Tuesday, July 24, 2012

True News Update 24/7

Breaking

Feds arrest ex-Queens Assemblyman Jimmy Meng on wire fraud charges(NYDN) * Grace Meng: "I am independent of my father – always have been, always will be." (City and State) *Meng: ‘Troubled and Deeply Saddened’ by Father’s Arrest; Halloran Declines to Comment(NYO) * Jimmy Meng, father of Congressional candidate Grace Meng, arrested on federal fraud charges(Queens Courier) *
among jimmy meng's juicier snippets recorded by FBI: "you can never say in the future that jimmy meng helped me find people." * meng also falsely told FBI informant he was close to ADAs: "I've already dined with them 4 or 5 times and talked about your case."* ‘I Am Independent Of My Father’(YNN)





The Only Challenger the NYP Covers is the One That Has No Chance to Win
22-year-old makes splash for B’klyn GOP(NYP) 22-year-old makes splash for B’klyn GOP. There is only one word to describe the campaign website for 22-year-old Mindy Meyer, an Orthodox Jewish law student running against State Sen. Kevin Parker on the Republican and Conservative Party lines * Mindy Meyer’s ‘State Senate Campaign’ Website Explodes On Twitter, Is Truly Awful * Wanna-be pol Mindy Meyer, 22, tries 'Sexy and I Know It' hook for state Senate campaign(NYDN) * Brooklyn Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar is “excited” that his challenger to Sen. Kevin Parker, Mindy “I’m Senator and I Know it” Meyer, is getting to much attention for her pink and blingy website. Meyer notes her idol, Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde”, took pink to a “top legal institution like Harvard.” She wants to do the same for the Senate in Albany, (though she needs to get her Capitol buildings straight). *Celebrity ‘Diva’ Candidate Mindy Meyer Seems Set to Lose Republican Line(NYO)* Mindy Meyer cares more about Kim Kardashian than Governor Cuomo.* Diva state Senate candidate Mindy Meyer is a media darling and wants Kim Kardashian’s endorsement. Andrew Cuomo? Who’s he?

The Media's Undiscovered Challengers 
Here are the other races NYC Primary Contests
posted by Jerry Skurnik, Room Eight

 

Campaign 2012 Union Money Floods City's 2013 Election(WSJ) Unions have significantly stepped up campaign contributions to New York City candidates compared with four years ago, a sign that organized labor intends to exert more influence in the 2013 race for City Hall. * The next mayor will face a multi-billion dollar fiscal time bomb, John Liu said, because he or she will have to give back pay to municipal employees now working without a contract. * Top Democratic fundraiser Jay Kriegel isn’t taking sides in the mayoral race, bundling nearly $100,000 for all four contenders–Christine Quinn, Bill de Blasio, Bill Thompson and Scott Stringer.

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Fuel’s gold for Seabrook(NYP) A prosecutor asked a jury to convict Councilman Larry Seabrook in closing arguments of a corruption retrial, saying he collected gasoline sales receipts to help launder $50,000 in illegal payoffs* Retrial in Corruption Case of Councilman Nears End(NYT)A lawyer says City Councilman Larry B. Seabrook did not betray his constituents, but was himself betrayed. * Seabrook Jury Hears Closing Arguments(WSJ)* It was alleged in Larry Seabrook’s corruption trial that the councilman used gas receipts to illegally launder $50,000. 

 


Espada’s 400G still missingEspada’s 400G still missing(NYP)


The Surrogate Shame of New York
Mayor Laguardia and Senator Kennedy Tried to Clean Up the Surrogate Courts . .  Now Decades Later A Surrogate Court Race is Being Run in Manhattan and Reform is Not A Campaign Issue
In the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called Surrogate's Court "the most expensive undertaking establishment in the world." He believed it was control of the Surrogate's Court of New York County, more than any other factor, that kept the Tammany Hall political machine alive
Bronx Judge in Misconduct Case Should Be Forced Out, Head of Panel Says Lee L. Holzman, the Bronx surrogate judge since 1988, was found to have committed official misconduct after accusations of malfeasance by two subordinates. * Surrogate's Court And Why It Should Go (True News) * In Queens, Political Center Is in Surrogate's Court - NYTimes.com * Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Michael Feinberg is Suspended From the Bench *Brooklyn Bookkeeper Charged With Stealing Millions From Estates ...

Robert Kennedy Effort to Fix the Surrogate Was Left Undone After His Murder

Senator Kennedy Serious Try to Reform Surrogate Court  * To clean up corrupt Surrogate Courts, wake up and vote - NY Daily ... * Expose Corrupt Courts: Corrupt Courthouse Bookkeeper Stole $2.6 ...


 




'Admits' he fired shots during Bx. gun battle that left boy, 4, dead: cops(NYP)


4 Year Old Shot Dead: A Tale of 2 Cities
Where Are the Pols Demanding the Community Help Find the Shooter of A 4 Year Old?  No Comment From Those Involved In the Father's Day March Against Stop and Frisk?
Slay kid mom’s anguished plea(NYP) Demands help from witnesses * THOMAS A. REPPETTO: How stop-and-frisk saved New York * 4-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in Bronx Playground * Young Life 'Snuffed Out'(WSJ) * Residents, Leaders Rally At Site Of 4-Year-Old's Death; Rapper Fat Joe Weighs In On Shooting(NY1)
Mom of shot tot: Help me find the killer!(NYDN) * The News argues that pro-gun policies in Washington are ultimately the cause of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk measures to rid rifles and hand guns from city streets:
 




NYT Punches Back At Cuomo
Gov Letter Accuses Times of Trying to Manufacturing A Scandal- Friday
Governor Cuomo’s office finally released a 2,200 word letter — on the Friday evening after a national tragedy — criticizing a New York Times story on his lobbying efforts, long after the FOIL deadline. The letter concludes, “We understand The Time’s desire to win awards for breaking scandals, but that is different than trying to manufacture them.” * Cuomo Administration Releases CSNY Letter To NYT(YNN)


NYT Today Kicks Cuomo
Cuomo’s Archive as Attorney General, Self-Edited(NYT) Aides to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo have removed documents from public view pertaining to the 2007 inquiry known as Troopergate, which targeted former Gov. Eliot Spitzer.* Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended the removal of documents from State Archives, saying they should have been private, but former Gov. Eliot Spitzer slammed the conduct * Cuomo has stayed out of the Con Ed labor lockout, notes the Times’s Michael Powell, who blames his inactivity on connections to a financial advisor and the utility’s contributions to a Cuomo-friendly lobbying group:* The Times has more on the Cuomo administration’s penchant for secrecy; now the administration is withholding documents related to the Troopergate investigation during Cuomo’s time as attorney general over the objections of the object of that investigation Eliot Spitzer. Responded the governor’s office: “This is just Eliot and his minions still trying to vindicate Eliot.”

* In Michael Powell’s latest, he slams Cuomo for staying out of the Con Ed lockout, quoting a union official who calls the governor, “a Democrat in Republican clothing.” * Cuomo spokesman Richard Bamberger accused the Times Union of pursuing the edited archives story to atone for its role in the Troopergate scandal.*Former AG Eliot Spitzer is “deeply troubled” by Cuomo’s removal from the state archive documents related to the 2007 “Troopergate” investigation of which Spitzer was a target. *  The administration also lied to the New York Times about the existence of a document related to AG’s ’07 investigation in the archives, saying it didn’t exist and then removing it. (See above link).* No Love Lost Between Cuomo and Spitzer(NYO) * As Cuomo Gets Heat On Con Ed Lockout, Schneiderman Makes Labor Play  * Tempest In A Troopergate Teapot?(YNN) *The Times Union published the Troopergate memo that Governor Cuomo removed from the archives. Liz Benjamin offered further analysis.* Mayor Bloomberg walked back his comment about police officers threatening to go on strike in the absence of tougher gun control laws, noting strikes by public employees aren’t even legal in New York. * Sen. Tony Avella wants Cuomo to use his “formidable influence” to get ConEd to end its lockout. * Mysterious Cuomo Memo Is Still a State Secret, but Now You Can Read It(NYT)




Long-running tensions between Bloomberg and NYC Controller John Liu briefly spilled into public as the two were seen arguing over city finances while seated next to each other at the annual meeting of the state Financial Control Board. 
  










BREAKING: Judge rules in favor of , against Bloomberg administration in high school "turnaround" plan.* NY1 Online: Educators from Schools On The Chopping Block Speak Out * Judge Backs Union in Turnaround Ruling(NYT)


Mayor Bloomberg defended the city’s proposal to restrict an Orthodox Jewish circumcision  practice.

2 Lawsuits Detail Abuse of Disabled in State Care(NYT) Parents of people with disabilities charged that staff at two state treatment centers in Brooklyn and Albany abused and neglected those in their care, according to two lawsuits filed this month

Substantially raising the federal minimum wage would cost New York state 43,489 jobs, a study released by the pro-business Policies Institute claims. 




City Acquires Final Segment of High Line(NYT)




The Post criticizes City Hall for slipping in a 17 percent fare hike on taxis, even as livery cars are still unable to pick up passengers in the outer boroughs:











HS’s expelling beeHS’s expelling bee(NYP)  A high-performing Bronx public high school has been maintaining its 95 percent graduation rate by forcing dozens of students who underperform to transfer to other schools, students, staffers and other sources charge


The city is implementing a driver’s ed  program for wayward cyclists

Penalty for Rule-Breaking Bicyclists: A Remedial Class(NYT)







Slots o’ luck nets NY $620M in taxes(NYP) The state’s 68 percent tax rate on casinos has hauled in $620 million in gambling revenues over the first half of the year, nearly double what Las Vegas and Atlantic City contributed to their home states





City Contracts Awarded For Two New Senior Centers In Asian CommunityCity contracts went out Monday to two new Brooklyn senior centers. Both serve the Asian community, the city's fastest-growing group.(NY1)


The Media Has Gone Down Hill Since the Days of Rachel Carson and Edward R. Morrow

Now They Cover the the Bad Guys As Real

Fighting Ban on Big Sodas With Appeals to Patriotism(NYT) The soft-drink industry brought supporters together outside City Hall in its campaign to stop the Bloomberg administration’s proposal to cap the size of sugary drinks. *  

Study: 'Soda Ban' Would Likely Cut Calorie Intake (WSJ) * Bloomy’s soda ban PR blitz (NYDN) * City cancer gets smoked by Mike(NYDN)* Public hearing Tuesday on NYC sugary drink ban(WABC) * Ultimately, a big soda ban will come down to the Board of Health, which is entirely comprised of Bloomberg appointees.* The mayor has launched a PR campaign of his own, backed by 1199 and prominent advocates of the ban.* Halloran: Board of Health Is a ‘Kangaroo Court’(NYO) * Lev Levitt on Bloomberg: “(W)ith the clock running down and with few, if any, lasting accomplishments, he has become shrill – and superfluous.” * Who’s behind the supposedly “grassroots” movement opposed to Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban? Goddard Gunster, a D.C.-based PR firm.* Fizzin’, sizzlin’ soda debate NYDN)
 

M.T.A. to Increase Security on Buses and Subways(NYT)  * MTA Boosts Bus Patrol(WSJ) The Metropolitan Transit Authority is doubling its security team on city buses to catch fare cheaters who the authority says is cheating the system out of $50 to $100 million per year* Cops are riding the rails to cut subway crime(NYDN)









The day the music died on 48th StreetThe day the music died on 48th Street(NYP) Sam Ash Moving to 34th Street

Mega landlord’s apartment buildings have long list of violations(NYDN) * Two tales inside one Brooklyn building: Older residents reside (NYDN)


'Tribute' Handover(WSJ)The National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation is taking its first steps toward controlling an annual rite of healing: the "Tribute in Light."






'Batman' star Christian Bale visits Colorado shooting victims(NYP)









Bloomberg Stands Alone Against Guns


Bloomberg Keeps Pressure On As Colo. Shooting Suspect Appears In Court(NY1) * Bloomy's gun-control fix: police should strike(NYDN)Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested on CNN’s “Pierce Morgan Tonight” that the city’s cops should go on strike to spur the nation’s leaders to advocate for gun control * Piers Morgan And Alan Dershowitz Get In Heated Argument With Anti-Gun Control Advocate * Bloomberg: If Giffords And Aurora Shootings Haven’t Gotten Us To Reconsider Gun Control, What Will? n* Mayor Bloomberg: Police Should Strike Until Public Pushes for Gun Control(NY Mag) * Mike Bloomberg on Piers Morgan: “I have a responsibility, just like you do, just like everybody does in this country, to try to address the key issues. You and I can’t solve the problem, but we can demand that those elected officials who are – or want to be in charge, have a solution to the problem.”



 The Making of A President 2012
On Campaign Trail, No Takers on Outcry Over Gun Violence(NYT) * Majority PAC hitting Senate swing states(Politico) * Barack Obama accused the Republicans of “playing politics” over budget cuts that could hurt the U.S. military.  *Mitt Romney said they were not a need for new guns laws in the wake of the Aurora shooting.  *  Nate Silver gave a slight downgrade to Barack Obama’s chances of winning re-election. * How Obama went quiet on gun control. *Romney Campaign: ‘Obama Doesn’t Have a Clue When It Comes to America’s Energy Future’(NYO) * Mitt Romney to Call For Investigation into White House Leaks(NYO)* A new poll showed Obama’s repeated attacks on Romney’s taxes and work with Bain Capital might just be working.* The Obama campaign is fighting back attempts to make hay out of the president’s “you didn’t build that” comment. * Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders released a report on “billionaires buying the 2012 election.”* Rudy Giuliani will be speaking at Mitt Romney’s Tampa HQ Thursday. * Romney Goes After Obama on Defense Cuts and Leaks(NYT) * The Obama Campaign's Attack-Ad Edge - Alec MacGillis, The New Republic * Obama's Bain Attacks May Be Helping Romney - Mike Flynn, Breitbart * Latest Polls: NBC/WSJ: Obama +6 | Gallup: Obama +1 | Ras: Romney +1



Jon Stewart Tears Apart ABC’s Brian Ross For False Tea Party Report On Aurora Shooter

Dem Strategist And Tea Party Head Clash Over ABC’s False Report On Hannity


Major Figures Charged In Phone-Hacking Scandal(Huff Post) Phone hacking: Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and six others face charges - live * Former Murdoch Editors Face Criminal Charges In U.K. Phone Hacking Scandal(NPR) *Two Ex-Editors for Murdoch Charged in Hacking Scandal(NYT)
 

Libor Probe Expands to Bank Traders(WSJ)

The Daily News fired its politics editor.


Law and Order