Crooks and Liars has the video of the National Press Club blogger panel. It's been distilled down to 17 minutes. Wonkette and Matt Yglesias both lit into the unjournalist Jeff Gannon aka Jeff Guckert. You can watch the whole thing on C-Span2 at 8pm ET tonight.

John at AmericaBlog live-blogged the action which aired on CSpan2, and writes about Wonkette (Ana Marie Cox):

The Peabody Awards for electronic media excellence have been announced. One winner that is taking some by surpise is 60 Minutes II and Dan Rather and Mary Mapes - for their Abu Ghraib report. Good for them. That was a great report and they deserve the recognition.

The Peabody given to the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes" honored an exclusive story, produced by Mary Mapes and reported by Dan Rather, about the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Several months after that journalistic coup, Ms. Mapes was fired and Mr. Rather retired as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" earlier than planned in the wake of another broadcast, on President George W. Bush's National Guard service. After initially backing its reporters and their report, CBS said they may have based it on falsified documents.

In citing the report, the committee said, "This Dan Rather report broke the story of the abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad, airing for the first time the photographs of American soldiers and abused Iraqi prisoners that shocked the world. "

Another winner was the Daily Show:

Marc Cooper, writing in LA Weekly, says the Arizona Minutemen are far less in number and impact than they make themselves out to be:

The Minutemen were basically a flop. Despite organizers’ claims that 450 people showed up the first day (befittingly on April Fools’ Day), reporters visibly equaled or outnumbered the actual participants. At no point could any reporter see evidence of more than 150 Minutemen gathered in one place — even though the first two days of activities were all about concentrating their forces in a pair of protest rallies.

But the bulk of the coverage continued to play along with the fiction that a mass of American citizens had come down here to stand against the immigrant hordes.

Not only that, but this militia is not really a militia. Most of the men aren't even armed.

by TChris

Is the Transportation Security Administration doomed?

The TSA has been plagued by operational missteps, public relations blunders and criticism of its performance from the public and legislators. Its "No Fly" list has mistakenly snared senators. Its security screeners have been arrested for stealing from luggage, and its passenger pat-downs have set off an outcry from women.

A proposal to reorganize the Department of Homeland Security may limit the function of the TSA to airport security screening -- a function that private industry would like to perform instead.

by TChris

Another news story that will upset the "culture of life" crowd:

A man who helped his cancer-stricken friend commit suicide was granted a special probation Thursday in which his conviction can be erased from state records after a year.

Huntington Williams, 74, gave his 66 year old friend a gun and discussed with him "the most effective spot to aim the weapon." Connecticut Superior Court Judge Robert C. Brunetti showed compassion for the difficult choice that confronted Williams. "Mr. Williams," the judge said, "I can only say to you, I'm glad it wasn't me put in your position that day."

One hundred courtroom supporters of Williams burst into applause when Williams was placed on probation with the opportunity to expunge his conviction. Let's hope that Judge Brunetti won't be threatened with impeachment (or worse) for daring to be kind.

by TChris

More ominous words from Tom DeLay as he continues his effort to distract the nation from his ethical lapses. Preaching to the conservative choir at a conference entitled “Confronting the Judicial War on Faith,” DeLay announced (via videotape) that "Judicial independence does not equal judicial supremacy," adding:

"I believe the judiciary branch of our government has overstepped its authority on countless occasions, overturning and in some cases just ignoring the legitimate will of the people."

Substitute “the right-wing agenda” for “the legitimate will of the people” to make the statement slightly more accurate. Of course, the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause requires courts to honor the Constitution when it is “the will of the people” to disregard it, a foundational principle of our country that DeLay and his ilk choose to ignore.

There's cat-blogging (see here, here and here), basset blogging, orchid blogging and all sorts of off-topic blogging in the blogosphere on Fridays. Yesterday, a local bank decided to build its new building outside one of my windows. Since I've never watched a building be constructed at such close range, and because I'm trying not to think about how loud or dirty my airspace will become in the next several months, I'm going to focus on the positive. Somewhere, some construction company is taking pride in this four story project.

I will catalog the progress in photos each Friday so you too can watch a building be constructed at close range.

Here's day one, Wednesday, the day the tractor arrived. At 7 am.

bigger version

Could the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement be gaining a heart?

Ming Kuang Chen, the Chinese delivery man who got trapped for three days in a Bronx elevator will not face deportation proceedings according to an ICE official:

``Getting locked in an elevator for three days doesn't make you immune to removal proceedings,'' said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Marc A. Raimondi. But top priority, he said, goes to aliens ``who pose the greatest threat to public safety and homeland security.''

No one should have asked Mr. Chen about his immigration status to begin with, let alone leaked it to the world:

New competency hearings began today for convicted Connecticut serial killer Michael Ross. Last month, he was granted a stay of execution after the issue arose of whether death row-itis had affected his decision to waive his appeals and ask for death.

Dr. Michael Norko, state psychiatrist today said nothing had changed his opinion that Ross is competent since the last time he testified.

Judge Patrick Clifford said this hearing will determine two things; if Ross suffers a metal disease or defect and if it affects his ability to make the decision to die...State psychiatrist Dr. Mike Norko, the man who conducted the now famous jailhouse interview and who testified in December that Ross was competent to make his own decisions, said that after looking at the new evidence and interviewing Ross again his decision was still the same.

Background is here. The Connectiut Law Blog (formerly named Kirby's blog) and A Public Defender are following the hearings. (The photo on Public Defender's site is not of a public defender but of Gideon of Gideon v. Wainwright fame, the case that mandated effective assistance of counsel for everyone facing imprisonment)

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to invalidate the military's "stop loss" policy." As a result, National Guard members who served their eight years will be forced to go back to Iraq.

The courts have generally upheld the so-called "stop loss" law that authorizes President Bush to suspend service agreements of many armed forces personnel for national security reasons. Thousands of soldiers have been redeployed under stop loss orders.

In court briefs, the government told the appeals court Thursday that "soldiers are essential to the national security, and their service in the face of hardship is a crucial source of the strength of our nation."

One of the guards, Emiliano Santiago, says he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Some background on the case is here, and here.

Reports are surfacing that there is a connection between Rep. Tom DeLay and Brian Darling, confessed author of the Schiavo Republican Talkking Points Memo. From Campaign for America's Future:

Darling worked for the Alexander Strategy Group, a Washington-based corporate lobbying firm heavily connected to Rep. DeLay. Darling’s clients included Universal Bearing, Inc., a company owned by the Hanwha Group, which has direct ties to the foreign agent that paid for Rep. DeLay's improper trip to Korea. The Korea-U.S. Exchange Council was created to promote Hanwha Group Chairman Seung Youn Kim, according to the New York Times.

Atrios explains the importance of tipping continuously updated bloggers . Here's a few snippets:

Look, blogging takes time. And, doing the kind of blog which tries to stay 5 seconds ahead of the news cycle on a consistent basis takes a lot of time.... every moment spent blogging is a moment not spent trying to get work/earn money. Over the long run there may be some self-promotion benefit to blogging, but a very small one.