Kimberlin Brown and Antonio Sabato Jr. Come Up Short in Congressional Bids

Kimberlin Brown Pelzer, best known her for portrayal of the evil Sheila Carter on The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, came up short in her bid to unseat Congressman Raul Ruiz in California's 36th district. Brown Pelzer received 44,416 votes (43.6%) during Tuesday's midterm election against the Democratic incumbent. Meanwhile, former General Hospital and Bold and the Beautiful actor Antonio Sabato Jr. garnered 65,894 votes (40.6%) but lost handily to Rep. Julia Brownley, who was seeking another term in the House.

During the campaign Brown Pelzer accused Ruiz of using a "partisan playbook," calling him a D.C. insider with close ties to special interest groups. She repeated the message of her most recent television advertisement, calling Ruiz the “lap dog” of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Meanwhile, Sabato Jr. was a vocal supporter of President Trump on the campaign trail. He rose to political prominent when he spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Congressman Raul Ruiz Tosses "Bold and Beautiful Idea" at Challenger Kimberlin Brown Pelzer

Republican Kimberlin Brown Pelzer (The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless) came out swinging in the only televised debate with incumbent Democratic Congressman Raul Ruiz, co-hosted Tuesday night by NBC Palm Springs and The Desert Sun.

She accused Ruiz of using a "partisan playbook," calling him a D.C. insider with close ties to special interest groups. She repeated the message of her most recent television advertisement, calling Ruiz the “lap dog” of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Decrying today’s politics as “toxic,” Ruiz called for civility during the evening's debate. But after Brown Pelzer tried to paint him as a typical Democrat for his support of the Affordable Care Act, Ruiz wrapped his opposition to a single-payer health care system and his support for public-private health care partnerships in a reference to Brown Pelzer’s soap opera background.

“How about this bold and beautiful idea -- how about in the greatest country that this world has ever known that we ... take care of people who are sick and who are injured -- that nobody in America will go without care simply because they can't afford it," he said, taking a subtle jab at Brown Pelzer, who played a Nurse Sheila Carter on the CBS soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful.

Check out a recent profile on Brown Pelzer from NBC Palm Springs below.

'Guiding Light' Star Liz Keifer Speaks Out on Climate Change, Wants You to Vote in November

Longtime Guiding Light star Liz Keifer (Blake Marler) is encouraging people to vote in November to ensure climate change doesn't take her children's future away. Check out what she has to say in the video below.

Former 'General Hospital' Star Antonio Sabato Jr. Advances in California House Race (CA-26)

Former General Hospital and Bold and the Beautiful actor Antonio Sabato Jr. has clinched second place in the race for a congressional seat to represent most of Ventura County. The top two vote-getters face off in November, regardless of party.

Sabato, a vocal supporter of President Trump who spoke at the 2016 GOP national convention, was leading fellow Republican Jeffrey Burum by more than 2,000 votes Wednesday morning when the Associated Press called the California District 26 race.

Sabato, who appeared on the ballot simply as Antonio Sabato, will face incumbent Democrat Julia Brownley, who had more than double Sabato's vote tally in the primary as of Wednesday morning.

Earlier this year, Burum, a retired Air Force major, had called on Sabato to end his campaign, saying movies where Sabato simulated sex with a man and appeared nude were “pornography” that made him unfit to represent the GOP in Congress.

'Bold and Beautiful' Actress Kimberlin Brown Advances in California Primary (CA-36)

On Tuesday, Kimberlin Brown Pelzer, who has famously played soap villain Sheila Carter on both The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless over the years, advanced in the race to represent California's 36th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democratic U.S. House member Raul Ruiz garnered nearly 55 percent of the vote, while Republican challenger Brown Pelzer received nearly 23 percent. In California, the top two vote-getters advance to the November election regardless of party.

Brown Pelzer faces an uphill battle to replace the incumbent in Congress but was clearly excited to have passed the first big test of her political career.

Upon receiving a phone call about the result, Brown Pelzer fist-pumped and exclaimed, "Boom!"

Arianne Zucker on Donald Trump Tape: "How Do You Apologize for Something and Renege on It?"

Longtime Days of our Lives actress Arianne Zucker, who greeted Donald Trump after he made the now-infamous graphic comments on the Access Hollywood bus in 2005, told Anderson Cooper Monday that it was "puzzling" how the president is now doubting the tape' authenticity.

"I don't know how else that could be fake unless someone’s planting words in your mouth," Zucker told Cooper during his 360 show on CNN. "How do you apologize for something and renege on it? It's puzzling to me."

Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Trump denied the tape was real to associates. That prompted Access Hollywood to address the president’s claims at the end of Monday’s show. “Let us make this absolutely clear. The tape is very real,” hosts Kit Hoover and Natalie Morales said.

On the tape that was first reported last October by The Washington Post, Trump is heard commenting on Zucker’s legs and saying he wants to “use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her.” Before beginning a tour of the set of Days of Our Lives, on which he would cameo, Trump added, “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

Soap Opera Alum Antonio Sabato Jr. Is Running For Congress

Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. (ex-Jagger, General Hospital; ex-Dante, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-Jack, Melrose Place) rose in political prominence after he spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year. Next he will be running for Congress in California, according to the Republican operative who will act as his top fundraiser in the 2018 race.

Sabato, who filed documents with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, was inspired to run for office during President Donald Trump's 2016 run. Charles Moran, his top fundraiser, told CNN on Monday, and will likely use his connections with the Trump administration -- and the President himself -- to differentiate himself with other Republicans in the district and the seat's current Democratic occupant, Rep. Julia Brownley.

"Brownley is a very junior member in the minority party," Moran said. "Contrast that against ... Antonio Sabato Jr. ... you have somebody who is a member of the majority party who has good relations with the Trump administration."

Sabato's congressional campaign was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Moran noted that Sabato "knows" the President and is close with one of his sons.

While the RNC catapulted Sabato to prominence, it also landed him in hot water, when he incorrectly told ABC News that former President Barack Obama was a Muslim.

"We had a Muslim president for 7 1/2 years," Sabato said. "I don't believe he is" a Christian.
Brownley has represented the 26th congressional district since 2013. She was previously a member of the California State Assembly.

Below are five other controversial Sabato Jr. quotes following the speech:

'Days of our Lives' Star Arianne Zucker on Leaked Donald Trump Tape: "These Are Offensive Comments For Women. Period."

Arianne Zucker expressed her disdain over the comments
made on the leaked 2005 Donald Trump tape.

Emmy nominated Days of our Lives star Arianne Zucker visited NBC's Today on Wednesday and shared her thoughts on comments made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after leaked Access Hollywood tapes from 2005 showed him and Today host Billy Bush making lewd comments about her.

“They are offensive comments for women. Period,” she told NBC’s Today on Wednesday.

But Zucker said she was not shocked. “Not with that type of personality. Which is probably why it doesn’t mean a lot to me.”

All of the attention following the leaked video feels “very surreal,” the actress continued, adding that she hasn’t been able to turn on the television in the last few days without seeing the video everywhere.

“I want to teach my daughter that if she ever gets put in a situation like Mommy is [in] right now, that she will hold her head high,” she said.

Trump told Bush in 2005 that he could sexually harass women, namely “grab them by the p***y,” because “when you’re a star, you can do anything.”

The blowback was fast, and severe. A number of Republicans have pulled their support for the party’s nominee. And in the last 24 hours alone, four women have accused Trump of groping them.

Zucker said she is planning to vote but won’t say for whom.

Watch Zucker's Today interview below.

'Days of our Lives' Star Arianne Zucker Speaks Out Against 'People in Power' Who 'Abuse Their Position'

Arianne Zucker

Days of our Lives star Arianne Zucker, who was the subject of Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump's lewd remarks in a 2005 tape that has upended the presidential race, spoke out Sunday against the “people in power” who “abuse their position” and don’t treat others with “dignity and respect.”

“My name is Arianne Zucker and I am a strong, independent, hard working mother, business woman and partner to a great man,” she wrote on Twitter. “I have grown to learn that the words of others cannot effect [sic] the value of my self worth or define the content of my character.”

In the 2005 tape, released Friday by the Washington Post, Trump told Billy Bush (the then-Access Hollywood star) that famous men can “grab [women] by the p****” and “can make them do anything.” The two men were met by Zucker at their bus, and Bush asked Zucker to hug Trump.

Leaked 2005 Donald Trump Video Features 'Days of our Lives' Star Arianne Zucker

Donald Trump, Arianne Zucker and Billy Bush

On Friday, the Washington Post published a video of a conversation in 2005 in which Donald Trump bragged to Access Hollywood reporter Billy Bush about his successes (and lack thereof) groping and trying to have sex with women. The real estate developer was arriving to film a cameo on NBC soap opera Days of our Lives at the time.

The recording was taped moments before Trump and Bush were set to shoot a segment for the entertainment program. Clearly, neither realized that they were being recorded by a live mic.

Bush has apologized for the remarks he made in the video.

“Obviously, I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along,” he said in a statement. “I’m very sorry.”

The Republican presidential nominee, however, brushed off the incident. Trump dismissed it as “locker-room banter” and “a private conversation.” He added, “I apologize if anyone was offended.”

But the host and Trump — who married his wife, Melania, eight months before his cozy chat with Bush that started with lewd comments about Nancy O'Dell — are not the only ones who appear in the video. The men are also heard drooling over Days actress Arianne Zucker, who was there to greet both men and take them to the set.

On the tape, Trump is heard commenting on Zucker's legs and saying he wants to “use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her.” He adds, “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

Zucker (Nicole Walker on Days) was also described as “hot as s**t,” and as having “good legs” in the video. Watch below.

Hillary Clinton Visits The Set of ABC Drama 'Scandal'

Kerry Washington and Hillary Clinton

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton paid a surprise visit to the set of Scandal on Monday night. She sat next to "President Fitzgerald Grant" and observed as Scott Foley directed the 17th episode of the season. In fact, actor Tony Goldwyn (Fitz) helped campaign for Clinton last week in Nevada.

"So, this happened while I was directing tonight," Foley captioned on an Instagram pic of the former Secretary of State sitting next to Scandal prez Tony Goldwyn. "No big deal. #imwithher."

"A good friend came by set today," Scandal star Kerry Washington (Olivia Pope) captioned another pic of Clinton on set. "Proud to say... #imwithher."

Glenn Beck Welcomes Former 'Another World' and 'All My Children' Star Ellen Wheeler To His Team

Ellen Wheeler reunited with former Guiding Light stars Kurt McKinney,
Frank Dicopoulos, Robert Newman, Michael O'Leary and Jordan
Clarke in 2013. Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck welcomed three-time Emmy winner Ellen Wheeler to his team on Monday with a video of the former Another World and All My Children star addressing his team in Dallas.

Beck ran into Wheeler backstage at a FreedomWorks event this summer in Las Vegas, where she had been serving as Director of Messaging for the organization that promotes "free markets and individual liberty," and "a desire for less government, lower taxes, and more economic freedom."

"I finally have a partner that can take all the things we are working on and tie them together with action," Beck wrote in a Facebook post about Wheeler. "I am so proud of my team and all we have created. But now, it's time to turn the machine on and really do everything we have wanted to do. Get involved and roll up our sleeves and fight on the front lines."

White House Spokesman Says Colleen Bell Fundraising Efforts Had Nothing To Do With Her Being Chosen Ambassador to Hungary (Video)

A White House spokesman said Colleen Bell's campaign fundraising role was not the reason she was chosen as Ambassador to Hungary.

Asked at the daily press briefing what makes The Bold and The Beautiful producer qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, White House spokesman Josh Earnest didn't exactly have an explanation.

"[She's] somebody who obviously has succeeded in, you know, in the business world," Earnest said.

"And she is somebody that the President has confidence will be able to maintain our relationship with the government and the people of Hungary."

Earnest also denied that Bell's hand in raising millions of dollars for the President's re-election campaign had anything to do with her appointment.

'The Bold and the Beautiful' Producer Colleen Bell Confirmed by Senate as Ambassador to Hungary

The Bold and the Beautiful producer Colleen
Bell is nominated for Ambassador to Hungary.
Photo by Sean Smith, Courtesy of Colleen Bell.

The Bold and the Beautiful producer Colleen Bell was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday as Ambassador to Hungary by a vote of 52-42. The votes were along party lines.

Her confirmation had been delayed after Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), raised objections over their qualifications. McCain even wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal claiming that the sole criteria for the selection of Bell and others was their ability to raise money for President Obama’s re-election campaign. He singled out Ms. Bell for struggling to "define even one strategic interest in the U.S. relationship with Hungary."

On the Senate floor on Tuesday, McCain again blasted the political appointments, but Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) defended them.

"Just because someone is a producer of a popular television show, that doesn't disqualify them," Boxer said, according to Yahoo News. "She’s an intelligent woman. She knows how to be successful."

Colleen Bradley Bell is a Producer for Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., a position she has held since 2012. Prior to this position, Ms. Bell was the Director of Special Projects and an Associate Producer and Script Supervisor at Bell-Phillip Television. She served as General Trustee for the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2012 to 2013. Ms. Bell served as a Member of the Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2010 to 2012, and was designated Chairman of the Committee in 2011. Ms. Bell currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Institute, and a Trustee on the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Los Angeles Music Center. She is a founding member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Leadership Council and also serves on the advisory board of the UCLA Rape Treatment Center. Ms. Bell received a B.A. from Sweet Briar College.

RELATED:
- 'The Bold and the Beautiful' Producer Colleen Bradley Bell Nominated for Ambassador to Hungary
- 'The Bold and the Beautiful' Producer Colleen Bell Interviewed on 'We Love Soaps TV'

Nelson Mandela Dead at 95

Nelson Mandela, who guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to multi-racial democracy and became an international icon of peace and reconciliation, died Thursday at age 95.

Imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against white minority rule, Mandela emerged determined to use his prestige and charisma to bring down apartheid while avoiding a civil war.

"The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come," Mandela said in his acceptance speech on becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.

"We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation."

President Barack Obama hailed Mandela as a leader who left his country with a legacy of freedom and peace with the world.

JFK Asassination: Watch the CBSNews.com LiveStream of 1963 Coverage - Walter Cronkite Informs a Shocked Nation

AS THE WORLD TURNS was airing on CBS the afternoon of November 22, 1963, when Walter Cronkite broke in to tell the nation that President John F. Kennedy had been shot. Coverage then went back to the top-rated soap opera, but not for long.

CBSNews.com will stream CBS News' historic broadcast coverage of President Kennedy's assassination to mark the 50th anniversary of the shooting. The extensive online offering will feature the minute-by-minute CBS News broadcasts in real time as they were delivered during the four-day period following the assassination.
CBSNews.com's special four-day anniversary online stream will begin at 1:38 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 22, 2013 with the first breaking network television news bulletin alerting viewers shots had been fired in Dallas.

CBSNews.com will then stream the CBS News coverage, including the first report from legendary anchor Walter Cronkite and the extraordinary broadcasts from New York, Dallas, Washington and around the world as it unfolded over four days, culminating with the president's funeral.

Watch the livestream below as well as a Charles Osgood report on how America learned of the shooting of a president in a video from CBS SUNDAY MORNING:

Colleen Bradley Bell Nominated for Ambassador to Hungary (Press Release)

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL producer Colleen
Bell is nominated for Ambassador to Hungary.
Photo by Sean Smith, Courtesy of Colleen Bell.

Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

* Colleen Bradley Bell – Ambassador to Hungary, Department of State
* Madelyn Creedon – Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
* Janice Schneider – Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
* Joseph William Westphal – Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Department of State
* Ellen D. Williams – Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy

President Obama said, “I am grateful these accomplished individuals have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Scandalous with Jennifer Hudson, a PSA For The Affordable Care Act

Jennifer Hudson is searching for a scandal in a new Funny or Die video but the Affordable Care Act fixes all of them. The PSA aims to raise awareness about how the Affordable Care Act works. The White House has tapped other A-list stars, such as Oprah Winfrey and Alicia Keys, to help spread the word about the ACA (also known as Obamacare). Watch Hudson channel SCANDAL's Oliva Pope in the video below:

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Producer Colleen Bell Expected To Be Named U.S. Ambassador to Hungary

Photo by Sean Smith, Courtesy of Colleen Bell.

According to the Washington Post, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL producer Colleen Bell will soon be announced as the next United States Ambassador to Hungary. Her vetting process is done.

The Hungarians must agree to the nomination but the approval is apparently a foregone conclusion.

Ms. Bell and her husband, Brad (B&B executive producer and head writer), helped raise money for President Obama's re-election campaign including holding events in their home.

At a fundraiser in February 2012, President Obama spoke in the Bells' dining room, where guests were seated at seven tables, each with centerpieces of pink orchids.

"He reminds us that change doesn't come easy or fast," Colleen Bell said introducing the President.

The New York Times reported in September 2012 that Ms. Bell had raised $2,101,635 for President Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2011-2012.

GENERAL'S HOSPITAL On THE COLBERT REPORT Featuring Susan Lucci

The scandal of former CIA director David Petraeus was one of the topics on THE COLBERT REPORT last night. Colbert said it was like a steamy episode of GENERAL'S HOSPITAL. After he had gone through (and mocked) the entire story (including calling the five-way complicated scandal not just a love triangle but a "love pentagon") Colbert declared the news had jumped the shark and this story is "done. We should all move on." Then ALL MY CHILDREN alum Susan Lucci walked out!

"Oh, this is far from over, Stephen," Lucci said. She then revealed General Petraeus "has developed amnesia... and cant remember that he's pregnant... by his own evil twin... who's in a coma... and is my lover."

"That doesn't make any sense," Colbert replied.

"How dare you!" Lucci yelled and slapped him from across the studio.

"How did you do that from over there?"

"Don't you remember? I was in a boating accident, and now I have telekinesis... just like General Petraeus."

Watch the segment below: