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08 Nov 2010 20:51

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Culture: Michael Jackson’s mom hits Oprah for first interview since his death

  • Why didn’t he take care of my child? Why did he give that [propofol] to him? It’s very dangerous; why did he do it? … I can’t accuse him of murder. I don’t know if it was accidentally done or it was intentionally done. I don’t want to get into that, but I have my thoughts.
  • Michael Jackson’s mom, Katherine • Explaining her feelings on Conrad Murray, the guy who administered the drugs that killed her ultra-famous son. Jackson was talking to Oprah today in her first interview since Jackson’s death, and the pop star’s kids were with her, too. She’s raising Paris, Prince Michael and Blanket, and didn’t like the way that her son was hiding them away from public view. Now, the trio is going to normal schools and living a relatively normal life. Hopefully they grow up to be a little less messed up than their father became. source

08 Nov 2010 20:15

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Politics: Awkward: Steny Hoyer chooses to fight James Clyburn for his job

  • awkward Despite much controversy over her reign, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decides that she wants to be House Minority Leader – pushing Steny Hoyer out of his job.
  • awkwarder Hoyer decides, rather than battle Pelosi, he’ll run for House Minority Whip – against James Clyburn, who’s probably the most powerful black member of the House. source
  • » Why this is kind of pathetic: If Hoyer really wanted to make some waves, he could’ve taken on Pelosi. Instead, he’s pushing for the second-ranked position. Both men will remain Democratic leaders, yeah, but if Pelosi is so unpopular among so many people, why not try for her job? You might just win. (On a side note, we have no opinion on the Pelosi thing.)

08 Nov 2010 16:31

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Politics: Great: George W. Bush has disgusting life anecdote to share

  • Sometimes there are stories that just leave us without words. Sometimes we see something and think of all the ramifications and just can’t fathom the right words to say. Sometimes, we’re just so disturbed by the ramifications of the letters (in this case, “She said to her teenage kid, ‘Here’s the fetus.'”) that we don’t feel like posting anything about a topic and just leaving it alone for the rest of eternity. Then we keep in mind who said them (George W. Bush) and remind ourselves of the heft that those words carry because of the person who said them, and submit them to you. George W. Bush’s mom (you know, former first lady Barbara Bush) showed her son her miscarried fetus. We can’t imagine what ways that screwed him up, even if he says it didn’t. source

08 Nov 2010 09:40

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World: Does Obama want India on the UN’s Security Council permanently?

  • YES he said the U.S. would offer its support to India source

08 Nov 2010 09:28

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World: Italy can’t get enough poking, prodding out of Amanda Knox

  • then Amanda Knox went through an insanely overdramatic trial after some dude murdered her roommate. She was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison.
  • now She’s in court again, getting charged with – get this – slander. Why? Well, this “evil” woman claimed Italian police were abusive to her during interrogations.  source

08 Nov 2010 09:17

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Politics: MSNBC limits Keith Olbermann’s suspension to two shows

  • After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.
  • MSNBC president Phil Griffin • Explaining how he’s decided to keep Keith Olbermann’s suspension really freaking short. While we’re happy about it, it’s like you gave your best player a two-game suspension for arguing with the ref. The fact of the matter is, we didn’t expect it to be so short, since you did it in the first place. source

07 Nov 2010 22:00

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Politics: Max Headroom: Keith Olbermann’s incredibly busy week

  • The week in Olbermann Keith Olbermann has had a pretty busy week. It started with him ripping Jon Stewart while kneeling to him simultaneously. It ended with him getting suspended and getting Bill Kristol of all people defending him. This is prime territory of two media sources: Howard Kurtz and Mediaite. Both are covered here.
  • Countdown’s quick word “We know you are all looking forward to Keith’s return, and so are we.” We can imagine how weird it must be for Olbermann and the network that Olbermann revitalized to be going through with this. MSNBC sounds like Courtney Cox trying to be diplomatic about her separation from David Arquette.
  • So, to be clear … Eric Cantor, the likely new House Majority Leader, showed up on “Fox News Sunday” today, and was thrown a question on whether he’d allow a government shutdown on Obama’s watch, like in 1995. Notice how he didn’t say no, and suggested it would be Obama’s fault if it happened.
 

07 Nov 2010 21:38

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World: Even Myanmar’s citizens think today’s elections are a sham

  • what Today’s elections in Myanmar (also called Burma) didn’t have very many voters, despite it being the military-controlled country’s first election in two decades.
  • why A lot of reasons, but one man put it like this: “Auntie Suu told us not to vote.” Despite her lengthy house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi still has hold in her country. source

07 Nov 2010 21:27

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Politics: Keith Olbermann breaks silence via Twitter; happy for support

  • Atta boy Keith. We don’t think what you did was particularly smart, but we think MSNBC overreacted. Glad to see you keeping up your spirits. source

07 Nov 2010 21:09

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Politics: Rep. Paul Ryan: We’re gunning for healthcare, wanna kill it by 2013

  • This bill is such a fiscal and economic train wreck for our country and for the health care system itself. We’re going to do everything we can to try and repeal and replace this thing. And ultimately, I think 2013 is when it will be done the right way.
  • Rep. Paul Ryan • Explaining the GOP’s plan for taking on health care after the midterms. First, choke the funding sources. Then, hopefully, after Obama has been kicked out of office, repeal the damn thing entirely. Look, we like Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan is a good member of Congress and has good, well-intentioned reasons for pushing what he’s pushing. Unlike someone like Mitch McConnell, we don’t think he plays politics for the sake of playing politics. Plus, he looks like he could’ve been the third Darren from “Bewitched.” But we simply think that the lead item on the GOP’s agenda should not be repealing health care. Figure out ways to work with the president and get people more jobs, then work on your beef with health care. source