was scaled back amid criticism of having it at all during a resurgence in cases across the country.

Black masks were offered to guests who were also confirmed to be vaccinated. The event was held outside, though with 400 guests in attendance for the former president's 60th birthday, it's easy to see why some thought it was an issue.

By contrast, Ted Cruz, who is still one of the senators for Texas, decided to try and jet off to Mexico as a major winter storm in the state knocked out power, leaving thousands without heat and killing 100 people. When he was caught, Cruz was shamed enough to return to the states and claim he never intended to stay.

Basically, the two events have nothing in common and no reason to be compared.

Barack Obama didnt abandon his constituents as they were freezing to death. https://t.co/0GYW1FFhRz

@CawthornforNC "I was not outraged at Ted Cruz fleeing a crisis but I am big nad that Obama had a birthday party" i https://t.co/l8S0nR0t6q

@CawthornforNC Seems like a bit of a different scenario, Cruz was trying to escape a utility crisis instead of deal https://t.co/6sdIPu8hf9

Apparently Madison did not watch enough Seseme Street... one of these things is not like the other... https://t.co/8EkqIAl3cT

That's not to say there weren't reasons to criticize Obama's party.

There are just bigger issues to consider.

I think it was a bad idea for Obama to plan a big in-person thing right now, but comparing it to Sturgis is laughably absurd

Can't wait to explain to my kids why Obama's birthday party dominated conservative news after the IPCC report came out

For Obama's birthday I sent him a case of drinking water from Flint. He's going to love it.

The media has given significantly more coverage to Obama's birthday party than to the upcoming expiration of unempl https://t.co/4XMeiN51vL

I said it was irrelevant, because deep cultural and systematic failures cant be offset by a small handful of gover https://t.co/M3Hg210KdR

@randygdub No one actually cares. It's Obama derangement syndrome and dishonest hacks. There's like 5000 events on https://t.co/bm9qnCMiH1

Cawthorn, the youngest member of congress and guy known for calling it a lifelong dream to visit Hitler's vacation home, should be used to making foolish statements and getting dragged for it online.

Aside from the aforementioned "vacation home" incident, Cawthorn has been a very vocal critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and one of the few authoritative voices in government providing solid advice since the start of the pandemic.

Lately, Dr. Fauci has warned about the possible dangers of the delta variant, which led to Cawthorn calling him a "punk" who "lied to the American people."

View post:
Madison Cawthorn Shredded After Trying To Call Out Dems For Criticizing Ted Cruz But Not Obama - Comic Sands

Rep. Rashida Tlaib partied without a mask at an indoor wedding reception on Sunday, defying Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the area.

The party was held in Wayne County, Michigan, on Sunday a CDC-classified substantial risk for community transmission county, in which the CDC recommends masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The congresswoman can be seen dancing, holding hands, and hugging other people, none of whom appear to be wearing masks, in video footage uploaded to Instagram by the band that performed at the wedding, Bassam Saleh.

The party occurred the same day that Tlaib attacked Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, for urging Americans to ignore the ever-changing CDC guidelines.

The KY Senator is throwing a tantrum as his state is being swallowed whole by this virus, again. People are getting sick and dying, Tlaib wrote. He needs to put politics aside, and put people first. Start resisting the virus.

Tlaibs masking hypocrisy, whereby the elite ruling class lives by a different set of rules than the ones they create for everyone else, came amid controversy over former President Barack Obamas maskless birthday party, which New York Times correspondent Annie Karni justified because the crowd was sophisticated.

Tlaib has also come under fire in recent months for promoting antisemitic movements and calling for the abolition of police.

Maggie Hroncich is an intern at The Federalist and a student at Hillsdale College.

Read more:
Rashida Tlaib Pulls An Obama, Parties Maskless While Pushing Mandates - The Federalist

WASHINGTON

President Biden unveiled plans Thursday to strengthen car pollution standards through 2026, putting the United States on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions though not as quickly as many environmentalists say is needed.

The proposed standards, written by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, would replace significantly weaker Trump-era rules that essentially undid the nations biggest climate change initiative. In their place, the Biden administration is offering a compromise that it hopes progressives can live with and automakers can follow.

The president also signed an executive order that encourages automakers to produce more zero-emissions vehicles and sets a new goal of making half of all new cars and trucks emissions-free by 2030. This would include battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The future is electric, Biden said to supporters gathered Thursday on the South Lawn of the White House, with several electric vehicles, including Fords F-150 Lightning, as a backdrop. Theres no turning back, he said. The question is whether well lead or fall behind in the race for the future.

After signing the order, the president took an electric Jeep Wrangler for a drive around the White House.

Bidens proposal would tighten pollution standards over a four-year period, beginning with cars coming off the production line in the fall of 2022.

His plan is not expected to cut emissions as significantly as the standards put in place by the Obama administration nearly a decade ago, which required automakers to increase fuel efficiency across their fleets by 5% a year, achieving an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025.

But the new targets would greatly exceed those set under former President Trump, who weakened the standards to mandate annual fuel efficiency increases of 1.5%, a level that automakers had already shown they could achieve without regulation. Under his rules, automakers had to reach an average efficiency of about 40 miles per gallon by 2026.

Biden administration officials said the new rule would require car companies to manufacture vehicles with an average efficiency of 52 miles per gallon by model year 2026.

In the first year of the regulation, carmakers would have to cut their emissions by 10% more than the Trump rules required. They would then have to make 5% reductions each year thereafter.

Administration officials said the rule would save drivers money at the pump and would decrease gasoline consumption by about 200 billion gallons over the four years. They estimated the standards would prevent an additional 2 billion metric tons of climate-warming carbon pollution from being released into the atmosphere.

The proposal postpones battles over how much to restrict tailpipe pollution in 2027 and beyond. In the executive order the president signed Thursday, he directed agencies to begin work on the next set of standards.

It remains unclear whether the auto industry will support the newly proposed standards.

John Bozzella, chief executive of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry lobby group, said in a statement that automakers would work with the administration to evaluate its plan, and called on Congress and state legislatures to invest in the infrastructure needed for the increase in electric vehicles.

In a joint statement, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis the result of Januarys merger of Fiat Chrysler and the French carmaker PSA declared their shared aspiration to make 40% to 50% of new vehicle sales electric by the end of the decade.

Environmental advocates cheered the Biden administrations pledge to toss out the Trump regulations. But many of those same activists said the administrations proposed replacement doesnt go far enough.

In a letter to the president last month, they called for a 60% cut to vehicle emissions by 2030, a goal that would be extremely difficult to meet under the administrations proposed pollution rules.

Having watched as automakers lobbied Trump to relax the aggressive Obama-era targets, environmentalists are wary of car companies promises to gradually phase out the internal combustion engine.

Todays proposal relies on unenforceable voluntary commitments from unreliable carmakers to make up to 50% of their fleets electric by 2030, said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys Safe Climate Transport Campaign.

Global warming is burning forests, roasting the West and worsening storms. Now is not the time to propose weak standards and promise strong ones later, he said.

Becker and others said that auto companies already have the technology to meet tougher standards than those being proposed by the Biden administration, but that they rarely use it in the United States. Automakers have pushed back, arguing that theyre unable to meet stricter standards because of American consumers preference for larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.

In recent years, some automakers have been able to meet federal standards not by producing fleets of cleaner cars, but by cashing in credits earned by manufacturing a much smaller number of electric vehicles.

The proposed regulations, which have been developed quickly by federal government standards, are a piece of the administrations broader efforts to push Americans to buy more electric vehicles. Biden has asked Congress for hundreds of billions of dollars to make the vehicles more affordable through tax credits, to electrify 20% of the nations school buses and to build half a million chargers by 2030.

Yet the bipartisan infrastructure bill making its way through Congress accomplishes very little of that. The current deal includes $7.5 billion for charging stations, which would pay for only half as many as Biden has called for.

At stake in that bill is the presidents ability to deliver on his promise of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Calculating backward, most environmentalists say the only way to meet that goal is to mandate that all new cars be emissions-free by 2035.

Read more:
Biden reverses Trump with tougher car pollution standards - Los Angeles Times