True News July 5th Update

Council Pork Increase
Libraries Closed, School, Transit Budgets Cut and City Workers Laid Off


The council's just-passed budget boosts member-item spending -- the cash pols get to pass around their districts like Christmas turkeys -- a full 9 percent over last year, to $396 million.That's nearly $8 million per member.Porkfest in the sun (NYP Ed)

Essentially, member items are little more than an incumbent-protection racket -- which should, by rights, be subtracted from the public campaign funds pols get during election season. Pork Winners: Who Got What: FY2011 (Gotham Gazette)

SlushfundGate: The Watergate Like Cover-Up Continues
City holds the pork blamed the delays on a strict vetting process that went into effect after the council's "slush fund" mess exploded two years ago.(NYP) True News Background 2 years of the council slush fund by the feds without a conclusion? Council Slush Fund

The Daily News reported on June 24, 2008 that U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia asked the NYS Supreme Court to delay for 90 days a special inquiry into the city council pork spending and slush fund, for fear it would derail their case. The inquiry requested by civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel under an arcane law, would require a parade of public officials to publicly testify under a grant of immunity. It not about Siegel ongoing suit which seeks to invoke a a rarely used City Charter provision to combat Tammany Hall corrupt in the 1870s but what happen to the U.S. Attorney Investigation. We know that since then Both Garcia and Lev Dassin have left to white shoe law firms. With the new U.S. for New York's Southern District Preet Bahrara responsibilities with the terror trials we wonder if he has any time for the council investigation or if we will ever see a report if they decide not to indict the big fish

Mutiny on a sinking ship That was some performance put on Friday by the board members of the financially embattled New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.(NYP Ed)

Gambling Fever Gamblers aren’t the only ones prone to jackpot delusions. New York’s politicians and Indian tribes see casinos as magic revenue chests. (NYT Ed)

Rich man, poorer man: Albany's plans to soak the wealthy will backfire Having failed to cut spending anywhere near enough, having rejected sensible revenue-raisers - like allowing wine sales in grocery stores or taxing sugary soft drinks - the pols are pushing back-door schemes to soak the rich. (NYDN ED)

Public Authorities Fail To File Budgets

Charlie Rangel's Long Ascent And Quick Fall


Happy 234th

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

July 4th Update
Pledge of a nation (NYP Ed) * Liberty ThoughtsThe ideas in the Declaration of Independence remain as true to Americans today as they did in 1776. (NYT) * My Deathless PassionThis Independence Day, let your fanged flag fly. (Dowd, NYT) * Robin Williams As The American Flag :: The Coolest One * Founding Fathers' Rap 2010

Slow News Day: Genetics Company Investigates Why Ozzy Osbourne Is Alive

Subway workers caught snoozing on the job (NYP) Monday Update Sleeping subway worker's family says he 'was on a break' (NYP)

White Population Rises in Manhattan - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

City's bidder blunder hits kid agencies (NYP)





Dems ready to give Pedro the heave-ho ALBANY -- State Democratic leaders, disgusted with scandal-a-minute Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada of The Bronx, will move to oust him from the party Is Pedro Espada Still A Koch Reformer? Ed Koch: Hey, If Even Pedro Espada Can Take My Pledge... What a Joke a former mayor who was cought selling the parking violations bureau for political support is telling us who is a refromer Fraud charges loom for Pedro Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. -- accused of living large off the money from his Bronx health-care empire -- could face criminal charges for lying on state and federal applications to get more cash for the clinics (NYP) * Delay Bruno term, lawyer urges judge

Carl Kruger Goes to Dinner with campaign funds with his friend in the white coat
Senate's biggest 'waste' Probed pol a lavish campaign spender The state Senate's top fat cat lives like a king off his campaign cash, tapping donations to pay for his meals, car, hotel rooms, phone, computers -- even flowers, candy and iTunes, records show. Brooklyn Democrat Carl Kruger, who's being probed by the FBI in an alleged shakedown scheme, has amassed a $2.1 million war chest, the biggest in the Senate, although he hardly needs it to stay in office. He won 93 percent of the vote in 2008. * Probed pol's bizarre money trail The payments went to Reliable Repair Inc., a Fair Lawn, NJ, firm the Democratic lawmaker said was hired to install air conditioning and heating systems at his district office. But campaign records on four 2009 payments to Reliable gave conflicting addresses for the business, including three that list a nonexistent address in New Jersey.(NYP) True News Background The Carl Kruger Federal Investigation


The Topless Pictures of the Sexy Russian Spy You've Been Waiting For I Spy 2 More Russians Said to Have Made Admissions (NYT) * Two Admit Russian Identities (WSJ) * Admitted spy couple: Send our kids back to Mother Russia! (DN) * Montclair residents prepare for spy-less 4th *'Safe' house wasn't (NYP) *** July 4th '1000s' of Russian spies in U.S., surpassing Cold War record * The Spies Next Door (Almost) * Russian spy babe's hot affair: Anna Chapman was kinky and 'great in bed,' says ex husband Alex (DN)


Happy Birthday George
On Steinbrenner’s 80th Birthday, a Chance to Reflect (NYT)

A Real Baseball Owner?
Mets Need an owner that knows Baseball like George Steinbrenner or the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers Branch Rickey, not some real estate family looking for to be cool like the Wilpons. Maybe Medoff did one good thing by making Fred and his spoiled kids broke 'Poor' play by Amazin's Team-sale fear for strapped Mr. Met

Beg?

Twitter errollouis RT @AlanColmes Is It Just Me, Or Is There Something Unseemly About Begging LeBron James To Live Here? http://bit.ly/b4iGJV

Petraeus: 'We Are in This to Win' (Newser) * 2,431 NYC Workers Took Military Leave Post-9/11

Hotdog Arrest Update
Free NY Judge Frees Japanese Eating Champ After Fracas - wcbstv.com
WATCH: Former Hot Dog Eating Champ Kobayashi ARRESTED * Former Nathan's Hot Dog Champ Arrested * Chestnut Keeps Title At Hot Dog Eating Contest - wcbstv.com * After 54 Hot Dogs, the Spectacle Began (NYT) * Ex-Champ Crashes Contest (WSJ) * Former Hot Dog Champ Kobayashi Arrested As Chestnut Retains Crown (NY1)

An Eating Contest Will Be Missing a Top Eater (NYT) * Wiener take all! (NYP) * No Kobayashi At Nathan's Hot Dog Contest Sunday (WCBS TV) * Mustard Belt Competitors Converge On Coney Island (NY1) * Imaginations Bigger Than Their Stomachs George Shea, left, and his brother Rich transformed competitive eating with a showman’s flair, starting in Coney Island. (NYT)

1776 American Independence
From China?
This Sunday, 25% Of Americans Will Be Mistaken About What They’re Celebrating They don’t know which country the United States won its independence from. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, this number shot up to 40 percent. Thirty-three percent of women were unsure or answered incorrectly – compared to 19 percent of men. So, which country do these people think we had a revolution against? Incorrect answers included France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.


Councilman Domenic Recchia is new king of pork after giving out more than $1.4 million Every member gets $260,464 to distribute to his senior and youth groups. Then the Council members get a pot of money to dole out as they wish, and the amount varies based on a member's rank and standing with the Council speaker * IT'S ALL ABOUT RECCHIA! THE VOTERS HAVE NO CHOICE (DN)

The Veto Budget
The Power of the Veto Pen Even with 6,700 vetoes already behind him, Gov. David Paterson still has some end-of-session mischief to watch for from New York lawmakers. (NYT Ed) * Botching the big stuff: Legislators are big losers in budget battle with governor (DNEd) * Sweating the small: Ridiculous new law puts warnings on sippy cups (DN Ed) * Paterson Urged to Veto Limit on Stop-and-Frisk List (NYT) * Failure of State Soda Tax Plan Reflects Power of an Antitax Message (NYT) * Pricier than crack! City smokers: Even bootleg cigs too costly (DN) * Gov keeps pen poised for even more vetoes (NYP)

Assemblyman Jose Rivera wants to be 'like ET' * Closed Door Budget Negotiations Deja Vu (ReformNY)

New York Economic Meltdown Hospital Workers Protest ER Closure In Harlem * State Ranks Highest in Per-Student Spending (NY Fiscal Watch) * PULP Funding Left Out of State Budget (PULP Blog) * Is the State Budget Balanced? (Citizens Budget Commission) * Albany Still Needs to Step in for the MTA
(DMI Blog) * Small biz squeezed (NYP) ***Monday Rikers to Consolidate 2 Academic Programs (NYT)

Bloomberg Vs UFT and the Courts
Mayor Criticized on Judicial Stance (WSJ) * Teachers union like a bad attorney, Mike rails (DN) * Mike Bloomberg Draws Praise for the Same Budget Decisions That Reap Tabloid Ridicule for Shelly Silver (Barrett Village Voice)

Narco Submarine Deep Sixed Near Colombian BorderLaw and Order Montenegro Convicts Man for 1990 Brooklyn Murder (NYT) * Indictment returned in bus-driver attack (DN) * Groom-to-be killed in horrific harbor boat crash near Statue of Liberty, boozed-up driver arrested (DN)* Cops gripe over holiday patrol grind * Cop killer walks (NYP) *** July 4th N.J. Man Pleads Not Guilty To Manslaughter In Wake Of Fatal Harbor Crash * Off-Duty EMS Worker Fatally Stabbed In Brooklyn *** Monday Qns. hit-and-run driver was loaded: cops

Facebook Joseph Mercurio If Democrats want November to go well - Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.

Will the Jobless Cost Democrats Their Jobs? - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com * 7.9 million jobs lost, many forever...

Punishing the JoblessA coalition of the heartless, the clueless and the confused is blocking extended unemployment benefits. What can be done? (Krugman, NYT)

A History Lesson Papers Show Moynihan in Full Voice Under Nixon (NYT) * Nixon warned of global warning over 30 years ago (DN)






Admits rotten display of signal strength on iPhone (NYP)
Media and New Tech CNN's Disappearing Act: The 7 Big Anchors Who Have Left In The Last Year (PHOTOS) * New York Times Emerges Victorious in Newspaper War ... of Getting Stolen * Evening News Ratings DOWN Across The Board * Google's Empire Expands to Travel * WATCH: CNN Host Takes On Politico Writer * Howard Kurtz Whines About Perceived Criticism of His Boring TV Show (Gawker) * Rube Goldberg machine brings Google to life

Oil Spill As Oil Industry Fights a Tax, It Reaps Billions From Subsidies *World's Largest Oil Skimmer Being Tested In Gulf Of Mexico