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Revamped Visitor Center Gives Public A Peek Into The White House

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A model of the White House is seen in the renovated White House Visitor Center Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images

A model of the White House is seen in the renovated White House Visitor Center

Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Just about every day in Washington, rain or shine, tourists stand along Pennsylvania Avenue snapping photographs of the White House or just peering through the iron fence. But getting an inside look can be tricky. Visitors usually have to get tickets far in advance, either from a member of Congress or a foreign embassy.

Starting Saturday, there is another option.

A newly refurbished Visitor Center a few blocks away from the White House offers an up-close look at the executive mansion without having to run the gantlet of the Secret Service.

First timers like Alan Roberts and Zainab Siddiqui are often surprised by the very human scale of the White House.

"It's a little bit smaller than I thought," says Roberts. "Obviously I've seen it on the TV quite a few times."

But the building enjoys an outsized presence on tourism maps.

"How can you come to Washington and not see the White House?" asks Siddiqui.

For many visitors, though, a glimpse from the fence line is all they get. The National Park Service, which maintains the White House grounds, wants to change that.

"One of our great goals here was to make the White House story as accessible as possible to people," says John Stanwich of the National Park Service, "because it touches each and every one of us whether you're an American citizen or whether you're a citizen from anywhere else in the world."

The Center reopens after a two-year, $12.5 million facelift. It is located on the ground floor of the Commerce Department, a couple of blocks southeast of the White House. Inside, visitors can see a scale model of the executive mansion along with dozens of White House artifacts.

"Right here we have a desk. And this is the actual desk that Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his fireside chats," says Stanwich. "People that know about the fireside chats can actually physically see the desk here and imagine all those trials and tribulations that our nation faced during those times."

While some of the items on display are historic, others are homespun, befitting a White House that is both a center of power and a personal dwelling space for the first family. Visitors can see both the telegraph key where Lincoln learned of Robert E. Lee's surrender, and Jimmy Carter's hand-drawn blueprint for his daughter Amy's tree house.

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Hand drawn blueprint by former President Jimmy Carter for his daughter Amy's tree house. Scott Horsley/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Scott Horsley/NPR

Hand drawn blueprint by former President Jimmy Carter for his daughter Amy's tree house.

Scott Horsley/NPR

Earlier this week, first lady Michelle Obama got a sneak preview of the newly renovated center. She pointed to the intercom buttons on an usher's desk from early in the last century, and noted the White House still has buttons just like that throughout the upstairs living quarters.

"There are buttons everywhere, and I never touch them," she said. "You're just worried that a bunch of people will come rushing in. And you don't want that."

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First lady Michelle Obama cuts the ribbon during an opening ceremony for the newly renovated White House Visitors Center in Washington. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Susan Walsh/AP

First lady Michelle Obama cuts the ribbon during an opening ceremony for the newly renovated White House Visitors Center in Washington.

Susan Walsh/AP

More than half the money for the center's makeover was raised privately by the White House Historical Association.

"There are a few iconic symbols, most of them are commercial related, that people around the world connect with America," says Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association. "But we believe the emblem of the White House represents America to the world."

McLaurin expects a million visitors will pass through the center every year. For all their power, even America's presidents are just passing through the White House. One exhibit, titled "Moving Day" reminds viewers that every four years, or eight, there's a new first family, with their own photos and furnishings, while the White House itself endures.

"And so the White House represents that peaceful change and continuity of governments, across party lines, across ideological differences," says McLaurin. "This is the people's house. And it brings our country together in a very special way."

Weekly Address: We Will Degrade and Destroy ISIL

President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the State Dining Room of the White House. September 12, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

In this week’s address, the President reiterated his comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group ISIL.

His plan brings together a campaign of targeted airstrikes, increased support for Iraqi and Kurdish forces already taking on terrorists, assistance from allies and partners, expanded efforts to train and equip the Syrian opposition, and ongoing humanitarian aid for those displaced by ISIL. The President expressed his immense appreciation for the military men and women who make these efforts possible, and reminded the world that America continues to lead and stand strong against terror.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3

Friday's Sports In Brief

NFL

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities in Texas issued an arrest warrant for star Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after he was indicted on a charge of child abuse for using a branch to spank his son. He was swiftly benched by his team for this weekend's game against New England.

Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said that the charge in Montgomery County, near Houston, accuses Peterson of using a switch to spank one of his sons. Hardin said Peterson didn't mean to hurt the boy, whose injuries and age were not disclosed.

The Vikings, about an hour after issuing a statement acknowledging the case, said Peterson would be on the inactive list Sunday for their home opener against New England. Houston police and authorities in Montgomery and Harris counties declined comment.

Peterson will have to surrender to authorities, but there is no timeline for when he will appear in Texas, Hardin said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Hours after the players' union voted to accept an NFL proposal on drug policy changes that included HGH testing, the league says it is not a done deal.

Player representatives to the union also voted for changes to marijuana testing, classification for amphetamines, punishment for driving under the influence, and neutral arbitration on appeals.

But NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email to The Associated Press: "There are unresolved issues. More negotiation ahead." Aiello did not specify which issues are not resolved, but called them "significant."

Testing for human growth hormone was originally agreed upon in 2011, but the players have balked at the science in the testing and the appeals process for positive tests. If the proposal they now voted on is put into action, testing would begin for this season.

Overall changes are retroactive for players suspended under previous policies, as well as for those in the appeal process. Their suspensions could be reduced — no immediate announcements were made regarding those suspensions, probably because the NFL doesn't consider anything official yet.

NBA

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry took an indefinite leave of absence, making the move under fire for his racially charged comments about a player.

Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has resisted calls for Ferry to be dismissed, but said the 47-year-old GM asked for the leave.

Ferry issued his own statement, saying he plans to undergo sensitivity training and meet with local leaders. He gave no indication that he plans to step down.

Ferry made an inflammatory assessment of Luol Deng during a conference call with the Hawks' ownership group in June as the team was pursuing the free agent. The GM described Deng as someone who "has a little African in him."

Deng, who was born in what is now South Sudan, signed with the Miami Heat but didn't know if Ferry's comments until this week.

Koonin said Ferry was disciplined for his comments, but refused to disclose the punishment. Both Ferry and Koonin have said the GM was merely repeating statements made by others in scouting reports on Deng.

BASEBALL

BALTIMORE (AP) — Orioles slugger Chris Davis was suspended 25 games without pay following a positive test for an amphetamine, a punishment that will extend into the postseason and perhaps 2015.

Baltimore started the day leading the AL East by 10 games with 17 left in the regular season, so the team will be without the 2013 home run champion deep into the playoffs.

Davis said he had permission to use Adderall in the past but didn't have an exemption this year.

Adderall is a drug often used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, and 119 TUEs were issued for 40-man roster players in the year ending with the 2013 postseason. It is, however, also known as a performance and cognitive enhancer.

GOLF

ATLANTA (AP) — Billy Horschel showed why he might be the hottest player in golf at the moment with another 4-under 66 in the Tour Championship. It was his 10th straight round in the 60s. He already has a victory and a runner-up finish in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

And now he gets to take on the best player in golf.

Rory McIlroy rode three big putts and one bizarre break — a tee shot landed in a spectator's pocket — on his way to a 65 that left him two shots behind at 6-under 134 and put him in the final group at East Lake going into the homestretch of the FedEx Cup.

At stake for both of them — along with Chris Kirk, who shot a 68 and was tied with McIlroy — is a shot at the $10 million bonus.

OSCAR PISTORIUS

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — A judge convicted Oscar Pistorius of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend, ruling that the former track star was negligent when he opened fire in his home after hearing what he said sounded like an intruder in a bathroom in the middle of the night.

The judge acquitted Pistorius of a more serious murder charge, a day after saying that the onetime Olympian could have called security guards or screamed for help on the balcony instead of grabbing his handgun and blasting multiple rounds through the door of a toilet stall.

Under South African law, culpable homicide is the illegal killing of someone through irresponsible behavior. The charge is comparable to reckless homicide or manslaughter.

Pistorius showed no emotion as he stood in a dark suit with his hands crossed in front of him for the judgment. After the verdict, the double-amputee who rose to fame running on carbon-fiber blades, was hugged by relatives. The judge then ordered a recess and extended his bail.

WNBA

CHICAGO (AP) — Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree scored 24 points each and the Phoenix Mercury, playing without star center Brittney Griner, beat the Chicago Sky 87-82 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA Finals for their third championship.

DeWanna Bonner added 12 points for the Mercury, who also won titles in 2007 and 2009. Griner sat out following surgery to correct a retinal issue after she was hit in the right eye in Game 2.

Elena Delle Donne scored 23 points, Sylvia Fowles had 20 points and Allie Quigley had 19 for the Sky.

Phoenix's sweep in the finals was the fourth in the last five years, and fifth since the championship round went to a best-of-five format in 2005.

ISIS battle should not exclude any state: Lebanon FM

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has said that the global alliance to combat terrorism should not exclude any country and the battle against ISIS should be in line with international law.

“We affirmed to the U.S. and all the attendees during the Jeddah meeting that we are with them in this battle against ISIS, Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda, but any war on ISIS should respect the sovereignty of countries, international law and should be under the auspices of the United Nations,” Bassil told As-Safir in an article published Saturday.

“Any war should be coordinated with legitimate governments and government armies. More important, we should not exclude any country because that would create a defect in our universal confrontation.”

Representing Lebanon, Basil attended a regional conference to discuss ways to deal with ISIS, hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Friday. Foreign ministers of many Arab countries including Qatar and Jordan as well as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also attended the conference.

While in Ankara to press Turkish officials to join the fight against extremist traffic and funding, Kerry said it was inappropriate for Iran to be part of the alliance given its support for the very government in Syria whose brutality helped fuel the rise of ISIS.

In response to a question, Bassil said that “Lebanon would not be part of an international axis against another international axis.”

“Lebanon could not be absent from such a conference and its participation guarantees protection against ISIS,” he said.

“Along with political support, [participation in the conference] guarantees support for the Lebanese Army as well as benefiting from information on how to pursue such terrorists by drying up funds coming to them through Lebanon and eliminating these religious ideologies as well as lifting cover off every Islamist and ISIS member in the region and Lebanon.”

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