Sunday, December 30, 2012

True News Updated 24/7

Mayor Continues the No Puppet Quinn PR Campaign BS
Bloomberg doesn’t intend to meddle in the next administration
The polling must indicate that Quinn has a problem with  her puppet image in her campaigns polling. Three days ago the in another fake attempt to distance himself from his puppet Quinn the mayor said he would not spend any of his money in the upcoming mayor's race.Mike 'cashing out' of next mayor race(NYP) * Mayor Bloomberg Will Never Stop ‘Running Things’(NY Mag)


‘Public should stand up’ to demand good gov’t
Mayor Mike’s parting shots on reform(NYP)
Mayor Bloomberg is planning a graceful exit from City Hall in 2014 and doesn’t intend to meddle in the next administration even if it tries to undo some of his signature reforms."I would not be a good teacher, writer, analyst, reporter, consultant… I’m a doer. I run things. Make decisions"* "I'm not your average retired elected official" says to Seifman. #2013*  How to tell billionaires apart: looks at statistics while reads "every piece of research" * Eying post-mayoralty, says he won't meddle with successor but won't "disappear into the woodwork"* VIDEO: POTUS says attacks on Susan Rice were "largely politically motivated" 
Nobody understands how on December 17th 2012 NYC cast their electrical college vote without a certified. Many top election lawyers said that vote was illegal, but it when through becasuse nobody objected. * What will gun control mean in the 2013 mayor's race?(Capital) * . on what we don't know about Joe Lhota



 



Pols Must Pony Up Here’s a bright bit of news: Crooked Albany pols may be getting only one one shot at having taxpayers cover their legal bills when they’re caught with their hands in the cookie jar. To be specific, Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. (D-Brooklyn) received the bad news last week: Brooklyn federal Judge Sandra Townes rejected his request that taxpayers pick up the bill for his legal defense in his latest corruption trial. Townes rightly noted that Boyland — who owns a $460,000 home and earns a $79,500 part-time salary plus a legislator per diem that brings in an additional $17,000 — should be able to afford his own attorney.



  Liu actually went further than Thompson by promising total deference to the Rabbis





Secret Mission Cover the BOE Ass Without Real Change
Board of Elections' New Math

Yesterday the BOE rushed to certify the presidential election 53 days after the election. But they did not certify the results in Manhattan because they were not finished.  Why the results are not finished in Manhattan which had all its polls open and done in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens where polls were closed gives one a hint of the management problems and creative counting methods that must have been used in the outer boroughs to make the count work. There was a lot of pressure on the BOE to finish the longest count in presidential history. longer than Florida and to find vote to lesson the blow of the record drop in voter participation in the city for a presidential election.  It is mind blowing that with this crappy count going on that Councilman Eric Ulrich did not take to court the results of his election with Senator Joe Addabbo with so many polling sites closed in his strong area closed and this very strange questionable long count. (There is a faint rummer of a federal law suit by Ulrich and Councilman Dan Halloran.) The BOE does not need a June primary to fishish the count in time for the general election, they need to do the primary in January.  BOE History of Corruption and Incompetence(True News)



 Improve the BOE Management Keep the Corruption
Speaker Silver And Others Begin to Save the BOE for the Incumbents and Political Machines

Bill To Allow Early Voting Introduced In Assembly(NY1)
A Tammany Hall Fixer Tries to Save the BOE for the Bad Guys(True News)



What to Expect in New York in 2013(NYT) Not everything went wrong this year: Basketball fans in Brooklyn got a new stadium, and “Jersey Shore” was canceled. Here’s a look at some big stories on the horizon. * Top health-policy doc says city’s war on salt is misguided(NYP) * The big 13 in '13
The New Yorkers who will shape city politics and culture in the rough-and-tumble year ahead


 

Sandy feeds crime surge in storm-soaked Queens(NYDN)




Times Square Packed With Security For New Year's(Huff Post) * Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Aces Its Test Run



Restaurant Revenue Flat This Year


2012 revenues flat in NYC restaurant industry  (NYP) New York City’s restaurant industry slimmed down in 2012, ending the year with fewer openings and flat revenues, according to analysts and hospitality execs. “We had expected a better year coming out of the recession” * NYC taxpayers will have to foot a tab of more than $1.5 billion because pension-fund investments in 2012 did not perform well, bringing in just 1.37 percent.

The Senate Acts on Sandy Aid But the House Is the Problem
No plan for House to tackle spending bill approved by Senate Friday.  The News renews its push for Congress to pass the $60 billion Hurricane Sandy disaster relief package * Senate Clears $60.4 Billion in Sandy Aid(WSJ) * Senate Passes Sandy Disaster Aid Bill; Leaders Meet With Obama Over Fiscal Cliff(NY1) * Senate Passes $60.4 Billion for Storm Aid; Bill’s Fate in House Is Unclear(NYT) * Still Waiting for Sandy Relief(NYT Ed) * Any 'fiscal cliff' deal must get through political obstacle course this weekend(Wash Post) * Schumer: Sandy bill must pass before Jan. (Fox 5) * Schumer Says Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Should Not Keep Congress From Approving Sandy Aid Bill 

 
Att New York & U.S. officials:Fracking may hold key to energy independence via


Politicians May Avoid Avoid "Dairy Cliff" And $8/Gallon Milk (Gothamist)




 
Deal or No Deal?

Fiscal-Cliff Updates All Weekend
Day of Seesaw Talks Produces No Accord on Fiscal Crisis(NYT)
G.O.P. Yields on Fiscal Point, Clearing Way for More Talks(NYT)
From our Congress team: Fiscal cliff talks still hang by a thread(Politico)
Reid says negotiations back underway (Wash Post)
Graham changes mind: 'I think we're going over the cliff' (Wash Post) *Sen. Reid says there will be no vote on the "fiscal cliff" tonight (CBS)
5:55PM Senate staffers have been told they will be able to go home within the hour; no votes expected tonight.
Fiscal Cliff Countdown: What the Principals Want (Daily Beast)
Fiscal cliff discussions break down after Republicans demand Social Security cuts (Daily Kos)
* McConnell appeals to Biden in ‘cliff’ talks(Wash Post)

4:25PM
RT : What was the mood inside GOP lunch Sen Blunt? "A range of emotions that leans heavily toward frustrated"  * GOP senators say Social Security reform will not be part of "fiscal cliff" deal (Wash Post)
‘Moderately Optimistic’ President Obama Declares: Let My People Vote!(NY Mag) * Talks on Fiscal Crisis Face Setback That Threatens Deal(NYT)


Lawmakers trade ‘fiscal cliff’ offers into the night(Wash Post)
With no ‘cliff’ deal in sight, sequestration all but certain(WASH Post)
House speaker’s easygoing style proves a weakness during ‘fiscal cliff’ crisis(Wash Post)
Lindsey Graham On Fiscal Cliff: 'Hats Off To The President, He Won' (VIDEO)
Lawmakers fear voter backlash on fiscal cliff (Politico)
Washington Post: “Senators Trade Proposals Into Night to Avoid ‘Fiscal Cliff’”
Wall Street Journal: “Cliff Negotiators Grapple With Tax Issues”
Associated Press: “Fiscal Cliff Deal Would Pale Against Expectations”
Politico: “Reid, McConnell’s Sunday Showdown”'
The Political Class Is a Cloud Over Us All - Michael Goodwin, New York Post
2012: Tea Party Movement's Worst Year - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
Uncertainty Over the Horizon - Rosemary Righter, Newsweek
Lawmakers Trade Offers as Clock Ticks - Montgomery & Kane, Wash Post
How the Fiscal Cliff Fight Will End - Byron York, Washington Examiner
Dave Barry’s Year in Review 2012 (Wash Post)
The Republicans' Moment of Truth - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
Lessons From the Bork Debacle - William Murchison, Townhall
Is Tim Scott a Token Senator? - Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker
Scott Brown, Time to Start the Truck - Tom Keane, Boston Globe
Regulating the Militia - Kevin Williamson, National Review
Forget the Cliff. Is U.S. Already in Recession? - Brett Arends, MarketWatch
China's New Hatchet Man - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Our Afghan Allies Vow to Kill American Soldiers - Paul Sperry, NY Post
Modern Science Writers Leave Science Behind - Alex Berezow, PS Magazine
The O'Reilly Factory - Leslie Kaufman, New York Times
It's Different With Kids - Rod Dreher, The American Conservative\
Barry C. Black Senate Chaplain's Prayer Begs Help From The Almighty For Fiscal Cliff Negotations
Barrasso: 'There is no deal yet'(Wash Post)
The Country's Leaders Are Failing - San Francisco Chronicle
Good Riddance, Lisa Jackson - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
How to Pay for Government in the 21st Century - New York Times
Inouye's Valor - Chicago Tribune
David Brooks: Obama governs 'like a visitor from a morally superior civilization' (Politico)
Obama Accuses Republicans of Blocking Tax Compromise(NYT)
Mitch McConnell Wants Joe Biden to Help Solve the Cliff(The Atlantic)
Peggy Noonan On CBS: With This President 'It's Always Cliffs, Never Deals' (VIDEO)
GOP has no political incentive to compromise with Obama on ‘cliff’ 
The Guide to Going Off the Cliff | The Nation
Brace for an Avalanche of Unfunded Debt - Mort Zuckerman, US News & WR
The Cliff Is Better Than a Bad Deal - Jared Bernstein, Huffington Post
Obama Puts Blame on Republicans as Deadline Nears - Amie Parnes, Hill
Perhaps We Are Still in Oz - Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Preemptive War on Hagel - Elizabeth Drew, New York Review of Books
Why the Best Thing You Can Do Is Fail - Eddie Obeng, CNN
Don't Tread on Six-Toed Cats - Jonah Goldberg, National Review
John Maynard Keynes, the Conservative - Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh PG
Deport Me? I May Deport Myself - Piers Morgan, Daily Mail
Three in the Head - William Gensert, American Thinker
Sunday Panels: This Week | FOX News Sunday | MTP | Face the Nation

 
Congress and Pres Obama come together and get it passed - a raise for themselves! 


POTUS: What's holding us back is dysfunction here in Washington invokes his election victory: "we've been talking to the Republicans ever since the election was over."  * Realize, when asked by about his 2nd term priorities, POTUS brought up econ, immigration and energy. Did not volunteer guns* POTUS on timeline of gun leg: "I would like to get it done in the first year...this is not something I will be putting off."* POTUS signals that his push for guns will be driven by public opinion. If support isn't there, nothing happens* POTUS on drafting leg: "I will talk to anybody" says open to talking to all stakeholders.* Obama on : "I am prepared to do everything I can to make sure that Medicare & SS are there ... for future generations* Obama to on immigration reform: "I will introduce legislation in the first year to get that done"

 "The offers that I've made to them have been so fair that a lot of Democrats get mad at me," Obama says of GOP * Pres says American people elected him to make sure deficit reduction is "balanced approach" with "shared sacrifice" * Obama says failure to reach fiscal deal would hurt markets * Obama defends Chuck Hagel(Wash Post) * Obama uses high-profile setting of his "Meet the Press" interview to make his closing argument on the fiscal cliff (Politico) * Obama: Congress must produce 'fiscal cliff' deal (USA Today) * Nothing bugs POTUS more than the "pox on all your houses" criticism. Coming through right now during interview  * Obama to on Newtown shooting: "that was the worst day of my presidency."* More on Amb Rice: “Of all the people in my national security team, she probably had least to do w anything that happened in Benghazi” * POTUS admits failures on Benghazi: "We're not going to pretend that this was not a problem. This was a huge problem."   *Obama Accuses Republicans of Blocking Tax Deal (NYT)   * On "Meet the Press," Obama finally lays responsibility for the fiscal cliff mess on Republicans(Salon) * Boehner Responds To Obama's Meet The Press Interview: He Should 'Lead,' 'Not Cast Blame'

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads(Huff Post) *President Obama's end game on the fiscal cliff negotiations. VIDEO * VIDEO: President Obama on shooting "We have some soul searching to do"*  RT : Just posted: My full interview with President * GOP Rep: Democrats 'like bank robbers'  * President Obama Definitely Does Not Blame Himself for Fiscal Cliff Impasse(NY Mag) *  Howard Dean: ‘If We Go Over The Cliff, Then The President Has A Lot More Leverage’ * Graham Says No Debt Ceiling Increase Without Entitlement Reform (ABC)


  *  David Gregory's very low key Obama interview
 

Lindsey Graham: 'Exceedingly good' chance of getting small cliff deal done * Lindsey Graham: The odds are good(NYT) * Immigration and gun violence top president's post-fiscal cliff agenda 
Fiscal cliff deadline two days away, and still no deal in sight(NYP)
Cliff Deal Hinges on Senators(NYT) * Payroll-Tax Rise Is Likely(NYT) * Bracing for a Hit(NYT) * Senators Reid and McConnell work to reach "fiscal-cliff" agreement by Sunday(The Hill) *  Fiscal-cliff deal could be ready for a vote tomorrow(NYP) * Senate Leaders Set to Work on a Last-Minute Tax Agreement * Obama To Appear On 'Meet The Press'(Huff Post) * Krauthammer: Obama Showing 'Great Skill' In Fiscal Cliff Talks(Huff Post)


Reid & McConnell Seek Budget Deal - Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPolitics
Obama Gives Republicans an Ultimatum(WP)

 
Congress can still prevent taxes from going up on 98% of Americans. But they've got to act right now.
Washington Spenders Flunk Basic Math - Rep. Darrell Issa, Wash Times
A Better Deal Would Be Worth the Wait - Jonathan Cohn, New Republic
Laws Are For Little People, Not David Gregory - Mark Steyn, Natl Review
Real Housewives of the Beltway - Wall Street Journal
Avoid the "Fiscal Cliff" - Washington Post
The bright side of falling off the fiscal cliff (seriously)(The Atlantic)
GOP unlikely to oust Boehner as speaker(Politico)
Boehner: Don't blame us (Wash Post)



Millionares Rushing Mansion Sales Before Tax Increases
Ex-Rockefeller Co-op Is Sold, Beating 'Cliff'(WSJ) In the rush to beat a deadline for a feared federal-tax increase on the wealthy, a storied Fifth Avenue cooperative apartment once owned by Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller on Fifth Avenue near East 62nd Street was sold for $23.9 million.




Suspect allegedly told cops she pushed the unsuspecting straphanger in front of a train because she "hate[s] Hindus and Muslims*
Subway Pusher Erika Menendez 'Cackled' During Court Appearance
Crazed woman 'shoved' man to subway death over 9/11 because he looked Muslim: officials
Subway shove suspect caught, charged with murder in death of Qns. man(NYP) *  Breaking News: NYPD says a woman in custody has made statements implicating herself in the death of a man pushed in front of a subway train. Woman Arrested In Death Of Man Shoved In Front Of Subway Train * Breaking News: Woman Held in Death of Man Pushed Off Queens Subway Platform(NYT) *  Cops nab suspect in Queens subway-push death (NYP) * Man jumps on tracks and is busted(NYDN)* Hate Crime in Subway Push (Daily Beast) * Suspect In Fatal Queens Subway Push Charged With Murder

Maybe the subway is not the best place to run incendiary ads against Muslims? 

 
 Subway shover hit with second-degree murder charges in death of Queens man(NYP) *Subway shover hit with second-degree murder charges in death of Queens man * Woman Accused of Hate-Crime Murder in Subway Push(NYT) * Woman Charged In Connection With Fatal Queens Subway Pu (NY1) * Following 54 deaths on the tracks this year, the MTA will reconsider installing sliding doors on some subway platforms to prevent riders from getting killed or injured by trains.  

City's straphangers ride in fear following Queens subway death push(NYP) * Kendra Webdale’s infamous subway-push killer says tougher laws needed to prevent repeats(NYP) * Attack Suspect Sought(WSJ) * Prevention Solution Would Be Costly(WSJ)* Police Search for Suspect in Fatal Subway Shove(WSJ) * Police Search For Suspect That Allegedly Pushed Man To Death On Subway Tracks(NY1) * Woman Sought in Fatal Subway Shove(NYT) * Man Pushed in Front of 7 Train Had Just Opened His Own Business(DNAINFO) * NY subway killer: "Kendra's Law" not tough enough(Fox 5) * MTA considers installing sliding doors to prevent death(SI Adcance) * MTA mulling sliding doors  * MTA Officials May Revisit Plan To Install Barriers On Subway (WCBS)
 


The Mental Illness Time Bomb
After latest subway push, DN calls for a "drive to place dangerous mentally ill ppl into the custodial care they need"  * Beware: 11,000 psychoticson streets(NYP) * Psychiatric Evaluation Ordered For Suspect In Fatal Queens Subway Push(NY1) * Psychiatric test for suspect in NYC subway death 



 


A Guarded Question For Bloomberg

GOP Blogger Suggest Bloomberg back up his anti-gun rhetoric by going a month without any of the cops on his security detail carrying any guns.  Bloomberg: Armed Guards In Staten Island Schools Is A ‘Terrible Idea’ * Bloomberg: Armed Guards In Staten Island Schools Is A ‘Terrible (WCBS)




Diversity Hits New NYPD Graduation
NYPD recruits sworn in at a graduation ceremony in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center yesterday were born in such faraway places as Nigeria, South Korea, China, Albania, Pakistan and Somalia — and speak 59 languages.
Newest NYPD rookies are a global cop crop(NYP) The new class of 1,159 cops included 16 percent women. The racial breakdown is 53 percent white, 25 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black and 9 percent Asian.  Nearly all of them — 99 percent — have a college degree.

Chicago Vs. NYC: Is the diff IN policing? Culture? Both

 Chicago 500 homicides, 2.7M people. NYC 413, 8.2M ppl. Is the diff IN policing? Culture? Both suppress gun possession.  


Daily News Says Stop and Frisk Says Lives Other March to to Protest the Policy
30,300 lives saved(NYDN Ed)
New York City has hit a milestone that demands the greatest celebration: In 2012, the city recorded the lowest number of murders since the NYPD began keeping count in 1963. The tally as of Friday — 414 — wound the clock back almost six decades, to a time when life in the five boroughs was presumed to be safer. Robert Wagner was mayor then, and the Beatles were only on their way to becoming a sensation. Many doubted that an achievement of this magnitude was remotely possible. After all, in the city’s bloodiest era, the body count was five times larger: The peak toll in 1990 was 2,245 dead. *Protesters To March Against City Funding Of NYPD Stop-And-Frisks(NY1) *Protesters March Against City Funding Of NYPD Stop-And-Frisks(NY1)
 


Record Low Homicides Rate, Tech Thefits Up 33%

BLUE BLOOD: Daughter of NYPD cop who died on 9/11 takes up his badge number

iThefts push up ‘Apple’ crime rate(NYP) * 414 Homicides in ’12 Is a Record Low for New York City(NYT)  *  Activists Plan Stop-And-Frisk March On Sunday(City and State) *  Murder rate in New York City hits a record low with 414 homicides in 2012(NYDN)  Slayings drop by nearly 20 percent from this time last year. Shootings fall to their lowest point in 18 years*  The number of murders in New York City is expected to hit a record low this year, as officials credited police efforts in reducing crime.(BBC) *  NYPD: thefts of electronic gadgets up 33 percent  * Murders fall to record low in city(NYDN) * NYPD: thefts of electronic gadgets up 33 percent(WABC) * Now, more New Yorkers kill themselves than each other: 414 Homicides in ’12 Is a Record Low for New York City(NYT)


New Yorkers Invest in Guns

State Worker Pensions Invested In Companies That Manufacture Firearms(NY1) * The Deadly Fantasy of Assault Weapons(NYT)  * Tribune Columnist Challenges Obama To Come To Chicago For Funeral Of A ‘Ghettoized’ Minority Murder Victim * Dems To Introduce Gun Control Measure On First Day Of New Congress(Huff Post)* Guns and Mental Illness - Joe Nocera, New York Times 

 A Reluctant Vote in Favor of Armed School Guards - Robert Bernat, WSJ* Assault Rifles, Ammo Flying Off Shelves After Newtown Massacre * 151 victims of mass shootings in America this year alone. Here are their stories: (Mother Jones) * Leading Democrats are putting together fallback proposals if Washington fails to reach fiscal deal  * How the gun lobby shut down gun violence research(Daily Kos) *Biden Is Back for a 2nd Run at Gun Limits(NYT) * Port Authority cop accused of owning 'Newtown'-style assault rifle(NYP) * Obama skeptical of NRA proposal to put more guns in schools * "The man who buys a gun to protect his woman .. has now statistically become the greatest threat to her." * Sen. Lindsey Graham vows to oppose new assault weapons ban(The Hill) * State Lawmakers Want Harsher Punishment For Gun Owners Who Let Their Weapons Be Used In Crimes(NY1) * David Gregory's Obama Interview: Where Was The Passion He Displayed Questioning NRA?  * Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and other top Albany Dems have joined the Daily News campaign for better gun control and an assault weapons ban, but Republicans are refusing to sign on. (A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says he doesn’t sign petitions “as a general rule”).
 
Att NY pols: California gun sales jump; gun injuries, deaths fall


 
Education Union, City Remain At Odds Over Teacher Evaluation System(NY1) Bloomberg blasts teachers union for demanding more money as a condition for any new teacher evaluation deal, says claim educators haven't gotten raises in years is 'an outrage' The mayor cited automatic salary increases that teachers get as they gain more experience in the school system as salary increases, but union president Michael Mulgrew said the seniority pay bumps aren’t raises.* Mulgrew’s $250M dodge(NYDN Ed)
 


Annual 7 train bitchfest commences(Queen Crap)
For as long as I can remember, the 7 train has shut down on winter weekends for repairs. I know, because I used to work weekends in Manhattan and had to deal with this very inconvenience. The suggestion that the work could or should be completed by shutting the line down for one week straight is kinda dumb as well as impossible. And the assertion that the MTA needs to take the Lunar New Year celebration in Flushing into account is also lame. The trains are still going to Flushing, it just requires a transfer at Queensboro Plaza to get there. If you opened a business in LIC thinking winter weekends were going to be some kind of cash cow for you, you should have done your homework. Keep in mind that the Rockaways currently do not have direct train service anywhere. Maybe this is the right time to count one's blessings as we head into a new year instead of throwing temper tantrums in front of TV cameras.


Sandy Update
Wake Held For Man Who Saved Lives Of Belle Harbor Residents During Sandy(NY1) * Blind Woman Plays Crucial Role In Sandy Recovery Effort(NY1) * NYers Of The Year: All Who Stepped Up To Help The City Recover From Hurricane Sandy *Along Coast, Hurricane Left Housing Market in Turmoil(NY1)  

Wheelchair-bound girl stuck in apartment since Sandy(WABC) *  Funeral Held For Rockaway Resident Who Saved Others During Sandy  *Funeral Held For Rockaways Resident Who Saved Others During Sandy: Family and friends said one last goodbye Saturday...(NY1) * Funeral held for surfer who saved lives during Sandy(Fox 5) * Brazen thieves steal Sandy relief supplies on Staten Is (SI Advance) * Long Island airport used to store 15,000 vehicles damaged by Hurricane Sandy * Day Laborers Find Steady Work After Hurricane Sandy (NYT)



Manhattan is Older
    Of NYC's 5 boros, Manhattan has lowest share of population under 18 (14.8%) and highest above 65 (13.5%)




NYC subway riders get real-time train arrival times on new app(NYP) * Subway's App Future Arrives for Some(WSJ) * Reviewing MTA's New Subway App (WSJ)* Some Subway Arrival Times Available on Apple Devices(NYT)

Neighbors Furious At Plan To Halt Weekend 7 Line Service(WCBS) * Mocker takes on the MTA as they announce subway countdown app, and 13 weekend closure of 7 train 



Resorts World rolling in dough(Queens Chronicle)
 

Stuy Town rent break has a catch(NYDN)


Bronx Park Is Set to Reopen, Improved but Still Hard to Reach(NYT)
 




Washington
Inouye’s Death Means Loss of Clout for Hawaii(Washington)
They Never Blame Hillary - Aaron David Miller, Miami Herald
Will Hillary Run in 2016? - Suzanne Goldberg, The Guardian
Missing the Point of Judicial Review - George Will, Washington Post
Inept Congress Has Time to Keep Spying on You - Matt Welch, Reason
When Robots Take Over the World - Jeremy Warner, The Telegraph
Papers Show Rare Friction for Thatcher & Reagan - John Burns, NY Times
Idaho senator will not contest Virginia DUI charge(CNN)
Were Obama’s Early Ads Really a Game Changer?(NYT)
Thanks to Congress's Incompetence, Milk Prices Are About to Double(The Atlantic)
CNN Poll: Clinton tops list of 2016 hopefuls 
Abortion-rights groups: Chuck Hagel's views not a dealbreaker for Pentagon post(Mother Jones)
Fifty Shades of 2012 - Ron Hart, Orange County Register
Obama touts Hagel, says no decision on defense secretary job 
Obama still considering Hagel(Politico)
The farm bill went through, avoiding the .
Obama Blames ‘Sloppiness’ for Benghazi Attack (NYT)
Unexpected Political Winners of 2012(US News)
2012's Biggest Political Losers(US News)
Since 2007, when Congress limited the ability of family members to lobby their relatives in the House or Senate after the Abramoff scandal, 56 relatives of lawmakers have been paid to influence Congress, a Washington Post analysis found.  
The State Department pushed back hard against a report that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is partying in the Dominican Republican despite her concussion.  
The Year in Review: Take the TIME 2012 News Quiz
The 2012 Teddy Awards for Political Courage (Time)
Hillary Clinton treated for blood clot
Hillary Clinton Is Hospitalized After Exam Finds a Blood Clot(NYT)
Secretary of State Clinton has blood clot following concussion(NYP)




 

Becoming Europe (NYP) Wild-child US slouching toward paralysis of our ‘parent’ nations.  The state annually consuming close to 50% of GDP; to the ultimate economic resource (i.e., people) aging and declining in numbers; to extensive regulation becoming the norm; and perhaps above all, to a situation in which economic incentives lie not in work, economic creativity and risk-taking, but rather in access to political power.



City of Lights?

Lights to be turned off in France to save money and show 'sobriety'(Daily Mail UK) Paris may go dark in the early hours of the morning if new plans go ahead


Former President George H.W. Bush moved out of intensive care(NYP) * President George H.W. Bush Out Of Intensive Care (NPR)
* Der Spiegel mistakenly publishes George H. W. Bush obit(Salon)


Media bloodlust is killing us(Salon)



Law and Order
17-year-old boy dies after being shot in head in Queens; AK-47 shell casings found(NYP) * Teen shot by AK-47-toting gunmen in Queens(NYDN) * AK-47 shells found at scene of Queens teen slaying(NYP)



Cops hunt E. Side park attacker(NYP) * Police Release Sketch of Suspect in East River Park Sex Attack(DNAINFO) * NYPD seeking man who attempted to rape a 42-year-old woman (NYDN) * Police Release Sketch Of Suspect In Alleged Manhattan Attempted (NY1)

 
Could you spend $500 on food at this bodega? A welfare recipient claimed to! (NYP)Most people run to the corner bodega for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread, but some welfare recipients are plunking down $500 at a time in suspicious transactions,
Female friend bought guns for upstate fireman killer: cops(NYP) * Newtown survivor’s $100M suit(NYP) * Massacre town keeps the faith * Woman Helped Firefighters’ Killer Get Gun He Used in Ambush, Police Say(NYT) * Woman Posed as Aunt of Newtown Victim to Commit Fraud, the F.B.I. Says(NY1) * Wake continues for 2 slain western NY firefighters(Fox 5) * First Responders Mourn an Ambushed Firefighter(NYT)


Keeping Parolees Out of Prison(NYT Ed) * Boy, 17, Shot Dead Outside Far Rockaway Housing Develop (WCBS) * Teen killed at Queens house party(Fox 5) * 17-year-old boy dead after being shot in head in Queens; AK-47 shell casings found at scene(NYP) * Mystery Powder Leads to Evacuations in Greenwich Village(NYT)
* Teen shot by AK-47-toting gunmen in Queens(NYDN) * Police Investigate After Queens Teen Shot Dead In Far R (NYDN)


 Pregnant woman dies after drunk driver flips car into freezing Queens pond  * Driver Charged With DWI Following Crash Into Waters Near JFK Airport * Young mother dead, 3 others injured after car plunges into Jamaica Bay(NYP)



$686M in lawsuits this year(Queens Crap)

From 1010WINS: A new report finds New York City paid out more than $686 million during the last fiscal year in settlements and court awards. The disputes ranged from slip-and-falls to contract disputes to lawsuits against police.  City Comptroller John Liu‘s report Thursday says the total is down very slightly from the previous fiscal year. But he notes that costs are rising in the areas that account for more than three-quarters of the payments: personal injury and property damage.  The city paid out more than $550 million in those areas in fiscal 2011, up more than 5 percent in a year. That includes three consistently expensive areas: claims against police, city hospitals and the city Transportation Department. “The claims against the NYPD have risen the most,” Liu told 1010 WINS. “We’ve seen a 35 percent increase in the settlement costs for the NYPD as compared to the year before and that’s a very alarming trend that we believe needs to be stemmed and reversed.”The totals include both lawsuits and matters handled through a city claims process.