When the Department of Justice went after Houston-based Enron, three of the biggest players in the case were assistant attorney general Alice Fisher, Enron Task Force director Sean Berkowitz, and Kathryn Ruemmler, deputy director of the task force.

It was Georgetown law grad Ruemmler’s powerful four-hour closing argument that was credited with winning convictions of top executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.

Now, a little more than two years after the verdicts, all three prosecutors are reaping their rewards—and at the same law firm, Latham & Watkins. Catholic U law graduate Fisher became the last of the three to join Latham, where she had worked earlier under her mentor, future Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

Every four years, presidential candidates run against Washington and the inside-the-Beltway crowd—yet few presidents have ever won an election on such a simple platform as Barack Obama’s message of “change.” That said, even the “change” candidate recognizes the need to work within Washington, hence his first appointment of established Washington brawler Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff. Both President Carter and President Clinton learned the hard way their first year just how much trouble a president can get into if he tries to be too much of a Washington outsider.

One clear message President-elect Obama could send would be to appoint Cabinet officials who have never worked in Washington. Here is one way an outsider Cabinet could shape up:

Happy Friday, Washington! What are you up to this weekend? May we offer some suggestions?  

Whatever your plans are, make sure to bundle up—it's going to be a cold one. And we might see some snow showers tonight!

Are you a huge transportation/political dork? Then you're probably going to want to get your hands on this commemorative SmarTrip card from Metro. It has Obama's face on it, people! 

If you've lived in DC for a while, you've probably seen that giant inflatable rat around town that groups of protestors like to use from time to time. (And if you haven't seen it, trust us, you will eventually.) Well, turns out the rat shows up in Google Earth View.  

Speaking of weird things you see around town, Prince of Petworth captures a photo of this crazy-looking bus. 

She’s a singer, actress, activist, and humanitarian. Soon Dionne Warwick may be adding “hostess extraordinaire” to her resume.

Warwick has been holding rooms at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Woodley Park since before the election in anticipation of a Barack Obama win. The singer, perhaps best known for her 1967 hit “I Say A Little Prayer,” is poised to celebrate the change of power on January 20 with a celebrity-studded bash—red carpet and all. Rumor has it that basketball star Shaquille O’Neal is on the confirmed guest list. As many as 5,000 people are expected to attend.

Warwick's entourage has already toured the hotel to ensure the guestrooms and party spaces are up to snuff. She's expected to officially announce her soirée, called the American Music Inaugural Ball, any day.

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The Smithsonian will open the doors to the newly renovated National Museum of American History on Friday at 8:30 AM with a ribbon cutting, musical performances, the firing of an 1812 cannon, and a reading of the Gettysburg Address by Colin Powell. After the ribbon cutting, a procession of historical characters will lead visitors into the building for the first public viewing since the museum’s closure in September 2006.

President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush dedicated the Star Spangled Banner Gallery Wednesday, as former President Lyndon Johnson and wife Lady Bird Johnson did in the original museum almost 45 years ago.

Bush described the museum’s opening as the beginning of an exciting new era. Though some of the exhibits were displayed in the previous building, the museum showcases many new ones. The additions and improvements will aid in the educational progress of citizens, according to the dedication’s keynote speaker, David McCullough. He said that many young Americans are “historically illiterate” and that the museum includes objects with a magical power. The power, he says, is the stories the artifacts tell, which will help spark an interest in history.

If you’ve been following Stylista, The CW reality show where contestants vie for a junior-editor position at Elle magazine, you know last night’s episode was not local contestant Johanna Cox’s shining moment. Burdened with a lackluster team and poor strategy, Cox—who prior to joining the show penned the popular fashion blog A Serious Job Is No Excuse —found herself in the bottom two.

Our stomach dropped and our eyes teared up as the normally cool and collected Cox imploded in front of the cameras. Was this the end of the road for our local girl? Could she really be getting the boot before Kate? Nooooo.

In the end, it was fellow bottom contestant Danielle who was eliminated, giving Cox the opportunity for redemption. Phew!

We talked to Cox about DC’s fashion scene, the magazine industry, and Stylista, of course!