Nancy Pelosi speaks at the National Italian Foundation Gala and debuts new hair-do

AP

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was spotted last night at the National Italian American Foundation annual gala in Washington, DC. She was there to introduce Pres. Obama who celebrated the accomplishments of th Italian-American community.

Hillary Clinton covers this week's Time Magazine

Looks like its a good week to be a woman politician. Just last week, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice covered Newsweek magazine and now current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on the cover of Time Magazine. In the issue, Hillary Clinton discusses her recent trip to Libya, the uprisings related to the Arab Spring, and the plan to keep America safe in a changing foreign landscape.

Spotted: Eleanor Holmes Norton participating in the National Food Stamp Challenge at Safeway

Tom Williams

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) was spotted at Safeway grocery store yesterday with local DC resident Vanessa Sherrie to kick off the National Food Stamp Challenge. The challenge asks participants spend $31.50 on a week's worth of groceries, which is the average allotment of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly called Food Stamps. Also seen with Del. Norton was Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky, (D-Ill), and Donna Christensen, (D-V.I).

Obama's Wing-woman? Debbie Wasserman Schultz featured in Marie Claire magazine

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is featured in this month's Marie Claire magazine. As head of the Democratic National Committee, the outgoing and charismatic legislator is tasked with helping raising money for President Obama's reelection in 2012. In a Q&A, she explains how she got involved in politics and her diagnosis with breast cancer.

Here are my favorites:

What are you most proud of in your career?

My top priority legislatively has been taking care of children. I passed the Protect Our Children Act, which focuses on Internet safety and going after child predators online. Also swimming-pool safety legislation—I’ve been championing that for years. As a breast-cancer survivor, I passed the Early Act—the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act—into law, as part of health-care reform, because young women are really like the redheaded stepchild of breast cancer. It’s considered an older women’s disease, but there are a large number of young women—25,000 every year under 45—who are diagnosed with breast cancer. So it was important to educate them about the risk and to help health-care providers understand that you’ve got to take them seriously.

You’re friends with Gabby Giffords—what was it like to see her back in Congress for the recent vote debt-ceiling bill?

It was absolutely incredible. You know, I’m so proud of her. She’s fighting so hard to recover and come back, and she’s made tremendous progress. It was really incredible. I was so glad to help her and walk her into the chamber and see the members, who were very crabby and cranky after a long hard-fought battle. They were reminded what our service is all about.

You can read the rest of the article, here.

Michelle Obama will release new book on the White House garden

First Lady Michelle Obama will release a new book on the White House garden this April. Entitled, "American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools, and Communities", the book will talk about what prompted her to start the wildly popular garden and how other organizations and communities can start their own. The book will also be instructive and feature photos. All proceeds for the book will will be donated to a charity, says the publisher, Crown Publishing Group.

What do you think of the cover?

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice covers Newsweek Magazine

Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's memoir is covering this week's Newsweek Magazine in advance of her new memoir, No Higher Honor. Out November 1st, the memoir discusses her clashes with former vice president Dick Cheney and defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and her strange relationship with Muammar Gaddafi who died last week.

Spotted: Michelle Obama and Jill Biden attending the first game of the World Series

Getty

First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden attended the first game of Major League Baseball's World Series. Accompanied by Marine Lance Cpl. James Sperry and his daughter, Hannah, the quartet along with other military families enjoyed the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.

Photos: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Libya

Getty

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Libya to meet with their interim premier Mahmud Jibril in Tripoli on yesterday. Libya ousted Qaddafi as leader earlier this year and have been trying to stop the remaining rebel fighters. The visit was the highest profile visit by anyone in the Obama administration.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter speaks at the RAND African First Ladies Initiative

AP

Forrmer first lady Rosalynn Carter was recently at the RAND African First Ladies Initiative held a couple of weeks ago in New York City. Joined by Sierra Leone first lady Sia Nyama Koroma, Senegal first lady Viviane Wade, Namibia first lady Penehupifo Pohamba, Lesotho first lady Mathato Mosisili, and Cherie Blair, wife of former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blai, the women gathered to explore ways to grow their leadership roles on issues such as maternal health, girls education and women's economic development. Good to see Mrs. Carter still out and serving others!

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand hosts the first annual “Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand hosted the first annual “Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit" on Monday in New York City. The summit, which included White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Sandra Lee, was an opportunity for young women to network with established women in the business arena.  A new mentoring program was also announced at the event which will pair 100 business executives with women who have graduated college less than seven years ago.

Spotted: White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes at the Newseum

AP

White House domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes was spotted last week at the Atlantic Forum,  at the Newseum in Washington, DC. I was close to putting an APB out on Ms. Barnes because it has been a while since we saw her! The third Annual Washington Ideas Forum brought in more than 60 policy makers, business leaders, and top journalists for a series of conversations and in-depth interviews about the direction of the country.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden join forces to paint veterans' house

Getty

First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden got down and dirty yesterday to help paint the house of wounded U.S. Army veteran Sgt. Johnny Agbi and his wife in Washington, DC. They painted a rebuilt house being offered to him as a part of their Joining Forces initiative for military veterans.

NBC goes Behind the Scenes with Secretary Hillary Clinton

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NBC News' Savannah Guthrie went behind the scenes with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview that aired yesterday. During the wide-ranging interview, the two discussed what she would like her legacy to be at the State Department, her plans after she leaves public office, and whether she thinks her daughter, Chelsea Clinton would follow in her footsteps and enter a career in politics. 

Photos: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication

Getty

The dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was held today in Washington, DC. The memorial located in West Potomac Park, was rescheduled today after it was delayed by the hurricane that hit the DC area on August 28. Leaders from around the nation gathered this morning to pay tribute to the fallen civil rights leader including President Obama (who spoke at length), First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joesph Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, civil rights leaders Andrew Young, Joesph Lowery, Rev. Jessie Jackson, Jr., and his children Martin Luther King, 3rd and Berince King.

Photo of the Day: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden stand in the rain

Getty

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden share a laugh as they watch the Arrival Ceremony for South Korean Lee Myung-bak on the South Lawn of the White House for the State Dinner festivities. Hmmm, I wonder what they are laughing at?

State Dinner Time: Pres. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

AP

It's State Dinner time! President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-Ok to the White House today for a state dinner. As for entertainment tonight, newcomer Janelle Monáe will preform as well as Ahn Trio, a classical ensemble of three Korean-American singers.

The 200 guests expected tonight will dine on the first course consisting of  Butternut squash bisque, honey poached cranberries, Virginia cured ham, pumpkin seed praline, and crème fraiche.A second course that will include early fall harvest salad on daikon sheets, masago rice pearl crispies, and rice wine vinaigrette. The main course will be Texas Wagyu beef, orange-ginger fondue, sauteed kale, roasted kabocha squash. Tonight's dessert will consist of chocolate male devils food layers with pear and almond brittle. Sounds good!

Sandra Lee, girlfriend of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, featured in this month's Harper's Bazaar

Douglas Friedman

Sandra Lee, star of her own Food Network and girlfriend of NewYork governor Andrew Cuomo is featured in this month's issue of Harper's Bazaar. In the article she talks about the challenges of being a working woman balancing a tv show, magazine, a new houseware deal, and her relationship with the governor.

Excerpt from Harper's Bazaar:

As a couple, Cuomo and Lee have maintained a very low-key profile. She didn't campaign with him in his race for governor in 2010, and they appear together only occasionally at official events. She explains their public shyness as a way of guarding their privacy. "I have a partner," she says, "who feels the exact same way as I do about protecting our personal relationship."
But what if Cuomo were to decide to run for president one day, as some have speculated he is aiming to do? "I haven't even thought about anything like that," Lee avers. "More than anything now, I feel really lucky to have a relationship that's just mine and that I get to go home to, that's a safe haven, and that I have something that's not the whole world's too."

Spotted: First Lady Michelle Obama performing jumping jacks on the White House lawn

Getty

Aww, isn't this cute. First lady Michelle Obama hosted local children on the South Lawn of the White House today to attempt to break the Guinness World Records title for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period. No word yet if they won, but aren't the little kids precious?!

Spotted: Laura Bush and former Pres. George Bush at the Texas Rangers baseball game

AP

Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush were spotted as the Texas Rangers game against the Detroit Tigers during baseball's American League championship series on Saturday.

Fashionable and Stylish: Democratic Congresswomen show off their style on Capitol Hill

Who said that you can't be fashionable and politically? A new feature that will are starting here at Political Girl is hitting lighting some of our favorite fashionable politicos.

This week's favorites

1) Up top is Senator Kay Hagan as she heads into the weekly Senate Democratic Caucus luncheon 2) Rep. Nydia Velazguez was at a news conference this week urging for the passage of Pres. Obama's job bills 3) Sen. Dianne Feinstein talks with a fellow senator before a vote 4) Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi heads out after a House Democratic meeting 5) Sen. Barbara Boxer takes a call after the Democratic Caucus luncheon.

Loves these women and their sense of style while doing the work of our nation!