How the Media Keeps NY Dumb All We found in the media today was a 25 second piece that the Electorial College voted in Albany yesterday. True News was hoping that the EC vote would remind the public of the BOE incompetence on election day but we were wrong.
Electoral College Officially Votes Obama Back Into Office(NY1)
When the Electorial College Representatives Cast Their Ballot In Albany Today It Will Be Illegal Because the NYC Voter Count is Not Certified
NY's Soviet Style Election System
It Ok not to have a final vote before NY casts it Electoral College votes. It Ok that over a million New Yorkers either waited on line for hours or left the polls before voting on election day. This is because the NYC Board of Elections purpose is not to assure democracy to the city residences but to server as a gatekeeper for the city's incumbent elected officials and machine backed candidates. The media (except the Daily News), the city council with their fake hearings last month and all our elected officials are all in on preserving this corrupt of the city's election system. The BOE worked aound the clock this weekend and still will not finish in time for the Electoral College vote today at noon. They are counting every paper ballot they can to avoid the embarrisment of the election day count which has them down from the 2008 totals by 22.3% over a half of million votes less* Electoral College makes it official (CNN)* * BOE History of Corruption and Incompetence (True News)
After Only 5 Years in Office Stewar-Cousins Takes Over the Senate Dems - If the seniority system is dead what has taken over?
* Perkins Urges Cuomo To Stand Up To ‘Plantation Politics’(YNN) * New Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is not only the first woman to hold a legislative leadership post in Albany, but also the first suburban Senate Democratic leader in a century. * State Senator Bill Perkins has done what Rev. Al Sharpton has not: blame Cuomo for the State Senate mess. [Nick Reisman] * Another reason the Senate Democrats' new leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, is notable: she's not from New York City. [Chris Bragg]
Eyeing Mayoral Bid, M.T.A. Chief Will Step Down (NYT)
Lhota a long shot only until you realize that New York hasn't elected a Democrat mayor in almost 20 years. MTA Chief Joe Lhota running for NYC Mayor is good news for Republicans and bad news for Republican wannabes Malcolm Smith & Adolfo Carrion * NY Times: Lhota To Resign From MTA To Run For Mayor(NY!) * Report: M.T.A Chairman Joe Lhota to Step Down to Make Mayoral Bid (NYO) * Source: MTA chairman Joseph Lhota will step down at the end of the year to run for NYC mayor * Sources: MTA Chairman Joe Lhota To Run For New York City(WCBS)* MTA Chair Joe Lhota to Resign, Run for Mayor: Sources(NBC) *
MTA To Vote On Fare, Toll Hike Proposal Wednesday(NY1)
Campagin 2013 The News writes that the city should be careful when regulating political speech, citing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s legislation that would allow internal communications between unions and their members * The field for a City Council race in Queens added a familiar face in Martha Taylor, a longtime district leader and civic activist who was defeated by Councilman James Gennaro in the 2009 race for the same seat. This year, with Gennaro term-limited, Taylor will face off against Assemblyman Rory Lancman and will kick off her campaign with a fundraiser on Jan. 7. The event will be attended by many political bigwigs, including a "special guest"—Queens kingmaker and Rep. Joe Crowley.* Mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson made a pre-Christmas appeal to supporters at Club 101 in Manhattan on Monday night, promising to tackle several policy challenges and unite the city in the wake of a devastating storm. “If you look at the aftermath of the hurricane, there were neighborhoods that felt abandoned,” he said. “We need a mayor who is mayor of all five boroughs, and we’re only as strong as our weakest communities.” Thompson had some help from some powerful friends, including Rep. Gregory Meeks, former Assemblyman Mel Miller, former Rep. Floyd Flake, former Bronx Borough president Fernando Ferrer, and former Sen. Al D’Amato who lavished praise on Thompson's leadership skills and vowed to help the former comptroller get elected. D’Amato suggested that if President Obama campaigned more for Thompson, he would have been mayor today, Ferrer praised Thompson’s character, and Miller contrasted Thompson’s integrity with that of city and state public officials who have broken the law over the years. Thompson said he won’t get outspent 10 to 1 this time, but that he still needed their help. “I’m not running an underfunded campaign this time around,” he said. (City and State) * Trying to learn the ropes in D.C. , Congresswoman-elect Grace Meng feels “like a high school or college student all over again. ‘* Rep. Gregory Meeks, former Assemblyman Mel Miller, former Rep. Floyd Flake, former Bronx Borough president Fernando Ferrer, and former Sen. Al D’Amato helped 2013 NYC mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson raise campaign cash.*
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The State University of New York is now mandating the reporting of child sexual abuse on university property or at university-sponsored events.
Cuomo is declining to put a timetable on JCOPE’s investigation of the Assemblyman Vito Lopez harassment scandal.
Another Surrogagte Judge in Trouble
But Judicial Commission Waits Until He is Forced to Retire Because of Age
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
More Hospital Cuts
Hundreds could be laid off if Montefiore buys WSMC(NYDN) * Hospitals Fear They’ll Bear Brunt of Medicare Cuts(NYT)
Counting the minutes at bedside (New York World) City public hospitals enforce strict time limits on patient
visitation
Hosp big faces ax over alleged sex abuse(NYDN)
No Clear Link Between Cancer and 9/11 Debris, Study Finds(NYT)
NY Has A Fiscal Clift Also
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 the most significant threats to the state’s future
sustainability.* The state's structural deficit is "papered over with gimmicks," Dick Ravitch and Paul Volcker warned. [Andrew Hawkins] * Experts Warn of Budget Ills for the State, Lasting Years(NYT) * 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.
NYC OTB Was A Bad Bet Says Cuomo
Cuomo vetoed legislation that would have allowed the Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting parlor to operate in New York City, with Cuomo arguing for a more comprehensive overhaul of gambling in New York
Education How the Media Keeps NY Dumb (UFT Power?)
Audit Finds Lax Oversight of Preschool Special Education(NYT) An audit of the state’s preschool special education system by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office has revealed that the state Education Department has not visited or audited a single contractor in the program since 2007 * Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Education Department(NYT) * Boy Arrested in Threat That Sent School into Lockout(NBC) * Cuomo Won’t Change Teacher Evaluation Deadline(YNN)
America's Gun Cultures
The NRA Culture is the First to Go After the Hip Hop Gang Culture
NYP Joins Bloomberg to Push for Ban of Assult Weapons
Bloomberg stood with 34 Americans who lost loved ones in mass shootings to call on President Obama and Congress to tighten and expand federal gun laws to prevent another gun tragedy like in Newtown, Connecticut,
Walmart Pulls Rifle From Web Site, Bloomberg Pushes
Kin join Mike’s arms crusade(NYP) * Walmart pulls horror rifle from Web site(NYP) * Adam Lanza’s weapons(NYP Ed) Has technology rendered the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution obsolete? That
is, has the application of modern military design to civilian firearms
produced a class of weapons too dangerous to be in general circulation? * In Shift, Pro-Gun Democrats Signaling Openness to Limits(NYT) * Gun Ownership Data Shows Partisan Divide(NYT) * N.R.A. Could Face Challenge to Political Power(NYT)
* Conn. moms push for safer gun laws(WABC)
The NRA is Hinting Change In Their Policy
“We were shocked, saddened, and heartbroken," and silence was "common decency" NRA
The NRA will hold a press conference regarding the Newtown, CT shootings on Friday. * Breaking: The NRA said it is prepared to offer "meaningful contributions" “prepared to offering meaninful contributions to make sure this never happens again.” * It Took the NRA Four Days to Come Up With ‘Shocked, Saddened, and Heartbroken’(NY Mag)
Reason to Hope After the Newtown Rampage(NYT Ed) This country has a history of facing tragedy and becoming better for it. Our next challenge is to address the epidemic of gun violence.
* Personal Guns and the Second Amendment(NYT Ed) * Tragedy Shifts Gun Debate(WSJ) * Support Pours In to Newtown(WSJ) * District Packs Sandy Hook to New Locale(WSJ) * Gentle Touch Needed When Interviewing Young Witnesses (WSJ)* Grieving Community Says Goodbye To First Of Newtown Massacre (WABC) * Neighbor took in 6 young shooting survivors(WABC)
* Seeking Comfort in Song Amid the Whiz of Bullets(NYT) * Newtown Funerals Start With Services for Six-Year-Olds(WSJ)* Chase Kowalski Loved Baseball, Had Already Completed First(WABC) * Newtown Parents Taking Wait-And-See Approach With Grieving(WCBS)
* With the Why Elusive, Two Boys, Two Burials(NYT)
6-year-old Sandy Hook victim James Mattioli laid to rest in Newtown(NYP) 
Nancy Lanza purchased the .223-caliber Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle in 2010. In 2011, she added the 9mm Sig Sauer pistol to her collection. In January 2012, she bought the 10mm Glock. According to the Associated Press, authorities have recovered other weapons, including a Henry repeating rifle, an Enfield rifle, and a shotgun. NBC
The Bronx Battle for Fresh Direct
FreshDirect moves truck ops away from Mott Haven neighb (NYDN)Sandy 7 Weeks Later
New Forms of Assistance Benefit Homeowners in Storm-Torn Areas(NYT) Innovative steps have accelerated repairs on damaged homes and apartment buildings in an area with a shortage of vacant housing and a lack of open space for trailers.New York and New Jersey homeowners who were affected by Hurricane Sandy are receiving millions in federal assistance, including $131 million in “expedited rental assistance” that provides money for them to seek temporary housing * In Island’s Shifted Sands, Signs of a Hurricane’s Power(NYT) Scientists are studying the geography of Fire Island to learn more about how the island and all barrier islands respond and recover from major natural events, and are already seeing signs of natural recovery * RSubway Line Set to Reopen(WSJ) * Senate Opens Debate On Sandy Aid Bill(NY1) * Alternate Side Parking Reinstated For Some Of Sandy's Hardest Hit Areas(NY1) * NY Grants Refunds To SUNY, CUNY Students Who Can't Attend Class Due To Sandy(NY1) * Books for Rockaways(NYDN) * Sandy sickness: People in ravaged homes susceptible to (NYDN) * City Council proposes legislation to improve ability to withstand storms like Sandy: by
*
MTA announces plans to restore R train service between Manhattan (NYDN)* The U.S. Senate began debating the bill that would send $60.4 billion in federal disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy recovery to the tri-state area, with Republicans saying they favor a smaller package, the Associated Press * In the US Senate, debate has started over President Obama’s $60.4 billion Sandy disaster aid request. Republicans want a smaller package
NYCHA failure to stop mold invasion spurs suit(NYDN)
They wood not! OK for ‘plastic’ Coney(NYP) * Court Rules City Can Rebuild Coney Island Boardwalk With Concrete(NY1)* Plan to replace Coney Island boardwalk with fake wood can (NYDN) * Boards To Be Eliminated On 5 Blocks Of Coney Island Boa (WCBS)No Thruway Toll Hikes
Cuomo retreated from a plan to hike Thruway tolls on trucks by 45 percent, instead proposing that the state draw on cost saving measures to make up for the $90 million in revenue that the toll hike would have brought, The Buffalo News reports
After Criticism, Public Library Offers Peek at Renovation Plans(NYT)
Justin Davidson: All the Panic Over the New York Public Library’s Renovation Plan is Overwrought(NY Mag)
Cuomo Doesn’t Want Specific Cities Named In Casino Legislation(YNN)
Elected Officials Not Doing Their Jobs- preschool for children with disabilities
New York spends around $2 billion a year on preschool for children with disabilities, yet the State Education Department has not visited and audited a single contractor involved in the program since 2007, the state comptroller’s office has found. * The governor signed legislation to create a new state agency he says will better protect about a million New Yorkers with disabilities and special needs under state-funded care.
Over the Rainbow: Landmark day for 30 Rock nightspot(NYP)Atlantic Yards More Broken Promises
Questions for the modular press conference: how do plans for affordable housing and union jobs compare to earlier Atlantic Yards promises?(Atlantic Yards Report)
Getting Water to New Yorkers Is a Family Business(NYT)
Last Of The Furriers(Huff Post)
Washington A fiscal cliff deal is looking more likely in Washington.
Boehner plans to tell House GOPers this morning he's moving to a "Plan B" to avert the fiscal cliff
Taking a step back from fiscal cliff: Boehner, O working on compromise(NYP) * After Tragedy, Partisanship May Cool a Bit(NYT)
Guns, Mental Illness and Newtown - David Kopel, Wall Street Journal
Too Much Misinformation From the Media - Charles Lane, Washington Post
Real "Realism" on Gun Control - Froma Harrop, Providence Journal
Anxiety Rises as Americans Face ObamaCare - Byron York, DC Examiner
The Delicious Irony of Tim Scott - John Steele Gordon, Commentary
Why They Came for Susan Rice's Scalp - Stanley Crouch, NY Daily News
Law and Order in the Fallen World - Ben Domenech, The Transom
Tea Party Fuels Republican Diversity - Josh Kraushaar, National Journal
Republicans Better Listen to Jindal on Birth Control - Amy Sullivan, TNR
Is D.C. Taking Us "Forward" Into the Failed Past? - Thomas Sowell, IBD
What Drives Suicidal Mass Killers - Adam Lankford, New York Times
The Path Forward After Newtown - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
On Guns, Take Action Now - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Groping to Explain the Inexplicable - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
Obama: "These Tragedies Must End" - Landler & Baker, New York Times
What Comes After Sandy Hook? - Carl M. Cannon, RealClearPolitics
On Guns & Violence, America Is a Failed State - The Guardian
After Newtown, and Before It - National Review
Shinzo Abe's Sumo-Sized Win - The Economist
Of Liberals and Loopholes - Wall Street Journal
Obama drops tax ask to $1.2 trillion(Wash Post)
Poll: Most want 'fiscal cliff' compromise but oppose cuts that may be part of deal(Wash Post)
Murdoch's outlet: The New York Post (Politico)
Boehner Invokes ‘Plan B,’ Dismissing Obama’s Offer(NYT)
House Republicans Again Show Why We Need to Wait Until January for a Deal(NY Mag)
Obama ‘Actively’ Supports Assault-Weapon Ban After Newtown(NY Mag)
Red Eye Trashes Media For Not Asking: How Did We 'Contribute To' CT Shooting?
"All he has to do is get out his pen," Bloomberg said of Obama's ability to use the power of executive orders and recess appointments to make progress on federal gun control efforts. [Morning Joe]
Bloomberg's description of mass shootings as uniquely American, and the Newtown massacre as the worst school shooting ever, are, technically, inaccurate. [Tom Blumer]
Why Republicans badly need a deal on the fiscal cliff
Broad Gun Control Efforts Introduced in Wake of Shooting
Boehner Invokes ‘Plan B,’ Dismissing Obama’s Offer(NYT)
Benghazi Panel Highly Critical of State Dept. Role in Attack
Polls also shows 81% disapprove of the job Congress is doing; 11% approve.
Boehner unveils "Plan B" as fiscal cliff deadline looms(CBS)
You Can't Put Price on a Teacher's Love - Margery Eagan, Boston Herald
What Our Leaders Could Learn From the Advent - Ed Morrissey, The Week
No More Silence on Gun Limits - Sen. Dick Durbin, Chicago Tribune
Gun-Free Zones Give False Sense of Security - Glenn Reynolds, USA Today
The Rising Wealth of the D.C. Region - Annie Gowen, Washington Post
Republicans Better Listen to Jindal on Birth Control - Amy Sullivan, TNR
Will Dying States Start to Levy Tax on Fleeing Citizens? - Bill Frezza, RCM
The Path Forward After Newtown - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Real "Realism" on Gun Control - Froma Harrop, Providence Journal
Why Did Gun Control Fail in Newtown? - Thomas Crown, RedState
The Rushdie Affair & the Struggle Against Islamism - Paul Berman, TNR
Newtown might provide the National Rifle Association with its first real political test in a over a decade. * Watch: Richard Engel and his NBC crew describe 5-day kidnapping ordeal in Syria, and escape, after mock executions http://bit.ly/U9V21V
Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii Is Dead at 88
Senator Inouye, a hero of World War II, went to Washington in 1959 and
became a quiet voice of conscience during Watergate and the Iran-contra
affair. 
Timeline: Daniel K. Inouye
Timeline: Daniel K. Inouye
Hillary Clinton’s head fake(NYP Ed)
Martin Scorsese will make Bill Clinton documentary for HBO(NYP)Law and Order
Stray bullet hits woman(NYP)
‘Cannibal’ ratted out(NYP)
Rape-trial cop’s jail whine(NYP)
Nightmare bar drama
(NYP) The memory of kerosene, plastic handcuffs and a deranged gunman
shouting, “White people are gonna burn tonight!” is still enough to make
her cry. 
Judge blasts con’s evict bid
(NYP) A Brooklyn Housing Court judge yesterday slammed a coldhearted Grinch
who is trying to get his ex-wife and their kids evicted from their
apartment
Subway shove suspect indicted in Queens dad death(NYP)
Family of murdered Bronx woman feared "something would (NYDN)Staten Island man fatally stabs daughter's ex-boyfriend(NYDN)
NY police seize $9K in bogus goods from ex-store(Fox 5)
Sunnyside man stabbed to death on Staten Island(SI Advance)
New DNA evidence found in brutal 1994 rape-slay(WCBS)
MTA bus driver busted for assault in Brooklyn(NYP)
Court Upholds Ruling Limiting Police Queries During Traffic Stops (NYT)5 NYC pharmacists busted in $10M Medicaid rip-off: NY AG(NYP)
Retired jeweler, 87, is found slain in East Side apartm (NYDN)Final Soldier Accused Of Bullying Private, Causing His Suicide, Faces Dismissal(NY1)
No Trial for Pvt. Danny Chen's Platoon Leader, the Last to Be Disciplined in His Death(NY Mag)
