Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

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“AOL, the parent company of The Huffington Post, has become the eighth advertiser to pull its money from Rush Limbaugh’s syndicated radio program since he called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, who spoke out in favor of contraception coverage, a ‘slut’ and a “prostitute” last week, according to a high-level Huffington Post source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, but with a distinctly Greek accent.

‘”At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity,” said Maureen Sullivan, an AOL spokeswoman who confirmed the decision. “We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh’s comments are not in line with our values. As a result we have made the decision to suspend advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Radio show.’

“Limbaugh issued an apology for his comments on Saturday, but that has not stopped advertisers from continuing to sever ties with his program. ProFlowers and Carbonite both left the show after he said he was sorry.”

The rest of the article is here.

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Editor’s note: We’ve been discussing this topic a lot lately: Whether these supposed “think tanks” crank out needed research or whether they’re merely political tools for ideologues. Well, here’s the latest.

“Koch Brothers sue Cato Institute, president

“The billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch filed a lawsuit Wednesday for control of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington,” according to the Washington Post.

“The lawsuit exposes a power struggle for one of Washington’s premiere policy centers, which has been funded by millions in contributions from the Koch brothers’ foundations since its founding in 1974.

“Cato was divided between four shareholders: the two Koch brothers, Cato president Ed Crane, and former Cato chairman William Niskanen, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in a court in Johnson County, Kansas.

“At the heart of the dispute is the fate of the shares owned by Niskanen, who died in October at age 78 of complications from a stroke. The Koch brothers believe that they have the option to buy Niskanen’s shares, while Cato officials believe that the shares belong to Niskanen’s widow, Kathryn Washburn, according to the complaint.

“Washburn, who is named in the suit along with Cato and Crane, referred questions to Cato.”

The rest of the article is here.

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