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Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker will return the witness stand today for the second day of Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial over covering up “hush money” payments to a porn star. Pecker will resume testimony where he is expected to detail the inner workings of a scheme he, Trump and his “fixer” lawyer Michael Cohen devised to buy up and bury bad news during the 2016 presidential election. Trump is on trial for allegedly fudging business records to conceal a $130,000 payoff to Stormy Daniels made before the 2016 presidential election. The 72-year-old ex-CEO of the Enquirer’s parent company,...

Shock absorption would make them less efficient peckers, study argues Scientists have long hypothesized that a spongy bone in the woodpecker’s skull cushions its repeated head slams like a well-designed safety helmet. (Indeed, engineers have modeled football helmets and shock-absorbing electronics after this idea.) But a new analysis shows the birds may be opting for power over protection. ...But woodpeckers, despite smacking with accelerations three times the human concussion threshold, seem to escape unharmed, says Sam Van Wassenbergh, a biomechanist at the University of Antwerp and lead author on the study. This impressive resilience led previous researchers to search for...

CNN pundit Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended for "accidentally flashing his penis during a Zoom call with colleagues," and reportedly also masturbating. VICE spoke with two anonymous people who were on the call which was an election simulation featuring the New Yorker’s most prolific journalists, with Toobin reportedly playing the courts. Both sources said they saw Toobin “jerking off.” The simulation included a strategy session with a break of about 10 minutes. Toobin has since apologized and told the news outlet: "I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera.

Back in 2015, onstage at the annual CPAC conference, Trump said something very interesting about Bill Clinton. "Nice guy," he said. "Got a lot of problems coming up, in my opinion, with the famous island with Jeffrey Epstein. Lot of problems." Trump knew what he was talking about. Vanity Fair reports that, shortly before CPAC, Trump was approached by David Pecker, who then owned the National Enquirer. Pecker visited Trump and brought along "an issue with a Prince Andrew and Epstein-related cover." They were joined by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. After the meeting, Trump called in Sam Nunberg, who then...

The Mueller probe was not about Russia, illegality, or crime. It was about removing Trump and getting opposition research if they couldn't. But it will be to no avail. If the Pussy Tape didn't work, do they think anything else will? But they'll still try. Too bad there aren't that many moderate republicans anymore that can be phonily outraged.

Prosecutors have granted immunity to David Pecker, the CEO of the company that publishes National Enquirer, as part of their investigation into President Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen. Pecker met with the prosecution to discuss Cohen's involvement in Trump's hush-money deals with women leading up to the 2016 presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. DEVELOPING...

• AMI chairman David Pecker gave prosecutors information about President Donald Trump's knowledge of payments his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen made to women alleging affairs with Trump. • Pecker, along with both his company and the Trump Organization, had reportedly been subpoenaed by federal investigators in April. • Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight criminal charges including tax fraud and campaign finance violations, and could face years in prison....

There are lots of reasons not to use plastic – but this one might come as a shock. Chemicals in everyday items, from household cleaners to food packaging, can damage a man’s penis – and make it smaller. Phthalates, BPA and parabens are to blame for a rise in the number of baby boys being born with genital defects, experts have warned. Dr. Andrew Pask and Dr. Mark Green, from the University of Melbourne, said in Australia penis birth defects have doubled in recent years, due to plastic use. To prove the link, they looked at the results when humans...

Donald Trump fired back Tuesday at reports questioning his fundraising haul from a high-profile veterans event in January, releasing an extensive list of charities he said received the donations -- and slamming the media for questioning him. During a press conference at Trump Tower, the presumptive Republican nominee said he's raised $5.6 million and more is coming in. He rattled off the list of charities and the amounts they received, while taking scathing and sometimes-personal shots at the media for pressuring him to disclose the information. “I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job,” Trump...

Hillary Clinton repeatedly used unsecured phones to contact four of her lesbian lovers — sparking a bombshell scandal that could doom her bid for the White House, The National ENQUIRER has learned in a blockbuster world exclusive! “It is my understanding that Hillary was careless — very careless,” spilled one top Beltway insider. “What she wants to do in her own bedroom is her own business. But she didn’t take the necessary steps to keep her romps with other women secret, and now it’s going to explode in front of every American voter!”

WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump supporter aired unsubstantiated rumors of Ted Cruz infidelity on CNN on Friday. Within an hour, Cruz accused Trump of using “henchmen” to peddle tabloid “garbage” and “complete and utter lies.” By mid-afternoon, Trump took to social media to deny his involvement in the story. Mainstream news outlets had steered clear of the rumors and a report in the tabloid National Enquirer before the Trump supporter — appearing live with Amanda Carpenter, a CNN commentator who had worked as Cruz’s communications director — demanded Carpenter address the allegation that she had an affair with the senator....

PDFs of the National Enquirer article about Ted Cruz having five affairs were sent to me by a friend on Wednesday evening. When he sent it, my buddy reminded me that the National Enquirer has been right about this kind of stuff before, like in the case of former Senator Edwards. I read the article about the Cruz affairs, but for many reasons including the fact that Roger Stone, Trump friend and "hit man" was quoted in the story paid it no heed (although it did make me wonder if Stone is the one who planted the story). My...

...with the presumptive front runner being heralded as Jeb Bush...the National Enquirer ran a hit piece aimed directly at Bush... ... ...last Fall, ...the National Enquirer ran a salacious story alleging that Carson, ... ... Then there was Carly Fiorina... whom the National Enquirer trashed at the expense of her deceased daughter... ... ...in Trump's world, he has replaced respect with fear. People don't respect Donald Trump, they fear his deep pockets and obtuse connections. ... Trump has run up against someone who doesn't respect or fear him...and the last of the outsiders...Ted Cruz. ... Enter David Pecker, the owner...

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POZNAN, Poland (AFP) – US Senator John Kerry, president-elect Barack Obama's point man at UN environment talks in Poland, said on Friday the EU's new climate pact was "an enormous act of leadership" that blazes a path for the entire world. "The EU today said, 'yes, we can and here's how,' and that's pretty good," Kerry told AFP as ministers prepared to wrap up 12 days of talks in Poznan, Poland on preparing a global climate pact to be signed in Copenhagen next December. The pact is "very exciting," he said. "It represents an enormous act of leadership which will...