• Hey Britain and France, whatcha up to today? OH NOTHING just accusing Iran of having the most secret and evil nuclear facility ever before the G20. There is also this Thai place in downtown Pittsburgh that we have been meaning to try. [New York Times]
• Najibullah Zazi is probably the most self-realized terrorist the U.S. has ever arrested: he was further along in acting on a more complicated plan than everyone since Osama’s guys in 2001. [New York Times]
• Tim Russert’s dad—the “Big Russ” of Tim Russert’s book, Big Russ and Me—has died. MSNBC is expected to play a four to six week-long Powerpoint in remembrance. [CNN]
• Didja hear?: An important young people activism protest went down in Pittsburgh’s East End last night! A few dozen people were arrested for smashing windows and frankly being rather unpleasant, especially considering what lovely weather we were having yesterday. [Post-Gazette]
• Gaddafi has been saying contradictory mood-swing-y things this whole week: First he called the U.N. a “terror council,” and then he called Obama his “son,” but then he was like, I get it, I get why everyone who had a family member die in the Lockerbie bombing is so upset with me about Lockerbie. [Wall Street Journal]
• Compared to 2007, fewer people are giving less money to the Democrats. This is because the Democrats have either annoyed or attempted to dwindle the fortunes of a lot of their big donors. [Washington Post]

The booming town of Buffalo, New York — which finally won its independence last year after suffering decades under of the private ownership and slave economy of Tim Russert — today is holding its Democratic mayoral primary, a.k.a. “the mayoral election.” And the current mayor, Byron Brown, has discovered (at :50) the single most effective last-minute pitch ever: promise all the old people new flat-screen teevees! (AND DON’T FUCK WITH MEDICARE.) [Political Class Dismissed]

A long time ago, American treasure Tim Russert died, leaving an opening at America’s most important teevee chat program, Meet the Press. Goateed numbers nerd Chuck Todd was maybe going to take over, because why not, but then the Higher Ups at GE/NBC decided David Gregory should be the new host, because David Gregory can dance and dance, on teevee, which is the whole point of Meet the Press. MORE »

Here’s some year-old video clip of our old pal Tim Russert, before he died while actually working on this very program, Meet the Press, talking to known jackhole David Brooks about Barack Obama’s ability to read the minds of Republicans, and bend them to His will, so that’s why all the Republicans were so happy to vote for Obama. Also, an uncomfortable joke (?) about Jews, at the end, from Brooks. [Meet the Press]

Here are two things we are very tired of typing about, every day: Will teevee’s Chris Matthews run for the American Senate? And, Did dancey boy David Gregory officially get dead Tim Russert’s job on Meet the Press? The final (?) answers: No he won’t, and Yes he did. [Gawker/Baltimore Sun]

Here is some footage of blogger Matt Yglesias talking about fallen American hero Tim Russert. (Matt once wrote about how unbearably inane Russert was, and then Russert died three weeks later, and everybody on the Internet hated Matt for being so insensitive the end.) We made this poor fellow say terrible things for the camera by promising him beers, which were free, at the Summit Brewing Company last night. Thanks Utne Reader for the fun party! [Matthew Yglesias, YouTube]

NBC News’ strategy in hiring young Luke Russert is now clear: whenever anything happens, Brian Williams can ask Luke what his dead father thinks about it. [MSNBC]

A week and a half ago NBC newsman and Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert died, and the earth stopped in its orbit and let out a wild yawp of despair for the most wonderful person who ever lived. Speculation quickly ensued about who would replace Russert in a job that he alone among all living humans was uniquely suited to do: sit in a chair and ask politicians questions. And now we know who will host Meet the Press until the “election,” which will be called off at the last minute when we start bombing Iran. It’s Tom Brokaw! MORE »

We have read this elitist New Yorker profile of your annoying loudmouth boyfriend Keith Olbermann and, like most profiles of MSNBC personalities, it confirms everything you learned about current MSNBC dynamics during the first five minutes of its Iowa caucus coverage. MORE »

While Hillary Clinton remains hidden in a secret Polynesian island bunker, where she drinks single malt scotch and eats artichoke hearts prepared by a cadre of Gypsy slaves all day long, she is still somehow doing her job as a fake Senator. Today she, along with fellow New York Senator Chuck Schumer and some Congressman, introduced an act of legislation to name U.S. Route 20A — in Buffalo — the “Timothy J. Russert Highway.” Because Tim Russert would have done the same thing. MORE »

The saddest part about Tim Russert’s death last Friday was not that he was young. It’s that he never got to stick it to those damn liberal tree-fuckers who don’t want to drill America’s coasts for sweet, sweet Texas Tea! Such was the extrapolation of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) yesterday on the House floor. Do those elite big city fairies think that “Lil’ Russ” liked paying $5 a gallon for gas? He definitely did not! And while we’re at it, how can those Democrats go around killing babies when Tim Russert is also dead? [Think Progress, YouTube]