Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Special Interests Contracters Bang Liu


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Bloomberg Takes On the NRA and Beats Them

Kelly Wins Dem. Nod For Ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s Seat

Kelly Wins Dem. Nod For Ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s Seat(CBS Chicago) * Robin Kelly Wins Primary for Jesse Jackson Seat (NYT)
 

Kelly Wins Dem. Nod For Ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s Seat
Kelly Wins Dem. Nod For Ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s Seat

Robin Kelly Denies Link to Bloomberg Super PAC | NBC Chicago

 
Bloomberg/pro-gun control will get lion's share of credit. But will issue work in swing CDs, not just heavily D CDs?

 

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Remembering Officer Edward Byrne

Recalling Killing That Led Officers to Reclaim the City
In Queens, Police Officers Remember the 25th Anniversary of an Officer’s Killing (NYT) The old police cruiser sat at the corner of 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in Queens, just as it did 25 years ago. On Tuesday afternoon, this throwback — a refurbished Caprice Classic — served not only as a powerful reminder of Edward Byrne, the 22-year-old rookie officer who was shot and killed inside it while on patrol one morning in 1988, but of the pervasive violence that defined the era. 
 
Kelly Wins Dem. Nod For Ex-Rep. Jackson Jr.’s Seat
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Campaign 2013

The NYP Hits The Liu Enemy of the Special Interests Contract
The NYP Call Liu A Hypocrite Because He Made A Deal Half Million Deal With Hewlett-Packard Who He Says Owes the City $163 Million for the 911 Call Center Mess.  The Media in its efforts to get Liu Out of the Mayor's Race Have Not Give the Controller Credit for the Billions He Has Uncoverd in Corruption and Waste in the 911, CityTime and Other Tech Contracts.

Liu signs deal with same firm he says is ripping off city (NYP) Comptroller John Liu has blasted a major city contractor for allegedly cheating taxpayers of $163 million — but that wasn’t enough to stop Liu’s office from quietly doing business with the same firm.  Liu excoriated the Bloomberg administration last year for allowing overbilling in its $2 billion-plus contract with Hewlett-Packard for the massive 911 call center project, and he recently threatened to reject future contracts with the company — all while quietly inking his own deal with HP. Two months after issuing a searing audit charging HP with $163 million in overbilling, Liu awarded the company a $550,000 no-bid contract for printing services.

More Liu Problems

 John Liu Staffer Suspended After Arrest in Alleged Kickback Scheme(NYO)





NYP Prases Quinn for Not Pandering to the Crowd
Quinn’s trash talk(NYP)With the 2013 mayoral race quickly turning into a test of which candidate can outpander the competition, it’s news when one stands up for principle. That’s just what City Council Speaker Chris Quinn did last weekend, when she refused to back down from her support for an East Side waste-transfer station. The speaker and four other Democratic wannabes faced a crowd of locals hoping to block plans for the facility based on typical Not in My Back Yard concerns. Not one of the other candidates had the spine to back the station. Instead, they resorted to weasel words, half-promises and even sympathy for the residents’ position.* A Vote on Sick Leave(NYT Ed) Speaker Christine Quinn of the City Council continues to block a vote on paid sick leave, prompting Gloria Steinem to threaten to withdraw her backing in the mayor’s race. The Times calls for New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to allow a vote on paid sick leave legislation if the bill passes muster at a committee hearing next month * Elected Officials Rally For Paid Sick Leave(NY1) * The News commends Quinn for standing pat on allowing a marine garbage transfer station on the Upper East Side and accuses the other Democratic mayoral candidates of pandering to voters by opposing the station:* The NY Post calls this “great news for New Yorkers who are fed up with the city’s current class of politicians.”

Education Mayoral Debate
Quinn: “I’ve called for a teacher mentor program. They have this in other cities and it’s been very effective.” * . wants teacher mentor program w/ CUNY; no merit pay* Joe Lhota: “It’s not just how do we retain teachers,” but how do we get lower-performing teachers to do better. Touts Newark, “merit pay.”Lhota: Pay “should be based on performance, how difficult the subject matter is, how difficult the school is”... “That’s not vilification.”By a show of hands, the GOP candidates are in favor of merit pay, while all of the four Dem candidates are against it. * De Blasio: "If most of our teachers are able, let's stop fixating on the small percentage that belong in another profession." * de Blasio: Most teachers want to excel, don’t get the support they need. On evaluation, “let’s first put the horse before the cart”
* . to his opponents, likely "where were you when teachers were being vilified?"   * De Blasio gets applause for pointing out -- as public school dad, a possible selling point -- that test stress is bad for kids. * Catsimatidis: 95-97% of our teachers are good. Unions must work with BOE. "The kids are number #1." * . to his opponents, likely "where were you when teachers were being vilified?" *of course is first mayoral candidate to admit to failing a math class. *
 Castimatidis: There ought to be “a fork in the road” so that some kids can get vocational education. * Thompson disagrees with Catsimatidis, says too much tracking precludes some kids from going to college. * and agree on multi faceted approach to teacher evaluations* Thompson re: special ed: "and I hate that word" * John Liu: Teachers can be tougher on their peers than anyone else; they don't want bad teachers around either. *Tom Allon, a former teacher, says schools have improved over the past decade, but...
* "We are committing educational malpractice in this city by allowing 50% of our teachers leave in five years," Allon says.   * "I hate being on a panel with Tom Allon on ed. because he never fails to mention that he went to Stuy," Thompson, a Midwood grad, says ."School closings aren't educational policy. It should be a last resort," Bill Thompson says at #dnforum.Lhota, Cats raise hands as opposing state law to require charters to serve = numbers of special ed, etc. as district schools. Others support * . says public feels "deck stacked in favor of charter schools." * Joe Lhota: Charters are still public schools; more are working than failing. Parents deserve "that level of choice." * . says colocations are big problem. Big applause. . "it's immoral to keep a school that is failing our students open." * Joe Lhota disagrees. Says charters are public schools and that kids shouldn't have to "wait" for space * Lhota: Closure of schools doesn’t mean it’s shut down, it means the approach is changed. Liu replies: it’s “a shell game.”
* "We close schools for one reason and one reason only," Lhota says: They're failing the kids. "We owe it to our students." * Lhota reallygoing at it w liu. Probably furthest right overall v furthest left * repeats call for early intervention to help struggling schools * Quinn talks about creating a red-flag system for intervening, but isn't that what does w progress reports?  * "Sometimes you've gotta shake it up," Catsimatidis says -- as he's learned in biz. "Let's give that school a chance to succeed under new ...* Bill de Blasio goes right to asking more of highest-earning NYers in answering where more school money is found. * . says city has enough money for education system, just has to be spent wisely* Allon says if we “blew up” Tweed, it would be good, because of so much wasteful spending. This is…Giulianiesque.  

* Candidates decline to show hands when asked whether they'd seek 0 raises in new teacher contracts. * Liu: “the problem when the mayor says there will be no retroactive increases, it’s hypocritical.” * says college preparedness missing from city's public school system* Liu: "There's no look at how many kids wind up in college." (Not true: City tracks college readiness on progress reports) * "We can reprioritize our fiscal policies" to help schools and make them more community-oriented, more "cradle to career" says Liu.* Lhota says he'll be accountable for making sure more students leave public schools with college-level skills. 81% don't.* . “I will be a mayor that will end – once and for all – the school-to-prison pipeline.”* Lhota says he will go to Albany - with UFT - to demand an end to budget "discrimination" * Lhota says schools need to do less teaching to tests, more teaching of core skills * “: de Blasio: "I want to be held accountable for reducing class size." * Bdb with more bullet points: Stop teaching to tests. "We have to be willing to say that system based on high-stakes tests" must go. * . and I know, as public school parents: we can't strengthen our kids' schools if we leave parents out of the conversation.   * "I wanted to be able to escape 135th St, and I did it," says Catsimatidis, who's now a billionaire. * "You make people accountable for success and failure" and school status quo is "keeping our poor kids poor," says Catsimatidis.* Catsimatidis believes in preschool, more afterschool programs, etc. but also in making sure students take self-initiative. * stop field testing, says . "Literacy capital" of the country.. wants NYC to become "the literacy capital of America" * Quinn at : "We pay testing services millions of dollars" to administer tests and use "our students as guinea pigs."* Quinn: Emphasizing bringing all parties, including parents, to table. Stop "vilifying teachers" and getting them what they need to teach.* Catsimatidis: "The mayor is the chief responsible officer,the CEO." All must know if their schools don't improve, 'they're out of a job.' * Allon says he would like to see teacher attrition rates below 10%. If teachers lack training or principal direction, schools fail. Allon: Learning and schools should be joyful experiences, not endless battery of scary, stressful testing. * Bill Thompson: It's no "badge of honor" that the city just blew $250m by failing to strike a deal with teachers union on evaluations.  * Thompson: "Having an education chancellor again, as opposed to a business person" is vital. Cathie Black memories? * . wants longer school days, smaller class size in early grades paid for by cutting ed contracts.* To lower class sizes, Thompson citys "tens of millions of $ contracted out right now" to corporations, in particular in teacher PD.


McDonald Special Interest Funding
Republican New York City mayoral candidate George McDonald struck a deal on his challenge to the city's campaign finance system, which allows him to raise money under the higher state contribution limits, but limits his ability to spend
Old McDonald had a donor(NYP) Mayoral candidate George McDonald scored a small win in court yesterday: For the time being, he can collect campaign donations that are legal under state law but exceed the $4,950-per-donor limit imposed by the city.* Closed Door Deal Allows Mayoral Candidate To Raise Funds Above City Limits(NY1)* GOP mayoral candidate George McDonald scored a bit of a victory in court yesterday, thanks to a deal he struck with the city. Basically, Mr. McDonald will be allowed to raise money in $41,100 chunks instead of $4,950 ones, but he will only be allowed to spend each donation up to the $4,950 mark until a judge rules on the matter. As a bonus, Mr. McDonald’s lawsuit resulted in a glowing New York Post editorial praising the effort.


The NY Post Does Not Understand the Matching Fund Law
With McDonald help of the poor to get jobs he should no problem finding hundreds of New Yorkers to give him contributions to match.

This is How the NYP Says the Program Works and They Are Wrong
Without access to these donations, McDonald simply can’t compete. An advocate for the homeless, he doesn’t have the money to self-finance. He isn’t bankrolled by a union, and, unlike lifelong politicians, he has no donor base built up by years of dishing out political favors.


 de Blasio Cut the Tickets . . . But Does Not Answer What We Cut Out of the City Budget

 City treating Queens businesses like ‘their own ATM,’ de Blasio(NYDN)

FIVE BOROUGH BALLOT: The latest installment of our series finds that Upper West Side voters are worried about the rising costs of living, stagnant wages and a sense that disorder could return under the next mayor:(City and State)

 Another Republican mayoral candidate, John Catsimatidis, called for a 10-year freeze on bridge and tunnel tolls after rapping rival Joe Lhota for increasing the price before stepping down as MTA chairman in December.


Lhota, Hunting for Votes on Staten Island, Urges Hunt for Deer(NYT)


Yesterday Hynes Get A Hit DA aides live outside law (NYP) Five of Brooklyn’s top prosecutors — including the head of a politically sensitive “conviction integrity” unit — knowingly flout state and city laws by living in New Jersey
Today Hynes PR Spin Machine Goes Into Action
ObamaCare fraud alert: DA Hynes targets scams(NYP)


Carrion Announces For Mayor
has already repeated at least 4 x the same phrase: "The best social program is a job."., appealing to 71% of electorate who sat out 2009: "Bad officials are elected by the good voters who stay home." .: "a mayor who represents the taxpayers, not the excessive demands of some public sector unions" cc: * running to put people over parties


Westchester Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson is gearing up for a potential run for mayor of Mount Vernon. Yesterday she formed a campaign committee and her chief of staff confirmed her intentions while saying she’s still running for re-election as well. “She has an exploratory campaign to run for mayor 3 years from now. It’s exploratory,” he told Politicker, repeating the point for emphasis. “That process has to finish itself out. With respect to, ‘Is she still running for Senate?’ Yes, she’s running for Senate.” wraps up by talking about "nuestra ciudad" and getting crowd to repeat, several times, his theme of "Make it your city"
  1. GOP Still Doesn't Get It & Dems Take It for Granted: “: Poll: Hispanics heavily Democratic: via ”

Breaking: Noah Gotbaum Could Be Running for City Council | The Barkan Report:

State Island GOP Leader Steps Down
Ballot Barristers: Inside The Select World Of New York City Election Attorneys(City and State)





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Liu and de Blasio and WFP's Data and Field Stream


Working Families Party Officials Served With Subpoenas(WSJ)Working Families Party officials have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury investigating the party's ties to a for-profit company Data and Field Services that provided campaign assistance to candidates including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Staten Island Council Member Debi Rose, court records show.Working Families Party backing helped propel Ms. Rose, Mr. de Blasio and city Comptroller John Liu to victory in 2009. Messrs. de Blasio and Liu are now Democratic contenders for mayor this year.Mr. Rabb and Ms. Siegal declined to comment through a party spokesman. Representatives for Messrs. Liu and de Blasio declined to comment. Calls to the Mastic Beach association, Kantor Davidoff and Ms. Rose weren't returned. Data and Field Services is now defunct.

. was "a trusted emissary" b/w & in 2010, reports
Subpoenas Go Out To Working Family Party Officials; Party Says Prosecutor Should Be Dumped


de Blasio's Campaign Tactic Exposed (2009) Cleared in (2010) subpoenaed (2013)

Judith Kaye's botched whitewash of WFP hijinks--Editorial 

3RD PARTY WARNED ON FUNDS The city Campaign Finance Board sent a warning yesterday to the Working Families Party and candidates who use its for-profit arm, saying they're the same entity and all expenditures must be accounted for * Working Families Party candidates warned about financial dealings De Blasio has two contracts with Data and Field Services totaling $90140, a campaign aide said *** Questions for Data and Field (New York Times) ** WFP candidates warned on Data and Field Services firm *** As ACORN Engaged In Political Work, Affiliate Received Taxpayer Money *** CFB Declares DFS An Arm Of WFP ** The NYC Working Families Party Scam UPDATED *** Bill de Blasio Accused of Playing the (Inter-)Race Card

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Wall Street Jobs Loss

Wall Street Has Only Replaced One-Third of the Jobs It Lost During the Financial Crisis
DiNapoli: Wall Street Gets Richer, But Jobs Decline(YNN) Salaries in the financial industry are higher than they were before the crash of 2008 and bonuses on Wall Street are expected to grow by 8 percent to $23.9 billion, but jobs in the securities sector have declined, according to a report released today by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. DiNapoli’s report found that employment on Wall Street totaled 169,700 jobs as of December 2012, a decline of 1,000 jobs from a year earlier. The securities industry in New York City lost 28,300 jobs during the financial crisis and has added only 8,500 and there are 10 percent fewer jobs in New York City.* Wall Street Cuts Jobs but Not Pay: Bonuses Up 9%(NYT) * Wall Street’s Bonus Woes Continue, Despite 8 Percent Uptick(NY Mag) * The New York financial industry has replaced only one-third of the jobs it lost during the financial crisis.(Guardian)


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Cuomo Spin Machine 2.0
Powerful Ally to Governor Sits Out Fight(WSJ) As Gov. Andrew Cuomo heads into this year's spending fights with the Legislature, he does so without a once-powerful ally: the Committee to Save New York.*  Cuomo’s once-powerful ally, the business-backed Committee to Save NY, is sitting out this year’s budget/policy battles, deterred in part by scrutiny of its contributors.

Times Union: DOT engineer forced out by admin for talking to reporter asks for IG probe. * The DOT engineer pressured to retire after talking to a reporter has appealed to the Inspector General’s office to look into the actions of a Cuomo administration executive who went public about the engineer’s disciplinary background.* State GOP Makes a Dirty Joke About Cuomo’s (Mandate Relief) Package(NYO) * George Marlin is not a fan of Cuomo’s pension smoothing plan.

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NYS Government

Tax Collection 
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said that the $538 million spike in tax collections from April to January is an aberration spurred by high earners shifting reportable income into 2012 to avoid this year’s higher federal taxes, the Times-Union reports:

Bloomberg Soda Mission
Mayor: State Should Shift on Sugary Drinks(WSJ) Bloomberg said the state should follow New York City’s lead by banning the sale of large sugary drinks because the city ban does not extend to state-regulated convenience stores and supermarkets* Bloomberg: "State Should Do Exactly The Same Thing" As City With Soda Ban(NY1)* Bloomy: Ban big sodas statewide(NYDN)

Fracking Decision Paralyzed by Indecision
The News’ Bill Hammond watches a documentary on fracking that debunks some misinformation about natural gas drilling, and calls on Cuomo to provide leadership on the issue and not be “paralyzed by indecision”:After watching “FrackNation,” Bill Hammond is convinced most New Yorkers – if given the “full picture” – would realize that certain benefits of “well-regulated” fracking outweigh its risks.* Silver, Assembly Democrats introduce hydrofracking moratorium *Backed By Silver, Assembly Bill Would Delay Fracking Permits 1 Year(YNN)

 NYS Gun Right Rally 
Gun-rights advocates this week are gearing up for what they say will be the largest demonstration to date against New York’s new firearms restrictions, while key provisions of the newly enacted gun laws will soon start to take effect. 

Minimum Wage
Minimum wage, the musical

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Hikind Makes News

Dov Hikind Apologizes for Not Apologizing for Blackface Costume(NY Mag)


Facial profiling! Hypocrite Hikind dresses as black hoopster(NYP) * Assemblyman Defends Wearing Blackface to a Party(NYT) * Hikind Apologizes for Blackface Costume(WSJ) * Brooklyn Assemblyman Downplays Dressing In Blackface(NY1)*Most of the Democratic mayoral candidates also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Assemblyman Dov Hikind‘s Purim outfit, with long-shot Sal Albanese coming down the hardest, followed by front-runner Christine Quinn. Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio were more even-handed, however, with the Mr. Thompson praising Mr. Hikind for playing “a crucial role in bringing together leaders … to stand against racism” and Mr. de Blasio saying he “never found him to be prejudiced against anyone.”*  Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind apologized for wearing blackface and an afro wig at a party celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim after initially dismissing criticism of the costume, The New York Daily News writes: * Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind: Sorry for wearing blac …(NYDN)* Assemblyman Dov Hikind Apologizes After Attending His Purim (WCBS)
The Daily News editorial board on Dov Hikind's Purim mistake: *Hikind Apologizes For Blackface(YNN) *Hikind Takes to Twitter to Apologize Again for Blackface Costume(WSJ)* Lhota: “I would be opposed to any hunting in the five boroughs. Definitely gun hunting I’d be opposed to." * On Dov Hikind & other "public figures who've caused offense by the oblivious sporting of radically offensive outfits"(New Yorker) * Bill de Blasio goes right
  1. New York Politician Dons Blackface: Is that worth a national press furor?

     
    Son of : "there wasn’t the slightest idea that someone would be offended" // Therein lies the problem.

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Traffic Cameras Get Too Popular

Traffic fines are (red) lighter (NYP) Red-light cameras have nothing on New York drivers. The loathed devices snagged far fewer drivers in 2012 than the prior year — a roughly 24 percent drop the city attributes to motorists’ knowing where the cameras lurk and fear of the $50 fines....


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Education


Cuomo To Withold Education Aid Until Teachers, City Agree On Evaluation System(NY1)

Silver Considers Adding Lost School Funding To Budget(NY1)


City Revises Figures for Parent Involvement(WSJ)
"UFT's own charter in trouble"




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Sandy

Sandy buyout offer: 169 on Staten Island say ye$!(NYP) * A Staten Island Neighborhood That Won't Rebuild(WSJ)* Downtown Tower Maps an Overhaul Following Sandy(WSJ) * Automatic Spending Cuts Could Hurt Sandy Victims, 9/11 First Responders(NY1) * City Council Examines Ways To Help Businesses Recovering From Sandy(NY1) * Cuomo announced the Sandy-ravaged Staten Island neighborhood of Oakwood Beach will be first in line for the state’s new policy of buying up waterfront properties vulnerable to storms.* New York Aquarium Announces Plan to Partly Reopen in Spring(NYT) * Paris Cafe Plans Spring Reopening After Hurricane Sandy(DNAINFO) * FEMA Launches Website With Interactive Flood Maps: New Yorkers can now type in their address to see if

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93 WTC

Accounting for 2/26 in a 9/11 Exhibition(NYT) Though there is no direct link between the ’93 and ’01 attacks on the World Trade Center, they will be treated as points on a continuum at the National September 11 Memorial Museum.* On 20th Anniversary, Police Commissioner Says '93 WTC Attack Should Have Been A Warning Sign(NY1) * 20 years ago today the 1st World Trade Center bombing. Please remember the lives lost
New York City marks 20 years since 1st WTC bombing(WABC)
20th anniversary of World Trade bombing(Fox 5)
EXCLUSIVE: Informant Warns Blind Sheik Still a Threat(NBC)
On 20th Anniversary, Police Commissioner Says '93 WTC Attack(NY1)
Port Authority Marks 20 Years Since World Trade Center Bombing(NY1) *City marks 20th anniversary of WTC bombing(NYP)
 

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Cloisters

The Cloisters Opens Up(WSJ)As America's only medieval-art museum approaches its 75th anniversary this spring, its curators are stepping gingerly into the modern world.




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Gentrification

Bike-Corral Debate Exposes Tension in a Brooklyn Community(NYT)The erection of a bike corral on a street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, has provoked the ire of some longtime residents who believe that their concerns over the neighborhood’s evolution are being disregarded.



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Taxi

Yellow Cab Industry Joins City Against For-Hire Vehicle Operators’ Suit (NYT)


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Chinatown Buses


Fung Wah Bus Company Pulls 21 Buses Off Road After Safety Inspection(dnainfo)

Feds shut down Fung Wah Chinatown buses over safety concerns (NYP) * Fung Wah Buses Now Officially Too Dangerous to Be That Cheap(NY mag) * Cheap Bus Fare Lures Riders Despite Company’s Troubles(NYT)


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MTA

fare and toll hikes to go into effect at the beginning of March.


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Soccer
Plans for proposed Queens soccer stadium leaked online(NYP)
Cuomo announced that the Staten Island neighborhood of Oakwood Beach would be the test case for the state’s new policy of buying up waterfront properties vulnerable to storms and future flooding, the News reports: 

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Gambling

Gauging Interests?. . .  Aqueduct was going to spend $4 Billion for a Convention Center to Get Casino Gambling
Aqueduct racino gauging interest in full-tilt casino gabling(NYDN) * Two polls conducted by the Global Strategy Group and paid for by the Malaysian casino giant Genting indicate Cuomo’s push to legalize casino gambling faces an uphill battle in an expected November referendum.

Here Come the Lobbyist and Gambling Interests Opposed to Cuomo Gambling Interests
A recent poll conducted by the Global Strategy Group shows tepid voter support for Cuomo's current plan to place three casinos upstate, with 56 percent opposing full-scale casinos in New York City as well, Crain’s Insider writes:



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Washington

Lew gettin’ close: Senate panel to OK as next Treasury boss(NYP)
Obama’s Treasury Nominee Got Unusual Exit Bonus on Leaving N.Y.U.(NYT)
Republicans Sign Brief in Support of Gay Marriage(NYT)
From Schoolhouse to Factory Floor, Girding for Cuts(NYT)
Not Much Is Sure After Afghan Ban on U.S. Troops(NYT)
The States Get the Bad News(NYT Ed) With only a few days to go, the White House released details of widespread government spending cuts and the pain they would inflict on every state.
Confirm Chuck Hagel(NYY Ed)The filibuster was pernicious from the start, and Mr. Hagel should be approved as defense secretary without further delay
Defense and the Sequester(NYT Ed) The military budget not only can be cut, but should be cut, though not with this kind of political machete.
The GOP's Immigration Dilemma(WSJ)
Kerry Warns Iran on Eve of Talks(WSJ)
America's Red State Growth Corridors - Joel Kotkin, Wall Street Journal
GOP Digs Own Grave With Sequester - Hillary Rosen, Washington Post
The Fairy Tale on Spending Cuts - Michael Tanner, Cato Institute
Rick Scott Runs Up the White Flag - DeWayne Wickham, USA Today
Jack Lew & The Art of the Score - Rich Lowry, New York Post
Senate confirms Hagel for defense secretary(NYP)
Lew Got Unusual Bonus for Exiting NYU - Danny Hakim, New York Times
The Washington Post's Phony Conservative - Pat Buchanan, Pittsburgh TR
Raising Questions Over Role of a First Lady - Krissah Thompson, Wash Post
What Comes Next for Michelle Obama? - Cannon & Bevan, RealClearPolitics
Obama Unlikely to Put House in Play in 2014 - Stu Rothenberg, Roll Call
Republican Reality Check Begins - Ramesh Ponnuru, Bloomberg
Why the Euro Debt Crisis Never Really Ended - Michael Schuman, Time
China Has Its Own Debt Bomb - Ruchir Sharma, Wall Street Journal
Selling Access Is Change No One Can Believe In - Ed Morrissey, The Week
The New Mommy Wars - Joanne Bamberger, USA Today
Shepherds and Sheep - Thomas Sowell, Investor's Business Daily
Why Pistorius Will Cut a Deal - Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker
More on RCP: Nine Major Events in the History of Cyberconflict
President Obama’s nominee to lead the Treasury Department, Jacob Lew, got an unusual $685,000 severance payment when he left a top post at NYU in 2006 to take a job at Citigroup.  
Scarborough Tears Into Christie’s CPAC Snub: Maybe ‘I Am A RINO’ — Since GOP Doesn’t Care About Winning
Hagel Survives Filibuster, Last Big Roadblock to Defense Post(NYT)
Looming Cuts Spur Mass Release of Illegal Immigrants(NYT)
Access For Sale - Washington Examiner
Confirm Chuck Hagel - New York Times
A Time for President Obama to Lead - Washington Post
Health Care Headache on the Horizon - Chicago Tribune
Boehner: No to Obama’s loophole closures(Politico)
Report: Chris Christie will support Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion (Wash Post)
Breaking News: Senate Confirms Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary(NYT)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, once a strident critic of Obamacare, will accept federal cash to expand Medicaid in his state.
The “Ready for Hillary” PAC, founded to support Hillary Clinton’s potential 2016 White House run, has made its first major hire and is gearing up to expand further.
Chris Matthews promised to help Clinton win four years from now.
RINO Chris Christie Basically Just a Communist Now(NY Mag)
Will the sequester really affect meat production? (NY mag)


‘We’re Doomed!’ Jon Stewart Dons Hazmat Suit To Mock Sequester Panic



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Law and Order

To Curb Suits, City Now Opts to Fight Them(NYT) Bloomberg administration has employed a new legal strategy intended to curb the number of civil rights lawsuits against New York City by contesting weaker cases in court rather than offering settlements to avoid trial

In the Post, New York City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. proposes that the State Legislature draft legislation creating a statewide gun-offender registry, similar to the one he helped develop in the city: http://bit.ly/127awt5

9 people hit or killed by NY subways in 6-day spate of injuries -





Body Parts in Bronx Believed to Be Missing Mom, Sources Said(DNAINFO)

 

Dramatic testimony defined the first day of the trial of a city cop accused of plotting to kidnap, kill and eat his female victims, including his estranged wife.
Teary wife testifies about ‘cannibal’ recipes(NYP) * Now it’s her turn to serve him up on a platter(NYP) * Officer’s Wife Testifies in Chilling Cannibal Case(NYT) * Cop's Wife Testifies About Alleged Cannibal Plot(WSJ) * First Day Of Alleged "Cannibal Cop" Trial Filled With Emotion(NY1)
* Teary wife testifies about ‘cannibal’ recipes(NYP)


Defendant’s Wife Testifies In Bizarre ‘Cannibal Cop’ Ca (WCBS) * NYPD officer's cannibalism plot trial enters 2nd day(WABC)
NYer to face judge in politician threats case(WSJ) 
Body parts found in bag dumped on Bronx street(WABC)
Cops respond to reports of body parts in bag(Fox 5)
In Cannibal Trial, Woman Recounts a Warning About a Slavery Plot(NYT)"Cannibal" Cop's Wife: He Wanted To "Have Fun Watching The Blood Gush Out Of Me": Like a Lockhorns cartoon gone...
UPDATE: The wife of the alleged "cannibal cop" reached out to one of his female friends to warn her about him.
'Cannibal cop's' former college pals take stand, all say they told him they were 'just friends'
FBI Agent testifies at 'cannibal cop' trial
At Trial, Officer’s Friend Recalls Abduction Threat(NYT)


Elderly woman targeted in elevator rape attempt(NYP)
Sources: Dismembered Bronx Woman's Son Being Questioned By Police(NY1) 45 YO mother of kid with Down Syndrome, murdered and dismembered in the BX. NYPD questioning older son for the crime.
 

‘Shoplift’ takedown (NYP) An East Village store clerk jumped into action after spotting an alleged shoplifter making a run for it yesterday, chasing and tackling the suspect as the man crashed over displays of merchandise. “You could feel the floor shaking’’ said a witness

Gruesome discovery: Woman's dismembered body found spread out over Bronx nabe(NYP)

Former school attendant alleged source of child porn(NYDN)
B'klyn driver convicted in teacher's death(NYDN)
Ex-personal banker admits bilking elderly woman(NYDN)
Man killed in Brownsville(NYDN)