S1E16 · 20 Hours in L.A.

Complete story — includes the ending

At 3 a.m. aboard Air Force One, President Bartlet, Josh, Toby, C.J., Donna, Zoey, Charlie, and others leave Andrews AFB for a grueling 24-hour trip to Los Angeles. The President expresses concern about a pending 50-50 vote on a Senate bill about a tax credit for the production of ethanol as a fuel, and meets Gina Toscano ( Jorja Fox ), the Secret Service agent assigned to Zoey. The agenda, filling the day and evening, includes a debate on a proposed amendment to the Constitution to prohibit burning the national flag, a town-hall meeting on school vouchers, and a celebrity-packed fundraising dinner at the home of Ted Marcus ( Bob Balaban ), the president of a film studio. Ted learns that a conservative congressman has introduced a bill in the House to ban gays from the armed forces and that the White House does not actively oppose the bill, so Marcus threatens to cancel the fundraising event. Josh arranges ten minutes for Marcus and the President alone, and the party proceeds. Joey Lucas attends and explains some interesting numbers to Josh, Sam, Toby, and C.J. Leo, back in Washington, asks the Vice President to break the tie in the Senate in favor of the bill, but the Vice President prefers not to do so because of personal, political, and ideological reasons; however, Sam and Leo arrange for three reluctant senators to vote "nay", thus letting the Vice President off the hook. Guest stars Jay Leno and David Hasselhoff as guests at the fundraising party.