By Colin Campbell 4/24 8:29pm

Prophecies

weiner cover

Weiner: ‘I’m Sure That Stuff Is Going to Come Out. Some of It May Be True’

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s media marathon today was even more expansive than it initially appeared, spanning at least six local channels as he seeks to repair his tarnished brand in the wake of an infamous Twitter scandal that forced his exit from Congress two years ago. In several of the interviews, Mr. Weiner hinted that additional lewd photographs or stories about his digital sex life could emerge, but he perhaps went the furthest on the topic with FOX 5′s Ti-Hua Chang.

“I’m sure that stuff is going to come out,” he answered when asked if anything “salacious” may still arrive. “Some of it may be true, some of it not … But I’m certainly not going to do anything more to bring anything up. But I know that people are digging around all the time.”

Mr. Weiner, who’s exploring a campaign for mayor, further said that some of women he contacted online may decide to sell their stories for attention, but suggested the press could simply ignore them going forward. Read More

By Colin Campbell 4/23 9:21am

Ballin'

Greg Ball. (Screengrab: YNN)

Ball Explains Support for Baseball Bat Torture: ‘Just Speaking for Greg Ball’

State Senator Greg Ball has been on a bit of a media tour since he tweeted his support for torturing the Boston Marathon terror suspect in the aftermath of his arrest, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. To wit, his round of interviews took him to at least two news shows yesterday evening, Capital Tonight and Piers Morgan Live, where he put his argument into rather direct form.

“All I can tell you is what I would do as an American. If we saw what just happened where we had men, women and children–a child–killed,” he said at one point, for example. “I can tell you that as Greg Ball, if I felt that torture–whether it be making them listen to music at night, or using a baseball bat–would save one innocent life, including that of a child, I would use it. But I’m just speaking for Greg Ball.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/25 3:56pm

Moguls

US-OSCARS-ARRIVALS

Did Mayor Bloomberg Warn Rupert Murdoch to ‘Stop Twittering?’

At his press conference this afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about his thoughts on the “Twitter universe” in light of a recent scandal involving an EMS lieutenant who was suspended after the New York Post revealed a series of racist statements he made on the social media site. Mayor Bloomberg described it as evidence people need to be far more careful about what they post online and suggested he’d even warned one of his fellow media moguls, Rupert Murdoch, to stay away from Twitter.

“Everything you send out is going to be retweeted, re-Facebooked, re this, re that and … if you write it down, some day somebody’s going to FOIL it or get it based on a judge’s order,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “You should write down, number one, only things you believe and, number two, then think about how it would look if somebody else sees it.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/19 7:09pm

Sports Page

Jose Canseco Portrait Session And Book Signing At Book Soup

Jose Canseco Is Ready to Work With Mayor Bloomberg to Fight Sugar

After traveling to Albany last month to support State Senator Jeff Klein’s push to ban the nutritional supplement DMAA, baseball great, reality television star, MMA fighter, admitted steroid user, author and social media enthusiast Jose Canseco’s latest cause seems to be the number of deaths linked to sugary drinks. After Mr. Canseco took to Twitter this evening to urge the president to “declare war on sugar,” Politicker asked whether he’d be interested in teaming up with a man who is perhaps the nation’s most high-profile anti-sugar crusader–Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/19 5:04pm

Twitter

drunkhulk

Joe Lhota Wants to Meet Drunk Hulk

Prior to launching his mayoral bid, Republican former MTA chairman Joe Lhota was an extremely prolific Twitter user. Since hitting the campaign trail, Mr. Lhota has made far fewer posts on the social media site and stopped tweeting the witticisms he was previously known for. When Politicker saw Mr. Lhota at lunch yesterday, we asked him why he reduced his Twitter presence. Mr. Lhota attributed his lower Twitter profile to instructions from his campaign press team, specifically, his spokeswoman Susan Del Percio.

“I eventually will get back. You know I get handled by my press people,” said Mr. Lhota. “Susan, she threatened me, so I have to be careful.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 3/05 6:07pm

Caracas Caucus

(Photo: Getty)

Bronx Congressman Mourns Hugo Chávez’s Passing

Earlier today, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez died after an extended bout with cancer. Needless to say, Mr. Chávez, a prominent opponent of United States foreign policy whose critics accused him of dictator-style thuggery at home, will not be fondly remembered in many corners of American politics.

But in the Bronx, at least, Mr. Chávez has a booster in the form of veteran Congressman José Serrano, who responded to the news by praising the Venezuelan leader’s anti-poverty efforts. Read More

By Colin Campbell 2/06 2:07pm

the internets

(Photo: Twitter.com)

Mayor Bloomberg Condemns ‘Twittering’ in Schools

At a morning press conference announcing new Hurricane Sandy initiatives, Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t just wade into the Israel-Palestine dispute, he also defended New York City’s cell phone ban in public schools.

“Kids should be in the classroom listening to the teacher,” he declared after a reporter asked him if Murry Bergtraum High School’s lack of regular phone service might prompt him to rethink the policy. “Not playing games, not Facebooking, Twittering, emailing, texting, or anything else. We’ve made that decision a long time ago. Cell phones are very destructive to the education process.”

Mr. Bloomberg then jokingly chastised a journalist in front of him to embellish his point. Read More

By Hunter Walker 1/25 2:43pm

Hack Attack

Mr. Lopez's Twitter account after the hacking. (photo: Twitter)

Twitter Hacker Takes on Embattled Assemblyman Vito Lopez

Assemblyman Vito Lopez has a new problem on his hands to go along with the ethics committee that is investigating him for sexual harassment complaints filed by four female former staffers. Some time this afternoon a hacker gained control of Mr. Lopez’s Twitter account and began posting a series of messages insulting the embattled politician and praising one of his rivals.

“We’re trying to figure this out,” a staffer in Mr. Lopez’s district office said when Politicker called them to ask about the hacker a few moments ago. Read More