Ben collects tales from the polls in Kentucky and Oregon. [Politico]

Capitol Hill is saddened by news of Ted Kennedy's brain tumor. [CNN]  read more »

Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani are among the special guests headlining the New York State Republican Committee annual dinner, which is taking place at 6 p.m. next Thursday at the Sheraton in Midtown.

In a public statement announcing the event, State Chairman Joe Mondello said:  read more »

It has been almost three months since The Wire's series finale, and we're all itching to hear about what our favorite actors on the show will be up to. We'll soon see Jimmy McNulty, or Dominic West, on the big screen playing the villain in the sequel to The Punisher movie. Michael, er...Tristan Wilds, is switching zipcodes, to the new 90210. Remember Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski? He was the woefully mousy police officer who resigned in shame after shooting a fellow undercover cop to become a pretty good teacher in the local Balitmore public school. Well he, or actually the actor who plays him, Jim True-Frost, will be coming to our zipcode to play another kinda pathetic character in Tracy Lett's Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County.

Mr. True-Frost will play "Little Charles," the gentle, misguided 37-year-old who is called a loser by his mother and is having an affair with his first cousin. He'll start performing on the Music Box Theatre stage starting June 17.  read more »

Leonore Blitz, a bundler for Barack Obama and an advocate for women in politics, called to say she is picking up on what she considers a disturbing vibe among Democratic women in the New York business community: supporters of Hillary Clinton are considering voting for John McCain over Obama.

"I've been sensing an undercurrent in New York and then the Ferraro thing just set it off for me," said Blitz, referring to remarks Geraldine Ferraro made in Monday's New York Times.  read more »

According to CNN, Ted Kennedy, who was hospitalized over the weekend after an apparent seizure, has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

Hilary Rosen, who was once chief of the Recording Industry Association of American, has been named political director and Washington editor-at-large of The Huffington Post, according to a press release. "I'm delighted to welcome Hilary to the team," Arianna Huffington is quoted as saying. "With her experience in the power corridors of Washington DC, and her extensive network of contacts, Hilary will be a driving force in taking HuffPost's political coverage to the next level." Ms. Rosen is touted for her connections and knowledge of Washington politics; she is not a journalist.

Ms. Rosen's name has been synonymous with record labels' struggles with so-called digital piracy. When she stepped down from the RIAA in 2003, CNet's John Borland wrote, "Hilary Rosen has presided over a transformation of the organization that has matched the turmoil of the music industry since her ascension in 1998. Once a trade organization little known outside music and policy circles, the RIAA has become a household word known for its vigorous prosecution of online piracy, and its role as the nemesis of file-swapping services from Napster to Kazaa."  read more »

Last month this reporter interviewed Amanda Lorber, one of the stars of MTV's docu-series The Paper. At the time, Ms. Lorber, a high school newspaper editor, was savvy enough not to reveal where she would be attending college in the fall. "I don't think I should tell you [where] yet because that's a plotline," she said, laughing. "I will be studying journalism, though."

Finally, her silence has been broken! Ms. Lorber will be attending New York University in the fall according to NYU's Washington Square News. (This fact had already emerged via a commenter on Jezebel last week.) Ms. Lorber tells the WSN's Sergio Hernandez, "I'm ready [for NYU]... I'm a little nervous now because the show has come out, and I kind of don't want to be recognized. I want to have a fresh start, and I want to be kind of a normal student, not a girl that was on an MTV reality show."  read more »

Here's what I've heard so far about who might run for Vito Fossella's seat now that the congressman has said he is staying in office but not seeking re-election.

A spokesman for Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn, the best-funded challenger, said he’s still in the race, despite some rumblings that he might drop out. Democratic attorney Steve Harrison is also still running.

On the Republican side, the names of State Senator Andrew Lanza and District Attorney Dan Donovan have been floated. But a bid by either would come at a cost to the party. A Lanza run could jeopardize one of the State Senate seats that give Republicans a majority. And Donovan would have to give up his safe seat as district attorney, in which case David Paterson would almost certainly appoint a Democrat to that borough-wide position.  read more »

Just in case you were worried, Joe Bruno is not the governor.  read more »

The City Council hired a third law firm to deal with the federal probe into its use of discretionary spending. (Here's who can can use those lawyers). [City Hall Insider ]

In case you hadn't heard, David Paterson is in the hospital undergoing tests while Andrew Cuomo gives his commencement speech at Columbia. [Liz]  read more »