I’m hearing that Tim Russert may have had a fatal heart attack. Can anyone confirm this? It’s a wild rumor at this point, so take with a giant salt lick…
UPDATE: Wikipedia now lists today as his day of death. Has anyone seen anything solid?
NY TIMES: Tim Russert Is Dead of a Heart Attack, His Family Says
Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of “Meet the Press,” has died after collapsing at NBC’s Washington news bureau, a source said. He was 58 years old.
UPDATE: And Fox News is now going on about how Russert was from a liberal family… can’t help themselves.
Tom Brokaw announces Tim Russert’s death on NBc:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06132008/news/nationalnews/tim_russert_dies_from_apparent_heart_att_115384.htm
Only found reference in NY Post so far.
Nothing yet on MSNBC or Meet the Press’s own sites.
Nothing on MSNBC yet, either. They do bother to announce that R. Kelly got acquitted on all counts, though. Okaaaay.
Msnbc has it now.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25145431/?GT1=43001
Sad.
The NBC News heavy hitters are covering it on MSNBC right now. I don’t know how they’re getting through it.
The NYT has this:
bummer
Nice work, Oliver; after checking my feeder reads, you had the first report of this at 3:19. I heard it on an NBC news bulletin at 4:39, Democratic Underground had it earlier, at 4:34, several at DKos had it at 4:34, along with Booman, and John Aravosis. Think Progress had it at 4:36, and others started flooding in at 4:40.
So you beat everyone by 75 minutes.
Now that’s what I call scooping the field! Kudos to you; I’m guessing you have an inside source at the network, so buy that person a beer.
(I’m not dismissing the tragedy to the family; just noting that your blogjournamilasim scooped NBC itself, which I think is notable.)
[...] Willis heard a rumor that Tim Russert of NBC’s Meet the Press died of an apparent heart attack. The New York Post [...]
I listened to the Fox News coverage and everyone I heard made a point of how fair he was. But thanks for bringing in the partisan politics Oliver…I know you can’t help yourself.
He just keeled over, so it was almost certainly his heart.
Scratch: I didn’t bring it up, it was Neil Cavuto and Karl Rove that went down that road.
We are all Buffalo Bills fans today…
The man had his faults, but at his best he could hold people to the fire better than most of the punditocracy. Truly sad moment.
Scratch:
And who was it that made the comment that Meet the Press was the preferred avenue to spread lies beneficial to King George? Remember the “Scooter” Libby trial? Remember who was outed during the trial as a tool for Darth Cheney? It was Timmeh!!
Maybe deep vein thrombosis from his recent return flight from Italy? Rank speculation from a doctor on XM radio…sounds plausible.
karma is a bitch.
Thereisnorule6: “Karma is a bitch.”
Why is karma a bitch and not a bastard? I am sure you are the authority on being either a bitch or bastard.
Sharon Stone: “All these earthquake and stuff happened and I thought, ‘Is that karma?’ When you are not nice that bad things happen to you.”
Karma is the same as the Biblical principle – What you sow, so shall you reap and the Bible says – Death and unforseen circumstances befall us all.
Thereisnorule6 and Sharon Stone, people who understand and appreciate peaceful Hindu, Buddhist and Christian principles never make insensitive and cruel remarks like yours.