All Things Inauguration Part II 💯
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Description
💯 Why do presidents have such high expectations for their first 100 days in office? 🚲 Why is having a Peloton exercise bike considered a national security risk for the President of the United States? Why does the White House have a staff of calligraphers on hand? 🇺🇸 Get Five Fast Facts about the White House, including why Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States, but only the 45th president to live in the White House! 🥦 Plus - the Trivia Question of the Day.
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💯 Discover why presidents place so much emphasis on what they achieve during their first 100 days in office
✍ Check out all the weird jobs people have in the White House
🥦 Unpack the reason why George H.W. Bush banned broccoli from the White House while he was in office
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Transcript
Bethany Van Delft: [00:00:00] What's in the basement of the White House? Why hasn't every President lived in the iconic residence? And what did one President ban from the White House completely? I'm Bethany Van Delft, and we'll get into all this and more on today's The Ten News, the second episode of our special Inauguration Week, where we find out what's up with the White House.
[00:00:25] Okay, let's get into The Ten News.
Various Voices: [00:00:27] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:00:34] Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have officially been sworn in as the new President and Vice President of the United States. You may have heard about President Biden's promise to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccines during his first 100 days in office. It's an ambitious goal. But why 100 days?
[00:00:58] Well, back in [00:01:00] 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in an effort to help the country recover from the financial crisis known as the "Great Depression," enacted 15 important pieces of legislation during his first 100 days as President. His quick action made him super popular, and it put the pressure on all Presidents to do big things in their first 100 days. Go big or go home.
[00:01:29] As we learned in our last episode, the White House is where the President lives and works. And each President brings their own personal touches to the residence. So why was President Biden's exercise bike considered a potential security risk? Let's go to our correspondent, Pamela Kirkland to find out.
Pamela Kirkland: [00:01:49] When a new president is moving into the White House, they usually want to bring some personal things to make the place feel a little more like home. But even though the leader of the Free World requests it, not everything gets approved for White House use. There are certain things that you and I can use every day that can actually be a security risk. In fact, the last two Presidents had to negotiate with cybersecurity experts because they wanted to bring their personal cell phones with them.
[00:02:20] That's a no go for a couple of different reasons. What if someone hacks into their phone? What if there's some kind of malware or a virus? Believe it or not, a personal cell phone can be a national security risk when you're talking about the White House. High-tech gadgets for presidents require some adjustments, but for the Bidens, it's his Peloton bike that's risky. Every morning, Joe Biden hops on his Peloton to get a little workout in before starting the day. As much as he hoped to bring it with him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it sounds like that probably isn't going to happen. [00:03:00] The bike actually has a camera and microphone on it. A big, no, no according to White House security experts. And the bike’s ability to connect to the internet may be the reason it has to stay back in Delaware.
[00:03:14] There is some work around that the Secret Service can use to make the bike less techie and more secure. It might just mean the President can't high-five other riders on the leaderboard. Will President Biden get to spin in the White House residence? We'll have to wait and see. Lucky for him, the White House already has its own gym.
Aristu: [00:03:34] Hi, I'm Aristu and I'm 10 years old. Did you know that the White House as an entire office of calligraphers on staff dedicated to handwriting, menus, invitations, and certificates? There's also a team of stenographers who's job it is to follow the President around and write every word he says. Would be pretty cool to have this in my house and not have to practice my handwriting.
Bethany Van Delft: [00:04:02] Joe Biden just became the 46th President of the United States, so why is he only the 45th President to live in the White House? By the end of our five fascinating facts about the White House, you'll know the answer.
[00:04:16] Number one - the White House is huge. While, the Oval Office is easily the most recognizable room in the White House, it's just one of a total of 132 rooms. Think of the hide and seek, “come out, come out wherever you are.” Throughout it's six floors, there are 412 doors, eight staircases, three elevators, 147 windows and a "partridge in a pear tree. "Okay, maybe that last one is not true, but the rest are true.
[00:04:53] Number two - it's got a really cool basement. The White House basement houses among other things, a chocolate shop, a flower shop, a carpenter's shop, and a bowling alley installed by President Nixon. You wouldn't think a President has time to bowl, would you? Plus, the White House press room has its own subterranean surprise as it was once home to a pool built for FDR, which though it's covered now, still exists beneath the floor.
[00:05:27] Number three - people think it's haunted. Hope you like spooky stories because rumor has it, that the White House has ghosts. Yeah, apparently Presidents, First Ladies, Staffers, and other guests, claim to have experienced paranormal activities in the house. Some say they're the ghosts of former Presidents. One President in particular has reportedly been seen more frequently than others. Abraham Lincoln.
[00:06:02] Number four - it used to have a different name. Seems pretty obvious why we refer to it as the White House, but it wasn't always called that. Originally, it was referred to as the Executive Mansion, the President's House, and a few other lesser known names. But in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt gave it the official name of White House in order to distinguish it from Governor's homes that existed in every state, they were also known as executive mansions.
[00:06:34] Number five - not every president has lived there. George Washington, might've been the first President of the United States, but he never lived in the White House. Even though he commissioned its construction, approved the design, and chose where it would be. His second term ended in 1797, three years before the White House was completed. John Adams, our second President was the first President to actually live there. So now, you know why our 46th President will be the 45th to live in the White House.
[00:07:10] It's time for your trivia question of the day!
[00:07:16] In 1990, what did President George Herbert Walker Bush declare would be banned from his White House? Was it a) fireworks, b) cats or c) broccoli. Did you guess it? The answer is C!
[00:07:37] It's true, our 41st president reportedly proclaimed I'm President of the United States and I am not going to eat any more broccoli.
[00:07:49] Some of you probably agree with that though, too. Now, before you get any ideas about banning certain vegetables from your house, keep in mind that the Constitution does not grant that authority to kids. Sorry.
[00:08:05] Time is up. That's the end of the day of The Ten News for today, but you can catch new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
[00:08:13] The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media in collaboration with Next Chapter Podcasts and distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News writing team is led by Editorial Director, Tracey Crooks, with contributions from Stephen Tompkins and Pamela Kirkland. The creative producer is Jenner Pascua.
[00:08:32] Marketing is led by Jacob Bronstein with social media and web support by Steven Tompkins and Adam Pharr. Editing and sound design by Pete Musto under the Production Direction of Jeremiah Tittle. Executive Producer Donald Albright and show creator, Tracy Leeds Kaplan round out the team. If you have questions about the show, a story idea, a fun fact you want to share, or just want to say hi, email us@helloatthetennews.com.
[00:08:58] And please don't forget to [00:09:00] subscribe, rate and review The Ten News on Apple podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I am Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Now go practice your calligraphy so you can write tonight's dinner menu and don't forget the broccoli.
[00:09:17] I actually love broccoli. Little bit of salt, little bit of pepper roasted in the oven at 420, for 20 minutes. Delicious, bye!
