The latest from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
- Harry Shearer: Obama to New Orleans: Hold On, I'm Coming
- Robert Halderman: Letterman's Alleged Extortionist, TMZ Says
- Sam Gustin: Comcast and NBC Universal: Antitrust Apocalypse?
- David Letterman Affairs: Had Relationships With Employees, Targeted By Extortionist
| Harry Shearer: Obama to New Orleans: Hold On, I'm Coming | Top |
| Like a rock or pop act that makes its audience wait till the encore to hear the Big Hit, President Obama has made New Orleans wait till mid- or late-October for the lo ng-promised Presidential visit to the Crescent City . But, hey, priorities speak louder than promises. Two points about The Visit: as the Sun-Herald correctly points out, the President's visit is limited to New Orleans, leaving out a touchdown in the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the area actually devastated by Hurricane Katrina, as opposed to the area (N.O. and vicinity) devastated by the failure of the federally-designed and -constructed levees and floodwalls. Second, the White House's press release (which appears to not appear any more at whitehouse.gov) emphasizes the President's commitment to the visit as a touchstone for reforming disaster-response at federal, state and local levels. Translation: whoever is advising Obama is, like the national media, obsessed with the failures of Bush-era FEMA, and not at all focused on the four-decade-long failure, under both parties, of the Army Corps of Engineers. But let's hear it for "Free Bird". | |
| Robert Halderman: Letterman's Alleged Extortionist, TMZ Says | Top |
| (AP) LOS ANGELES -- David Letterman acknowledged on Thursday's show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs. During the taping of his CBS late-night show in New York, Letterman discussed receiving a threat to either pay $2 million or risk the relationships being made public. In a release from the show's producer, Letterman said he referred the matter to the Manhattan district attorney's office and that an investigation ended in an arrest Thursday. Letterman did not identify the person he said was arrested. However, TMZ Is reporting that they have learned the identity of the person behind the alleged extortion plot. TMZ has learned the identity of the alleged extortionist who was arrested today. His name is Robert Halderman. He's 51 years old and lives in Norwalk, CT. Halderman has a business in Manhattan, where he was arrested today. As part of the investigation, Letterman said he issued a "phony" $2 million check to the individual and the arrest followed - along with testimony by Letterman. "This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," said Letterman. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury." In his testimony, he said he acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff. "My response to that is, yes I have," Letterman said. "Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family." CBS spokesman Chris Ender said Thursday that "Letterman's comments on the broadcast tonight speak for themselves." Letterman and longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko married in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003. * * * * * More on David Letterman | |
| Sam Gustin: Comcast and NBC Universal: Antitrust Apocalypse? | Top |
| Federal regulators are virtually certain to scrutinize any substantial pairing of cable leader Comcast (CMSCA) and content behemoth NBC Universal, the two media giants at the center of a frenzy of merger speculation, according to antitrust experts. If consummated, the mega-media merger would combine NBC Universal's vast stable of content with Comcast's giant digital-distribution network. "It's virtually guaranteed that FCC [Federal Communications Commission] regulators would review this deal," Glenn Manishin, a former antitrust counsel and trial attorney at the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, told DailyFinance. "This could be a signature case for Chairman [Julius] Genachowski to demonstrate the principles he enunciated when he was confirmed." Manishin predicted any deal would also face review by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. Comcast and GE (GE) are discussing a deal under which the cable giant would buy 51 percent of NBC Universal, with GE keeping the rest. GE would then buy the 20 percent of NBC that it does not own from Vivendi SA, and Comcast would provide cash and some programming assets. GE, the industrial conglomerate, could also turn to another suitor, or spin off the entertainment division. Genachowski, who is new to the FCC, said during his Senate confirmation hearing in June that ensuring diversity in media ownership is "an important principle and priority." And because of the sheer size of the players involved, not to mention the inter-relation of content and distribution networks, any pairing would be ripe for regulatory review, said Manishin, a veteran Washington, D.C.-based antitrust attorney now in private practice. In particular, Manishin said the deal would raise flags at the FCC over so-called "vertical foreclosure," a scenario in which Comcast could discriminate in favor of its newly acquired NBC Universal content against rival content producers. Manishin explained that in mega-media deals of this sort, the FCC typically takes a "prophylactic" -- or preemptive -- role, while the Justice Department would wait until an anti-competitive action had occurred. The FCC will also be interested in the horizontal aspects of the deal, Manishin said, because Comcast, the nation's largest cable-TV provider, would be buying a huge stake in an owner of local television stations around the country. "Most people watch local television on cable now," Manishin said, "so Comcast could essentially be competing against itself in local cable markets." But coming up with a solution could be difficult, he said. "The normal remedy would be divestiture, but that wouldn't exactly make sense in NBC Universal's case, because they are a television company," Manishin observed. Read the amazing conclusion of this article at DailyFinance.com | |
| David Letterman Affairs: Had Relationships With Employees, Targeted By Extortionist | Top |
| David Letterman acknowledged on Thursday's show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs. During the taping of his CBS late-night show in New York, Letterman discussed receiving a threat to either pay $2 million or risk the relationships being made public. In a release from the show's production company, Letterman said he referred the matter to the Manhattan district attorney's office and that an investigation ended in an arrest Thursday. Letterman did not identify the person he said was arrested. As part of the investigation, Letterman said he issued a "phony" $2 million check to the individual and the arrest followed – along with testimony by Letterman. "This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," said Letterman. "I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury." In his testimony, he said he acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff. It was not immediately clear when the relationships took place; Letterman and longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko married in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003. "My response to that is, yes I have," Letterman said. "Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family." CBS spokesman Chris Ender said Thursday that "Letterman's comments on the broadcast tonight speak for themselves." It's the second set of embarrassing headlines for Letterman in four months. In June, he apologized to Sarah Palin for making a crude joke about the former Republican vice presidential candidate's 14-year-old daughter. Although there was a small "fire Letterman" demonstration outside of his studio later, CBS stood by its late-night star. After nearly 15 years in second place to NBC's Jay Leno in the ratings, Letterman took over the top spot this summer after Conan O'Brien became "Tonight" show host. Letterman's CBS "Late Show" has been on the air since 1993 and before that, he had a late-night show on NBC. Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's office, declined to comment. ___ AP Television Writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles and Associated Press Writer Tom McElroy in New York contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: http://www.cbs.com More on David Letterman | |
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