Todd Palin Is Alaska's (Unelected) Cheney

'First Dude' had say in virtually every aspect of Sarah Palin's administration

(NEWSER) - Todd Palin had a massive amount of power in his wife’s administration in Alaska, recently released emails confirm. The missives, obtained by NBC through the state’s public records law, show the “first dude” was heavily involved in judicial appointments, contract negotiations with public employees, and state board appointments. He also received background checks on a corporate CEO, and passed financial information marked “confidential” from the oil company that employed him to a state attorney. More»

(NEWSER) - Levi Johnston continues his gripping expose of the Palin family in an interview with Vanity Fair. Some choice revelations from Bristol's ex, who lived with the family for two months following the election:

• "There wasn't much parenting in that house": The Palin parents were too busy to care for their children, so "the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry," Johnston says. He chipped in, too: "I’d barbecue chicken or steak on the grill."

Affairs, work stress caused marriage to deteriorate

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin denied a report today that she and former “First Dude” Todd Palin are getting a divorce: "Yet again, some so-called journalists have decided to make up a story," Palin's spokeswoman writes on Facebook. "There is no truth to the recent 'story' ... that the Palins are divorcing." But AlaskaReport cites “multiple sources” in Wasilla and Anchorage that the pair are splitting up. More»

Emails reveal frustration with ethics complaints

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin was really starting to hate being governor of Alaska in the final months before her resignation in July 2009 , the final batch of emails from her time in office reveal. Palin complained bitterly about the scrutiny she and her family faced after her failed vice presidential bid, and about the mounting legal bills from fighting ethics complaints, AP finds. "I can't take it anymore," she wrote in an email to her husband, Todd, three months before stepping down. More»

Journalists begin plowing through 24K pages

(NEWSER) - Some 24,000 pages of eagerly awaited emails from Sarah Palin’s time as governor have been released, and journalists are diving in—some with public volunteers, notes the Anchorage Daily News . So far, no headlines; indeed, a Palin rep is encouraging “everyone” to read them. The reporters need no encouragement, it seems: Around 30 of them were jammed in a small room in a Juneau state building with three camera crews, all awaiting the boxes, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»