Tuesday, September 18, 2012

NYT Spins Albany Transpanency. Continues Their Limited Coverage of Hush Money Cover Up

Media Control on the Right and Left is the Same 
Transparency After Getting Caught In A Scandal
Assembly Releases Documents Listing Sexual Harassment Settlement(NYT) The move represented an effort by the Assembly to appear more transparent as it grapples with criticism over its handling of a sexual harassment scandal centered around one of its most prominent members, Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic chairman. Previously, the Legislature had balked at releasing electronic records detailing its expenditures.  * axes for Vito Lopez hush cash OK (NYDN) * Assembly records show taxpayers also spent $2,400 to a California-based mediation firm in connection with a sexual harassment settlement involving Vito Lopez.  
The secret settlement in Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s sexual harassment case stuck taxpayers with an extra bill of nearly $2,400 for mediation services from a California-based firm. That was on top of the $103,080 paid to Lopez’s two accusers. (DN) That detail was included in a list of 2012 expenditures released by the Assembly in the interest of (ex post facto) transparency. The practice of using taxpayer dollars to settle sexual harassment claims lodged against public officials was upheld in 2008 after a taxpayer filed suit in State Supreme Court to challenge a $500,000 settlement paid to woman who accused Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s then-counsel, Michael Boxley, of rape.* There’s precedent in using taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment claims. (DN) * Assembly Releases Spending Doc that Shows Harassment Settlement (WNYC) * David Grandeau wants an investigation into “JJOKE” (AKA JCOPE) leaks, but has a short list of entities able to do the job. 

Cox: Sign The Petition To Oust Silver(YNN)

Board of Elections votes down a motion to investigate Silver family apartment (Capital)


Where Have You Gone Bella Abzug 
Albany ControlGate: It is Not Just A Media Cover Up, It is New Yorkers New Culture
NY Pols not long comment give there opinion on issues that can hurt power brokers.  Bella would stop strangers on the street and tell them what she felt about ever issue and ever pol..Only the NYP and Daily News are advancing the Lopez Silver Hush Money Scandal Payoff. The NYT is protecting Silver.  Elected officials including the mayoral candidates only comment on issues they consultants have deemed safe for them.

New York's Cover Up Culture Runs Deep
Today elected officials come from government.  Mostly from the staffs of elected officials or community boards.  The Days of activists like Abzug running for offices are long gone. Woman's non profits funded by Albany are also boxed in from pushing to get to the bottom of the Albany sexual abuse hush fund cover up.  With no real aggressive reporters like Jack Newfield, Pete Hammill, Jimmy Breslin or Murray Kempton to demand answers from hiding pols, New York is now known as the cover up city.  A long way from the Bella era when you know if you met a New Yorkers you were going to get lectured on their opinions on the issues of the day.* Troy artist: Adam Lisberg MTA Spokesperson Example of Why Media Kills News Stories?



7 Pt Type? Very Few Candidates in the  - What Will Happen With the Full Ballot in Nov?
Voters Annoyed by Hard-to-Read Ballots(NYT) City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin will question the Board of Elections about the font on primary ballots at a Committee on Aging hearing after voters complained about its small size








Election 2012 Mayoral Bid Eyed(WSJ) George McDonald, founder of a nonprofit dedicated to combating homelessness and addiction, filed paperwork on Monday with the New York City Campaign Finance Board to begin fundraising for a potential mayoral bid next year. * NY1 Online: Sanders Talks Plans For State Senate * CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK(NYDN) * Councilman Sanders’s protege to run for vacated seat(NYDN) * Close To 200 Arrested As OWS Marks 1-Year Anniversary With (NYDN) * Rep. Nan Hayworth leads challenger Sean Patrick Maloney 46 percent to 33 percent, with 10 percent for a Working Families Party candidate and 11 percent undecided, according to a new Siena College poll: http://bit.ly/PNWDZd * Bill Hammond is dismayed by the message of last Thursday’s near-death experience for two GOP senators who voted “yes” on same-sex marriage.* Ulrich Keeps Beating Small Biz Drum (Updated)(YNN) * Borough GOP Leaders Weigh Potential Republican Mayoral Candidates(NY1)


How to steal a victory from the people: the truth behind Toby Stavisky’s dirty campaign for SD16 (Queens Politics)









Espaillat Beating the Establishment

State Sen.  didn’t just win on primary day last week when he trounced Assemblyman Guillermo Linares by more than 20 points. His strong backing of two Assembly candidates also played out to his advantage, with Mark Gjonaj ousting Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera and the little-known Gabriela Rosa beating out Linares’ daughter, Mayra Linares, for the Assembly seat the elder Linares is vacating. Ibrahim Khan, a spokesman for Espaillat, called the results of all three races “very gratifying.” “With Senator Espaillat winning a sweeping re-election and new partners in government like Gabriella Rosa and Mark Gjonaj winning seats in the Assembly, there is a clear mandate for strong, progressive representation in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx,” he said. Rosa attributed her surprise win over Mayra Linares, a candidate with more money and greater name recognition, to a combination of a strong grassroots campaign, an ambitious door-to-door effort in which she shed 23 pounds, and support from Espaillat and City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez. “Sen. Espaillat definitely played a crucial role in all this, due to the name recognition he had, and that we basically were working together,” Rosa said. “But you know, I have to take credit for myself also. It wasn’t easy.” 


Where is the Outrage At Kee Comparison to the Holocaust?
Supporters of City Comptroller John Liu called for the FBI’s investigation of his fundraising practices to end and compared the inquiry to persecution that occurred during the Holocaust
Liu Supporters Invoke the Holocaust and Nixon in Faulting an F.B.I. Inquiry(NYT)* Community Leaders Want Federal Probe Of Liu To End(NY1)










The MTA Has A Budget Problem Again
MTA offers riders variety of poison pill$MTA offers riders variety of poison pill$(NYP)

Anything to Get the Public Focus On Fare Hikes and Reduction in Service
M.T.A. Chief’s Latest Bold Move: Using Twitter by Himself(NYT) The chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is unfettered compared with most public officials on Twitter, who usually have a team operating their account.


Organizers of the annual Little Italy event the Feast of San Gennaro plan to ask City Hall to rescind a nearly two-decade-old gambling ban instituted by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the height of his crusade against organized crime.

College English Dept. Fights Class-Time Cuts(NYT)





OWS
More than 150 people were arrested on Monday on the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protests as demonstrators tried to block access to the New York Stock Exchange
Over here, copper! Mmm! OWSers shout, sing & bait cops on ‘b’day’Over here, copper! Mmm! OWSers shout, sing & bait cops on ‘b’day’(NYP) * Arrests Near Stock Exchange Top 150 on Occupy Wall St. Anniversary(NYT) * 'Occupy' Protesters Return(WSJ) * OWS Protesters Mark One Year With Same Message, Smaller Crowd(WSJ)
Councilman Jumaane Williams in new NYPD dustup(NYDN) * Councilman caught up in Occupy tussle with police: Police and protesters clashed overnight as Occupy Wall Street(WABC) * It's a "fad" that had no real impact on Wall Street. [Andrew Ross Sorkin] * A spokesman for Wiliams said " In the midst of a police action involving one protester, two NYPD officers approached the Council Member and pushed him while he tried to explain his purpose at the park." [Facebook]


‘Bar’ brawl: Former Bronx DA blasts law group’s new prez over ‘mob ties’‘Bar’ brawl: Former Bronx DA blasts law group’s new prez over ‘mob ties’(NYP)

Filthy truth! New York named dirtiest U.S. city(NYDN)


New York’s Medicaid Reforms(NYT) Proving which initiatives work could turn the state into a model for others on how to cut Medicaid without harming the beneficiaries. The Times argues the state should be able to spend $10 billion inprojected federal savings from its reforms to expand primary care, modernize hospitals, and fix clinics serving the neediest New Yorkers

Harlem Tenants Worried About Building's Potential Environmental Issues

A Pier to Pay for a Park(NYT) Legislators need to find a way to save the deteriorating Pier 40, one of the largest sources of revenue of the cherished Hudson River Park.


The Lowes Regency Hotel on the Upper East Side, a favorite scene of the city’s political elite for power breakfasts, will close at the end of the year, the Times writes: http://nyti.ms/S1JXtH
Queens Residents Weigh In On Willets Point Plan(NY1)
The Post say the city’s unemployed are the real losers in Walmart’s decision to drop plans to build a story in Brooklyn and blames the clout of organized labor: http://bit.ly/Pu2CAi
Worry Over Flushing Meadows Redevelopment(NBC)
Brooklyn Holds Court: Barclays Center To Impact Surrounding Traffic And Businesses(NY1)


An Atom Smasher Is Squeezed Through a Museum's Doors(NYT)

 



Emancipation Proclamation to be exhibited in Harlem(NYDN)

 DOE scammer sentenced to three years in prison (NYDN)The computer consultant who stole $1.7 million while linking city schools to the Internet was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison. Willard (Ross) Lanham was motivated by "pure greed" and took advantage … More »


Officials: Woman Allegedly Ran Unlicensed Day Care(NY1)


Scream’ to Go on View at MoMA(NYT)


Secret vid rattles Mitt’s campaign(NYP) * Romney Calls 47% of Voters Dependent in Leaked Video(NYT) * Romney Responds to Release of Video(NYT) * Behind the ‘People Who Pay No Income Tax’(NYT) * Romney Video Crowds Out Bid to Sharpen Message(WSJ) * Protesters' Plans To Occupy Wall Street Landmark Denied(WSJ) * Report: Jimmy Carter kin middleman on Mitt Romney video:(Politico)

* that video "first posted on YouTube on Aug. 27 by a user identified as “' Anne Onymous' ” via *   Here's the transcript of Romney's press conference today (and yes, the full video is coming soon):   * The leaker tweets RT ‏ Great work Mr. Carter! *
(Why Obama bans cellphones at fundraisers … )* Mitt Romney’s darkest hour (Wash Post) * David Brooks on Romney's Blundering "Victim Speech" / Howell Romney *  Obama camp already fundraising off Romney hidden camera video: * No apologies. Mitt stands by slam of 47% of U.S. he brands as shiftless, entitled "victims." Ezra Klein explains why:  
 
  

PART II SECRET VIDEO: On Israel, Romney trashes two-state solution 
*
MORE SECRET VIDEO: Romney has trouble telling the difference between a nuclear bomb and a dirty bomb.
 

Beyoncé & Jay-Z host NY Bam ba$h(NYP)* At Democratic Residence, Wallets Open for G.O.P.(NYT) * Romney Silent on Bain in China(Daily Beast) * CHART: Obama’s Top Fund-Raisers (WNYC)*   Romney campaign continues to stumble over questions about specifics of tax plan   * NY1 Online: Green Party Presidential Candidate Talks Strategy    * Romney Gets First Intelligence Briefing(NY Mag) * President Obama is back in New York City for another fund-raising trip – his 40th there in three years.
Radical Islam: Burning With False Rage - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Newsweek
A Movie Is Not to Blame for Attacks on U.S. - Margaret Wente, Globe & Mail
What Romney Really Thinks of Obama Voters - David Corn, Mother Jones
4th Estate, Still Thrilling to the Spirit of '08 - Dorothy Rabinowitz, WSJ
Obama Camp Pounces on Romney Video - Erin McPike, RealClearPolitics
Mitt Trashes 47% That Don't Pay Income Taxes - Jonathan Capehart, WP
Romney Should Embrace Debate on Taxes & the 47% - John Nolte, Big Gov
Not Too Early to Declare Romney Candidacy Dead - Timothy Noah, TNR
Meet the Real -- Conservative -- Mitt Romney - McKay Coppins, BuzzFeed
The Great Tax Divide Between Dems & Republicans - Thomas Sowell, IBD
Romney Oversees Campaign in Disarray - Steve Benen, MSNBC
The Truth About America's Superior Medical System - Scott Atlas, Forbes
Standing Up For Teachers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Sandra Fluke & the Democrats' Fake Freedoms - Jacob Sullum, Reason
Pelosi: 'Everybody Knows' Romney Is Going to Lose - Jen Bendery, Huff Post
Taft's 1912 Loss Proved to Be High Court's Gain - Claude Marx, RCP
How MacArthur Shaped Post-War Japan - Stan Weintraub, Military Histor  
Romney Again on Defensive, Now Over ‘the 47 Percent’(NYT)
Andrea Mitchell And John Sununu Battle Over Romney’s 47% Comments, Obama’s Class Warfare
Ed Koch Isn’t Sure What Obama’s Support of Israel ‘Means in Practice’(NYO)
Who Filmed and Leaked the Mitt Romney Fund-raiser Video?(NY Mag)
Charlie Rangel Calls Romney’s 47% Rant ‘Ridiculous,’ Untrue and Amoral(NYO)
Mitt Romney Nixed An SNL Gig, Says Going On The View Is 'High Risk' (VIDEO
Drudge Tape Exposes Young Obama As Neoliberal (NY Mag)
Clint Eastwood: “If somebody is dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they’re gonna have to take what they get.”
Voting rights advocates scored a partial victory today in Pennsylvania:(Nation)
Charlie Rangel, Legendary Tax Cheat, Lectures Mitt Romney On Paying Taxes (Village Voice)
Approval of President Obama's handling of foreign policy has taken a beating since last month(Politico)
Is This the End of Mitt Romney? - Alex Koppelman, The New Yorker
OMG, You Guys, It's All Over! - Jim Treacher, The Daily Caller
Romney's Class Warfare - Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly
Voters, Like Romney, Want Smaller Gov't - Jennifer Rubin, Wash Post
The Real Romney Is a Sneering Plutocrat - Jonathan Chait, NY Magazine
Thurston Howell Romney - David Brooks, New York Times
Julia Nods Her Head - Bryan Preston, PJ Media
Romney's Bad Week Just Got Worse - Joe Klein, Time
Treat the Press as Enemy Collaborators - Erick Erickson, RedState
Who's Running Libya? - Jamie Dettmer, The Daily Beast
The Real Secret: President Obama Has Failed - Nick Gillespie, Reason
Latest Polls: Gallup: Obama +1 |  RasRpts: Romney +2 | Electoral Map
Peggy Noonan up with a long, withering post on Romney. "he needs to snap out of it, and move." (WSJ)
Obama Returns To NYC For Pair Of Fundraisers(NY1)
Romney Says Remarks on Voters Help Clarify Position(NYT)
Mitt Romney Doubles Down To Neil Cavuto On Hidden Camera Video Remarks
NBC/WSJ poll, likely voters: Obama 50, Romney 45:
NYT Editorial: Mitt Romney, Class Warrior
 


 Jon Stewart Tears Into Hannity, Other Pundits For Hypocrisy Toward Middle East * Rich on Maddow: Fox News Risks Losing GOP Support(NY MaG)

 
 
 
  Ex-Romney adviser Castellanos: "their strategy to distract from any internal campaign dissension is certainly working."

Middle East Melt Down
 Kabul suicide attack kills 9, insurgents say it was revenge for prophet filmKabul suicide attack kills 9, insurgents say it was revenge for prophet film(NYP * Bomber Strikes Vehicle Carrying Foreigners in Kabul(NYT) * Thurston Howell Romney(NYT)Did you hear about Mitt Romney’s comments from a fund-raiser earlier this year? They seemed to suggest that Romney doesn’t understand America. * Al Qaeda in N. Africa: Kill more U.S. diplomats(CBS)*   Muslim Brotherhood is "more oppressive" than Mubarak says activist - : * Violent Clashes Over Anti-Islam Film: TIMERGARAH, Pakistan (AP) -- Hundreds of protesters demonstrating against ...

Nightmare state of anti-bioterror planNightmare state of anti-bioterror plan(NYP) An ambitious federal program to protect big cities from biological attacks is running six years late and $3.7 billion over its projected cost — and nobody has been able to make it work,

 Law and Order
 Cent. Pk. ‘rapist’s’ tiny IQCent. Pk. ‘rapist’s’ tiny IQ(NYP)
NYPD investigating toddler's death(WSJ) * SI Residents Speak Out Against Gun Violence(NY1)
Repeat subway perv gets off with NO prison time thanks to(NYDN) * Radio City crash driver ‘reeked’ of booze(NYDN) * Man Sought in Knifepoint Livery Cab Robbery(NBC) * Disgusting Subway Pervert Not Violent Enough for Jail(NY Mag) * Fake gold bars turn up in Manhattan(Fox 5) * Stolen Hummer Crash in Chelsea Hurts NBC)

Two men hit with 15 years for brutal Brooklyn attack(NYDN)

Crook injures 8 after stealing Hummer, barreling through ChelseaCrook injures 8 after stealing Hummer, barreling through Chelsea(NYP) * Driver Arrested After Crashing Stolen Car In Chelsea(NY1)





Cops hunting thugs who beat worker & stole from laundromat(NYP)



The News castigates the Court of Appeals for releasing a 300-pound subway pervert who allegedly masturbated on a 14-year-old girl: http://nydn.us/tj0HSO * Man Wanted for Public Lewdness on M Train(NBC)