Alaska: Washington D.c.

From Erika Bolstad in Washington, Pennsylvania --

Sarah Palin says in her new memoir, "Going Rogue," that there are no coincidences. But how about this one?

I drove up to Washington, Pa., last night from Washington D.C. to do a story on Palin's book tour. (See tomorrow's paper.) The event was at a Sam's Club in one of those shopping centers dominated by big box retailers – a massive place that looks like hundreds of similar developments across America. After I'd interviewed a number of people outside the Sam's Club, I walked over to the Starbucks next door to write. (The sign above the drive-thru window: "Sarah, we have moose mugs!")

And right out in front of the coffee shop? Palin's mom, Sally Heath, Palin's aunt, Kate Johnson, and Palin's son, Trig.

From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --

The fact checking of former Sarah Palin's new memoir continues, and now, questions have been raised about her role in the lawsuit against Exxon Mobil. People involved in the legal wrangling tell Reuters that they believe the former Alaska governor distorted her importance in the outcome of the two-decade lawsuit against ExxonMobile for the company's role in the 1989 oil spill in Prince William Sound.

Reuters: "Palin's claims of victory for the plaintiffs and of playing a role in achieving that victory are highly distorted, said the chief attorney for the approximately 32,000 plaintiffs that sued Exxon over damages from the worst oil-tanker spill in U.

From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –

Oprah Winfrey’s show is on right now in Washington D.C., and here are some highlights from Oprah’s interview with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. I'll be updating as the show continues:

On whether Oprah, who backed Barack Obama in the 2008 election, "snubbed" Palin by not having her on her show: "It didn’t register -- no offense to you, but it wasn’t the center of my universe."

On how her daughter, Bristol, reacted when the news broke she was pregnant:

"She had seen it on the news, and she was quite devastated, and perfectly honestly, she was quite embarrassed.

From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's role in several East Coast elections got a lot of attention in recent weeks, especially when she threw her support behind a third-party conservative candidate over the Republican in the NY-23 congressional seat. (The Democrat, Bill Owens, won the race.)

Here's what Palin had to say (on Facebook, of course) about the defeat of the candidate she backed, Doug Hoffman: "The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs.