The Huffington Post:

Perhaps feeling the ratings heat, Fox News is making changes to its afternoon lineup.

TVNewser reports that E.D. Hill, who hosts "America's Pulse" — and who raised many eyebrows this week after calling Barack and Michelle Obama's fist-pound a "terrorist fist jab"has lost her show: —

America's Pulse anchored by E.D. Hill goes away, but Hill stays with the network in a capacity to be determined. Hill has been with FNC since 1998. She co-anchored Fox & Friends for several years before moving to the 11amET hour, then launching America's Pulse. Read on...

The GOP is dying a slow and very public death, and so is Fox News. E.D. is just the latest Fox "personality" to lose their show. Their ratings are tanking and the stress is obviously getting to them. It's gotten so petty that Rupert Murdoch's Post has resorted to the petty little attacks like these against MSNBC and Keith Olbermann. Keith and MSNBC are overtaking Fox in ratings, so it just makes sense. E.D. still has a job, but unfortunately, her time slot will be filled with an even bigger right wing hack -- Laura Ingraham.

Chalk this up as a win for Deborah Shank and decency... props to the blogoshere and Keith Olbermann, who hammered Wal-Mart all last week as his "Worst Person" for their shameful treatment of a former employee. We've been exposing this horrendous story for a while now.

CNN: (h/t Andy K & Dr. Hussein Matt)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) is dropping a controversial effort to collect more than $400,000 in health-care reimbursement from a former employee who suffered brain damage in a traffic accident.

The world's largest retailer said in a letter to the family of
Deborah Shank it will not seek to collect money the Shanks won in an injury lawsuit against a trucking company for the accident.

Whatever explains Wal-Mart's change of heart, this is great news for Mrs. Shank.

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File this one under Prince Harming. Apparently, Matt Drudge thought he had an exclusive on Prince Harry's whereabouts serving in the military in Afghanistan. It turns out that he didn't get the exclusive, but as Keith Olbermann points out on Thursday's Countdown, he does get all the blame - the blame for endangering Harry by revealing his location which had been kept a secret. More from The Independent UK:

An American website, the Drudge Report, broke a news blackout yesterday by revealing that Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan for more than two months.

To the fury of the Ministry of Defence and condemnation from the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, the website announced a "world exclusive" and proclaimed: "They're calling him 'Harry the Hero!".

The article brought to an end an agreement with the media that the Prince's deployment to Helmand be kept quiet in the interests of his safety and that of the soldiers with him. [..]

"I am very disappointed that foreign websites have decided to run this story without consulting us. This is in stark contrast to the highly responsible attitude that the whole of the UK print and broadcast media, along with a small number of overseas outlets, who have entered into an understanding with us over the coverage of Prince Harry on operations," General Dannatt said. Read on...

Why does Drudge hate the troops and want them in harm's way?

The untruths that were told by the some of the Republican candidates during the Florida debate was astounding to me. McCain might have been the worst offender, but I'd like to know where the heck Tim Russert was? Oh, that's right---it was a Republican debate. Never mind, He can't be bothered with follow ups. He's only confrontational in Democratic debates.

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McCain: “I know of no military leader, including General Petraeus, who says we can’t sustain our effort in Iraq.”

Larry Johnson:

Well, maybe Senator McCain was taking a nap last month, but Army Chief of Staff, General Casey disagrees. The Christian Science Monitor’s Gordon Lubold reported the following last Christmas Eve:

“We’re deploying at unsustainable rates,” General Casey said three weeks ago during remarks to an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington. The Army agreed to a buildup of troops a year ago with the understanding that it was temporary, he said. “We can’t sustain that. We have to come off of that, and we’re working that very hard.

CBS:

During the debate, moderator Tim Russert quoted McCain claiming not to be an expert on the economy and McCain responded, “I don’t know where you got that quote from.” Today, McCain explained that he was actually speaking in general terms.

And we believe you Sen. McCain. Keith Olberman and our pal, Sam Seder try to dissect some of this...Here's a transcript of the debate...

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Keith Olbermann speaks with retired Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift (whose successful representation of the Hamdan case brought to light many of the atrocities happening at Guantanamo) about the sad and disturbing news that Canada has placed the U.S. on a watch list--along with Iran, China, Syria and others--for being a country that tortures its prisoners, due in no small part to our criminally shameful treatment of Canadians Maher Arar and Omar Khadr (imprisoned in Guantanamo at the age of 15).

What a proud legacy Bush and Cheney will leave this country with.

Via The New York Observer:

On Feb. 3, a k a Super Bowl Sunday, in an original News Corp. smorgasbord, reporters from FOX News will be teaming up with reporters from FOX owned and operated stations from around the country for a three hour broadcast event, focusing on—USA! USA!—presidential politics and professional football.

As the anchors toggle back and forth between discussion of the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday, they will chew over political dispatches from FOX Broadcasting reporters from around the country.

FOX Super Sunday will also include a behind-the-scenes look as the action gets underway for the Superbowl. Meanwhile, FOX Business Network's Alexis Glick will offer a peek at the best commercials and the economics behind the biggest sporting event of the year while FOX News correspondents Carl Cameron and Major Garrett will provide live updates from the campaign trail alongside correspondent Bret Baier in Washington, D.C. Read on...

FOXNews hates the fact that Keith Olbermann's popularity has skyrocketed and that he appeared on NBC's Sunday Night Football this season, so I suppose this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It will be interesting to see just how partisan things get, as of now it doesn't appear as though BillO or Hannity will be involved. Sports fans, what do you think about this mixture of FOXNews and the Super Bowl?

In order for all of us at C&L to get some much deserved time over the holidays with our friends and loved ones, John Amato has decided that we will be posting a little less over the next couple of weeks. We'll still be around for any breaking news, but we'll do fewer regular posts and host an open thread every afternoon.

For this open thread, I was inspired by my chronically procrastinating husband, who is braving the traffic and jammed parking lots to go finish(begin?) his shopping on this last weekend before Christmas. It made me think of some gifts I would love to give people we feature here on C&L regularly (my phone number to Keith Olbermann notwithstanding).

Like this for Chris Matthews...

Or these cards for Culture Warrior Bill O'Reilly ...

Or this for Campbell Brown and Dan Senor's new baby...

...and lest we forget, a certain Mr. Amato is just begging to find this under his Christmas tree.

So what kind of gifts would you like to give? And please, keep it family-friendly.

Okay, Ron Paul fans, PBS's NOW is devoting this week's episode to Ron Paul and how the internet is rewriting political campaigns.

And Bill Moyers will have Keith Olbermann as guest to discuss politics and the media as well as how media ownership is making diversity a thing of the past.

For those of you without TVs, both shows will be available online starting Saturday.

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This morning on Fox NFL Sunday's pregame show, co-host and former NFL player, Howie Long, decided it would be a good idea to insult Al Gore to make a point about sports. Not only is this moron's statement wrong, it's unprofessional and he should be called out for it. Why do people like Howie and Al Michaels feel the need to mix politics with sports? You can write to FOXSports and tell them what you think about Howie's hackery.

Long:"...Mike Martz suffers from a rare form of the Al Gore syndrome, where Al still thinks he's the president and Mike Martz still thinks he's the head coach..."

*Note to Keith Olbermann - If you're looking for someone for your Worst Person In The NFL segment tonight, I think Howie is your man...

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An instant classic, deserving of wide linkage. Keith Olbermann reads Tom Tomorrow's latest cartoon of Bill O'Reilly's Advice for the Young People.

Falafel Boy just makes it too easy...