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Gannett Skipping USA Today in Paywall Expansion

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America's most unavoidable, often free newspaper USA Today, which sits scattered across airports and hotels nationwide at no cost, will remain that way online as well, even as its publisher Gannett puts up a bunch of new digital paywalls. The largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. will enact a New York Times-style metered system for non-subscribers at 80 of its community papers by the end of 2012, Forbes reports from the company's shareholder meeting today. Gannett expects a 25 percent bump in annual subscription revenues, but the company's CEO said USA Today would remain wide-open at least until its website is updated. The Cincinnati Enquirer's online presence, though, will soon cost you.

The Gay Hairdresser Revolt Has Begun

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Okay, fine, it's not a full blown revolt yet. So far, it's just one badass trailblazer, Antonio Darden. A "popular stylist" in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Darden has cut the hair of Republican governor Susana Martinez three times before, but recently decided, enough: 

"The governor's aides called not too long ago, wanting another appointment to come in," Darden said. "Because of her stances and her views on [gay marriage] I told her aides no. They called the next day, asking if I'd changed my mind about taking the governor in and I said no again."

Maybe it's just an isolated incident — or maybe it will become the catalyst of a nationwide boycott that will wreak havoc on the hair of anti-equality politicians across the country. You've been warned, bigots: The gays can make this very painful for you. 

Tony Blair’s Wife Suing News Corp. Buddies

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform on October 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Rupert Murdoch was the keynote speaker at the two-day National Summit on Education Reform. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Cherie Blair, the wife of former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair, has decided to sue Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers Ltd. and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire over phone hacking, the Telegraph reports. Dozens of initial phone-hacking cases have already been settled by News Corp., with singer Charlotte Church, the lone holdout of the first batch, expected to come to an agreement this week, thus avoiding a High Court trial. But the Blairs represent a special case, both because of their international standing and their personal relationship with the Murdoch family: Tony Blair is the godfather of Rupert and Wendi Murdoch's youngest daughter, and attended her baptism on the banks of the Jordan River. Even if this case is settled easily, the true fallout won't be known until Christmas-card time.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: NY 1 anchor Pat Kiernan attends the launch party for CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" at Robert atop the Museum of Arts and Design on September 27, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Pat Kiernan’s Dreams Are Slowly Coming True

Every local's favorite (Canadian) television anchor, NY1's Pat Kiernan, has not been shy about his desire to replace Regis Philbin on morning TV, telling New York last year, "Live! is a rare intersection of my two specialties" — New York City and pop culture. While he said he wanted a weeklong tryout as Kelly Ripa's co-host, he's been tapped for one day instead, and on March 7 will appear alongside Ripa and guest Willem Defoe. Kiernan is predictably "very excited" and "nervous," while his obsessive Facebook fans are over the moon.

Check Out a ‘Slightly Trimmer’ Chris Christie

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Okay, we don't really see it. But, up close and in person last night, Piers Morgan observed that Chris Christie was looking "slightly trimmer," and the New Jersey governor acknowledged that he's lost "a little bit" of weight and has been "working with a trainer on a regular basis." Christie claims he's just trying to "be healthier," particularly with his 50th birthday coming up. Which is probably true, but, obviously, shedding a few pounds — or, ideally, more than a few — wouldn't hurt him politically, either. 

The Secret Romer Stimulus Memo

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 18: U.S. President Barack Obama walks with (L-R) Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Christine Romer, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Director of the White House's National Economic Council Lawrence Summers prior to speaking before departing the White House March 18, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama spoke primarily about the growing pressure resulting from the payout of bonuses at AIG and also expressed continued confidence in Geithner's role as Treasury Secretary. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The largest question looming over Barack Obama’s presidency is what would have happened if he tried to push for a larger economic stimulus at the outset. Could he have gotten it passed? Did he think his plan was truly big enough, or just the biggest one he could pass?

In answer to that question, Noam Scheiber has acquired a major piece of the puzzle. While reporting his new book, The Escape Artists, which chronicles the administration’s response to the crisis, he got his hands on the fabled original version of Obama's economic team's 2008 memo, sort of the economic policy equivalent of the Blade Runner original cut. In the first version, Romer argues that a $1.8 trillion stimulus would be needed to fill in the anticipated output gap (which, in any case, turned out to be larger than anybody knew at the time.) But Larry Summers considered that figure unrealistically high — they would be laughed at by the political team — so the memo that reached Obama’s desk described an $850 billion stimulus as the largest possible option.

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Jeremy Lin Gets a Bachelor Pad in the Financial District

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Up until now, after a game at Madison Square Garden, Jeremy Lin would have to schlep all the way home to Trump Tower in Westchester. According to Google Maps, the commute takes a minimum of 46 minutes by car. For the world's most influential and important person, this is unacceptable. So, after putting up with this nonsense for an entire week, Lin has begun renting a "swanky, 1,182-square-foot condo" at the W Hotel in the financial district, according to the Post. Eleven minutes by car from MSG, says Google. That's 35 more minutes for Lin to enjoy life as the city's hottest commodity, a.k.a., eat burgers and play Monopoly. 

Gothamist Commenter Arrested for Ray Kelly Threats

Richard Strauss, a 49-year-old Brooklyn man, has been arrested for making death threats against NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly on a Gothamist article about the department's Muslim surveillance program. Strauss, who has a previous gun possession charge, called Kelly "an enemy of the people and the constitution" three days ago. "A well placed round of 7.62 ammo to his thick skull would work quite well to eliminate the threat that he poses," Strauss wrote. "All New Yorkers should aim their sights (both figuratively and literally) on this piece of excrement." We repeat: Law enforcement is reading the comments.

Mayor Cory Booker Had No Idea the NYPD Spied on Muslims in Newark, Too

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The New York Police Department's post-9/11 surveillance tactics reached well outside its jurisdiction, with undercover officers gathering intelligence on Muslims from Long Island to Yale. Newark, the largest city in New Jersey, was also subject to intelligence gathering from the NYPD's Demographics Unit, and Mayor Cory Booker claims he had no clue, according to a new Associated Press report by Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman, the latest in an exhaustive, ongoing series. "Wow," said Booker upon hearing the news. "This raises a number of concerns. It's just very, very sobering."

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