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Gingrich, Cain to Compete in 'Lincoln-Douglas Style Debate'

Jim Newell · 10/24/11 03:16PM

Newt Gingrich has often expressed his desire, were he to win the Republican nomination, to debate President Obama in seven three-hour "Lincoln-Douglas style debates." These area not likely to happen, for several reasons. But Gingrich has convinced Herman Cain to debate him next month in a "modified Lincoln–Douglas debate," the modification being, what... that they both argue the pro-slavery position? Hmm.

Joe Lieberman Deciding Which Republican He Wants to Replace Him

Jim Newell · 10/24/11 12:00PM

It does not seem like a question of whether retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman will support a Republican in the race for his Senate seat, but which Republican he will support. Which one would annoy Democrats, the people he represented as a United States vice presidential candidate in 2000, the absolute most? This is a call he cannot afford to get wrong. Joe Lieberman is on the eve of great decisions.

The Week in Celebrity Snapshots

Matt Cherette · 10/23/11 11:16PM

Every day, celebrities across the world are followed and photographed by the omnipresent paparazzi, often to entertaining results. Here are some of our favorite shots from the past week.

Did the Scientology Police Investigate South Park's Creators?

Lauri Apple · 10/23/11 03:59PM

Apparently so: Ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun has posted on his website the contents of a Scientology-penned document discussing an investigation into the private lives of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker conducted back in 2006—not long after the controversial Scientology-mocking SP episode "Trapped in the Closet" appeared on the teevee. The Scientological spy memo—brought to our attention by the Village Voice—is just "one of a trove" of docs that Rathbun plans to reveal about the investigation, which involved rooting through Stone and Parker's garbage (scary), using public records to turn up info on John "America's Uncle" Stamos and other friends (creepy), and deploying Tom Cruise to break into their homes, jump up and down on their couches, and shake loose all of the deep, dark secrets stuck between the cushions (terrifying). [Village Voice, Marty Rathbun's Website. Image via AP]

Rick Perry Isn't Sure If Obama's Birth Certificate Is Real

Lauri Apple · 10/23/11 01:10PM

Today's edition of Parade magazine features an interview with Republican presidential candidate/sultan of Texas Rick Perry, who says he went out to dinner with bloviating birther Donald Trump and now isn't totally sure if President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii or Kenya or on Mercury or what. Donald Trump is that persuasive.

Please Don't Name Your Daughter 'Unwanted'

Lauri Apple · 10/22/11 04:25PM

Today in the Indian state of Maharashtra, about 285 girls received certificates, little bouquets, and—most importantly—brand-new names that don't mean "unwanted." Because that's what their names were, until today: Unwanted. And you thought Florida was a terrible name for a girl!

Available Jobs Discovered in America

Lauri Apple · 10/22/11 12:22PM

Unemployed? Enjoy apples, fresh air, and exercise? Then here's some good news: There are plenty of jobs to be had in America's apple orchards, at this very moment. Orchards in New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Virginia, and probably a few other states can't find enough laborers to help harvest their crops. They're looking for you!

Herman Cain Somehow Makes His Abortion Stance More Confusing

Jim Newell · 10/21/11 04:35PM

Herman Cain is incredibly pro-life and doesn't personally believe that it should be allowed in special cases like rape or incest. And yet his attempts to soften the edges of this rigid position are creating, for him, a miserable self-induced error that Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum are loving. Cain makes it worse each time he brings it up! What dumb new "tweak" did he unveil today?

Muammar Gaddafi's Body Is in a Meat Locker Right Now

John Cook · 10/21/11 01:40PM

Libyan rebels are storing Muammar Gaddafi's body in a walk-in refrigerator at a shopping mall in Misrata. They were supposed to bury him today, as per Islamic tradition, but the AP says the interim government delayed the interment so the "circumstances of his death" can be determined. (Check YouTube!) So they've parked him in a strip-mall fridge and are trying to keep the hordes outside from getting in to tear him apart.

Obama: Troops Will Be Out of Iraq by Year's End

Jim Newell · 10/21/11 12:36PM

President Obama announced that he'll pull (very nearly) all 41,000 remaining U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the year, fulfilling his earliest campaign promise and finally wrapping this whole debacle up. This is fine news.

Eric Cantor Will Address Income Inequality From Billionaire Shrine

Jim Newell · 10/20/11 01:50PM

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who only 13 days ago declared that he was "increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country," appears to have transformed into a radical communist. He's now acknowledging that America's vast income inequality is potentially problematic. He'll flesh out his ideas in a speech tomorrow at that most suffering of institutions, the Wharton School of Business, where most of the people responsible for our income inequality crisis have picked up a degree or two.

Give a Cop a Taser, He Will Taser Everybody

Hamilton Nolan · 10/20/11 10:20AM

A new report from the New York Civil Liberties Union says that police in New York are "consistently misusing and overusing Tasers." The study of hundreds of taserings found that the majority of them "did not meet expert-recommended criteria;" that 15% were "clearly inappropriate" cases, such as shocking someone who was already handcuffed; and that only 15% of Tasering victims were armed when the police zapped them.