Monday, January 7, 2013

True News Updated 24/7

Is Senator Squadron an Idiot or Is He Just Sleep Walking? . . . Stop With the Talking Points Senator and Protect Our Kids

Squadron Gun Control Disconnect
 
Yesterday 16 year old Raphael Ward, who lived in the Baruch Houses, was found near Rivington Street and Columbia Street shot.. He died on the way to the hospital.  News reports tell of a neighbor who witness the shooting said it was done by another teen.  Ward’s Baruch Houses are represented by State Senator Daniel Squadron.  Who immediately upon hearing of Raphael death released his talking point calling for more gun control? 

Sadly, Stronger NYS Gun Laws Would Not Have Saved Raphael Ward's Life
Does Squadron think the teen who murdered Ward was carrying a legal gun?  Does Squaldron not understand that a teen cannot own a gun in NYC?  The city gun law does not allow anyone under 21 to have a gun.  Has the senator read the news report that stated that almost 100% of the guns that are used to kill teens like Ward are stolen or illegally brought in from the south.  So the press release that Squaldron distributed wildly after the murder does not help stop additional shooting, it only helps the senator get his name in the media. Making it look like he is doing something. 

The Press Prints Talking Points Without Thought 
The press enablers who used Squaldron press release should be fired for dereliction of duty. Borough President Stringer also releases an attack on the NYCHA for not installing the video cameras that his office paid for last year.  There was a NYPD camera and store cameras in the area. What is clear that stronger NYS gun laws or more cameras will not stop the kind of shooting that kill Raphael Wald.  It is time the pols dump their talking points and address a street culture that allows our child to kill another for a coat.


Only Changing A Teen Culture Can Stop Another Teen For Killing Over A Coat
LES teen is slain for $600 Marmot parka(NYP) * On a Lower East Side Corner, Mourning a Young Athlete Killed by a Gunman(NYT) * Killed After Dispute Over Coat(WSJ)


Sampson's SkyFall Continues
GOOD TIMING! John Sampson's top aide resigns as the Brooklyn state Sen. gets rushed by the Feds(NYDN) Paul Rivera's departure -- which raised eyebrows considering the FBI probe -- was actually in the works for a long time: insider.
Member Items
 Camara: Bring Back Member Items(YNN)



State Senate Coalition Winds of War I: Rules Changes
Tensions Over Rules Changes Flaring After Andrea Stewart-Cousins 'Pleasant' Meeting With Dean Skelos 
Newly minted state Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins met with Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos to try to get Skelos to disclose details on the planned changes to Senate rules that will allow joint leadership of the chamber, the News reports: * The won't convene until Wednesday, and the chamber's new rules remain under wraps (TU) * Stewart-Cousins Calls On Skelos To Make New Senate Rules Public(YNN) * Race for 46th Senate district heads to court



Will the State Senate Coalition Hold
Winds of War II: Gun Control Battle

Cuomo's Goal One Do Not Damage the Ruling Coalition and Pass New Gun Control Law  Gov. Andrew Cuomo is prepared to launch an aggressive public relations assault on Senate Republicans, with the help of national and state anti-gun groups, should they block or delay passage of strict gun control laws, the New York Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes  *Dems dismiss Skelos' 'tough' plan to crack down on illegal (NYDN) * The stick: Cuomo leaks to NYDN that he's prepared to take gun control into Senate R districts if they don't play ball.


Trick Is How Does Gun Control Pass the Senate Without Skelso GOP Members Pissing Off the NRA
Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos, who proposed a package of tough new laws over the weekend for firearms-related crimes, has been privately warned that hundreds of thousands of gun owners will turn against the GOP if his members join with Cuomo in an “assault weapons’’ ban.* State Senate GOP Blaming Assembly Dems For Gun Package Delay  * Cuomo: State Senate GOP’s Gun Control Plan ‘Misses the Mark’(NYO) * Senate Republicans Have Target Audience In CP(YNN)
Still Counting In A Senate Race
A panel of five appellate justices suggested they would count 53 ballots cast early by poll workers in Ulster County in the tight 46th SD race. They were more skeptical about some of the remaining 280 uncounted ballots.




Pressure On Cuomo to Reform Campaign Finance Laws
"We must hold the governor to his word"--Ed Koch re: Cuomo's pledge 2 support lowering campaign donation limits  * The only way to clean up Albany (NYDN ed) Let small donors power the system

Cuomo also renew calls for an increase in the state’s minimum wage, for publicly financed statewide elections and, in what is sure to be one of the most contentious issues of the 2013 legislative session, tougher gun-control laws and a ban on “assault weapons,’’ the definition of which remains unclear. Also a push to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana during stop-and-frisk searches*  Newsday gives Cuomo’s education reform panel an “incomplete” for its first report. Cuomo says he will have a campaign finance disclosure proposal in his State of the State* Cuomo Lukewarm On Using Casino Cash To Fund Campaigns (Updated)(YNN)



Pressure On Cuomo to Make A Decision On Flacking
Drilling Far From Imminent, but Debate Roils a Region(NYT)
A screening of the film, “Promised Land”, about a gas company representative that dupes the townspeople into selling him their mineral rights, has reignited a contentious debate on fracking in the gas-rich region of Otsego County, The New York Times write * Anti-fracking advocates plan to rally (again) outside Cuomo’s speech.  * The anti-fracking movie “Promised Land” is a hot ticket for environmentalists, but didn’t fare so well in Oneonta, one place where debate over the controversial drilling technique has raged.


Cuomo will propose increasing mental-health screening required as part of a gun-control package
Last Year NYS Cut the Mental Health Budget by $100 Million
No more Sunando Sens(NYDN Ed)
It is known as Kendra’s Law because it’s named after Kendra Webdale, a young woman who was was pushed in front of a subway train by a deranged man in 1999.






Thompson Tries to Jump Start His Campaign Again
In an attempt to dispel the notion that he does not have the “fire in the belly” to be mayor, New York City mayoral candidate Bill Thompson has begun working part-time at his job on Wall Street and will hold 10 fundraisers this week, The Wall Street Journal reports: * . emails story & tells supporters "we know we cant communicate our campaign’s message to NYers w/o adequate resources"




Various Staten Islanders weighed in on former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota‘s Republican candidacy for mayor, including Democratic Senator Diane Savino who offered some praise. “Joe Lhota understands how city government works,” she said. “That’s to his advantage. He has real experience to draw on.”



Dysfunctional Political Parties Blood Feud Giuliani Vs. Cox Vs County Leader Looking for $$$ and Control
The political leaders all have an agenda and not of it includes needs of the public

Preacher A.R. Bernard weighs run for mayor(NYDN)  It’s not immediately clear why the head of the state’s Republican Party, Ed Cox, is reaching out to an influential preacher to run for mayor at this late stage in the race. But the Daily News notes Mr. Cox and Mr. Lhota’s biggest booster, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have “a tangled history — the ex-mayor backed a rival when Cox was seeking the state GOP chairmanship.” The preacher, Rev. A.R. Bernard, does not live in the five boroughs.* Ed Cox's dream tix?: 4 Mayor; Bernard 4 Comptroller (fmr banker); 4 Public Advocate* Internal GOP Politics Contributing to Growing N.Y. Mayoral Field(National Journal)

 Campaign 2013 State Sen. Adriano Espaillat endorsed for Borough President* Candidate Launches Hurricane Sandy-Themed Political Party(NYO) * Mayor announces special election for James Sanders' Council seat (NYDN) * NYPIRG tallies legislative giving (TU) * GOP consultant Susan del Percio is acting as an unpaid advisor for former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota as he mulls a run for mayor.* Orthodox Jews eye southeast Queens council seat (CrainsNY)

NYC Indy Party choosing cand in next month, says NY1. 5 NYC GOP chairs better hurry up or could get boxed out 

Quinn Buying Votes With Government $$$
Bronx group that serves South Asian immigrants to  create worker coops with aid of city training program (NYDN) Westchester Square Partnership to get a year of technical support and legal services





After the Public Lopez Quinn Divorce the Illegal Redistricting Continues

What Is Going On With City Council Redistricting? A Primer(Gotham Gazette)

Quinn Blinkes On Lopez District(True News)

 

The state Board of Elections has zero investigators – down from six – to conduct any campaign finance or election law violation probes.
"It's so easy to get caught up in the glamour" (City and State)
New Rep. Meng Pushing Gun Background Checks * Rep. Grace Meng transitions from Albany to Washington(NYDN)
Cuomo No New Taxes Pledge With Budget Gap, Continued Weak Economy, Sandy and  Federal Funding Uncertainties Will Be Difficult
“The key to the governor’s fiscal success has been ending the years of taxes and gimmicks that got the state in its fiscal mess in the first place *
The Post has learned. Cuomo, who was elected pledging to hold the line on both spending and taxes, did raise taxes by $2 billion on the wealthy at the end of his first year in office, but he insisted he did so only in the face of a national economic slump that produced lower than expected state revenues. Cuomo plans to commit to not raising taxes in his State of the State address on Wednesday, continuing a commitment to balanced budgets and reduced government spending as well as low taxes on the middle class. Gov speech whacks tax(Dicker, NYP)  Despite a $1 billion-plus projected deficit and continuing fiscal problems resulting from Hurricane, Gov. Cuomo will vow in his State of the State Address Wednesday not to raise taxes during his third year in office.Comptroller: Debt Threatens Investment In NY’s Future(YNN) * New York Is Closing In On ItsOwn Debt Ceiling(Business insider)
 
Increased tax burden on high-income earners in NY as a result of Congress’ fiscal cliff deal
 E.J. McMAHON: The feds squeeze NY’s golden geese Although the Empire State is home to just over 6 percent of the nation’s federal-income-tax filers, it appears that about 16 percent of the revenue raised by the feds’ tax-rate hike in the top bracket will come from New York’s tax base, including nonresident commuters who work here.* EJ McMahon issues some (rare) praise to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for offering a “solid debt reform agenda.”


Assembly Democrats have blocked welfare reform legislation that would prevent people receiving government benefits from withdrawing cash at strip clubs, porn shops, bars, and liquor distributors, after the state Senate passed the bill last year, the Post writes:


 NYP Says UFT Delaying For A New Mayor for A Better Deal
Teacher Evaluations Deadline Again TV Ads Vs Bloomberg Likens UFT to Teachers Union
Continuing a tense public debate, Mayor Michael Bloomberg emphasized the need to negotiate a new teacher evaluation plan with the United Federation of Teachers, and compared the union to the N.R.A. for being out of sync with its members
Deadline Looming in Teacher Grade Deal(WSJ)
*  Talks on Teacher Evaluations Disintegrate as Deadline Looms(NYT)

The schoolyard bully(NYP Ed) The United Federation of Teachers is ringing in the new year with an artful lie of the first order: A TV ad campaign designed to convince New Yorkers that Mike Bloomberg, and not the union itself, is responsible for the imminent loss of $450 million in extra state school aid.* Teachers Irate as Bloomberg Likens Union to the N.R.A.(NYT) * Criticism over Bloomberg's teachers union remarks growi(NYDN) * AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote a letter to Bloomberg, noting two of the teachers killed in Newtown were members of her union. She praised his “great work” on gun control, but said he owes the UFT an apology “for making such incendiary and insensitive remarks.” Mayor says union manipulating his NRA comment. Says union "trying to create a sideshow" instead of focusing on teacher evaluation* Cuomo Won’t Take Sides In NRA-UFT-Bloomberg Spat(YNN) * Pols Rage at Mayor for Comparing Teachers Union to N.R.A. (NYO) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the 10 days until the teacher evaluation deadline “a lifetime,” adding: “(Y)ou can go from adamant opposition to hugs and kisses in 10 days.”
Hey Media Dummies: Why Not Ask the Mayoral Candidates to Tell Us What Their Plans For  Teacher Evaluations Are


No Bus Strike Today
School bus drivers descended on City Hall on Sunday threatening to strike after the city said it would open bidding for roughly 1100 of its bus routes without requiring new companies to retain current drivers
$6900 a student is the highest in the nation, $39 dollars a day, Over a billion year, Only 150,000 students served.
School-bus kids kept in limbo as drivers could strike as early as tomorrow (NYP) * City Prepares for a Strike, Maybe This Week, by School Bus Drivers(NYT) * School Bus Strike Is Feared(WSJ) * NYC yellow school buses running Monday(WSJ) * Schools Chancellor "Concerned" About Potential Bus Drivers' Strike(NY1) * The News argues that school bus drivers planning to strike should instead consider challenging the Department of Education in court over the Employee Protection Provisions, which is at the center of the fight between the union and the city *City School Buses Rolling; Strike Threat Still Looms (NY1) * Parents Worry As NYC School Bus Strike Looms(WCBS) * Walcott says bus union demands 'illegal', calls for union to back off job protection demand(NYP* Bus Union Leader Says His Group Will Notify Families Of Students On Yellow School Bus Routes In Case Of Strike (NY1)

Staten Island education council to vote Monday on proposal to arm guards at schools(SI Advance)

 




Moms Shopping At Gun Show  . . .  New Gun Control Laws May Not Be A Slam Dunk
After Pinpointing Gun Owners, Paper Becomes a Target(NYT)* Shoppers flood Calif. gun show. Including women pushing strollers  * Four Men Arraigned In Connection With Bronx Shooting Of Off-Duty Policeman * Staten Island Vote Set On Proposal To Put Retired Cops In (WCBS) DiNapoli says no decision has been reached on gun holdings; one difficulty, he says, is defining what a "gun company" is.
City unveils simplified parking signs(NYP)
Hospital Abuse
State probe in Bklyn death(YDN)

AG Eric Schneiderman is the keeper of the liberal flame as Cuomo tacks to the middle – a balance that’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to maintain without antagonizing the governor.

As TLC approves smartphone cab-hails, here are the apps you'll use(AMNY)

$20 Tolls Coming
NYC bridge toll to hit $20 by 2018 (WPIX)






She is Back
Hillary Clinton returns to work today amid questions over her political future(NYP) * Clinton returns to Secretary of State post after blood clot scare(NYP)




 Sandy Update Say 70
Outrage in SI as feds nix Nichols Marina (NYP) First, Sandy smashed Staten Island’s Nichols Marina. Now Uncle Sam is killing it for good with the stroke of a pen. Nearly 350 boaters are being evicted from the popular harbor in Gateway National Park because of a bureaucratic Catch-22 — in which the government no longer acknowledges the damaged marina exists. * NYS2100, one of four commissions established by Cuomo after Sandy, is recommending a slew of changes to prepare for the next big storm – including everything from barriers with moveable gates to building dunes, wetlands and oyster reefs prevalent along NY’s coastline in the 1800s.* Sandy-Damaged Almondine Bakery Forced to Close Park Slope Location(DNAINFO) * Senator calls Harry Reid 'an idiot' for saying Katrina was 'nothing in comparison' to Sandy * NY1 For You: Federal Officials Compile Online List Of Sandy Relief Options

Storm Panel Calls For Major Changes in New York(NYT) A commission established by Gov. Cuomo after Hurricane Sandy to recommend changes to the state’s infrastructure, says the state should consider storm barriers with movable gates as well as “soft infrastructure” like dunes and wetlands, * Sandy Sets New Agenda for Christie(WSJ) * NY and NJ: Help us now!(NYDN)* "Absolutely not," Gov. Cuomo says when asked if shares blame for LIPA. It was flawed long before he took office* Mississippi Congressman who begged for gov't money after Katrina voted against Sandy relief (Salon * Sandy prompts some seniors to seek assisted living(Huff Post)


Spitzer Idea to Continue His Show On Al Jazeera Rejected
Stop it!!!!!!“: Eliot Spitzer's show on Current TV is over, effective immediately. Scoop on * Eliot Spitzer quits Current TV after purchase by Al Jazeera(NYP)









The operators of the state’s nine race-track virtual casinos will unveil today a statewide ad campaign in hopes of boosting their chances of upgrading to full-blown gambling halls with table games.* Jewish group fights Coney Island casino plan(Brooklyn Paper)






Update City to clean up vandalized statue in Park

Vandal covers B'klyn Civil War statue in white paint  (NYP) A treasured Brooklyn monument celebrating locals who served in the Civil War was trashed yesterday by vandals who dumped buckets of paint on the statue. The Greenpoint Monitor Statue — which depicts a man working on the USS Monitor, the Civil War ironclad battleship.* NYC Civil War statue vandalized(Fox 5) * DISGUSTING: Greenpoint's historic Monitor statue vandalized with white paint overnight Sunday. (Brooklyn Eagel)


President Obama’s nomination of ex-Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense is causing a lot of head scratching, as it will no doubt spark yet another fight with Congress.
Washington: Hagel Fight
O’s defense pick: Hagel(NYP) * Obama’s Pick for Defense Is an Ally, and a Lightning Rod(NYT) * Budget Battle Lines Drawn(WSJ) * Obama to Tap Hagel, Brennan(WSJ) * White House to Go on Offense(WSJ) * Chuck Schumer ducks the Hagel appointment, for now(Capital)Reid endorses Hagel. "Few nominees have such a combination of strategic and personal knowledge of our national defense needs."* Obama Picks Hagel for Defense and Brennan for C.I.A.(NYT)* . said she would ask nominee # Brennan about intel comm review of interrogation by * How The White House Is Selling Chuck Hagel (Buzz Feed)* Hagel's Views on Israel Aren’t Only the Issue: on Chuck 's conservative record:
* FBN NEWS: White House sources say barring major change of heart by prez obama, jack lew will likely be chosen as treas secty later this week
 

* VIDEO: NBC's Chuck Todd: As Many As 10 Democrat Senators Could Vote Against Hagel * Breaking News: Obama nominates Chuck Hagel for Defense, John Brennan for CIA* Watch John Brennan's controversial remarks that led him to withdraw from consideration for CIA top post in 2008  * Senators react to Hagel nomination(Wash Post) * 24 hours ago, Barney Frank was a leading gay voice who opposed Chuck Hagel. Now, not so much(Slate)

 
Chuck Hagel is the American Chamberlain.
Assemblyman Hikind Compares Hagel to Politician Who Appeased Hitler(NYO)
Ed Koch unendorses Obama! (Buzz Feed)


Budget Battle Line Drawn
* For Ryan’s Next Act, Balancing Politics With Pragmatism(NYT) * The Next Round of Tax Increases (NYT Ed)The fiscal cliff deal could make tax reform more difficult.*  The House GOP spin on the ‘fiscal cliff’ deal(Wash Post) * Boehner Dishes on Negotiations With Obama, Cursing Out Reid(NY Mag) * Scarborough Goes Off On ‘Mainstream Media’ For Giving Dems ‘Free Ride’ On Never Proposing Own Budget
Number Of Religiously Unaffiliated Congress Members On The Rise
Eunuchs of the Universe: Return to Wall Street - Tom Wolfe, Newsweek
How Both Sides Wound Up Losing Budget Battle - Al Hunt, Bloomberg
The Education of John Boehner - Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal
Are "Grand Bargains" Still Possible? - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
In California Voters Say Yes to More Taxes - Sasha Abramsky, The Nation
What Is the Future of Conservatism? - Jonah Goldberg, Commentary
Gov. Christie: A Standard-Issue Republican - Ana Marie Cox, The Guardian
States Still Walking the Fiscal Cliff - Lou Cannon, RealClearPolitics
D.C. Can't Even Kill Farm Subsidies? - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
The Republican Foreign Policy Cocoon in D.C. - Peter Beinart, Daily Beast
Obama Supporters Shocked at New Tax Hikes - Joseph Curl, Wash Times
Why Republicans Are Such a Bad Date - Stanley Crouch, NY Daily News
INcoming: Mike Pence - Craig Fehrman, Indianapolis Monthly
Inconvenient Truths About Al Jazeera - Gordon Crovitz, Wall Street Journal
After Pinpointing Gun Owners, Paper Is Target - Christine Haughney, NYT
 
Who might play the young Bill and Hill if the movie “Rodham” gets made?
Drone Cold Truth - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Big-Bank Regulator Targets the Little Guy - William Cohan, Bloomberg

Flashing Red in Benghazi - Chicago Tribune
A New Year, But... Things Still Look the Same in D.C. - Las Vegas Sun
France: Flight of the Celebs - The Guardian
After Kyoto's Failure, Focus on Adapting to Climate - OC Register
Log Cabin Republicans run another anti-Hagel ad (Wash Post)
Second time's the charm? Obama picks John Brennan as CIA Chief(Daily Beast)
Cory Booker Nudging Old Frank Lautenberg Toward the Door(NY Mag)
Chuck Hagel in his own words on key issues(NYT)

BofA To Pay Fannie Mae Bilions Over Shoddy Mortgages(Huff Post) * Banks Settle in 2 Sets of Claims Over Fallout of Housing Crisis(NYT) * Banks reach $8.5 billion settlement on mortgage abuse (NBC)








Big Companies Push the Limits of a Tax Break for Farm Swaps(NYT) The practice of exchanging one asset for another without incurring taxes has spread to major corporations from the family farmers the tax break was intended to help.  

Man Sought in Sex Assault of Queens Girl(NY1)

Man dead, woman injured in B'klyn shooting

Newtown gunman Adam Lanza wore earplugs during school massacre: report(NYP)




Serial sex killer gets 25 years to life(NYP)
Wife defends 'cannibal cop' co-consiprator's 'dark' fantasies; denies charges against husband(NYP)  * Accused "Cannibal Cop" Accomplice Held Without Bail(NY1)


UWS 'nanny slay' parents say daughter Nessie is lifting them out of darkness(NYP)


 Law and Order
Cop's boyfriend killed in Brooklyn diner shooting (NYP) Chilling surveillance video captures the exact moment that a cop’s boyfriend was fatally shot trying to defend her during a predawn fight in a Brooklyn diner yesterday.* Man Is Killed In Shooting In Restaurant(WSJ) * Man Shot to Death in Biggie’s Favorite Diner(NY mag)*
Cop's boyfriend killed in Brooklyn diner shooting(NYP)

DA has fallen behind the rest of the city in fighting finds a mayoral report, via

Sentencing day for serial killer in New York murders(WABC)

Four Men Arraigned In Connection With Bronx Shooting Of Off-Duty Policeman(NY1)
B'klyn man struck, killed while riding unregistered dirt bike(NYP)


UWS 'nanny slay' parents say daughter Nessie is lifting them out of darkness(NYP)

 NYC DA holds off on pressing charges against Lindsay Lohan for alleged psychic punch(NYP)
Cops on lookout for man who sexually abused 10-year-old girl in Queens(NYP)

EMT union fume over alleged plea deal for B'klyn assistant DA accused of attacking medic: letter(NYP)

Bronx dad pleads not guilty to charges drowned son, fed daughter rat poison(NYP)
Feds will seize Peter Madoff's mansion — unless a buyer steps in first(NYP) * Even After Madoff, Financial Fraud Defies Policing(NYT)