One message Ted Cruz no longer approves of is a campaign ad that featured a softcore porn actress.

Prior to appearing in Cruz's "Conservatives Anonymous" commercial targeting Marco Rubio, Amy Lindsay had parts in Erotic Confessions, Carnal Wishes, Secrets of a Chambermaid, and Insatiable Desires. In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Lindsay, a self-described conservative Christian and Republican, said she's never been in any XXX films, and thought everyone involved in the commercial knew about her previous credits. Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told BuzzFeed News Lindsay went to an open casting call and was "not vetted by the production company" after getting the job. "Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad," he said.

"Conservatives Anonymous" is being yanked from the air, he said, and will be replaced with another commercial. As for Lindsay, she told BuzzFeed News she was trying to decide if she wanted to support Cruz or Donald Trump, but later tweeted she was "extremely disappointed" by the Cruz campaign pulling the ad.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/605521/ted-cruzs-campaign-pulls-ad-after-discovering-stars-softcore-porn-actress

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/latino-celebs-plead-dont-vote-for-trump-cruz-or-rubio-20160211



Aubrey Plaza and Carlos Santana joined 20 other Latino celebrities in signing a letter condemning the positions of GOP candidates. Jonathan Leibson/Getty, Ethan Miller/Getty

An army of Latino celebrities have signed a letter imploring their fellow Latino voters not to support Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush or any other major Republican candidate.

George Lopez, Aubrey Plaza, Zoe Saldana, Carlos Santana, America Ferrera, Benjamin Bratt and Ivonne Coll were among the 22 signatories of the letter, which was drafted and posted online by the watchdog group People for the American Way.

"From accusing Mexicans of being rapists to kicking Jorge Ramos out of his press conference, Trump has spent the entirety of his presidential bid stoking unfounded anti-immigrant fears and deeply offending our communities," the missive reads.

"We must not, though, let Trump's xenophobia overshadow the extreme policies being pushed by every single one of the GOP's leading presidential candidates. Latinos should understand that Donald Trump embodies the true face of the entire Republican Party. Sadly, he speaks for the GOP's anti-immigrant, anti-Latino agenda."

Why One Republican Strategist Fears Bernie More Than Hillary

Bernie "would bring new energy to the general election" that would be a big threat to the GOP, he said.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republican-strategist-bernie-sanders-clinton_us_56bbafb3e4b0c3c5504ff6c7

In a conversation with Santa Monica public radio's KCRW on Wednesday, Republican strategist Dave Carney speculated that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could pose a bigger threat to the GOP in the general election than Hillary Clinton would.

Sanders has tapped into a powerful populist anger (as has Trump), and that sentiment isn't easy for opposing candidates to overcome, Carney said.

"Bernie does the exact same thing that Trump does on the different side of the coin," Carney argued. "They talk about this economic disconnect between the elites and the rest of us ... and they have different proscriptions for fixing that, but it’s the same anger, the same concern."

Carney said that while Sanders' self-description as a "democratic socialist" might alienate some people, it ultimately becomes irrelevant once voters enter the voting booth.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's plans to ride message discipline and policy pliability into consensus support from the party's corporate elite suffered a setback on Saturday night at the Republican debate in New Hampshire. (The Wall Street Journal editorial board, a pillar of that elite, said that Rubio's "gutting by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday was as complete as any we've seen.&quot Former surgeon Ben Carson appears ready to take his assiduously compiled list of donors and head off for a lucrative retirement.

***

Yet, all things considered, Bush may be the most formidable candidate that Republicans could run in the general election.

Christie is fatally flawed for Republicans by virtue of his own record and a scandal that, at the least, involves his top aides' creepy abuse of power. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has a strong record in an important swing state and appears to be the only genuinely happy warrior in the field. But his support for Obamacare's Medicaid expansion in Ohio will almost certainly destroy him in the primary, should he become a serious threat for the nomination. (And, at the end of the day, he's a bit herky-jerky in demeanor for White House duty.)

So that leaves Rubio and Bush among the candidates who don't scare children and moderates. Rubio may or may not be the future. But if Republicans believe their own experts, Bush is probably their best shot in the present.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-jeb-bush-loss-in-new-hampshire-20160209-story.html

http://www.thedailymeal.com/news/eat/man-dies-during-krispy-kreme-race-challenges-runners-eat-12-doughnuts/020916

The Krispy Kreme Challenge is an annual charity event held in North Carolina that challenges runners to feast on doughnuts and complete a five-mile run to raise money for a local children’s hospital. But this year, the challenge ended in tragedy after a 58-year-old participant died of a heart attack during the gluttonous race that’s described as “2400 calories, 12 doughnuts, 5 miles, 1 hour,” according to the Washington Post.

Shortly after the race kicked off, an unnamed man began having chest pains and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He never actually made it to the Krispy Kreme where runners congregate after the race.
How to Eat Well While Training for a Marathon Slideshow

“Unfortunately we have some sad news to share,” the group that organizes the unique race said. “We regretfully confirm that a participant of today’s Krispy Kreme Challenge has died. We are deeply saddened and wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones.”

The Krispy Kreme Challenge began as a competition amongst students at the North Carolina State University to raise money for the local hospital, but has since grown into an annual headliner event that draws more than 65,000 runners each year. This is the challenge’s first fatality.