The big news in Washington this morning was already shared with City Desk readers early yesterday evening: Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) admitted to having an affair with a campaign staffer. There’s no word on whether Ensign plans on resigning but he wishes he could take it all back. Obviously. He was a member of the Promise Keepers, for Pete’s sake. There’s a lot to be said about Ensign’s contradictory behavior but at least he came public without the help of the fine journalists at the National Enquirer.
Drug recalls, crime bills, and a double dose of foreign policy after the jump.
- The FDA issued a press release advising citizens to stop using certain Zicam products. Why? Because this supposed cure for the common cold can cause the loss of one’s ability to smell. The press release also reminds concerned consumers that “the loss of sense of smell can adversely affect a person’s quality of life, and can limit the ability to detect the smell of gas or smoke or other signs of danger in the environment.” So stop using Zicam or else you might go smell-blind and die in a fire.
- The D.C. Council rejected Mayor Fenty’s emergency crime bill late yesterday because members feared a provision that would make it easier to detain suspected gang members would result in racial profiling. After some debate, the council passed Phil Mendelson’s crime bill that focused on gun crimes and minimum sentences for repeated felony convictions.
- Also on the subject of guns, the Post is reporting that would-be Reagan assassin John Hinkley Jr. can obtain a D.C. driver’s license and volunteer near his mother’s house in Williamsburg. Staff at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, where Hinkley has lived since being found not guilty by reason of insanity, hope to increase his freedom so that he may be released from their care to live with his mother. Hinkley must still remain supervised in the District at all times.
- In foreign policy news, President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a press conference in the Rose Garden to show their solidarity in the struggle with North Korea and Kim Jong Il. The momentous occasion was immediately placed on the back burner after Obama killed a fly during an interview with CNBC.
- And finally, those jokers over at Anti Real World DC have dreamed up a foreign policy conversation between the as-yet-unknown housemates. Who knows if these kids will discuss their politics on camera, but before they’re here, it’s alright to tease.