Today's pols are so trained by corporate media owners and the journalists who report everything they say as truth it is no wonder they reject new media bloggers who have the passion, knowledge and moral outrage of the old time beat reporters like Jack Newfield, Jimmy Breslin and Murray Kempton. The Owners of the NYT and Daily News need the pols on their side to help them with their white elephant real estate holdings. The NYP's Murdoch needs the city to help them obtain contracts for their new education division head by former Chancellor Joel Klein.
With the dependency of the owners and the shrinkage of the newspaper industry the reports Speaker Quinn faces daily are younger, less experienced and clueless on how politics controls every decision of elected officials. Some people say the quality of reporters is by design, to go soft on the pols. In any event as a result the readers get filleted news prepared for pols by press agents or their lobbyist. Not only is analysis gone but the killer follow up question in response to something a pol said that we used to get from reporters like Tim Russert are gone. Russert whose background was politics told pols every Sunday on Meet the Press that their answers were Bull Shit and now you have to tell me the truth because I know what you are hiding.
In campaign reporting we get who has more money, who endorsed who and the polls. This type of info tells us nothing in a competitive race No wonder the media was shocked when Turner beat Weprin for the Weiner seat. It not only the reporters who are fooled by this era of public relations reporting. Quinn who made Fidler the 3rd highest recipient of member items show up for the victory party for the councilman to begin the collection of his support for her mayor ambitions. The only Problem was Filder lost the race.
In campaign reporting we get who has more money, who endorsed who and the polls. This type of info tells us nothing in a competitive race No wonder the media was shocked when Turner beat Weprin for the Weiner seat. It not only the reporters who are fooled by this era of public relations reporting. Quinn who made Fidler the 3rd highest recipient of member items show up for the victory party for the councilman to begin the collection of his support for her mayor ambitions. The only Problem was Filder lost the race.
Quinn “My job is not to make some random no-name blogger happy. I don’t work for them.” (Bloomberg News)
Trained Monkey Press
The press does not even question the mayor on how he could say Bloomberg Says Quinn "Would Be A Very Good Mayor"(NY1) on the same we he as threatened to take her bill to increase wages on 400 workers to court and called her banking bill foolish.
Quinn Would rather read the NYT articles about her marriage put their by her wedding planner Carolyn Ryan. Title: Political Editor/Metro at The New York Times who knows the softer coverage of Quinn will get her more political support they if she would report on how the speaker allowed a hospital to close in her district then received campaign contribution from the developer building co-ops on the site of the closed hospital. * Quinn Nears a Wedding, and a City Seeks Details(NYT), * For Quinn Wedding, Politics on the Side (NYT) * Smith-Quinn Wedding Aug. 23(NYT) * Quinn’s gift rap (NYP) Bans lobbyists’ presents at her nups * More Quinn-Catulla wedding details: Three Staten Island pols made the 300-person guest list.* First the Baby Pictures Now the Wedding. NYT Covers Quinn With Aim to Build Public Support for her Mayoral Campaign (True News)
The Bloggers on Quinn's Enemies List have Been Asking Her the Question that the Old Media Won't
While the Old Media has forgotten about Quinns' Slush Fund and how she helped Bloomberg and herself to a third term Donny Moss, who blogs for votechristinequinnout.com, says Quinn backed the term-limits extension for Bloomberg because her own mayoral prospects were tarnished. The New York Post in 2008 reported that she participated in a practice, which predated her leadership, whereby money was allocated to fictitious organizations so it could be doled out to community groups later in the budget year.
Unlike other reporters blogger Suzannah Troy questioned Quinn forcefully about issues the speaker does not want to answer Blogger Troy has made it her mission to expose Quinn and other corrupt pols. She has attacked the speaker for allowing a St Vincents Hospital located in her district to close and then taking money from the Rudin family who will make millions by building condominiums on the site of the closed hospitals.
Rafael Martínez Alequín, long a pariah among the City Hall press corps, did what his colleagues don’t bother to do anymore. He investigated corruption - and in so doing, exposed the corrupt of Pedro Espada. Alequín paid a price for his reporting. He was beaten and his life was threaten. Martínez was attacked and threatened when he attempted to ask Espada a questions about his residence and non profit medical heath care organization he funds with government money and runs. Martinez’s camera was broken and he was told that if he continued to investigate Espada he would be put in a body bag by those close to Espada. The DA gave him an order of protection against an Espara aid who questioned him. Martínez was attacked because Espada’s people knew he was doing the job of a real journalist and the so-called real journalists were of no danger to them. Bloomberg banned Alequín from his press conferences and blocked a renewal of his press pass, until civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel brought a lawsuit. Although WCBS TV reporter Marsha Kramer took credit for Alequín video. Martínez produced a video in which he interviewed several Bronx neighbors of State Senator Pedro Espada, who had never seen Espada in the building before. * A Journalist Breaks Through City Hall's "Blue Wall of Silence" (True News)
More to come later today
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5Convicted former Espada’s Medicaid-funded Bronx health clinic has paid more than $1 million of his legal bills
Just $ickening! (NYP) Health clinic pays Pedro’s legal bills * U.S. Expected to Retry Ex-Senator on 4 Unresolved Charges(NYT) * Under Cuomo’s new nonprofit executive pay limits, which don’t take effect until next year, former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.’s Soundview Health Clinic would have been in jeopardy of losing state funding.* Espada’s attorney said the former senator plans to appeal his conviction. She said she hasn’t been informed of the reported plan by prosecutors to re-try him on four counts of theft, fraud and conspiracy on which the jury failed to agree.* The TU cheers Espada’s demise.
Liu's big fix(NYDN Ed)
Controller John Liu rightly slapped down by appeals court (NYDN Ed) Five-judge panel rules his union-friendly wage plan out of order
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Federal Judges OKs Lawsuit Against Stop and Frisk Mike Bloomberg blamed the press for controversy over stop-and-frisk.
Judge OKs class action vs. ‘stop-frisk’(NYP) * Criticizing Police, Judge Widens Suit Over Stop-and-Frisk(NYT) * Reform Stop-and-Frisk (NYT Ed) Now that a federal judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit against the N.Y.P.D., the department should work to reform a policy that violates constitutional rights. * Judge Clears Stop-Frisk Class Action(WSJ) * Federal Judge Approves NYPD Stop-And-Frisk Class Action Suit(NY1) * Brownsville has most police 'stop-and-questions' in city(NYDN)* Stop-and-frisk lawsuit given class-action status(NYDN) * Shira scheindlin, again (NYP Ed) NYP thinks the federal judge who granted class-action status to litigants in a lawsuit against the NYPD’s stop and frisk policy has a history of bias against the police department* Commissioner Announces Steps on Improper Stop-and-Frisk, but Critics Are Unmoved(NYT) * Ray Kelly said minority communities want more stop-and-frisks. * Tish James wonders who Ray Kelly has been talking(Capital) * NY1 Online: Brooklyn District Attorney Hynes Responds to Recent Criticism
Less Tickets
Less Tickets
At a Brooklyn fundraiser to support an Orthodox Jewish man accused of sexually abusing a young girl, more than 100 protesters clashed with supporters of the accused man outside
For Ultra-Orthodox, Clash Over Allegations(NYT) * Protesters Make A Stand At Fundraiser For Rabbi Accused Of Sex Abuse (NY1) * Protesters clash over B’klyn rabbi(NYDN) * Fundraiser Held In Brooklyn For Therapist Accused Of Sexually(WCBS) * Arrests at Fundraiser for Accused Molester(NBC) * I-Team: State Law Could Allow Therapist Sex Assaults to Go Unreported (NBC)
Ed Koch Pushing His Former Aide Arnold Kriss to Run For DA Again
Brooklyn Prosecutor Defends Record on Sex Abuse Cases(NYT) Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and former Mayor Ed Koch clashed over the D.A.’s controversial handling of Orthodox Jewish sexual abuse cases in a series of emails Koch provided to the New York Times. Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes and former NYC Mayor Ed Koch exchanged heated emails after Koch criticized Hynes’ handling of accusations of child sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox community.
Arrests Seen in Signal Probe(WSJ)* MTA Chief: Inspections on subway signals may have been (WABC) * NY1 Exclusive: Air Filtration System To Deal With Dust By Second Avenue Construction
FBI keeping NYPD out of the loop on terror (NYDN) * Mueller’s call of duty(NYDN Ed)
Educaton
Judge Declines to Issue Injunction on Hiring for 24 Schools (NYT) NYC proposed offering buyouts to hundreds of teachers who have been floating in the system for more than a year without a permanent classroom position, as part of a change in labor practices outlined by Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. *Walcott Outlines Plan To Remove Low Performing Teachers(NY1)
SAT Scores Are Invalidated at a Brooklyn School(NYT) * SAT Scores Tossed Out in Testing Site Glitch(WSJ) * Test Administration Error Forces Brooklyn Students To Retake SAT Exam(NY1) * 200 New York high school students told SATs invalid(WABC) * 199 SAT Scores Thrown Out at BK School(NBC)
The State is Trying to Close Another Hospital
Cuomo called JCOPE’s potential probe of Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous a “procedural matter,” and declined to comment further. * Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos is “thinking” of launching an investigation into how details of JCOPE’s letter of inquiry to Libous were leaked.* Westchester County DA Janet DiFiore, chair of JCOPE, has links to the law firm at which Libous allegedly misused his position to get his son a job. She might have to recuse herself from any inquiry.
Cuomo’s Battery Park Contributors(YNN)
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The Man Who Many Believe Got Spitzer Now Has His Emails
Secret Spitzer e-mails to be public(NYP) A State Supreme Court judge ordered the release of former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s private emails from his time as Attorney General in connection with a lawsuit by former AIG CEO Hank Greenberg,
Gov to end food stamp fingerprints(NYDN) * Cuomo Seeks to End City’s Fingerprinting of Food Stamp Applicants(NYT)
Writes Gabe Pressman: “It seems highly unfair, if not brutal, to deny people suffering debilitating pain the relief that comes with the use of medical marijuana. This is a medical issue and a moral one.” * Sitting state Supreme Court Justice Gustin L. Reichbach, who is battling pancreatic cancer, says smoking pot is the only thing that stimulates his appetite and helps him sleep.* Tom Precious chatted with the new Senate sponsor of the med-mar bill, Sen. Diane Savino, who is not deterred by the fact that Cuomo has said the measure won’t likely be taken up this session.* Brooklyn Judge Admits to Smoking Marijuana Medicinally(N Mag)
Nearby Skyview Towers Mall is Always Empty. . . Why Remove the Business From Willets Point to Build Another Mall?
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Why is the City Paying A Developer $$$ to Evict Business and Jobs When the Cities Unemployment Rate is Reaching 10%
In Shift on Willets Pt., City Strikes New Development Deal(NYT) A 1.4-million-square-foot mall and parking garage is planned for one side of the Mets’ stadium in Queens, with a hotel and stores on the other side. * Plan Upends Willets Vision(WSJ) The Bloomberg Administration struck a deal with Related Companies and Sterling Equities to build a 1.4 million-square-foot mall, parking garage, hotel and stores next to the Mets’ Citi Field, postponing Bloomberg’s attempt to develop Willets Point. In a sudden departure from its long-held plans, the Bloomberg administration has struck a deal with a developer and the owners of the Mets to build a 1.4-million-square-foot mall and parking garage in Willets Point Queens next to Citi Field, as well as a 200-room hotel and stores on the other side of the stadium.
Zoning proposal would preserve Harlem's scale(NYDN)
NYC’s unemployment rate has ended its nearly yearlong climb and dipped to 9.5 percent – down from 9.7 percent in March, but still well above the 8.1 percent national average.
Williamsburg residents fight bar planned by owner of Lower East Side Bulgarian hotspot (NYDN) His Manhattan bar features an ice cage for chugging vodka and promises of free shots if you get naked
NYU Grads Get Supreme Sendoff At Yankee Stadium(NY1) * 
Justice Sonia Sotomayor sings NYC's praises to grads(NYDN)
The Cuomo administration and NYRA remain at odds.
Senate Passes Bill Creating Monitor for Disabled Care(NYT) * NY Senate passes bill to protect the disabled(WSJ)
RFK Jr.’s wife hangs herself (NYP) * Found in estate barn * Split over his ‘affairs’ * Booze & pill abuse * Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Wife Found Dead(NYT) * Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Estranged Wife Dead(WSJ) * Don't blame Kennedy curse(NYDN) * Cuomo’s ex-wife, Kerry Kennedy, said her family is devastated by the loss of her “best friend” and sister-in-law Mary Kennedy, who hung herself in the barn behind her Westchester County home yesterday.
The Making of A President 2012
NC’s gay wedded diss to O (NYP) Romney surges in poll * Obama team draws heat over changes to former presidents' online biographies (NYP) * Romney Raises $40.1 Million in April(NYT) * Romney's April Fundraising Haul Nearly Matches Obama's (ABC) * Mitt Romney's Tea Party Masters - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast * Why I Think Obama Is Losing - Clive Crook, The Atlantic * Romney's Phony Embrace of Bill Clinton - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post *Panic Time for the Obama Campaign? - Michael Barone, DC Examiner * Obama-Clinton? That's the Ticket - Carol Marin, Chicago Sun-Times *
Dems in Despair on Wisconsin - Christian Schneider, New York Post * About That Obama Enemies List - Alec MacGillis, The New Republic * Election 2012: FOX News: Obama 46, Romney 39 | RCP Electoral Map * Romney says Obama campaign focused on 'character assassination'(NYP) * Mitt Romney on the Rev. Wright Super PAC controversy: “I’m not familiar precisely with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was. * Democrats seem to be taking a page from the Republicans playbook, passing dead-end legislation and then using it to demagogue their opponents, Irin Carmon writes.* Mitt Romney’s latest tactic: Lavishing praise on Bill Clinton. * Rep. Charlie Rangel, on the other hand, says he doesn’t need Obama’s endorsement to win, but would “welcome” it. * California: Our Very Own Greece - Ross Kaminsky, The American Spectator * Jindal Is the Best Veep Choice, Hands Down - Philip Klein, DC Examiner * Obama's Career-Long Electoral Strategy - Jim Geraghty, National Review * Targeting Rev. Wright Would Be Really, Really Ugly - Joe Klein, Time * 2012 Race May Be More About Mobilization - Reid Wilson, National Journal * Media Is Only Interested in Vetting Romney - John Nolte, Big Journalism * Romney Condemns Proposed Ads on Obama Pastor(NYT) * The White House Goes To War With The Joe Biden It Has (Buzzfeed)
Billionaire DNAinfo Founder Joe Ricketts Commissioned Race-Baiting Obama Attack Plan(NYO) *Joe Ricketts Would Never Call Obama a ‘Metrosexual, Black Abe Lincoln’(NYO)
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JPMorphing (NYT Ed) JPMorgan Chase’s whopping multibillion-dollar trading loss has revived calls for a tougher version of the Volcker Rule, but Jamie Dimon isn’t dropping his campaign against regulation.
Law and Order
Port Authority Shakes Up Police Force for Test Lapse(NYT) * Beating puts juvie officer in hosp (NYDN) * Ex-NYPD sgt. nabbed in 4.7M scam(NYDN)
Will try to avoid 25-year prison stint after allegedly plunging knife into cop(NYP)
Mom snaps cellphone pic of 'perv' who 'touched' her daughter (NYP)
Brutal rape caught on tape: prosecutors(NYDN)* Neighbor’s Watchful Eye Helps Police Catch Alleged Burglar(WCBS) * Wiseguy's mouthpiece may also be his moll(NYP) *Police Officer Avoids Jail for Felony Conviction(NYT) * Man Arraigned In Attempted Murder Of NYPD Officer(NY1) * Police Search For Suspects In Bronx Man's Death(NY1) * NYPD busts 45 people in crackdown on drug-dealing gang (NYP)
