Olympians, Gabrielle Giffords, and Barry Manilow -- PICTURES

Doubling Down: Former Homeland Security Secretary and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge joined former FBI Director Louis Freeh at an early-morning press conference on Thursday to announce they have joined FairPlayUSA, a new consumer protection group that aims to improve the regulatory framework surrounding online poker. During the press conference, Ridge emphasized how existing statutes should be changed to better define online gambling and grant oversight to law enforcement officials. "Tools exist in the marketplace that could be applied to limit online gambling," he said. —PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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Go Big or Go Home: The Cannon House Office Building got a surprise dose of extreme athleticism this morning when snowboarding Olympic medalist Gretchen Bleiler, professional big-mountain snowboarder Jeremy Jones, and world-champion freeskier Chris Davenport urged Congress to protect EPA's authority to set carbon pollution standards on behalf of the environmental advocacy group Protect Our Winters. "As a group who spends so much time in the mountains, we need to be the ones to protect the mountains," says Jones, who founded Protect Our Winters. Later on Thursday, the snow-sport athletes have plans to meet with unnamed members of Congress. —PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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His Name Was Barry, He Drew A Big Crowd: Staffers and invited guests filled the Congressional Auditorium late this morning for a chance to see singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, who spoke at an event to raise awareness for atrial fibrillation, a heart-arrhythmia disorder. The event was hosted by Reps. Todd Platts, R-Penn. and Lois Capps, D-Calif., the co-chairs of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition. —PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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Whirling Like a Cyclone: Barry Manilow got a standing ovation at the event, which was organized by Sanofi pharmaceuticals to raise awareness for atrial fibrillation. (Atrial fibrillation occurs when the upper chambers of the heart beat out of rhythm with the lower ones.) "Living with a heart that goes out of rhythm is ironic because so much of the rest of my life is about the rhythm of music," Manilow, who has experienced atrial fibrillation since the 1990s, says. After his speech, Manilow surprised the audience with a snippet of his song "One Voice." —PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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Great Balls of Fire: The office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., brought a panel of business leaders and energy experts to the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday afternoon for the Giffords Solar Summit, a discussion about the state of solar energy. Although Giffords is not attending the conference, her staff says that she's watching over a Ustream video feed.

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Solar Bowl: Mike Bidwill, president of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, spoke with NRG Solar President Thomas Doyle during the Giffords Solar Summit about using tax incentives to encourage growth in the solar industry and this weekend's "Solar Bowl," where Bidwill's Cardinals face off against the hometown Washington Redskins. NRG will debut an 8,000-solar-panel installation—the largest in the D.C. area—in the FedEx Field parking lot before the game. (This morning, the Redskins held a guided tour of the installation.) --PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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The Eye of the Beholder: You never know who you're going to run into at the Capitol. This afternoon, we spotted Kristina Janolo, Miss Florida 2011, on her way from a meetings with Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Janolo is meeting with Florida delegates during her D.C. visit to encourage stronger environmental protection of the Everglades. --PHOTO: CHRIS HELLER

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