House of Cards: What Happens When a Reporter Becomes an Army of One

The Times's Ashley Parker and David Carr recap the third episode of Netflix’s Washington-based drama.

For Michelle Obama, a Second-Term Agenda Focused on Children

CHICAGO - Announcing the name of the best picture via satellite for Oscars was an extension of Michelle Obama’s interest in promoting the arts among children, her principle constituency, and if people didn’t like it, that was unsurprising and not particularly bothersome, she said.

“My bangs set off a national conversation,” Mrs. Obama said during an interview here in which she reflected on the public’s fascination with her activities and her sense of what being the first African-American family in the White House has meant so far, and hinted at a more international second term agenda. “We’ve got a lot of talking going on,” she said. “Everybody’s kitchen table conversation is now accessible to everybody else. It’s absolutely not surprising.”

The interview came just before she announced a new initiative to promote physical education in schools, a pet initiative of her first term. Participating in the Oscars, remotely, was intended to “hold up the arts,” Mrs. Obama said. “We are going to approach those filmmakers to do things for kids in this country, and that’s going to be their hook. I want to connect with those people and then I want to pull them in.”

Criticism of her media appearances - which intensified in recent weeks - doesn’t bother her, she said, chalking it up to a modern media era. “I don’t think about that stuff,” she said.

“There’s no logic in that, she said, adding “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Anyone in this position has a huge spotlight and in modern day media the spotlight just gets more intense. I don’t attribute this to me or Barack. The culture has ju! st shifted. “

Setting a second-term agenda under the klieg lights is a focus of Mrs. Obama and her staff right now, in which all seem to be mindful of both the scrutiny and power of the office of the first lady. While she declined to provide specifics, Mrs. Obama said that whatever work she would do in the second agenda would likely build on her efforts to help children, possibly internationally.

“I have a special affinity for kids,” she said. “We love our kids so much and it is very hard not to see our kids in every child we meet. I am powerfully moved by children. I need to have them in my life. They keep me focused, they keep me directed.”

For the 6,000 Chicago-area children who came to hear her speak about exercise along with famous athletes here, she said that “I’m not going to be in a room with 6,000 kids and not touch some of them. Kids need that attention, that physical connection to an adult they see or know.”

Mrs. Obama elaboratd on what being part of the first African-American couple - and one of the iPhone generation - had meant. “We’re a young couple, we have young kids, we grew up with limited means,’’ she said. “Our stories are the stories of so many faceless, voiceless people. She added, “My life isn’t new but it’s new to a lot of people who haven’t seen this up close and personal.”

While emphasizing that “whatever I do will involve kids,” Mrs. Obama declined to provide specific new agenda items. She was repeatedly asked if she would work to push President Obama’s gun agenda, for example and demurred.

“Our hope is that over the next weeks and months we will hone in” on her agenda, she said. “If I do anything internationally I want it to dovetail with the work I do domestically,” making certain that “my time outside of the country is linking back and being real to people here.”

Mrs. Obama has largely tried to stay out of hot-button issues like gun safety. “The q! uestion b! ecomes who defines what’s contentious and controversial,” she said. “I can’t think along those notions because everyone’s definition of what’s controversial is different.” She added, “What I don’t want is just to do something to satisfy someone’s idea of what’s controversial.”

Random note on Mrs. Obama’s many years going to a camp for low-income children in Chicago: one year she was not named best camper because she cursed too much. “I was like ‘Man, I am really getting out of hand.’ That left an impact in my mind.”

Don’t tell her mother.

For Michelle Obama, a Second-Term Agenda Focused on Kids

CHICAGO - Announcing the name of the best picture via satellite for Oscars was an extension of Michelle Obama’s interest in promoting the arts among children, her principle constituency, and if people didn’t like it, that was unsurprising and not particularly bothersome, she said.

“My bangs set off a national conversation,” said Mrs. Obama during an interview here in which she reflected on the public’s fascination with her activities, her sense of what being the first African American family in the White House has meant so far and hinted at a more international second term agenda. “We’ve got a lot of talking going on,” she said. “Everybody’s kitchen table conversation is now accessible to everybody else. It’s absolutely not surprising.”

The interview came just before she announced a new initiative to promote physical education in schools, a pet initiative of her first term. Participating in the Oscars, remotely, was intended to “ hold up the arts,” Mrs. Obama said.“We are going to approach those filmmakers to do things for kids in this country, and that’s going to be their hook. I want to connect with those people and then I want to pull them in.”

Criticism of her media appearances - which intensified in recent weeks - doesn’t bother her, she said, chalking it up to a modern media era. “I don’t think about that stuff,” she said.

“There’s no logic in that, she said, adding “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Anyone in this position has a huge spotlight and in modern day media the spotlight just gets more intense. I don’t attribute this to me or Barack. The culture has just shifted. “

Setting a second-term agenda under the kleig lights is a focus of Mrs. Obama and her staff right now, in which all seem to be mindful of both the scrutiny and power of the office of the first lady. While she declined to provide specifics, Mrs. Obama said that whatever work she would do in the second ag! enda would likely build on her efforts to help children, possibly internationally.

“I have a special affinity for kids,” she said. “We love our kids so much and it is very hard not to see our kids in every child we meet. I am powerfully moved by children. I need to have them in my life. They keep me focused, they keep me directed.”

For the 6,000 Chicago-area children who came to hear her speak about exercise along with famous athletes here, she said that “I’m not going to be in a room with 6,000 kids and not touch some of them. Kids need that attention, that physical connection to an adult they see or know.”

Mrs. Obama elaborated on what being part of the first African-American couple - and one of the iPhone generation - had meant. “We’re a young couple, we have young kids, we grew up with limited means,’’ she said. “Our stories are the stories of so many faceless, voiceless people. She added, “My life isn’t new but it’s new to a lot of people who haven’t sen this up close and personal.”

While emphasizing that “whatever I do will involve kids,” Mrs. Obama declined to provide specific new agenda items. She was repeatedly asked if she would work to push President Obama’s gun agenda, for example and demurred.

“Our hope is that over the next weeks and months we will hone in” on her agenda, she said. “If I do anything internationally I want it to dovetail with the work I do domestically,” making certain that “my time outside of the country is linking back and being real to people here.”
Mrs. Obama has largely tried to stay out of controversial issues like gun safety. “The question becomes who defines what’s contentious and controversial,” she said. “I can’t think along those notions because everyone’s definition of what’s controversial is different. She added, “What I don’t want is just to do something to satisfy someone’s idea of what’s controversial.”

Random note on Mrs. Obama’s many yea! rs going ! to a camp for low-income kids in Chicago: one year she was not named best camper because she cursed too much. “I was like ‘Man, I am really getting out of hand.’ That left an impact in my mind.”

Don’t tell her mom.

A New Furby Toy

Furby has a new little sister â€" or maybe brother.

In stores this week, Furby Party Rockers from Hasbro, costing $23, are smaller and cheaper than the regular Furby, which are priced at $60. But they do less, too. There’s no animatronics and cheaper, backlighted lenticular eyes, designed to look like more expensive color eyes that move. They run on three AAA batteries and come in four varieties, complete with predetermined personalities and names like Loveby and Scoffby.

So what can they do

Because the base is rounded, you wake up these little Furbys with a rocking motion. These motions are captured and counted, along the sound of our voice. More sound and motion equals more Furbish-talk, and eventually a song. If another Furby is near, large or small, they will sing in harmony.

Kris Paulson, Hasbro’s design manager of integrated play, said Furbys communicate with high-frequency sounds, called audio watermarks. You probably can’t hear them, but a nearby Furby or your dog proably can. So can your phone if it’s running the free Furby App on Android or the iPhone operating systems.

These new Furbys are part of a growing Furby empire that includes dress-up items, furniture (furbiture) and social media hooks.

One feature that Party Rockers share with their larger counterpart is that there is no off switch. Your only option is to remove the batteries, or drop one into solitary confinement for a few minutes. Finding such a place when children are around just might count as a 21st-century parenting skill. There’s a video on how these work.

Tip of the Week: Clean Your Phone and Its Camera

Smartphones spend a lot of time in hand, where they can pick up germs and dirt. Wiping down the phone regularly with an antibacterial cloth intended for use with touch screens can help keep it clean. Many office supply stores like Staples or Office Depot carry disposable wipes for use on phone and tablet screens.

If your phone has a camera and your photos have been looking blurry, you can clean its lens with a microfiber cloth or other wipe for use with camera lenses; a cotton swab moistened with distilled water can also take off stubborn grime. Whatever you do, though, do not spray the phone with industrial cleansers or use cleaning wipes designed for household chores, because these can damage the screen and other parts of the handset.

The Early Word: Sequester Eve

In Today’s Times

• As the Supreme Court heard arguments in a challenge to the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, some conservative justices appeared skeptical about whether a part of the law targeting discrimination practices in nine states should stand. Adam Liptak writes that the justices’ sharp questioning indicated that the provision might be in danger, especially after Congress did not act on the court’s earlier recommendation to update the formula for determining which states should be subject to that part of the act.

• With $85 billion in federal spending cuts set to start kicking in on Friday, some Republicans and Democrats are seeing the silver lining of the so-called sequester. Jonathan Weisman explains that Democrats are hppy to cut Pentagon spending and postpone dealing with entitlement programs, while President Obama sees an opportunity to focus on gun control and immigration. Republicans are pleased just to see the government shrinking.

• Anticipating bad news once the sequester reductions hit, President Obama and his aides have been trying to brace Americans for cutbacks and make sure that Republicans get the blame for them, Michael D. Shear reports.

• The House is poised to pass the Senate’s version of a bill to reauthorize and expand the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday, after Republican leaders bowed to pressure from within their party, Jonathan Weisman writes. The House is expected to reject its own version before considering the Senat! e legislation, which would broaden the domestic-violence law to address same-sex and tribal jurisdiction issues.

• Jacob J. Lew is set to be sworn in as the 76th secretary of the Treasury after the Senate confirmed his nomination on Wednesday. Jeremy W. Peters writes that the 71-to-26 vote was notable in that it “meant that for the moment at least, the Senate returned to its traditional role of affording the president deference in selecting his cabinet.”

• On a campaign for tougher gun laws, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York met Wednesday with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader; and a few Republican moderates. But Jackie Calmes and Jeremy W. Peters write that Mr. Bloomberg did not atted a Senate hearing where he would have seen the lawmakers’ resistance to stricter laws.

• Michelle Obama kicked off the third year of her “Let’s Move” healthy eating campaign on Wednesday, starting a three-city tour in Mississippi, where obesity rates are the highest in the nation, with the food celebrity Rachael Ray, Jennifer Steinhauer reports. On Thursday, the first lady will make stops in Chicago and Missouri.

Happenings in Washington

• Economic reports expected Thursday include revised fourth-quarter gross domestic product and weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m., followed by weekly mortgage rates at 10 a.m.

• At 9 a.m., a House Ways and Means! subcommi! ttee will hold a hearing on the proposed waiver of work requirements in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

• At 9:30 a.m., Pfc. Bradley Manning is expected to take the stand at his hearing at Fort Meade, Md.

• At 10 a.m., the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold its second hearing on the Federal Housing Administration’s financial condition and program challenges.