News Junkie - Live Wire

ROBERT FEDER’S GIMMICK

It’s a subject I’ve left mostly alone, not because I’ve been told not to address it but because I’m hesitant to give airtime or blog space to a man who still calls Web traffic ‘hits‘ and has an unhealthy obsession with WGN Radio. Tonight, on the podcast, I’ll dive into the mud on this one. Stay tuned.

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FOX/CNN/MSNBC DISSECTED

Some great analysis of the current cable media landscape from CJR today. I disagree with a few points (especially the bit about MSNBC offering a rainbow of opinons) but this quote is interesting:

From personal experience covering news around the world, you almost always run into a CNN crew or stringer. You almost never run into a Fox reporter, and never one from MSNBC.

Read the whole thing at CJR’s website.

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ROY ASHBURN: “I’M GAY”

California State Senator Roy Ashburn admits to being a homosexual in an interview today on KERN. You can listen to the interview in this post and read the details here. Ashburn vows to carry on.

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BETTY WHITE TO SNL

After a massive online movement to draft her into the hosting duties at Saturday Night Live, Betty White confirms she will appear on the show.

But will she host?

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PETA TARGETS SEAWORLD

PETA sees a wounded opponent in SeaWorld after last month’s killer whale attack. Their latest mantra: “Let whales and dolphins ‘out of prison.’

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ADAM GADAHN CAPTURED

HUGE news out of Pakistan: American-born al-Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn has been arrested.

Update: It’s not him?

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NYT ON SCIENTOLOGY

‘Breaking With Scientology’ won’t hit print until tomorrow but you can read the New York Times assault on Scientology online right now.

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PHOTOS: TOYOTA HEARINGS

Executives from Toyota Motor Corp made the journey to Washington D.C. this morning to face down angry customers seething over their company’s recall follies. Take a look at these pictures from today’s event.

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THE BLOOM BOX

I can’t decide if the Bloom Box is the greatest invention ever or if I’m a bit like an old lady being conned by a slimy auto mechanic. Regardless, you have to watch this video. [Video]

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SCOTTY LAGO PHOTOS

Snowboarder Scotty Lago leaves the Olympic village in Vancouver after sexually suggestive photos of the bronze medalist and his trophy surfaced online. Lago says he’s in a ‘blackout’ and can’t talk about the event until next month. [View The Photos]

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RAY GOSLING ARRESTED

What happens when you admit to a murder on British public television? Well, you get arrested, of course. BBC presenter Ray Gosling arrested on suspicion of murder. [Details]

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TIGER WOODS PRESSER

Tiger Woods will finally reemerge from the shadows this Friday. The golf pro and reported sex addict is planning on holding a press conference at the PGA headquarters at 11AM Eastern. [Details]

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AGING BARACK OBAMA

Being the President isn’t an easy gig:

Obama is looking older these days.


The Gift: Hugo Chavez Gave Obama This Book

chavezbooklarge

There’s been quite a bit of talk about gifts lately. I don’t remember this much harping on gift-giving during the Bush administration but I feel obliged to follow it for one reason or another. In this particular case, the giver is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. I could go on and on about why Hugo Chavez is a controversial guy but I’ll just point you to Google and keep typing.

So what did…


Barack Obama Sucks At Gift-Giving

First, he gives British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a bunch of DVD’s that aren’t viewable on a British DVD system… now President Obama gives the Queen… an iPod? This guy needs to fire some people, fast.

Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 visit to the United States. In return, the Queen gave


Send Obama An Inauguration Memo

obamaads

Hoping to make a little cash off of Barack Obama’s inauguration (that’s certainly nothing new…), Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive and the Washington Post’s classifieds departments have launched “Welcome to the White House”, a classfieds “forum that lets users post congratulatory announcements to the Obama family.”

Here at The News Junkie, we don’t care who you like, who you hate or who you are mean to. The Washington Post may want to censor their…


Rahm Emanuel Is Going Nuts

Emanuel appeared “beet-red,” according to an ABC News cameraman who was invited inside by Emmanuel to use his bathroom this morning.

“I’m getting regular death threats. You’ve put my home address on national television. I’m pissed at the networks. You’ve intruded too much, ” Emanuel said, according to the cameraman.

Is it because he has something to hide in the Blagojevich case?


Mystery Men In Blagojevich Indictment

* Senate Candidate 1, whom Obama’s team wanted appointed and whom Blagojevich was disinclined to appoint without a gift, is Obama confidante and advisor Valerie Jarrett. Jarret withdrew from considering for the seat, maybe partly because she didn’t want to be involved in the coming Blagojevich indictment and scandal (if Rod had appointed her before this all broke, lord knows how bad that’d look for Barry and company).
* Senate


What Will Happen To Obama’s Seat?

WASHINGTON: Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois says the state’s legislature should order a special election to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat rather than allow Gov. Rod Blagojevich to pick a new senator.

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday in connection with allegations he sought favors to influence his choice for Obama’s replacement.

Durbin told reporters in Washington, “No appointment by this governor, under these circumstances, could produce a credible replacement.”

He urged


Whistleblower Pushes Obama/Rezko

A former Illinois bank official, now claiming whistleblower status, says bank officials replaced a loan reappraisal that he prepared for a Chicago property that was purchased by the wife of now-convicted felon Tony Rezko, part of which was later sold to next-door neighbor Barack Obama.

In a complaint filed Thursday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Kenneth J. Connor said that his reappraisal of Rita Rezko’s property was replaced with a


Corruption: Illinois Governor Arrested

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges.

Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official


The Obama Birth Certificate Case

…has been rightly thrown out of the Supreme Court:

[Click Here To Read The Supreme Court's Rejection Of DONOFRIO v. WELLS]

If you’re a believer, read this and get your head out of the sand.


Revealed: The Unaired Rev. Wright Ad

ABCs Brian Ross obtained an unused campaign commercial from an unnamed member of John McCains campaign. The ad uses Rev. Wright, Barack Obamas former pastor, as a line of attack. During the campaign, McCain had said that attacks using Rev. Wright were off limits.

I’m confident it wouldn’t have stopped the Obama campaign’s momentum in the least.


Obama Staffer’s Hillary Grope

Question No. 58 in the transition team vetting document for the Obama White House asks that applicants: “Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g. Facebook, My Space, etc.)”

Question No. 63 asks that applicants “please provide any other information … that could … be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect.”

For a while there


Coming Soon: Barack Obama Day

MARION, Ala. (AP) – A small central Alabama county whose mainly black residents gave Barack Obama more than 70 percent of the vote on Election Day has created an annual holiday in honor of the president-elect.

The Perry County Commission voted 4 to 1 to observe the second Monday in November as “The Barack Obama Day.” County offices will close and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid holiday.

The sponsoring


The Obama ‘Small Donor’ Myth

…has been thoroughly debunked. Don’t expect the media to report this


Obama Won’t Touch ‘Don’t Ask’

The first victim of the Change movement. ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell‘ will not be repealed in Obama’s first term. He mentioned several times his desire to do so but campaign promises die hard.