Anthony Weiner. (Photo: Getty)

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.

"Some of them have willingly come out and sold their stories," he explained. "Some of them may want to do that again. But I can tell you this, it's going be up to you. If you don't put them on the air and you don't want to talk about it anymore, believe me, you'll have a willing partner with me."

The former congressman expressed his hope that no matter what revelations may still be headed his way, they fundamentally won't provide anything new to a well-tread story.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked Mr. Chang. "People know the story at this point. I mean, people know I did it. People know that I did it with multiple women. They know the pictures--they're all out there. But I'm not going to say to you that no one is going to release another picture or there's nothing else going on. People may hear things that are true or not true. But I'll tell you this, I'm done talking about it. If people want to come out and say things, they can. I'm hopeful that I'm putting this behind me."

And, as far as whether his mayoral campaign will indeed turn into a reality, Mr. Weiner said there was "a good chance."

Greg Ball. (Screengrab: YNN)

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."

When Liz Benjamin, Capital Tonight's host, pressed Mr. Ball on the subject, he simply stated that he was not "completely full of crap," unlike other officials who might have more of a filter between what they feel and what they say.

"Let's just step back a second. I mean, you make a living out of interviewing politicians and others and I understand that most politicians are completely full of crap," he contended. "And you have to deal with that every day. I don't know how you do it. I happen to say exactly how I feel ... It's easy to have an academic debate and there's certainly room for that in editorial board meetings and the ivory towers of universities ... I'll leave that up to academia."

Mr. Ball further said he relished the criticism he receives from making these sorts of statements, adding, "You know, If I wasn't being criticized, I don't know what I'd do with myself. An old World War Two guy told me this, that, 'If you're not taking flak, you're not over the target.'"

Of course, Mr. Ball is hardly the only pol to step into the spotlight due to an off-hand Twitter post. Ms. Benjamin asked Mr. Ball if he was concerned whether he might get into trouble someday, perhaps like then-Congressman Anthony Weiner, who was caught sending lewd social media messages in 2011.

"Well I don't think that there's an attachment of a picture of me in my underwear," the state senator said. "If there is, please let me know."

"Not to this one," Ms. Benjamin replied, likely referring to a pants-free Twitter photo Mr. Ball once indeed took. "Not to this one."

Anthony Weiner (Photo: Twitter)

He's back.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who infamously sent lewd photos from his @RepWeiner Twitter account two years ago--ultimately leading to his resignation--has signed back up on the social media service. He's now under the handle @AnthonyWeiner.

The renewed interest in Twitter could be taken as yet another sign that Mr. Weiner is working to rehabilitate his image as he explores a potential mayoral campaign. Mr. Weiner, of course, recently emerged on the city's political scene by giving an in-depth interview to The New York Times Magazine earlier this month, where he directly stated his interest in City Hall's top job.

For his part, Mr. Weiner only described the move as "a fresh start."

"It seemed like a fresh start was in order especially in light of all the new ideas around which I am hoping to drive conversation and debate," he wrote in an email.

The account, which is verified, first tweeted a link to his policy platform for the city.

He then posted again, taking an apparent shot at Mayor Michael Bloomberg by directing his followers to idea 54 in the book in honor of Earth Day. The proposal? "End Prohibition on Hybrid Cabs."

The "Taxi of Tomorrow" will soon be the only cabs on the road. But, as Mr. Weiner notes, "It is not a hybrid or electric or any other forward-looking technology. This would have the effect of forcing many hybrid cabs off the road at a time when we should be using more. The push for a 'one size fits all all' approach should be scrapped in favor of incentives for driving the most environmentally sound cabs."

Mr. Bloomberg's spokesman Marc LaVorgna noted that the new fleet of taxis will be electric-capable, but sounded skeptical about Mr. Weiner's proposals.

"Policy agenda? We are now writing up comments from former electeds who haven't declared they are running for anything?" he asked in response to Politicker's question.

Update (3:48 p.m.): Included additional background surrounding Mr. Weiner's subsequent Twitter post.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

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."

Mayor Bloomberg went on to say parents should explain the need to be discrete on social media to their children.

"There are just a lot of young kids who are doing things on their Twitter account, their Facebook account that later on is going to come back and bite them," Mayor Bloomberg said. "I know you want to share information and I know it's nice to be able to express yourself but you just have to have the maturity to understand."

Though the mayor, who has a robust social media presence, said he expects children will make mistakes on Twitter, he expressed surprise the EMS lieutenant who got in hot water and other adults still don't realize the site has a public audience.

"It's kind of hard to understand how anybody like that would not think that some day somebody's going to take a look at what they do," said the mayor. "The bottom line is, it's very addictive, it's easy, you hit a button and nobody thinks that the rest of the world is looking."

The questions on the Twitter scandal came from New York Post reporter David Seifman. After getting the mayor's initial thoughts on the situation and the site in general, Mr. Seifman asked the mayor if he would ever enact a policy to prevent public employees from using social media inappropriately or would just leave it up to "common sense." Mayor Bloomberg said it would be difficult to institute any specific policy.

"There are all sorts of First Amendment issues. I've looked into it," Mayor Bloomberg said. "Companies face this all the time, just like governments do. It's embarrassing to a company to have somebody go out and insult or worse."

To demonstrate just how dangerous he believes Twitter can be for businesses, Mayor Bloomberg told Mr. Seifman he had warned his "boss" to stay off the site. Mayor Bloomberg's comment seemed to be an obvious allusion to Post owner Rupert Murdoch, whose frequent tweeting has not come without controversy.

"I've told your boss I think he should stop twittering," Mayor Bloomberg said to Mr. Seifman. "It's dangerous because people can take things out of--you know, 140 odd characters doesn't give you a chance to explain what you really mean. It's just a phrase that gets taken out of context."

Mayor Bloomberg was coy when another reporter followed up by asking him to confirm he was referring to Mr. Murdoch.

"I don't know who that would be," he said with a laugh.

Jose Canseco (Photo: Getty)

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.

"maybe your next mayor isnt bloomberg a lame duck," Mr. Canseco tweeted, referring to the fact Mr. Bloomberg is in the last few months of his administration.

We informed Mr. Canseco that Mayor Bloomberg still has some time left in office and also seems poised to use his vast personal fortune to advocate for his pet causes once he leaves City Hall. Upon hearing this, the former Major League slugger said he would be interested in working with the mayor if he continues his anti-sugar efforts.

"I would partner with Mike if he keeps fighting sugar," tweeted Mr. Canseco.

We also reached out to the mayor's office to see whether they would be interested in having Mr. Canseco serve as a spokesman for their public health initiatives. As of this writing, we have yet to receive a response.

Joe Lhota (Photo: NY1.com)

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."

After we brought up Twitter, Mr. Lhota began gushing about one of his favorite pages on the site.

"Drunk Hulk, have you followed Drunk Hulk?" Mr. Lhota asked. "I love Drunk Hulk. I got to meet this guy who does this."

Mr. Lhota's love for the superhero parody account, which he frequently re-tweeted prior to starting his mayoral campaign, was previously chronicled in a New York Times story about Mr. Lhota's Twitter use last September. That article provoked a response from Drunk Hulk himself. Mr. Lhota told us he, quite literally, treasured the response he received from his favorite parody Twitter.

"When the New York Times did the story about me tweeting ... and the Hulk tweeted, 'Now I'm responsible for Lhota too?' That's when I said, 'I got to meet this guy,'" explained Mr. Lhota. "I actually saved it, somebody framed the tweet for me."

Drunk Hulk is the work of Christian Dumais, an American writer who lives in Poland. We emailed Mr. Dumais and asked when he'll be in New York and if he'd like to meet Mr. Lhota.

"While I'm not sure when I'll be back in the States, the idea of meeting with Mr. Lhota sounds like a lot of fun," said Mr. Dumais. "I only have a peripheral awareness of the political scene in New York, but I'm honored to have anyone appreciate my work as Drunk Hulk. And the idea that he framed the tweet brings me endless joy."

(Photo: Getty)

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.

"Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor," Mr. Serrano tweeted. He was committed to empowering the powerless. R.I.P. Mr. President."

Not all New York City politicians were as kind as Mr. Serrano, however. The inimitable Councilman Peter Vallone notably took to Twitter and blasted both Mr. Chávez and Joseph Kennedy II's relationship with his government.

"Chavez is dead," wrote Mr. Vallone. "joe kennedy on way to Syria to suck up to another brutal dictator to keep him in TV commercials."

Update (6:31 p.m.): Mr. Serrano released a full statement detailing his relationship with Mr. Chávez and why he supported the controversial leader:

“I met President Chavez in 2005 when he came to my district at my invitation,” said Congressman Serrano. “His focus on the issues faced by the poor and disenfranchised in his country made him a truly revolutionary leader in the history of Latin America. He understood that after 400 years on the outside of the established power structure looking in, it was time that the poor had a chance at seeing their problems and issues addressed. His core belief was in the dignity and common humanity of all people in Venezuela and in the world.

“When he visited, President Chavez offered a new type of program to the people of the Bronx. He had harnessed the power of his nation’s oil resources and was using their profits—through Citgo—to enact social spending programs. Now he offered people in the Bronx that were struggling economically the same deal. He would provide home heating oil at a huge discount, provided the savings were reinvested in programs that benefited the underserved and underprivileged. I am proud to report that we have benefited from that program ever since, with millions invested in our community through this program and through a grant program he set up.

“Though President Chavez was accused of many things, it is important to remember that he was democratically-elected many times in elections that were declared free and fair by international monitors. Even today, people in North America seem unable to accept that Venezuelans had taken our admonitions to have democracy to heart and elected the leader of their choice. President Chavez carried out the programs that his constituents wanted enacted, and won reelection. This too was revolutionary in the history of Latin America, where coup d’etat have been historically a way of power changing hands—especially during the times of controversial leaders.

“President Chavez was a controversial leader. But at his core he was a man who came from very little and used his unique talents and gifts to try to lift up the people and the communities that reflected his impoverished roots. He believed that the government of the country should be used to empower the masses, not the few. He understood democracy and basic human desires for a dignified life. His legacy in his nation, and in the hemisphere, will be assured as the people he inspired continue to strive for a better life for the poor and downtrodden.”

(Photo: Twitter.com)

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.

"For example, the reporter sitting next to you didn't care enough about this conversation," he explained. "He was just on his cell phone. He missed your insightful, well-thought-out question, not to mention my brilliant answer to that."

After everyone involved enjoyed some laughter, Mr. Bloomberg was pressed about safety concerns in the event of an emergency. In response, the mayor defended the school system's record and said the educational needs of the city are simply too great to allow potential distractions.

"The kids are well taken care of in the case of emergency, as was shown, if I remember, on 9/11, where the school system performed brilliantly," he said. "We're not about to waive our cell phone policy. ... Our kids need their education. Every single day this country falls further and further behind the rest of the world. And every single day the demands of industry for better educated kids increases--and increases faster than all of the improvements we've made, and we've made some amazing improvements. We're falling behind the rest of the world and that's not good for our kids or for society."

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

"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.

Prior to the sexual harassment scandal, Mr. Lopez enjoyed a powerful perch as chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. He resigned from his party leader position in late August shortly after the sexual harassment allegations surfaced. As leader of the Brooklyn Democrats, Mr. Lopez developed a cadre of particularly vehement opponents fond of criticizing him as a corrupt party "boss."

Once the impostor gained control of Mr. Lopez's account today, they changed his name on the site to "Boss Vito" and modified his biography to read, "I proudly like to sexual harass my staff members." They also posted a message on the account.

"I'm Assemblyman Vito Gropez, I like to sexual harass my staff members, and to boss on the entire Brooklyn democratic party," one message read.

The hacker also posted a series of tweets cheering on Abe George, a candidate for Brooklyn District Attorney allied with the anti-Lopez faction. They also retweeted a post from Mr. George's account criticizing the current D.A. for not investigating Mr. Lopez and being unwilling "to go after political corruption."

As of this writing, the hacker has not responded to a Twitter message asking them to get in touch for comment on this story. The staffer in Mr. Lopez's office said they are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Update (4:45 pm): Inimitable Crains reporter Chris Bragg spoke to Mr. Lopez about the hacking. The assemblyman said he didn't send the tweets in question and hasn't sent any other tweets ever, for that matter.

"I don’t use the Internet. I’ve never sent out a tweet or an email. I’ve never sent out a twit," Mr. Lopez said.

Politicker went through Mr. Lhota's Twitter archive to explore the teachings of the most philosophical entrant in next year's mayoral race. Check out our slideshow to discover Mr. Lhota's ideas on the passage of time, coping with pain, the very nature of life itself and the importance of the Godfather trilogy.