Nearly half of all Donald Trump voters believe a widely debunked conspiracy theory claiming that Hillary Clinton is involved in a child sex ring run out of a popular Washington, D.C. pizzeria, a recent poll suggests.

The Economist/YouGov poll released Tuesday shows that a staggering 46% of Trump voters believe the so-called “Pizzagate” conspiracy, which began circulating on obscure sites like 4chan and Reddit ahead of Election Day before spurring controversy on Twitter and Facebook. Concerns over the dangerous impact of fake news were heightened after Edgar Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., stormed into the Italian restaurant at the center of the baseless conspiracy with a loaded assault rifle on Dec. 4 in order to “self-investigative.”

Welch didn’t fire any shots, and later claimed he regretted the way he handled the situation, noting that his “intel on this wasn’t 100%.”(nydailynews.com)…[+]

Phil Jackson’s relationship couldn’t survive a cross-country commute, and now the Zen Master’s greatest tie to the Lakers is severed. Citing “mutual love and respect,” Jackson confirmed on Twitter — and in tiny font — that he and Jeanie Buss have broken off their engagement. “With the nature of our professional obligations and the geographic distance between us, sustaining the relationship has been tough,” Jackson wrote. “We have shared many wonderful moments through the years, and we expect to remain supportive of each other in the future.”(nydailynews.com)…[+]

A few thousand people want a Hunter College professor fired after his husband heckled Ivanka Trump. As of early Wednesday, more than 5,300 signed a Change.org petition to have urban studies and planning professor Matt Lasner removed after the run-in. Lasner and his husband, Dan Goldstein, were booted last week from a JetBlue flight to San Francisco at Kennedy Airport when Goldstein went on a rant against President-elect Donald Trump’s policies as Ivanka waited for takeoff with her husband and kids. “Matt Lasner’s conduct is a direct representation of Hunter College,” the petition says.Lasner tweeted the incident, posting a photo with the message “Ivanka just before @JetBlue kicked us off our flight when a flt attendant overheard my husband expressing displeasure about flying w/ Trumps.”(nydailynews.com)…[+]