Monday, April 8, 2013

Media Reports the Corruption But is Silent on Solutions

At New York's Hign Noon of Corruption New York Media Is MIA
Bloomberg Tells the Media to Do Something
Monday Media Continues Stonewalling
  
Who is the Media Protecting?
to DN & Post reporters on corruption: "You want to fix it? Stop just writing stories about it and do something."Bloomy: They’re all losers(NYP)

For 12 Years Bloomberg and His DOI Has Covered Up Corruption
 The Post’s Michael Benjamin debunks Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s innocence with regard to the corruption in New York City politics, saying he’s “playing the game, even as he denounces it”
Mike’s Dirty Hands. “(Mayor) Bloomberg seems to think he has nothing to do with the corruption of city politics, when he in fact has played the game like a master — even while staying inside the bounds of the law.”* Was Andrew Cuomo's "rich" remark a dig at Michael Bloomberg? [Jennifer Fermino and Ken Lovett] * Bloomberg now, says Cuomo's bill-propulsion methods are perfectly normal cc:  

True News PM
* Bloomberg, Holding Nose, Opened Wallet. Mayor Shocked, Shocked, at $ corruption of politics. My Gotham column:(NYT) * Criticism of Cuomo Grows as the Problems in Albany Endure(NYT)


 Breaking: The NYT Speech On NYT Corruption
On Tuesday the  NYT Finally Printed An Editorial On How to Fix NY Pol Corruption 
What Reform Will Require(NYT)
Of all the proposed reforms, the most critical is to open up elections so that voters have real choices. And that means creating a workable public financing system to encourage more candidates to come forward, much as New York City did almost 25 years ago. The New York Public Interest Research Group found that over the last 30 years, only 55 incumbents have been defeated in general elections.



NYT Dump Wilson Pakula and Special Elections
There are, of course, other useful changes to be made. The scandalous tradition that allows party leaders to sell party lines on election ballots must be brought to an end. That party leaders can handpick the candidates for special elections after an incumbent’s retirement, death or conviction (not an uncommon occurrence these days) is another odious feature of New York’s political life.

NYT: Reform the Board of Election
Mr. Cuomo and the Legislature should also pass a law to make it easier for voters to change party registration (which can now take more than a year), and to revamp the state and New York City boards of elections. The city board is riddled with patronage jobs and incompetence. The state board has so little enforcement authority that it is widely dismissed as a joke. 

NYT Tells Bharara Keep Going
Mr. Bharara said he yearned for something better than what he called this “blunt prosecutor’s tool.” Right now, that is the best that voters have until Mr. Cuomo provides for wider and better choices at election time.

True New Will Take Not Credit for Putting Pressure on the NYT to Present A Plan to Clean Up Politics, We Were Just Doing Out Job

The Silent Spring of the NYT

On Saturday NYT
A Tax Scandal Adds to French Malaise(NYT Ed) What happened to those promises of clean government and economic
Today the Daily News Said Biker Should Pay Their Own Way The Daily News argues that New York City’s Five Boro Bike Tour should pay for its own policing costs because the amount of Bike New York’s charitable donations do not justify taxpayer support:

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Civil War in Albany

 Dicker Throws Gasoline on the Corruption Fire
Stung Hard by US Attorney Preet Bharara’s 
Cuomo Fed Up With Two Decades of Silver's Dysfunction Rule
 Fredric U. DickerGet the Shel outta here: gov
Gov. Cuomo considering ousting Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver(Dicker, NYP)  Cuomo and his top aides are looking to use last week’s round of embarrassing scandals in Albany to oust Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — and they’re already eyeing an upstate lawmaker to replace him, The Post has learned.  Silver was caught up in Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s sexual-harassment scandal.* Another Dicker snub from the gov? These are momentous days we're witnessing here, you and I.*Governor Cuomo Denies Plot to Oust Shelly Silver(NYO)

Silver Set and Feed the Corruption
“Shelly’s been the master of gaming the corrupt system for 20 years. He’s made millions off of it, and the coalition that keeps him in power are the ones who feed off the corrupt system,” a Cuomo administration source Cuomo reported  strategy would first be to privately demand Silver step down as speaker or resign entirely. But if Silver resists, Cuomo would use his clout as Democratic leader to start organizing a mutiny among lawmakers once loyal to the speaker, sources said. If Silver got the boot, his replacement could be Rochester Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, who became Democrat majority leader earlier this year with Silver and Cuomo’s blessing.  But Morelle would face fierce opposition by the Assembly’s huge bloc of New York City members, who wouldn’t want to see the powerful position shift upstate.Every speaker since the Democrats recaptured the Assembly in 1974 has been a Big Apple Democrat.* Law prof says on NY gun law: We Need an IQ Test for Politicians, * ProPublica’s Joe Sexton calls Albany “a black hole within which the forces of greed have to date overwhelmed all good sense and every call for redemption.”*  Fred LeBrun says dealing with public corruption is now Cuomo's baby. He can no longer boast an end to dysfunction* New TV spot from the urges "Washington" to follow @NYGovCuomo on guns.  * : "These are crises, but they are also opportunities."
* In Interview, Cuomo Floats Corruption Remedies(YNN) * Governor Cuomo Denies Plot to Oust Shelly Silver(NYO) * Cuomo: ‘Never Waste a Crisis’ — Where We’ve Heard That Before * Governor Cuomo Decries 'Appalling' Corruption Allegations(NYO) * Gov. Cuomo not disclosing his plan for fixing Albany ethics  * Cuomo, Citing New Scandals in Legislature, Vows a Push to Change Laws(NYT) * Cuomo can pressure the legislature into enacting laws to fight corruption, thanks to the threat of empaneling a Moreland Commission. [Nick Reisman]

B4 pilloring Spkr Silver remember who rebuilt Democratic party when Mario left us broke. DACC rebuilt brand & elected 109 Assembly Dems.

Donors to the New York State Democratic Party's housekeeping account. [Michelle Breidenbach]
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Tabloid Civil War On Albany Corruption

Cuomo report sparks NYC tabloid war(Politico)

Lovett Vs Dicker
Gov. Cuomo Insiders Deny He Is Looking To Take Down Sheldon Silver  * Gov. Cuomo Called On To Push For Expanded Corruption Probe Powers For NYS AG(NYDN)
Fred Dicker: "Ken was obviously hurting because he got scooped again on a big story"
* Sheldon Silver To Scandal-Scarred Conference: We'll Get Through This Together   * An ad campaign planned to boost key Cuomo policy agenda items is a sign the state DEmocratic Party is gearing up for the 2014 elections.* "The bigger scandal in the Empire State continues to be what the politicians do that’s legal."




Cuomo's Moreland Act Would Force Lobbyist to Spill the Beans on Pay to Play Albany
The overhaul could include a Moreland Act Commission that would put influential lobbyists under oath to testify on how the system of corruption works. Also under consideration is a ban on the “cross endorsement” of candidates of one political party by another party. Cuomo is also eyeing a repeal of the “Wilson-Pakula” law, which allows candidates from one party to run on another party’s ticket. 





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Smith "the Bull" Rat Blow Up AEG Pols?

 
What Will the Arrest of Malcolm Smith Mean to the AEG Investigation?
The arrest of Sen. Malcolm Smith reignited speculation that charges could finally come in the AEG scandal. 

Sheinkopf took the 5th when asked questions by the NY former state Inspector General Joseph Fisch about the AEG scandal which is still being investigated by the feds as part of the AEG investigation.  The Feds are also investigating a Board Of Election (the cesspool of political corruption) contract for new machines that Sheinkopf was a lobbyist for. Feds investigate switch by Board of Elections ... - New York Post   * True News: Outrageous, Dirty Lobbyist Sheinkopf A Character ...
   * Malcolm in the muddle : State senator arrested in corruption scandal(Amsterdam News)* NYC Councilman Dan Halloran’s chief of staff has resigned.

Diaz: I Am Not A Crook(YNN)
 
Pay to Play Dept Mayor
 Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret took $1,000 from a cooperative witness in a “corrupt agreement” made prior to his arrest for his alleged involvement in state Sen. Malcolm Smith’s corruption case, The Journal News writes:  

No Finance Enforcement
No one wants to enforce a 2004 court ruling barring pols from using money raised for higher office (by )

Mayoral Hopefuls Twitter Sucks
NYC Mayor Hopefuls (Not) Burning Up Twitter  

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Cover Up of the Lopez Cover Up

JCOPE has joined the chorus of those calling for the “expeditious” release of its scathing report on the sexual harassment allegations against Assemblyman Vito Lopez.


9m
Vito J. Lopez registered as a candidate for in the elections.

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Pay to Play Klien
 

Goo Goos Wine At Pay to Play Klien
Critics stomp on stained wine pol(NYP)  Good-government groups and a fellow Democrat yesterday criticized Bronx state Sen. Jeff Klein for pushing a bill benefiting a national wine distributor that contributed $33,000 to his campaign.* Sen. Jeff Klein lost a key elections law case in 2004 that could have bankrupted his campaign, but didn’t.

The state’s Office of Medicaid Inspector General is looking into the four businessmen charged with bribing Assemblyman Eric Stevenson and what they are doing with the Medicaid dollars they’ve received for their managed care companies, the New York Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes: * Stevenson said he was “surprised” when the feds arrived to arrest him, and claimed to have been reading his Bible at the time. 

Baghdad Silver

Silver email Fri: "You and the vast majority of our Assembly colleagues are people of true honor and integrity."


Albany Staff Bonuses  $500,000
You paid 500G in bonuses(NYP)WASHINGTON — New York City and Long Island lawmakers lavished their staffs with more than $500,000 in taxpayer-funded bonus pay at the end of 2012 — some of the most generous sums in the nation


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Board of Elections

What About the voting machines investigation?
Savino, Polanco Hit With Fed Subpoenas in $40 Million ES&S Contract-Mangone Was Lobbyist

WTF
31m
Want to thank the the Citizens Union, good government activists and electeds on both sides of the aisle supporting my reappointment to BOE.* GOP rebel J.C. Polanco hands Board of Elections to Bronx Democrats(2010 NYDN)

NYS Board of Election says they sent out 204 notices for non-filers in 2012.
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Quinn Hit on Term Limits/Slush Fund


Outside Group Hits Quinn on Term Limits
New ad to blast Christine Quinn on term limits(NYP) Outside Group Invests in Effort to Block Quinn’s Campaign for Mayor(NYT) A coalition of left-leaning labor unions and Democratic activists who say they are not backing any one candidate had pledged over $1 million to defeat Christine C. Quinn, the front-runner.* Mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn dubbed 'power-hungry politician' (NYDN) * New Ad Targets Quinn On Term Limits, Living Wage Bill 
(NY1)* Christine Quinn, under attack, defends the matching-funds program(Capital) Quinn: "we have no place for this type of independent expenditure in our great public system." cc: * Quinn Uses ‘Anybody But Quinn’ Campaign to Fund-raise for Her Own(NYO) * Of course campaign already accusing of being behind new anti-Quinn PAC* Cheliotes: "We live in the world of Citizen United…" [NY1] * De Blasio released a video attacking Quinn for member items, featuring Dan Halloran. [My.BillDeBlasio.com] * In an email to supporters, Quinn said the attack ads were "funded by those closely aligned with my opponents." [Andrew Grossman]


 Quinn Like Corp Money But Not Pacs Against Her
  1. Mayoral Hopeful Chris Quinn Pushes Back Against PAC Attack With Fundraising Pitch(NYDN) In 2009 A  decision by the Campaign Finance Board said that candidates who had collected money from certain corporations or partnerships before those contributions were banned in 2008 could use that money in 2013. And that provides a boost to Mr. Weiner and Ms. Quinn, as well. Those contributions cannot be matched by public funds, but Mr. Weiner has $240,000 in such funds, and Ms. Quinn $164,000.


May not be agreement on who alternative to Quinn should be in NYC but opponents may not care; They launch anti-camp


I actually think independent groups doing this is a good idea as it avoids the problem of candidate bein seen as negative


New York City Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota took swipes at one of his Democratic opponents, Quinn, yesterday, saying City Council member items should not be given out at the Speaker’s discretion
Lhota, at City Hall, Proposes Ways to Curb Corruption(NYT) * Lhota, Quinn Trade Swipes on Ethics(WSJ) * hopeful Joe Lhota Targets "Tsunami Of Sleaze," Calls For Limits On Donations To Parties * NYC GOP mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota, who worked for ex-prosecutor/former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, is trying to position himself as an anti-corruption crusader.* Rudy Giuliani To Headline Staten Island Fundraiser For Joe Lhota more to follow* A lengthy look at "The Future of The GOP" [Morgan Pehme] * Lhota praised former speaker Peter Vallone Sr. [Sally Goldenberg]


Lhota Calls for Term limits on Albany Leadership Positions
On Sunday Joe Lhota got off a soundbite with some heat on it as he railed against political corruption in the wake of this week's spate of arrested politicians. But The New York Times wouldn't play along, couching the quote in such a meta way it pretty much lost its pizazz: "Mr. Lhota offered a quotable phrase ('This tsunami of sleaze has to end') as well as proposals for ethics reform." Lhota called for term limits for party chairmen, a ban on them running for office, and revocation of government pensions for those convicted of a crime. He had enough fiery quotes however ("what I really wish is that the people of New York become as outraged as I am"), so we're sure he's able to look past the paper neutering one. *The Times Won't Let Lhota Have His Best Soundbite(NY Mag)

Catsimatidis
Catsimatidis to NYT: 'I can't be bought - just like Bloomberg'. But they can & do buy those who can be bought:

Weiner
Weiner and Abedin did an interview with the New York Times magazine. [Dylan Byers] 

Sakgado
And here’s the full video from long-shot Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado‘s campaign announcement Thursday:

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Real World Unemployment


As New York Pols Steal $$$ New Yorkers Are Out of Work
Laboring for Work: National unemployment is down, but Bronx job-seekers are still hard hit (NYDN) State Dept. of Labor estimates show the Bronx had the second highest unemployment rate in the state, 12.5%, in February
 
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Spying on Albany Crooks
 


Is Someone Recording This? It’s Harder to Find Out(NYT)Making secret recordings for the police has grown safer as miniaturization has made modern recorders and transmitters difficult to detect.

Vinny Tabone Did Not Find the Wire
"And frisking an undercover agent for a wire, as Mr. Tabone allegedly did, can be as fruitless as finding a pay phone and 'dropping a dime' to call the police." [Wendy Ruderman]*  looked into why Vince Tabone, one of the arrested officials who allegedly patted down one of the cooperators, was unsuccessful in finding the wire tap: “Today, eavesdropping equipment is sophisticated enough to record high-definition video and sound, and stream it live to a remote computer. Devices no bigger than a pen cap can be slipped into a coat pocket and easily record through the person’s clothing.”


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MSG Fight Night



Monster fight looms at Madison Square Garden(CrainNY) Pols and others choose sides in growing arena vs. Penn Station controversy.

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Hospital Protest


 Supporters Rally To Protect Long Island College Hospital From Closure(NY1)
Union members, residents and hospital workers came out to show their support for Long Island College Hospital, which is operating under the threat of closure.*Maternal mortality, HIV rates spike for black women in (NYDN) * A Closer Look At State DOH's Plan To Make NYers Healthi (NY1) * Cabbie Disappears in Jamaica Hospital for Days(NY Mag)



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Shared Business Offices

Outside Manhattan, Hybrid Real Estate Services Survive(NYT)The practice of agencies’ sharing offices with tax services has slowed as business has grown more competitive, but in some areas of the city, it is still mutually beneficial.

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Gentrification

Williamsburg Gentrification Especially Hard on Hip Babies(NY Mag)


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Middle East Transit Authority?

Middle East politics are now being debated on subway, train and bus ads. [Matt Flegenheimer]

New Subway Maps
New Screens in the Subway Will Guide Riders and Sell to Them, Too(NYT)


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Education

 Faking the grade (NYP) A Manhattan elementary-school principal ordered his subordinates to fabricate teacher ratings — because he simply neglected to do the reviews in the first place, city documents show. * Data Shows Teachers Stay in Job Longer(WSJ) * Without vaccination, kindergartner barred from Staten Island (SI Advance) * More than 80% of public schoolteachers now have at least five years experience, up from less than two-thirds when Bloomberg took office in 2002, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of city data.

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Gambling $$$


Resorts World Casino at the Aqueduct racetrack generated a record $71.2 million in revenue during March, pumping $31.3 million into the state’s coffers.  

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Sandy

Reshaping Shore Homes(WSJ)Four months after superstorm Sandy, the bungalow-lined streets of Breezy Point will give way to modern, hurricane-proof construction that will elevate homes at a variety of heights.* Doors from Sandy-Destroyed Homes Serve as Tables, Walls (NBC)



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Media


Newspaper Revenue Declines At Slowest Pace In Six Years(Huff Post)

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Washington
A Platform, or Several, for Middle East Politics(NYT)

 Missile defense beef-up vs. Kim(NYP) * U.S. Draws Up Counterpunch for Provocation by North Korea(NYT)

Bill Clinton threw the 2016 speculation machine into overdrive when he said America will have some “very good choices” in the next presidential contest.
Harold Ickes, a top Democratic fundraiser and longtime Clinton supporter, is advising a pro-Hillary Clinton super-PAC in preparation for her potential 2016 run. 
 Obama Walks a Fine Line as Congress Takes Up Agenda(NYT) Obama’s second-term priorities — the deficit, gun safety and immigration — may hinge on his ability to inject himself into negotiations to just the right degree.
Government Paternalism Is Good for You - Cass Sunstein, The New Republic
We Need an IQ Test for Politicians - Glenn Reynolds, New York Post
Why Is Congress So Afraid of Gun Control? - Margaret Talbot, New Yorker
Obama's 1 Percent Lifestyle Hits a Nerve - Joseph Curl, Washington Times
A Republican Revival in 2014? - Page Gardner & Celinda Lake, Politico
ObamaCare, Insurance and Freedom - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Reflections of a Medical Ex-Practitioner - Ed Marsh, Wall Street Journal
Obama's Act of Political Malpractice - Ruth Marcus, Washington Pos
margaret thatcher Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Dead At 87

UK's 'Iron Lady' suffered stroke, served as prime minister from 1979-1990(NYP)

Margaret Thatcher Dies; Remade Britain(NYT)
Good Looks Shouldn't Matter, But They Do - Katrina Trinko, USA Today
President Takes Control In 2nd Term - McMorris-Santoro & Smith, BuzzFeed
Yes, Sequestration Is Actually Bad - Jon Favreau, The Daily Beast
Britain's Welfare System Has Lost Its Way - David Cameron, The Sun
Debunking Krugman's European Austerity Narrative - Dan Mitchell, Cato
Would Immigration Bill Aid Republicans? - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RCP
A New US Renaissance - David Petraeus & Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Post
Facebook Leans In - Kurt Eichenwald, Vanity Fair
Margaret Thatcher Dies, Aged 87 - Rayner & Swinford, Daily Telegraph
Scarborough Outraged Over Gun Filibuster: GOP Basically Putting Rapists’ Rights Over Parents’ Rights
Federalism: How to Restore Government's Credibility - DC Examiner
Firing the Worst Teachers - Los Angeles Times
It's the Obama Economy. And It Is Dreadful - New Hampshire Union Leader
NRA Fails Again on School Plan - Denver Post
How the Senate is becoming more and more like the House.(Fix)
Obama Takes Gun-Control Campaign to Connecticut Again(NYT)
Invoking Dead From Newtown, Obama Presses Gun Laws(NYT)
In a 30-second video advertisement, Rep. Pete King, the dean of New York’s congressional Republicans stares straight into the camera and makes a case for stricter gun regulation at the federal level, calling it the “one issue that should not be about politics.”
The Formidable Margaret Thatcher - George Will, Washington Post
Thatcher Was a Political Phenomenon - Anne Perkins, The Guardian
A Foe of Unions and Communism - Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today
First, Thatcher Had to Win Over Her Own Party - Ben Domenech, Transom
Obama & the Myth of the Bully Pulpit - George Condon, National Journal
The End of Majority Rule? - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
Poetic Justice for Gun Control Advocates - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
Republicans Tapping Into Libertarian Ideas - James Hohmann, Politico
Global Warming: The Silent Disaster - Arnold Schwarzenegger, LA Times
Divide Deepens Between Main Street & D.C. - Salena Zito, Pittsburgh TR
No, Thatcher Wouldn't Have Been a Liberal Now - Jamelle Bouie, TAP
Thatcher, Freedom, and Free Markets - Larry Kudlow, National Review


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Law and Order

At Trial Over Police Tactic, Judge’s Focus Shifts From Stopping to Frisking(NYT)As proceedings over the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy enters the fourth week, questions about the extent of searches stand in contrast to much of the public debate. During the federal trial over the New York Police Department’s use of the controversial stop-and-frisk tactic, Judge Shira Scheindlen has made a point of questioning witnesses about the manner in which officers’ frisk their suspects

Sen. Charles Schumer joined with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to demand that background checks be conducted on all gun sales in the nation, just days before such legislation is expected to hit the floor of the US Senate.
Police Search For Two Men Who Robbed Boy In Morris Heights
MTA restores cops at bridges & tunnels(NYP)
Biker: I dent do it! (NYP) The city added a thousand-dollar insult to an already painful injury when it demanded that a Brooklyn cyclist pay for damage to the police car that struck and sent him flying.
 Times Square Cookie Monster jailed for altercation with (NYDN)
Driver Is Charged in Death(WSJ)
Parents Patrol Nannies Online(WSJ)Neighborhood listservs, social media and websites have given concerned neighbors—most now armed with cellphone cameras—a platform to report nanny behavior that raises their eyebrows.
 Cab Driver Turns Self In After Deadly Hit-And-Run(NY1)
Suspect charged with murder in Brooklyn stabbing(WSJ)
 Teenager Arrested For Bronx Fire That Left Several Homeless(NY1)
\Back-Alley Burglar Used Fire Escapes To Sneak Into Victims' Homes(NY1)
Bronx man fatally shot in Co-Op City(NYDN)
FDNY nabs teen firebug suspect after Bronx blaze(NYDN)
I-Team: Prosecutors Rarely Punished When Convictions Cr (NBC)
Queens Man Charged In Girlfriend's Stabbing Death(NY1)
B'klyn thug convicted of slaying teen to keep her from pressing charges against friend()NYP)

Woman’s Corpse Lay Hidden for Hours on Tracks at Subway Station(NYT)

Female court officers feeling the 'squeeze' from state mandate on bulletproof vests(NYP)






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Terrorism

Citing Budget Cuts, Public Defenders Seek Relief in Terrorism Case(NYT)Lawyers representing a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden have asked a judge not to hold an earlier trial because automatic government budget cuts are requiring furloughs in their office.