• by John Gaffney , June 13, 2003

Other People's Riffs For June 13:

This Week's Argument For Legal Reform: The Rosie O'Donnell Show was sued for $3 million on Wednesday by a 71-year-old widow who alleges she was hit in the mouth by a hard rubber ball while attending a taping of the defunct television program. Lucille DeBellis of Hartsdale, N.Y. claims in the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, that while attending a taping of the show in November 2001, she was struck in the mouth by a ball thrown by a member of O'Donnell's staff. The suit alleges the ball was "recklessly and negligently shot" in the audience using an apparatus similar to a sling-shot. It further alleges that over the next several hours she experienced pain and swelling in her lips and mouth and that ultimately small lumps appeared in her mouth.

A Searchlight Glimpse Into The Mind Of Trent Lott: The San Antonio Current reported that during this week's Congressional hearings on the recent FCC rulings, the Mississippi senator dismissed notions that some Republicans favored the new rule, which passed on a party-line vote in the GOP-majority FCC, because it would allow the conservative Fox network, owned by Rupert Murdoch, to increase its market share. "Thank God for Murdoch," he said. Referring to the TV networks, he said, "They're all run by the same crazy people." Lott said the last thing he wanted was to allow companies like The Washington Post to extend their reach by buying up TV stations. "They've been hammering me for 30 years," he said. "Thank God Fox showed up. I have to put up with that paper enough as it is."

Thought To Ponder For The Week: Writing in the Atlantic Online, William Powers opined on the spate of stories now appearing on and offline about an investor turnaround. "If the public doesn't respond to this new round of "buy" orders from the media, and the economy doesn't come roaring back as quickly as it might, who's at fault - all those frightened investors trying to protect the pennies they still have, or the media outlets that took them for a ride in the 1990s and are now widely and justly distrusted?"