Thursday, May 23, 2013

Will Our Celebrity Media Culture Reporting Make Weiner the Next Mayor

The Media is Turning Weiner Into A Rock Celebrity Star

The Academy Award Goes To . . .

50 Cameras Outside His House All Day Yesterday
Live TV Coverage At A Subway Station This Morning

After 3 months of daily debates, club and union endorsement, issue papers and attacks on opponents it seems nobody was listening. According to yesterdays polls the two candidates in the lead for Mayor of New York are the still the best know by the public. The candidates who have talk issues in debates are losing support, Quinn and Liu, or flat in the polls, Thompson and de Blasio.

True News PM
  Weiner's Former Congressional Colleagues Quiet About His Mayoral Run(NY1)
* "Weiner tries to broaden the discussion but no sign of Bullworth yet" [Dana Rubinstein]* A Wife With Powerful Ties Is an Unexpected Architect of a New York Comeback(NYT)
*Cuomo’s Attack on Weiner? It’s Now Called a Joke(NYT)
The Politics of Second Chances(NYT Ed)
Do voters think personal scandal matters and what can a politician do to recover from disgrace?



Weiner is a Media Master and He has Reports Eating Out Of His Hands
In a Circuslike Outing, Weiner Hits the Campaign Trail(NYT)
Anthony Weiner was surrounded by members of the news media during a campaign stop in Harlem on Thursday.
Weiner who main issues is his past behavior, not the 64 Keys to the City, is in second place, because our culture values media celebrity.  Of cause this will change in a few days because our media culture stars also burn out fast.  How Weiner makes the transition from rock star to candidate will determine who is New York's next mayor.  In other words can a man who is so tied up in himself step out of that crazy and show New Yorkers he will lead and protect them. Unlike the debates the celebrity of Weiner has the voters listening to what he says.  Stay Tune

 His Good Looking Press Person Delivers Pizza to Reporters
Anthony Weiner hides from the tough questions and serves up pizza for reporters(NYP)
Hold the sausage!(Peyser, NYP) * Weiner the wise(NYP) * Joining Race for Mayor, Weiner Finds Few Allies(NYT)Anthony Weiner’s mayoral campaign hinges on his new image as a political outsider free from the influence of special interest groups and comfortable speaking “uncomfortable truths
Jim Margolis, who was key producer of Obama’s ad campaigns in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, confirmed to the Daily News that he oversaw the creation of the slick 2-minute,16-second video that Weiner used to launch his mayoral campaign.

Weiner This Morning Campaigning  
(NYT) *Huma Abedin Lends Big Assist to Her Husband(WSJ)
The appearance of Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, in his campaign video marked what could be a significant presence of a seasoned political operative in the campaign * For Weiner, a Campaign Apart(WSJ) *  In the Daily News, former Rep. Anthony Weiner lays out his ideas for how to improve New York City, including controlling health care costs and covering the uninsured, as he formally announces his run for mayor * Anthony Weiner tells the Daily News’ Denis Hamill why he deserves a second chance from New York City voters, noting that he likes Police Commissioner Ray Kelly but might bring in someone new to lead the NYPD: * The former congressman is running an unconventional campaign so far, and says – uncharacteristically – that he’s not interesting in attacking anyone this time around.* Andrea Peyser On Anthony Weiner Circus (NYP)

The NYT Picks Up on True News Weiner Colors
Yesterday's True News
"Weiner the Mets Fan Sticks With the Teams Official Colors, Orange and Blue"

Weiner Seeks Redemption With Mayor Race(WSJ)
* Now Batting: An Underdog in Orange and Blue(NYT) Anthony D. Weiner’s Mets loyalty is clean and authentic, the familiar colors of the team all over his campaign Web site.  The Times’ Michael Powell explains how Weiner’s declared fandom of the New York Mets lends to the narrative he’s trying to craft as an authentic, outer-borough “stoop guy”:
 

Weiner walked from 14th street to 's office with reporters following. A Quinn-esque "walk & talk."
Fact-Check: Three Claims in Weiner’s Mayoral Announcement Video(NYT) In his announcement that he is running for mayor, Anthony D. Weiner describes himself as a force to be reckoned with on three key issues. But while Mr. Weiner was known as a fighter, he was not so well known for making a difference. * New Yorkers Respond to Weiner’s Candidacy(NYT) * Rival Candidates Weigh in on Weiner's Mayoral Bid(WSJ) * Democratic Mayoral Field Reacts To Weiner's Run(NY1) * Anthony getting his chain yanked(NYP) Anthony Weiner’s mayoral rivals don’t want voters to forget about his sexting scandal, and several even greeted his candidacy with some hard-edged humor.* Anthony Weiner to court voters in Harlem Thursday(WABC)

Daily News Fake Cover
Daily News runs a fake "what if" cover they might have done, for Anthony Weiner's "scrapbook" (NYO) * Weiner laid out the rationale for his mayoral candidacy in a DN OpEd, and also said: “(I)f some citizens want to ask me questions about my private failings rather than public policy, I understand.” * Weiner revealed that after he resigned from Congress, he went to the Gabbard Center in Houston, a psychiatric facility that specializes in intensive “three-day outpatient psychiatric evaluations.”“I didn’t go to rehab anywhere,” Weiner told Andrea Peyser. “A couple of days I worked with a therapist in Texas I was referred to. Two days, twice, for a total of four days. Or, it might have been three.”* If New Yorkers elected Weiner then “shame on us,” says Cuomo. 

Why Cuomo Didn’t Want To Comment On Weiner(YNN)
Anthony Weiner kicks mayoral campaign into gear with first official event at subway stop in Harlem (NYDN) The former Congressman, followed by a parade of reporters and photographers, started the day in Harlem, before boarding a packed train to the West Village. He later walked to SoHo for a radio interview.* Anthony Weiner buys into bike share and says he won't go on an 'anti-bike lane jihad.' But. . opposes the waste transfer station. Think that leaves as only candidate in favor of it currently* Here's Anthony Weiner discussing the elephant in the room on WNYC this morning.  * Anthony Weiner tells voters: brace yourselves for more inappropriate pics to go public. (Wash Post) * When asked about Anthony Weiner, Rep. Velazquez would rather talk about Vito Lopez. * Cuomo Now Has No ‘Official Position’ On NYC Mayor’s Race(NYY) * Michael Barbaro chronicles Anthony Weiner’s “circuslike” first day on the campaign trail. * As expected, the former congressman did a lot of apologizing. *According to the latest polls, Weiner, who visited Harlem during his first day on the campaign trail, is more popular among minority voters than Bill Thompson, who despite his 2009 run is still largely unknown. *

Anthony Weiner’s N.Y. mayor Web site features skyline … of Pittsburgh?
Offending image of Pittsburgh removed from -- Web company accepts blame for error. * Update: Company that designed Anthony Weiner's website says use of Pittsburgh skyline "is our fault.(WSJ)
Here’s a screenshot of his just-launched campaign site.*
Anthony Weiner May Receive Boost as the Lone Jewish Candidate (NYO) * MSNBC, which was instrumental in boosting Weiner's national profile, is cool on his return. [Reid Pillifant]
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Weiner has so far pissed off TPM and Politico today by questioning how legit they are. Brilliant.
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GOP Cat Savers

Playing for September Forget November
While Lhota/Catsimatidis Set Up State Committee Primaries All Over the City They Send the Wrong Message to the Public for An Outnumbered GOP Candidate to Win

In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-1, the only way for a Republican to win is to force the political debate onto his terrain by changing the questions candidates have to answer.
So why aren’t Republicans boldly forcing the big issues onto the public stage? We’ve got John Catsimatidis making headlines for talking about his wife giving mouth-to-mouth to a cat. We have Joe Lhota coming out against horse carriages, pandering on the East Side garbage-transfer station and apologizing for having opposed the Brooklyn Museum over a dung-covered painting of the Virgin Mary 15 years ago. The other candidates are all but invisible.

Cats Shortchanges Workers
‘Cats’ in jam over legal fees(NYP)Mayoral hopeful and supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis has to fork over nearly $3.9 million to the lawyers of workers who sued him for shortchanging them at his Gristedes stores, a Manhattan appeals court 

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Silver In Danger Again, Episode 14

The Ongoing Perils of Sheldon Silver
GOP women: Dump Silver (NYP)  ALBANY — GOP assemblywomen urged their Democratic sisters to stop the “war on women” by booting Sheldon Silver as speaker for mishandling the Vito Lopez sex scandal.

Former legislative aide Elizabeth Crothers said she received a threatening letter from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office in 2003 after claiming she was raped by Assembly lawyer Michael Boxley, the Daily News writes *  In the Times Union, Republican Assembly members Jane Corwin, Nicole Malliotakis, Annie Rabbitt and Claudia Tenney encourage their Democratic colleagues to vote to remove Silver as Assembly speaker * The Syracuse Post-Standard joins the call for Silver to resign his speakership, and says if he won’t “take the honorable way out” then state Democratic leaders need to replace him.* Assembly GOP: Poll Recall Elections(YNN) * Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb hasn’t called on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to resign, even as the state GOP and some of his own members have done so.



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Quinn Protest District She Created

Quinn Controlled the Redistricting Committee

Now after getting caught moving Lopez house into the district the last minute, she is protesting against the district.  After getting caught she moved moved Lopez's house 4 
Quinn Blasts Vito Lopez For ‘Arrogant,’ ‘Outrageous’ Run For City Council(CBS)

City Council Speaker Advises Lopez 'Quit While You're Behind'


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CBS DA Hynes


"Manhattan Judge To CBS: Turn Over Emails On Brooklyn DA Reality Show"

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True News Wags Vito and Dems

 On Monday True News Call For the Democrats to Remove Lopez From Their Party  . . .  Wednesday They Call for His Removal
By removal True News meant take away his right to be a member of the democrat party. A party can do that. The DSC wimped out and only passed a resolution.





NYS Dems Call For Lopez To Resign Last Remaining Party Posts (Updated)
The Democratic State Committee meeting went off without drama, including a unanimous resolution condemning ex-assemblyman Vito Lopez and a call for him to relinquish his district leader post, the Times Union reports:  * Dems press Vito Lopez to quit another post(NYDN)

Memo from True News:the only thing that matters to him is his enrollment, with that he can run for council and he will be elected

Monday's True News
It is Time for Cuomo Time to Remove Vito Lopez From His Democratic Party Position
It is Time For Cuomo to Get DSC Leader Keith Wright to Remove Vito Lopez From His State Committee Position in the New York Democratic State Committee
Lopez’s girlfriend, Angela Battaglia, showed up for work as usual yesterday as a city planning commissioner despite a week of headlines about her boyfriend grabbing and harassing young women in his office.


Some Williamsburg, Greenpoint Residents Say City Has Failed To Provide Affordable Housing Units(NY1)


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Castro Goes Disney, Halloran to Work
 
 Disgraced former assemblyman Nelson Castro, who wore a wire that exposed his fellow Assembly colleague Eric Stevenson, said that he is considering running for his old seat in the Bronx, the Post learns:







High ho high ho off to work i go
 Indicted City Councilman Dan Halloran attended a Council meeting, saying he was there to “do his job” and eager to vote to support church groups’ right to rent space in schools for worship, the Daily News writes: 







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Campaign 2013

 Follow the Money

Christine Quinn Snags Some Interesting Donors To Her New York City Mayoral Campaign(Huff Post)
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has converted "more past Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney donors into supporters of her own campaign than any other mayoral candidate, a Huffington Post analysis of the latest campaign filings in the race shows." [Matt Sledge and Jay Bolce]



At 5% in the Polls Liu has Heart
via schedule: "6:00 - 10:00 PM – SPEAKS AT NUMEROUS DEMOCRATIC CLUBS @ in New York City."* Democratic NYC mayoral candidate John Liu has picked up the unanimous endorsement of the South Shore Democratic Club.

 Pay to Play Endorsement
Stanton endorser was on payroll
In March, City Council candidate Cliff Stanton touted an endorsement from the Northwest Bronx Democrats  as a “real endorsement,” but his campaign filing shows he paid the leader of that club as a consultant... More.

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Cuomo Flackless Economy


Cuomo Shifting Job Creation Focus Away From Fracking(NY1)


Cuomo Plans to Lure Businesses to SUNY Sites(NYT)
A new Cuomo administration initiative gives qualifying businesses that move onto state college campuses a free ride in paying for taxes and aims to encourage startup businesses, the Syracuse Post-Standard writes
Cuomo, cabinet pushing his tax-free NY proposal(WSJ)
The out-migration, denied by the Cuomo Administration, continues: Johnson out as GOER director - Times Union
As Tech Giants Set Up Shop, Workers Flock to N.Y. - Especially Brooklyn
Donors Urge Cuomo to Press for Public Financing of State Campaigns(NYT)
About 140 major political donors, including more than 50 Obama fundraisers, urged Cuomo to push the Legislature to pass campaign finance reform, hoping that it will resonate nationally * The governor wants to eliminate sales taxes and property, business and corporate taxes – for 10 years – for companies that set up shop on or near State University of New York campuses. ““I want a little shock and awe here,” Cuomo said. The Senate Democrats made another push for a fracking moratorium.* Krueger: Tax-Free NY Is A Scandal Waiting To Happen(YNN) * JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon called Cuomo’s Tax-Free NY “the type of visionary thinking we need from our leaders.”

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.'s E.J. McMahon: Cuomo's Tax-Free NY plan "highly unlikely to generate growth on a game-changing scale"

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NYS Government


 Guns
Assembly Approves SAFE Act Tweak(YNN)

Fracking
Cuomo says he’ll make a decision on whether to allow hydrofracking in New York before the 2014 election.

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Bloomberg Talking To

True News PM
I f**king forget (NYP) Mayor Bloomberg claimed yesterday he doesn’t remember unloading an f-bomb-laced tirade on a taxi-fleet kingpin during a Knick game last week — but then launched into another attack on the industry.  Mike’s reckless driving(NYP ED) The Post writes that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s outburst at a taxi CEO raises a legitimate gripe about a lack of competition in the taxi industry and that he can solve it with a medallion buy-back program * Mayor Bloomberg Can’t Remember Who He’s Cursed Out(NY Mag)

We said yesterday that New York’s arbitrary treatment of Madison Square Garden makes the city look like a banana republic. We may have been too kind. It turns out the mayor, just a week earlier, made our point himself in a far more colorful way. The incident occurred at a Madison Square Garden VIP club, where Bloomberg bumped into Gene Friedman, CEO of one of the city’s largest taxi fleets. Friedman had recently won a lawsuit that put on hold one of Bloomberg’s pet projects, the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow. As The Post reported, Friedman approached Bloomberg to ask about the judge’s decision. Whereupon the mayor screamed: “Come Jan. 1, when I am out of office, I am going to destroy your f--king industry.” And then: “After January, I am going to destroy all you f--king guys.”* New Permit May Aid Push to Move MSG(WSJ) The City Planning Commission denied Madison Square Garden's request to operate indefinitely on its current site, reopening questions about moving the arena and shifting a hot-button political issue to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. * Woman Involved in Weiner Sexting Scandal Disapproves of Mayoral Bid (NYO)

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Bloomberg Off Shores Accounts

Mayor Bloomberg has grown his real estate portfolio. * Bloomberg disclosed for the first time this year that he has personal HSBC bank accounts in London, Paris, Bermuda and Hong Kong, in addition to his accounts in America.
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 Union's Demand


Firehouse to Close More 911 Workers Needed

Union blasts FDNY for underreporting response time(WSJ)
 Ralliers Demand City Hire 400 More Workers For 911 Call Center(NY1)


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Sandy

Post-Hurricane Aquarium to Partly Reopen With Lower Cost and Half the Animals(NYT)


Crime-deterring surveillance cameras for Rockaways delayed by 'red tape'(NYP)

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Gambling Problems


The Cayuga Nation has “grave concerns” about the recently announced deal that gives the Oneida Indian Nation exclusive gaming rights in Central New York, including Cayuga County.
The chairman of the State Senate's Racing and Wagering Committee wants the first three new casinos in the Catskills, Souther Tier and Capital Region. [James Odato]


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Spy and Say Hey Streets



A Soviet Spy in Congress Still Has His Street(NYT)
When a block on the Lower East Side was named 50 years ago to honor Samuel Dickstein, a former American congressman, not even the F.B.I. suspected that Mr. Dickstein had been a paid Soviet agent.



  • A-Mays-ing ways to honor Willie(NYDN)There are currently two completely different proposals before the City Council to co-name a street for legendary New York Giants slugger Willie Mays.
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Washington WTF

JUST IN: 5PM IRS official who took the 5th amendment yesterday in congressional hearings placed on administrative leave
I solemnly swear – to say nothing WASHINGTON — Her lips are sealed. Lois Lerner, head of the tax-exempt office at the heart of the IRS scandal, yesterday stared down a House panel and invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

I.R.S. Official Who Refused to Testify Is Suspended(NYT)


Twist in Fox ‘hound’ (NYP) WASHINGTON — The government’s efforts to snoop on Fox News reporter James Rosen during a leak investigation were broader than first revealed — extending to other Fox reporters and even included Rosen’s parents’ home on Staten Island.
Pivoting From a War Footing, Obama Acts to Curtail Drones(NYT)

Jon Stewart Trades Barbs With O’Reilly Over Fox News: Do Obama Scandals Give You ‘Sexual Arousal?’

Government Gone Wild - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
Why 2nd-Term Scandals Are Almost Inevitable - Cass Sunstein, Bloomberg
Obama's Culture of Intimidation - Sen. Mitch McConnell, Washington Post
Issa's Restraint at IRS Hearing May Benefit GOP - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RCP
Just Say No (Special Prosecutor) - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
What's the Real Story on When Obama Knew? - Ed Rogers, Washington Post
House Chair: Senate Bill Repeats Mistakes of 1986 - Byron York, Examiner
Blacks, Conservatives and Plantations - Charles Blow, New York Times
Who Has the Edge in Va. Governor's Race? - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics
A White House Under Siege - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal
Why Obama's Scandals Won't Lead to Reform - Ezra Klein, Bloomberg
Targeting Journalists Is an Unconstitutional Act - Nick Gillespie, Dly Beast
What Happened to Economic Growth? - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes
Pipe Dreams of Pipeline Jobs - Rep. Conyers & Lennox Yearwood, Politico
Will the Iowa Caucuses Remain First? - Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics
Conservative Plan to Starve Government Pays Off - Noam Scheiber, TNR
Obama's Lawlessness - George Will, Washington Post
IRS Stonewalling Makes the Case for Special Prosecutor - Chicago Tribune
The Apple Tax Diversion - Wall Street Journal
Another Chilling Leak Investigation - New York Times
Apple Makes Case for Corporate Tax Reform - Washington Post
Morning Joe Guest: Obama’s ‘Jihad Against The Press’ Will Lead To More ‘Dumb Wars’
RNC Chair Spars With MSNBC's Heilemann Over IRS: 'Don't Need To Plead The Fifth If You've Done Nothing Wrong' (VIDEO)
Jon Stewart absolutely takes apart former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan.


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Law and Order
'Stop' Critic Eyes Tactic(WSJ) * NYCLU Finds 2012 Stop-And-Frisks Led To More Marijuana Arrests Than Gun Arrests(NY1)
In Review of Brooklyn Cases, So Many Obstacles(NYT)

As investigators look at 50 convictions originally investigated by a discredited police detective, Louis Scarcella, they will start with lists of witnesses who are dead or hard to find.
Despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's criticisms, support for creating an NYPD inspector general hit 68 percent in today's Quinnpiac University poll. [Celeste Katz]
Grand jury indicts Elliot Morales for West Village anti-gay hate killing (NYDN)

"He was sexually abused as a child by a male authority figure which led to a lifetime of alcoholism and drug abuse," his attorney said, adding, "It's a terrible tragedy."


Vagrant ’fess in gay bash (NYP) A homeless man turned himself in yesterday for a gay-bias attack in the East Village, cops said. Gornell Roman, 29, pummeled the victim, 45, as he taunted him with anti-gay slurs on Monday, authorities said. * Suspect in Antigay Attack in East Village Is Arrested(NYT) Gornell Roman, accused of beating a gay man after a rally Monday, surrendered outside a Bronx station house, the police said.* Photos: After Alleged Anti-Gay Murder, a Look at the West Village (WSJ) * Arrest Made In Lower East Side Bias Attack(NY1)
 

Questions About Police Response to Killing of a Gay Man in October(NYT)
The killing of Louis Rispoli, a gay rights activist, has prompted two investigations: one into the crime and the other into why officers first declared that no crime had occurred.


Tow truck driver helps catch hit-and-run suspect in Que(WABC)

Court Documents Detail a Deadly Family Feud From Brooklyn to Pakistan(NYT)
Amina Ajmal escaped Pakistan, describing years of captivity and forced marriage; now her father is suspected of ordering two murders in retaliation for her escape.
Police Seek Four More Suspects In Connection With Queens Man's Abduction
Girl, 12, Grazed by Bullet in Manhattan Apartment(NBC)
 
He’s a freed thinker, too (NYP)  An ex-con who served more than 17 years in the slammer for a murder he didn’t commit graduated from Mercy College yesterday — after earning most of his credits behind bars.
Queens Man Is Rescued After Being Held for Ransom(NYT)
Detective Convicted of Attempted Murder in Queens (NYT)

The ordeal of Pedro Portugal, 52, a businessman, ended when officers posing as building inspectors raided a warehouse where he was kept for 32 days, the authorities said. * Three Men Arrested For Allegedly Abducting, Holding Queens Resident For Ransom(NY1)
* Suspects Charged With Kidnapping Queens Man, Holding Him(WABC)

Cops seek man who robbed Queens can collector(NYDN)




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Terrorism

(AP) -- UK police: 2 more arrests linked to hacking death of British soldier in London.

  • Butchers strike london(NYP) Two home-grown terrorists shouting “God is Great” in Arabic savagely hacked and decapitated a British soldier in broad daylight on a London street yesterday — then tried to justify the barbaric attack in a rant caught on videotape. * Bloody London(NYP Ed)

The Backlash Has Begun in London’s Hacking Death(NY Mag)


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London - Brave Woman Tried To Reason With Islamist Attackers

Marathon fiend had killed before (NYP)  Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev took part in a triple murder and robbery in 2011 — and then used the proceeds to get his terror training in Russia, his accomplice told an FBI agent before he was shot dead. Ibragim Todashev, 27, was writing

Cleric names suspect after video of brutal soldier attack released - UK cops raid home(NYP)
Anti-muslim group clashes with UK police, attacks mosques near terror hack (NYP)attack site

A Quinnipiac poll finds that 82 percent of New York City voters support increased use of surveillance cameras in public places, while 62 percent are worried about another terrorist attack in the city: http://bit.ly/18iHWnO

NYPD beefs up security at British Consulate(Fox News)