Topic: Pecker

The practice of "catch and kill"—buying the rights to a story specifically to prevent its publication—is discussed in the context of the National Enquirer. A host shares a personal anecdote about a Silicon Valley magazine paying for a "top ten" story that was never published, illustrating how the tactic is used beyond political scandals.

Testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker detailed his efforts to protect Donald Trump's 2016 campaign by burying negative stories. Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking to hold Trump in criminal contempt for violating a gag order that prevents him from attacking trial witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accused American Media Inc. (AMI) and its chief David Pecker of extortion and blackmail involving private text messages and photographs. The conflict stems from the National Enquirer's investigation into Bezos's affair with Lauren Sanchez. Legal experts suggest AMI may have violated a non-prosecution agreement previously established with the Justice Department regarding campaign finance violations.

National Enquirer publisher David Pecker was granted immunity in the Michael Cohen investigation. A deconstruction of ABC News coverage by Tom Yamas highlights "chicken shit journalism," where Trump quotes are taken out of context to suggest he is "slamming" individuals when he is actually lamenting the legal situation of "flipping" witnesses.

The release of a secret recording made by Michael Cohen shows him discussing a payment to buy the rights to Karen McDougal's story about an alleged affair with Donald Trump. The "catch and kill" strategy involved David Pecker of American Media Inc. The hosts argue the media is overhyping the legal significance of the tapes regarding campaign finance laws.

A New York Times investigation details a "complicity machine" that protected Harvey Weinstein for decades through political and media alliances. The report alleges Weinstein advised Jeff Bezos on handling bad press and maintained a close relationship with American Media Inc. CEO David Pecker. Additionally, actress Lena Dunham reportedly warned Hillary Clinton's aides about Weinstein's behavior long before the public scandal.

The hosts discuss the 1998 John Waters film "Pecker" after a segment of "guess the movie." The conversation shifts to news regarding Bill Cosby, with a satirical claim that he is "running kids through Guatemala." They also mention a news report involving 33 undocumented immigrants and the cancellation of projects tied to Cosby.

The National Enquirer published a story alleging that Ted Cruz has had multiple extramarital affairs. While Cruz supporters blame Donald Trump for planting the story due to his friendship with Enquirer CEO David Pecker, the hosts suggest the tabloid has a history of being correct about political scandals like those of John Edwards. The timing of the release is seen as a strategic move to damage Cruz's "family man" image.

The hosts discuss the current media obsession with robots, linking it to the release of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and "Transformers: Age of Extinction." They play a dispassionate movie promo from Mark Wahlberg and engage in a "guess the movie" game. Dvorak fails to identify the 1998 John Waters film "Pecker," leading to a humorous exchange about their respective movie-watching habits on long flights.

John C. Dvorak posits that the current media obsession with "killer robots" is actually a viral marketing campaign for the new X-Men and Transformers movies. He then plays a clip from a movie for Adam to guess; the movie is revealed to be John Waters' "Pecker." Adam recounts his poor movie-watching experiences on the flight to Japan.