Ryan Lizza, who was fired from the New Yorker in December over allegations of sexual misconduct, has returned to CNN as a political analyst, Variety reports.
"Upon learning of The New Yorker’s decision to sever ties with Ryan Lizza in December, CNN pulled him from future on-air appearances while the network conducted an extensive investigation into the matter. Based on the information provided and the findings of the investigation, CNN has found no reason to continue to keep Mr. Lizza off the air."
— CNN's statement provided to Variety
Background: Lizza has denied improper behavior, saying he was "dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate." Through her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, the woman accusing Lizza said his misconduct did not "constitute a 'respectful relationship,'" per Variety.
SportsCenter at 6 anchor Jemele Hill is leaving the program for a new role at ESPN's The Undefeated, a website about the "intersections of race, sports and culture," reports CNN.
Why it matters: Hill came under fire in September for calling President Donald Trump a "white supremacist" on Twitter. She was later suspended by for a second violation of the company's social media policy, after more tweets about Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and black NFL players.
It was after 2 a.m. in Davos — with even hardy partiers gone from Salesforce's wild "Aloha Nightcap" at the Cabanna Club — when White House officials and reporters were hit by one of the biggest bombshells of this presidency so far ...
"President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, ... but ultimately backed down after the White House counsel threatened to resign rather than carry out the directive," the N.Y. Times' Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman report:
Google is expanding account settings to allow users to mute pesky "reminder ads," a new control in Ads Settings, that follow people around the web after they've viewed a product. Users can mute ads from specific advertisers for up to 90 days at a time. Reminder Ads is a new control in Ads Settings.
Why it matters: The efforts are part of Google's push to be user-friendly by weeding out bad ads that aren't relevant or have annoying formats. The tech giant will implement an ad blocker in its Google Chrome search engine in February that are found to have unresolved and repeat violations for annoying ads. Annoying ads is defined by industry standards mapped out by the Coalition for Better Ads.
ESPN is exploring "a variety of options" for Nate Silver's website FiveThirtyEight, including a sale to The Atlantic or integration with another Disney property like ABC News, The Big Lead reports.
Why it matters: The prediction site was first acquired by ESPN from the New York Times in 2013. While rumors of a sale or spinoff are still speculative, the network has undergone a number of changes in the past year in an effort to adapt to a digital-first media landscape.
Comcastannounced 100,000 bonuses of $1,000, while around 500 managers, supervisors, and salespeople were fired. AT&Tannounced 200,000 bonuses of $1,000, while laying off thousands. Walmartannounced minimum hourly wage raises to $11, and offering $1,000 bonuses; on the same day it announced the lay off of "thousands of workers."
Departing American Express CEO Ken Chenault is joining Airbnb's board as its first independent member, the company said on Thursday. This comes just days after Chenault also agreed to join Facebook's board.
In March, Airbnb plans to release its first annual stakeholder report.
Between the lines: Airbnb remains coy about its IPO plans, but it's hard not to see these as anything other than steps toward a public listing.
Oprah Winfrey's speech at the Golden Globes instantly made waves across America, sparking a rush of enthusiasm for her to pursue a presidential bid. But in a newly released InStyle interview, which took place just three weeks before the awards ceremony, Oprah said a 2020 run isn't in the cards:
I’ve always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not. And so it’s not something that interests me. I don’t have the DNA for it.
