Godfather’s Pizza magnate Herman Cain is having a moment, albeit a weird one, in which he has leapt into a statistical tie for 2nd place in the GOP primary race following a crushing victory in the Florida straw poll, but is also drawing fire for a perfectly-timed media byte in which he says African Americans have been “brainwashed” into voting for Democrats. On Thursday night’s AC360, former Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher debated Cain’s ascent, and that inflammatory remark.

On AC 360 Thursday night, Anderson Cooper spotlighted the “jailbait” section of the social link-sharing website Reddit.com, which features photographs of under-age teenagers. “Somebody somewhere is looking at sexually suggestive photos of your teenaged child and you might be just as surprised to learn where these pervy grownups find the images. They’re posted on a site that’s part of one of the most respected publishing empires on Earth. We’re talking about a site called Reddit.”

This week Anderson Cooper‘s daytime talk show launches with great fanfare. The media coverage ranged from breathless comparisons to Edward R. Murrow to “one of the great hopes to inherit the audience Ms. Winfrey leaves behind,” as was reported by Bill Carter today for the NY Times. Cooper is an outstanding journalist, and has been lauded for his terrific reporting from areas of conflict on this site. But the challenge he faces in transitioning to a successful daytime host requires a departure from his dispassionate and stoic demeanor, to one that viewers can connect with. And I just don’t see that happening.

In an interview Wednesday on CNN’s AC 360, U2 frontman and activist Bono dismissed any suggestion that the famine threatening the lives of up to 600,000 African children was the result of an act of God. “You can blame droughts on God, but famines are man-made,” the singer told Anderson Cooper, who was in Mogadishu, and has been reporting from the region all week. “This shouldn’t be happening,” Bono, who is co-founder of the ONE campaign, said, noting that other countries in the region have been hit by the same drought, but effective use of agricultural programs have helped avoid famine.

Fareed Zakaria is quickly building a reputation for sharing frank and candid opinions on political factions with whom he holds in particularly low esteem. Take for example last night’s conversation he had with AC360 host Anderson Cooper regarding House GOP members sympathetic to the Tea Party movement, who Zakaria feels were doing no less than taking the nation hostage over an inflexibility on raising the federal debt ceiling.

In an interview with Adweek‘s Brian Braiker, CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker describes his vision for the future of the news network. Simply put, it’s not just about breaking news, but it will probably look a lot like Anderson Cooper. “I think we’re in a day and age when you can have all the qualities of a great journalist but have a human side as well, and even a sense of humor. In many ways Anderson Cooper is the model that we increasingly are going to, not that everyone has to be Anderson Cooper.”

Local news anchor Derek James has a bone to pick with one Anderson Cooper–and naturally, this has everything to do with Jersey Shore‘s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. As you may have read in the suicide note of your high school English teacher, Snooki’s at work on her second book, and Cooper “defended” Polizzi’s chops as an author by giving a dramatic reading of some of her “work.” More great TV from the Silver Fox, you say? Sure. But the morning crew at WCCB-TV were simply not amused. “I’m going to address you personally, Anderson Cooper, Mr. Silver Fox,” began James on his show, Fox News Rising. “You and your staff–your huge staff–have to steal segments from me, little local TV host Derek James?”

CNN’s Anderson Cooper is in a position to offer a very unique take on the current events unfolding in Egypt right now. Not only was he in the chaotic streets of Cairo very recently, he also suffered some sort of beating by pro-Mubarak forces. Its from this position that his brutal criticism of embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper spoke out on charges–made in a voluminous report on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and repeated in the New York Post‘s PAGE SIX–that he “pushed too hard for his side of the story” when covering the spill, calling the claims “untrue, wrong, false.”

In the report by The Presidential Oil Spill Commission, Cooper’s accused of asking “a parish president to bring an angry, unemployed offshore oil worker on his show.” When that worker couldn’t “promise to be angry,” the report says the parish president and the worker were “disinvited.”

Pulled pork, anybody?

On AC360 Wednesday night, Anderson Cooper had great fun introducing viewers to Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, who gets the “Keeping Them Honest” treatment. Rogers, an incoming Republican committee chairman, will–in Cooper’s words–be the point man deciding “how your tax dollars are spent.”

He’s also, Cooper says, known as “one of the biggest money wasters in Congress.”

President Obama‘s high-profile plan to visit India came with a high-profile number that much of the media have latched onto: $200 million. That’s the alleged daily cost according to “a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit,” a price tag that the White House has tried to deflect. Now Anderson Cooper is on the case. The verdict? It’s a “made up story.”

Anderson Cooper is adding a daytime talk show to his busy schedule, signing a deal to host a one-hour syndicated program for Warner Bros. and Telepictures beginning in Fall 2011.

He stays on with CNN, and according to CNN President Jim Walton, he’s “extended his relationship” with the network in a new multi-year deal. All the details after the jump:

Last night President Obama marked the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq with a solemn and graceful thank you speech from the oval office. Former Clinton adviser Paul Begala and White House Press Secretary under President Bush Ari Fleischer took the occasion to debate (or re-debate) the many complex and unsettling issues that made the Iraq War such a lightening rod for criticism for both sides of the political aisle.

With Gen. Stanley McChrystal relieved of his Afghanistan duties in the wake of the Rolling Stone profile, the occasional TV talking head has put the blame on Michael Hastings for reporting too much.

But Hastings told Anderson Cooper last night that he believed Gen. McChrystal was “unfireable.”

Anderson Cooper has been anchoring and reporting from the Gulf Coast for CNN for weeks – just as he was nearly five years ago. He conducted an exclusive interview with a group of oil rig survivors this week – part two airs tonight.

We talked to Cooper about why BP won’t come on his show, comparisons to Hurricane Katrina and how CNN is different than the cable competition.

Depending on your frame of reference, Jaime Escalante or Admiral William Adama, (apparently Obama voters), think Obama has “lost it” due to his response to the BP oil spill. Actor Edward James Olmos told Anderson Cooper as much last night.

But while actors are talking to Cooper, BP is mostly avoiding the CNN anchor.

CNN consistently makes the case that they are the newsiest of all cable news channels. They are putting significant resources toward covering the oil spill – but so is every network.

But they were certainly the only network to cover the story live until 2amET last night.

Last night word leaked from a Senate aide that a compromise had been reached between President Obama and Congressional Democrats that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. Dana Bash reported on CNN last night that while Senate Democrats are aggressively pushing for legislation this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants time for the Pentagon to review.

Anthony Bourdain hosts a food and travel show called No Reservations on the Travel Channel. Friday he joined CNN’s Candy Crowley, conservative rock star Ted Nugent and AC 360 host Anderson Cooper to discuss political issues of the day. Known for his candor, Bourdain did not disappoint in his frank assessment of the Tea Party movement, labeling those involved “very angry white people.”

Last night Anderson Cooper 360 producer Jack Gray tweeted: “tomorrow night 10pmET, 360 Friday, a different format for #AC360. We hope you’ll tune in. Should be fun. #CNN.”

We hear this “different format” is the much-discussed studio audience special, debuting tonight.

Only 58% of Americans believe that President Barack Obama was born in this country, which was a topic on CNN’s AC 360 last night. Host Anderson Cooper led off by asking guest Roland Martin, “what’s wrong with the state of Arizona saying you know what? presidential candidates should produce a birth certificate, and we have the write to demand that.” Martin did not demure, saying “cause they’re stupid.” A ha!

The Kevin Smith-Southwest Airlines debacle has become a major topic on the news networks so far this week, even as the director has refused to talk to the media about the ordeal.

Here’s a look at one debate on CNN last night, as well as the latest blog battle between both sides.

Kathy Griffin will be co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage with Anderson Cooper tonight, live from Times Square. Last night, CNN viewers got a taste of what was to come as Griffin joined guest host Erica Hill on the set of AC 360, in what turned out to be a remarkably entertaining segment. However, the real revelation in the interview turned out to be Ms. Hill, whose comedic timing and whip-smart retorts showed that she has the chops to stay with anyone. Very funny video after the jump:

Anderson Cooper got hoorahs for “doing his homework” and “destroying” Mark Williams, during their interview yesterday. Until recently, Williams was a relatively unknown radio host and FNC regular until he became a national leader of the “Tea Party” movement – the organized protests of Obama’s healthcare reform. And while Cooper challenged Williams about some of his untrue accusations, he may have also given credence to their racist underpinnings.

Maybe it’s all that medium is the message stuff, but Mediaite has been popping up in the television world a lot lately. Prior to all that scruffy-faced interrupting, Mediaite made a cameo on Anderson Cooper 360‘s “The Shot.” Apparently Anderson Cooper is a bit of a moody muggle.