I had quite a lot of time to think about my new personal ban on cell phone use while driving as I inched along the Beltway this morning on my way to the office.

I decided to take that step the other day after reading the New York Times' extensive story on the subject, Driven to Distraction.

Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, and the likelihood that they will crash is equal to that of someone with a .08 percent blood alcohol level, the point at which drivers are generally considered intoxicated. Research also shows that hands-free devices do not eliminate the risks, and may worsen them by suggesting that the behavior is safe.

We may as well all be driving around drunk, people! Even if we're using our Bluetooth! That's frightening!

Read More "Hang Up, Wouldja? Okay, Just One More Call…" »

Michael Jackson's memorial service monopolized every media outlet yesterday and seems to be the only national news event worth covering this morning.  It was poignant, it was tasteful, but what does it have to do with Washington?  Everything, according to Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), who spoke at the service yesterday and announced House Resolution 600. Oh yes, here comes the Michael Jackson tribute resolution, and it is lengthy.  They praise him for his humanitarian efforts and then proceed to list every kind thing he did.  For example, "in 1994, Michael donated $500,000 to Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS Foundation."  Good to know.

Apparently, watching the funeral online was an important part of yesterday's Congressional schedule.  Politico posts this message from the head of the House's tech operations.

"The Michael Jackson event is causing even more inbound Internet BW usage.
We are monitoring both Internet connections and they are maxed out at 155 Mbps inbound."

More District news, plus Obamas in Russia after the jump. Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Busted Edition" »