Joni Lownsdale never thought her 2002 breast cancer diagnosis would land her in the middle of the Obama administration's fight with the health insurance industry.
But that's where the Rockford, Ill., woman was Friday as she stood in a White House flower garden and shared her story of being repeatedly denied health insurance because of the cancer in her past.

A likeness of the first lady was unveiled at Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax museum, with all of the fanfare that typically follows Obama in real life. A line stretched down the block outside the museum by noon, while inside, a circus of media and visitors swarmed around the exhibit for its grand opening.