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Christiane Amanpour interviewed former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, famous for her October 2000 meeting with North Korean dictator Kim "He’s Not a Nut" Jong Il, as part of her "Notes from North Korea" program, which aired on Saturday and Sunday evenings. During the segment, the CNN senior international correspondent failed to note how her husband, James Rubin, worked as spokesman and Assistant Secretary for State for Albright from 1997 until May 2000. Albright emphasized how "it's possible to have verifiable agreements" with the North Korean regime and how "negotiations need to be pursued actively." The Clinton administration that she...

Youtube vid here

NEW YORK (AP) - A CNN reporter who left Myanmar on Friday was chased by authorities as he reported on the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis but escaped primarily because of the incompetence of the people after him. Dan Rivers hid under a blanket at one police checkpoint and casually covered up his name on a passport to avoid detection another time. He may ultimately have gotten out of the country due to a stewardess' impatience. "I was amazed at the lengths they apparently went just to catch me," Rivers told The Associated Press by telephone from Thailand on Saturday. Rivers'...

FishbowlLA today quells some of those Ryan Seacrest-to-CNN rumors. Mayrav Saar reports that sources close to Seacrest confirmed the American Idol host is in talks with CNN to take over for Larry King at 9pmET, but the source also says, "I don't think it's going to happen." King just signed a new deal that will keep him with CNN into 2011. The deal, however, does not guarantee King will stay as 9pmET host of Larry King Live.

Government meddling with the free-market forces can have ill consequences. Just look at how government mandates for corn-based ethanol have affected the global food supply. According to CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi, CNN viewers rate the economy as the most important issue and named gas prices as their number one concern. "AOL Money Coach" Hilary Kramer agreed with viewers, but regarded Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama's proposal as "valuable" when matched with alternative energy legislation. "Absolutely right," Kramer said on CNN's May 5 "Issue #1." "That's why Barack Obama with a $150 billion package that he wants to...

Check out the screencap from Carol Costello's CNN Newsroom segment of this morning on Hillary's gas-tax holiday plan. Costello's message: Clinton's proposal isn't just bad economics. It's not simply Santa Claus politics. No, it could . . . put your life in danger. CAROL COSTELLO: For cash-strapped consumers, any reduction in gas prices would be like, well, like Santa coming into town early—or so it seemed on the stump. View video here.

The anti-immigration views of CNN host Lou Dobbs have made him a darling in the ratings but a nemesis among US Latinos, whose frustration has risen to the Washington corridors of power. After their requests for a meeting with the chief executive of CNN's parent company were rebuffed, Latino members of Congress condemned the TV network for failing to recognise the "potentially dangerous" consequences of Dobbs's "divisive commentary". Dobbs has become a sensation thanks to his populist outbursts against undocumented immigrants, whom he calls "aliens" and accuses of "invading" America to steal jobs. The TV host also has targeted the...

The nation's economy continued its sluggish growth in the first quarter...at an annual rate of 0.6%...Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast growth would slow to a 0.5% gain in the most recent quarter.

Will the Rev. Jeremiah Wright continue to be a major issue in the presidential campaign beyond the next round of primaries? Yes 62% 37537 No 38% 22839 Total Votes: 60376

During a segment on Monday’s "The Situation Room," host Wolf Blitzer and CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena framed the Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana’s "strict" voter ID law according to the liberal view (a law so "strict" that it calls for the voter show photo ID before voting). Arena’s report offered three critics of the decision to only one supporter, who happened to be Indiana’s Secretary of State. One of the three critics was a quadriplegic who apparently "had to pay more than $100 to get documentation to prove who she was" before getting an ID in Indiana. After Arena’s...

At the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, one of the biggest laugh lines was Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson hitting Fox News: I spoke to a lot of journalists about how I should speak up here. And all the journalists said “Craig, Your duty is to speak truth to power. That's what you do, you hold the truth up for everyone to see, that’s your job.” I'm sorry. I don’t see it that way. That’s your job. You’re journalists. I’m a late night television show guy. I make up crap that isn't true then I say it on TV....

Were they commenting on the same speech? Rev. Jeremiah Wright goes before the Detroit NAACP, claims that black and white children learn with different parts of their brain, and offers a simpering, unflattering imitation of the way white pastors speak. CNN's Soledad O'Brien gushes that the speech was a "home run" and "really funny." But over at Morning Joe, Wright's words prompted a panel member to call the reverend a "mediocrity" and a "buffoon." View video here.

Were they commenting on the same speech? Rev. Jeremiah Wright goes before the Detroit NAACP, claims that black and white children learn with different parts of their brain, and offers a simpering, unflattering imitation of the way white pastors speak. CNN's Soledad O'Brien gushes that the speech was a "home run" and "really funny."

How bad was Reverend Wright's appearance before the National Press Club this morning? Bad enough that even CNN contributor Roland Martin--who yesterday enthused about Wright's address to the Detroit NAACP, who gave Wright's chat with Bill Moyers an 'A'--flunked it with an 'F.' Bad enough that David Gergen condemned it as "narcissistic beyond belief." Bad enough that, introducing a panel discussion of the speech, CNN Newsroom host Tony Harris let out an audible groan of "ah, boy," and later wondered how much damage had been done. View video here.

Later in the segment on CNN’s "Newsroom" between Tony Harris, David Gergen, and Roland Martin after the Reverend Jeremiah Wright speech at the National Press Club (which Mark Finkelstein blogged about earlier), Gergen suggested that "it’s time for him [Rev. Wright] to get off the stage, and frankly, for the media, I suggest, to move on." He also twice characterized the whole affair as a "sideshow" [audio available here].Shortly after a commercial break which came in the middle of the discussion, Gergen, in response to a question from "Newsroom" co-host Tony Harris, said of Rev. Wright, "Every time he appears,...

The current food shortage is going to get worse before it gets better – at least that’s the way the founder of CNN sees it. Ted Turner was interviewed by CNBC’s Bob Pisani on the April 25 “Closing Bell.” He addressed the recent food shortages causing rationing and riots all over the globe and said it’s just a sign of things to come. “There are a lot of different problems being caused by an ever-increasing number of people in a finite-sized world,” Turner said. “The resources of the planet just can’t keep up with the demand and I’m afraid this...

CNN’s Rick Sanchez, who is interviewing apparent first-time voters as part of CNN’s series titled “The League of First Time Voters,” featured a group of young Muslim voters in a segment that aired on “American Morning” and CNN’s “Newsroom” program on Thursday, and asked them a series of questions that seemed tailored for the American Islamic community. In his first question, Sanchez asked, “When you hear the words 'War on Terror,' what do you think?” Later, he asked, “You think our policy in Iraq and our policy throughout the Middle East in the last six, seven years has actually helped...

A Chinese primary school teacher and a beautician have filed a suit against CNN in New York over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation -- $1 per person in China, a Hong Kong newspaper reported. The case against the Atlanta-based cable channel, its parent company Turner Broadcasting and Jack Cafferty, the offending commentator, comes after 14 lawyers launched a similar suit in Beijing alleging that Cafferty's remarks earlier this month violated the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people. Cafferty said the United States imported Chinese-made "junk with the lead paint on...

Gov. Bill Richardson and James Carville went toe-to-toe Wednesday night on national cable TV in their first exchange since Carville compared Richardson with Judas— and neither pulled any political punches. During the duo's appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" in D.C., Carville tossed out fightin' words— including "idiocy" and "foolishness"— to describe some of Richardson's comments. And the Hillary Clinton backer and political analyst didn't back down a bit on his comment equating Richardson with Judas for endorsing Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I've said what I had to say, and I don't take a word of...

Tony Snow: 'I love the folks at Fox' Despite joining CNN today, Tony Snow said he still has affection for his former colleagues at Fox News, where he worked prior to his stint as President Bush's press secretary "Make no mistake, I love the folks at Fox," Snow told me this afternoon, by phone from Spokane, Washington. "Everybody is going to try and create a Fox and CNN narrative out of this," said Snow, who also mentioned that he "love[s]" Fox News chief Roger Ailes and would "walk over broken glass" for Bill O'Reilly. It's not out of the ordinary...

Media: Lou Dobbs has gone from branding companies unpatriotic for practicing free trade to ridiculing religion. Now he describes the Pope as "absolutely repugnant." Can CNN tolerate bigotry in populist clothing?The cable news anchor has gone from newsman to anti-corporate agitator to, most recently, derider of Pope Benedict for critiquing the darkest recesses of popular culture. While elsewhere on CNN sex abuse victims described an impressive private meeting with the pontiff last Thursday, Dobbs ridiculed the Catholic leader that day into the weekend. Benedict had said the U.S. bishops' new anti-sexual-abuse policies must "be placed in a wider context." Those...

If you want evidence of CNN’s use of the 2008 primary season to chart its resurgence in the cable TV news wars, look no further than today’s announcement that the Atlanta-based network has hired former White House spokesman Tony Snow as a “political contributor.” Prior to his stint in the Bush administration, which ended last September, Snow was a dominant personality for Fox News. We could tell you about Snow’s background, but it’d be more fun for you to get it from the Fox web site. The info is not likely to be there long. The official word from CNN/U.S....

Topic: Miscellaneous items Date/Time: 4/21/2008 3:51:11 PM Title: Snow joins CNN as political contributor Posted By: Jim Romenesko News Release For Release: April 21, 2008 Tony Snow Joins CNN as Political Contributor Former White House press secretary Tony Snow will join CNN as a conservative commentator beginning today, it was announced by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. A well-known and respected observer of politics with a longstanding news background, Snow will contribute to CNN as the network continues to broadcast winning political coverage. Snow most recently served as press secretary to President George W. Bush from April 2006 to September...

This is CNN? Kinky! CNN personality Richard Quest was busted in Central Park early yesterday with some drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot, law-enforcement sources said...

In a head spinning effort to make McCain the bad guy of a story, CNN has taken the voiced support for Barack Obama by the terrorist organization Hamas and turned it into a finger pointing at Republican John McCain for being mean to Obama. Talk about spin, CNN has really done a doosie here. Taking the words of the terrorists in Hamas and placing them in McCain's mouth is simply unbelievable. But that's exactly what they've done. CNN's Political Ticker Blog showed us some gymnastics worthy of the Olympics -- or more correctly a contortionist -- to turn the words...

UPDATE: Now with a possible, if x-rated explanation, after the jump. You have been warned. UPDATE: The New York Times report -- CNN Reporter Faces Drug Charge - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog -- omits the sex equipment and partner details. Commenters are clueless as a result.....

Imagine for a moment that a Fox News reporter was arrested in Central Park early in the morning with a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals. Do you think this little nuance would be included in press coverage of this bizarre event? Probably in the headline and the opening paragraph, right? Well, for some reason, though news outlets did report the odd happenings in NYC Friday morning when CNN's Richard Quest was officially arrested for loitering and drug possession, from what I can tell, only the New York Post included the "kinky" elements in its article...

Thousands of Chinese Americans protested outside CNN's offices in Hollywood this morning, calling for the dismissal of commentator Jack Cafferty, whose recent remarks about Chinese goods and the Beijing government inflamed a community already angry about international condemnations directed at the host country of the upcoming Olympics. The protesters lined Sunset Boulevard from Cahuenga Boulevard to Wilcox Avenue chanting "Cafferty, Fire," and singing patriotic Chinese songs. "We understand free speech," said Lake Wang, 39, of Thousand Oaks. "But what if Cafferty said this about other racial groups? I think he would be fired. I think he's jealous of China." The...

This is CNN? Kinky! CNN personality Richard Quest was busted in Central Park early yesterday with some drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot, law-enforcement sources said. Quest, 46, was arrested at around 3:40 a.m. after a cop spotted him and another man inside the park near 64th Street, a police source said. The criminal complaint against Quest said the park was closed at the time - something Quest should have known because of all the signs saying "Park Closed 1 a.m. to 6 a.m."...

NEW YORK - A CNN reporter was arrested Friday in Central Park with a small amount of methamphetamine in his pocket, but he avoided jail time by agreeing to undergo drug counseling and therapy. Richard Quest, 46, was arrested around 3:40 a.m. on a count of possession of a controlled substance — a misdemeanor that usually refers to a personal use amount of a drug. He was also charged with loitering; the park officially closes at 1 a.m. When police saw and detained Quest, he told them, "I've got some meth in my pocket," according to the complaint filed in...

Richard Quest, a reporter for CNN International, was to be arraigned Friday on drug possession charges after police said he was found in New York City's Central Park with methamphetamine, the New York Times reports.

China on Thursday snubbed an apology from CNN over remarks by one of its commentators as a wave of verbal assaults on foreign media raised concerns over coverage at this summer's Beijing Olympics. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu rejected CNN's explanation that commentator Jack Cafferty was referring to China's leaders - not the Chinese people - when he described them as "goons and thugs." CNN said it apologized to anyone who thought otherwise. But Jiang said at a regularly scheduled news conference that the CNN statement lacked sincerity and instead "turned its attack on the Chinese government to try to...

Cafferty did not insult the Chinese people. he was answering a specific question about the Chinese Communist regime. WOLF BLITZER: One of the arguments that some of the pro-China elements is making, Jack, is that this is a very different China today than existed 10 years ago, certainly 20 or 30 years ago. This communist regime(Emphasis mine) today is almost like a capitalist regime. They're a huge economic superpower and that we have a lot at stake in maintaining this economic relationship with China. JACK CAFFERTY: Well, I don't know if China is any different, but our relationship with China...

April 16, 2008 CNN apologises to China over 'thugs and goons' comment by Jack Cafferty (CNN) Jack Cafferty was forced to apologise for his comments towards China Alexi Mostrous CNN was forced to apologise today after a news commentator called the Chinese as a “bunch of goons and thugs”. Jack Cafferty made the comments on April 9 on CNN’s political programme, The Situation Room, in which he also described Chinese products as "junk". In a statement, CNN said: “It was not Mr. Cafferty’s nor CNN’s intent to cause offence to the Chinese people, and we would apologise to anyone who...

Xinhua News BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- China is shocked by and strongly condemns CNN host Jack Cafferty's remarks, which maliciously attacked the Chinese people, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday. SHANGHAI, April 15 (WhiteDevil) -- The U.S. is shocked by and strongly condemns China's Hu Jintao's dictatorship which maliciously attacked the Tibetan people, WhiteDevil spokesman WhiteDevil said at a regular posting on his blog Wednesday. Cafferty said in a TV show on April 9 that the Chinese products are "junk" and the Chinese people "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs...

John McCain has used humor to offset those who like to say he’s too old for the job. He even pretends to be asleep when asked questions; then suddenly snaps to attention to hear the giggles of the crowd. In an interview carried by CNN Monday April 15, 2008 McCain answered the questions about his age and whether he had the stamina for the job with an invitation for anyone who doubts his stamina to come along with him on his campaign. That silenced everyone.

Obama campaign sent out this segment in which Jeff Toobin, Jack Cafferty, and Gloria Gorger all defended Obama... But as the pundits go into high dudgeon on behalf of regular Aemricans, this bit from Cafferty also sort of raised the eyebrows: The people are frustrated. The people have no economic opportunity. What happens to folks like that in the Middle ESat, you ask? Well, take a look. They go to places like Al Qaeda training camps. With defenders like that...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday demanded that television news channel CNN apologize after one of its commentators said the Chinese were "goons" and that their products were "junk." Jack Cafferty made the comments earlier this month on CNN's political program, The Situation Room. "We are shocked at and strongly condemn the evil attack by the CNN anchor on the Chinese people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news conference. "Cafferty used the microphone in his hand to slander China and the Chinese people, and seriously violated reporting ethics." Cafferty said the United States imported Chinese-made "junk...

CNN’s senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, during a discussion on Friday’s "The Situation Room," defended Barack Obama’s comments, that small-town voters are often "bitter" and they "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them," and blasted Hillary Clinton for her criticism of the comments. "I think that is so ridiculous.... I mean that is not at all what Barack Obama said.... I mean Hillary Clinton is clearly distorting what Obama said. And, by the way, what Obama said is factually accurate." Jack Cafferty, a regular contributor to "The Situation Room," agree with Toobin, and went...

Faith & Politics The Compassion Forum Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama face the hard questions on faith and politics. Join Campbell Brown for a 2-hour CNN special event..."The Compassion Forum" --Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

CNN will engage a multiplatform effort to cover Pope Benedict’s first official papal visit to the United States next week, officials said Thursday.Online as well as on CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Radio and Headline News, CNN will report on the pope’s address to the United Nations, his meeting with President George W. Bush, his visit to Ground Zero in New York and other events.The pope’s visit will take place from April 15 to 20 in Washington and New York.This trip to the United States marks Pope Benedict’s sixth country that he has visited since becoming pope in...

Join us this evening on the "Glenn Beck Show" on CNN Headline News as three Vets for Freedom members discuss highlights from the tour, Vets on the Hill, and the Petraeus testimony. The message is getting to America, and with your continued support, we will ensure that America understands the truth of what is really happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Move Out and Draw Fire!

Quick Vote Do you agree with the top U.S. military commander in Iraq that things are better than before the surge?

So, do you want to see a most egregious example of equating apples to oranges? Well, even that old saw is too mild a metaphor to describe the disgusting example of Christiane Amanpour's latest foray into moral relativism. In her CNN piece titled, "Survivor recalls horrors of Cambodia genocide," Amanpour assumes that American "waterboarding" today is exactly the same thing as the genocide of millions as perpetrated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Amanpour seems to think that waterboarding is the same thing as what Pol Pot did with prisoners that were "whipped raw, their fingernails...

CBS, the home of the most celebrated news division in broadcasting, has been in discussions with Time Warner about a deal to outsource some of its news-gathering operations to CNN, two executives briefed on the matter said Monday. Over the last decade, CNN has held intermittent talks with both ABC News and CBS News about various joint ventures. But during the last several months, talks with CBS have been revived and lately intensified, according to the executives who asked for anonymity because of the confidential nature of the negotiations. Broadly speaking, the executives described conversations about reducing CBS’s news-gathering capacity...

CBS, the home of the most storied news division in broadcasting, has been in discussions with Time Warner about a deal to outsource some of its newsgathering operations to CNN, two executives briefed on the matter said Monday. Over the last decade, CNN has held on-again, off-again talks with both ABC News and CBS News about various joint ventures but during the last several months, talks with CBS have been revived and lately intensified, according to the executives who were granted anonymity because of the confidential nature of the negotiations. Broadly speaking, the executives described conversations about reducing CBS’s newsgathering...

CBSNEWS IN TALKS TO CONTRACT OUT MOST REPORTING TO CNN Whynot just make it up? Oh, they already do.

A recently disclosed memo gave U.S. interrogators the ability to use harsh methods -- what many call "torture" -- to extract information from terrorist suspects after 9/11. Around the world, critics saw it as another blow to American prestige and moral authority. The 2003 document also invokes wartime powers to protect interrogators who violate the Geneva Conventions, for example, by the use of waterboarding -- when a prisoner is made to think he is drowning. Half a world away, the divisive debate over whether waterboarding constitutes torture comes into sharp relief at the infamous S-21, Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom...

We wrote here about left-wing radio host Ed Schultz, who denounced John McCain as "a warmonger" in the course of introducing Barack Obama at North Dakota's State Democratic Convention Friday evening. Now, CNN has compounded the offense by inviting Schultz on the air to explain why he thinks McCain is a "warmonger." The network gave Schultz more than four minutes on-air to amplify his smear, without inviting anyone from McCain's camp to participate or respond. Unbelievable. You can watch it here.

FishbowlDC editor Patrick Gavin live blogged Rupert Murdoch's speech and Q&A at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall yesterday. The News Corp. chairman was asked about media bias, and responded with a shot at CNN. "It's very hard to be neutral. People laugh at us because we call ourselves 'Fair and Balanced.' Fact is, CNN, who's always been extremely liberal, never had a Republican or conservative voice on it," Murdoch said. "The only difference is that we have equal voices on both sides but that seems to have upset a lot of liberals."