Joe Biden appeared on The Today Show where Matt Lauer interviewed Biden about the Swine Flu pandemic. Lauer asked what Biden would tell his family about Swine Flue precautions. Biden said in part:

"I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now …"

"… I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now. It’s not that it’s going to Mexico, it’s you’re in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That’s me. I would not be, at this point, if they had another way of transportation suggesting they ride the subway."

"… If you’re out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes that’s one thing. If you’re in a closed aircraft or a closed container or closed car or closed classroom it’s a different thing …"

I talked about the risk of flying with people who have the Swine Flu yesterday. Joe is completely correct. The Swine Flu, like other types of influenza, is spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, and even breathing, thus the reason for the masks. The World Health Organization tried to downplay Biden’s comments today, but Biden is 100% correct.

The captain of a US container ship taken hostage by Somali pirates has been released, the US Navy has said. Three pirates are reported to have been killed in the operation to free Captain Richard Phillips, who had been held in a lifeboat for several days.

Capt Phillips was "resting comfortably" aboard a US warship after a medical check-up, a spokesman for the Navy’s 5th Fleet said.

He was seized when pirates attacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama, on Wednesday.

On Friday he failed in an attempt to swim free.

An unnamed US official told the Associated Press news agency that Capt Phillips was freed in what appeared to be a swift firefight.

Reports say he jumped overboard for a second time, and the pirates were shot and killed before they could take action to get him back.

US forces apparently took advantage of the fact one of the pirates was negotiating on the USS Bainbridge when the incident happened.

Capt Phillips was initially taken on board the USS Bainbridge, a warship sent to track the pirates holding him, before being flown to the USS Boxer for a medical exam, navy spokesman Lt Nathan Christensen told AP.

Somali elders had been trying to resolve the standoff but most recent reports had suggested the talks had stalled, apparently because US officials were insisting that the pirates be arrested and brought to justice.

Media reports say his family was informed of his release several hours ago.

Reading a statement on behalf of Capt Phillips’ wife Andrea, a spokeswoman for ship owner Maersk Line Ltd said the family was "happy and relieved".

"This is truly a very happy Easter for the family," the statement said.

Some reports have claimed President Barack Hussein Obama ordered the military not to fire on the pirates, but to talk and negotiate only. Thankfully the United States Military did what they had to do to save Captain Richard Phillips who is a United States citizen.

We are grateful to the United States military, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations for successfully freeing Captain Richard Phillips. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Now, please hunt down the pirates and end piracy once again, as the United States marines did several hundred years ago.

Sometimes talk cannot solve life and death situations, and action must be taken. Actions speak louder than words.

A Turkish reporter on Turkish TV wore blackface yesterday while doing a report on United States President Barack Hussein Obama.

The Turkish Bureau of Tourism released a statement saying the broadcast was pretty funny.

We see racism, and a country that views our President as a joke.

We’re not laughing.

Kal Penn, who played Dr. Lawrence Kutner on House, say he approached executive producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs with a desire to leave the show for politics.

Kal says he "remembers David saying, "Are you telling me that you’re unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?" And I was like, "Not at all. I’m actually saying the exact opposite, which is I’m having an incredible time, but there’s something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while." And with their blessing, we were able to work it out."

Kal said he did not expect the suicide, and found it "incredibly violent and incredibly depressing thing that happens to my character," but calls his departure "bittersweet."

The Associated Press reports that President Barack Obama’s adminstration has hired the actor as a a liaison between the administration and Hollywood.

White House spokesman Shin Inouye says will join the staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison. He’ll focus on connecting Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts and entertainment groups.

Kal’s character on House, Dr. Lawrence Kuntner, was killed off in last night’s episode, who was at first the victim of an apparent suicide. Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House then set out trying to prove it was a murder.

Fox created an obituary for Kunter here.

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Dayana Mendoza, who is Miss Universe 2008, paid a visit to Guantanamo Bay, where Gitmo prison holds Muslim enemy combatants from Afghanistan and Iraq, you know, the one where so many people say the prisoners are mistreated and therefore needs to be closed. Well Mendoza had nothing but positive things to say about the prison, and the way the prisoners are treated. It’s amazing how a fresh honest opinion can kick up so much trouble. Mendoza’s assessment of the prison, and statement about it, is now being censored so as not to ruffle the feathers of the Obama White House. Freedom of Speech is being censored. The last quote is the first glowing statement by Mendoza before it was censored. Below is the story as it ran in on USA Today:

Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, visited Gitmo last week and blogs that it is a "looooot of fun!" and the bay is "soooo beautiful!"

The 22-year-old model, who won the crown while representing Venezuela, joined Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008, on a USO tour of the Guantanamo military facility, according to the USO’s web site.

"All the guys from the Army were amazing with us," she reports on the blog.

But it wasn’t all just hanging out by the beach and chatting with the troops.

"We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how they recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books," she reports. "It was very interesting."

Nor, like some recent Gitmo residents, was she eager to move on.

"I didn’t want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful," she says.

Update at 6:47 p.m. ET: Apparently in response to a lot of attention today to the website, Dayna’s blog posted the following, which we are running in full. You can also read it here on the Miss Universe website.

Statement by Paula M. Shugart, President of the Miss Universe Organization regarding Guantánamo Bay blog entry by Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza:

The Miss Universe Organization has had a longstanding relationship with the USO (United Service Organizations). All three titleholders (Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA) have participated in many USO goodwill tours to visit the men and women in uniform who serve our country around the world.

As part of the USO’s entertainment program, which boosts the morale of U.S. troops, they have traveled to many locations and many bases around the globe including Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and most recently, Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, where the U.S. has maintained a naval base since 1898.

Dayana Mendoza’s comments on her blog were in reference to the hospitality she received while meeting the members of the U.S. military and their families who are stationed in Guantánamo.

The Miss Universe Organization echoes the mission of the USO, which is to lift the spirits of U.S.troops and their families wherever they serve. We will continue to show our appreciation and express our gratitude to the military personnel who serve our nation.

Update at 2:25 p.m. ET: The link to Mendoza’s blog has been changed once again. Instead of linking to the Gitmo blog, it took the readers to a year-old entry about her visit to Indonesia. Now that one has been replaced with an item about Fashion Week in Miami on March 20. She ends the blog by saying, "On Friday, we left for Jacksonville for one night because the next day we were going to Guantanamo, Cuba!!!! Wow, my job is amazing!!!! I love it, I let you guys know next week how Guantanamo was .." So perhaps the Gitmo blog may surface yet again!

Update at 1:36 p.m. ET: Mendoza’s blog about Gitmo appears to have been removed from her website. The link now takes you to a blog about her visit to Indonesia last August. However, we saved a copy of the Gitmo blog and offer it in full below:

This week, Guantanamo!!! It was an incredible experience.

We arrived in Gitmo on Friday and started going around the town, everybody knew Crystle and I were coming so the first thing we did was attend a big lunch and then we visited one of the bars they have in the base. We talked about Gitmo and what is was like living there.

The next days we had a wonderful time, this truly was a memorable trip! We hung out with the guys from the East Coast and they showed us the boat inside and out, how they work and what they do, we took a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun!

We also met the Military dogs, and they did a very nice demonstration of their skills. All the guys from the Army were amazing with us. We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how they recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting.

We took a ride with the Marines around the land to see the division of Gitmo and Cuba while they were informed us with a little bit of history.

The water in Guantánamo Bay is soooo beautiful! It was unbelievable, we were able to enjoy it for at least an hour.

We went to the glass beach, and realized the name of it comes from the little pieces of broken glass from hundred of years ago. It is pretty to see all the colors shining with the sun. That day we met a beautiful lady named Rebeca who does wonders with the glasses from the beach. She creates jewelry with it and of course I bought a necklace from her that will remind me of Guantánamo Bay

I didn’t want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful.