From investigative reporter Andy Borowitz: HOFFA TAUNTS U.S. IN NEW VIDEO Late Teamster Boss Twits FBI For Failing to Find Him Late Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa appeared in a new video broadcast worldwide today in which he taunted the Federal Bureau of Investigation for failing to find him in their recent search for his remains. For the FBI, whose credibility as the nation’s top crime investigation unit has been somewhat tarnished in recent years, the surprising appearance of the Hoffa video...

Creative, indeed…

It truly looks as if President George Bush is proving to be a “uniter, not a divider”: The constitutional clash pitting Congress against the executive branch escalated Wednesday as the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House demanded the immediate return of materials seized by federal agents when they searched the office of a House member who is under investigation in a corruption case. The demand, by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Republican of Illinois, and Representative Nancy Pelosi...

TMV is writing this from Phoenix, AZ. Yes, his car part finally came in and so his days of being stranded in the mountains of Eastern Arizona a few hours from the New Mexico border ended. And…wait…who’s that? It’s me. You called on me and asked me to help you and I did. You mean… Yes. Me. But, Joe, why is it you only call on me for things such as car repairs, making Tom Cruise go away and ways to do what that enlargement email is offering to help you do? I thank you...

Hoffa cupcakes.

TMV is going to get unstranded soon. But this means he may have to do the all day, all night drive back to his San Diego home base from the mountains of Eastern Arizona. He may not be able to post today at all. But keep checking back because the always-independent co-bloggers may have some things to say.

And so the latest bit of hard news in the sad, sad tale of the demise of the once-great Knight-Ridder newspaper chain hit the wires today: PHILADELPHIA May 23, 2006 (AP)— McClatchy Co. is selling The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News for $562 million to a group of local investors who hope to reverse circulation declines by emphasizing local news and doing more with the Internet. The two Philadelphia papers are being bought by a group led by advertising executive Brian...

Yesterday we did this post about bipartisan and particularly Republican Congressional outrage due to an FBI search of a Democratic lawmaker’s office. The New York Times now has a report that echoes some of the observations and predictions we made in that post and others on this site. What’s new: a top Republican leader personally expressed his ire to President George Bush — and Republicans are predicting the issue could go all the way to the Supreme Court: Resentment boiled among...

It looks as if ABC News bigwigs scoped the landscape — and third place ratings — and decided they needed to have one, big journalistic gun to compete with NBC‘s Brian ‘Williams and CBS-to-be’s Katie Couric in the evening newscast anchor wars: ABC News has named Charles Gibson to be sole anchor of “World News Tonight.” “Charlie Gibson is one of the most distinguished journalists on television. He is a superb broadcaster, the consummate professional,...

Once again the administration has stepped into a political buzzsaw involving issues of separation of powers. And, it now turns out, the government reportedly knew that this raid was indeed unprecedented — which suggests bipartisan concerns over this not being separation-of-power as usual have some foundation. The Washington Post reports: An unusual FBI raid of a Democratic congressman’s office over the weekend prompted complaints yesterday from leaders in both parties, who said the tactic...

Why is it important for Americans to continue to demand to find out exactly and precisely what went wrong during Katrina — even if a ton has come out already? Why is it important for Democrats, Republicans and Independents to want to get answers that are NOT covered with protective political figleafs — even in Congressional election year? Why is it important for ALL Americans to insist that people who didn’t perform well during Katrina and who are still in place in disaster preparedness...

The post-Communist-era reorganization of Europe continues — continuing to remind Europe of an unpleasant fact, as The Christian Science Monitor notes: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO; AND PARIS – The joyful fireworks and street parties that exploded in the streets of Podgorica on Sunday night, as Montenegrins celebrated a vote in favor of independence, found few echoes Monday in other European capitals. Europe’s lack of enthusiasm for the imminent birth of a new nation on the shores of...

Can you guess which was was named the worst? Probably not. It’s a relatively newer entry. The list is HERE.

TMV is still “stranded” (in a great place — the green-tree lined, cool climate mountains of Eastern Arizona). Dial up connection here is almost impossible. Wireless is poor. He will post as and when he can. Meanwhile, keep checking back for the always creative and independent co-bloggers’ posts. He expects his car will be fixed later today (when the part arrives from Phoenix) and then he’ll be on his way.

Isn’t it accurate to say that you can sense a certain tone on websites, in commentators’ comments, editorial pages on on the Sunday news shows? Several people have commented on it before. Are some folks coming down with “conservative fatigue?” And, speaking of conservatives, one thread we get here now at TMV are some email and readers commenting who insist that Republicans are all totally unified and all plan to get out and vote and all love George Bush. In fact, conservatives...

The smell of corruption continues to spread: A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer. At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children...

TMV is on the road and the road finally got him. He has just finished his first major trip since while recuperating from his illness and it was lively indeed. You haven’t lived until you’ve driven nearly straight up an Arizona mountaintop in the dead of night with lightning all around you. And done it as your car begins to make sounds that it has a problem. TMV did arrive but, alas, car problems must be resolved before he can make the looooooooong trek back to San Diego. So he’ll...

The irony of ironies from Poliblogger Steven Taylor: The paranoia of elements of the anti-immigration movement has now hit a new level. Jerome Corsi, one of the co-authors of Unfit for Command (the anti-Kerry book by Swift Book Veterans for Truth) has entered the fray….I have noted some of his writing online recently, but have largely ignored them. However, his current piece at Human Events requires comment, as it underscores a deep xenophobia that seems to permeate segments of those opposed...

The big news and cause for many progressives continues to be how Ned Lamont has forced Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman into a primary. There are many excellent (and often highly emotional on both sides) takes on this battle. Here are two of the best MUST READS with differing perspectives: Tom Watson’s fascinating take where he looks at Lamont and makes the case that he is the first You Tube candidate. Watson is also on a Lamont fund-raising committee and lists some other candidates he wants...

If you left a comment and it’s missing it wasn’t intentional. We just lost some of them on a few posts due to a problem that has not arisen before. If you see yours is gone, please do leave it again (whether it was complimentary to this site or not!)

President George Bush is losing Hispanic support — and if this Washington Post report proves correct he’s losing it from a variety of Hispanic groups whose preferences now clash with his own party’s conservative base: Hispanic voters, many of whom responded favorably to President Bush’s campaign appeals emphasizing patriotism, family and religious values in Spanish-language media in 2004, are turning away from the administration on immigration and a host of other issues, according...

Did Snow tackle his maiden press conference well? Has he made changes or are there some he can make? Has he said anything that gives an inkling into how the press will be treated or a greater clarification of American policy and how the Bush administration operates? There are lots of questions….and blogger/journalism professor Jay Rosen gives you his take here. (We won’t quote it because it would take too much stuff out of context).

The trend over the past few months has been clear: the GOP has been looking vulnerable in the House of Representatives in a given number of seats. But now experts are saying the number of “given” seats that are vulnerable are increasing. And what about the talk of all the various political and legal tinkering over the years that was supposed to make — in the eyes of some — even the vulnerability of Republicans strictly inside the beltway talk? “Never mind,” might...

Is this funny or not? Actually, TMV thinks this is funnier:

The Hartford Courant‘s copy editor put an exclamation point on its headline (something you don’t see in newspaper headlines as a rule).