Friday, February 1, 2013

RIP The Media Mayor Symble of New York Has Died

  Citizens, public service has always been my pleasure. I never expected anything like this, and am truly grateful.
NYC: Former New York City mayor Ed Koch has passed away this morning at the age of 88. RIP.

Edward I. Koch, 1924-2013: Edward I. Koch, Ex-Mayor of New York, Dies (NYT)The New York Times obituary on Ed Koch reminds what art a newspaper obituary can be. 

R.I.P. ... Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch dead at age 88: sources -

Former NYC mayor Ed Koch has died. Story(Today)


. says Ed Koch "never had to consult a spin doctor" about what he would say - he just said what he thought.





Ed , a true New Yorker, left an indelible imprint on the City. We will miss him  * A Brash Embodiment of the City He Led(NYT)\
  I will miss Ed Koch. His leadership in leading the City out of the financial control period was flawless.* PHOTOS: Ed Koch thru the years


Koch Won the Mayor's Race In 1977: In the Summer of Son of Same and the Blackout Riots
A Very Different City

Ed Koch, the Mayor Who Saved New York From Bankruptcy, Dies(NY Mag)
Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has died at age 88. His funeral has been scheduled for Monday (NBC) *Three-Term New York Mayor Ed Koch Dies(WSJ) * Ed Koch, Former Three-Term Mayor, Dead At 88
* Ed Koch, Former Three-Term Mayor, Dead At 88(NY1)
 *Mayor Koch: Rescued New York from threatened bankruptcy. Led NYC’s economic and cultural rebirth. Always had a zinger.
The quotable Ed Koch (Wash Post)
Watch Ed Koch's 1983 Saturday Night Live Monologue, And Other Classic Koch Videos: In 1983, Ed Koch became the first..


  So sad to finally publish this obituary of Ed Koch, which I reported and mostly wrote in 2002 * Former NYC mayor Ed Koch dies:(Politico)
Ed Koch's tombstone quotes journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded in Pakistan on this day in 2002(NYP)
Pataki On Koch Death: ‘Happy To Call Him Friend And Share The Ride’(YNN) * Silver, Skelos Mourn Ed Koch(YNN)
Funeral Arrangements for Koch(NYT)
Remembering Ed Koch(NYT)
Reverend Al Sharpton Remembers How Ed Koch Led to His ‘First Arrest’ 
Why Ed Koch wanted to be buried near the subway by (NYT)
In an interview to the Times in 2007, and released today, Koch said he never forgave the Cuomo family for the 1977 Mayoral campaign when Koch’s sexuality was called into question. 
Before his death, Koch also worked with the Times to compile a series of op-ed’s and letters to the editor to remember him. 
One of Koch’s biggest critics, Wayne Barrett, gives the former Mayor a “+”. 
President Obama Reflects the Passing of Ed Koch(NYO)
Mayor Koch Appeared In Numerous Movies, TV Shows (NYT)
The legacy of Ed Koch's legendary Saturday lunch club | WATCH: 
 
We will miss Ed Koch dearly, but his good works, and his wit & wisdom, will forever be a part of the city he loved *.: "New York City would not be the place it is today without 's leadership over three terms at City Hall." Top homage to Ed Koch from NYPD Commish Kelly: he finally left N.Y. for someplace better - although he'd probably argue that's not possible.
great documentary here, Mr. Mayor:

Koch Passed on the 100 Birthday Of A Grand Central Station Institution He Worked Wtih Jacqueline Kennedy to Save From the Wreckers Ball





New York City’s A-list politicians gathered in Manhattan for the premier of “Koch,”
An honor for Hizzoner (NYP) Arguably both the most beloved and polarizing political figure in late 20th-century New York...* How Did He Do? A Mayor’s Story(NYT) *
Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch dies at 88

Video: Former mayor Edward I. Koch in his own words, "Do you miss me?" (NYT Video)


Wow. Ed Koch puts WSJ reporter Daniel Pearl's last words on his gravestone, AP reports via  The marker will be inscribed with the last words of journalist Daniel Pearl before he was murdered by terrorists in 2002: “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish.”* "NYC lost an irrepressible icon, our most charismatic cheerleader and champion"-- statement re * Cuomo Mourns Koch(YNN) * Ed Koch: Born in the Bronx, served in Europe against the Nazis, climbed the political ladder to Congress and mayor.(NY Mag) * Political Heavyweights Toast Ed Koch On Twitter
(Photo: Getty)President Obama Reflects the Passing of Ed Koch(NYO)



  Mayor Koch, Rest in peace. You've earned it. You did great for NYC and we are all better for your service. Ed Koch brought bike lanes to NYC after visiting China.* A look back at the outspoken Ed Koch's most quotable moments(NYDN) * "Rudy may be 'America's mayor,' but Koch will always be New York's mayor." 
* UPDATE: Ed Koch's Many Hats: judge, movie critic, actor, and...Slim Fast spokesman? Video:
Mario Cuomo Remembers Sharp, Warm, Combative Koch  (NBC)
The Difference Between Koch’s City and Today(NYT)


 
The Every Changing Life of Ed Koch

1965
Koch: The Night the Nice Guy Finished First
By Jack Newfield 

Ed Koch complicated figure, but subways, campaign finance, and a miraculous rebuilding of housing for ashes in Bronx, Harlem a great legacy.

1988
CITY FOR SALE: ED KOCH AND THE BETRAYAL OF NEW YORK makes your head spin! If you lived in New York City during the Koch years this detail-laden gem by journalists Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett will take you back, towing you through the Parking Violations Bureau scandal, twisting your arm through one extortion after another, and finally dumping you in a Bess mess. Non-Koch years New Yorkers may have to read certain passages if not the whole book more than once to absorb CITY FOR SALE, as Newfield and Barrett cut no corners with this blow-by-blow account of the rise and fall of Edward I. Koch. Review of City for Sale New York Magazine - Jan 9, 1989 - Page 60 - Google Books Result * Koch on Manes: "He's My Friend."(NBC)


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Bloomberg



What Ass? Who You Going to Believe Me or Your Lying Eyes

Mayor rebutts derri-err(NYP)

Bloomberg denied admiring a woman’s rear end at a party, as reported in a magazine profile of Christine Quinn, calling it “an outrage” for a reporter to say that it was part of a pattern of sexist remarks by the mayor, The New York Daily News reports:  * New York magazine “stands by” its report that Mayor Bloomberg once publicly ogled a woman’s derriere and used lewd language to describe it, which he insists he did not.
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Political Corruption


NYP Says NYT Report That Liu Was Out of Woods in the Fund Rasing Scandal is Wrong

 Not so fast: Liu still feds’ target (NYP) Embattled city Comptroller John Liu is not yet out of the woods in the criminal probe of his campaign fund-raising activities, sources said yesterday. A report published yesterday suggested that Liu would not be personally charged in the case....Prosecutors are far from clearing Liu or shutting the door on the case — and still haven’t ruled out filing charges against him or his campaign manager, Chung Seto, at a later date, a federal law-enforcement insider told The Post.


Fake GOP Political Pac Use A Loophole in state law by disclosing their expenditures as lobbying
A Virginia-based group that spent over $950,000 on campaign mailers and advertising against Democratic state Senate candidates in 2012 exploited a loophole in state law by disclosing their expenditures as lobbying, the Times-Union reports: * Common Sense Principles, a shadowy Virginia-based group that attacked Democratic candidates for the state Senate in last year’s elections, spent over $950,000 on mailers, a new disclosure filing shows.

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Campaign 2013

NY1 Online: Carrion Discusses Possible Run For Mayor(NY1)

Thompson rips anti-Israel gig(NYP)

Human Rights Campaign endorses Christine Quinn in New York: 








Rudy Giuliani (Photo: Getty)Rudy Giuliani Says He Was Misquoted by John Catsimatidis
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NYS Government 


CAN CUOMO KEEP DYSFUNCTION OUT OF ALBANY? Susan Del Percio writes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s commitment to fiscal restraint and lower taxes could be tested by the rise of the Independent Democratic Conference 

Gambling
Gov. Cuomo said that he does not want state legislators to “politicize” the process of setting casino policy in the state and that the independent Gaming Commission will try to keep politics out of any decision on casino location, the Times-Union reports: * Cuomo warned he’ll drop his support for expanding casinos in New York if the Legislature insists on a “politicized process” for determining where they’re located.

The president of the International Association of Fire Fighters wrote a letter to Cuomo expressing disappointment in the governor’s plan to limit arbitrator’s ability to increase wages and benefits, which affects police and firefighters, the Times-Union writes

The Post argues that a state-mandated minimum wage hike carries moral implications that can be used to make the case against it:

Early Budget
State Lawmakers Release Plan To Pass Budget By March 21(NY1)

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has approved the Cuomo administration’s contract for new driver’s licenses that will have black-and-white photos produced by the highest bidder, spurring a losing bidder to sue.

Paterson sex dig at love gov(NYP) Former Gov. David Paterson got a rise out of a Manhattan audience yesterday when he turned his old boss, Eliot “Client No. 9” Spitzer, into a punch line. “You know how I became governor . . . Let’s just say it was the best sex I ever had — and I wasn’t even there!” Paterson quipped when he delivered a six-minute speech in Midtown.


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Education

School Bus Strike Legal

Labor board rules school bus strike legal (NYP) A federal labor board ruled this morning that the ongoing 12-day strike by school bus drivers and matrons is not illegal — dashing the hopes of bus companies that sought to end the work stoppage.




NYP Says $700 Million Will Be Lost if the City Does Not Come to An Agreement With the UFT On Teacher Evaluations, The WSJ Disagrees 

Teach-eval talks thaw(NYP)Cuomo’s threat to have Albany impose a new teacher-evaluation system if the city and UFT can’t agree to one on their own is working.Both sides were back at the bargaining table yesterday. Bloomberg was holding his fire and said talks were continuing., a sign that he didn’t want to upset the ongoing talks. The entire state, meanwhile, stands to lose $700 million in federal education grants as well if the two sides can’t come to an agreement, US officials warned. * Race to the Top Funding Appears Safe So Far(WSJ) * New York City’s $700 million in federal Race to the Top funds appear safe – for the moment – despite the Bloomberg administration and UFT failure to reach a teacher evaluation deal.

  Federal officials say that despite the stalemate between New York City and the United Federation of Teachers over teacher evaluations, the $700 million the city receives as part of the Race To The Top grant program is not in jeopardy, The Wall Street Journal writes: 

Medgar Evers College President Resigns(NYT) *  The president of Medgar Evers College, the predominantly black public college in central Brooklyn, is resigning.

To save NYC’s catholic schools(NYP)


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NYC Government

Yesterday Bloomberg Took Action on Two Problems He Was Attacked in the Last Mayoral Debate

1. Mold In Sandy Damaged Buildings
is launching a $15 million program to clean up at least 2,000 homes contaminated with mold from flooding.  

2. NYCHA Repair Backlog
 Bloomberg is expected to pledge today that the Housing Authority’s scandalous backlog of 340,000 apartment repair orders will be history by year’s end.   * City Vows Public Unit Repair Push(WSJ) Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged Thursday to eliminate the "entire" backlog of roughly 420,000 repair orders at NYCHA by year's end - with the agency responding to all emergency requests within 24 hours.


If You Can't Solve the City's High Unemployment Rate You Pass A Fake Bill Fight Unemployment Discrimination to Fool the Public 
Make them think your solving the Unemployment Problem 
In the News, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer explain the merits of a bill that would outlaw employment discrimination

Operator and contractor at fault in crane collapse(Queens Crap)

From Crain's A crane operator and a contractor didn't inspect equipment, failed to take proper precautions and ran the rig unsafely before it collapsed while building a New York City apartment tower and injured seven construction workers, officials said Wednesday. Crane operator Paul Geer and contractor Cross Country Construction have each been cited with five violations stemming from the Jan. 9 collapse, which occurred as the crane tried to lift more than double its capacity, the city Buildings Department said. Mr. Geer and the company each face at least $64,000 in fines; the developer and a site safety manager also were cited with a violation apiece. 

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Postal Going?

City Room: Postal Service Considers Sale of Bronx General Post Office

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Brooklyn College Free Speech and the Middle East

Appearance by Group Advocating Boycott of Israel Roils Brooklyn College(NYT)


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Sandy Update

Higher Flood-Zone Rebuilding Is Allowed(NYT)* Boardwalk Work Set in Sea Girt(WSJ) * Mayor Provides Zoning Relief To Homeowners Rebuilding After Sandy(NY1) * State Senate Task Force Offers Recommendations To Address Sandy Issues(NY1) * State To Offer Free Health And Safety Inspections To Sandy-Impacted Businesses(NY1) * Bloomberg has signed an emergency executive order to suspend height and other restrictions so substantially (Sandy) damaged buildings and new construction can meet the new flood elevation standards. More here.* Geraldo May Lead 'A New Vitalization Of The Republican Party' As NJ Senate Candidate (VIDEO)


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Gun Control

Myths About Gun Regulation(NYT Ed) The gun lobby propaganda is convincing lawmakers that the 10-year ban on assault weapons was ineffective.* More proof New Yorkers remain up in arms over the SAFE Act: 724 comments (and counting) on a Post-Standard story about an information meeting on the new law.* In their fervor to take action against gun violence after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., a growing number of state and national politicians are promoting a focus on mental illness that advocates say is unfair.*Armed guard disarmed teen in Atlanta school shooting, says police chief


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Grand Central At 100




<i>Grand Central Terminal At 100:</i> Legal Battle Nearly Led To Station's Demolition
Grand Central Terminal At 100: Legal Battle Nearly Led To Station's Demolition Fifty years after first opening, Grand Central Terminal earned landmark status. The designation should have ensured its prosperity and longevity, but in 1970s it came dangerously close to being leveled. NY1's Jon Weinstein describes the protracted battle over the terminal's fate that lead all the way to the Supreme Court.

As NYC marks iconic station's centennial, Grand Central's grand secrets revealed by the longtimers who know it best(NYDN) * Grand Central Terminal: 100 years of rich history (CBS) One Day Until Grand Central Terminal’s 100th Birthday(WCBS)* Grand Central Bar Serves Up Cocktail for Terminal's Centennial(DNAINFO) * Grand Central Terminal turns 100! Take a look back at these STUNNING photos of the landmark transit hub through the years * 100 Years Later, a Railroad Landmark Is Revived(NYT) Video: Below Grand Central, Digging for the Future (WSJ)* Grand Central Terminal opened a century ago and the Times heralded the opening in its usual comprehensive way:

Developers and Unions Seek Eased Limits on Midtown Projects(NYT)Prominent New York City real estate developers have forged an alliance with labor and the construction industry to lobby the Bloomberg administration for rule changes allowing skyscraper development around Grand Central Terminal,


100 Years Later, Rail Landmark Is Revived(NYT) In the Bronx, the East 180th Street station has celebrated its centenary with a major renovation. Above, the lobby.






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Local Newspaper Sale

Interesting that Both Media Chains Formerly Owned by Jerry Finkelstein is Sold Right After His Death

Tribune Under New Ownership
Tribco, LLC, the parent company of several newspapers in the Metropolitan area, including the Queens Tribune and the Long Islander, announced last week...


Manhattan Media sells NYC weekly papers(NYP) The buyer is Straus News, headed by President Jeanne Straus, a publisher of nine weekly papers on the New York-Pennsylvania-New Jersey borders.  In contrast, Straus’s ties to the New York City media scene are deep. Her grandfather, Nathan Straus, acquired the WMCA-570AM radio station in 1943. Jeanne’s father, Peter Straus and his wife, Ellen Sulzberger Straus. who has ties to the Sulzberger clan that controls the New York Times Co., turned WMCA into a Top 40 rock ‘n’ roll station built around “the Good Guys.” While Isis is selling off its Manhattan titles, it is keeping its other media properties, including Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons as well as Avenue magazine, New York Family, New York Baby Show, and City & State. Tom Allon, the longtime publisher of the Manhattan Newspaper Group and a declared Republican candidate for City Hall, will remain president of Manhattan Media.* New Owner for Manhattan's Small Papers(WSJ)

How Can the Ownership of A Political Newspaper Have Nothing to Do With A Run for Mayor?
Mr. Allon, who is running for mayor, said the sale has nothing to do with his political ambitions.



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Washington


A Confirmation Ordeal(NYT Ed) Republicans did their best to disparage Chuck Hagel at his hearing, but the full Senate should confirm him as defense secretary.* The Many Sad Faces of Chuck Hagel(NY Mag)

The Bob Menendez ‘standard’(NYP) * Menendez Has Long Ties to Donor Now Under Scrutiny(NYT) * A day after allegations swirled that he cavorted with underage hookers in the Dominican Republic, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez played a cat-and-mouse game with reporters.


Geraldo eyeing Senate run(NYP) * Geraldo Rivera Eyes Senate Run in New Jersey (WSJ)


 Capture-5 Stewart Trashes Wayne LaPierre And Female Gun Advocate Over Senate TestimonyNRA Used to Support Background Checks, Now Favors More Illogical, Unpopular Position(NY mag)

12.3 million people remain unemployed.
Obama Realigns, the GOP Declines - Robert Shrum, The Daily Beast
Someone Should Tell Obama It's Still the Economy - Ed Morrissey, FT
The President Replants the Goal Posts - Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg
ObamaCare's Broken Promises - Daniel Kessler, Wall Street Journal
Gun Control's Complicated History - Carl Cannon, RealClearPolitics

Chuck Hagel's Credibility Left in Shreds - Jonathan Tobin, Commentary
Hagel Will Be the Next Sec. of Defense - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
Major Obstacles Loom on Immigration Reform - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RCP
Immigration: Getting It Right - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Looking for Mister Goodpain - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Spending Sequester Will Grow the Economy - Larry Kudlow, NRO
Time Is Money and Money May Be Running Out Of Time - Bill Gross, Pimco
Here Come the Skeet Shooting Truthers - Bob Cesca, Huffington Post
Ben Nelson Cashes In on ObamaCare Vote - Timothy Carney, DC Examiner
What I Learned Covering Hillary Clinton - Ron Fournier, National Journal
How the South Will Rise to Power Again - Joel Kotkin, Forbes
Edward Koch: 1924-2013 - Robert McFadden, New York Times
Hillary Clinton’s last day on the job as secretary of state is today.
Confirm Chuck Hagel to the Pentagon - USA Today
Obama Blames GOP for His Economic Failures - Washington Examiner

NRA Rejects Constructive Conversation - Miami Herald
The Bob Menendez "Standard" - New York Post
Veteran reporter Ron Fournier on what he learned while covering Clinton: “(I)f you don’t think she wants to be president, you don’t know her.”
Obama’s defense secretary nominee, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, was grilled hard – and stumbled several times – during his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday.
Romney campaign donated nearly 90K to the Red Cross a month after the election and Hurricane Sandy. (Buzz Feed)
Job Growth Is Steady Amid Snags Holding Back Economy(NYT)
President Me? (NY Mag) The obsessive guide to Hillary Clinton's not-quite-Shermanesque 2016 denials.
Whose terrible idea was it to nominate Hagel, anyway? (NY Mag)
Brown Decides Against Senate Bid in Massachusetts(NYT)
Hillary Clinton received a warm send off on her last day as Secretary of State.  
In Senate Hearing, Hagel Muddled the Message on Iran(NYT)
Anti-Hagel Groups Emboldened After Senate Hearing(NYT)
Secret Service director to step down
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is the latest cabinet member to announce that he is leaving the White House.  
Former Massachusetts US Senator Scott Brown has decided not to run for the seat vacated by new Secretary of State John Kerry. 
Americans to Washington: Don't Tread on Me - Aaron Blake, Wash Post
Gun Extremists' Alternate Reality - Paul Waldman, CNN
Why Obama Doesn't Want to Talk About Jobs - James Pethokoukis, AEI
Obama's Bad Cop Act Is Working - Jill Lawrence, National Journal
Liberals' Austerity Lie: Spending Is Still Climbing - John Merline, IBD
Immigration Reform Within Reach - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Smart GOP Policies Will Keep Texas Red - Norquist & Gleason, Reuters
How Ed Koch Remade Liberalism - Matthew Cooper, National Journal
My Valuable, Cheap College Degree - Arthur Brooks, New York Times
Is NY Times Hacking Just the Beginning? - Sam Schlinkert, The Daily Beast
Al Gore Dreams of Electric Jeeps - Glenn Reynolds, Wall Street Journal 

Obama reopens rift with religious groups, reports: (Politico)


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Media


NBC News' Steve Capus is leaving his post.(NYDN)

MarketWatch Gets In on Unfortunate Media Layoff Trend(NY Mag)

NBC News president resigns after presiding over floundering 'Today' show's ratings implosion as Matt Lauer became loathed anchor


Tomorrow every news station in the country will report if a large rodent saw its shadow while ignoring the unemployed, hospital closing and the flight of the Middle Class Out of New York



 
30 Rock Political Media Moments 30 Rock's 13 Most Hilarious Political And Media Moments

Stewart Mocks Obama Skeet Shooting: Why Won’t Black Man Half Of U.S. Fears Release Picture Of Himself Holding Gun?





Glenn Beck Taunts Piers Morgan For Rating Lower Than RuPaul’s Drag Race






Sylvester Stallone supports assault weapon ban (CBS)
 

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Wall Street

Doubt Is Cast on Consultants Hired to Fix Banks’ Abuses(NYT)


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Law and Order


City DNA botch(NYP)* Mishandling of DNA Evidence Is Found in Over 50 Cases at Crime Lab(NYT) * The NYC medical examiner’s office has discovered more than 50 cases in which it failed to upload critical DNA evidence samples from crime scenes to the state’s DNA database, preventing those samples from being compared to genetic material from convicted offenders.

Brooklyn Rabbi Charged With Sexual Abuse of Boys(NYT) * Yeshiva Teacher Denies Sex Abuse(WSJ)



NYPD tryst twist  (NYP) The police sergeant sued for allegedly driving her subordinate to suicide when she refused to break off their affair told investigators that the relationship was consensual — and that her NYPD lover killed himself when she tried to dump him

Mother of Slain 16-Year-Old Speaks Out at March Against LES Shootings(DNAINFO)




Closing Arguments Given in Shaken-Baby Murder Case(NYT)



Police sgt. has fatal heart attack during Brooklyn 'buy-and-bust'(NYP)

Career crook held on bail; allegedly targeted Asians(NYP)

Jurors View Interrogation Footage In Brooklyn Officer's Shooting(NY1)







Guilty Verdict in Queens Shaken-Baby Trial(NYT)


Queens child luring suspect arrested: The man wanted for trying to lure two Queens girls into his car las... 


Buyer claims fakin’ & eggs (NYP) All that glitters isn’t gold.  An Ohio man says he was bamboozled by an alleged Fabergé fraudster at a ritzy Central Park South gallery, according to a new $1.2 million lawsuit.


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Terrorism



Fed Bank ‘bomber’ to ’fess up (NYP) A Bangladeshi man accused of trying to detonate what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb outside the Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan will plead guilty to charges stemming from the plot.* Thwarted Bank Bomber Set To Plead Guilty(WSJ)

Gitmo Judge Orders Gov't To End 9/11 Pre-Trial Censorship(NY1)

Suspected Suicide Bombing At U.S. Embassy In Turkey(Huff Post)



Homeland Security has advice for confronting mass murders: scissors(NYP)