Sen. Clinton among mag’s most inspiring women

Self magazine ranked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) No. 8 in its list of the 10 most inspiring women of 2005 in its September issue “for building bridges and leading us over them.”

The feature broached the uncomfortable subject of Monica Lewinsky, saying, “It would have been enough to have merely weathered Whitewater and Monicagate.” The magazine hailed the senator for surviving those storms and praised her tenacity.

Other inspiring women who beat Clinton on the list include actress Ashley Judd, businesswoman Martha Stewart, tennis star Serena Williams and actress Ellen DeGeneres. Those following the senator: author Judy Blume and singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.

YouthAIDS event brings stars, lawmakers together

Even by Washington standards, the YouthAIDS gala tonight at the Mandarin Oriental hotel is an A-list affair.

Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu plan to show up to receive awards (and the red-carpet photo treatment).

Ashley Judd will emcee the event along with several stars who will perform individually, including Dave Matthews, Tracy Chapman, Wynona Judd, Kimberly Locke (“American Idol” semifinalist) and Minnie Driver, who recently released an album.

The dinner will be a sit-down affair. The attire: “rock-star chic.” A public-relations representative for Qorvis explained that this means dress similar to what was seen at the MTV’s Video Music Awards in Miami.

“So it’ll be interesting to see what the D.C. crowd wears,” the flack said.

Earlier in the day, Judd will visit the Georgetown Aldo shoe store, where she will be promoting broader awareness of AIDS.

After-party details: Beginning at 9 p.m., after the Mandarin Oriental hotel event, Capitol File magazine will host an after-party at a ballroom at the Watergate Hotel. Featured guest: Judd.

Tauscher aide leaves Hill to help hurricane victims

Kevin Graham, Rep. Ellen Tauscher’s (D-Calif.) executive assistant, headed to Mississippi and Louisiana to help the Red Cross with its relief efforts. He will be on leave from the congresswoman’s office for about a month.

Graham has worked for Tauscher since February. Before that, he served eight years in the Marine Corps, including two years in special operations (including work in Kosovo and in Africa after the bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Before departing, the aide took a crash course with other volunteers; they were told their jobs might include working in shelters with victims or providing general reporting from the field about conditions in the communities.

Tauscher is delighted that her aide has chosen to volunteer.

Candy craving to hit Capitol

DailyCandy, the e-mail newsletter that has hooked “scenesters” — her term for hip members of the entertainment circuit — in major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, London and Dallas with its insider tips on hot bars, restaurants, shops and trends, is coming to Washington.

Look for the first edition to come out later this month, and for DailyCandy D.C. editor Annie Lou Bayly, 28, to use her saucy tone to send faithful subscribers flocking to new clubs and obscure jewelry designers in the D.C. metropolitan area.

“The whole idea is that it’s your very plugged-in, in-the-know best friend who’s whispering this insider information in your ear,” Bayly said. “So many people say, ‘There’s nothing going on in D.C.’ or ‘D.C. is totally uncool,’ which is so untrue. There’s plenty going on. People just need to know about it, and DailyCandy’s going to help them.”

If you’re already intrigued, head to www.dailycandy.com and follow the Washington link to sign up.

Announcements

Rep. Thompson celebrates birth of grandchild

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has a new grandson, Thomas Gordon — the 7 pound, 6 ounce son of Thompson’s daughter, Bendalonne Griffith. It’s the congressman’s second grandchild. His first is Gina Camille, now 6 years old.

Rep. Nussle aide gets engaged

On June 29, Chris Swensen, a legislative assistant to Rep. Jim Nussle (R-Iowa), proposed to his girlfriend, Jennifer Hoef, a budget analyst for the Department of Agriculture.

The two, both 28, have been dating since March 2004. They first met at the Red River Grill (now called the Union Pub). Swensen is from Clermont, Iowa, and Hoef is a native of St. Louis. The wedding will be in April in Washington. The honeymoon will be in the Caribbean.

Rep. Skelton mourns death of wife over recess

Susie Skelton, wife of Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), died over the August congressional recess from a heart attack. She was 69.

“It was all very sudden,” said Lara Battles, Skelton’s spokeswoman. The couple were married for 44 years.

Asked how Skelton is faring, Battles replied, “He’s doing OK, I think the best as to be expected. He’s back to work.”

Former congressman to be buried

in Arlington Cemetery

Former Rep. Lloyd Meeds (D-Wash.) will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery today.

A former gas-station operator who worked on landmark oil and lands legislation central to Alaska, Meeds served in Congress for one term, from 1977 to 1979.

He died after a long battle with cancer. He was 77.