Longtime anchor and reporter Barbara West leaving WFTV

Larry King Serenades Erica Hill
Erica Hill interviewed Larry King for an "Early Show" exclusive. During the interview, King serenaded Hill. Russ Mitchell speaks with Democratic Strategist Jammal Simmons and Republican Strategist Dan Bartlett about President Obama's recent political victories. Dr. Jennifer Ashton gives a pre-trip checklist for staying healthy while on Vacation. Larry King - "The King of Talk" - opens up to Erica Hill following his final broadcast on CNN. A performance of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway...

Bad Hair Day Leads to Holiday Hat
WETA’s “White House Chronicle” was a series of delights on Sunday morning. One of which was that Co-host and General Manager Linda Gasparello , sidekick to the main dish Llewellyn King , had donned a red hat. “I’ve been trying to get her to wear a hat for 14 years,” King mused at the beginning of the show. Later in the 30-minute program we learn the real reason that Gasparello is wearing a hat: A bad hair day, she says. King scolds her for admitting this, sayi...

Save the Date: Streetsblog Takes Pasadena on January 18
Looking ahead, Streetsblog’s next event will be a little different than what you’re used to from us. First, it’s going to be held at the Crawford Family Forum run by our friends at KPCC in Pasadena on January 18h at 7:00 P.M.  Second, it’s not a Fundraiser, but is free an open to the public.  Third, instead of a food and drink mixer, we’re programming an interactive public forum envisioning and planning for a livable and sustainable San Garbriel Valley, Pasadena i...

Barbour, the Citizens' Councils, and the GOP
Every few years it seems the public is treated to an unguarded moment by a southern Republican of a certain age expressing admiration for his political forebears. The latest is Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's celebration of the Citizens' Councils as a bulwark against racial violence during southern Desegregation struggles. "You heard of the Citizens Councils?" He asked Andrew Ferguson of the Weekly Standard. "Up north they think it was like the KKK. Where I come from it was an organizatio...

Ricki Pollycove, M.D.: Hormone Replacement Therapy: Clearing Up the Facts About Women's Health
As a gynecologist, practicing for over 25 years and having treated thousands of women of all ages and stages of their lives, I am certain of the following: Unless and until we have all our facts -- regarding all aspects of our health and Health Care -- we cannot make informed decisions. Many women live paralyzed by fear, hearing misinformation regarding medical studies. Misrepresentation of the absolute risk of various choices has created mass confusion and and in some cases, the reactive disc...

Oprah talks Palin, 2012
Washington (CNN) - Oprah Winfrey says America may "fall in love" with Sarah Palin as a TV star, but is dismissing the idea that the country would vote for the former Alaska Governor in the future. Asked in an interview with Parade magazine if the thought of Palin's running for office scares her, Winfrey responded, "It does not scare me because I believe in the intelligence of the American public." Winfrey, who interviewed Palin shortly after her first book was released, said she was not sure if...

"No, I wasnt contacted or interviewed or given any opportunity to opine on any of it, including having my seven-year-old daughte
"The primary story here is not that interesting... People lie and cheat and steal all the time. That’s a fact of life. But rarely does a national news organization give them an unverified megaphone to whitewash it." Forbes interviews the husband of that woman who had her Wedding story told in the New York Times. We talked about the NYT story yesterday, and (my husband) Meade, in the comments there, draws attention to the quotes that I'm using here. [Bob Ennis, former husband of TV reporte...

Jets coach Rex Ryan's wife Michelle may have doppelganger starring in foot-fetish videos
Foot-fetish videos of a woman who's a dead ringer for the wife of Jets coach Rex Ryan burned up the Internet Tuesday night - giving the word "football" a whole new meaning. One of the four videos on the sports gossip site Deadspin.com show the woman and an off-screen cameraman who sounds like Ryan having intimate discussions about her feet. The petite blonde showing off her toes in the videos bears an uncanny resemblance to Michelle Ryan, the coach's wife of 23 years. Deadspin reported that th...

Social media jobs: Here to stay?
Are Social Media jobs here to stay? December 21, 2010 12:36 pm The demand for Social Media jobs has exploded, even as overall Unemployment heads in the opposite direction. But in a fledgling field surrounded by hype, some industry insiders are saying it may be too good to last. By Anne VanderMey, contributor With billions of dollars on offer for fledgling Social Media companies and even the biggest corporations refining their approach to the Tweet, the budding Social Media industry seems lik...

Great Moderates and Centrists in American History
The mild uproar this past few days hinged upon the latest political fad of those who count themselves among the "No Labels" crowd. Yes indeed, apparently a new group has been formed which will market itself as a political movement dedicated to...nothing in particular. Now, ostensibly, when we talk about "no labels" we are concerning ourselves with those who are of the Center, or at least we can say that this is true for the Moderates, at minimum.  However, the one thing that we keep he...

Whitman paid a high price for Latino distrust of GOP
Candidate Meg Whitman visited with workers in a Los Angeles steel supply company in October, making a bid for the Latino vote. A former Strategist says the candidate lost so conclusively because her party continues to alienate the state's fastest-growing voter group. George Skelton Capitol Journal December 20, 2010 From Sacramento Meg Whitman's former lead spokesman is starting to speak up about the candidate's losing race for Governor. And he's shouting about the need for Republicans to stop...

Euro Becomes Increasingly Popular Choice to Fund Carry Trades
By Stephen L. Bernard The euro’s struggles could become more pronounced in coming months as traders increasingly use the beleaguered currency to fund so-called “carry trades.” That may sound surprising, given the yen and The Dollar’s singular appeal as currencies is that they cost next to nothing to borrow. But the euro is perceived to be so vulnerable to further declines on the foreign exchange market that big market participants are zeroing in on trades to bet against...

Nikkei hits 7-mth high close, tracks China rebound
Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:44am EST * Nikkei up 1.5 pct, biggest daily gain in almost 3 weeks * Blue-chip exporters chased by bargain hunters * Nikkei up 3.8 pct in December, still down 1.7 pct in 2010 * Volume low with foreigners absent ahead of holidays By Antoni Slodkowski and Ayai Tomisawa Tokyo, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose to its highest close in seven months on Tuesday in holiday-thinned trade, as a rebound in Chinese equities encouraged inv...

Biden: US trying to stop WikiLeaks disclosures (AP)
WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden says the Justice Department is looking at what the U.S. can do to stop more document releases from Wikileaks. Biden says he won't comment on that process, but has strong words about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (ah-SAHNJ'). Biden says if Assange conspired to get classified documents with a member of the U.S. Military, then "that's fundamentally different" than if a reporter were given classified material by a source. The vice president tells NBC'...

Baghdad Bob: Yeah, Dont Listen to Anything Biden Says, He Just Likes to Hear Himself Talk
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs sought to clear up Vice President Biden’s comments on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan on Monday, arguing that the rebuilding nation will follow a similar path that Iraq did. What Biden meant to say, Gibbs argued, was that the “combat role” in Afghanistan would end by 2014. “I would point you to what was decided in Lisbon just a few weeks ago, that we will, much like we have in Iraq, transfer primary security of Afghanistan to the...

Obama signs 'don't ask' repeal
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama, calling it an honor, Wednesday signed into law the Repeal of the ban on gays and Lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. Military. "This is done," Obama said, smacking his hand on the document after using pen after pen after pen to ink his name. "We are not a nation that says 'don't ask don't tell,' we are a nation that says 'out of many, one,'" Obama said. "We are a nation that believes all men and women are created equal." President Obama's...

Biden: the retreat will be televised
Another chapter in what has to be the worst Strategic Communications campaign since the Cambodian Invasion. The President announces a nuanced AF-PAK Strategy (a post I am working on for later this week) - as US forces continue to shape at the Tactical level in an exemplary manner. Well --- then Biden weighs in with something that does but one thing; provides comfort to the enemy and tells our friends that they had better look towards "Plan B."Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”...

Steve Clemons: Another Score: Joe Biden & Ad Melkert Deliver on Iraq
Vice President Joe Biden meets with U.N Special Representative for Iraq Ad Melkert, second from left, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Jan. 5, 2010. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) Remember Iraq? Well, for the moment, it is not blowing up or engaged in a raging Civil War -- and thus is not at the height of the news. Which is sad. Iraq, for the time being, is stabilizing -- and after a long 9 months of standoff between various political parties -- not only between Al-Ma...

Another Score: Joe Biden & Ad Melkert Deliver on Iraq
Remember Iraq? Well, for the moment, it is not blowing up or engaged in a raging Civil War -- and thus is not at the height of the news. Which is sad. Iraq, for the time being, is stabilizing -- and after a long 9 months of standoff between various political parties -- not only between Al-Maliki and Allawi but between Barzani, Talabani, al-Hashemi, al-Sadr and others -- the government has been formed and is being launched today. In a remarkable move, Ayad Allawi who won the plurality in the l...

Another Score: Joe Biden and Ad Melkert Deliver on Iraq
Remember Iraq? Well, for the moment, it is not blowing up or engaged in a raging Civil War at the moment -- and thus is not at the height of the news. Which is sad. Iraq, for the time being, is stabilizing -- and after a long 9 months of standoff between various political parties -- not only between Al-Maliki and Allawi but between Barzani, Talabani, al-Hashemi, al-Sadr and others -- the government has been formed and is being launched today. In a remarkable move, Ayad Allawi who won the plural...

Obama congratulates Iraq on new government
US President Barack Obama congratulated Iraq after parliament endorsed a new government, saying the move was a "significant" historic moment and represented a rejection of Extremism. "Today's vote in the Council of Representatives is a significant moment in Iraq's history and a major step forward in advancing national unity," Obama said in a written statement. "I congratulate Iraq's political leaders, the members of the Council of Representatives, and the Iraqi people on the formation of a new g...

Lawyer attacks Biden over Assange remarks
An Australian Human Rights lawyer has been angered by comments made by US vice-president Joe Biden, in which he described Julian Assange as being more Terrorist than Whistleblower. The remarks also prompted Kellie Tranter to accuse Prime Minister Julia Gillard of standing by while an ally takes away Mr Assange's presumption of innocence. In a weekend television interview Mr Biden confirmed the US government was trying to find a way to charge the Wikileaks founder with Espionage for his part in ...

Ticket Replay: Obama money appeal warns that opposition to him 'is a threat to our democracy
During the Holiday Season, as in years past, The Ticket is republishing some of our favorite items from the previous political year. This story was originally published on Oct. 26, 2010: Not sure if anyone's keeping current records of political Fundraising by politicians not on any ballot. But President Obama is back at it today. He's sent another e-mail missive to his millions of supporters and others plaintively labeled, "Please, chip in what you can." The guy who got the Oval Office for onl...

Jan Herman: Greenwald to Krugman to Orwell
Here's Joe "Good Guy" Biden contradicting himself about Wikileaks. Sickening, isn't it? Thank you, Glenn Greenwald. (Update: Dec. 19 -- Really sickening, to say nothing of U.S. officials calling European standards for Human Rights an "irritant.") Which brings me to Paul Krugman's blogpost, "Decade of the Living Dead." Krugman's blog, The Conscience of a Liberal, even more than his NYT column, is necessary reading. It's necessary for those who understand his number-crunching charts and for the ...

Joe Biden reminds us what the true meaning of Christmas isn't
Joe Biden might not know much, but… Well, I guess that’s all I wanted to say. Courtesy of the fine folks at Reason Magazine, who I wish a Very Reasonable Christmas! P.S. I like the brilliant YouTube commenters who insist that Christmas isn’t a religious holiday. The “Christ” part must be a typo or something....