MSNBC.com is staffing up ahead of a major relaunch later this year. The relaunched site will focus on the world of politics and the personalities that populate MSNBC’s programming. There will also, however, be plenty of political news and information.

To that end, the channel is adding a number of reporters, including Talking Points Memo’s Benjy Sarlin, who joins as a political reporter in Washington, The Washington Post‘s Suzy Khimm, who joins as a reporter at “All In,” and Rothenberg Political Reports’ Jessica Taylor, who joins the team of “The Daily Rundown” and NBC Politics. Other additions include Adam Serwer as a national reporter focusing on civil rights issues, Amy Pereira as director of photography, Jason Fields as director of design, Emma Margolin, Evan Puschak and Michele Richinick.

MSNBC.com executive editor Richard Wolffe‘s memo to staff is below.
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NBC News Digital has made a slew of personnel announcements today, affecting both NBCNews.com and MSNBC.com, which will launch this Summer.

NBCNews.com has named Hilary Frey editorial director for news, while MSNBC.com has named Dafna Linzer managing editor. Frey was most recently editor-in-chief of Yahoo! News, while Linzer was a senior investigative reporter at ProPublica.

In addition, NBCNews.com has promoted Dick Belsky to Managing Editor of News. There are a number of other additions to both sites, all of them noted after the jump.

Note from MSNBC.com VP and executive editor Richard Wolffe:
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Now that NBC News Digital has two different news websites to work with, the company is solidifying the leadership at the sites.

NBCNews.com will be led by Gregory Gittrich as VP and executive editor. Gittrich joins NBCNews.com from the NBC Owned Stations group, where he had been VP of digital media. He will report to senior VP and chief digital officer Vivian Schiller.

As for MSNBC.com: regular MSNBC guest and political analyst Richard Wolffe will become VP and executive editor for the site, still slated to launch early next year. He will report jointly to MSNBC president Phil Griffin and Schiller.

Elsewhere: Jennifer Brown has been promoted to VP an executive editor of Today.com. She had been GM of the site. Ryan Osborn has been promoted to VP of digital innovation. Andrew Locke has been upped to VP of mobile and devices, while John Keegan has been named VP of technology strategy.

More below.

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At 10amET Glenn Beck‘s 8/28 “Restoring Honor” rally got underway. Here’s how it looked on the cable news channels.

• The rally is being carried live on C-SPAN.

• On MSNBC, reporter/producer Domenico Montanaro reported from the Beck rally on the Lincoln Memorial, while MSNBC contributor Richard Wolffe reported live from Dunbar high school for the Rev. Al Sharpton-led rally.

• CNN has two correspondents at the Lincoln Memorial: Kate Bolduan and deputy political director Paul Steinhauser

• Fox News stayed with the #1-rated pre-taped business block of “Bulls & Bears” and “Cavuto on Business”

Developing…

> Sarah Palin takes to the stage at 10:35amET. CNN carries it live.

> At 11:23amET, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa presents MLB vet Albert Pujols with the Hope Award: “12 years ago I made the best decision of my life and that was following Jesus Christ.”

> At 11:45, Beck voices over a short piece on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed by a short clip from Dr. King from his speech, in the same place, 47 years ago today. Beck: “Today August 28, 2010 we stand here on the same hallowed ground with our heads held high and our hearts open.” Beck had been criticized for holding his rally on the anniversary of the King speech. Beck then introduced King’s neice, Dr. Alveda King who spoke at the rally.

> 12:37 – Beck: “I know that many in this country think that I am a fear-monger. It is not a label that I think applies. I do talk about frightening things. But I don’t think the man who saw the iceberg as the Titanic was about to hit it, said, ‘it’s an iceberg’s is a fear-monger. He was warning the people on the ship.”

• From a tipster: Glenn Beck speech is visible also overseas… Voice of America TV is simulcasting C-SPAN right now and thus carrying it in Europe.

> 1:18pmET: The event, which ends as more revival than rally, concludes. Beck: “America your choice is clear. We can only concentrate on the scars or we can see what is within and what lies just ahead. Make your choice. Set people free. And spread the word. God Bless. Good night.”

Are You Watching the Glenn Beck Lincoln Memorial Rally?customer surveys

Our sister publishing blog GalleyCat has the info on the as yet untitled book to be released this fall by MSNBC analyst Richard Wolffe. The work will be a follow up to 2009′s Renegade: The Making of a President.

TVNewser has learned Richard Wolffe will be a guest on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” tonight. His first appearance in two months.

Wolffe, a lead contributor who twice filled in as host of the show, was kept off Countdown while the network looked into his work with Public Strategies, Inc., a corporate communications firm run by former Bush White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett. That association, and the fact that MSNBC did not disclose it on air, was first raised by Salon’s Glenn Greenwald in a blog post Aug. 1.

In the days that followed, Olbermann wrote Wolffe would be kept off air “until we can clarify what else he is doing.”

An MSNBC spokesperson tells TVNewser, “NBC News management has had extensive conversations with Richard and has fully reviewed both his work on our air and for Public Strategies. Based on this review, Richard will continue to be a valued contributor to ‘Countdown’ and MSNBC.”

Olbermann himself has been absent from his show several days in September. Last night, he explained why. Click continued to see the clip…

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While the response to Keith Olbermann‘s recent DailyKos diary entry focused on the MSNBC-FNC “truce,” Olbermann also stated that political commentator/corporate strategist/”Countdown” guest-host Richard Wolffe “will not be appearing with us” until the “Countdown” staff can fully understand Wolffe’s other job.

A recent Salon.com article by Glenn Greenwald questioned why and how Wolffe continues to appear as a frequent guest commentator on MSNBC after having recently left Newsweek to work for Public Strategies Inc., a corporate strategies firm. The conflict of interest is clear to Greenwald who points out that Wolffe has said: “The idea that journalists are somehow not engaged in corporate activities is not really in touch with what’s going on. Every conversation with journalists is about business models and advertisers.”

In response to the article, Olbermann blogged:

I must confess I was caught flat-footed. I do not know what the truth is; my executive producer and I have spent the last two months dealing with other things (see above) but what appears to be the truth here is certainly not what Richard told us about his non-news job.

I am confident his commentary to this point has not been compromised – he has been an insightful analyst and a great friend to this show – but until we can clarify what else he is doing, he will not be appearing with us. I apologize for not being able to prevent this unhappy set of circumstances from developing.

(h/t Mediaite)

Tomorrow and Wednesday, former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean will guest host Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Expect a lot of health care talk as Dean is the author of “Howard Dean’s Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform.” The question: will there be opposing viewpoints during his healthcare segments?

Sitting in tonight is Lawrence O’Donnell. Richard Wolffe guest hosts Thursday and Friday. Olbermann is back next week.

> It makes TVNewser tired just thinking about it, but FBN’s Liz Claman and Cheryl Casone are scheduled to compete in this Sunday’s NYC Triathlon. It’ll be the first triathlon for both women. Claman reports she’s been training five days a week (often at 5 a.m.), and Casone spends “six days a week in a pool, on a bike, or running…”

> Political analyst and author Richard Wolffe will fill in for Keith Olbermann tonight on Countdown. It’ll be the first time guest hosting for Wolffe, formerly with Newsweek, now with the D.C. office of Public Strategies.

> Former CNN producer-turned-filmmaker Brian Kosisky will make his feature directorial debut on a movie called Call of the Shadow Wolves, which is set to begin shooting in Arizona. Kosisky won a Gracie Award last year for Breaking the Curse with Daryn Kagan, a film that aired on PBS stations nationwide.

> MSNBC contributor Richard Wolffe has been named a senior strategist for Public Strategies, Inc. Wolffe tells Politico he will continue his work at the cable news network.

> FishbowlDC has the story of how ABC News’ Jake Tapper was the victim of an early April Fools joke this morning. FBDC has the entire email exchange as well.

> The New York Observer asks various tvnewsers which advisers of Pres. Obama should be on television talking budget and stimulus. CNN’s David Gergen, ABC’s David Chalian and CBS’ Jeff Greenfield are quoted, as well as PBS’ Mark Shields who says the President “can’t be Erin Burnett.”