Update 2:03 PM CST:
FOX News is reporting that Gov. Spitzer will resign. He’ll be indicted too.

Original Post:
It looks like New York is going to have a new Governor soon:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He scheduled an announcement for 2:15 after inquiries from the Times.

Mr. Spitzer, a first term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform an end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Predictable - but I wonder if he’ll take anyone else down with him. Oh, this is also the man Time Magazine picked as their 2002 “Crusader of the Year“:

Spitzer has spent a career pushing the law as a tool for social change. A passionate and partisan Democrat, he has brought cases against a long line of tough adversaries–organized crime, gun manufacturers, air polluters, Korean grocers who don’t pay minimum wage. His efforts have not always succeeded. Yet he has consistently used laws in novel ways to address wrongs that were in plain view but seemed intractable to others. And, as was the case with Merrill, his endeavors have been about pursuing a path of justice even before the precise nature of a case is clear. “He’s the real deal,” says Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law School professor who hired Spitzer, in his second year at the school, as a research assistant in the 1980s to help on the Claus von Bulow defense. “He has a creative and innovative mind, and he always wants to do what’s right.”

Eliot Spitzer has apparently been doing more than “what’s right.”

Resources:
Official Website of the Governor of New York
Wikipedia - Eliot Spitzer

This is all part of the same FAA test that got so much attention here in Houston.

Miami-Dade police said only licensed pilots with the aviation unit will operate the devices because the airspace in the county is so busy.

Only the Miami-Dade police department and the Houston police department were given permission by the FAA to experiment with the drones.

“The capability of the unit is phenomenal,” said Miami-Dade Detective Juan Villalba.

The unmanned aircraft will be used during SWAT team and tactical operations, especially when officers need video of a heavily armed suspect.

The Miami-Dade police department has not yet taken possession on its drone, but the Houston police department has and is already conducting tests.

They’re testing Honeywell’s Micro Air Vehicle.

The guns came out overnight in Paris:

A crowd of youths set police barricades on fire and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at officers, who retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets. In Villiers-le-Bel and surrounding areas, youths set fire to 36 vehicles, the area’s prefecture said.

Youths were seen firing buckshot at police and reporters. A police union official said 38 officers were wounded, including three seriously — one of whom had a shoulder wound after a shot from a hunting rifle pierced his bullet-proof vest. One reporter also was injured.

Talk in the blogosphere mainly centers around the media’s fear of the “M word”. James Joyner:

Interestingly, those without background knowledge of the 2005 riots would have no idea from reading these stories that the “youths” killed, those perpetrating the riots, and the suburbs in question were predominantly Muslim and that ethnic unrest was the tinder sparked by the incidents.

Pam at Right Voices mocks the mainstream media with a headline:

Youths of undertermined ethnic extraction burn Paris for a second night.

While The Transatlantic Conservative hears nothing but Newspeak from the media:

Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it is described as being “the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year.” Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an Appendix[1] in which the basic principles of the language are explained. Newspeak is closely based on English but has a greatly reduced and simplified vocabulary and grammar. This suited the totalitarian regime of the Party [of political correctness - ed.], whose aim was to make any alternative thinking (”thoughtcrime”) or speech impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe the ideas of freedom, rebellion and so on. One character says admiringly of the shrinking volume of the new dictionary: “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”

Wolf Howling takes a look at the violent ‘burbs:

The riots are just the most visible symptom of a violent subculture in the suburbs, much of it associated with Wahhabi / Salafi Islam. Other notable examples of this violent subculture are here and here.

Snaphanen has more on the touchy neighborhoods:

The euphemism for these enclaves — “quartier sensible”—bears a nugget of truth if correctly translated as “touchy neighborhoods.” Villiers le Bel is in the administrative district of Sarcelles / Garges-les-Gonesses about 20 km north of Paris. Not so long ago Sarcelles was the home sweet home of Jewish refugees from North Africa; today it is their nightmare. They endure constant attacks and harassment from the permanently enraged African-Arab-Muslim residents who live cheek by jowl with their still neat clean streets.

Not surprising is it? Jews suffer, the police suffer, and perhaps most horrifically Ronald McDonald suffers:

Not to make too much light of of a serious issue, but why do the rioters in Paris always target McDonald’s? Yeah I know it is a symbol of evil American imperialism. But so is KFC, so is Burger King and Starbucks, of which there are plenty in Paris. Yet time and time again only McDonald’s is attacked by the mobs. Wonder why that is.

I think Ed answered his own question - unless it turns out that Muslim youths are really just enraged over the presence of trans fats in their fries. Whatever the reason, Girl on the Right is looking forward to a Sarkozy crackdown:

It was hoped by many - myself included - that once Sarkozy was elected he would put a stop to this nonsense. He obviously has little patience for the “scum”, which is how he was elected in the first place. I do hope that on his return from Beijing he actually puts his foot down and squashes this ridiculous intifada. Now they’ve started attacking the cops - it’s time to end this.

Sarkozy is out of town (China) but he did issue a statement:

President Sarkozy, who as Interior Minister two years ago was criticised for appearing to provoke weeks of copycat violence, interrupted a state visit to China to appeal for calm. “Let everyone cool down and let justice determine who is responsible,” he said.

If the violence spreads, and he has to return early, he’ll probably be a bit more animated. We’ll know more in a few hours.

I think the PR folks are scrambling a bit after one of our local stations crashed HPD’s semi-secret UAV demo:

Houston is one of two cities chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration to test whether unmanned aircraft can be used safely in an urban environment, authorities said.

During the testing period, expected to run at least until next June, HPD and the Miami-Dade Police Department will help the FAA establish national flight guidelines, such as how the small aircraft can be deployed and what training is needed to operate them.

“At this point, the project is strictly on a research level,” Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said.

The UAV in the KPRC video looks pretty familiar. I’m almost positive that it’s the Insitu ScanEagle. Boeing had a hand in ScanEagle’s development and their site details some of the bird’s impressive capabilities.

Hillary is getting bad news for breakfast:

Norman Hsu’s quickly jumpstarted life on the lam came to a screeching stop less than 48 hours after it began when he got sick on the California Zephyr and was nabbed after being rushed to a Colorado hospital, according to the FBI.

The prolific Democratic fundraiser and fugitive was busted at 7 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time by FBI agents from the Denver office, according to Special Agent Joseph M. Schadler in the FBI’s San Francisco office.

He was still in St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction - 250 miles west of Denver - Thursday evening, according to Pete Smarr, a nursing supervisor. Smarr declined to say what Hsu was suffering from - other than to report him in custody and in “fair” condition.

Hsu was traveling on Train #6, according to Cliff Cole, an Amtrak spokesman. Hsu boarded the train in Emeryville and was scheduled to get off the train in Denver, Cole said. Cole had no information as to who - if anyone - Hsu may have been traveling with.

Hsu was arrested on federal charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to a statement released Thursday night by the FBI.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist but you have to wonder about this guy’s sudden illness given the number of powerful people who’d like to see him vanish. Then again he was probably eating Amtrak food. I guess we’re lucky to have him alive.

Why would he try to escape via the California Zephyr anyway? Apparently his final stop was in Colorado:

Cliff Cole, a spokesman for Amtrak in New York, said Hsu was on the California Zephyr and boarded the train in Emeryville, Calif. He said Hsu’s ticket indicated his destination was Denver.

I’m guessing Denver International Airport was his intended destination but who knows.

Update II:
The State Department assisted:

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the US State Department Diplomatic Security Service assisted in the investigation.

From the Bureau of Diplomatic Security website:

Operating from a global platform in 25 U.S. cities and 159 foreign countries, DS ensures that America can conduct diplomacy safely and securely. DS plays a vital role in protecting U.S. embassies and personnel overseas, securing critical information systems, investigating passport and visa fraud, and fighting the war on terror.

Update:
Michelle Malkin is up late:

Allah had the same reaction I did to reports saying that the federal charges of unlawful flight will be dropped when he lands back in California: Huh?

I’m not sure if that’s standard procedure but it sure sounds odd.

I knew there was something fishy about this:

Two Egyptian students at the University of South Florida were indicted Friday for carrying explosive materials across states lines and one of them was charged with teaching the other how to use them for violent reasons.

Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives.

He and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, an engineering student, were stopped for speeding August 4 in Goose Creek, South Carolina, where they have been held on state charges.

The two men were stopped with pipe bombs in their car near a Navy base in South Carolina where enemy combatants have been held. They were held on state charges while the FBI continued to investigate whether there was a terrorism link.

Mohamed was charged with distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction, which is a terrorism-related statute, a Justice Department official said. The crime carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.

20 years sounds like a good start and the U.S. Navy brig in Goose Creek sounds like an ideal spot to house them.

My personal information appears to have been stolen yet again. I’m losing track of these notices:

Recently, malicious software, known as Infostealer.Monstres, was used to gain unauthorized access to the Monster.com resume database to steal the contact information of job seekers. Monster Worldwide is the technology provider for the USAJOBS website and regrettably, some of the contact information captured came from USAJOBS job seekers.

The information captured included name, address, telephone number, and email address. Monster Worldwide has assured the U.S. Office of Personnel Management that Social Security Numbers were NOT compromised because of IT security shields USAJOBS has in place.

At least they didn’t get Social Security Numbers. I guess the other good news is that I haven’t used USAJOBS in years so whatever information they have is probably out of date.

Urban Dictionary:
Pwnt

FOX News has the transcript. I still think he’ll resign before the week ends. The pressure to do so is mounting:

The Nevada senator who leads the Republican effort to reclaim the majority in the Senate in 2008 joined a growing number of leaders suggesting Sen. Larry Craig resign.

Sen. John Ensign told MSNBC today that it would be best if Craig resigns, MSNBC reported at 1 p.m. MDT.

Ensign’s turning away from Craig is especially significant because he is chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm that raises money and develops strategy to elect Republican senators. Ensign’s statement suggests that Republicans fear that a prolonged battle by Craig to keep his seat will harm other GOP candidates in 2008.

Craig is among the GOP incumbents who face re-election next year. Craig said on Tuesday that he will announce next month whether he will run for a fourth term.

“I think the pressure will continue to build,” said Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who chairs the party’s senatorial campaign committee.

Update:
One blogger says he’s made the call:

Sources in Idaho have told From the Left that Sen. Larry Craig will resign from the United States Senate this weekend.

Plans are being made for Idaho governor C.L. Otter to appoint a replacement and the front runner is state Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. Wadsen is a Republican, a social conservative and, a Mormon.

Announcements will be posted here as they become available.

Their odd behavior was noted by several people during a period spanning several weeks:

FBI agents in Seattle have asked the public to help identify two men spotted behaving in an “unusual” manner during several trips on the nation’s largest ferry system.

Federal officials released a pair of photos of the men to the public Monday after they were shown to employees of the ferry system. The two men appear to be of Middle Eastern descent and are seen standing against the rail of a Washington State Ferries system vessel.

FBI field agents told ABC News’ Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV that the two men were observed on ferries and seemed unusually interested in how the boats worked and docking procedures. They were seen on multiple ferry runs over a period of four to six weeks and ultimately photographed by a ferry employee.

It was the Washington Joint Analytical Center, established in 2003 as a clearing house for terror-related tips in Washington, that pieced together reports about the men from several daily ferry commuters over several weeks.

At least one media outlet doesn’t seem t too interested in helping the FBI get to the bottom of this:

While the TV stations aired the photos and posted them online, both the Seattle Times and the PI did not. “Running a photograph of two men who may as easily be tourists from Texas as terrorists from the Mideast with a story that makes them out to be persons of interest in a terrorism investigation seems problematic, to say the least,” explains PI Managing Editor David McCumber.

The release was debated heavily within the FBI but they eventually decided that public safety was primary:

Gomez readily acknowledged that there was internal controversy among the FBI’s law enforcement partners over whether to release the picture of the two men. “Issues of privacy and perhaps civil liberties,” Gomez said. “However, the consensus opinion was that we had an overriding law enforcement interest in publishing these photos.”

Now imagine the outcry from the Seattle PI if, in the wake of a significant terrorist attack on the ferry system, it was discovered that the FBI sat on the photographs of these men instead of using every means at their disposal to get to the bottom of this.

If you think you know these men, or have any additional information, contact the Seattle office of the FBI.

Also Blogging:

NewsBusters
Also, the people who depend on the P-I for information - the paper has shown that it cares more about protecting the sensitivities of the two mystery men that it does about the safety of the tens of thousands of area residents who ride the ferries each day.

Michelle Malkin
al Qaeda-linked operatives have targeted ferries before for mass murder and violence. In Feburary 2004, the Times noted, “a man boarded a 1,747-passenger ferry bound from Manila to Bacolod in the Philippines. He carried eight pounds of TNT in a cardboard box onto the ship, left it on a bunk, then slipped off the ferry, according to news reports. An hour after departure, an explosion ripped through the ship, starting a fire that killed more than 100 people and left the ship foundering. Authorities have arrested a man who admitted to the bombing and is a member of an Islamic separatist faction with ties to al-Qaida.” It was the world’s deadliest terror attack at sea. Muslim convert Redondo Dellosa admitted he planted the bomb.

Wizbang
CAIR will try to bully the American people into keeping silent — don’t. The sixth anniversary of 9-11 approaches. Remain alert and aware.

Captain’s Quarters
The blogosphere — doing the job American media won’t do since 2001.

The video is more pathetic than amusing. They say she wasn’t even drunk enough to trigger a DWI charge which forces me question her sanity. If she’s just buzzed she must be one of the world’s nastiest drunks. Either way it would appear that she needs to get some help.