Special Coverage Tuesday Evening on CNN

CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, who will be live from the Gulf Coast, along with Candy Crowley and John King, will provide comprehensive coverage of President Barack Obama’s address on the oil spill crisis at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 15. Special coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with John King, USA. Immediately following the Oval Office address, the Best Political Team on Television, including New Orleans natives James Carville and Mary Matalin, will discuss and analyze the president’s remarks. Larry King Live and Anderson Cooper 360º will follow.

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Georgia Southern University to Host Political Consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin

Georgia Southern University will welcome political consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin to campus on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. The 7 p.m. event at Hanner Fieldhouse is free and open to the public.

Read more »

CNN = Commedy News Network

James Carville joined Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report Monday night to discuss President Obama's response to the oil spill. To see the video of James and Stephen click on 'read more'.

Read more »

Breaux Act Newsflash - James Carville to Deliver Keynote Address at Banquet Honoring Louisiana's Coastal Stewards

Breaux Act Newsflash - James Carville to Deliver Keynote Address at Banquet Honoring Louisiana's Coastal Stewards

Baton Rouge (May 11, 2010) - On Wednesday June 9, 2010, the Coalition to
Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) will recognize nine award recipients as
outstanding stewards of Louisiana's coast at the fifteenth annual Coastal
Stewardship Awards Banquet to be held at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol
Center, Baton Rouge, LA beginning at 6:00 p.m. We are pleased to have
James Carville as the evening's keynote speaker.

The Coastal Stewardship Awards program is sponsored by CRCL to recognize
significant contributions by an individual or group in the effort to save
Louisiana's coast. This year's recipients have demonstrated an
exceptional commitment to the preservation and restoration of Louisiana's
fragile coast, and we congratulate them for their outstanding
accomplishments.

At a time when many residents in South Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast
are struggling to respond to the BP Oil Spill, we believe the Coastal
Stewardship Awards Banquet is an appropriate time to draw attention to the
challenges facing our coast and to celebrate the tremendous contributions
that individuals and organizations can make to restoring and protecting
coastal Louisiana.

CRCL is pleased to announce that James Carville, America's best-known
political consultant, will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Coastal
Stewardship Awards Banquet. A Louisiana native, Mr. Carville returned home
in 2008 and has been a strong voice for coastal protection and restoration
on a national scale. Mr. Carville's experience includes a long list of
electoral successes, a knack for steering overlooked campaigns to
unexpected landslide victories and for re-making political underdogs into
upset winners.

James Carville is an author, actor, producer, talk-show host, speaker and
restaurateur. Most recently, Carville is hosting Sirius XM radio's "60/20
Sports" show with Luke Russert, and is a frequent political commentator
and contributor on CNN. He also serves as a Professor of Practice at
Tulane University in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife Mary
Matalin and their two daughters.

The Coastal Stewardship Awards program will take place on the second
evening of the State of the Coast Conference. Conference attendees are
welcome to attend, but must register and pay separately for the Coastal
Stewardship Awards. The program begins at 6:00 p.m. and is open to
members of the public who have reserved tickets in advance. The evening
consists of a reception, banquet dinner and keynote address followed by
the presentation of awards. Tickets are available for $50 per person. For
reservations or additional information please contact the Coalition to
Restore Coastal Louisiana at 225-767-4181 or visit our website at
www.crcl.org.

For the full article, including award recipients, click here.

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Big time politicos join Gig Harbor company

Two of the country’s leading media heavyweights – Democrat James Carville and Republican Frank Luntz – have joined Gig Harbor-based Vote iQ, the nation’s first major social networking site expressly designed for politics.

The two political and media luminaries will help the nonpartisan technology company bring a new level of interaction between the elected and the electorate.

Vote iQ, which will debut in early June, gives voters a one-stop site to find out where candidates stand on the issues. Until now, the political system has been designed for the benefit of politicians. Vote iQ reverses the equation, placing the interests of voters first.

James Carville, who appears regularly on CNN’s Situation Room and other news programs, began building his reputation as a brilliant campaign strategist in the mid-1980s. His leading role in Clinton’s winning campaign of 1992 was documented in the Academy Award–nominated film, The War Room. He currently is a professor of politics at Tulane University.

For full article,click here.

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Carville & Matalin Mentioned in Washington Whispers

A few weeks ago, Paul Bedard once again mentioned James Carville and Mary Matalin in his Washington Whispers column for US News & World Report.

It's bad enough for their marriage that Democrat James Carville and Republican Mary Matalin don't agree on politics. So please don't ask them to appear on weekend TV shoutfests together. "I don't like to fight with my husband on TV," Matalin says. "We have to get a martini right after." Over the years, they've chosen to appear jointly only on the late Tim Russert's Meet the Press and CNN's State of the Union with John King. "They aren't for having a fight for fight's sake," says Carville.

Source: Matalin and Carville Don't Like a TV Fight

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Partisan Pen Colors

US News and World Report's Paul Bedard had an interesting observation about James Carville and Mary Matalin's appearance on CNN's State of the Union with John King on Sunday:

They are such opposites in politics, clashing so often on candidates and policies, that it's not crazy to wonder if James Carville and Mary Matalin's show isn't just an act. After all, how can two people who disagree on almost everything political—to the degree of working against each other—have what they and their friends call a strong marriage?

Well, yesterday on CNN's State of the Union, the degree of both their differences and their warmth toward each other was on stage. And the details suggested that it's not just a show. Take the pens both used to take notes. Republican Matalin's was red. Democrat Carville's was blue. And CNN tells Whispers that they didn't plan it that way.

Then, after a tussle over Sarah Palin, Carville reacted sweetly when his wife noted that the controversial Newsweek cover shot of Palin in her jogging outfit at least showed a good-looking politician. "You can agree on this," said Matalin. "She looked good in it, right?" Without hesitation, he said, "She does. Ain't no doubt about that. You and her are the two best-looking women in the Republican Party."

Source: US News & World Report, Washington Whispers, November 23, 2009

CNN has posted the video clip of the discussion: Strategists Size Up Palin:

Matalin's column about Palin's book (mentioned in the video clip), can be found on CNN.com: Sarah Palin's publishing and political worlds in collision

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State of the Union October 4, 2009

National Security Advisor General James Jones (Retired) was John King's first guest this morning on State of the Union. King asked Gen. Jones about war in Afghanistan: new strategy and troop levels. Many of King's questions focuses on Gen. McChrystal's actions and public comments. In response to Sen. McCain's criticism that he is playing politics with decisions regarding Afghanistan and the troops, Jones responded that McCain knows that he doesn't play politics (period). Neither he nor the President is playing to any sort of base with decisions regarding the troops.

In the second segment of the interview, they discussed Iran and the new nuclear facility that Iran has built. The General stated that they are still working towards meeting the January 2010 deadline of closing Guantanamo Bay. When asked about the "don't ask; don't tell" policy, the General said that the President has a lot on his "desk" right now, but he intends to do something about this "when the time is right." What keeps Gen. Jones up at night? Weapons proliferation.

Next on the program were Senator Barbara Boxer (D) and Senator Jon Kyl (R). King asked the Senators about General Jones comments; the troops in Afghanistan; and the New York Times article stating that Iran has the ability to make a bomb.

The second part of the interview with the Senators turned to the ethics investigations of Senator John Ensign (R) (an affair, a possible cover up, and possible improper lobbying). Neither Senator would comment on the investigation. They then turned to the economy and job creation. Senator Boxer defended the climate bill that is currently being looked at in the Senate. King asked for a yes/no answer on the Senate health care bill and (surprise) didn't get it from Sen. Boxer (he did get a much longer answer). Sen. Kyl isn't happy that the Republican amendments to the bill have not been included.

In the American Dispatch, King went to North Dakota: the place that has the lowest unemployment rate at just 4.3% (compared to 15.2% in Michigan). King visited a Bobcat plant which is still in business, but has not been immune to the economic turn down.

A taped Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz this morning. Kurtz started the hour with a discussion about David Letterman's blackmail and sex scandal. The panel included Lisa Bloom, Amy Argetsinger, and Ben Mankiewicz.

Continuing the sex scandal theme, the next topic: the capture of Roman Polanski and the celebrity outcry over it.

The next panel included: Byron Pitts, Amanda Carpenter, and Joan Walsh. They discussed Obama's trip to back the US bid for the Olympic games and the harsh criticism that the President received when the US didn't win. The discussion then moved to the extreme language being used against politicians (the President) and made by politicians.

Kurtz then spoke with (Baltimore native) Byron Pitts about his book Step Out On Nothing: How Faith & Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challengees. Pitts was illiterate at age 12 and stuttered until he was in college.

John King was back at the top of the hour for the Sound of Sunday.

The hour started off with James Carville and Mary Matalin. (I believe that in the above screen cap, Carville is laughing at King's tag line: we've been watching all the other Sunday shows, so maybe you don't have to.) King asked them about Gen. Jones' response to Gen. McCrystal's comments, McCain's comments about Gen. Jones playing politics, and who will the President listen to.

In the second part of the panel discussion, they covered the ethics investigation of Senator Ensign, other ethical issues facing both parties and the health reform bill.

King then mentioned that he moderated a panel at the First Draft of History event that was held at the Newseum in Washington on October 2, 2009. Steve Schmidt and Bob Shrum were the panelists and King asked Schmidt about Gov. Palin's book. Schmidt, who was McCain's campaign manager, did not have favorable views of the former Governor. Clips from the panel are available at the Atlantic's website.

King asked Carville and Matalin to respond to Schmidt's comments. To wrap up the discussion, King asked them about comments Senator Graham made on Fox News this morning about Glenn Beck not representing the Republican party. Carville's opinion of Beck: He wouldn't know the difference between a football, a bat and a hockey court. This guy is not -- he's just all -- he's just all weeping. (Source: CNN Transcript, State of the Union with John King October 4, 2009)

And my completely frivolous comment for the week: I loved Carville's shoes.

The CNN Diner segment this week came from TNT's Diner in West Fargo, North Dakota. King spoke with Craig Olsen, Jamie Higensen, John Stratman about health care reform legislation, why is the unemployment rate so low in North Dakota, and the troop levels in Afghanistan.

The hour continued with Ed Henry, Gloria Borger, and Joe Johns joining King in the studio.

They discussed the comments that Gen. Jones made about Gen. McCrystal's comments about the troop levels in Afghanistan as well as would leaving the Taliban in Afghanistan leave the US vulnerable to future al Qaeda attacks.

The second segment focused on domestic issues: unemployment/ economy and Gen. Jones' "punt" when asked about changing the "don't ask; don't tell" policy. King saved the topic of the President and the Olympics for the Lightening Round where Ed Henry summed it up by referring to it as the "Audacity of Nope."

The Last Word went to Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm (D). The Governor's state has the highest unemployment rate in the country. What can the federal government do to help with job creation? Auto suppliers in her state are having a hard time finding capital in order to diversify their production lines into parts that support the solar and wind industry. Fuel efficient vehicles are going to be more expensive and the Governor is looking for federal government incentives. And of course, King couldn't help asking her about the playoff spot still in the question for the Detroit Tigers. The Governor expects to see the Tigers playing the Yankees for the division playoffs. Boston native, King took a bit offense that answer.

The Behind The Scenes preview of State of the Union returned this week. Taped at TNT's Diner in West Fargo, North Dakota, King talked about the upcoming program.

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Saturday's Scoop 10/3/09

Congratulations to Suzanne Malveaux who was named Journalist of the Year at an awards reception hosted by ESSENCE & Southern Company as part of the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus.

Ed Henry is mentioned in the latest issue of Capitol File magazine. Amy Holmes is in the issue as well.

James Carville has an article in bestofneworleans.com about how he would run for mayor of New Orleans if he could. Because Carville has only lived in New Orleans for a little over a year the city's current charter doesn't allow him to run, requiring at least five years of residence.

The Commercial Dispatch has an article on Mary Matalin and James Carville's speaking event last Tuesday, 9/29, at Mississippi State University.

Next week you will see a few changes to the week's line up of posts. Out of the Box and Saturday's Scoop will be combined into one post on Wednesday and Where in the World which had been on Mondays will now be on Saturday. Thanks to Tedi B for all her work on Out of the Box!


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Out of the Box - End of September Edition

Hi everyone! It's Wednesday and it's time for Out of the Box. Let's see what's going on for some of our favorite CNNers while they're moonlighting. Also, my thanks to Julie for her hard work in finding these tidbits!

What's going on with James Carville?



-James and his lovely wife Mary Matlin are speaking at the Mississippi State University’s College of Business Leadership Summit tonight. According to the Clarion Ledger, "The MSU summit, which began this morning, aims to bring together business, government, education and economic development leaders to examine the state and regional economy and to learn about innovative business ideas. " Find out more here.

-James is headed down to Mickey town (Orlando) in 2010 for the GlobalOptions Group’s 2010 Executive Forum. According to their website, "The annual event is designed to provide a platform for discussion and provide the opportunity to propose solutions for a variety of security and risk issues facing organizations doing business in the U.S. and abroad." The annual event takes place March 3-5th. Check out the press release for the event on their site.



Ali Velshi, superman, continues his trot around the country....




- From the a press report, "Ali Velshi will serve as the keynote speaker for the Saint Peter’s College 38th Annual Regents Business Symposium. Taking place on Friday, November 6, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson, the forum is designed to inform and discuss current events in business and politics. The topic, “Restoring Confidence: From Crisis to Recovery,” will be addressed by three additional business leaders." Read more of the press report here.
(On a side note: It mentioned in the press release that Ali was born in Kenya. Interesting tidbit!)


Alina Cho looking sexy!



-On Sept. 22 Alina attended the 10th annual New Yorkers for Children Fall Gala. Here's a picture taken by Life.

Candy Crowley invades the "Gerg's" territory.

-Ms. Crowley spoke at the Kennedy School of Government's brown-bag speaker series on Sept. 22. She kicked off the series with her conversation on "Obama: Down to the Nitty-Gritty". To read more about her talk visit the Harvard website. (And may I say she's been looking great!)

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State of the Union September 20, 2009

John King's interview with President Obama started off Sunday's State of the Union with John King. King first asked about the economy: where are the jobs? is the recession over? Next was questions about health care reform, the Baucus bill, insurance fees for "Cadillac plans", and coverage for illegal aliens.

A few odd technical difficulties going through the first commercial break.

The second part of the interview started off with questions about Afghanistan, his war strategy, and the election. King then asked about a lunch that the President had with President Clinton and what he may have said about the North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Il. Next was a question about the CIA investigation and that former CIA Directors have opposed the investigation.

Part three of the interview started off talking about racism and the swine flu vaccination. The President downplayed the factor of race in the political discussions, outburts, and protests.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R), the Senate Minority Leader, talked live with King immediately after the interview with the President aired. King asked the Senator about his recent comments about "winning" the health care debate. McConnell supports the President's actions in Afghanistan.

James Carville and Mary Matalin joined King in the DC Studio for a few quick comments about the interview with the President. (They'll be back later in the program.)

John King was in Connecticut last week and for the American Dispatch visited the University of Connecticut campus and a lab testing the H1N1 vaccine. Its a little disturbing to hear that this vaccine is incubated in an insect:

KING: Protein Sciences Quality Control Director Clifton McPherson says the process here is different than most influenza vaccines. Traditional flu shots are made using eggs infected with the virus. Protein Sciences splices protein from the virus into caterpillar cells.

MCPHERSON: So we never have to handle live flu virus. We use the insect cells basically as protein factories and then we purify the protein from the insect cells, and that purified protein is then our vaccine.

Source: CNN Transcript, State of the Union with John King September 20, 2009

Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz started off discussing the charge of racism on part of the opposition to President Obama. Amy Holmes, Eric Deggans, and Chris Cillizza discussed the charges. Next, the panel discussed the Obama news blitz on Sunday morning. And finally, the panel moved to discuss the ACORN scandal and why mainstream media lagged behind FOX in the coverage of it.

The second half of Reliable Sources focused on the media trading bad celebrity apologies for program ratings with Amy Argetsinger and Jane Velez-Mitchell. They also discussed the John Edwards paternity test scandal.

Next was Mark Jurkowitz and Alicia Shepard to discuss the falling approval ratings of the news media.

The Sound of Sunday focused on the President's five Sunday morning interviews. Carville and Matalin were back to discuss the interviews further. Carville mentioned an article that he wrote for the Financial Times: Obama can avoid midterm blues. King wrapped up the discussion with a "soft touchy moment" playing a clip from SNL impersonating Carville and Matalin had a few words to say about it.

The CNN Diner segment was recorded in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and he spoke with Father Joseph Paquette, Daniel Gold, and Mindy Bailey about jobs, health care, racism.

In the studio this morning to discuss the President's interviews were Ed Henry, Dana Bash, and Jessica Yellin. During the lightening round, King asked the panel to response to a comment made by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticizing the President for appearing "on everything but the food channel." I like the way that Bash responded to the question:

BASH: I'm going to be, kind of -- you know, the "anti" person here, because I don't get the question. I mean, I think the president should go out there and push what is his top priority.

Why not? You know, go out. You know, go on every single channel. Go on the food channel, if you want to, if you think that's going to help you. Do it. Why not?

Source: CNN Transcript, State of the Union with John King September 20, 2009

The Last Word went to Senator Carl Levin (D), chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, King asked him about the report on Afghanistan and what the President should do.

At the end of Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz commented on the recent FOX News ad that accused the other news networks of not covering the protests in Washington, D.C. Here's the clip:

I was planning on mentioning this in my Tuesday post, but Kurtz' segment this morning prompted me to include it in tonight's post. One thing that Kurtz failed to show was the response that CNN has been airing. Here are a few screen caps from that response:

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of FOX News and very rarely watch their programming. But I think all news networks need to finally realize that their viewers are intelligent enough to be the judge of whether or not they are covering the right stories and whether they are doing a fair, unbiased job. I don't need any of them telling that they are fair, balanced, unbiased, most trusted, or that the other network isn't. I have internet access and a remote control - if I'm watching or reading something that I think isn't good journalism, I'm free to change the channel or find another news source. (I'll get off my soap box now.)

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Saturday's Scoop for 9/12/09

John Roberts was interviewed by Mediaite Office Hours on 8/27. Here is the interview from mediaite.com

James Carville and his wife Mary Matalin are co-chairing a committee to bring the Superbowl to New Orleans in 2013. Click here for the article from nola.com.

Ladies' Home Journal's October edition talks with Jill Dougherty on her fight against breast cancer. Here is TVNewser's post with a summary of the article.

Jamie Kraft has been named the new executive producer of American Morning. Previously Jamie had been American Morning's senior broadcast producer and has also worked on AC360. Prior to that Jamie was with CBS and 60 Minutes. Here is the article from Broadcasting & Cable.

Ali Velshi spoke with TVNewser about his trip on the CNN Express. Click here for their full article.

Ali Velshi also spoke with the Wisconsin State Journal about speaking with students at UW - Madison.

Twitter Pictures:

@sanjayguptacnn and @daniellecnn from Afghanistan

@sanjayguptacnn reporting from Afghanistan

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Out of the Box--Tedi B style!

Hi, everyone and happy Wednesday!

Here's what's going on in the world of CNNers when they aren't burning the midnight oil at CNN.

The Dynamic Duo Strike Again!

The mouth of the South, James Carville and his lovely wife Mary Matalin will be guest speakers at the 2009 In-house Counsel Celebration Dinner given by Chicago Chapter of ACC. They will be discussing the topic of the evening, "All's Fair: Love, War and Politics." That is something I'm sure they know a lot about! The event is to be held in Chicago on Sept. 17th. For more information please check out this site.

Ali Velshi talks to Whirpool?

The Cnn Express roared into Evansville, and presumably not with Mr. Velshi at the wheel. The CNN Bus made the stop to host a town hall meeting about healthcare and also the lose of the area's Whirlpool jobs. Ali Velshi hosted.

Where in the World is Paul Begala? (He's a Busy Man!)

At least we know he'll be down in O town jammin' with Mickey Mouse in Oct. And when he's not hanging with Mickey and friends he'll be a keynote speak at the PCI Annual Meeting Oct 25-28. Hey Paul, make sure you go on Expedition Everest at Disney. Good Times!

Before he makes the trip down to Florida he'll be lunching with Washington Public Policy Conference attendees on Sept. 11th. For info on the whole speaking series check it out HERE.

That's it for this week! Thanks to Julie for all the great finds!

~Tedi B

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State of the Union August 30, 2009

John King was back in DC this morning for State of the Union. The first guests on the program were Senator Orrin Hatch (R) and Senator Christopher Dodd (D). They shared their reflections on friend and Senate colleague Senator Edward M. Kennedy. They also discussed the health care legislation that is trying to work its way through Congress.

Kennedy 'expected more of us' on health care, Dodd says

After the commercial break, Senator Maria Cantwell replaced Senator Dodd on the panel. The discussion about Senator Kennedy and health care reform continued.

Public option not likely to pass in the Senate, Hatch says

The discussion then moved to the CIA investigation that the Attorney General's office has started.

Dem on CIA probe: 'No one is above the law'

King spoke with Justice Stephen Breyer at Kennedy's Memorial service in Boston.

While in Boston this week, King also spoke with Thomas P. O'Neill III (son of the former Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill).

In the American Dispatch, King spoke with Larry Lucchino, Pres & CEO of the Boston Red Sox about Senator Kennedy's love of the baseball team. King even got to take batting practice while he was at Fenway.

Reliable Sources started at 10AM with Howard Kurtz. The first segment was on the coverage of Senator Kennedy's passing and whether the press' coverage was fair. Joe Klein, Emily Rooney, David Broder, and Tom Oliphant talked about their experiences both personal and covering the Senator.

Reliable Sources: Journos reflect on Kennedy and the press

Kurtz interviewed NPR's Kurt Andersen about his new book, Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America, that looks at the media's coverage of the economy, state of journalism, and the American culture. Random House has an excerpt of the book on their website.

Next, Kurtz interviewed Steve Brill about online news sites charging for their content. Brill's latest business venture is to allow multiple news sources to offer the pay for access content through a common user account.

During the handoff between Kurtz and King, King congratulated Kurtz on the birth of his daughter.

The 11AM hour: bring on the pundits and the Sounds of Sunday.

James Carville and Mary Matalin joined King in the DC studio. They talked about the investigation of CIA interrogation tactics, the possibility of Vicki Kennedy filling her late husband's Senate seat on an interim basis, and New Orleans four years after Katrina.

I'm 'slightly miffed' at Obama, Carville says

Earlier this week, King was in Oklahoma City and stopped in to Earl's Rib Palace to tape the CNN Diner segment. He spoke with Tony Miller, Chris Kennedy, and Wendi Determann.

The next panel discussion included Gloria Borger, Dana Bash, and Dan Lothian (from Martha's Vineyard). The topics included the Attorney General's investigation of the CIA, health care debate, and Senator Kennedy's funeral.

The noon hour brought the repeat of the first hour of the program. 32 minutes into the hour, King showed an touching interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The Last Word this week went to Senator Mary Landrieu (D). King asked her about whether she could support health care legislation that contained a public option. King also asked her about the state of Louisiana four years after Katrina.

'I would tend not to' support the public option, says Landrieu

Here are the links to this week's podcasts:

• State of the Union (video)
• Reliable Sources
• State of the Union (audio)

A few extras this week...

David Zurawik who writes for the Baltimore Sun and is a frequent guest on Reliable Sources has a column about the coverage of Senator Kennedy's funeral mass praising John King's reporting.

Another interesting article that mentions CNN was by Politico's Michael Calderone. He talks about the news media's practice of keeping a collection of preprepared obituaries on hand for well known individuals. A few years ago, CNN was caught testing a few of these on their website. The full article is available on Politico: NYT has 1,200 obits ready.

And one last item... I came across a profile of Howard Kurtz by Garrett M. Graff. The article is titled Fast Howie.

In an age when just about anyone can be a media critic, one fish is still the biggest in the pond. It’s why Howard Kurtz got a voice mail on May 26, 2003, saying, “This is Rick Bragg. I’m ready to talk.”

Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times writer, had been watching his star career unravel amid charges that he’d violated the Times reporting standards. Now he’d been suspended for two weeks. He’d called around and asked one media heavyweight after another: “Who should I talk to?” The answer: Howie Kurtz.

The message came just as Kurtz and his new bride—his second—were flying home from California the day after their wedding. He’d already spent a day before the wedding on a pay-by-the-hour computer at Kinko’s writing not one but two articles while his soon-to-be-wife finished last-minute preparations. Then he reported on the Jayson Blair scandal from the wedding reception. Bride Sheri Annis might have been the new love of Kurtz’s life, but he’d been wed to reporting for much longer.

... the entire article is available: Fast Howie.

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