Fox News Agrees to Run Media Matters Ad

Some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Commercial Appeal

Two weeks ago on "Special Report," we told you about Fox News' parent company, News Corp's, $1 million donation to the Republican Governor's Association. Updating that story now: This network has agreed to run an ad from liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America, critical of that donation, if the group comes up with the money.

I recently sat down with the chairman of the RGA, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and asked about the donation:

BAIER: You recently secured a $1 million dollar donation from News Corp, the parent company of Fox News.

BARBOUR: Yeah.

BAIER: That was a surprise to us, to many of us. How did that come about?

BARBOUR: Well, I -- I asked Rupert Murdoch to help us and he thought about it and called me back and said he wanted to help us. I'm very grateful.

BAIER: Do you think that Fox News will cover RGA or you differently because of that?

BARBOUR: No. And I don't think anybody else does. General Electric gives money to the RGA. They own NBC. Unfortunately, I don't think NBC is going to cover us any different, either, because of General Electric contributing to the RGA.

As of this hour, Fox News Sales Department says that Media Matters has not yet come up with the money to run the ad.

Dance Fever

It's dance fever at the White House. First lady Michelle Obama has announced several of the world's best-known dance companies will perform in the East Room next week for the Obama administration's first event celebrating dance.

The event will feature ballet, modern, contemporary, Broadway and hip-hop. There have been more than 50 cultural events in the White House in the past year and a half.

Loud Talker

A woman was banned from a Houston-area mall for failure to show ID after a police officer approached her for talking too loudly in the food court.

Latasha Connor was even escorted from the premises and told she couldn't return for 10 years. However, after further review, and local media coverage, the mall manager threw out the ban.