Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Pat Racimora at No Quarter (reposted)

Follow the Money: Pringle: Curtain Time for Obama (Short Version Part 1)  (Rezko Watch)
Evelyn Pringle has written a condensed version of Part 1 to her May 13, 2008, article “Curtain Time for Obama”… In her introduction to Part 1, Pringle wrote: “Republicans have enough damaging information against Barack Obama to knock him off the ballot before the November election. Those at the top of the Democratic Party know this by now and voters need to recognize that if they nominate him they are throwing the election. Nothing else can explain why they would allow this disaster to happen.”
By the way, I was apparently wrong by saying Obama is beholden to both Illinois Democratic machines.  According to Evie, I wasn’t inclusive enough.  He’s part of the COMBINE that includes the Illinois Democratic machines AND Republicans.  If that’s not enough to give America pause, I don’t know what is.  The Texas Mafia will move out and the Illinois Mafia will move in, if Obama becomes president.

Curtain Time for Barack Obama - Part II (by Evelyn Pringle, posted at Scoop, N.Z.)
Curtain Time Part II will show that Obama was the inside guy in the Illinois senate as far as setting up the Health Facilities Planning Board to extort contributions from companies in exchange for the approval of applications to build medi[c]al facilities.

More of Evelyn Pringle’s articles posted at Scoop:
Barack Obama - The Wizard of Oz
Barack Obama - Operation Board Games for Slumlords
Barack Obama - Subplots of Operation Board Games Part I
Curtain Time For Barack Obama - Part I

Clinton wins most West Virginia delegates
WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won most of the delegates in West Virginia’s Democratic primary Tuesday.

According to Obama, Hillary is Winning (by Joyan and Bud White at No Quarter)
The Obama campaign has argued that Super Delegates ought to vote in accordance with the “will” of the people. Really? Then let’s run the numbers. Under that metric, who would have a lead in Super Delegates? The Super Delegate total from the states that Hillary has won thus far (including FL and MI) is 418, to Obama’s 372. If the MI delegates are split 50/50, Clinton still wins 403.5 to Obama’s 386.5. If Super Delegates are counted according to Barack’s formula, Hillary wins the nomination. Period.
Click through to see the state by state count.

The DNC Rules and the Case for MI and FL (Operation Independent)
According to Rule 11, Iowa could hold its caucus no earlier than January 14, New Hampshire no earlier than January 22, and South Carolina no earlier than January 29… It is well known by now that Florida violated Rule 11 and moved the primary up seven days previous to February 5, while Michigan moved their primary up 21 days early. The story we rarely hear is that Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina also violate Rule 11 by moving their caucuses/primaries up to January 3, January 8 and January 26 respectively… “… [T]he Rules Committee stripped Michigan of its delegates, [but] waived the rules for New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina, each of which had also moved up their primaries.”…

But here’s the crux of the issue - even if the DNC and Dean can supply any reason for the failure to apply the rules to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina while stripping the entire Florida and Michigan delegations, there is nothing whatsoever in the rules that nullifies the popular vote totals in Florida and Michigan… The popular vote totals in Florida and Michigan must be honored unless a revote is done. The DNC has no, nada, zip authority to discount the popular vote. That the media, the DNC and the Obama campaign have been complicit in this clear misrepresentation of the rules and blatant attempt to silence voters is reprehensible and wrong.
New rules:  Whatever is an advantage to Obama is what’s fair.  Whatever is a DISadvantage to Clinton is what’s fair.  Because the objective is to get Obama nominated, no matter who is kicked to the curb.

From a member of the Hillblazers08 message group, via email:
Check out those numbers - she beat B0 on all his constituencies:
College Graduates: Clinton 57%, Obama 40%
Postgraduates: Clinton 49%, Obama 49%
Independents (16%): Hillary 54%, Obama 32%
Liberals (35%): Hillary 66%, Obama 33%
Very Liberal (13%): Clinton 74%, Obama 24%
18-29 (12%): Hillary 57%, Obama 41%
Source

Analysis: Maybe Obama should worry
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama is in hot pursuit of general election voters, hoping America won’t notice he got his head handed to him in West Virginia.
West Virginia shows that we need a national revote for the Democratic primary.  Too many people in the early primaries didn’t know who Obama was when they voted for him.

Obama May Have His Work Cut Out for Him to Draw Independents (Wall Street Journal)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Barack Obama can’t rest should he soon win Democrats’ presidential-nomination marathon. His next big challenge: to introduce himself to the independents who may well decide the November election, and dispel the doubts and misinformation that have taken hold among many. A focus group of independent voters here Monday night suggested that the Illinois senator is largely identified by his association with his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., whose much-publicized sermons have been called racially divisive and anti-American. Yet Sen. Obama is also identified by many — incorrectly — as a Muslim, and suspect for that as well… [A]ll but two voters cited the Wright controversy as one of the most memorable things, and worried that Sen. Obama might be influenced by his former pastor. Several noted Sen. Obama’s gaffe describing some small-town Americans as “bitter” at politicians’ failed promises and clinging to their guns and religion. They concluded he may be elitist.

3-1. Three to One. THREE to ONE. (by ronkseattle at The Confluence)
74.3% to 25.7%. THREE to ONE. That’s how badly West Virginia rejected Barack Obama, when John Edwards 26,000 votes are included. 173,000 votes, and counting. That’s the raw margin by which West Virginia rejected Barack Obama… one number that sticks out like a sore thumb? That +37, in among the +60’s, +70’s and +80’s. Obama’s margin among African-American voters in Massachusetts.  What’s special about Massachusetts? Deval Patrick is what’s special. His campaign, his candidacy was a clone, an off-Broadway opening run of the Obama candidacy. The same David Axelrod slogans, the same Change and Hope and Yes We Can on the same short resume, the same old school ties and then … dismal results in office. They’ve heard it before, they’ve seen it before, and a lot of them have seen through it a long way back.

The Deeper Racism in Iowa: Beneath the White Obama Craze (by Paul Street at the Black Agenda Report)
Barack Obama’s January 3rd Democratic Caucus victory in Iowa demonstrated that a Black man - or, at least, this particular Black man - could attract winning numbers of white voters. The candidate’s supporters claimed Iowa signaled a new day, that “race doesn’t matter” anymore in the United States. They are in a fantasy of denial. Not only does race remain imbedded in American social relations, but Iowa is especially afflicted with the compulsion to throw African Americans in prison more frequently than any other state. “Liberal” Iowans, proud that their state began a cascade of Obama victories, find it more difficult than ever to face up to the racism that distorts all cross-racial interaction in their cities and towns.

Maybe We Can’t: The black case for Obama-skepticism (by Cinque Henderson, The New Republic)
[L]et me fully disclose my predispositions. I disliked Obama almost instantly. I never believed the central premises of his autobiography or his campaign. He is fueled by precisely the same brand of personal ambition as Bill Clinton. But, where Clinton is damned as “Slick Willie,” Obama is hailed as a post-racial Messiah. Do I believe that Obama had this whole yes-we-can deal planned from age 16? No, I would respond. He began plotting it at age 22. This predisposition, of course, doesn’t help me in making the case against Obama, especially not with black people. But, believe me, there’s a strong case to be made that he isn’t such a virtuous mediator of race. And it’s this skepticism about Obama’s racial posturing that has led us, the 10 percent, into dissent.

Edwards Ups the Ante In Kentucky: Thread Four (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
John Edwards gave a great rousing speech … for Democratic values. He spoke very gracious and respectful words of Hillary Clinton. And he endorsed Barack Obama. It was a very impressive performance by John Edwards. There were some effects though. Some intentional - to step on Hillary’s huge win in West Virginia and to vouch for Obama among white working class voters. One was not - upping the ante in Kentucky. John Edwards, populist hero with a proven record of connecting with white working class voters has vouched for Barack Obama. Does Kentucky buy it? The Kentucky contest, previously a foregone conclusion for the Media, now becomes a test. For Barack Obama.
Okay, North Carolina went for Obama, and that’s Edwards’ state.  Obama has been saying that Superdelegates should vote the way their constituents voted, and I agree.  Therefore, Ted Kennedy, Bill Richardson, and Jay Rockefeller, among others, must switch to Clinton.  Which puts her ahead among superdelegates.  See below.  Oh, and add Edwards to the Losers for Obama tshirt.

New Hampster at No Quarter

Edwards Told Aides He Would Consider Veep Role (Political Wire)
Though John Edwards said last month he would decline a vice presidential nomination, the New York Times reports that “privately, he told aides that he would consider the role of vice president and favored the position of attorney general, which would appeal to his experience of decades spent in courtrooms as a trial lawyer in North Carolina; and his desire to follow in the footsteps of Robert F. Kennedy, one of his heroes.”

NARAL Endorses Sexist Obama (by Truthteller at No Quarter)
Washington, DC, elites convinced yet another Democratic interest group, NARAL “Pro-Choice” America, to endorse Barack Obama… And on the same day a group that ostensibly supports the rights of women endorsed a male candidate for President, that candidate decided to refer to a woman who holds the professional title of Reporter as “sweetie.”

I Can’t Imagine Why He Doesn’t Do Better with Women Voters (by BDBlue at Corrente)
Yeah, this guy is going to wear really well for another six months. Let’s see, he’s insulted white working class voters, lectured pro-choice forces on about how they don’t understand the moral choices of abortion, and now for the second time, he’s called a woman he doesn’t know “sweetie.” I’d say not only is Obama not asking for my vote, he’s going out of his way to make sure he doesn’t get it. Update: Per the comments…, Obama has apologized. In doing so, he claimed that he calls “all kinds of people” sweetie. By people, I’m betting he means women. Because he sure wouldn’t call Mike Tyson “sweetie.” Also, while I saw the link in some comments somewhere, this apparently or originated with Taylor Marsh. So h/t to her.
He also called Barbara Boxer a “cutie.”

Pro-Choice Women’s Group Says NARAL is Wrong (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Press Release from the National Women’s Political Caucus: (received by e-mail) “The National Women’s Political Caucus is disappointed to learn of NARAL Pro-Choice America’s endorsement of Senator Obama today. The Caucus knows Hillary Clinton to be a clear leader and a consistent champion of the issues that NARAL and NWPC have in common. We believe that this announcement at this time will divide the choice community at a time when we need to stand united.”

Clinton supporters push back against NARAL endorsement (War Room, Salon)
After a prominent pro-choice group endorsed Barack Obama on Wednesday, some women — including more than a dozen congresswomen — strongly condemned the decision.

Matthews: Clinton “almost like… the Al Sharpton of white people” (War Room, Salon)
While interviewing Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., a supporter of Barack Obama, Matthews began to get worked up about elitism in the Democratic race… [H]e referenced a recent interview Hillary Clinton gave to USA Today in which some believed that she had implied the only “hardworking Americans” are “white Americans.” “How do we get back away from this, where these people like Hillary Clinton so loosely say hardworking white workers?” Matthews asked Casey. “It’s almost like she’s the Al Sharpton of white people. I mean, how do you get away from that?”

Elitists Say the Darnedest Things (Pagan Power)
Some elitist knucklehead named John Aravosis at AMERICAblog wrote one of the stupidest things I have read in quite some time… In his stupid diary Go away you horrible human being [Aravosis claimed that] Hillary caused a civil war in the Netroots… The Clintons don’t give a damn about our party… [S]he’s hurting fundraising at the DNC… Message received loud and clear. Coronation of Obama: Good. Voters having their full say in it: Bad.
John Aravosis is a former staffer for Republican Senator Ted Stevens. I’m sure that his head was filled with Clinton hate during that time. We see here how successful the 16-year multi-hundred-million-dollar campaign by the right wing against Hillary Clinton has been.  If Obama is nominated, it will be a victory for the right wing, along with the Democratic elitists.

Nobama’s Response to a MyDD diary demanding, “We Gotta Pull It Together Dems”
I speak for millions of Hillary supporters when I say, forget about it. Obama and his campaign behaved abominably toward the Clintons and Hillary’s supporters and we won’t forget. The sleazy Chicago smackdown tactics, the disenfranchisement of voters, the bullying tactics in the caucuses, the brazen violations of the caucus rules, the appeals to Republicans to be a “Democrat for a day” to vote for Obama, the busing of voters from other states–NO, these tactics will not be forgotten or forgiven. The treatment of Hillary supporters on the blogs won’t be forgiven or forgotten, either. Bullying, name calling, hounding, derision–NO, it won’t be forgiven or forgotten. Obama’s “friends” and associates, his puny record, his collusion with Chicago scum–nope, we can’t support such a man. Obama is a liar or any synonym you want to use to describe that character flaw. We can’t support him because we don’t trust him. First, we don’t think he’d ever get elected but if he were to get elected, he’d likely be a horrible disaster. No thanks.

Obama Featured With Farrakhan MANY Times on Trinity’s “Trumpet” magazine cover (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)

Obama on Zionism and Hamas (by Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic)
The Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef did Barack Obama no favor recently when he said: “We like Mr. Obama and we hope that he will win the election.”… Obama and I spoke [recently] about Hamas, about Jimmy Carter, and about the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank. He seemed eager to talk about his ties to the Jewish community, and about the influence Jews have had on his life. Among other things, he told me that he learned the art of moral anguish from Jews… And, speaking in a kind of code Jews readily understand, Obama also made sure to mention that he was fond of the writer Leon Uris, the author of Exodus.
Moral anguish is an ART?  And you LEARN it?  It’s not innate?  Notice the dog whistling.

Obama advisor: Jerusalem must be included in peace talks (Haaretz)
Daniel Kurtzer, former ambassador to Israel and advisor of U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama, said Tuesday that Jerusalem must be included in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “It will be impossible to make progress on serious peace talks without putting the future of Jerusalem on the table,” Kurtzer said in a conference organized by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI).

Isn’t this how they sold George Bush?
Obama and the Cross (by David Brody, Christian Broadcasting Network)
I have been telling Brody File readers for months that if Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee he will make a pitch to win over independent/moderate Evangelicals. Well, we now have evidence. Look at the flyer below:

Obama’s Iraq, Afghanistan Slip Ups (The Page, Time Magazine, thanks to No Quarter)
ABC News: The Illinois Senator incorrectly says Arabic translators deployed in Iraq are needed in Afghanistan (but Afghans don’t speak Arabic). Later corrected mistake. Obama also stressed need for agricultural specialists in Afghanistan to help develop other crops than heroin poppies (but oil fields not poppy fields are a major source of U.S. technical assistance).

DNC chooses its ‘State Blogger Corps’ (On Politics, USA Today)
Fifty five blogs that will be embedded with the delegations at this summer’s Democratic National Convention have been chosen. Howard Dean, chairman of the DNC, announced the news about the party’s “State Blogger Corps” [Wednesday].

McCain will pledge to be bipartisan; sees most troops home in 4 years (On Politics, USA Today)
“If I am elected president, I will work with anyone who sincerely wants to get this country moving again,” presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain plans to say today during an address in Columbus, Ohio.
According to excerpts distributed by his campaign, McCain also plans to say that he will:
• “Ask Democrats to serve in my administration.”
• “Hold  weekly press conferences.”
• “Ask Congress to grant me the privilege of coming before both houses to take questions, and address criticism, much the same as the prime minister of Great Britain appears regularly before the House of Commons.”

McCain’s merchandise goes ‘eco-friendly’ (On Politics, USA Today)
There aren’t any sandals made from recycled soda bottles or shade-grown coffee beans on the list, but Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign is reinforcing his message of the week — that something more needs to be done to protect the environment — by offering “eco-friendly” merchandise at its online shop.

GOP Stunned By Loss in Mississippi
In a major blow to national Republicans, a Mississippi congressional seat that once voted for President Bush by a twenty-five point margin elected a Democrat on Tuesday by a 54%-46% margin; a startling wake-up call for a party in dire straits. 

Quinnipiac Poll: Dissatisfaction Rate Hits All Time High (Political Wire)
A total of 82% of American voters are “somewhat dissatisfied’ or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the country today, according to a new Quinnipiac poll, while only 17% are “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied.” This is the lowest national satisfaction rate since Quinnipiac began asking this question in 2003.

Lieberman Says Bombing Iran ‘Has An Appeal To It’ (Think Progress)
On right-winger Bill Bennett’s radio show [Wednesday], Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) expressed his openess to bombing Iran, saying that there is “an appeal to it.” Discussing the West Virginia primary results, Bennett praised what he claimed was Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) transformation into his “style” of politician, which he said is someone who “throws down a shot of liquor and bombs Iran.” Lieberman whole-heartedly endorsed the “appeal” of the hawkish caricature Bennett had created.
Click through to listen to the audio.

Bush Says He’s Not A Golfer In Wartime (Washington Post)
President Bush said [Tuesday] that he gave up golfing in 2003 “in solidarity” with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq, concluding that it was “just not worth it anymore” to play the sport in a time of war. “I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” Bush said in a White House interview with the Politico. “I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”
Wait, wait!  I though it was SWEETS he gave up in honor of the troops.  Besides, this story about golf isn’t even true.  See below.

Bush’s golf story ‘doesn’t hold water.’ (Think Progress)
In an interview with Politico’s Mike Allen, President Bush claimed he gave up golf after UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello was killed in Iraq. “I remember when de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad…I was playing golf — I think I was in central Texas — and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it’s just not worth it anymore to do,” Bush said. De Mello was killed on Aug. 19, 2003. The Washington Post’s Dan Froomkin reports today: “Bush’s story doesn’t hold water“: “[T]he Associated Press reported on Oct. 13, 2003, that he’d spent a ‘cool, breezy Columbus Day’ playing ‘a round of golf with three long-time buddies… He hit a couple of practice balls before flaring his tee-off shot into the right rough.”
Remember when he mocked the seriousness of war so that he could get on to a golf game?

New Study Calls ‘Embed’ Program for U.S. Media in Iraq a ‘Victory’ — for the Pentagon
[S]ociologist Andrew M. Lindner, writing in the spring issue of the American Sociological Association’s “Context” magazine describes what is billed as the only sociological study to date of the substantive content of media coverage during the first six weeks of the Iraq war. Lindner found that journalists embedded with American troops emphasized military successes more often than they covered consequences for Iraqi citizens. “The embedded program proved to be a Pentagon victory because it kept reporters focused on the horrors facing the troops, not the horrors of the civilian war experience,” wrote Lindner

Fmr. Military Intelligence Officer Reveals US Listed Palestine Hotel In Baghdad As Target Prior To Killing Of Two Journalists In 2003 (Democracy Now)
Army Sgt. Adrienne Kinne (Ret.) reveals she saw secret US military documents that listed the hotel as a possible target.

NYTimes Cleanses Thor Hearne’s Record, Scrubs Front-Page Reference To The GOP Vote-Suppressor’s ‘American Center For Voting Rights’ (by Brad Friedman at The Brad Blog)
Paper Fails to Note Change to Article, Hearne’s Ties to Bush/RNC, Discredited Background as Partisan Operative

LAT pledges to do a better job describing think-tank sources
“I’ve been unhappy for a long time that we unfailingly identify the right-wing ones as ‘conservative’ and usually say nothing about the center and left-wing ones,” says Los Angeles Times reporter Paul Richter. Assistant managing editor Melissa McCoy says the paper “should try, if there is any labeling necessary, to stick with the individuals involved” and only describe their political leanings, not the foundation’s.

Resource: A new look for OpenSecrets.org
The Center for Responsive Politics says it is using its 25th anniversary to relaunch its OpenSecrets.org website, giving it “a fresh, livelier look with more images and graphics … (and) innovative features designed to improve users’ understanding of CRP’s unparalleled data and users’ ability to share the information with others.”

Media Matters for America headlines

• Wash. Post’s Weisman, Shear repeated GOP’s false claim about Obama and Israel without providing context showing it was false

• Hannity, Rove revive false claims about Obama statement concerning Pakistan

• Claiming McCain “tangled with conservatives before” on taxes and immigration, Shuster didn’t note reversals

• Matthews on Obama shooting pool: “[I]t’s not what most people play. People with money play pool these days”

• Fox News’ Kelly left unchallenged Lieberman’s assertion that McCain “accepted” Hagee’s endorsement — he actively sought it

• On MSNBC Live, Brewer did not note that McCain acknowledged soliciting Hagee’s endorsement

• CNN political contributor and reported McCain campaign adviser Castellanos suggested Clinton would poison Obama

• Wash. Post, Special Report reported Hagee’s apology to Catholics, without noting his other smears

• Ignoring McCain’s own votes, media again air McCain campaign attacks on Obama over funding for war, veterans

China eases Internet controls, and quake news pours out
BEIJING — Amid a national outpouring of grief over Monday’s huge earthquake, China has relaxed its grip — perhaps only briefly — on the Internet and some media outlets.

Police warn editors on terrorism article
(AU) Police have issued formal warnings to six editors and an investigative reporter over coverage of the Operation Eight terrorism investigation. In what is believed to be a legal first, a police investigation found that the seven journalists had a case to answer over an alleged breach of Section 312K of the Crimes Act. The section limits publication of information gathered using an interception warrant. The Police investigation related to news reports published in Fairfax Media newspapers and the Stuff website last November.

Inventor of the Web Wins $350,000 to Reform New Media Journalism (by Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins at Mashable)
Timothy Berners-Lee is the inventor of the Web… News [Wednesday] comes in from the Wall Street Journal that Timothy, along 15 other grant applicants, have won grants from the Knight Foundation totalling $5.5 million altogether. Timothy Berners-Lee won his share based in part on what he was talking to Robert about towards the end of the video - using semantic web and data portability concepts to break databased information out and make it usable to more of the public at large.

E&P/Mediaweek Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show Kicked off [Wednesday]!
The annual Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show, presented by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in association with LinkedIn, kicked off [Wednesday] at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Pearlstine hire indicates Bloomberg plans to do something big
By hiring Norman Pearlstine — a guy with impeccable credentials and connections — Bloomberg is making a statement: It’s poised to do something big, writes Jon Friedman. “Since Dan Doctoroff arrived as president of Bloomberg, the company has made no secret of its desire to grow aggressively. It clearly has major aspirations.”

Thomson Reuters Plans ‘Immediate Reduction In Headcount’ (Paid Content)
Exactly a year after the merger was announced, Thomson Reuters is finally confirming some major job losses, as part of the “synergies” hinted at the time of the deal. Markets CEO Devin Wenig (Reuters’ former COO) wrote in a staff email (via Guardian) the cuts would “eliminate duplication and generate savings”: “Over the next several days, we will communicate department by department the impact of our integration … these actions will mean an immediate reduction in our headcount.” More cuts may come later, “but they will generally be tied to a specific decision to stop a business activity (such as to shut down a product, technology or a process)”.

‘LA Times,’ ‘OC Register’ Discussed Distribution Partnership
The Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times spent months discussing a possible circulation partnership in Orange County, but broke off the talks two months ago. One source said the negotiations hit an impasse, at least in part, due to a class action lawsuit by Register newspaper carriers. But Register Publisher Terry Horne says: “Never say never.”

Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ among cultural treasures
WASHINGTON - The best-selling pop album on planet Earth and a disc sent hurtling into deep space are among recordings the Library of Congress will preserve for their cultural significance.

CBS Builds Another Comedy Night on Wednesdays
‘New Adventures of Old Christine’ to Anchor Lineup of Midweek Sitcoms

CW Fills Schedule With the Rich and Pretty
Aims to Attract Young Women With ‘90210′ Remake, ‘Filthy Rich’

Nickelodeon and Group M Close to Upfront Deal
$300 Million Pact Would Include Kids and Adult Brands

CBS in $1.75B deal for online news site CNet 
NEW YORK (AP) - CBS Corp. agreed to buy online technology news and entertainment company CNet Networks Inc. for about $1.75 billion, expanding its access to the burgeoning Internet advertising market.

ComScore puts Google sites at No. 1 for first time
Google has surpassed Yahoo to become the most popular website in the United States, according to comScore’s rankings by the number of unique monthly visitors.

Financier Icahn to run board slate for Yahoo: sources
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has elected to move ahead with plans to run a dissident board slate at Yahoo Inc., sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Icahn, who has amassed a large stake in the Internet company, has lined up at least 12 potential board candidates and could announce the slate as early as Wednesday night, the sources said. The deadline for nominating a dissident slate is Thursday.

Google Maps New API, in Flash! (by Kristen Nicole at Mashable)

Here’s the moment all you map mashup junkies have been waiting for: Google Maps for Flash is now available for development through its new API. What a maptastic week it’s been. Flash graphics can be used for each title layer, maker and information windows, meaning you can create more dynamic map mashups. Even throw in some animation and video. For the user experience, however, the smoothness for things like zoom and drag functions are likely the most important new features to get excited about.

Google starts to blur faces in Street View photos 
BOSTON (AP) - After privacy complaints, Google Inc. is beginning to automatically blur faces of people captured in the street photos taken for its Internet map program. Rolling it out will take several months, however.

Video Taunt Leads to Arrest: End of the Road for “Bird Road Rudy” (by Jonathan Turley)
Rudy Villanueva, 31, known as Bird Road Rudy, had a brief but illustrious career as a filmmaker. The gang leader made a clip for YouTube where he taunted the Miami Police while holding guns, inviting them to “come and get some.” They did and not Bird Road Rudy is going to jail for six years.
America’s dumbest YouTube criminal.

Facebook Agonistes: Advertisers, Adults, Developers Pulling Back; Banking On Global (Paid Content)
While it looked as if Facebook might have rebounded quickly from its Beacon debacle last fall, Fortune contends the revolution is steadily losing steam. The site grew 12-fold since opening its membership to non-students in September 2006, but growth has lately hit a wall, with unique visitors hovering between 30-35 million, according to comScore numbers. Then Fortune adds its own “anecdotal evidence” to suggest interest among the older users who were key to the social net’s continued rise is starting to wane.

Connecting Game Players to Build a Sense of Loyalty
On Thursday, Disney’s video game division will open an online service and social network meant to connect players of Disney games across North America.

Turner to Offer Marketers Way to Link Ads to Content
Turner Entertainment is offering a new system intended to pair commercials with relevant moments in the shows they interrupt.