Friday, January 18, 2013

Godzilla Attacks the Speaker

Will The Collapse of Quinn Deal to Give Lopez A Council District, Forcing Vito to Stay in Albany Destroy Hush Silver?


Shel gets lawyer for Gropez probe (NYP) ALBANY — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has lawyered up for the probe into his role in the Vito Lopez sex-harassment scandal, The Post has learned. Silver paid $35,000 from his $3.2 million campaign account to top-shelf Manhattan law firm Stroock, Stroock & Lavan last month as the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics investigated his approval of a secret sex-harassment settlement, records show.Silver spent $35K in legal fees on Lopez probe(NYDN)

Silver approved $103,080 in taxpayer money last year to settle allegations that Lopez had harassed young female aides — charges that Lopez, who kicked in $32,000 of his own money, denied. Silver has turned to Stroock before. He paid the firm out of his campaign account in 2004 when state-lobbying regulators investigated allegations that casino giant Caesars Entertainment gave him and his wife a discounted suite at its Las Vegas hotel.





David Grandeau was long known as the Sheriff of State Street, a punctilious and merciless enforcer of New York's lobbying laws
From his Blog The Silver and Libous cases have been put on hold by JJOKE staff. * The governor has been told by sources close to JJOKE that Silver and Libous have nothing to worry about. * When it comes to Lopez JJOKE isn’t done but isn’t doing anything either. * That Lopez is bragging that JJOKE has nothing on him.* That JJOKE commissioners have not been kept informed of the status of the Lopez investigation in the last 3 months. * That a vote was held on the Silver case and the Assembly democratic appointees blocked it. * That JJOKE employee John Milgram is telling the media “off the record” that no vote was taken. * That Milgram may be facing his own ethics investigation for leaking the false information that no vote was taken.


As the BOE Gets More and More Incompetent The Costs Goes Up While The Leadership of the Board is Protected by the Pols
Pay Raisers and New Director From Within the Swamp Coming Soon to BOE. Instead of Being Fired the BOE Workers Who Made It Possible for You to Wait Hours on Voting Lines, Get A Raise
New York City Elections Are Becoming Ever More Costly(NYT) Between 2010 and 2012 alone, the board’s budget for just personnel also more than doubled, to $58 million from $27 million. Between 2000 and 2010, the board’s total budget more than doubled, to $96 million from $44 million.Every 4 years the board uses the money it gets from the feds for running the presidental elections as a slush fund to raise board executives pay. Buzz that the deal is done to promote from within to fill the spot of executive director, Bronx Commissioner Naomi Barrera. It was not until Tuesday that Manhattan Certified its vote. Up until the certification every Manhattan elected officals was serving illegally

Commission Barrera's Bronx Board Screw Ups Go Un Investigative 
1.  Board of Elections does nothing as hundreds of Bronx votes go missing(NYDN Ed) Ignores warnings of busted ballot scanner  VOTE COUNTING in the fierce congressional battle between incumbent Charlie Rangel and his insurgent challenger Adriano Espaillat is no longer a matter of the usual incompetence of the Board of Elections. Batista, and the whole of Espaillat’s camp, was even more astonished by what they found in the Bronx — 170 disqualified ballots on which poll workers failed to write down the Election and Assembly District in which the vote was cast. That’s something state law requires poll workers to do, board spokeswoman Valerie Vazquez confirmed.  On 67 of those Bronx ballots, a Board of Elections notation claimed the person was disqualified for being in the wrong Election or Assembly District. n“How can you be in the wrong E.D. when they didn’t even list where you voted?” Batista said. We were told that once Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie delivered the Bronx to keep Charlie Rangel in Congress, Manhattan Dem County Leader Keith Wright was supposed to keep his end of the bargain and pave the way by okaying for Barrera. So what happened?
Well, for one thing, Carl failed to deliver the Bronx, though he came close.(Bronx Times) * BOE takes no blame for botched election (Bronx Times) * At one point, it was "chatter", that Greg Soumas(Man. Dem Commish) was interested in the ED position.

 2. Naomi Barrera responsible for the administration of the Bronx County Democratic Board of Elections office, which has a staff of 40 employees (Rivera and Colon)
The Brennen Center tallies from the electronic scanning machines at Public School 65 included high proportions of invalidated votes. The board did nothing. Actually, the board did worse than nothing. It refused to check — even when asked to do so by state election officials. A Daily News investigation found that in the In the September 2010 primary, the scanner processed 103 ballots and made errors on 69 of them, a failure rate approaching 70%.  In the November 2010 general election, the scanner handled 289 ballots and misread votes on 156 of them, a 54% failure rate. Board of Elections does nothing as hundreds of Bronx votes go missing(NYDN Ed) Ignores warnings of busted ballot scanner



Garbo Speaks
The city's next chief executive "should not come from the political clubhouse."
Joe’s a go(NYP  Ed) * Outsize Personality Joins, and Jostles, Mayor’s Race(NYT)* Lhota Quick With the Jabs(WSJ) * Former MTA Head Files Papers For Mayoral Run(NY1) * NY1 Online: Lhota Lays Out His Campaign For Mayor * On the other side of the partisan aisle, mayoral candidate Joe Lhota‘s massive media roll-out included not only our own story, but a substantive New York Times profile and additional interviews with WNYC, the Wall Street Journal and Capital New York where he pushed back on the idea he’d be former mayor Rudy Giuliani‘s third term. In The Times piece, Mr. Lhota “described himself as a kind of cosmopolitan conservative, determined to hold down the city’s spending and resist giveaways to public unions, even as he embraces same-sex marriage and abortion rights.”
 Mr. Lhota also talked to the Staten Island Advance. “Staten Island is not the fifth borough,” he told the publication. “It should be the number-one borough….There will never be a time when Staten Islanders feel like they have to secede.” Oh, and he gave an interview to the local NBC station in which he commented on the school bus strike: “Those school bus drivers work for private companies and they want to be treated like civil servants. They’re not….They have this misguided notion. And they’re treating schoolchildren in a very despicable way.” To complete the Lhota-themed flavor of this round-up, on Inside City Hall, Mr. Lhota vowed to create a third party line in his run.


Lhota and the Old Days (NY Mag) “I am not a tool of Rudy Giuliani,” says mayoral candidate Joe Lhota. But escaping the shadow of America’s mayor may be tougher than he thinks.

“Had a brief conversation with the Independence Party, would like to talk to them. [Conservative Party Chairman] Mike Long has been a friend of mine, I’m not sure where I’ll be going on the Conservative Party line,” he said on the topic. “I will tell you though, it’s my intention to create a third party, similar to the way Mike Bloomberg did when he created the Education First Party to help him get elected office. I will go through that process. State law allows it by petitions and signatures so that there’s an opportunity for my name to be on the ballot more than once.”* Upon entering the race, Lhota took a shot at the Democratic frontrunner, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, saying: “You can’t confuse what the speaker does in controlling the legislative process as anything like what’s needed at the executive level.”* Joe Lhota 2013: Fearless? Maybe. Sure He's Not Rudy 2.0? Definitely(NYDN) * Still another GOP mayoral candidate, former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, gave a lengthy interview to the DN, in which he discussed – among many other things – how beating cancer changed him.* GOP mayoral candidate Lhota: I'm not Rudy 2.0 (NYDN) * Pundit: If Anyone Scares The New York City Democrats, It’s Joe Lhota (WCBS)





What Does “Better Bang for the Buck” in Government Mean Mr. Thompson?
Thompson Says He Wouldn’t Raise Taxes if Elected Mayor*NYT) Wants to raise the level of cops from 35,000 to 37,0000. Thompson said he he favored “redirecting dollars” and “making sure we prioritize every dollar to make surewe get the best bang for each buck.”
What the Reporter Did Not Ask Thompson in Follow Up Questions
NYT reporter David Chen should not allow a candidate to BS with Slogans.  He should have followed up with what programs would you cut Mr. Thompson to hire more cops.  He should have asked with rising pension cost budget gaps and union demands for new contracts how in the world can you find money for more cops!* Thompson Defends Calm Temperament At Question And Answer Session(NYT) * In his Association for a Better New York speech, Bill Thompson proposed increasing the number of NYPD officers on the street, an idea that caused recently-announced rival Sal Albanese to scoff over Twitter, as he had talked about a cops increase last week.

Thompson Promises More Bang for A Buck While A Councilman Tweets About Cuts to the Budget in 3 Weeks
  1. So let me get this straight: in a few weeks the Mayor will submit to council budget full of cuts & we just lost $450 million for education?

 

Liu Pay to Work  
Raising the Eyebrows of Government Watchdogs
Members of John Liu's staff have raised lots of cash on his behalf - as well as eyebrows (NYDN) At least seven staff members employed by the city controller's office have held fund-raisers for Liu totaling close to $15K for his mayoral campaign. The top fund-raiser in Liu’s office was Eun Chul Kim, a $72,000-a-year community action specialist who brought in $12,325 in donations and matching funds from 30 people.
Other bundlers who work for Liu’s city office include his deputy general counsel, Phil Hom, who raised $5,240. Most of the money raised is eligible for 6 to 1 city matching funds.


State Senate Update Dems Pick Up Another Seat



Big pay for rogue Dems(NYDN) * Tkaczyk wins after picking up 54 votes in Ulster Co.(TU) Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk will join the state Senate after election officials in Ulster County opened 90 ballots in her close race against George Amedore. * Republican George Amedore’s lead in the state Senate race against Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk shrunk to 35 votes after eight ballots were opened yesterday in Greene County, netting Tkaczyk an additional five votes, the Times-Union reports: * Tkaczyk Unofficial Winner In 46th SD(YNN) * This means there are 33 elected Democrats in the . But due to a power-sharing arrangement, the GOP and IDC hold power.* Left Says Tkaczyk Win = ‘Clean Mandate’ For Publicly Financed Campaigns(YNN) *  "Tkaczyk's margin of victory (19) is less than the value of her last name in Scrabble (29)" * Cecilia Tkaczyk, Democrat, Ekes Out Win in Republican Senate District * Democrat Ekes Out Senate Win(NYT)



Campaign 2013 Rafael Espinal Announces City Council Campaign(NYO) * Cuomo administration aide Austin Shafran is leaving his job to run for NYC Council in Queens, and wasted no time targeting his GOP opponent, Councilman Dan Halloran.*  Jimmy “Rent is Too Damn High” McMillan is running for mayor of NYC as a Republican. * The son of the late philanthropist Marty Silverman is behind a $120,000 loan that makes up a substantial portion of the $277,000 GOP NYC mayoral hopeful George McDonald.* MT : NY1 Online: Makes His Case For * Just like in '09, '05, '01, '97, '93... RT : Founder Of The "Rent Is Too Damn High" Party To Run For Mayor   * Who’s behind George McDonald’s $120K loan? (CrainsNY)


Education
As usual, each side is blaming the other for their failure to get a deal
No Deal BREAKING Teacher EvaluationsCity blows $250 million for schools due to impasse with UFT(NYP) * No Deal on Teacher Evaluations; City Risks Losing $450 Million(NYT) * Teacher Evaluation Deal Falls Apart(WSJ) * City to lose $250 million in teacher evaluation impasse(NYDN)* New York City was the biggest district to miss the teacher evaluation deadline, but not the only one to do so. Hamburg in WNY appears to have forfeited $454,000 worth of aid after failing to submit a plan, while Buffalo got approved with hours to spare.* King Lays Out Consequences To NYC For Teacher Evaluation Failure(YNN) * NYC Could Still Land $200 Million In Aid After State Education (WCBS) * NYC, union trade harsh words over plan impasse(Fox 5) * State Education Officials Threaten To Cut More City Funding(NY1) * With no teacher eval deal in NYC, NY State Ed Dept threatens to withhold aid from   * More Money at Risk Over Teacher Evaluations(NYT)

NYP and Daily News Blames Cuomo For the Failure of Coming to A Teacher Evaluation Agreement . . . Claim Flawed teacher evaluation deal in the first place
UpdateCuomo: NYC Failure To Reach Teacher Eval Deal Is A Tragedy(YNN)
State Education Commissioner John King expressed disappointment in a statement released at 12:05 a.m., saying his office had tried unsuccessfully for several days to “get the City and UFT to ‘yes’.”

Re-evaluating Andrew(NYP Ed) We refer the governor to our words from one year ago: “As long as Cuomo leaves the union with a veto over reforms,” we said, “there’ll never be any — even if districts lose state aid.” Of course, the UFT was ready to accept a sham evaluation system. For example, it wanted any plan to be scrapped after two years.

The catch: It takes at least that long to get rid of poor teachers, so no teacher could’ve been removed in time. Great.* The News blames Cuomo’s approach in letting school districts and unions negotiate their plans for teacher evaluations for the failure of the New York City school district’s talks with the United Federation of Teachers* Teacher Rating System Deal A Bust; City School Budget To Lose $250M(NY1) * Union accuses mayor of using inspectors for revenge(NYDN)


NYP and the Rest of the Media Should Grill Mayoral Candidates About Teachers Evaluation and How They Would Approach Union and Other Contracts Like CityTime
NYP has two questions. First: Will Cuomo heed our warning now, and push legislation that holds teachers accountable, even over union objections? Second: Will Bloomberg’s successor stand as firmly he has? (UFT boss Michael Mulgrew says, ominously, that he’s only too happy to wait for the next administration to take office “in 11 months.”) * Real-Estate Group Grows Even Closer to Cuomo(WSJ)


Also Lost is the Mayor's Race Is the City's Steady High Unemployment 8.8%

City Jobs Lost in Storm Are Returning, but Unemployment Rate Is Flat(NYT)The State Labor Department reported that more than half of the jobs lost in November were added back in New York City, and unemployment remained at 8.8 percent.







Hunts Point produce merchants open to consider all options — including Jersey . . . Mayoral Candidates Silent
Free market(NY World) The future of New York City’s fruits and veggies is still hanging. After nearly a year and a half locked in exclusive lease negotiations with the city that went nowhere, the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market vendors are now largely free agents, willing and able to consider any other offers that might come their way.




Goo Goos Help the Council Incumbents Run their Reelection Campaigns

City political campaigns could become members-only affairs(NY World) Good-government groups side with City Council in quest to curb Campaign Finance Board's reach 
The city’s Campaign Finance Board found itself outnumbered Wednesday when its executive director testified at a City Council hearing about legislation that would revise the board’s rules on campaign spending expenditures. The board opposes a bill that would allow organizations like companies and unions to advocate for or against a political candidate without disclosing their spending, as long as their communications were targeted at their members. Currently they must share details on spending as well as copies of the campaign materials, such as mailers.




With the Decline of Wall Street and Other Major NYC Business Like Media, Apparel and Locally Owned Retail the Only Player Left in Local Politics is the Real Estate Industry
The city’s real estate developers could provide a significant boost to any of the mayoral hopefuls, so several candidates mingled with New York’s power brokers at the Real Estate Board of New York’s 117th annual dinner at the swanky New York Hilton on Thursday night. Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a brief appearance before trotting down the street to meet Anderson Cooper at CNN for an interview, but former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former City Comptroller Bill Thompson all stopped by the cocktail hour, along with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. 

The other candidates rushed out but Lhota stayed the longest, grabbing a seat on the dais near REBNY board members for the two-hour dinner. The crowd appeared most receptive to Quinn, who has emerged as a favorite of the real estate industry, but Lhota had the most to gain from working the wavering industry titans. One developer source was skeptical, saying “it will be very hard to win in this race by taking matching funds, but if he jumped in this race a year ago he’d be better off.” But state Sen. Marty Golden believes Lhota stands a good chance of gaining support and winning in a four-way general election. “These people want someone who can manage the city, they’re looking for a financial captain, a leader who can go out and lead, somebody who’s done it already.”(City and State) Headline of the Day: “Bill Thompson bids for support from city power brokers, vaguely.”

Keep Kelly Atop Police Department, New Yorkers Say in Poll(NYT)

 

Where NY Pols Ripping Off Carnival Opperators Who Were Working With Organized Crime to Rip Off the Public
Mobsters wrangled over Razzle Dazzle game dough from festivals(NYDN) Company run by wiseguy Angelo (Little Angelo) Spata had to juggle carnival proceeds between Colombo and Genovese families, feds say.

 Did the Mob Shoot At Boyland Car to Warn Him Not To Talk About the Carnivals?
Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland Jr.'s arrest shines light on corruption in carnival industry(NYDN)Tilt-a-whirls and other amusement rides part of carnival corruption involving William Boyland Jr.  Lawrence Carr Amusements is one of the larger operators before he was arrested for bribing an elected officials. Records show that since 2003, Carr and his relatives donated $27,500 to 15 New York politicians. * A federal judge granted Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., who is facing corruption charges (again), leave to attend Obama’s inauguration.

NY1 Online: Panel Discusses Top Issues In Brooklyn



 


Downstate Hospital is Being Murdered Slowly Where Is Marty Markowitz and the Rest of the Booklyn Pols?
 
SUNY Downstate in financial trouble, says state officia …(NYDN)
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office says the SUNY Downstate Medical Center is hemorrhaging millions of dollars every week and could be insolvent in a few months.* State audit shows SUNY Downstate Medical in trouble(NYP) *  Red alert for B’klyn hospital(NYT) * SUNY Downstate in financial trouble, says state officia (NYDN) * in Inbox: "BP MARKOWITZ HONORS GOOD SAMARITAN TENA COHEN, BROOKLYN TECH SPANISH TEACHER WHO RETURNED DOGNAPPED POOCH" * Report Says SUNY Downstate Medical Center In Financial Trouble (NY1)


Runaway Costs Vs The Wheels on the Bus Go Round Round Round Winning the Hearts and Minds
Strike’s new low is this ‘block’ head (NYP) So much for standing up for the kids. Not satisfied with creating hardships for scores of city children and parents by idling thousands of school buses with a strike, this Local 1181 loyalist tried to stop a different union’s bus — by diving in front of it. * NYC school bus strike enters 3rd day(WSJ) * The News’ Juan Gonzalez writes that instead of Mayor Bloomberg blaming bus workers for striking, he should work to remedy the cause of skyrocketing bus costs that is at the root of the strike:*Long commutes make special ed kids anxious(NYDN) * Third Day A Cold One For Striking School Bus Workers (NY1)* New York City school bus drivers strike enters 3rd day(WABC) *
The city's school bus strike hits disabled students the hardest(NYDN) * With Bus Strike, Fragile Students Face Hard Trips(NYT)


What Happen in the 1979 School Bus Strike
The ruinously expensive contracts governing the city’s schoolbus system date back to a 1979 strike, which followed the city’s attempt to create competitive bidding and lower the city’s costs, which were as insane then as they are today. Back then, it cost the city $224 a day to transport handicapped children — the equivalent of $700 per day now. Rudy Giuliani openly said the unions were nothing more than “stalking horses for employers” — in cahoots to keep the contract deals intact. The then-head of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 pleaded guilty to charges of bribery in 2006; he was a member of the Genovese crime family. Four city workers whose task it was to ensure safety for handicapped riders were sent to jail in 2009 for soliciting and receiving bribes in the tens of thousands of dollars — from bus operators looking for lucrative routes.


The bus union and owners learned 34 years ago, to torment parents until they turn on the politicians and make everybody beg for mercy. Over the next decade, cities and states across America will be compelled to tighten their belts as the really big bills — the pension bills they cannot afford — come due. They’ll have to go after existing contracts with current workers. They will disrupt. They will impede. They will seek to create civil chaos.

New York City’s government workers make more than local employees in many major American cities, but they trail the average pay of their counterparts in California’s biggest municipalities.* In Average Pay, New York Workers Trail Counterparts in Several Big Cities(NYT)


  Update NYCHA chief skips second public meeting(NYT)

NYCHA chair skipped hearing on Sandy today. His staff told he had jury duty. He did not have jury duty

'It creates the impression they're trying to hide something from us': Council Speaker Christine Quinn baffled by NYCHA actions, Chairman John Rhea's whereabouts   (NYDN) NYCHA informs Quinn that Rhea was absent from Thursday's Council hearing due to jury duty, then backtracks, before showing up to the crucial discussion that focused on their Superstorm Sandy blunders without disaster readiness plans the committee demanded to see.*
Speaker Christine Quinn baffled by actions, Chairman John Rhea * Second Day Of Sandy Hearings Focuses On Housing Authority(NY1)

* Elderly woman found living in NYCHA housing squalor(WABC)



NYS Economy 
DiNapoli: Tax Revenue Lags(YNN) DiNapoli’s December cash report found that collections through the month totaled $46.4 billion, which is $48.3 million below the most recent estimated. It’s also $685.3 million off the mark from an April projection.


Sandy Update
The president of the MTA’s transit division told reporters that it could be three years before the South Ferry subway station in Lower Manhattan is fully restored to service, after it was severely flooded during Superstorm Sandy
Subway Fix May Take 3 Years(WSJ) It could be three years before the South Ferry subway station at the tip of lower Manhattan, heavily damaged in superstorm Sandy, is fully restored to service, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials now say. *South Ferry subway repairs could take 3 years, cost $60(NYDN) *  Hurricane Sandy Aid(NYT Ed) Speaker John Boehner failed the thousands devastated by the storm when the relief package that passed the Senate was ignored in the House. 

South Ferry Station Repairs May Take 3 Years, Cost $600 Million, MTA Says(DNAINFO)* Recovery Is Visible on Staten Island(WSJ) * Police: Man stole car from Sandy-ravaged NY area(WSJ) * Hospitals Impacted By Sandy To Get $100M In Aid(NY1) * Commission On Utility Performance During Sandy Holds Second Hearing(NY1) * High-ranking MTA manager demoted after allegedly taking agency generator home after(NYDN) * MTA: South Ferry Subway Repairs Could Take 3 Years(WCBS)* The Cuomo administration has retained a private accounting firm to look into procurement practices used during Superstorm Sandy * An audit of National Grid’s spending launched after regulators discovered accounting problems at the utility several years ago found the utility inflated rates in New York by $44 million — a finding that National Grid says is “seriously flawed.”* Repairs to South Ferry subway station, used by Staten Island (SI Advance) * Sandy Damage Caused PATH Escalator Accident: Officials(NBC) *
The OMB confirms that the $50 billion-plus in Sandy aid is not exempt from sequestration(Politico)  * Struggle Continues For Residents Of Coney Island In Sandy Aftermath



Special-needs registries saved lives during Sandy,but not in NYC (NY World) Bloomberg administration proposed, then dropped, database of residents needing evacuation and aid during disasters * Sandy Recovery Needs May Force Governor To Alter Agenda (NY1) * MTA Exec Accused Of Using Transit Generator For Personal (WCBS)* SI Sandy Victim Unsure Whether To Rebuild Home(NY1) * Utilities Discuss Sandy Challenges Before City Council (NY1)




Former New Orleans Mayor Nagin Ripped Off His City's  Struggling to recover from the devastation of Katrina
Ex-New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin charged with bribery, fraud(NYP) NEW ORLEANS — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted Friday on charges that he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips and gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling to recover from the devastation of.

Queens gets first ROTC program at CUNY campus in 40+ ye (NYDN)


Silver Joins With Major Casino Companies, Unimpressed by Upstate Locations
Casino Firms May Sit Out Public Debate(WSJ) Several major casino companies said they probably won't financially support an advocacy campaign for a public referendum on gambling in New York, a potential blow to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to expand casino gambling across the state. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that before a constitutional amendment is made that would expand Las Vegas-style table games, the Legislature would have to decide where to put new casinos in the state Silver: Name Casino Sites

But like most people shedding light on political issues, he faced some resistance. Reznick said he was contacted by the Campaign Finance Board alleging copyright infringement (they said he couldn’t use their logo) just a mere eight hours after the blog launched on Tumblr.In response friends joked, “If only government responses were that quick.”In keeping up with an age of increased transparency and citizen journalism, Jon Reznick has blown the lid off campaign finance expenditures with a brand new investigative blog called Follow The Money 2013. Reznick, the Treasure of the New York State Young Democracts, said the inspiration came from observing that most critics concentrated on campaign donations, rather than campaign expenditures,”…most people look at donors, I’m interested in where these campaigns spend, and how their products are priced,” wrote Reznick.


Real Children's Gun Culture

WATCH: Where Nearly Every Student Has Experienced Gun Violence(Huff Post)

Recalling Pain of Guns’ Toll, Mayors Urge Bills’ Passage(NYT) * Christie Forms Panel on Firearms and School Safety(NYT) * The States Confront Gun Violence * Good government groups and newspapers are pushing for an amendment to a provision of the recently-passed gun control law that would allow gun permit holders to petition county officials to keep their names and addresses private,Times-Union reports: * Lawmakers expect to pass a “chapter amendment” that would exempt active-duty cops from carrying an illegal number of bullets in their service weapon, with gun magazines now limited to seven rounds, the New York Post writes: * The State Police posted a list of guns impacted by the NY SAFE Act. * A new Siena poll found the majority of New Yorkers support the SAFE Act. BREAKING: The Journal News has taken down its controversial interactive map of handgun permit data in Westchester and Rockland counties.* Mayor Bloomberg to his fellow mayors: “We need to tell our members of Congress that they’ve got to stand up for sensible gun laws, and if they do that, we will stand up for them, and if they don’t we will stand up for whoever runs against them. Because that’s exactly what the NRA is trying to do.” * Political Casualties Of '90s Battle Over Assault Weapons Speak Out(Huff Post) * Newspaper takes down gun permit database(WABC) * Journal News removes controversial pistol-permit data(Fox 5) * Staten Island's Rep. Grimm says he favors assault weapons (SI Advance) * Bloomberg Goes To Washington To Keep Momentum Going In Gun Control Battle * Golden under the gun — Brooklyn Republicans blast GOP pol for assault rifle vote(Brooklyn Paper)* Newspaper Takes Down Map of Gun Permit Holders(NYT)




Brooklyn Rents So High They're Forcing Residents to Manhattan, Report Says(DNAINFO) *  Brooklyn Doesn’t Have Enough Apartments for People Who Want to Buy There(NY Mag)








Jewish Population Is Up in the New York Region(NYT) The overall increase was 9 percent over the last decade, and two-thirds of that rise came from two Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn that have high birthrates. * Study: Jewish population is booming in Brooklyn neighborhoods

Tenants sue for 1/3 rent they paid for months without cooking …3 hrs ago(NYDN)

Audit, Citing Mismanagement, Finds SUNY Downstate in Dire Fiscal Straits(NYT) *
Audit: SUNY Downstate Loses Millions a Year (WSJ)



Washington
BREAKING: U.S. House will pass three-month debt limit increase next week 
In selected response to GOP leaders, WH says its "encouraged" at signs they won't hold "economy hostage" to raise Debt Limit. * Backing Down, House G.O.P. Offers 3-Month Debt Extension(NYT)

A New Strategy for the GOP - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
What to Expect From Obama's Second Term - Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg
"Too Big to Fail" & the Legacy of Tim Geithner - Simon Johnson, NY Times
Ending Too Big To Fail: A Proposal for Reform - Richard Fisher, Dallas FRB
Obama Was Right to Go Big on Guns - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
An Infantile Spectacle on Guns - Rich Lowry, Politico
Mr. President, What About Chicago? - Tom Bevan, RealClearPolitics
Fiscal Fight Is One for the Generations - Mort Kondracke, Roll Call
House Republicans Plot a Path Forward - Robert Costa, National Review
The House GOP Majority Is In Danger - Steve Kornacki, Salon
Life After Blue - Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest
Taxachusetts, Here We Go Again - Julie Mehegan, Boston Herald
There Is No Deficit Problem - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Obama and the End of Liberalism? - Charles Kesler, National Review
Defending Democracy by Teaching History - Jeremi Suri, RealClearPolitics
How the Media Missed the Te'o Girlfriend Hoax - Howard Kurtz, Daily Beast
What Lance Armstrong Wants You to Believe - William Saletan, Slate
Newt Gingrich’s Parks and Recreation Cameo and 23 More Politicians Who’ve Played Themselves in TV and Movies(NY Mag)
Obama's 2nd official portrait released(NYP)Senator Rubio Steps Up on Immigration - Washington Post
The Hidden Burden of Regulation - Washington Times
States Confront Gun Violence - New York Times
Lance Armstrong's Legacy - Los Angeles Times
Black America Struggles To Get On Obama Agenda(Huff Post)
Obama’s Campaign Machinery Turns to Promoting Policy(NYT)
Panetta: No question Al Qaeda-linked group behind Algeria attack(Politico)
says he'll be watching Hagel 'like an eagle'
Tom Brokaw Mocks 'Far-Reaching' Idea That People Need Guns To Defend Against Government Tyranny (VIDEO) 
Chuck Schumer: Hagel “Convinced Me He Had Changed His Views” (Buzz Feed)
“I'll be watching him like an eagle,” the New York Senator tells a Jewish radio show.
Sen. Chuck Schumer said he had his doubts about Chuck Hagel, but the Secretary of Defense nominee convinced him during a meeting that his views on Israel and Iran had changed over the last few years.
Real Joe Biden talked to fake Joe Biden (on Twitter)
On Sunday: in small ceremony at the WH, the Chief Justice administers Oath of Office to Pres Obama just before noon to begin his 2nd Term.
A look at what the Obama campaign is about to become (Huff Post)
Gun Action Now Central to Obama's Presidency - Juan Williams, The Hill
Obama Is Overplaying His Hand - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
What Government Actually Does - Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly
Bobby Jindal Seeks Rich State Status - Peter Ferrara, Forbes
Iconoclastic Jerry Brown Goes Back to Square One - Ron Brownstein, NJ
California Speeds Toward a Wall of Debt - Steven Greenhut, Bloomberg
No, We Don't All Have to Like Guns - Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo
WH Plan Like Silly Emotional Appeals From Kids - Matt Welch, Reason
Farewell, Obama's "Green Dream Team" - Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones
Republicans and Our Nostalgic Age - Erick Erickson, Red State
Fox's sample is full of gun rights believers, yet pretty much all of Obama's agenda wins majority support.
 

Wall Street
Buying 'Political Intelligence' Can Pay Off for Wall Street(WSJ)
Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White is being considered as a candidate to chair the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 
What the Federal Reserve Board thought it knew about the economy in 2007(NYT)
Days Before 2007 Crisis, Fed Officials Doubted Need to Act(NYT)
 


Media
NYC stations fight over rights to Rush, Hannity(NYP)The battle centers on Big Apple radio rights to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, the top two radio hosts in the country, whose contract with Cumulus Media’s WABC runs out at the end of the year. Both Limbaugh and Hannity are syndicated by Clear Channel’s Premiere Networks, and most in the radio community believe Bob Pittman, CEO of Clear Channel, will next year move the two to WOR, a down dial rival to WABC which Clear Channel bought last year.

Stewart Demolishes Conservative Cries Of Obama Gun ‘Tyranny’: ‘You Just Look Like An A**hole’





Colbert To Limbaugh: 'Boo Hoo!'(Huff Post)


Why Is Tina Fey Lois Lane? (NY Mag) Tina Fey co-hosted the Golden Globes to universal praise. Her seven-season critical darling 30 Rock — which is still really damn funny — is ending in two weeks. She has seven Emmys, two Golden Globes, three Producers Guild awards, four SAG awards, and a Mark Twain prize. She's synonymous with contemporary humor. Out of curiosity, Rolling Stone, what would it take for her to be Superman on the cover 





For Armstrong, a Confession Without Explanation(NYT)

John Geddes, New York Times Managing Editor, Taking Buyout(Huff Post)



 New York Post's fickle state editor Fred Dicker has long been a cantankerousness troll to all politicians.(Capital)

 


Feverish Hype for a Non-Apple Device(WSJ)








Law and Order

Make Law Schools Earn a Third Year(NYT Ed)

NYC homicide suspect capture in Ohio(Fox 5)

Assembly Members Want Attacks On Taxi Drivers To Be Felonies(NY1)

 Police: Mother Of Queens Boy Who Brought Gun To School  (WCBS)
Mom busted after son brings pistol in backpack to Queens …(NYP)
Queens mom charged after boy brings gun to school(WABC)
NYPD: Mother of boy who had gun at school arrested(Fox 5)
Mother of Boy, 7, Found With Loaded Gun at School Arres(NBC)
Mother Says She Placed Gun in 7-Year-Old’s Backpack(NYT)
Mother Of Boy Who Brought Gun To Queens School Arraigned On Weapons Charges(NY1)

B'klyn teen dialed 911 more than 400 times for fake emergencies: police (NYP) A Brooklyn teen dialed 911 more than 400 times to phone in fake emergencies, police said yesterday.*
Teen charged in 400-plus bogus 911 calls(NYDN)
Alleged Beater in Vicious Village Attack Won't Rat Out Friends, Lawyer Says(DNAINFO)


Narcotics officers find weapons cache during drug bust(WABC)
Suspects in Greenwich Village beating due in court(WABC)

Queens teen who killed half-brother gets 5 years(NYP)
LI crash liar: B’klyn 'hipster' lifestyle made me do it (NYP) Blame the hipsters! The former Bushwick party girl who nearly took the rap for her boyfriend’s drunken driving will be just fine — if she can stay away from scandalous Brooklyn, her lawyer said yesterday.

Cops nab thugs after bodega attack(NYDN)

Pair Arrested After Alleged Robbery Escape Failed, Police Say(NY1)

Doctor Admits Faking Disability Claims for L.I.R.R. Workers (NYT)

Alleged school aide molester rejects plea deal(NYDN)

Cops Seek 2 Men in Bronx Robbery, Assault(NBC)

Robbers Caught on Video, and by Police, at Brooklyn Deli(NYT)

'Cannibal cop' pal talked about baby rape(NYDN)
Thieves prey on Brooklyn residents who leave their doors open (NYP) You're not in Kansas anymore. It’s Brooklyn! Thieves last year preyed on dimwitted residents who left their doors open in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Man Claims Police Beat and Taunted Him(NYT)


2 Papa Smurfs: A Reputed Wise Guy and a Reputed Wiseguy (NYT)The arrest of a man who the authorities say is a mob associate with a colorful nickname brings reminders of others with monikers quite distant from the names on their birth certificates.


Ex-Bookkeeper Is Charged With Theft at Restaurant(NYT)

Transit Union Flyers Blast MTA Over Station Speed Policy (NY1)


Terrorism 

Qaeda wants to trade American hostages for terrorists including 1993 WTC bomber(NYP)