TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, is known for its screeching headlines, up-to-the-second scoops, and contentious practice of paying off sources for scandalous tips. It has now widened its pitiless lens to include politicians. After the latest U.S. partial government shutdown began, on February 14th, the site’s founder, Harvey Levin, put out a call for photos of congresspeople relishing their spring recess. The tabloid published photographs of the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham relaxing at Disney World, gripping a bubble wand; John James, a Republican representative from Michigan, unwinding in the Caribbean; Marsha Blackburn, a Republican U.S. senator for Tennessee, flying out of D.C. “TMZ is, to put it generously, a controversial outfit that few would admit to reading regularly,” Paula Mejía writes. “But even some of TMZ’s usual detractors have applauded its pivot to name-and-shame political coverage.” Read about the tabloid’s political turn: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/tmz-get...