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Twin earthquakes rattled the Islamic Republic on Saturday. Iran state TV is reporting at least 180 dead and 1,300 people injured. The first of the two quakes measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and struck at just before 5 p.m. local time in Iran. The second followed soon after with a magnitude of 6.3. Earthquakes are a particular danger in Iran, where 50,000 people were killed in a single quake that struck in 1990. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the cities of Tabriz and Ahar.

Jack Abramoff, a former lobbyist imprisoned for his role in a wide-ranging Washington corruption scandal, has appeared as a pundit on CNN. The BBC asks "Why have US television networks turned into comeback springboards for disgraced public figures?"

Excellent question, and nice to hear that others wonder the same thing.

Via:

On Thursday, Abramoff joined presenter Soledad O'Brien, New Yorker writer Ryan Lizza and others to analyse the recent US Supreme Court decision ratifying President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law.

Introducing Abramoff, O'Brien acknowledged he had spent more than three years in federal prison - then plugged his new book.

She questioned him about the impact of the healthcare decision on the lobbying profession and how lobbyists would seek to influence Congress on the matter.

"Always nice to have you," she concluded. "We appreciate it. Thank you."

What conclusion did they reach?

"The journalistic mission became secondary to using notorious names to attract audiences."

It's an interesting outsiders look at what the BBC refers to as "decline of public moral standards" in American television news. Full article here.