Photo by kimberlyfayeThis weekend’s New York Times Magazine feature takes up the fine tradition of New York media safari stories examining Washington nightlife under President Barack Obama’s administration. It could easily become a regular segment, even #nerdprom notwithstanding. Specifically, Ashley Parker’s feature — a cute look at young politicos who work in the administration — has something of a time-warp feel to it. If I’d gone to a party over the weekend and heard Jay-Z’s…

It was just about a year ago that news broke that Kalpen Modi, aka Kal Penn, was leaving his role on TV’s House to take a job as associate director of public engagement in the Obama administration. Now, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the actor will be resigning from his position and returning to Hollywood. Penn is reportedly set to star in a Christmas-themed sequel to Harold & Kumar. Modi kept a fairly low…

Obama is set to nominate appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court seat vacated by David Souter at press conference this a.m. Sotomayor has been a front-runner for several weeks and received some, er, enthusiastic critiques from legal observers, like TNR’s Jeffrey Rosen, who quoted anonymous law clerks to portray the Yale and Princeton grad as “not that smart.” Sotomayor made her way to the Ivies after growing up in a housing project in…

Dan Tangherlini On the heels of Nikita Stewart’s scoop last night that people have been getting vetting calls from the FBI about D.C. City Administrator Dan Tangherlini, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty called a 3 p.m. press conference today to announce a “Cabinet-level” personnel announcement. And the word has just come down: Tangherlini is off to Treasury, where he’ll serve as assistant secretary for management, chief financial officer, and chief performance officer. That’s sure a…

All day I’ve been trying to think of an angle for a quick post on the news that actor Kal Penn (The Namesake, Harold & Kumar) is leaving Hollywood in favor of D.C. and a job inside the White House Office of Public Liaison. We could speculate where he should probably live (Dupont seems the most likely candidate, close enough to walk to work but still young and fun and overpriced), or something like…

Photo by (anne) We mentioned it briefly in the roundup, but it’s worth repeating yesterday’s announcement from the White House of the creation of a new internship program aimed specifically at D.C. public high school students. According to the Post, the D.C. Scholars Program will place students in “part-time, unpaid positions in White House offices and departments this summer.” Not exactly a Charlie Young level of opportunity, but extraordinary nonetheless. “When I was running…

Vivek Kundra, D.C.’s former Chief Technology Officer, has returned to his job as federal chief information officer for the Obama administration after being placed on leave in the wake of the OCTO arrests, the Washington Times reports. White House officials told the Times that Kundra was reinstated after they were reassured that he is not a target of the federal investigation of his former office. The story makes sure to mention the recent revelation…

At the beginning of February, D.C.’s Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Kundra, was reportedly the choice of the Obama administration as the new Office of Management and Budget administrator for e-government and information technology. But this morning he’s been bumped up, with an announcement from President Obama that Kundra will become the nation’s first Federal Chief Information Officer. “Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering…