On CNN yesterday, Hillary Clinton told Jake Tapper that she was “too busy campaigning” to see 13 hours, the new (poorly performing
And this:
And especially this:
At the very least, Hillary, we do appreciate your dedication to the perfect Benghazi punchline.
http://gawker.com/i-watched-mich...
Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com.
Last night, freshman journalism major Sean Penn attempted to explain his bizarre, widely criticized interview
http://gawker.com/el-chapo-confe...
We already knew Sean was a little unhinged, what with lines like
Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro leveled some harsh criticism at the country during a security conference in Tel Aviv, saying that Israel has “two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians.” This sort of public admonishment is nearly unheard of in current American-Israeli relations.
The comment came after Shapiro praised Israel’s progress in an investigation regarding a recent West Bank “Jewish terror” attack that resulted in a Palestinian infant being burned to death. A statement that he qualified by adding that “too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on unchecked,” which he attributes to Israel’s double standard and its “lack of thorough investigations.”
Shapiro added that the two-state solution is the only way to prevent Israel from turning into a bi-national state, and said a way must be found to preserve its viability. He noted that the American administration is “concerned and perplexed” in wake of the Israeli government’s policy on the settlements, “which raise questions about Israeli intentions.”
The West Bank sees Palestinians governed by an entirely different set of laws than their Israeli counterparts, with the former being subject to Israeli military law and the latter to Israeli civil law. Which explains why Prime Minister Netanyahu was able to say something like this in response:
Israel applies the law to Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority is responsible for the freeze in the political process and continues to incite while refusing to negotiate.
Both are held to Israeli law, sure—they’re just two entirely different sets of laws, or what’s otherwise known as apartheid. And the fact that Shapiro was willing to call Israel out (even if in not so many words) is, at the very least, a welcome first step.
[h/t Haaretz]
Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via AP.
GOP candidate and angry sweet potato Donald Trump claims he’ll be able to change Apple’s entire manufacturing system if he is elected president. I’ll give Trump this: He’s great at shouting impossible nonsense.
Trump’s remarks on outsourcing at Liberty University today
http://gawker.com/the-donald-tru...
First, in the span of a few sentences, he insisted that he’d impose a 35 percent tax on businesses producing goods overseas while claiming to support free trade. At the end of his rambling, decidedly non-MLK-themed speech, he said this:
“We’re going to get Apple to build their damn computers in this country instead of other countries.”
An all-American Apple sure sounds nice—it would create jobs, it would help ensure that the factory workers have decent working conditions. It’s also an empty applause line. The US president does not have the power to ban a company from outsourcing, nor does the president have the power to completely overhaul the global economy.
Sure, Trump could advocate for legislation designed to prevent outsourcing. But he would have to champion laws that would fundamentally alter free trade to make it financially advantageous for Apple to upend its manufacturing and supply chain.
Apple outsources because it maximizes profit, but that is not the only reason. Asia’s electronics supply chains are much larger
http://gizmodo.com/5878209/why-ap...
The weirdest part about all of this isn’t that Trump is making outlandish promises. That’s routine for the Trump campaign. The weird thing is that Trump is selling himself as a capitalist icon, yet here he is making speeches that suggest he will take a steaming piss on free trade.
Image: AP
In an effort to hold officers accountable, the Pentagon is considering demoting disgraced General and former C.I.A. director David Petraeus, according to a new report by The Daily Beast. If the reduction in rank goes through, Petraeus could end up owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
http://gawker.com/5960202/a-flow...
Gen. Patraeus, who was disgraced after it was revealed he leaked classified information to his biographer and mistress back in 2012
“The secretary is considering going in a different direction” from the Army, a defense official told The Daily Beast, because he wants to be consistent in his treatment of senior officers who engage in misconduct and to send a message that even men of Petraeus’s fame and esteemed reputation are not immune to punishment.
Former Army Secretary John McHugh, however, has recommended that no action be taken against Petraeus at all, who was already fined $100,000 back in April
Still, if Carter does decide to move forward with reducing Patraeus back to a lieutenant general, as The Daily Beast notes, it’d be a major hit for a man who was once heralded as the Republican’s best chance in 2016. Because as far as money goes, he’s doing just fine
[h/t The Daily Beast]
Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via AP.
Glenn Frey, who spent 30 years in the Eagles and had a successful solo career, died Monday in New York at the age of 67. TMZ claims the cause as “a combination of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia” following an intestinal surgery in November.
Frey was a founding Eagles member and the main vocalist of some of the band’s most recognizable hits, including “Take It Easy,” and helped soundtrack the 1980s with saxophone-laden solo tracks like “You Belong to the City” and “The Heat is On.” He is survived by his bandmates, with whom he’d performed intermittently since 1970.
The surviving members of the Eagles released a statement on their website:
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce...
...the passing of our comrade, Eagles founder, Glenn Frey, in New York City on Monday, January 18th, 2016.
Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia.
The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery.
Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide.
Cindy Frey | Taylor Frey | Deacon Frey | Otis Frey|
Don Henley | Joe Walsh | Timothy B. Schmit | Bernie Leadon | Irving Azoff
“It’s Your World Now”
Written by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin
From the Eagles’ Long Road Out of Eden album
A perfect day, the sun is sinkin’ low
As evening falls, the gentle breezes blow
The time we shared went by so fast
Just like a dream, we knew it couldn’t last
But I’d do it all again
If I could, somehow
But I must be leavin’ soon
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
My race is run
I’m moving on
Like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes
No tears allowed
You’ll be alright
It’s your world now
Even when we are apart
You’ll always be in my heart
When dark clouds appear in the sky
Remember true love never dies
But first a kiss, one glass of wine
Just one more dance while there’s still time
My one last wish: someday, you’ll see
How hard I tried and how much you meant to me
It’s your world now
Use well your time
Be part of something good
Leave something good behind
The curtain falls
I take my bow
That’s how it’s meant to be
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
Contact the author at julianne@jezebel.com.
Image via AP
Gold Standard supplements, a device that turns your smartphone into a universal remote, and a $100 IPS display highlight today’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here
Continuing a string of deals that can help with your new year’s resolutions, Amazon’s offering a Gold Box deal today on a variety of Optimum Nutrition protein powder and pre-workout supplements.
Prices seem to run about $15-$20 less than what you’d pay at GNC, so this is a great chance to stock your cabinets on the cheap. Like all Gold Box deals though, these prices are only available today, or until sold out. [Optimum Nutrition Gold Box]
We’ve seen our fair share of cheap iPhone battery cases, but $13? Come on. Multiple colors available. [1byone Rechargeable Battery Case for iPhone 6, $13 with code FX98WN9K]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJXXMG2
It never hurts to have a space surge protector at the ready, especially when you can get them for $7. [APC SurgeArrest Essential 6-Outlet Surge Suppressor, $7]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/APC-SurgeA...
If you can never find your remote, but always have your iPhone, this $30 device allows your phone to control up to eight home theater devices at once. It currently sells for $50 on Amazon, where it has great reviews. [Pronto - Smart Remote, $30]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1917167788...
It’s not quite as exciting as all the new 4K monitors coming down the pipeline, but if 1080p is all you need, it’s tough to argue against an IPS display for $100. [AOC i2267fw 22-Inch IPS Frameless LED Monitor, $100]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLZ047Q/...
If your computer doesn’t have a webcam built in, this 720p Logitech model has never been cheaper. [Logitech HD Webcam C270, $18]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FHO5Y6/...
If you ever pay for iOS apps, movies, music, or iCloud storage with your credit card, you’re throwing money down the drain. Instead, stock up on iTunes gift cards at a 20% discount.
Give that awesome smartphone camera some cool new tricks for just $10. [Mpow 3 in 1 Clip-On Lens Kits, $10 with code BN6ERLKM]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXT58JA
When this $20 diffuser isn’t filling your home with aromatic essential oils, it can double as a small humidifier to combat that dry winter air. [Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser, 100ml, $20]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010PQ6EXA/...
This great looking grinder is perfect for spices, herbs, or things that aren’t legal in most states. Add in its clever magnetic lid and 4.6 star review average, and it certainly seems like a steal at $9. [Ohuhu 4 Piece 2.38" Tobacco Spice Herb Grinder, Gun Metal, $9 with code QN9D6CZ4]
http://www.amazon.com/Ohuhu-Piece-To...
10 tools for $10, and you don’t even have to drink your own urine. [Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Multi-Tool, $10]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DT2912/...
The Golden Globe winner for best comedy (???) is already down to $15 on Blu-ray. Bring it home. [The Martian, $15]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017S3OP34/...
It’s a physical copy, which is sort of a pain, but this is the best price we’ve ever seen on the PC version of Fallout 4. [Fallout 4, $33]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ2MM2M/...
Every modem rental fee you pay to your ISP is padding for their bottom line, and a total rip-off for you
http://gizmodo.com/5948616/how-to...
There’s a general consensus that Motorola’s SB6141 is the best modem for most cable internet subscribers
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARRIS-Surf...
The best DVR for cord cutters is back in stock, complete with discounted lifetime service.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0148ZRFVO/...
The TiVo Roamio OTA is the TiVo box you know and love, but designed specifically for users of HDTV antennas
http://lifehacker.com/five-best-indo...
Lifetime service for most TiVos costs an exorbitant $500, so you’re actually saving a ton of money by forgoing the cable card here. Unfortunately, they only seem to sell these boxes in limited quantities, so be sure to grab one before it sells out again. [TiVo Roamio OTA HD DVR with Product Lifetime Service, $300]
Today you can Fitbit’s Aria smart scale one at Target for $89, an all-time low. The Aria will give you your weight, BMI, and body fat percentage, and of course sync that data with your Fitbit app. [FitBit Aria, $89]
http://www.target.com/p/fitbit-aria-...
With Amazon’s announcement of their latest Prime benefit: a 20% discount on video game preorders that carries through their first week of release, we’ve resurrected our game release calendar
http://deals.kinja.com/calendar-of-up...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DBYBNEE
Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here
Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker
Kristin Cavallari, author of the forthcoming memoir Balancing in Heels, recently turned 29
“No one’s ever told me I needed to get a facelift or anything,” she told XoJane.com in 2011. “Never say never, but I don’t think I’ll ever get Botox because we don’t know the long-term side effects, and I just don’t think that can be good for you.”
Fair enough. It should be noted, however, that Kristin is also famously concerned with the alleged side effects of vaccines.
This has been 500 Days of Kristin.
[Photo via Getty]
Seeking more hard-hitting questions, the Republican National Committee has decided to pull February’s “Super Tuesday” debate from NBC News, CNN Money reported, and will partner with CNN instead. The RNC debate committee voted unanimously to end NBC’s involvement.
“The Republican National Committee has decided to move forward without NBC’s participation in our February debate in Houston, Texas,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement Monday. “The RNC has awarded the debate to CNN, who will broadcast it on Thursday, February 25th in Houston at a location to be decided.”
NBC News is owned by Comcast, which also owns CNBC, a television channel for rich people. CNBC hosted the third GOP debate, in October. Following that debate, the babies running for president complained loudly and repeatedly
“While debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates’ visions and policies for the future of America, CNBC’s moderators engaged in a series of ‘gotcha’ questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates,” Priebus said statement in October.
The Super Tuesday debate is not actually on Super Tuesday, which is on March 1st, and refers to the day that Republican voters in 13 different states vote in their respective primaries, but five days earlier. According to CNN Money, CNN has already hosted two GOP debates and will host another in March.
Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
In February, a former member of the Nazi SS will stand trial for the deaths of 3,681 people, the BBC reports. Prosecutors say Hubert Zafke, 95, was an SS medical orderly at Auschwitz from October 1943 to January 1944, and an accessory to murder.
Over a million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz. The indictment against Zafke covers one month in 1944—August 15 to September 14. (Anne Frank arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau during this time, but was held in a different part of the camp from where Zafke worked.)
The trial date was set after an appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that the accused was not fit to stand trial. According to Agence France-Presse, German media has reported that Zafke suffers from dementia. The appeals court acknowledged his “cognitive impairments and low physical capacity.”
Prosecutors have said that Zafke was “aware of the purpose of the Birkenau camp as an extermination camp.”
“Given his awareness, the accused lent support to the organisation of the camp and was thereby both involved in and advanced the extermination,” they said.
The trial is scheduled to start on February 29, in Neubrandenburg.
Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
21-year-old Kelsey Annese and 24-year-old Matthew Hutchinson, two students who had been attending the State University of New York-College at Geneseo, were murdered by a former student who had previously dated Annese. Police say the two were stabbed by 24-year-old Colin Kingston, an alum of SUNY.
According to CBC, police arrived at the home of Annese and found the three of them dead. Kingston was believed to have stabbed Annese and Hutchinson to death with a large knife before killing himself with the same weapon. Annese and Kingston had recently broken up after a three-year relationship.
Authorities showed up at the scene after Kingston’s father called 911. He received a phone call from his son who told him he had harmed Annese before hanging up the phone and killing himself. Police said that Kingston had admitted to having suicidal thoughts after the breakup.
The victims may have been asleep at the time of the attack, which took place in Annese’s bedroom. CNY Central reports there were four other people at the residence at the time of the murder, but did not hear anything. Annese, a captain of the school’s women’s basketball team, and Hutchinson, a hockey player originally from Vancouver, were both in their senior years at SUNY. Hutchinson was also a volunteer firefighter.
Contact the author at marie.lodi@jezebel.com.
Image via SUNY Geneseo.
“You don’t need to have filed a thirty-six-million-dollar suit against law enforcement to be detained, denied basic rights, and have evidence planted on your person or property. Among other things, simply being black can suffice.”
The family of Robert Levinson, who disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island, in 2007, while working for rogue CIA analysts, learned of the recent prisoner exchange
http://gawker.com/reports-iran-r...
“I thought after nine years that they would have enough respect for our family to at least tell us in advance that this is happening,” Christine Levinson, the former FBI agent’s wife, told ABC News. “It could have been five minutes, but to find out on the TV for the whole family…was wrong. It was absolutely devastating.”
“I’m very disappointed. I feel extremely betrayed by them,” she said.
The Associated Press broke the story that Levinson—now the longest held hostage in American history—was working for the CIA in 2011, after years of denials from the agency.
In an extraordinary breach of the most basic CIA rules, a team of analysts — with no authority to run spy operations — paid Levinson to gather intelligence from some of the world’s darkest corners. He vanished while investigating the Iranian government for the U.S.
The CIA was slow to respond to Levinson’s disappearance and spent the first several months denying any involvement. When Congress eventually discovered what happened, one of the biggest scandals in recent CIA history erupted.
Behind closed doors, three veteran analysts were forced out of the agency and seven others were disciplined. The CIA paid Levinson’s family $2.5 million to pre-empt a revealing lawsuit, and the agency rewrote its rules restricting how analysts can work with outsiders.
But even after the White House, FBI and State Department officials learned of Levinson’s CIA ties, the official story remained unchanged.
“It’s bad enough that we weren’t notified, but he wasn’t included in the deal and that’s never going to be enough and the least they could do is follow up with us and tell us the steps that they’re taking now,” Levinson’s son, Dan, told ABC.
“We’re hoping to meet with President Obama, Secretary Kerry and other administration officials because the least they can do is explain to us, and we can talk to them face-to-face about what needs to be done on their end, on our end…what can be done.”
On Sunday, Secretary John Kerry tweeted that, as part of the prisoner swap, “Iran also agreed to deepen our coordination as we work to locate Robert Levinson. We won’t rest until the Levinson family is whole again.”
In a statement, the FBI said, “Bob forever remains part of the FBI family, and we remain committed to bringing him home safely to the family who misses him so much. The FBI expects our Iranian counterparts to fulfill their commitment to locate Bob and help bring him home safely.”
The Iranian government denies even knowing where Levinson is.
Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
A police officer in Knox County was killed in the line of duty late Sunday night, WCMH-TV reports, after dispatchers received a call, late on Sunday night, from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend, Herschel Ray Jones, had left her house, with a gun, intending to kill a cop.
According to Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer, after dispatchers unsuccessfully attempted to contact the sole officer on duty in the small village of Danville, sheriff’s deputies found Officer Thomas Cottrell’s body on the ground behind a municipal building—his gun and cruiser both missing. From WCMH:
The suspect’s brother, John Jones, told NBC4 he spoke to Herschel Jones minutes before he was taken into custody. He said Herschel had taken a quantity of an anti-anxiety drug called Klonopin.
“He was out of his mind on drugs,” Jones said. “He already had done what he done. He still didn’t admit it to me though—that’s how far out of his mind he was. He completely went over the edge.”
John Jones says family members called Herschel’s parole officer last week to report that he had guns and drugs and was at risk of doing something bad. John Jones says nothing was done.
Jones says his brother had asked judges on several occasions to send him to a mental institution rather than to prison. He says those requests were denied.
Jones, 32, was taken into custody early Monday morning.
Court records show that Jones has a criminal record dating back to 2001, WBNS10-TV reports, including multiple convictions for breaking and entering, burglary, receiving stolen property, and carrying a concealed weapon.
In October, KnoxPages.com reports, his bond was set at $100,000 after he was charged with having weapons while under disability, felonious assault, and attempted rape.
Image via WCMH. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
A St. Paul police sergeant has been placed on administrative leave, Fox 9 News reports, after being accused of telling drivers, in a Facebook post, to run over Black Lives Matter protestors.
Anti-police brutality activist Andrew Henderson saw the comment, posted under the name “JM Roth” on Facebook, which he attributed to Sgt. Jeffrey M. Rothecker in an internal affairs complaint filed Sunday.
“I was just flabbergasted,” Henderson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “A law enforcement officer is supposed to serve and protect the people, not incite violence against them.”
Here is the comment:
Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and don’t slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street. Here is the deal, you continue to drive and if you hit someone make sure you call 911 to report the accident and meet the cops a block or two away and you can justify stopping further away because you feared for your safety since the past people in this group has shown a propensity towards violence. Since they are trying to block the street and/or cross where there is no crossing you should not be charged with anything. Now, these idiots could try and sue you in civil court, but remember that it will be jury trial and so most likely it will come out in your favor.
The SPPD is investigating the post, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement Monday. “If the allegation is true, we will take the strongest possible action allowed under law.”
Image via Fox9. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio compromised on a campaign promise to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City
The mayor struck a deal (still to be approved by the City Council) with the industry, limiting the number of carriages that can operate at any time—down to 95 from 220—as well as their areas of operation. He also reportedly offered the relocate the horses from their current location on the West Side to a Central Park building near the 85th Street Transverse, where a new, $25 million commercial stable would be built.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, 58,355 people slept in homeless shelters throughout New York City, including 23,484 children. Still more likely preferred to stay on the streets.
Jim Dwyer, who writes a column, “About New York,” for the New York Times—where reporter Michael Barbaro, who could not abide the sight of homeless people at a subway station, also works—took a Borowitzian turn on Twitter today, combining these two local news stories into a single bad tweet.
http://gawker.com/new-york-times...
“DeB brainstorm: $25 million in new horse stables in Central Park. Maybe homeless can have the old ones,” he wrote, tagging the author of the Times story about the horse carriage deal.
Part of why this tweet is bad is because the premise of the joke (?) is unclear: “DeB” is obviously an abbreviation of de Blasio, but is it de Blasio’s brainstorm, or a brainstorm for de Blasio? Then again, they say there are no bad ideas in brainstorming, so maybe it doesn’t matter.
Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
Black Lives Matter demonstrators halted traffic Monday afternoon on the five-lane westbound span of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, the Guardian reports, chaining themselves to their cars.
“Today is the day when we reclaim MLK’s radical legacy,” said one protestor, April Thomas. “I’m out here for Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, for my mother, myself, for Harriet Tubman.”
In December, San Francisco police killed Mario Woods, in a brutal shooting that was captured on video.
Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
At approximately 8:41 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Gawker received the following tip:
————— Forwarded message —————
From: Kyle [REDACTED] <[REDACTED]@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 18, 2016 at 8:41 PM
Subject: Rand Paul follows 420 people on twitter
To: tips@gawker.com, tips@deadspin.comSuper Cool Presidential Candidate Rand Paul follows 420 people on the Twitter (see attached). KW
Several hours later, some quick investigation determined that Rand Paul does, in fact, follow 420 people on Twitter, as you can see in the diagram below.
If you have any further information, please feel free to email us here.
Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com.
Bernie Sanders held a campaign event Birmingham, Alabama, tonight, at one of the city’s only warming stations for homeless people, Alabama.com reports, on what has proven to be the coldest night of the year so far.
Temperatures outside are expected to drop to 20 degrees overnight, and may feel like 15 degrees with wind chill. Boutwell Auditorium, where Sanders spoke, served as a warming station for three nights last week, housing about 300 people each night.
The city apparently failed to anticipate the closure, and has not opened any of its other warming stations.
“Unfortunately, no, we do not have an alternative location and were unable to have the warming station tonight,” Birmingham city spokeswoman April Odom said in a statement. “However, we are working with local area homeless shelters and the BPD to help anyone in need to get to a shelter.”
According to WIAT.com, anyone who needs someplace warm to sleep can go to Grace Episcopal Church.
Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.
ABC News anchor and media entrepreneur Dan Abrams has added a new legal affairs website to his Abrams Media empire, where it will join Mediaite, Gossip Cop, and The Mary Sue, among others. The name of the new outlet is LawNewz.com by Dan Abrams.
