CNN
Why I'm (Almost) Glad 'Crossfire' Is Coming Back
The original CNN show was better than the cable slugfests it inspired. The revived version might not be.
“When you watch it now do you think, ‘My God, what have I done…allowing these sorts of shows to be on?,’” Jon Stewart asked guest—and former New Republic editor—Michael Kinsley in May of 2003. Stewart was referencing the plethora of gladiatorial evening talk shows then proliferating on cable news. Kinsley, he suggested, bore some responsibility because he had hosted CNN’s “Crossfire” between 1989 and 1995. READ MORE >>
Current TV's New Owners Don't Need Ratings: They Have Money
In a belated but marvelous Christmas present to Roger Ailes, pan-Arab news broadcaster Al Jazeera on Wednesday announced its purchase of Current TV, the cable news network founded by Al Gore. The result—technically called “Al Jazeera America” but instantly dubbed “Al GoreZEERA” by the Internet—stands to revolutionize cable news programming, fusing the massive wealth and global orientation of Al Jazeera with the spunky, left-wing politics of Current. READ MORE >>
On Sandy Relief, GOP Is Stiffing Its Own
India Knows How to React to a Horrific Crime: With Angry Protests
JAIPUR, INDIA — A horrific, sadistic crime against the vulnerable shocks a nation. Television stations cover the story 24/7 and newspaper headlines are in bold caps. People talk about little else and all agree this can’t be allowed to happen again. READ MORE >>
The Politics of Gun Control Have Changed, But Will Democrats Notice?
Over the last four presidential elections, gun control has been as settled as any political question, with Democrats all but conceding the issue to Republicans in national elections. A spate of mass shootings during the first four years of the Obama presidency didn't change this, but there is some reason to think that the terrible elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut could be different. READ MORE >>
Yasser Arafat to Join a Long, Strange List of Famous Exhumations
Obama’s Message, Still Loud and Clear: Taxes for the Wealthy
Will President Obama and congressional Republicans make a deal on taxes before January 1, when the Bush tax cuts are set to expire? Will they let a set of automatic spending cuts take effect? Will they find a new way to boost job growth this coming year—or, at least, renew temporary boosters like extended unemployment insurance? I have no idea. Nobody in Washington does. READ MORE >>
