Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Cuomo Vs Bloomberg 2013

Does Cuomo's Have A Stealth Mayoral Candidate?

If you believe that Cuomo would never stand for a democratic majority not to take power in the state senate then you would never believe that Cuomo would clear the way (with no finger prints) for Lhota to get the GOP nomination to run against Bloomberg's candidate Quinn. Lhota once twitted that Mike Bloomberg an "idiot"Quinn spox: "MTA chief Joe Lhota saddled New Yorkers with a bus and subway fare hike just prior to running for Mayor." Lhota calls decision to explore mayoral race a "life-defining decision." No further comment until he makes a decision in early Jan. Cuomo wants anyone who can win and is not a Bloomberg puppet. At this point in time Lhota fits his bill the best. But like the new coalition leading the state senate Cuomo will never come out for a GOP mayoral candidates.  The governor has already said he will not get involved in the mayors race which fits this scenario nicely.

Report: Lhota Apologizes For Saying Bloomberg Acted 'Like An Idiot (CBS) Lhota said Bloomberg acted “like an idiot” when he predicted the Queens-Midtown tunnel might open early. Lhota quitting: Mayor race next stop for MTA boss(NYP) * M.T.A. Chief Will Resign as He Looks at Mayoral Bid(NYT) * MTA Chief Is Stepping Down(WSJ) * Sources: Lhota To Resign From MTA To Run For Mayor(NY1) * Joe Lhota to resign as MTA Chairman(NYDN) * MTA Chairman Joe Lhota To Run For New York City(WCBS) * MTA Chair Joe Lhota to Resign, Run for Mayor: Sources(NBC) * Lhota already has the support of Staten Island powerbroker Guy Molinari, who said: “He’d make a great mayor. He’s sharp, tough and he can handle the City of New York. Not that many people can.” (See above link) * Lhota formally announces resignation, considers bid for mayor(NYP) * Weighing Mayoral Bid, and Shaking Up the Race(NYT)


Giuliani Meet With GOP Candidate and Fund Raiser John Catsimatidis To Clear the Way for Lhota
In response to inquiries about his interest in City Hall over the past several weeks, Lhota has emailed copies of a section of the New York public officers’ law, which forbids public officials from engaging in political activity while in public office.* Lhota’s departure comes at a busy time for the MTA. He reportedly will tap Fernando Ferrer, a former Bronx borough president and member of the authority’s board, to become its vice chairman.* Lhota’s Resignation Letter (And Statement)


BREAKING: board unanimously approves fare hike. * The sniping at Lhota by other 2013 contenders is already underway. Quinn’s top consultant, Josh Isay, said: “Voters aren’t going to forget that MTA chief Joe Lhota saddled New Yorkers with a bus and subway fare hike just prior to running for Mayor.” * Calling a court’s repeal in August of the MTA payroll tax an “error,” the authority has filed a legal brief saying the tariff passes constitutional muster and must be reinstated. * A whole Lhot..err, lotta trouble for a 2013 bid RT M.T.A. Raises Cost of Single Rides and Monthly Passes * MTA chief Joseph Lhota to resign in preparation for mayoral run   * M.T.A. Votes to Raise Cost of Single Rides and Monthly Passes(NYT) * Two of former employers are now running in the GOP mayoral primary:    * Greg David agrees Lhota has an uphill battle ahead of him if he runs for mayor as a Republican in the Democrat-dominated city, but insists “history shows it can be done.”



Lhota Entry Into Mayoral Race Upsets NYT's Carolyn Ryan Over Quinn Tumble From Grace
Now that Joe Lhota is running for mayor, Twitterverse is in apoplexy over NYT Metropolitan Editor Carolyn Ryan's nervous breakdown. That's right, Ms. Ryan is worried that her favourite candidate, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, now will not be such a shoe-in to become mayor. Ms. Ryan is concerned that the business community will abandon Speaker Quinn in favour of Mr. Lhota. * carolynryan @carolynryan Lhota once called Mike Bloomberg an "idiot" and told an elderly Holocaust survivor to "be a man" in dispute at hearing  * Wylde: Lhota candidacy helps Christine Quinn (CrainNY)

  Instead of 311, citizens yank on yellow cord to make a complaint to city hall. * Great piece by , obscene gestures & pix of Bloomberg as Canadian mountie


It's happy hour for a little early today. The next round is on ! Who's your Santa ?
 

Campaign 2013 Quinn Critical Of Expiration Of Program For Sandy Victims(NY1) * Erick Salgado, a socially conservative minister backed by State Senator Rubén Díaz, Sr., registered a campaign for mayor.* Sal Albanese is running for mayor in 2013, now officially | Capital New York * The NYC Districting Commission's New Plan(s)(NYDN) * . hits for fare hike: "New Yorkers already pay a disproportionately high price for mass transit." #2013* The NYC Districting Commission has a new public hearing schedule after scrapping its original plan due to controversy over Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s district.* Foundation Aims to Put Business Issues on Agenda in New York Mayor’s Race(NYT) * Council Speaker to Amend Campaign Finance Proposal(NYT)



Stewart-Cousins I am Cuomo's Partner
Interesting story from Crain’s Insider on Minority Leader-elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins: “Perhaps even more significant politically is that Ms. Stewart-Cousins, who replaces Brooklyn’s John Sampson, represents a district in Westchester. Even grizzled Albany veterans could not recall off-hand the last time the Senate Democratic conference leader did not hail from New York City.” * State Senator Bill Perkins, clearly unafraid to antagonize Mr. Cuomo at this point, sent out a press release with such lines as, “Let’s demand that New York’s top Democrat, Governor Andrew Cuomo, stand up for representative government and against the plantation politics of backroom deals putting us on the back of the bus!” * Andrea Stewart-Cousins Says She and Cuomo Have a Similar Agenda(NYO) * After GOP cut, Dem’s rent is too damn high(CrainsNY) * Stewart-Cousins: Senate Dems Will ‘Partner’ With Cuomo(YNN)* Senate GOP Already At Odds With Stewart-Cousin * With Amedore Up 37 Votes, Judge Certifies In SD-46 * Fred Dicker Tries to Box Stewart-Cousins With Colleague’s ‘Plantation Politics’ Remark(NYO)



Another Teacher Evaluation Deadline

Cuomo warned school districts and teachers unions that New York City will lose $250 million in school aid if a new teacher evaluation is not put in place by the January 17th deadline, the Post reports * Schools that fail to get state approval by Jan. 15 for new evaluation systems for their teachers and principals will not get any last-minute reprieve from Cuomo. Districts that miss that deadline will miss out on a 4 percent state aid increase.* As NYC continues its teacher evaluation talks, here's insight from elsewhere about what not to do, thanks to


Another Surrogagte Judge in Trouble
But Judicial Commission Waits Until He is Forced to Retire Because of Age
City Room: Bronx Judge Is Censured by Judicial Commission (NYT)
In 2006, the judge said, he learned that his appointee, Michael Lippman, counsel to the Bronx public administrator, had taken unauthorized fees from the estates of people who had died without wills.Judge Holzman ordered Mr. Lippman, a longtime associate who had helped him on his election campaigns, to repay the money, but continued to appoint him, a decision that led to the disciplinary action against him. A referee who presided over the commission’s hearings determined that Judge Holzman should have fired Mr. Lippman and reported him to the authorities. How is he in trouble? He retires to Florida and lives on a pension.  More on the case against Judge Holzman


Corrupt Surrogate Court Groundhog Day

Shocking the Bronx Surrogate Court is Being Investigated
In the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia 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 through the lean years when he deprived it of city jobs and President Franklin Roosevelt denied it federal jobs. More on Corruption and the Surrogate Court (True News) * Surrogate's Court And Why It Should Go (True News)

Bar Association Weighs In On Judicial Candidates(YNN)


When the Electorial College Representatives Cast Their Ballot In Albany Last Monday, It Was Illegal Because the NYC Voter Count is Not Certified
NY's Soviet Style Election System
Even though New York allocated its electoral college votes to President Barack Obama yesterday, don’t expect the state’s Board of Elections to certify the full results anytime soon. “We have posted some results but 23 counties are either under a court-supervised count in the 4th and 10th JDs and the 41st and 46th SDs or still counting affidavit ballots from the Executive Order,” a spokesman for the BOE told us last night, citing Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s directive to allow affidavit ballots to be cast anywhere after Hurricane Sandy. “So, it’s hard to say. We will probably be forced to postpone Thursday’s meeting until next week at the earliest.”

NY Has A One Shot Fiscal Clift
Over the past decade, a report said, New York had postponed a reckoning by using one-time measures to produce $25 billion in revenue

Report: NY’s Fiscal Future On ‘Shaky Ground’(YNN)More bad fiscal news for New York today, compliments of former LG Richard Ravitch and former Fed Chair Paul Volker, who released a report identifying themost significant threats to the state’s future sustainability * Transformation, not(NYP) NY’s still-ugly finances- 1. New York’s state government “has had a structural deficit, papered over with gimmicks, for decades.”  2. The state has been deferring a chunk of its annual pension contribution, effectively borrowing hundreds of millions from its pension fund.3. It faces “staggering” infrastructure expenses that far outstrip its current capital resources. 4. It’s very deeply into debt, having regularly sidestepped a constitutional requirement for voter approval of bond issues. 5. And, thanks to its extremely heavy reliance on federal Medicaid reimbursements and taxes generated by the wealthy, New York could be clobbered by an impending deficit-reduction deal in Washington. * Ravitch: “There are expenditures that are growing at a rate faster than revenues. As long as that happens, then we are on an unsustainable course.” * EJ McMahon on the task force report: “(W)ith a few details altered, many of the same findings could have been issued 25 years ago, when Mario Cuomo was governor.”

Elected Officials Are To Busy Spending Government Funds to Address the Fiscal Issues In the Report that Says NY's Fiscal Future is On Shaky Ground
A nonpartisan state budget task force led by former Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker released a report that found that New York state is plagued by “structural budget problems”, the Associated Press writes: * Experts Warn of Budget Ills for the State, Lasting Years(NYT) In the Post, E.J. McMahon, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, writes that Cuomo should shift his focus to tackling the state’s long term budget issues in the wake of the report released by the State Budget Crisis Task Force: * Experts Say State Faces Substantial Financial Problems(NY1) * NY1 Online: Ravitch Rates New York’s Fiscal Health * NY's unemployment is 8.7 percent, 41 out of 50. That's based on October's numbers.  * Bad for the budget: Tax collections through November of $39.2 billion were $163.4 million below the state’s estimates updated last month, $702.4 million below initial estimates in April, says Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Cuomo Responds to the Report
Visions clash on New York's fiscal outlook (TU) Task force report tells of danger, Cuomo lauds his administration



The goal is clear: Take the “mass” out of “mass murder”
Company to dump biz that makes massacre gun(NYP) A Sandy Hook parent's message to the NRA(Huff Post) * Killer’s basement his eerie lair of violent video games(NYP) * O, stop this apocalypse . . . now!(Goodwin, NYP) * Obama Facing Critical Choice After Shooting(NYT) * Gun Control Efforts Mount After Shooting(NYT) * Biden to Lead Effort in Response to Shootings(NYT) * Facing the Unendurable, Families Lay to Rest Two Children, Both 6(NYT)  * Newtown gunman Adam Lanza 'was like a ghost,' stopped talking to his mom when she urged him to leave home, get a job(NYDN * Mom left killer Adam Lanza alone for days before school massacre: report* Mom left school gunman Adam Lanza alone for days before school massacre: report(NYP) * Remembering the Passion of a Teacher Who Died Protecting Students(NYT) * Religious Leaders Push Congregants on Gun Control, Sensing a Watershed Moment(NYT)




Obama on tragedies like : We won't prevent them all, but that can't be an excuse not to try Obama on new gun policy: "We won't prevent them all, but that won't be an excuse not to try." (Wash Post)
 Killer’s Mother Was Shot 4 Times, Official Says(NYT) Nancy Lanza was most likely asleep when her son Adam shot her in the head with a .22-caliber rifle, Connecticut’s chief medical examiner said. * Broad Gun Control Efforts Introduced in Wake of Shooting(NYT) * School Officials Look Again at Security Measures Once Dismissed(NYT) * Supreme Court Gun Ruling Doesn’t Block Proposed Controls(NYT) * Party Identity in a Gun Cabinet(538) * The Yawning Loophole in the Gun Laws(NYT Ed) To strengthen the country’s porous gun laws, Congress must subject all buyers to background checks.* Shooting Puts Pressure on Gun Industry(WSJ) * Biden to Oversee Gun-Control Efforts(WSJ) * White House Floats Gun Control Ideas(WSJ) * Lawmakers Focus on Mental Illness(WSJ) * NRA Breaks Silence After Shooting(WSJ) In the Times-Union, D.J. Jaffe, the executive director of Mental Illness Policy Org., writes that Cuomo should hire a commissioner for the state Office of Mental Health that can build on the work on retiring commissioner Michael Hogan 

Obama to Give Congress Plan on Gun Control Within Weeks(NYT) * O’Reilly And Guest Target Tarantino And Django Unchained In Segment On Violent Culture * Joe Scarborough Digs Into Lack Of Post-Newtown Response From Elected GOPers: ‘Where Do You Stand? * Adam Lanza smashed his hard drive but may not have erased his digital footprint(Huff Post) * NRA breaks silence, comments on Newtown tragedy(WABC) * Medical examiner seeks genetic clues to shooter(Fox 5) * Though gun control has long been a focus for Mayor Bloomberg, sources close to him say it won’t be the only issue he works on after he leaves office.* Bloomberg notes there are some actions Obama can take to curb gun violence without approval form Congress.*.The nation’s largest teachers’ pension fund, CalPERS, is reviewing its firearms holdings after determining that its investment in a gun maker was linked to one of the weapons used in the shootings.* NY company dumping biz that makes massacre gun(NYP) * Republicans could win over more Latinos by supporting greater gun control(Daily Beast) * Shoot down the NRA (NYDN Ed) * White House Reporters Defend Fiscal Cliff Questions After Obama's Gun Pledge(Huff Post) * Mayor Bloomberg’s Anti-Gun Group Gets Some Hollywood Help(NYO) * The latest Rasmussen poll finds that 48 percent of Americans believe more action to treat mental health issues will do the most to prevent incidents like last Friday’s school shootings in Newtown.* Obama to Give Congress Plan on Gun Control Within Weeks(NYT)

Today I joined Mayor Bloomberg and 750+ Mayors across the US to for natl gun policy rooted in common sense



Why Have They Not Divested From Guns Years Ago
DiNapoli, Liu Reviewing Pension Investments In Firearms (Updated)(YNN)








Tears at farewell for hero teacher(NYP) Double dose of grief: Back-to-back funerals for Newtown kids(NYP) * Families Lay to Rest Two Children, Both 6(NYT)  * More Schools Face Threats(WSJ) * Newtown Sends Most Students Back to School(WSJ) * Newtown students to attend school in another town: As funeral services continue this week for the shooting victi... 
Newtown To Say Goodbye To Hero Teacher Vicki Soto, 3 More (WCBS) *Giants Star Victor Cruz Visits Home Of Newtown Massacre(WCBS) * Victor Cruz visits home of Giants fan killed in Newtown(WABC) * More than 1,000 mourners say goodbye to teacher Victora Soto(NYP) * Remembering the passion of Victoria Soto, a teacher who died saving her students (NYT)

A Methodical Governor Is Tested by a Heart-Wrenching Ordeal(NYT) * Malloy's 'Brutal Week'(WSJ)




Pay No Attention to the Pork In the Sandy Bill It's is Part of the Legislative Process
WSJ U.S. Senate Republicans are skeptical that a large Hurricane Sandy federal disaster relief package for the tri-state area will pass, and are mulling other options including passing multiple smaller spending bills *
The Times pushes Congress to move swiftly on passing a comprehensive federal disaster relief package for Hurricane Sandy, with conservative groups arguing for federal aid doled out in smaller chunks
“When they go to count votes and count heads, what they say is they need more people vested in the legislation to increase the chances that it’s going to pass,” Cuomo said. “That’s their business and I’ll leave it to them.  Don’t diss piggy! NY pols defend pork in Sandy aid(NYP) Conservative groups and two prominent Republicans have criticized the inclusion of items not designated for relief to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, such as $2 million for Smithsonian institution roofs and $15 million for NASA damage. Schumer also defended the spending, which includes $150 million for Alaska fisheries, as a way for the federal government to fund disaster relief. Also included in the package is $125 million designated for a watershed program to combat wildfires and droughts, $50 million for tree-planting on private properties, and $20 million for a national water study. * Why We Need Sandy Relief Now(NYT Ed) If Congress doesn’t move swiftly to provide a full package of funds to help the Northeast region recover, the nation’s overall fiscal condition will suffer.* Senate Weighs Pared-Down Aid(WSJ) * Republicans Want to Make Sure Alaska Fisheries Don’t Get Hurricane Sandy Aid(NY Mag)


In Light of this No Cancer Link Finding


Will NY Congressmembers Be Able to Fully Fund the Zadroga Fund In the Next Congress?
No Clear Link Between Cancer and 9/11 Debris, Study Finds(NYT) A study by the New York City Health Department found that there is no clear link between cancer and the dust, fumes and debris released by the burning wreckage of the Twin Towers on 9/11* Cancer Link Unclear(WSJ)* Planned Federal Deficit Cuts Could Impact Zadroga Act Funds - NY1 * Study belies GZ cancers(NYP)Breathing the toxic air of the collapsed World Trade Center did not cause an increase in cancer — either among first responders or those* City Health Dept. Study Finds No Clear Link Between September 11th Fumes, Most Cancers(NY1) * A New York City health department study has found no clear link between cancer and the dust, debris and fumes released by the burning wreckage of the twin towers.* Two years later, 9/11 responders still waiting for help (MetroNY)




A home for the holidays: Sandy victims’ relief(NYP) * Survivor’s FEMA ‘murder’ threat(NYP) * PATH Service to Return to Hoboken Wednesday(NYT) * PATH Brings Back Limited Hoboken Service(WSJ)
* Post-Sandy Air Quality Concerns Remind Some Manhattan Residents Of September 11(NY1)
* Council Bills Aim To Study Sandy Impact, Prevent Future Damages(NY1) * Sandy Damage In School Basements Proves Costly(NY1) * Cafe Director Talks Sandy Damage, Fundraising Event(NY1) * Money to elevate homes above floodplain(NYDN) * Storm-ravaged Rockaways need mold remediation(NYDN) * PATH Service to Resume Between Hoboken, 33rd Street(NBC) * TIME’s Joe Klein bestows a ”Teddy” award for “political courage” on Cuomo, writing that he has “provided real leadership under pressure – not just after the storm but also in taking on his fellow Democrats in Albany, who are among the most troglodytic and reactionary hacks festering in any state legislature in the country.”
Lux condo planned for Brooklyn Bridge Park flood zone(NYDN) * Council Task Force Begins Discussion On How To Strengthen Homes After Sandy



Albany Must Past the Vito Lopez Law to Mandate Sexual Abuse Involving Elected Officials Be Reported to the Police
Hosp big faces ax over alleged sex abuse(NYDN) Come to Vito Lopez's Holiday Party

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




One World Trade Center Escalator Installation Shows Spectacular Feat Of Engineering (PHOTOS)






NYC business owners reflect on closures of long time mom and pops(AMNY)







Cuomo plans to make the Department of Motor Vehicles offices friendlier places, replete with customer service representatives, with an aim to cut in half the average hour-long wait at the DMV by 2014, the Post writes:



Frank Macchiarola, 1941-2012(NYP) * The News mourns the passing of former New York City Schools Chancellor Frank Macchiarola, calling him “a man ahead of his times”* Frank Macchiarola, Called the ‘Standard’ for a New York Schools Chief, Dies at 71(NYT)  * Former Schools Chancellor Frank Macchiarola Dies At 71(NY1) * School giant Frank Macchiarola dies at 71(NYDN)

State to dismantle dirty Poletti power plant(NYDN)


Members of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics heard a proposal in a meeting on Tuesday for clarifying New York’s rules on what lobbyists can or can’t give to elected officials, the Times-Union writes: 

 

 

 The state Mandate Relief Council voted to forward suggestions to Cuomo to eliminate costly mandates that cover special education provisions, as well as scrapping the rule that school districts should have internal auditors, the Times-Union writes

A coalition of environmental groups signed a letter to state officials asking to make public a healthy impact study on shale gas drilling and to have public hearings on the study and a 60-day public comment period, the Associated Press reports

 

Top CUNY staffer admits forging grades to keep tuition money flowing: sources(NYP)

 

 

 

New York’s application for its state-run health exchange won approval from the federal government yesterday, with the state estimating that up to one million potential customers will join the exchange, the Journal reports:http://on.wsj.com/VP4Sml

The Times-Union applauds the state Thruway Authority for deciding against a toll increase for trucks, but argues that the authority needs to cut down on its bloated costs:


Is the Planned Expansion of the 42nd Street Library Over the Top?
After Criticism, Public Library Offers Peek at Renovation Plans(NYT) * One for the books! $300M redo for Fifth Avenue Library(NYP)* Set to Turn the Page at Bryant Park(WSJ) If Norman Foster's vision for the New York Public Library's landmark Fifth Avenue building wins approval, library patrons will look out on Bryant Park through a 50-foot-high wall of vertical windows.* Justin Davidson: All the Panic Over the New York Public Library’s Renovation Plan is Overwrought(NY Mag)

 


Washington

Boehner boxed in(NYP) * President Obama Offers a Deal(NYT ed) The president has offered to give away a lot, both politically and substantively, but it should be his last offer because Speaker John Boehner keeps saying no.

Time's "Person of the Year" for 2012 is President Barack Obama.
Six Ways to Stop Gun Madness - Michael Bloomberg, USA Today
How We Know Assault Weapon Ban Wouldn't Work - Jacob Sullum, Reason
Even Experts Can't Spot the Next Violent Shooter - Sophie Quinton, NJ
Will Obama Take Cue From Clinton? - Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPolitics
It's the Spending, Stupid! - John Stossel, FOX Business
And Now For the Republican Freakout - Steve Kornacki, Salon
Dems Dismiss Boehner's 'Plan B' - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RealClearPolitics
Obama, Dems' Blue Social Model Is a Failure - Noemie Emery, Examiner
Broad Gun Control Efforts Introduced - Adam Nagourney, New York Times
More Gun Control Laws Aren't Going to Fix Problem - Allahpundit, Hot Air
In U.S., Chances Are Mommy Has a Gun - Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail
After Tragedy, DC Thinks Of Political Gain - Charles Hurt, Wash Times
Don't Let Biases Confuse About Newtown - Melinda Henneberger, Wash Post
Cooling the Fears of Climate Change - Matt Ridley, Wall Street Journal
The Puzzle of Black Republicans - Adolph Reed, New York Times
RGIII, "Cornball Brothers," & the Blackness Code - Lee Habeeb, NRO
Person of the Year: Barack Obama, Architect of a New America - Time
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Hillary Clinton 2016: “I hope she goes – why wouldn’t she?”
A Bad Budget Deal - Wall Street Journal
Shoot Down the NRA - New York Daily News
Great Scott! Racist GOP Picks An African-American Senator - IBD
Newtown Tragedy Taught Lesson About Teachers - Philadelphia Inquirer
Robert Bork, whose failed Supreme Court nomination made history, dies at age 85
Obama says he would veto 'Plan B'(Wash Post)
Senator Chuck Hagel is the WRONG choice for U.S. Secretary of Defense.(Dov Hikind)
Obama threatens to veto Boehner's fiscal 'Plan B'(NYT)
Robert Bales Faces Death Penalty in Afghan Massacre (NYT)
Newt Gingrich: Give guns to school administrators (VIDEO) 
* Congress and the courage question (Wash Post)
What if Obama had held this press conference not with the white house corps but with outsiders? 
Obama Says G.O.P. Has Gotten ‘Fair Deal’ in Talks(NYT)


Son of the New South(NYP)

 BREAKING: Official: State Dept security chief, 2 others resign after report on Benghazi attack.
State Dept failed in Benghazi: probe(NYP) * Benghazi Panel Assails Role of State Dept. in Attack(NYT) * State Department Faulted in Libya(WSJ) * Surveillance Cameras Show Attackers(WSJ) * Report Blames ‘Systematic Failure’ at State Department for Benghazi Attack(NY Mag) * On Benghazi, GOP still wants to hear from Hillary Clinton: (Politico)  * 3 State Department Resignations After Libya Attack Report(NYT) * Is Hillary Clinton faking her concussion to avoid testifying about the Benghazi attacks?  * Three State Department officials have resigned in the wake of a report on the attacks.* 3 Resign at State Department After Libya Attack Report(NYT)


NASA's amazing new satellite images show just how removed North Korea is from the world. PHOTOS:







BBC Abuse Scandal Report Finds ‘Chaos’ but No Cover-Up(NYT) * Mark Thompson spared heavy criticism in BBC (guardian) Jimmy Savile report Pollard report into potential misconduct at BBC concluded there was 'no reason to doubt' testimony from Times Company CEO


 Getting Away With Bank Robbery
UBS Pays $1.5 Billion Over Rigging(NYT) * UBS Settles Rate-Rigging Charges(NYT) * Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan Apparently Can't Remember Anything(Rolling Stone Mag)


Law and Order
B’klyn bus brawl bust(NYP) * King of deadbeat dads nabbed(NYP) * DNA from ’94 slay fingers suspect(NYP)



Court Limits Questioning of Motorists by the Police(NYT) A decision by the Court of Appeals says that without “founded suspicion” of criminal behavior, New York police officers cannot ask motorists if they have a gun or any other weapon at a routine traffic stop

Five druggists plead guilty to bilking Medicaid(NYDN) Retired jeweler, 87, is found slain in East Side apartm (NYDN)
2 NYPD officers convicted of f official misconductset for (NYDN)

WRATH OF GOB: Brooklyn bus driver arrested for assaulting rider who spit at him because he didn't want to pay fare

Law Firms Are Accused of Aiding Chinese Immigrants’ False Asylum Claims(NYT)* NYC Lawyers Helped Chinese Lie to Stay in US: Feds(NBC)
Dozens charged in Chinese asylum fraud(NYDN)
Doctor Claiming Multiple Personalities Sentenced in Drug Ring (WSJ) * Doctor with 2 egos receives 3 years in prison for pill-peddling(NTDN)
Times Square Vendors Rally Round Alleged Subway Pusher(NY Mag) * Toast to subway heroes(NYP)
The devil made him do it(NYDN)
Brooklyn bus driver arrested for assaulting rider who spit (NYDN)
2 Staten Island men charged with robbery(SI Advance)
AG Eric Schneiderman says over 2,100 additional accounts of registered sex offenders have been purged from online gaming platforms as part of “Operation: Game Over.”