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(Reuters) The taping of the BET Honors, hosted by Black Entertainment Television was held at the historic Warner Theatre in downtown Washington.

It brought out stars including singers Patti LaBelle and queen of soul Aretha Franklin, as well as Washington political figures such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The politics-meets-glamour event fits in with the recently ramped up efforts by Obama to help her husband, President Barack Obama, win a challenging re-election bid in November.

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(Chicago Tribune) Tina Tchen has plenty of qualities that made her a logical choice as Michelle Obama’s top aide, but here’s a key attribute:

Tchen sleeps only four hours a night.

Appointed Wednesday as chief of staff to the first lady, Tchen cited a “biological-clock thing” in explaining why she sleeps only from 2 a.m. to 6. “I have the good fortune to not need a lot of sleep,” she said. “That’s been a great gift.”

The other 20 hours a day, Tchen earns a reputation as “driven” and “indefatigable” and “phenomenally brilliant,” according to friends and colleagues.

Tchen, 54, the daughter of a psychiatrist born in China, will succeed chief of staff Susan Sher, who is also a Chicago attorney, as is the first lady. All three are longtime friends.

An Ohio native, Tchen lived in Chicago for 30 years before President Barack Obama tapped her to direct the White House Office of Public Engagement.

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(CBS News) In her new book “America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag,” former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggests President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama perceive the United States as racially unjust, according to leaked excerpts of the book.

In a chapter entitled “We the People,” Palin referenced Michelle Obama’s verbal gaffe from the 2008 campaign trail, in which she said, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country.”

Palin writes that “in retrospect, I guess this shouldn’t surprise us,” according to an excerpt from “America by Heart” first leaked by the anti-Palin website Palingates, “since both of [the Obamas] spent almost two decades in the pews of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church listening to his rants against America and white people.”

The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and others quickly criticized Mrs. Obama’s comments in 2008, and then-Sen. Obama clarified that his wife was specifically talking about her cynicism of the political process.

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(New York Times) The mood was set early at the American fashion awards ceremony at Lincoln Center in June, an event often likened to the Oscars of the fashion world, with a guest list that included celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow and almost every top designer.

In quick succession, three men were called to the stage to accept their awards as the best new designers of the year: Richard Chai for men’s wear, Jason Wu for women’s wear and Alexander Wang for accessories.

It was the first time that all three prizes given by the Council of Fashion Designers of America were awarded to designers who are Asian-American. That same night, the fashion council announced three scholarships, each for $25,000, won by student designers of Asian heritage.

“It’s so exciting,” said Mr. Wu, who became a household name not only in this country, but also in his native Taiwan, when his dress was selected by Michelle Obama for her husband’s inauguration. “Not too long ago, Donna Karan and Michael Kors were the young designers of America. Now there are a lot of firsts for all of us as Asian-American designers.”

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(Voice of America) In an address to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), First Lady Michelle Obama has spoken about the campaign she launched earlier this year against childhood obesity.

Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, which she launched this past February, aims to shine a constant spotlight on childhood obesity in the United States, and the millions of young people at risk of developing related serious health conditions.

According to government statistics, one in three children in the United States is overweight or obese, with black and Hispanic children facing the greatest risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses related to obesity.

Addressing the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization at its 101st annual convention in Kansas City, in the central U.S. state of Missouri, Mrs. Obama said the African-American community in particular is suffering negative effects.

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