Obama Goes Where No Jedi Has Gone Before

POTUS makes a sci-fi slip up

President Obama goofed an attempted sci-fi reference today at a press conference discussing Republican refusal to make a sequester deal. The president said he couldn't "do a Jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what's right." Dude: You confused the JEDI MIND TRICK from Star Wars (think Obi Wan Kenobi and “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for”) with the VULCAN MIND MELD from Star Trek (think Mr. Spock splaying his fingers and treating your face like a bowling ball).

Pat Summit Receives Medal of Freedom

President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to more than a dozen political and cultural greats Tuesday, including basketball coach Pat Summit, rocker Bob Dylan, astronaut John Glenn and novelist Toni Morrison.

Obama added that Summitt, who led the University of Tennessee women's basketball team to more NCAA Final Four appearances than any other team, had helped pave the way for his two daughters, "who are tall and gifted."

"They're standing up straight and diving after loose balls and feeling confident and strong," he said. "I understand that the impact that these people have had extends beyond me. It will continue for generations to come."

The Medal of Freedom is presented to people who have made meritorious contributions to the national interests of the United States, to world peace or to other significant endeavors.

The Packers Go to Washington

Must have been killing President Obama to congratulate the Packers on their Super Bowl victory.

Nice ceremony outside the White House.

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

Obama Tries to Avoid Government Shutdown

President Obama has invited House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to meet with him at the White House at 8:45 p.m. this evening in an attempt to avert the government shutdown that will begin if a budget deal is not worked out by Friday.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president called the meeting because he "decided that not enough progress has been made."

Lawmakers in the past, have passed a pair of short-resolutions to keep the government running while they've debated a budget bill to last for the rest of the fiscal year, but President Obama said he will not accept another such bill.

A bill was introduced in the GOP-led House on Monday that funds the government for another week and also funds the Department of Defense for the rest of the year. The bill includes $12 billion in spending cuts, as well as a policy rider that would prohibit taxpayer funds for abortions in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats have rejected this proposal, which is expected to come up for a House vote on Thursday. It appears designed to be used to cast Democrats as responsible if and when a shutdown comes to pass.

The $12 billion in cuts is six times as many cuts as in past short-term resolutions. The House and Senate have passed $10 billion in cuts so far.

Democrats say they are willing to cut $33 billion from the budget and have cast Boehner and the Republican leadership as unwilling to compromise because they are being held hostage by the Tea Party.

In a conference call on Wednesday, a senior administration official told reporters that over 800,000 workers will be furloughed if the government shuts down. Tens of thousands of military personnel would also not immediately be paid and national parks, the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies would be closed.