Saturday, October 6, 2012

Monday Holiday Update

It is Good to Be the King - Albany Bosses Tell the Union Workers $$$ Hikes for Us, Nothing For U
Do What We Say, Not As We Do
State government workers unions, who agreed to freeze their salaries for several years, are upset over talk that state legislators could consider a bill to raise their pay in a special session this fall  State government workers unions,

Public Authorities Trimming Jobs . . . What About Albany or City Hall?
The state’s vast public authority system has been trimming jobs, as employment dropped from 160,472 in 2009 to 144,377 last year, the Albany Times Union reports: 



It is Good to Be A Kings In Congress Also
GOPers rage as bank forgives LI Rep's $93G debt (NYP) Banks and members of Congress have something in common: They both get bailouts. The bank that holds Long Island Rep. Steve Israel’s mortgage has approved a special deal allowing him to wiggle out of nearly $100,000 owed on his Dix Hills home while  he unloads the property. Republicans are calling for an investigation into the “short sale” approved by JPMorgan Chase on DCCC Chair/Rep. Steve Israel’s Long Island home.* Rep. Bill Owens is mentioned in a Washington Post story on lawmakers who benefit from legislation for which they advocate. He fought public broadcasting cuts. His wife works for a station in his district.


More of  Grimm's Goodfellas
 SI pol’s partner is capo’s good pal  (NYP) Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm investigated the Gambino crime family as an FBI agent — before opening a restaurant with a business partner so close to one of the mob clan’s capos, he considers him an “uncle,” according to sources and court...

Gillibrand and Long Both When to Dartmouth College
Fox Panel: Romney’s Greatest Feat In Debate Was To Liberate ‘Himself From The Modern Republican Party’(NYT)Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Wendy Long, her Republican challenger, went to Dartmouth College amid the hostility that followed the admission of women. 


Replacing Ravi Batra
‘Gropez’ grillers’ new dog(NYP) The state ethics watchdog agency investigating scandal-scarred Assemblyman Vito Lopez is getting a new member. LaShann DeArcy, a city Taxi and Limousine Commission appointee and a former scheduler for Rep. Floyd Flake (D-Queens), will join the 14-member Joint Commission on Public Ethics looking into tax funds that went to two Lopez sex-harass accusers. Sources: City Official To Be Appointed To State's Joint Committee On Public Ethics(NY1) * Senate Minority Leader John Sampson Makes JCOPE Pick To ...(NYDN)
 '


Campaign 2012 State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. leads Councilman Eric Ulrich 45-43 percent, and state Sen. Mark Grisanti enjoys a 47-23-17 percent lead over Democrat Michael Amodeo and Conservative Charles Swanick, according to a Siena poll: * Councilman Dan Halloran could face investigation and possible prosecution by the Albany County District Attorney for missing two years of campaign filing deadlines for his 2009 council run, the Post reports: http://bit.ly/Q7hzch  * Poll finds tight Queens state Senate race(NYP) * 

 Among the many pols doing Sukkah politicking in Crown Heights last Saturday night were mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, borough president contender Eric Adams, and the county’s new Democratic leader Frank Seddio.* Welcome to Gerrymandering 101. Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo, whose previous district President Barack Obama won over 61% of the vote in, is barely hanging on to a narrow lead in Siena’s latest poll, as is Mr. Obama. It’s almost like his seat now contains every conservative voter in eastern Queens or something.* State Senator Adriano Espaillat beat Assemblyman Guillermo Linares 72% to 27% in Mr. Linares’ own district when the two faced off a month ago.* Cuomo For Addabbo?(YNN) * Cuomo Celebrates Columbus Day With an Endorsementof Addabbo) * Cuomo Endorses ‘Man Of Courage’ Addabbo(YNN) * NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich says Addabbo is “lucky” to have Cuomo’s support, but doesn’t think the endorsement is surprising. *Three gay advocates/candidates are co-hosting a fundraiser for Addabbo next Monday. * The Virginia-based Common Sense Solutions PAC sent out a mailer tying Addabbo to billonaire George Soros.* Do ordinary voters care that billionaire George Soros helped get $30,000 into Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo‘s account? A random independent expenditure hopes so, and its campaign mailer depicts Mr. Addabbo as Mr. Soros’ puppet completely willing to do his bidding. “Call State Senator Joseph Addabbo,” the ad urged. “Tell him that New Yorkers need a common sense legislator, not another George Soros puppet.” We can think of another prominent billionaire who has been funding the Senate GOP’s efforts to the tune of $1 million, so the “puppet” argument is curious. * Gatemouth looked into Assemblyman Dov Hikind‘s endorsement track record in his corner of southern Brooklyn and, after lengthy analysis, declared, “When it comes to which Orthodox Jewish political power in Brooklyn can really deliver, the kingmaker is now David Greenfield.” * Residents Upset Over Calls That Accuse State Senate Candidate Of Supporting Muslim Radicals(NY1) * U.S. Ties Legislator’s Ex-Associate to Mob(NYT)
Cuomo: Vote Addabbo for his 'political courage'(NYDN)


Lincoln Restler District Leader Race Update
Lincoln Restler Update With about a third of the votes recounted by hand Restler still trails Chris Olechowski by about 24 votes.  A lot of the areas uncounted are Rabbi Neiderman's base where Olechowski got most of his votes.  Most observers belive the Lincoln will be behind after the recount is finished. But since the number are so cloese it will only take one BOE mistake to change the outcome.  Lincoln's lawyers are working on a fraud case to be presented in court starting on Octorber 18th. There could be a few residency voting problems with Lincolns oppenent vote (If Lincoln Wants to Go There)


Kelly Calls for Grand Jury Investigation of NYPD Shooting 
Commissioner Kelly calls for grand jury investigation into police shooting of unarmed motorist in Queens(NYP)  *Even Ray Kelly Unsure Why NYPD Shot Noel Polanco(NY Mag) * Kelly Says Grand Jury Will Likely Need To Look At National Guardsman's Shooting Death(NY1) * Kelly Calls for Grand Jury Investigation in Shooting of Unarmed Man(NY1)

 

In Firefighter Bias Case, a Judge’s Evolving Opinion(NYT) Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, accused by his critics of being publicity-seeking, has seemed to change his views on the government’s role in helping minorities. 

 

Traffic Dangers 
  Red-light cams A red-light ‘$cam’(NYP) * City's 'gotcha' traffic cameras use short yellow lights to increase ticket revenue: study(NYP)



Safer Streets for New York (NYT Ed) Traffic deaths in the city have increased. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and state lawmakers have to do more to prevent these fatalities.The Times asks the city to curb traffic fatalities by getting permission from the state to install traffic cameras, increase tickets to disorderly drivers and cyclists and redesign dangerous streets * BUSHWICK: Metropolitan Avenue is too dangerous, neighbors say (Brooklyn Paper)


The Hard Fall Of A Past King of NY


Former City Official’s Blog Chronicled His Fall From Grace and Plans for Suicide(NYT) Russell A. Harding, an aide to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani who pleaded guilty to embezzlement and possessing child pornography in 2005, wrote about plans for his death. Russell A. Harding wrote final blog post just before taking his own life. “I am hoping and praying that by the time you read this I have not botched this suicide attempt.”


Fracking for the holidays
Fracking for the holidays(NYP)Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous predicts Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign off on Marcellus gas drilling in late December but Cuomo sources say he could delay until mid-January, the Post’s Fred Dicker reports






Jon Corzine and the Rest of the Wall Street Crook Go Free When A Street Vendor Gets Big Fines for Being One Inch To Close to A Store . . . City Helps to Increase 10% Unemployment Rate
DN: Schneiderman's JPMorgan suit "must not descend into a politically pleasing extraction of rough justice" Does the Daily News Consider a $2,250 fine to a street vendor rough justice?
Street vendor selling cellphone cases fined 2G fine for inches  (NYP) The priciest real estate in New York is just a few inches of SoHo.  A street vendor hawking cellphone cases was slapped with $2,250 in fines for selling from a table that stood 1 inch too high and 2 inches too close to the nearest store entrance.. * The News warns that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman must tread carefully and not use his lawsuit against banking colossus JPMorgan Chase as a political weapon.   
Restaurants Have A Pac to Pay  Off Pols
Council Seeks to Ease Growing Fines for Restaurants



Diver says he’s discovered WWII warships in Coney Island Creek









Update NYP Joins DN In Attacking de Blasio Tax Plan
de Blasio Goes After the UFT and Their Power to Get Votes
The Post attacks Public Advocate Bill De Blasio for his proposal to increase taxes on New Yorkers earning $500,000 or more by 11 percent and “hand the boodle” to the teachers union 
De Blasio, one of a gaggle of liberal pols likely to run for mayor next year, wants to boost already sky-high taxes on incomes over $500,000 by 11 percent (rates would jump to 4.3 percent, from 3.876 percent). And to hand the boodle right over to the teachers union. If he truly wants to boost education, there are countless cost-free measures he could push — like charter schools, reforms to help fire ineffective teachers and a serious teacher-rating system. The city faces multibillion-dollar cash gaps in coming years. Pension costs for teachers are through the roof. Yet “Mayor” de Blasio would expand the teacher base, ballooning costs even more. An even bigger head-scratcher: His surcharge supposedly would vanish in five years — leaving his programs penniless, but with the spending chugging along. More likely, as Mayor Bloomberg put it, the new levy would “drive everybody out of the city.” Leaving no one to tax.

E.J McMahon: Robin Hood For Mayor
E.J. McMAHON: Tax-hike fantasies As McMahon notes, all of the five likely candidates have backed squeeze-the-rich schemes. And it doesn’t end there: * Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer recently made a big stink about NYU’s vital expansion., * City Council Speaker Chris Quinn threw labor a bone by backing not one but two job-killing minimum-wage bills. * City Comptroller John Liu, a serial union stooge, sought to inflame racial tensions by calling the NYPD’s stop-frisk program, a key crime-fighting tool, “profiling.” These, alas, are the sorry choices from which voters will have to pick their next mayor, once Bloomberg leaves next year. * 2012 Bloomberg: Raising taxes on rich will drive em out. 2008 Bloomberg: I never heard 1 say theyr leaving cuz of taxes(WNYC)
* Bloomberg Suddenly Thinks Raising Taxes on NYC’s Rich Is ‘Dumb’(NY Mag)
Micro Reporting Vs. Daily News Editorial Big Picture View

DN Editorial Forces De Blasio to Visits the Real World Not There Own Reporters
The Daily News says with a $3 billion dollar budget gap the challenge for the city’s next chief executive will be to find ways to do more with less


De Blasio child’s play(NYDN)  The first big idea of next year’s mayoral campaign is on the table. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio says he wants to increase the income taxes paid by rich New Yorkers to pay for expanded pre-kindergarten and middle school services. . .  "Back in the real world, he’s contemplating an enormous and costly expansion  ($530 Million) of service at a time when the next mayor will face a budget gap of roughly $3 billion, according to current projections. And those are on the low side because they do not include pay raises for city workers. So here’s the gist of de Blasio’s plan: raise $500 million a year for added education while cutting expenses everywhere else — likely including in the public schools."

For the Narrative of the 2013 Mayor's Race the Press Defaults to the Consultants and Candidates
Promise Social Programs Expansion to Gain Vote and Forgetabout the $3 Billion Budget Gap.
The Daily News Should Be Questioning Reporters and Blogger, Including Its Own, Who Report On De Blasio Plan to Tax the Rich to Pay for Expanded Pre-Kindergarten Services Without Asking Him How He Will Close the Coming Budget Gap



TV News Never Blames Elected Officials For Anything Before Pols Are Convicted in Court . . .  Who is Responsible for City Polities Cuts in the Police if the Not the Council Speakers Who Support is Required to Pass the Budget Each Year
Instead of Blaming Elected Officials for the Third Rape In A city Park in the Past Few Weeks, WCBS TV Uses An Old Tape of Quinn and Stringer Protesting A Recent Rape. WCBS TV should have asked Quinn why she voted for budget that cut cops over the last 8 years.   Police: Homeless Man Charged With Rape In Tompkins Square Park Attack(WCBS) * Vagrant bust in Tompkins rape(NYP) * Homeless man charged with rape in Tompkins Square Park(Fox 5) * Man arrested for allegedly raping woman in park(WABC)





SI’s ferris ‘boo’er(NYP) Molinari fears traffic mess. Guy Molinari has his own spin on the 625-foot-high Ferris wheel being planned for Staten Island — he wants it to stop before it starts. “Nobody but nobody is talking about traffic,” complained the former Staten Island borough president, openly taking on current Borough President Jim Molinaro as well as Mayor Bloomberg.

 






NYP Calls Bloomberg's Grading System Murky (Fake)
"high grade from the city, u see, doesn’t necessarily mean a school is truly good, nor does a low grade mean it’s bad"
Mike’s murky marks(NYP Ed) Michael Bloomberg wants history to judge his mayoralty based, in large part, on what he did for the city’s schools. But his system for grading those schools is eroding confidence in his leadership. The problem: The grades — for too many schools — are just too confusing. But the district’s year-on-year ranking, based on the progress reports, nose-dived from 4th among the city’s 32 districts — to an embarrassing 12th. That includes PS 234, a particularly well-respected school, whose overall grade dropped from an A to a C. It didn’t help that rankings released by the state less than two months ago, which reflected slightly older data, appeared to be at odds with the city’s grades for many schools. * Bright & early (NYP) Why opening schools for kids as young as 6 weeks old makes economic sense for NYC


New York Times union members stage brief walkout to protest contract negotiations(Poynter)




FDNY for sale: online gear lets you dress up like a real firefighter(NYP) It’s not just keys to the city that are being sold online. Everything you need to impersonate a New York City firefighter is also a click away.
Crisis for mentally ill  (NYP) About 6,000 mentally ill people could soon be forced out of adult homes where they’ve lived for decades — putting them and the community at risk, under a rule change proposed by Gov. Cuomo.


NYCHA called clueless once again
New York City Housing Authority finally placing cameras at the Pomonok Houses in Queens, but mostly in areas where there is no crime (NYDN) $700,000 for cameras was allocated in 2009; now only a third of buildings in project to get them. Picture: Pomonok Houses resident Elizabeth Garcia learned her building and those around it won't get cameras, even though cops have dubbed it a crime "hot spot."


New York Developers Can Gentrify Anything(NY Mag)


The Jumper Squad(NYT)  On bridges and rooftops, police officers in the Emergency Service Unit reach out for that one emotional chord that will change a suicidal mind.







Just 1 cabby dumped taXXXi roof ad  (NYP) They’re still driving sex machines. A year-old compromise between cabbies and the city Taxi & Limousine Commission that lets some hacks opt out of rooftop strip-club ads hasn’t put much of a dent into the smutty imagery. Only one cabdriver out of 2000.




Next stop... Newtown?!(NYP) Living history for MTA station names

 

 

An expert finds New York City's air is full of foreign matter, including rubber and rust
New York's air is full of junk(NYDN)Big Apple air is a bizarre brew of bacteria, pollen, clothing fiber, fungus, tire rubber, dead skin cells, cooking fat and carbon emissions* Report: Glass, Fat, Starch Found In New York City Air(WCBS)

 

 Vito We Knew You Too Much
Albany Wants Vito Lopez Missing

There are a number of reason Albany wants Vito Lopez to disapear.  They know he has become this months poster boy for corruption. Silver, the AG and Comptroller all connected to the hush fund payoff want he buried.  The members who want their pay hike do not want him to attend the special session where they think his appearance will interfear with their plans to put through a pay hike.  Albany knows that they trained the press to not bring up Lopez if he is out of office. The final deal with Vito will be resign and there will be no or light sentence and fines. 


Vito's Albany Friends Tell Him to Get Lost So They Can Get A Pay Raise. . .  A Hit On Lopez
Vito Lopez's pals tell him 'showing up' in Albany is nothing but trouble right now   Look most coverage today is about getting Lopez out. JCOPE is looking at Lopez's billing not about the corrupt real easted deals that he made with other top dog pols.  Don't expect JCOPE to look a the pfizer real estate deal both Bloomberg and Silver are big play.  Don't expect JCOPE to look at how Lopez funds his non profit political machine Bushwick Senior Citizen INC.

 How the Vito Rub Out Will Happen
‘Got ya’ by the bills (NYP) Vito Lopez has more than just sexual-harassment allegations to worry about. The state ethics committee investigating his alleged antics with young staffers is looking into potential misuse of taxpayer dollars for everything from personal trips to his payoff of women who accused him of harassing them, several sources told The Post. The source said JCOPE is looking into how Lopez funded a trip to Atlantic City, during which he allegedly groped a female staffer in the car. A source familiar with the probe said JCOPE is continuing to look into whether Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was wrong in approving the hush money settlement in the earlier case.* Lopez Victims find new jobs in state Assembly(NYDN) * Vito Lopez Challenger Richy Garcia Revives Campaign(Patch.com)  *What race? Vito Lopez foe Republican Richy Garcia hasn't started campaigning ...


JCOPE, DAs, AG Containment Conviction vs. Getting the Guilty Pol to Rat On the Big Crooks
Judge John Sirica knew that to get to the bottom of the Watergate crime he had to get the 5 cubans to take on who employeed them.  That is why he sentenced them to long sentences until they talked. Judge Rakoff  when he sentenced Kruger lobbyist last month Richard Lipsky that political corrution was “not easily exposed.” The federal judge said “Cooperation is often critical,” he added, “to pointing the government toward the existence of insidious situations that undermine our democratic principles.”  JCOPE whose members were selected by Albany pols will never work to get to the bottom of corruption.  There job is to make the wounded courpt pols disapear do the games can continue

Judge You Need A Rat to Get A Political Crook 
“Lipsky provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of numerous other persons.” judge, Jed S. Rakoff “In some ways, official corruption has to be ranked among the most evil of all crimes,” Judge Rakoff said, adding that by its nature, such a crime was “not easily exposed.” “Cooperation is often critical,” he added, “to pointing the government toward the existence of insidious situations that undermine our democratic principles.” But before sentencing Mr. Lipsky, the judge said, "I think it still has to be the case that to engage in a form of public corruption you must understand that you go to jail."



Timeline Shows Albany Wants to Bury Vito Lopez and the Press Follows Their Narrative Without Doing Independent Investigations

Albany Hush Fund Cover Up, Press Containment Timeline(True News)

 

 



The Big Guys City Employees Who Pocketed Billions in Tech Funds Are Not Indicted But the City Goes After 2 Old Ladies that Pocketed $445
City sacks sibs (NYP) $445 scam on 150G salary  Two sisters with a combined 56 years working at the city’s Finance Department have been sacked after being found guilty of ripping off $8.40 a day, the price of a lunchtime sandwich. Laura and Karen Slabinsky got the ax for claiming separate auto allowances on 53 days that they traveled together to work assignments in the same car, according to public records. Their total haul between September 2010 and September 2011: $445.20. Their combined salaries as tax assessors: $151,010 a year. CityTime contractor to pay $500M in fraud - New York Daily News * Contractor in NYC's CityTime Scandal Avoids Prosecution with ... *  Boss Tweed would be proud - New York Daily News *  Still No Arrests CityTIme NYC Gov officials but 2 sisters arrested Dept of Financing r u kidding me?(Artist)

The Bloomberg administration demoted a high-ranking agency official on Wednesday after she admitted falsifying time sheets and collecting more than $22,000 that she had not earned.(NYT) * CityTime Preet Bharara Where are the Arrests of NYC Gov Officials? The city official who was the project’s point person, Joel Bondy, resigned in December and had close ties to the suspected mastermind of the scheme. More on the CityTime Scandal * CityTime CNN I report Whistle blowing post that called them all out including Jelly Bean


Good Food and Expensive Food
No Appetite for Good-for-You School Lunches(NYT) Students get more fruits and vegetables under new nutritional requirements for public school lunches, but many children just toss them away. 

Education
*NY1 Exclusive: Students Turned Away From SATs Because Of ID Confusion * Big Change in Gifted and Talented Testing(WSJ) * A new test for admission into the city’s gifted and talented program will count for two-thirds of a student’s score, putting more emphasis on spatial thinking and less on language, the Wall Street Journal reports *Bronx Charter School Soars to Success(DNAINFO)
 




New Tavern will still cost a lot of 'Green'(NYP)  Shake Shack it ain’t. The grand visionRounding up eatery violators(NYP)

City Point Project To Reshape Downtown Brooklyn(NY1)






Manhattan HS guidance counselor stripped of job over steamy-photo past(NYP) * Manhattan HS guidance counselor stripped of job over steamy-photo past(NYP)



H&M Fills a Large Gap in the Times Square Retail Profile(WSJ) Despite Times Square's popularity, the entertainment mecca for nearly two years has had a gaping hole: the retail space that was vacated by the arcade-style restaurant ESPN Zone.



West Side development projects on track to transform city's future(AMNY)


Bloomberg Pushes a Plan to Let Midtown Soar(NYT)






A Checkup for Natural Gas(NYT Ed) The governor of New York made a reasonable decision in slowing down to review the health risks of hydraulic fracturing.

The Oneida Indian Nation, which runs a resort near Syracuse, is lobbying state lawmakers to let local governments power veto new casinos, as the state considers the industry’s expansion, the Journal writes:

Front-facing ads debut on NYC MetroCards(NYP)*MTA Starts Selling MetroCards With Ads On Front In Select …(NBC) * MetroCards Go on Sale With Ads on Both Sides * New MetroCards feature advertisements(Fox 5) *MTA Starts Selling MetroCards With Ads On Front In Select Stations(NY1) * Mind The Gap: new MetroCards now have front-facing ads(NYP) * New Fulton Street Subway Station Entrance Opens At Dey Street(NY1)




MLS nears stadium deal for Flushing Meadows(NYDN)


The Candy Taxi Man
This cabbie just wants to make your day sweeter (NYDN) NYC Candy Cab driver gives out free candy





Cuomo Visits LI Companies That Received State Funds(NY1)




Crane Company Challenging OSHA(WSJ)









Controversial Pro-Israel Ad Campaign to Expand to Buses(NYT) * New Subway Ad Calls For End To Bigotry Against Muslims(NY1) * Free-speech free-for-all(NYP Ed) Now that’s how you counter something you consider to be hate speech. With more speech. Not spray paint — like self-promoting Muslim activist Mona Eltahawy. As The Post’s Jennifer Fermino reported yesterday, no fewer than three groups have bought new subway ads to counter the “defeat jihad” notices bought by blogger Pamela Geller. Which is good news for free speech.







The Making of A President 2013
With Biden Up Next to Debate, Obama’s Aides Plot Comeback(NYT) * Campaigns Start Squabbling Over Romney's Foreign Policy Speech Before He Has a Chance to Deliver It(NY Mag) * Heilemann: Obama's Post-Debate Plan(NY Mag) * Biden Takes 6 Days Off Campaign Trail to Prep for Debate... 
Obama's Aides Plot Comeback - Peter Baker & Trip Gabriel, New York Times
Romney Opens Cracks in Obama Firewall - Michael Barone, DC Examiner
How Obama Can Win the Next Debate - Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post
Obama's Post-Debate Dilemma - Michael Goodwin, New York Post
The Campaign's Moral Hole - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
Despite Economic Woes, Obama Holds Edge in Nev. - Scott Conroy, RCP 
Obama ribs his own debating; Romney eyes speech(WABC) 
Obama: This election is not about ‘clinging on to an office’(Wash Post)
Mitt Romney to slam O in first speech on foreign policy(NYP)
Romney Strives to Stand Apart From Obama in Global Policy(NYT)
With Biden Up Next to Debate, Obama’s Aides Plot Comeback(NYT)
Battlegrounds of 2012: Tumblr and Spotify(NYT)
Bigger Bang Expected From Ryan-Biden Bout(WSJ)
Campaigns Play Up Foreign Policy(WSJ)
Obama Quickens Fundraising Pace(WSJ)
Political Perceptions: Obama’s Debate Reboot(WSJ)
NYPD scapegoat never had a shot(NYP)
Gallup Romney Gains 5%  After the Debate
Surrounded by celebrities, Obama acknowledges poor debate performance (Wash Examiner)
Unlike the Rest of the World, SNL Had a Hard Time Joking About the Debate(NY Mag)
 Poll: Obama lead in Virginia shrinks to smallest of election cycle(The Hill)
Obama loses five point edge in Gallup poll(Wash Post)
Romney Opens Cracks in Obama Firewall - Michael Barone, DC Examiner
Obama's Aides Plot Comeback - Peter Baker & Trip Gabriel, New York Times
Why Obama Is Crumbling - Jim Geraghty, New York Daily News
Mitt's Debate Win Doesn't Make It 1980 Again - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg
Romney Jumps Five Points, Tied w/Registered Voters - Jeff Jones, Gallup
Obama's Dilemma: How to Reset the Race - Michael Goodwin, New York Post
Can Obama Hang On in Ohio? - Alex Altman, Time
Overlooked ex-Obama Voters Keep PA in Play - Ruth Ann Dailey, Pitt PG
Despite Economic Woes, Obama Holds Edge in Nevada - Scott Conroy, RCP
Romney Counting on Coal Country - Robert Stacy McCain, American Spec
Biden's Turn to Take Down Paul Ryan - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
The Great Reversal - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Fact-Denying Republicans - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Signs Accumulate Liberals Embarrassed by Obama - Thomas Lifson, AT
How Obama Can Win the Next Debate - Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post
Why I'm Voting for Mitt Romney - Buzz Bissinger, The Daily Beast
Lara Logan Brings Ominous News From Mideast - Laura Washington, CS
Why Obama Must Be Re-elected - The New Republic
Obama vs. Romney and the Role of Government - The Economist
Romney Is the Turnaround Expert U.S. Needs - Las Vegas Review-Journal
Obama Deserves a Second Term - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Romney's now the one going for inspiration, while Obama keeps it micro(Buff Feed)
‘Why didn’t he fight?’ Obama supporters want an answer, Mr. President(Wash Post)
Huckabee: Media ignoring gas prices(Politico)
Slain ambassador, team leader wanted special ops to stay past August deadline: report(NYP)
Romney blasts Obama's weak foreign policy, accuses Obama of 'passivity'(NYP)
WATCH: Obama makes fun of his own debate performance(NYP)
Mitchell Addresses Her (Unapproved) Inclusion In Obama Campaign Ad
Jim Lehrer On Wednesday’s Debate: ‘Twitters And Wah-Wahs’ Expected ‘Canned Answers’
NBC's Chuck Todd: Republican Enthusiasm A 'Huge Problem' For Democrats
SNL's Maddow, Matthews & Sharpton Take 'A Look Back At The Obama Debate Disaster'
Romney Says Obama Failed in Response to Libya Attack(NYT)
A Congress of Ever Fewer Moderates(NYT)
CNN's Don Lemon Dismisses Obama Supporters' Excuses, Offers President Direct Advice (VIDEO)
Biden’s bin Laden hypocrisy (Wash Post)
PENNSYLVANIA: Susquehanna Poll: Obama 47, Romney 45
Can Obama Recover His Footing? - Jules Witcover, Baltimore Sun
Moderate Mitt Isn't So Moderate - Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Not an Off Night, a Bad Four Years - John Podhoretz, Commentary
The Race Is Still Obama's to Lose - Jon Meacham, Time
Romney Winning Independents by 16 Points - John Nolte, Big Government
GOP Facing Longer Odds to Win Senate - Juan Williams, The Hill
Does Obama Even Want to Win? - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
Momentum & History Are Strongly on Romney's Side - Keith Backer, BW
Romney Versus the People - Paul Waldman, American Prospect
The Shrinking Black Middle Class - Dawn Turner Trice, Chicago Tribune  
New Pew poll shows Romney 49%, Obama 45% among likely voters(Wash Post)
Tied Presidential Poll Leads to a Sleepless Night at Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee 
Mayor Bloomberg wants more attention paid to cities by the presidential candidates.
PEW: 18-point shift among women...
CBS’ Lara Logan Slams Govt ‘Lie’ About Middle East: Taliban, Al Qaeda Threats Haven’t Been Tamed
Cuomo Backs Queens Senator Caught in a Tight Race(NYT)
Michigan poll: Romney within 3(Politico)
New ‘Super PACs’ Alter Landscape for House Races(NYT)
The Polling Conspiracy(NYT Ed)
Jon Stewart Tears Into Conservative Outrage Over Funding Sesame Street’s ‘Propaganda,’ ‘Brainwashing’


TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads(Huff Post)
Romward & upward(NYP) Poll-vault over Bam after win in debate * Benghazi blame game(NYP)  *  Michael GoodwinBam is ‘left’ bewildered(NYP) * Error and Fraud at Issue as Absentee Voting Rises(NYT)* Romney’s Goals on Environment Would Face Difficult Path(NYT) * For Democrats and Obama, a Record Haul in September(NYT) * Better News on Jobs(NYT Ed) The latest report on unemployment, while stronger than expected, also underlines the need for further federal action. * Can I Phone a Friend?(NYT) Here’s what we need to hear in the second presidential debate * New Romney ad pushes back at Obama tax charge(CNN) * Why he's falling apart(NYDN)  The foundations of Obama's campaign are not nearly as strong as they once seemed* . plays the race card badly.
Obama's Post-Debate Plan - John Heilemann, New York Magazine
The Shield Cracks: Obama Is Now in Real Trouble - Rick Wilson, Ricochet
The Mitt Romney Who Might Have Been - Robert Draper, NYT Magazine
Why the Country Is Unhappy Under Obama - Mort Zuckerman, US News
Obama, Democrats Raise $181M in September - Oliver Knox, Yahoo! News
Biden, Ryan Feel Increased Pressure - Felicia Sonmez, Washington Post
President Obama Unfiltered - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Would Tax Hikes Really Hurt Recovery? - Timothy Noah, The New Republic
Media Says Forget Debate, Obama Is Back! - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
Does Obama Want to Be President? - Melinda Henneberger, Washington Post
Romney Distorts Truth on Green Jobs - Van Jones, CNN
Obama's Divisive Policies Very Hard to Defend - Steve Huntley, Chicago ST
What Race Has to Do With It - Gary Younge, The Nation
The Latest Scam From CA's Public Unions - Steven Greenhut, Reason
Full-Time Jobs Disappearing in America - Moira Herbst, The Guardian
Europe's Prospering Regions Want Out - Steven Erlanger, New York Times
Mother Mourns 2,000th Death in Afghanistan - Allen Breed, AP
Romney Rises to the Occasion - Washington Examiner
Re-Elect the President - The Nation
Save Big Bird From Romney's Budget Ax - Chicago Sun-Times
Clint Eastwood May Have Been Prophetic - Richmond Times-Dispatch
Ed Gillespie defends Big Bird cut, calling the bird "a pretty commercially successful entity"
Bob Schieffer: Why debates are needed now more than ever via
CBS Reporters Take On Axelrod's Charge That Romney 'Lied' During Debate (VIDEO) 
Obama left '47 Percent' out of the debate on purpose(USN)
Roundtable: Obama's debate was a "wake-up call"(CBS)
Gibbs: Obama disappointed by performance in first debate(CBS)
today's Dowd/Sorkin column imagining Barlett schooling Obama is fun, smart & useful (CBS)
CBS Reporters Take On Axelrod’s Charge That Romney ‘Lied’ During Debate
Paul Krugman Blasts Media For Debate Reaction: ‘Press Just Doesn’t Know How To Handle Flat-Out Untruths’
Fox Panel: Romney’s Greatest Feat In Debate Was To Liberate ‘Himself From The Modern Republican Party’
The Mythology and Reality of Obama - Victor Davis Hanson, PJ Media
Romney's Debate Win Doesn't Make It 1980 Again - Al Hunt, Bloomberg
Has Obama Lost the Will to Win? - Henry Porter, The Guardian
Obama Wasn't Terrible. He Just Has a Weak Case - Brit Hume, FOX News
Romney "Fundamentally Dishonest" in Debate - Robert Gibbs, This Week
Biden to the Rescue? - Simon van Zuylen-Wood, Washington Monthly
Dems Out Andrea Mitchell as Partisan - Jonathan Tobin, Commentary
Exit Poll Cut Back: Penny Wise & Pound Foolish? - Steve Singiser, Daily Kos
Afghan War Enters 12th Year - Riechmann & Shah, Associated Press
Chavez's Socialist Rule at Risk in Venezuela - Wallis & Benson, Reuters
Sunday Panels: FOX News Sunday | Face the Nation | MTP | This Week
Romney Gets Key Friday Night Lights Backing(NY Mag)

Oh, here's a state poll: Romney cuts gap in Michigan to 48%-45%


Obama Distracted By Inner Monologue And Altitude During SNL Presidential Debate







Obama lauds new jobless numbers as Romney says growth is far too slow(NYP) * Romney Claims of Bipartisan Success Face Challenge(NYT) * Drop in Jobless Figure Gives Jolt to Race for President(NYT) * A Checkup for Natural Gas(WSJ) The governor of New York made a reasonable decision in slowing down to review the health risks of hydraulic fracturing. * Romney Focuses on Personal Stories in Florida Event(WSJ) * Bill Maher Rips Obama’s Debate Performance: ‘Looked Like He Took My Million And Spent It All On Weed’ * Key to an Obama win in Florida lies in this area of the Sunshine State (AP) *Polls Begin To Show Romney Debate Bump(Huff Post) * Jim Lehrer Defends Debate Moderating, But Doesn't Plan To Return In 2016(Huff Post)
With Obama, There Is Always Some Excuse - Bob Herbert, Huffington Post
The Debate Didn't Change the Race - Michael Cohen, New York Daily News

What an Upset! We Have a Horse Race on Our Hands - David Gergen, CNN
Obama's Meltdown Is No Surprise - Jonah Goldberg, New York Post
Time for Obama to Show Some Anger - Gary Younge, The Guardian
The Mile-High Mauling May Be Turning Point - Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune
Obama Touts the 7.8% Unemployment Rate - Reid Epstein, Politico
U.S. Can't Afford Four More Years of This - Steve Huntley, Chicago ST

Dems Hope Biden Can Blunt Romney Momentum - Stanage & Parnes, Hill
"Men of Principle" & the Lost Art of Compromise - Abshire & Howard, RCP
Why Obama Is Vulnerable on Bipartisanship - Dick Morris, FOX News
Arctic Ice Melt 'Decades Ahead of Schedule' - James Gerken, Huffington Post
Obama Unfiltered - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Warren Has Every Right to Identify as Native American - Toure, Time
How The Post Came Up Short on Libya - Patrick Pexton, Washington Post

Do Fact Checkers Know What That Word Means? - Megan McArdle, DB
Romney Hits a Trifecta in Denver - George Will, Washington Post
Investors Beware - The Economist
The Obama Matrix - Wall Street Journal
Let the Campaign Begin - Globe & Mail
Real Obama Revealed In Bumbling Debate Performance - IBD
Obama, Romney See Different News in Jobs Report
New Romney TV Ads Seek To Build On Debate Win
Local And National Issues Mix in Tight House Races
Jack Welch Still Pretty Sure the Job Numbers Were Skewed(The Atlantic)
Letterman's Zogby Poll Shows America Has Massive Crush On Jim Lehrer [VIDEO]
“"Mitt Romney wants to let Wall Street run wild again, but he wants to bring the hammer down on Sesame 
St…”
Mitt leads Obama by two percent in national poll, majority conducted after debate(NYP)
Democrats and Obama Pull In $181 Million in September(NYT)
[new article] Oct. 6: Romney Maintains Poll Momentum 
Latest Swing State Polls Here are the latest polls from the battleground states, updated as needed:
Colorado: Romney 49%, Obama 46% (Gravis)
Nevada: Obama 49%, Romney 48% (Gravis)
Ohio: Romney 48%, Obama 47% (Wenzel)
Wisconsin: Obama 49%, Romney 47% (Public Policy Polling)
Colorado: Obama 47%, Romney 43% (Selzer)


Rumble 2012: Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly Debate
Stewart, O'Reilly Spar in DC 'Rumble'(ABC) *Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly rumble, and zingers fly(Wash Post) * Rumble 2012: Stewart, O'Reilly duke it out in spirited debate(LA Times) * Stewart and O'Reilly Share Stage in Political Joust(NYT) * Rumble 2012: Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly Debate (Live Blog)(WSJ)
 



  Instant polls show Romney just ahead in Ohio and Florida. But well within margin of error, and Obama will be different man next two debates

Taming Volatile Data for Jobs Reports(NYT) * Chris Matthews Goes After Jack Welch In Brutal Battle Over Unemployment Numbers * Jack Welch’s Case Against Unemployment Numbers: It Just Doesn’t Feel Right(NY Mag) * Is Jack Welch working for Karl Rove? (It wouldn't be the first time)


Capture-11 Big Bird Responds To Mitt Romney On SNL

Big Bird, 1-percenter(NYP Ed) * For Woman in Senate Race, a Fight for Female Votes(NYT) * Don’t Mess With Big Bird(NYT)






Bill Maher Battles Frank Luntz Over Obama, Romney, And ‘Low-Information Voters’




Law and Order
Stop and Frisk, Part 3(NYT Ed) Federal District Court in Manhattan scrutinizes police patrols in public housing.The Times urges New York City to settle claims against individuals arrested by police for trespassing in public housing and ensure that the NYPD’s policies follow the Fourth Amendment * Top Court Mulls Question: Is Gang Member A Terrorist?(Huff Post)



Man linked to slay at barbershop(NYDN)

Police: Victim Fights Off Would-Be Rapist In Queens Par(WCBS)

Update 'Person of interest' grilled in bloody slay(NYP)

WATCH: Video shows suspect in beloved soccer coach's W. Village stabbing(NYP) * Man Is Killed in Stabbing at 14th Street(WSJ) * NY slash victim was youth soccer instructor(WSJ) * Police: Suspect Wanted In Subway Stabbing Attack(WABC) * NYPD releases two videos of alleged killer in Union Square stabbing * Police Search For Man Who They Say Stabbed Soccer Coach To Death In Manhattan(NY1) *Stacks of Counterfeit Bills Found in Teller Machines at 2 Midtown Banks(NYT)
* Terrible Counterfeit Bills Fooled Chase ATMs(NY Mag)
* Beloved Soccer Coach Affiliated With Red Bulls Brutally(NYDN)
* Cops Seek Attacker in Rape Attempt at Queens Park(NBC) * Cops Seek Armed Livery Cab Robber in Bronx(NBC)
 

Rape-murder defendant: I’m a hex maniac(NYT)  This accused killer wants to call a doctor to the witness stand — a witch doctor.

Diallo mom: NYPD insensitive(NYDN)

Sunday Update  Vagrant bust in Tompkins rape(NYP) * Syringe suspect nabbed on bus(NYDN) * Fight at barber’s leaves man dead(NYP) * Arrest made in MTA bus driver syringe stabbing(WABC) * Police: Man Found Stabbed To Death On Sidewalk Near Union(WCBS) * Syringe 'stabber' arrested(NYP) * NJ man killed in gory Greenwich Village stabbing that left his severed ear on sidewalk(NYP) * Man Arrested for Stabbing Bus Driver with Syringe(NBC) * Slain Man’s Video a Factor in Convention Arrest Suits(NYT) * Tourists, Neighbors React to Union Square Slashing in Stereotypical Fashion(NY Mag) * Red Bulls Youth Coach Stabbed To Death In Manhattan(NY1) * Mother Of Amadou Diallo Joins March For Man Shot, Killed By Police In His Apartment(NY1)

Fight at barber’s leaves man dead (NYP) * Shooting Near a Barbershop(WSJ)



NYPD cop who shot unarmed GCP driver was 'fearing for his life,' sources say (NYP) * Portrait of Detective in Shooting: Hero, but Subject of Suits(NYT) * 'Fair' Inquiry Is Pledged in Shooting(WSJ) * Queens DA Looks Into Fatal NYPD Traffic Stop(NY1) * Det. Hamdy named in earlier brutality lawsuit(NYDN) * Queens man slain by cops had wanted to join NYPD(NYDN) * Detective Who Shot Unarmed Man On GCP Previously Accused(WABC) * Past Complaints Against Cop Who Shot Unarmed Soldier(NBC) *Mother of Man Shot by Police Near La Guardia Demands Answers(NY Mag) * Mother of Man Killed by Police: 'I Want No Cover Up; I Want Answers'(NYT) * Mother Of National Guardsman Shot By Police Meets With National Action Network(NY1) * Sharpton vows to help mother of national guardsman shot (NYP) * Cop-vic pals help out kin(NYP) * Detective Thought Man He Fatally Shot Had Gun, Lawyer Says(NYT) * Friends to have fundraiser for slain man in police shoo(Fox 5) * Relatives Rally at Protest of Fatal Police Shooting(NYT) * Family Of Man Shot And Killed By Police In Queens Home Wants Answers(NY1)




City to mom: Don't worry about the damage of police car that killed your son, the bill's on us (NYDN)  City says it made a mistake when it sent grieving mom Laverne Dobbinson $710 bill to fix cruiser. Her son Tamon Robinson was struck by squad car while trying to flee cops * Mom of Man Killed by Cop Car Gets Bill for Damage(NBC)

City Tried to Bill Dead Man for Damage to Police Car That Struck and Killed Him(NYT)

Judge Allows Lawsuit Over NYPD Tactics in Public Housing(WSJ)

Passenger Recounts Chaos of Fatal Bus Crash in Bronx(NYT) * Tour Bus Headed From Toronto To Brooklyn Overturns On Interstate(WCBS)

Judge Faults Police for Delays in Providing Records of Fatal Accident(NYT)

Don't let killers out, says cop's brother(NYDN)

Staten Island man accused of molesting boy inside religious(SI Advance) * Inmate at former Staten Island prison got 300G in sexual-harassment (SI Advance)

 Woman files lawsuit against McDonald's for fight she started(NYDN) * Suspect Nabbed for Sexual Assault in Tompkins Square Park(DNAINFO) * Two Men Face Drug Charges After Alleged Police ChaseNY1)
Man arrested in bus driver's syringe stabbing  (NYP)  Police nabbed the syringe-wielding sicko who stabbed an MTA bus driver in Brooklyn,
Brooklyn donut shop killer gets 20 years in jail(NYDN) 

Psycho’s sure got some big cojones (NYP) That’s nuts! A Manhattan jury yesterday  heard gruesome details about how a handsome young model allegedly killed and castrated his older lover * Male model wore lover's testicles on his wrists, lawyer(NYDN)


Police arrest suspect in bus driver syringe attack(AMNY)




Terrorism
Hate preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri, other 'jihadists' extradited by Britain to US(NYP) * Abu Hamza al-Masri, four other terrorism suspects arrive in US  * Welcome to N.Y., Dr. Hook(NYDN Ed) * Abu Hamza al-Masri without hook during Manhattan court appearance; four other 'jihadists' plead not guilty(NYP) * Extradited Muslim Cleric and 4 Other Terrorism Suspects Appear in American Courts(NYT) * ‘Hate’ Iman: Hey, hook me up!(NYP)