CQ Roll Call called an all hands sales meeting at approximately 6:30 a.m. for every rep in the office, FishbowlDC has learned. They were told to cancel all appointments for the day.

At the meeting, CQ Roll Call Senior V.P. Jim Gale told the entire sales team that they ran out of money and that they cannot pay them for February or March. In layman’s terms, ads and sales reps have their comp plans based on certain numbers, which usually include a commission on their sales. So if they are trying to pay less, they may remove commission on sales, or say no commission for the month.

Though we received information about the general news at least a week ago, a second email about the morning meeting came in today. It isn’t clear whether the early morning meeting with reps occurred this morning or on another morning in the past two weeks. We’re told the Ads department is next on the chopping block.

As it just so happens, Read more

ABC News’ Michael Falcone published a story on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this morning with an all too appropriate lede. “The Ted Cruz headlines just won’t stop,” it said.

It’s true. “Has Ted Cruz Hit The Tipping Point? [[DO NOT PUB]],” blared the headline when it made its way our email inbox via ABC News’ RSS feed (with a link that led to a dead end). The headlines just won’t stop. Even when they’re not ready for publication.

There’s no stopping the Cruz Cruise.

Falcone’s story was fixed shortly thereafter.

It’s Fish Poll time.

When WaPo‘s Bob Woodward, a guy who has figured out how to bring out the toddler in Democrats and Republicans, claimed on Wednesday that he was threatened by the White House, a media debate started over what exactly constitutes a “threat.”

After Woodward said this week that it was the Obama administration which came up with the sequester idea, a White House official (Gene Sperling, Director of the White House Economic Council) emailed Woodward to say he’d “regret staking out that claim.”

In a subsequent interview with Politico, Woodward maintained that it was indeed a threat. “Come on,” he said. “I think if Obama himself saw the way they’re dealing with some of this, he would say, ‘Whoa, we don’t tell any reporter ‘you’re going to regret challenging us.’”

Some sided with Woodward. Others said the “regret” line was nothing, similar to telling someone he’d be proven wrong in time… Read more

Just as we were flipping around the cable news networks last night looking for a fresh take on the Oscar Pistorious murder case, a new look at those blades at least, we realized no one was on it. So we settled for the next best thing: CNN’s Anderson Cooper and one hair clip short of a ponytaled Nancy Grace in full discussion about the Jodi Arias trial. Back and forth they went, marveling over Jody’s drastic dye job and how she couldn’t remember stabbing her boyfriend some 30 times.

And then who comes vaulting out of the Twitter peanut gallery and ruins it for us? Read more

Yesterday WaPo published this photograph of MSNBC’s “The Cycle” co-host S.E. Cupp. But lurking in the background is a certain nugget of a reporter, Matthew Boyle, who works for Breitbart.com. So we thought we’d have some fun with some captions in a feature that takes after “Project Runway” with a fishy twist.

Peter Ogburn: 1. “I don’t think anyone has the heart to tell Boyle that it’s S.E. Cupp, not C-Cup.” 2. “Luckily, Cupp didn’t noticed the disheveled homeless man behind her.” 3. “Private Pyle from Full Metal Jacket looks pretty good for his age.”

Betsy Rothstein: 1. “How YOU doin S.E. Cupp?” 2. “Hey S.E. have I told you about all those stories I did on the Dominican prostitutes? Impressive, right?” 3. “Hey S.E., it’s you and me and fast and furious, all night long.”

Care to weigh in? Write us at fishbowldc@mediabistro.com or send to me at Betsy@mediabistro.com.

Jamie Chandler has joined U.S. News & World Report’s “Thomas Jefferson Street,” the publication’s political opinion blog. Chandler is a political scientist at Hunter College in New York City and a nationally known political commentator. Chandler writes for the following publications: Debate Club, International Business Times. He formerly wrote for Politico’s Arena section.

Read his first post on the Supreme Court upcoming ruling on the Voting Rights Act here.

Someone should get Bob Woodward some Preparation H because he’s acting all butthurt over a minor spat with the White House.

On Wednesday, Politico’s Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen put out this piece claiming the seasoned political reporter was “at war” with the White House. It all stems from Woodward’s recent piece alleging that the looming sequester cuts were all an idea that came from the Obama administration. Woodward tells of an angry phone conversation he had with an unidentified White House official and a follow up email that Woodward perceived as “a threat.” This led to conservatives rallying around Woodward for his calling out of the administration and pointing to their threatening tactics as a form of bullying. This made Twitter an unbelievably painful place to be on Wednesday evening.

It didn’t take long for Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith to report the White House official in question was none other than economic aide, Gene Sperling. Politico, sensing they had been scooped, confirmed that it was Sperling AND released the threatening email in question.

The only problem? It’s hardly a threat. Read more

“Oscar Pistorious: Man. Superman. Gunman.”

This is the cover of this week’s TIME magazine, which features a startlingly attractive half-naked picture of Oscar Pistorious, who may or may not have purposely murdered his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Story description: “TIME’s cover story takes an in-depth look at South Africa’s culture of violence and its implications in the shocking death of Oscar Pistorius’s girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Africa bureau chief Alex Perry delves into the country’s complicated history with race relations, inequality and violence, and looks at how its played into the hero worship and current fascination with Pistorius and his upcoming trial.”

Quotes of the Day

“Dude I don’t even know how to make a gif #buzzfeedconfession” — BuzzFeed‘s newest Washingtonian Rosie Gray.

THREATENED: Reporters react to Woodward’s claims

“I never took nasty emails as threats. I took them as a sign I was doing my job. Nothing to do with bravery.” — Matt Apuzzo, AP investigative reporter in reaction to WaPo Bob Woodward‘s claim that he was threatened by the White House, namely Director of the National Economic Counsel Gene Sperling. (Sperling scoop by BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith.)

“The flaks I know usually just call to yell at me. no email I hate more threatening than ‘Kate, do you have second to talk about this?’” — Politico‘s Kate Nocera.

“Think abt it: You’re a 22-year-old reporter and you see what happens to BOB WOODWARD. You may stay quiet about when a flack barks/pressures” — National Review‘s Robert Costa.

“Reminder of the night: Non-reporters don’t understand journo-source interactions.” — Politico‘s Kevin Robillard.

(From our favorite non-vacationer…) “I know I’m on vacation, but I’ve gotten threats from both Obamaland and Romneyland. ‘You’ll regret this’ is like a walk in the park.” — Former BuzzFeed scribe Zeke Miller.

Politico Playbook Publish Time: 9:09 a.m.

Journo marvels over price of smokes

“I just saw woman in NYC buy two packs of cigarettes for $31. Who can afford that habit here?” — TWT senior opinion writer Emily Miller.

Important Q to Ponder: “You think when Ben Smith was 8 & watching All The President’s Men for the first time, he knew that one day he’d #BenSmith that guy?” — Breitbart‘s John Nolte, official nemesis to BuzzFeed‘s Smith.

Watch out for reporter in PJ’s

“Dear DC: I’m about to wander you in my pajama pants and I’m feeling very Jay Cutler #DoonttttCarrrreeee-esque about it.” — Roll Call‘s Meredith Shiner.

More Woodward and what he’ll regret… Read more

It’s never really a good thing to brag about how dumb your interns are. But at the risk of offending every intern in her midst, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher of The Nation, announced on Twitter last night that her “smart” interns have no clue who Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward is.

Smart@thenation interns & young folks have no idea who Woodward is but dc establishment freaked about his critique of WH & sequester.

— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@KatrinaNation) February 28, 2013

Ten minutes later she pulled her head out of her ass thought better of it and announced that in fact they do know who Woodward is.

Clarification: @thenation interns know who Woodward was but have far clearer memory of his establishment role post-Watergate.

— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@KatrinaNation) February 28, 2013

Phew! We were worried there for a minute.