New York Times bestselling author Christopher Buckley comes to the National Press Club on Sept. 10 to discuss “Supreme Courtship,” his latest comic look at Washington politics. In “Supreme Courtship,” the president has no success getting his Supreme Court nominees confirmed, so he turns an unconventional choice, a well-known television judge.

Buckley is the author of numerous best-sellers, including “Thank You for Smoking” and “Boomsday.” He has written over 60 comic essays and is the recipient of the 2002 Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence and the 2004 Thurber Prize for American Humor.

This event is open to the public and free of charge, however space is extremely limited and reservations are required. RSVP at opus@press.org. “Supreme Courtship” will be available for purchase and signing by the author. It’s a fund-raiser for the library, so no outside books are permitted.

Well before the AP story this week, NPC members knew all about Julia Child’s involvement with the OSS, the predecessor of the CIA. Child worked as a clerk for the World War II-era spy agency, and she described it during her 1993 appearance at an NPC luncheon. Questioned by President Clayton Boyce, Child spilled the beans. We “declassified” photos and an audio file of her luncheon.

The National Archives revealed Thursday that famed chef Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the CIA) during World War II.

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Photo by Nancy Shia

Jay Hakes, Former Director of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, was the speaker at an NPC Newsmaker event on August 13. His topic: “Energy Independence.”

Hakes discussed how independence from foreign oil can improve national security, the economy and the environment.

He also talked about his investigation of how previous presidents, including Jimmy Carter, handled energy, and the stakes in the current presidential contest.

Photo by Christy Bowe

Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota addressed a Press Club Luncheon on August 6. Pawlenty, whose state will host the Republican convention next month, recently completed his term as Chair of the National Governor’s Association. The Governor’s luncheon speech topic was “Sam’s Club Republicans,” outlining his view on how the GOP can achieve success by addressing the needs of this group of voters.

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The NPC’s 36th annual Fourth Estate Award dinner on Nov. 21, honoring Christiane Amanpour of CNN, promises to be one of the Club’s most popular events of the year. And that’s why the Club is encouraging its members to reserve early for the event, which will begin with a 6 p.m. reception followed by a 7:30 p.m. dinner.

Priority seating is available for members only through Oct. 1, at which point the remaining tickets will be available both to members and the general public.

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Photo by Rex Allen Stucky

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, the newly seated president of the United States Conference of Mayors, delivered an address at the National Press Club on Monday, Aug. 4 challenging the next president of the United States to “invest in solutions to the growing problems that threaten America’s cities and metropolitan areas.”

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Photo by Christy Bowe

By Jerry Zremski

Gov. David A. Paterson of New York brought his message of fiscal gloom to the nation’s capital July 31, saying the federal government must do more to help states avoid “a national crisis of bankruptcy.”

In a speech at the National Press Club, he stressed that New York is not alone in facing a financial crisis - and that states and the federal government alike will have to get frugal and spend wisely to survive an economic downturn that could be the worst since the Great Depression.

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Miss Nora Manzella proudly poses in front of her first place entry in
the “Youth Under Twelve” category.
Photo by Marshall Cohen.

NPC members, staffers and family members produced a stunning array of art in the Club’s second year of participation in the National Arts Program. The 62 entries will be on exhibit in the 13th floor lobby through Aug. 8.

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The National Press Club protests the decision by Olympic organizers to censor Internet access of journalists who are covering the Beijing Games.

According to reporters working at the Olympic Village press center, for the past week they have been unable to access scores of Web pages, including ones that discuss Tibetan succession, Taiwanese independence, the crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square and the sites of Amnesty International, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers.

In addition, despite a previous promise of uncensored Internet access during the Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee agreed to some of the limitations.

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Photo by Barbara Ioakim

(From L to R) Julie Sherman and Laura Schmitt pose with their award checks after being named Employees of the Month of July for their creative and energetic work planning significant video projects for clients of the Club’s Broadcast Operations Center. In addition to their daily duties, they also have stepped forward into leadership roles twice this year during periods when their manager was off for extended leave.