Fox News Shepard Smith has been way out ahead of the 9/11 First-Responders Bill. Last Friday, after The Daily Show dedicated most of the previous night’s program to the oddly controversial bill, Smith piled on by asking how congressional members who have held up the bill providing health care to emergency relief workers on 9/11 “sleep at night.” Yesterday he called out ever single GOP lawmaker by name who turned down a request to join him on his show. Today? It was Senator Tom Coburn who drew Shep’s ire.

Earlier today, Mediaite Managing Editor Colby Hall appeared on Fox News’ Studio B with Shepard Smith to discuss Mediaite’s Ten Worst Media Disasters of 2010, and after running down the titular list, Smith gave a boost to the site’s street cred. Not only did Smith correctly pronounce the name of our site (unlike Rush Limbaugh), but went on to observe “It’s not like you guys are always wonderful to us, but I always enjoy reading it.”

Reality isn’t always wonderful to them, either, but it is to Fox News’ credit that they aren’t afraid to acknowledge criticism, and still engage with the source of it.

Though Senator Jon Kyl remains skeptical, the Associated Press is reporting that legislators are optimistic that a bill designed to offer increased health care for 9/11 First Responders has enough support to pass before the lame-duck session ends. In a post on the Daily Kos, NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand suggested that the GOP had been shamed into support by cutting commentary from Jon Stewart and Shepard Smith.

When it comes to the TSA and its “enhanced” security protocols, well Fox’s Shepard Smith is going into Katrina mode–well, sort of. Put it this way: he’s on fire.

You may already have seen Shep warn that “if you touch my junk, I’m going to file a lawsuit against you,” and he took his displeasure over “junk touching” pat downs directly to TSA Chief John Pistole.

Increased airport security measures introduced by the TSA recently came under increased scrutiny, in part due to a viral video of a traveler expressing frustration at the process. “Touch my junk and I will sue” spawned an Internet meme that quickly crossed over to much cable news. Earlier today, Fox News’ Shepard Smith interviewed TSA Administrator John Pistole, confronting him over the controversial new security measures.

Not thrilled with the idea of having a random TSA agent “touch your junk?” Well Fox’s Shepard Smith has your back.

In a typically lively debate over the case of traveler-turned-viral-video-creator John Tyner on Shep Smith’s Studio B Monday, Smith grilled attorney Seth Berenzweig on the TSA rules requiring full inseam “pat-downs” in cases where travelers decline to submit to electronic body scans.

During Fox News’s election coverage, a night when attention should’ve been on current candidates, Shepard Smith turned his attention to his colleague Sarah Palin. If she does one day decide to run for office, Smith asked, would she talk to media outlets that aren’t Fox News, the network at which she currently has exclusive “protection”? Palin’s answer was not promising—for curious voters or for her potential candidacy.

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared Studio B today, and host Shepard Smith did not beat around the bush in asking Senator McCain if he’d support a future Sarah Palin presidential run. This question came in the context of a Politico report suggesting party leaders were nervous that she would ostensibly pull the GOP too far right to be elected. While McCain lauded Palin and her family, he notably did not come out in clear support of his former running mate.

Good news. Jimmy McMillan, the New York gubernatorial candidate from the Rent Is Too Damn High party, who stole the show during last month’s debate, is releasing an album. Of course he is. The NYT has the audio.

Today on Studio B, Mediaite’s own Colby Hall stopped by to discuss some of the biggest media stories of the week; namely President Obama’s appearance on The Daily Show and Joy Behar’s choice words for Sharron Angle. The two men seemed to agree on a number of subjects, never moreso than at the end of the segment, where they both felt that everyone is benefitting Behar’s comments, be it Angle, The View, or even Fox News and our little site here.

Juan Williams did his regular ‘Wednesdays With Juan’ segment on Shep Smith‘s Studio B today. It was Williams first appearance on Shep’s show since his departure from NPR one week ago today. Interestingly, while Shep has gone on record both on his show and on yesterday’s View in support of Juan but nary a word was spoke today about NPR or Juan’s firing.

One person who Joy Behar did not say is going to hell today on The View is Fox News’ Shepard Smith, who was a guest on the program this morning.

Smith revealed he has a new three-year contract with Fox News, as well as the fact he’ll interview Sarah Palin for his first time on Election Night next week.

The ladies of The View were up in arms today over Sharron Angle‘s campaign ad depicting a group of threatening Latinos menacing some white students. It is the same ad Rachel Maddow called “most overtly racist ad of this campaign season” on Meet the Press this weekend. Said Joy Behar: “I’d like to see her do this ad in the South Bronx. Come here bitch, come to New York!”

Leave it to Shep Smith to succinctly put things in their place. On Studio B this afternoon during a segment about Brett Favre‘s confession that he did send the voice mails (but not the pictures!) Shep and guest Fraser Seitel reflected on these latest revelations and pondered whether they would do Favre in. Probably not! Enter Client Number Nine.

In case you were worried that last night’s New York Gubernatorial debate, in which Jimmy McMillan from The Rent’s Too Damn High party stole the midterm freak award right out from under Carl Paladino‘s feet could not get any better, fear not. It just did.

Turns out a website — Shep refused to namecheck it on his show — that offers to help people cheat (“life is short, have an affair”) is offering Yonni Barrios a $100, 000 endorsement deal. The site in question, Shep notes, has approached other high profile place about advertising campaigns and been turned down.

During a segment today Shep Smith reacted strongly after being assured that even if Ahmed Ghailani wasn’t found guilty civilian court the United States would continue to hold him as a military detainee. This proved too much for Shep: “What sort of example is the “shining city on a hill” setting, Shep wanted to know.

A federal judge has declared that the Military no longer enforce the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, effectively ending the military’s 17 year-old ban openly gay troops The US district judge is Virginia Phillips issued the ruling that will potentially change the face of the U.S. Military at home and abroad and has been widely cheered by gay rights organizations. The United States DOJ attorneys now have 60 days to appeal this ruling, thought they could just let Phillips ruling just stand.w have 60 days to appeal this ruling, thought they could just let Phillips ruling just stand.

Now this is the sort of mini-media feud that we can get behind. Last night the editors of Breitbart.tv published a clip of Fox News Shepard Smith reporting a toxic spill in Hungary, exclaiming in his inimitable way “look at that Toxic sludge flowing through the freaking neighborhood!” But in setting up the clip, the editors took a shot at what they deemed to be Smith’s “erratic and overly emotional editorializing.” Shots fired!

Tonight Bill O’Reilly will interview Jon Stewart on his show. Today O’Reilly showed up on Shepard Smith (a strange pairing, truth be told) to discuss the interview, his new book Pinheads and Patriots, and talk about Christine O’Donnell.

It appears that a suspicious package has caused Paris authorities to evacuate the Eiffel Tower. BBC reports that police have also cleared the surrounding park Champ de Mars. Fox News Shepard Smith has also reported that a suspicious package was found on the scene and that dogs have been brought in identify what’s in the suspicious package.

The news that Reggie Bush may in fact have his Heisman Trophy revoked appears to transcend your sports media world, evidenced by the following conversation between Fox News host Shep Smith and correspondent Jonathan Hunt. At one point Smith says to Hunt “you’re an idiot!”

We’ve heard a lot recently about the area a few blocks from Ground Zero, but what about Ground Zero itself?

We got an early look at a special series Fox News is starting today focusing on the various buildings going up at the former home of the World Trade Center – hosted by Shepard Smith and continuing until the project is completed.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was the TV news representative on a panel yesterday about Hurricane Katrina, from the Newseum in Washington D.C.

He reflected on the story five years later – the coverage and who was responsible.

I’m going to warn you in advance to get the tissues out. Earlier today on Studio B Shep Smith asked newly returned Fox News correspondent (and mother of three) Jennifer Griffin, reporting from Kabul (Gen. Petraeus likes Enya!) to talk a bit about what it was like to be back on air after surviving Stage 3 breast cancer. That’s when things got teary.