Trump’s Mercenary Back-Channel to Russia

Nine days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, the United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a contact close to Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, according to the Washington Post. The January 11th meetup, an attempt to open a back-channel line of communication between Putin and Trump, took place in the Seychelles islands. Erik Prince, who donated $250,000 to the Trump election effort, is still in the army-for-hire business, providing private security services for the UAE, and lives part-time in Abu Dhabi. His sister, Betsy DeVos, is currently Secretary of Education.

More:

“Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel,” Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sieff and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

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Antonin Scalia, 1936 — 2016

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died today on a ranch in West Texas. He was out West doing the thing he loved second best, playing with guns. What did he love best? The sound of his own voice.

A stunned nation mourns the learned jurist who brought “jiggery-pokery,“ “somersaults of statutory interpretation,” and “pure applesauce“ to the High Court. Justice Scalia also brought George W. Bush to the White House, and willful misinterpretation to the Constitution.

 He was less “Originalist” than an “original.” We’ll not see his like again. With any luck.

AJAM Lives! Sort of ….

Award-winning cable news channel Al Jazeera America will terminate all operations in the U.S. as of April 2016. AJAM staffers have created a portfolio site, Best of Al Jazeera America Digital. Besides memorializing great journalism, it should help digital reporters and producers find new jobs.

More:

“Al Jazeera America journalists built a site to help co-workers find their next job,” Kristen Hare, Poynter

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Quitter: Trump Debate No-Show

“Trump’s Misogynistic Meltdown,” Emily Arrowood, U.S. News & World Report

“Donald Trump Is Skipping the GOP Debate Because He Hates Women,” Jesse Berney, Rolling Stone

“CNN’s Carol Costello: If Trump ‘Cherishes Women,’ Why Does He Call Them Bimbos?” Alex Griswold, Mediaite

“Donald Trump has a problem with strong women,” Edward Luce, Financial Times

“Rand Paul: Donald Trump ‘Doesn’t Like A Strong, Assertive Woman,’” Andrew Kaczynski, BuzzFeed

“The sexism in Donald Trump’s latest swipe at Fox News’s Megyn Kelly,” Eric Wemple, Washington Post

“Fear of Women Is Key to Donald Trump’s Misogyny — and America’s,” Adele M. Stan, American Prospect

Related:

“Millions Resent Being Put in Horrible Position of Siding with Megyn Kelly,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

“How Donald Trump uses .political correctness. to make sexist bullying seem like heroism,” Amanda Taub, Vox

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Al Jazeera America Is Signing Off

Award-winning cable news network Al Jazeera America will shut down at the end of April, AJAM executives announced on Wednesday.

“The channel was founded on the utterly ill-conceived idea that Americans were starving for sober, ‘unbiased’ hard news coverage. In other words, it made the mistake of offering viewers the programming they claimed to want, instead of the programming that all available evidence suggests they actually enjoy.”

— Jordan Weissmann, “Why Al Jazeera America Was Destined to Fail,” Slate

AJAM says it will ramp up it’s Web offerings in future.

More:

“Al Jazeera America announces it will shut down by end of April,” Joshua Barajas, PBS Newshour

“Al Jazeera America to Shut Down by April,” John Koblin, New York Times

“Al Jazeera America to shut down,” Bradford Richardson, The Hill

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It’s Sad. But It’s Getting Sick.

“World’s first cyber hijack: Was missing Malaysia Airlines flight hacked with mobile phone?” James Fielding and Stuart Winter, The Express

“CNN: Did a Black Hole Make Flight 370 Disappear?” Taylor Berman, Gawker

“Spoon-bender Uri Geller asked by Malaysian officials to locate missing plane,” Sophie Alexander, The Express

“Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Is There a Bermuda Triangle Connection?” Benjamin Radford, LiveScience.com

Silvio Berlusconi Returns to Private Life

The Italian Senate expelled billionaire septuagenarian, football team owner, Bunga-Bunga Party host, one-time cruise ship crooner and disgraced 3-time former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from membership last week so he could spend more time with his attorneys and under-aged females. The proximate cause: Mr. Berlusconi’s recent tax fraud conviction. For the first time in two decades, the Italian Government is Berlusconi-free.

Private Citizen Berlusconi has problems. There are new charges that he and his lawyers paid off trial witnesses to his notorious “bunga bunga” sex parties. The 77-year- old’s 28-year-old showgirl girlfriend has appealed to that great champion of morally challenged billionaires, Pope Francis, to clear Silvio’s name.

Update:

“Berlusconi, The Perils of Not Knowing When to Say Goodbye,” Marcello Sorgi, La Stampa via Worldcrunch

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Update Your Résumé: The Pope Resigns

Attention job seekers: There is a vacancy in Vatican City. Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will leave office on February XXVIII. While rare, Papal resignation is allowed under Article 1 Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law. Catholic scholars are unclear about the pension and health insurance benefits.

Al Jazeera America Expands

Surely Fox News is saying “Al Gore Sells Out to Al Jazeera,’ ands it’s sort of true. Al Jazeera America just bought Mr. Gore’s Current TV network in an effort to expand its presence in the USA. Price: $500 million.

Despite winning acclaim and awards for good journalism, American xenophobia and cable provider cowardice have keep Al Jazeera from reaching many US viewers. The new acquisition deal may not help. Time Warner Cable, which carried Current TV, said it won’t carry AJ America.

Breaking News for Islamophobic Fox News Patriots: Saudi Prince Walid bin Talal is the second-largest Fox shareholder.

More:

“Al Jazeera Seeks a U.S. Voice Where Gore Failed,” Brian Stelter, Washington Post blog

“Al Jazeera Buys Current TV, Predictable Bigotry Ensues,” Taylor Berman, Gawker

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Maybe You Shouldn’t Read the Paper on Your iPad

Thinking of cancelling newspaper delivery? Think again:

“Newspaper deliveryman spots fire, wakes up family in St. Charles,” Kim Bell, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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