CNN Shakeup: Spitzer Out-Anderson Cooper In

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CNN is shaking up its primetime lineup, and one of its evening hosts didn't make the cut.

The network unveiled a new fall lineup Wednesday that will move 10 p.m. anchor Anderson Cooper into the 8 p.m. slot that former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has manned since last October. Spitzer failed to build up an audience even after ditching Kathleen Parker.  Example, when Keith Olbermann's new show premiered on the little-watched Current TV several weeks ago, he managed to pull in more than double the viewers in the key 25- to 54-year-old demographic than tuned in to Spitzer during the same hour.

Play Silverlady's Dail Trivia Game

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Stop by my Bits and Pieces Blog and play Silverlady's Daily Trivia game.
 
http://www.silverlady-bitsandpieces.blogspot.com

It'll only take a minute to test your knowledge and have a minute or two of fun, only ten simple multiple choice questions. Select your choice for each question, then click "submit".  The correct answers will pop up and you'll get your score for the day.

Good Luck!

Nike Re-signs Michael Vick to Endorsement Deal

Image by Ed Yourdon via Flickr

Nike re-signed Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to an endorsement deal Friday, nearly four years after dropping him amid his legal troubles.

Nike, which signed Vick as a rookie in 2001, terminated his contract in August 2007 after he filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in a dogfighting ring. Vick spent 21 months in prison.
Terms of the deal were not released.

"Michael acknowledges his past mistakes," Nike said in a statement. "We do not condone those actions, but we support the positive changes he has made to better himself off the field."

IL Officially Shuts Down Death Row

After years of stories of men sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit and families of murder victims angrily demanding their loved ones' killers pay with their own lives, the end of the death penalty in Illinois came quietly Friday when the bill banning executions took effect.

That bill was signed with much fanfare in March by Gov. Pat Quinn, who subsequently commuted the sentences of the 15 men on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Fourteen of those prisoners have been placed in maximum security prisons around the state, while one was placed in a medium-high security prison with a mental health facility.

Happy Birthday Malia

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Malia Obama, the eldest of President Barack Obama's two daughters, turned 13 on the Fourth of July. But as usual, she'll have to share her parents with hundreds of others on her special day.
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have invited hundreds of troops and their families from across the country to attend a special barbecue and USO concert on the South Lawn. They'll also have one of the best views of the annual fireworks show on the National Mall.

Mark Halprin Suspended from MSNBC

Time Editor-at-large and MSNBC Analyst Mark Halprin was indefinitely suspended for calling President Obama a "dick".  The comment came on the Morning Joe Show after Halprin discussed taking a chance that his remarks wouldn't be heard and was encouraged to take the chance. Due to a technical glitch, the time delay failed to censor his remark and it was broadcast. Halprin gave a half-hearted apology, never taking responsibility for his remark.

David Kurtz, Talking Points memo, shows a pattern to Halprin's modus operandi:

Shocking New Cigarette Labels

The new cigarette labels are shocking, but will they be enough to make smokers give up their habit?
While I hope so, I doubt it.  It takes a personal decision to make a change and only the smoker can make that decision.