Jamal Khashoggi Saudis Use Body Double ... To Cover Up Murder
It's pretty clear now ... the Saudis planned to kill Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the get-go, because they had a decoy ready, complete with disguise.
There's surveillance video, obtained by CNN, showing Mustafa al-Madani -- apparently part of the hit squad that tortured and killed Khashoggi -- strolling around a famous Turkish Mosque just hours after Khashoggi entered the Saudi Embassy.
Al-Madani was wearing a fake beard and wearing the same outfit as Khashoggi. The 2 men are roughly the same height and weight.
The Saudis have clearly been lying from the get-go ... no doubt to protect Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The latest version is that Khashoggi got in a fight with 15 young, fit guys inside the Embassy.
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Sen. Jeff Flake Cornered by Sexual Assault Survivors Over Kavanaugh Confirmation
Senator Jeff Flake is getting immediate, powerful and emotional feedback on his decision to support the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh ... in the form of 2 tearful protesters who cornered him on Capitol Hill.
The AZ Senator stepped into an elevator Friday morning and, before the doors closed, the women -- surrounded by cameras and reporters -- tore into Flake. The gripping scene unfolded live on CNN as the women told Flake they were sexual assault survivors, they believed Dr. Christine Ford ... and they demanded to know how he could allow Kavanaugh to have a seat on the high court.
One protester said, "What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court. This is not tolerable!"
The other said, "Look at me when I'm talking to you. You're telling me that my assault doesn't matter ... and that you're gonna let people who do these things into power. That's what you're telling me when you vote for him."
It's an uneasy standoff to watch -- Flake is absolutely captive in the elevator, and there's NO security to protect him ... but it's also symbolic of the emotions of millions in the country.
Flake was on his way to the Senate Judiciary Committee which will vote Friday on whether to recommend Kavanaugh's confirmation.
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Les Moonves Out as CBS' CEO ... Vows to Donate $20M to #MeToo
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7:25 PM PT -- Les Moonves has issued a statement in the wake of his ouster from CBS, saying in part ... "Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me that are not consistent with who I am. Effective immediately I will no longer be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CBS. I am deeply saddened to be leaving the company. I wish nothing but the best for the organization, the newly comprised board of directors and all of its employees."
4:30 PM PT -- It's just been announced Moonves is out at CBS, and the network is implementing a big shakeup on its board of directors through a company-wide settlement. Interestingly, CBS says $20 million will be donated on Moonves' and the network's behalf to an org that supports #MeToo, which is set to be made immediately. The cash will come out of any severance benefits owed to Moonves following a pending investigation into his alleged misconduct. The company also notes that Moonves will not be getting any type of severance package at this point, but may receive further payment once its investigation is wrapped and after a final evaluation from the Board.
CBS's longtime CEO, Les Moonves, is reportedly resigning from his position as head of the network after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNN's Brian Stelter reported Sunday that Moonves would be stepping down and that the official announcement would be made either Sunday night or early Monday morning. This comes on the heels of a second New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow where six additional women accused Moonves of sexual misconduct.
The allegations range from Moonves allegedly forcing oral sex on certain women, exposing himself without permission to others ... and allegedly using physical violence or intimidation against them.
He'd already been accused of sexual misconduct from 6 separate women earlier this summer -- including allegations of sexual assault from the 1980s ... for which he will not face criminal charges. Ronan wrote that earlier piece as well.
Moonves has worked at CBS since 1995, where he first served as president of CBS Entertainment. He served as CEO of CBS Television from '98 to 2003, and was eventually bumped up to chairman and CEO of the entire company in 2003. He's responsible for greenlighting series like 'CSI,' 'Without a Trace,' 'NCIS,' 'Survivor,' 'Cold Case' and many, many other hit shows.
Reports have recently said that Moonves and the CBS board were negotiating an exit package for him somewhere in the ball park of $100 million. Stelter says exit talks have been finalized, but did not report on any specific figure.
Originally published -- 11:29 AM PT
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CNN's Van Jones Wife Files for Divorce
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5:30 PM PT -- Jana and Van say, "Though we have decided to end our marriage, we still love each other very much. We will continue raising our kids together, running our businesses together and supporting each other's growth. There is no beef or drama -- just evolution."
CNN political commentator Van Jones and his wife are breaking up ... TMZ has learned.
Jana Carter filed divorce docs Friday in L.A. County Court. They have 2 minor children together, both boys. Van and Jana got married in 2005, and according to the docs, obtained by TMZ, they separated back in May.
She's asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children, and spousal support.
Jana is an entrepreneur and attorney.
Jones, who's also an attorney and author, worked in the Obama administration as the Green Jobs adviser. He's been a CNN personality since 2013 and, just this year, got his own show on the network.
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'InfoWars' Host Alex Jones Banned by Twitter!!
Alex Jones won't be spewing his conspiracy theories on Twitter, which is now the first social media platform to permanently ban the "InfoWars" host.
Twitter announced Thursday it's suspending two accounts -- @realalexjones and @infowars. The ban also extends to Periscope. A spokesperson said videos and tweets Jones recently posted violated Twitter's abusive behavior policy ... plus, there had been previous violations.
The final straw appears to stem from a tense confrontation Jones had Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where CEO Jack Dorsey and other tech execs were testifying to congress. In addition to his face-off with Sen. Marco Rubio ... Jones got in the face of CNN reporter Oliver Darcy, and likened him to "the Hitler Youth." Jones livestreamed the confrontation on InfoWars.
Wow, this video. Alex JONES calls RUBIO a "frat boy" and touches Rubio on the shoulder. Rubio tells Jones not to touch him and that he won't be arrested because I'll "take care of you myself."https://t.co/AGRMrDBMGa
@kyledcheney
Jones had already been heavily censored on other platforms such as Facebook, Apple, Spotify and YouTube. In case you're unfamiliar, Jones has been pushing outlandish conspiracy theories for years -- most notably, perhaps, that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax staged with actors.
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Asia Argento CNN Pulls Her Episodes On Bourdain's 'Parts Unknown'
Episodes featuring Asia Argento in any form have been yanked from the late Anthony Bourdain's hit TV show "Parts Uknown" following accusations of sexual misconduct.
CNN confirmed this weekend that it had removed 3 'Parts Unknown' episodes from its streaming service CNN Go as a direct result of allegations former child actor Jimmy Bennett made against Bourdain's girlfriend last month -- namely, that she'd sexually assaulted him.
A rep for the news network told Buzzfeed ... "In light of the recent news reports about Asia Argento, CNN will discontinue airing past episodes of Parts Unknown that included her, until further notice." The episodes include one from Season 8 called "Rome," another from Season 10 called "Southern Italy: The Heel of the Boot," and a final one from Season 11 called "Hong Kong."
Asia appeared in the two former episodes and directed the latter. A fourth episode that took place in Buenos Aires was also removed, but for unspecified reasons. Bourdain and Asia reportedly met while filming the Rome episode, which aired in 2016.
As we've reported ... Asia was accused of sexually assaulting a then 17-year-old Bennett, and reportedly paid him a settlement of $380k. She denied ever having sex with him, but photos and texts obtained by TMZ appear to prove otherwise.
Rose McGowan recently wrote an open letter, calling on Asia to be better than Harvey Weinstein ... while seemingly distancing herself from the Italian actress.
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Wolf Blitzer I'm with Meghan McCain ... John's a Hero, and America's Great!!!
4:00 PM PT -- Hard to tell if it's related, but the Prez just tweeted in all caps ... "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump's tweet could be regarding his current struggle with Canada to reach a new NAFTA deal ... or he may have just felt the need to repeat his oft-used slogan. Just as likely, though ... it's a retort to Meghan's eulogy for her father.
Wolf Blitzer doesn't think anything at John McCain's funeral was out of line or too political ... and he's got no apparent issues with Meghan McCain's shot at the Prez either.
We got the CNN anchor at the Reagan National Airport in D.C. Saturday shortly after the late Senator's service wrapped up ... he said it was a beautiful funeral, fitting for "a great American and a great patriot."
Wolf also supported Meghan's comments about her father and the country, clearly slamming Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" motto.
Meghan said, "The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great."
Blitzer's on board with that sentiment, telling us though America's made mistakes, it's the greatest country in the world in his opinion ... and "it's always been great."
As we reported ... former Presidents and McCain rivals George W. Bush and Barack Obama also delivered eulogies for the esteemed politician's National Memorial Service Saturday.
Obama also appeared to knock Trump with his comments, saying McCain urged us all to rise above politics based on "bombast and insult and phony controversies and manufactured outrage."
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CNN's Jeffrey Toobin Trump Attacks Black People A Lot You Tell Me What It Means
Jeffrey Toobin thinks it's awfully peculiar President Trump seems to have a habit of viciously attacking black people ... but stops short of calling him a full-on racist.
We got CNN's Chief Legal Analyst Monday at LAX and asked about DT's latest vitriol against prominent African-Americans -- namely, his disgusting tweet calling LeBron James and Don Lemon dumb and dumber -- and Toobin thinks there's a pattern here that can't be ignored.
It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think..
@realDonaldTrump
Bottom line ... Trump has a track record of going after blacks both on Twitter and at rallies. He's called out LaVar Ball as being a "poor man's version of Don King" and has constantly referred to Rep. Maxine Waters as a "low IQ" person. And, don't forget the NFL's SOBs.
Toobin doesn't want to get into name-calling -- unlike the Prez -- but says 45's barbs reek of racism.
He also praises his coworker's eloquent response to Trump after getting attacked this weekend.
Who’s the real dummy? A man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages? #BeBest https://t.co/XO50qVksnR
@donlemon
So, Toobin thinks these are more than petty grudges or rage tweets at his "haters." Toobin clearly thinks it's all part of the guy's moral makeup.
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Alex Trebek Answer: THIS Guy Should Replace Me As New 'Jeopardy!' Host
Alex Trebek can't host "Jeopardy!" forever -- in fact, he says there's a good chance he'll retire from the show soon -- and he's already got a replacement in mind ... with a very fitting name.
Trebek talked to Harvey Levin on the latest episode of 'OBJECTified' Sunday night about his legendary career as a game show host. He says chances are more than 50/50 he'll leave "Jeopardy!" when his contract expires in 2020, and when he departs ... he thinks the LA Kings hockey announcer should take over.
Who is Alex Faust? CORRECT!
Trebek's support would obviously carry a lot of weight ... he's deeply involved in the production of the show and his blessing would clearly sit well with viewers. Plus, having the same first name has its benefits.
Faust, who is just 28, already has some experience replacing icons -- he was chosen to replace Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller after 44 seasons to do play-by-play for the Kings ... and has apparently impressed Trebek with his work.
The "Jeopardy!" host has one other option in mind -- CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. Obviously, she has less in common with Trebek than Faust ... but he thinks she'd be a good fit as well.
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Donald Trump Private Call with Michael Cohen Released ... Cash or Check?
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A taped conversation between Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, discussing financial payments has been released ... and this is going to get interesting.
CNN just released an audio recording it obtained of the Prez talking to Cohen, which it says is a convo between the 2 about buying the rights of former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story of an alleged affair with Trump.
On the tape, you hear Cohen say ... "I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David," who CNN suggests is a reference to David Pecker, the head of America Media, which publishes National Enquirer.
Then, after some more financial discussions, Trump is heard saying what sounds like either "Pay with cash" or "Don't pay with cash" ... and the debate over what this all means is born.
Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyer’s office (early in the morning) - almost unheard of. Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client - totally unheard of & perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong!
@realDonaldTrump
The audio's release comes on the heels of reports that Cohen had recorded them talking about the Karen McDougal situation, followed by Trump tweeting it was "perhaps illegal" for a lawyer to record a client.
Trump also denied doing anything wrong ... and time will tell what he has to say about the tape.
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Anthony Bourdain Gets 2 Emmy Nods
Anthony Bourdain and his hit show, 'Parts Unknown,' will be in the spotlight at the Emmy Awards, because he's up for 2 statuettes and the show got 7 nominations.
Bourdain got the nod for Outstanding Informational Series or Special as an executive producer. His show has swept that category for the last 4 years. He's also up for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program ... for his episode on Southern Italy.
Bourdain had been filming an episode of 'Parts Unknown' in France when he died of a suicide on June 8.
The show's other nominations are for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series (for the show's website), Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program.
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Anthony Bourdain Daughter Gets Most of Fortune
Anthony Bourdain left a sizable estate behind and most of it is going straight to his 11-year-old daughter, Ariane.
A copy of Bourdain's will was filed in a New York court Thursday and the celebrity chef/TV host left behind about $1.2 million in known assets at the time of his death. That includes $425k in cash, $250k in personal property, $35k in brokerage accounts, and about $500k in royalties and residuals ... according to the NY Daily News.
Bourdain's will also reportedly indicates an outstanding $1 million mortgage, but doesn't specify the location of that property.
Ariane gets the bulk of his assets, and his estranged wife, Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, is the executor of the will.
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Dennis Rodman Left in Tears Over Trump/Kim Jong-un Summit
As happy as a lot of folks might've been seeing the U.S. and North Korea meet peacefully, no one was as jubilant as Dennis Rodman ... dude was literally crying tears of joy.
Rodman went on CNN shortly after President Trump met Kim Jong-un Tuesday, where he had streams coming down his face -- albeit behind sunglasses -- and praised the historic summit ... which he's insinuated he had a role in brokering by softening up Kim.
As you might know ... Rodman has been the U.S.'s unofficial spokesperson on all things North Korea for a while now -- even bringing over a basketball team to the country to get on Kim's good side. He also claims he got Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal," in Kim's hands.
Welp, all that diplomacy seems to have paid off ... in Dennis' mind, anyway. While he told CNN's Chris Cuomo he didn't want any credit ... he went on to brag that Trump's secretary called him to say the Prez was proud of the work he'd done.
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Anthony Bourdain Out for Tandem Bike Ride ... One of His Last Photos
One of the last images taken of Anthony Bourdain shows him riding a tandem bike through eastern France with the chef who would find him, days later, dead in his hotel room.
The photo was taken 2 days ago in the town of Colmar. We know Bourdain had been out there filming an episode of 'Parts Unknown' with pal and fellow chef Eric Ripert. Ripert is at the helm of the bike with Bourdain, who looks deep in thought.
Anthony's crew had their own tandem ride to capture the footage as they rode alongside Bourdain and Ripert.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
As we previously reported, Ripert found Bourdain dead in his hotel Friday morning in Strasbourg -- a city renowned for incredible restaurants ... and about an hour from where this bike ride went down.
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Anthony Bourdain Talked Depression in 'Parts Unknown' ... 'I Feel Very Isolated'
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Anthony Bourdain revealed he suffered from depression during a 2016 episode of 'Parts Unknown' -- in which he said something as simple as a bad burger could send him into a downward spiral.
Bourdain addressed the issue while visiting Argentina -- a country that fascinated him because it embraced psychoanalysis and mental health treatment.
The episode featured several scenes of Bourdain speaking with his therapist and addressing real issues in his life. And, even though it seems like a joke at first, it becomes clear he's not kidding around.
When asked what brought him into the office, Bourdain says ... "I will find myself in an airport, for instance, and I'll order an airport hamburger. It's an insignificant thing, it's a small thing, it's a hamburger, but it's not a good one. Suddenly I look at the hamburger and I find myself in a spiral of depression that can last for days."
He goes on to explain how he often feels alone.
"I feel kind of like a freak and I feel very isolated. I communicate for a living but I'm terrible at communicating with people I care about."
The episode ended with Bourdain saying he has positive moments too.
"There's the evil cheeseburger that sets me off. Suddenly I'm super depressed for days. It's like that with the good stuff too. I have a couple of happy minutes there where I'm thinking, life is pretty good."
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Morgan Freeman Back to Work
Morgan Freeman's keeping his head down -- as he fights back against the sexual harassment allegations -- and focusing on his J-O-B ... making movies.
The actor was spotted on set of "The Poison Rose" Wednesday in Savannah, Georgia ... carrying on with filming his scenes the week after CNN reported multiple women are accusing him of sexual misconduct.
As we reported ... Freeman's lawyers lashed out at CNN, calling the story "the product of malicious intent, falsehoods, slight-of-hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice." CNN says it stands by its story.
'Poison Rose' also stars John Travolta, Peter Stormare, and Kat Graham ... but Morgan's colorful trucker hat definitely makes him stand out on set.