Grapevine: 50 Shades of 'SpongeBob'?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Say It Ain't Joe

Thank goodness it's Friday.

That's probably how Vice President Joe Biden's press team is feeling after a challenging week.

Tuesday, the Veep's warm welcome of new Defense Secretary Ash Carter's wife drew a lot of attention.

He also raised eyebrows with comments he made at the White House summit on countering violent extremism.

He drew comparisons between Minneapolis, Saint Paul building relationships with its Somali community and his own experiences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Somalis have made my city of Wilmington, Delaware on a smaller scale. There is a large, very identifiable Somali community...I have great relationships with them because there's an awful lot driving cabs and are friends of mine. For real. I'm not being solicitous. I'm being serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Well, Biden's story wasn't just awkward. PolitiFact reports it's also not true.

It did some checking and Somali immigrants have not created their own community in Wilmington, Delaware.

In fact, the Census Bureau's latest survey estimates there are only 15 in Delaware.

Not 15 Somali cab drivers -- 15 people of Somali ancestry in the entire state.

Compare that to an estimated 35,000 Somalis in the Minneapolis - Saint Paul region.

We reached out to Biden's office, we have not heard back.

A Growing Problem

Indian government officials insist a tree President Obama planted during his recent visit is not dead -- it's just going through an awkward phase.

The president planted the peepal tree in New Delhi at a Gandhi memorial.

As you can see, it had lots of green leaves.

That was January.

This is now.

It's just a lonely stick coming out of the ground.

Indian media are having a field day with this, saying officials let it die.

Not so says a top horticulturist in the region.

He visited and gave the tree a clean bill of health.

He says it's normal for peepals to lose their leaves this time of year. It should have some fresh sprouts any day now.

Plot Twist

And finally, quite a shock for some Colorado parents who took their kids to see the new "SpongeBob" movie this week.

A theater worker got a little confused and as the opening credits rolled for the 11:45 am showing, parents quickly realized the feature film wasn't about a talking sponge at all.

It was the racy film "50 Shades of Grey" -- rated R.

A grandfather in the crowd told the local newspaper parents grabbed their confused little ones and ran for the exits.

The theater noticed the mistake and switched movies before it heated up.