The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Tabloid Uproar Forces Cameron to Shorten Trip,” makes me think back about the days of Watergate in the United States when noone thought that the break-in into the Democratic National Committee would result in the fall of a President. So, too, the furor surrounding the News of the World has continued to grow as new revelations and resignations seem to come on an almost daily basis. The latest resignation of John Yates, the number two official at Scotland Yard, comes just after the head of that police bureau, Sir John Stephenson, resigned as well.

Now, with Prime Minister David Cameron rushing back to Great Britain, cutting short a foreign trip, one wonders if the scandal will reach all the way to the top in that nation as well. The head officials at Scotland Yard confessed to no wrongdoing but resigned because of their cozy relationships with editors at the scandalous tabloid, News of the World, with the implication that the Prime Minister’s cozy relationships may be a cause for resignation as well. Mr. Cameron met frequently with the head of News International, Rebekah Brooks, who has been arrested, and he even appointed a News of the World editor, Andy Coulson, as his communications director.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Tabloid Scandal Topples Leader at Scotland Yard,” describes the arrest of the latest victims of the widening investigation, Rebekah Brooks, a former chief executive of News International, and the resignation of the head of Scotland Yard, Sir Paul Stephenson. The wrongdoing covers two separate areas, the illegal hacking of cell phones of prominent individuals, and the use of payments to police officials.

A former press spokesperson for the Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain has also been arrested, and the head of the Wall Street Journal, Les Hinton, has resigned.

The entire affair represents a stiff come-uppance for Rupert Murdoch’s media empire which also includes Fox News in the United States. Many in this country are also beginning to clamor for an investigation of Mr. Murdoch’s activities, especially laws against corruption in foreign nations.

Parliament is scheduling its own investigation of Rupert Murdoch’s activities, and the media mogul as well as his son, James Murdoch, are scheduled to testify. Rebekah Brooks had been scheduled, too, prior to her arrest.

It is important to note, however, that under British law, you can be named a suspect and arrested on a provisional basis since the law does not require you to be charged for 24 to 36 hours. Ms. Brooks may fall into that gray area.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “2 Top Officials Leave News Corp. in Press Scandal,” shows how Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is unraveling strand by strand. The two who left include Les Hinton, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Rebekah Brooks, the top editor for multiple British publications, including the genesis of the scandal, the News of the World, where reporters hacked into cell phones of celebrities, politicians and victims, all in the search for a story.

The latest outrage started when it was revealed that the News of the World hacked into the cell phone of a missing 13-year old girl, Milly Dowler, who it was later found out had been murdered. The hacking confused the police investigation and may have hindered saving her. Yesterday, Rupert Murdoch paid a special visit to the family to apologize.

Meanwhile, across the pond, as they say, it is uncertain whether Mr. Murdoch’s New York Post hacked into cell phones of vicitms of the 9/11 tragedy. The FBI is currently investigating. One wonders whether the Fox network would somehow be implicated in wrongdoing as well.

Mr. Murdoch has been a polarizing figure both in the United States and Britain, and his arrogance has proved to be his downfall. As they say, pride goeth before a fall …

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Murdoch Drops Bid to Purchase a Satellite Giant,” describes the inevitable demise of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in its attempt to obtain a majority share of British Sky Broadcasting, popularly known in Great Britain as BSkyB. The reversal comes in the wake of the organization’s cellphone hacking scandal in which it illegally tapped into a wide number of phones including the police, political potentates and a murdered 13-year old girl, Milly Dowler.

Many describe the withdrawal of the bid as only temporary as Rupert Murdoch backs down until the anger in Great Britain subsides. Meanwhile, other strategies include spinning off the newspaper section of his company to protect the rest of the media empire from the allegations swirling around the now-defunct News of the World, a 100-year plus organization at the center of the scandal.

Mr. Murdoch, now an 80-year-old gentleman, appears to have no shame. His U.S.-based Fox News is responsible, to a large degree, for the polarization in the United States now affecting the debt talks in Washington. And while this may seem a stretch to some, it is Fox News that largely abetted the Tea Party in its formative stages, and these reality-denying conservatives are the ones in Washington now largely responsible for the deadlock.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Tabloid Sought Phone Messages of Investigators,” details increasing complications in the new investigation of the British publication, News of the World, for hacking into prominent citizens’ cellphones. The original inquiry in 2006 was concluded after revelations about the publication’s illegal attempts to find out more about the queen.

Now, it appears that a list of 8-to-10 pages of victims was compiled and that some of them included the investigators of the publication itself. These senior investigators from Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police included Andy Hayman and John Yates, one involved in an extramarital affair and the other using frequent flier miles from his career for personal vacations. Apparently, other police officials were included in the list as well plus former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The new investigation of the News of the World cellphone hacking will be delivering additional indictments soon, and the web of the publication’s influence seems to extend throughout official British society. The new merger of Rupert Murdoch’s empire with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) will now almost certainly be prohibited as a result.

As one who is appalled at the role Fox News has played in American society, polarizing our news outlets and engaging in outright distortion, I can’t say I’m unhappy about these new difficulties for Rupert Murdoch. Perhaps, it’s just his many deeds finally catching up with him.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Murdoch Closing Tabloid Linked to British Hacking,” shows, in shocking detail, the arrogance and presumption of this media mogul, now tied to scandal in Great Britain based on the actions of his tabloid publication, “The News of the World.”

Despite its status as Britain’s largest circulation newspaper, recent actions by The News of the World have cast it into disrepute, especially the hacking into the phone of a 13-year-old murder victim. The girl, Milly Dowler, had been abducted at the time, and the hacking reportedly hampered efforts of the police to find her.

But it wasn’t just this isolated incident. The News of the World has been exposed for regular payments to the police for information including confidential documents. And the status of the editor, Andy Coulson, who is a former spokesperson for Britain’s current prime minister, David Cameron, has given the scandal a political tinge.

Now, Mr. Murdoch is trying to cut his losses by closing the publication, with a real goal of preserving his attempt to take over the TV station, British Sky Broadcasting. We will see if the British government and the people have enough outrage to stop him. Murdoch is a ruthless businessman, and true journalism is the least of his concerns.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Judge Orders End to House Arrest of Strauss-Kahn,” represents a complete reversal of outlook for the former managing director of the IMF who was apprehended in late May and accused of sexual assault on a housekeeper at a top Manhattan hotel.

Mr. Strauss Kahn, formerly forced to wear an ankle bracelet and remain confined to quarters, with his own security detail ensuring that he did so, is now free to travel anywhere within the United States. And it looks like the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., is on the verge of dropping all charges.

The reversal came after the prosecutors found several holes in the victim’s story and discovered that she had lied to them about a number of facts, albeit some unrelated to the assault. These included lies she told about events right after the assault, lies about her income to qualify for housing, lies on her application to be admitted to the United States from Guinea, and much more.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kahn now seems almost completely vindicated. Formerly considered a strong candidate for the Presidency of France, it remains to be seen whether his political standing can be resurrected. One ominous note, however, the fact of vaginal bruising of the victim remains an indication of the use of force.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Strauss-Kahn Prosecution Said to be Near Collapse,” details a stunning reversal in the case against a potential candidate for the Presidency of France after he was accused of rape by a maid in a five-star hotel in New York.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who was led away in handcuffs and forced to post bail of $1 million, a bond of $5 million and supply his own security detail to enforce a house arrest, may be innocent after all. According to prosecutors, there are now major holes in the story of his accuser, as well as links from her to drug dealing and other unsavory activities. In fact, the maid even discussed accusing Mr. Kahn of sexual assault a few days in advance of her actual complaint and the day when the lewd behavior supposedly occurred. Mr. Kahn has called the sexual encounter consensual from the beginning.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kahn has lost his position as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and been widely assumed to be out of the running for the Presidency of France. Whether he is able to rehabilitate his situation remains to be seen.

Many in France claimed that the police here rushed to judgement, and maybe they were right. It just goes to show that sometimes in he said/she said cases, the man is right.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “In Chaotic Scene, Weiner Quits Seat in Scandal’s Wake,” shows a man so completely reviled and humiliated that it should give pause to us all.

Mr. Weiner, who finally resigned yesterday after three weeks of revelations, one more shocking than the next, ultimately damaged himself far more than the Democratic Party, and things should start to return to normal in the news cycle shortly. Despite what Mr. Weiner did, the Republican plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program is still just as reprehensible and should be covered more widely now that he is off the scene.

The scandal is, in effect, a personal one, and even the Congressional Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over it now that Mr. Weiner has resigned. It is important for everyone to remember, however, that he is still a human being, and loved by God, and he deserves to retain a measure of the dignity given to us all as creatures formed in God’s image.

It was unfortunate that his press conference yesterday was marred by hecklers; he deserved better than that for what must have been a very difficult decision for him. Mr. Weiner has always been a fighter at heart, and maybe his resignation indicates the beginning of a learning process, where he learns when it is important to listen to others and leave the stage.

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Calls to Resign as Weiner Moves to Make Amends,” describes a fall from grace so stunning that it should serve as a cautionary tale for all those in power who think the same rules that apply to others no longer apply to them.

In addition to the insulting way Mr. Weiner used his language skills to belittle women, and the juvenile comments that showed an utter lack of respect for the female gender, an insult to 50 percent of the population at best, Anthony Weiner has made and continues to make unpardonable political errors.

Lying to the press and his colleagues was bad enough, but was there any need to rub it in via a 30-minute plus press conference. And to inform Nancy Pelosi only 15 minutes in advance? I’m not sure whether Mr. Weiner realized the responsibilities entrusted to him as a lead advocate of the liberal cause, but isn’t that always like it is with those in power? They think the rules of common courtesy and basic decorum do not apply to them. That they’re too smart or powerful to get caught.

Now, I realize we are all human, and that this is a fallen world. Yet just like baseball players, our children should be able to look up to those in Congress as a model for everyone else. I do not condemn Mr. Weiner’s weakness, but I think it is inappropriate for him to remain in office any longer. He has singlehandedly changed the national conversation from the Republican’s plan for Medicare, where it belongs, to a much more sordid realm.