Friday, May 24, 2013

The Truman Weiner Bizarro Media Show

 Weiner Press Coverage Hijacks the Mayoral Campaign 

Anthony Weiner re-emerged on the political stage yesterday, charming voters, cracking jokes, and earnestly explaining some of his policy ideas, as his campaign for New York City mayor held its first public event. One political observer said the round the clock press coverage was the opposite of the Truman show movie where the subject was unaware that he was being broadcasted live on TV 24/7.  Trailed by dozens of reporters, photographers and cameramen who interfered with his attempts to interact with voters and then caused a scene everywhere he went.  Weiner knows that with his none stop press coverage, he has taken over the mayoral campaign. And the media master which he is doing everything to keep his round the clock coverage going.  Yesterday True News asked Will Our Celebrity Media Culture Reporting Make Weiner the Next Mayor? In the next few days we will get to see how the coverage is effecting the polling in the mayoral campaign.  Stay tuned.  
For Weiner, a Campaign Apart 

Weiner Need the Press to Win
Anthony Weiner likely will run a very different race for New York mayor than his Democratic rivals, relying less on the institutional support of unions and other city powerbrokers while leveraging his notoriety into attention for his campaign and his ideas. * Candidate Weiner Takes to the Campaign Trail (WSJ) * Weiner Participates In First Mayoral Forum(NY1) * Andrea Peyser: Anthony Weiner gets rude awakening at Harlem subway station


NYP and Daily News Must Believe Dick Jokes Sell Newspapers

1h
GOV TAKES STIFF POKE AT WEINER

Weiner goes around the Tabloids who have been hitting him with dick jokes to the local papers
“You can just as easily talk to the New York Post but this is much more fruitful” Anthony Weiner to





Cuomo "Shame on Us' If We elect Weiner
Cuomo’s office insists that he was kidding
Gov. Cuomo: 'Shame on us' if we elect Weiner mayor(NYP)
The Post’s Bob McManus writes that Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin’s past gigs as consultants warrant further investigation ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo took a bite out of Anthony Weiner — declaring “shame on us” if city voters elect him mayor. Cuomo flamed Weiner during an interview Wednesday with The Syracuse Post-Standard..*Tony’s ‘good fortune’ (NYP) Behind Weiner’s consulting gigs *
Cheers and Taunts in Candidate’s Circuslike Return to Political Stage(NYT) During his first day on the campaign trail of New York’s mayoral race, Anthony D. Weiner was the wisecracking know-it-all, the policy wonk and the civic superman. * A Wife With Powerful Ties Is an Unexpected Architect of a New York Comeback(NYP) * 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?
The governor’s office said he was just joking when he made a disparaging remark about Weiner’s campaign – the second time in a month that reporters have been told that they failed to understand Cuomo’s humor.  Tony’s tale of 2 cities a real boner (NYP) Maybe Anthony Weiner* was Cuomo "shame on us" remark a joke? (Capital) Newspaper editor: "U have the comment in context. You can judge for yourself." * Broadway vet Harvey Fierstein made Weiner jokes.* Ginger Lee, a stripper who was intimately involved in the sexting scandal that led to Weiner’s downfall, is among his detractors as he now seeks the top job in City Hall. * Weiner’s Campaign Relies on Abedin, and Her Clinton Connection(NY Mag) * Anthony Weiner’s Secret Campaign Stop(NYO) * Video briefing: Anthony Weiner pitches (and apologizes to) a club that backed him(Capital)  * Pressed, Weiner said his move from Queens to Park Av "was his wife’s choice" & he owed it to her in scandal aftermath

Weiner Hits the Local Queens Newspapers
Anthony Weiner Parachutes Into the Queens Newspaper Scene via On his second day as a mayoral candidate, Anthony Weiner visited a trio of local Queens newspapers–the Queens Tribune, Queens Courier and Queens Chronicle–trying to burnish his image as an outer-borough, middle class champion despite his new Manhattan residence. 


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NYP Albany Cover Up Spreading

NYP:: A Cover Up of A Cover Up of Sexual Harassment 

Roswell Albany

NYP Calls Cuomo 
As Bad As Silver
If the state Legislature were a publicly held company whose CEO had done what Shelly did, the Assembly speaker wouldn’t last a week. And if Gov. Cuomo were a major stakeholder in such a company — the way he’s a major stakeholder in Albany — he’d be calling for Shelly’s head.
Instead, he’s enabling him. Which makes Cuomo as bad as Shelly. * Despite calls for his ouster this week, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has displayed his true power by rallying his Democratic membership around him, thanks to a swift apology for his role in the Vito Lopez scandal, Gannett Albany reports *  In the Daily News, Blake Zeff, the politics editor for Salon.com, explains that Silver has been able to maintain his grip on power by sacrificing his public image and protecting his members *  Time for Silver to go(SI Advance Ed)

NYP Ties Cuomo Into the Silver Lopez Cover Up

The J-joke’s on us(NYP Ed)
Earlier this week he told reporters that the state ethics commission that investigated the gropings of Vito Lopez but not the coverup by Shelly Silver was “the best” he could get through the state Legislature. And he’s right. It’s just not what he told us at the time. On that August day in 2011 when he signed the bill into law, there was no hint that the new ethics commission was anything short of a miraculous cure.

“Today’s signing is a major step forward in restoring the people’s trust in government and changing the way Albany does business,” he said in a statement that day. “The new ethics reform law brings an aggressive new approach to returning integrity to the halls of our Capitol.”
Roger Stone    Cuomo says NY Assembly should pick it's own leader- funny, he didn't say that in the Senate where Cuomo engineered the deal for "joint leadership" * In the Times Union, Mark Peters, a former public corruption prosecutor for the state attorney general, writes that one of the consequences of the recent corruption scandals is that ordinary citizens shy away from public service

The Staten Island Advance joins the NY Times, and almost every editorial board in State, in calling for Silver's...

Bloomberg Says Public Finance Not the Answer to Albany's Corruption
Bloomberg: Public financing won't solve Albany's scandal problem(NYP)"Bloomberg pans a Cuomo-backed answer to Albany corruption" (Capital)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn't think public campaign financing is the solution to Albany's pervasive corruption, putting him at odds with Governor Andrew Cuomo. * Everyone Still Hates Vito Lopez(NYO)

 NY GOP: Gillibrand Double Standard
NY Republicans To Gillibrand: Why Not Criticize Silver?(YNN)
After Gillibrand made the rounds on TV this week to condemn the spate of sexual assaults in the military, state Republican Committee spokesman David Laska suggested in a statement the Democrat was trying to have it both ways.







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Cuomo Banks Dicker

Release His Emails to His Competitors
dickermugAndrew Cuomo Shares Fred Dicker’s Private Email With All His Competitors After a New York Post reporter sent a confidential email inquiry to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, the Cuomo administration released the email to other journalists, reports the Associated Press.

Paul Simon is headlining a fundraiser for Governor Cuomo at the end of next month.

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Castro Goes Disney, Halloran to Work

More Albany Taping? 
 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 Wire pol’s bid to run bugs Dems (NYP) ALBANY — Disgraced ex-Assemblyman Nelson Castro was mocked by fellow Democrats yesterday for mulling a run at the very seat he was forced to vacate in a perjury plea deal. “What would he run for, New York’s best informant?” New York state Democratic.. .Assembly Democrats mocked their former colleague Nelson Castro yesterday after a news report indicated that Castro was considering running for his old seat in the Bronx, with most suggesting that he stay out of politics.

Former Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro reportedly wants his old job back but he won’t have the support of Assemblyman Eric Stevenson. “My first thought is, is this legal?” Stevenson said in Albany on Thursday. “How would he possibly manage to have a relationship with legislators in Albany? And secondly, is the government going to give him another assignment to come back to Albany? It seems like there’s an incomplete mission. 

He’s been fishing for four years, you’d expect to have a lot of fish.” Castro, who was indicted for perjury four years ago, worked with federal investigators to record conversations with lawmakers, including Stevenson, who faces charges of taking $22,000 in bribes to help developers open senior centers in his district. The price for these efforts was Castro’s resignation, but he told the Post on Wednesday that he was considering a bid for his former office. Stevenson does not believe that political leaders and Bronx voters will accept another Castro term in office. “I think they’re being nice but I don’t think the Bronx County overall accepts that,” he said.


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Quinn Protests Vito 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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Mayor Kelly

Update NO NO NO  Top NYPD spokesman says NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly is not considering a run for mayor of NYC. cc
Ray Kelly's Spokesman Says Kelly Clueless About Recent Poll  
A polling call about Ray Kelly(Capital) 
A reader emails to report having received a phone call tonight about a poll that included questions about police commissioner Ray Kelly as a mayoral candidate. According to the reader, the questions came from a firm identifying itself as Opinion Access. One question, according to the reader, was, "How do you rate job the Ray Kelly is doing as police commissioner: good, fair or poor?" Another question asked whether the reader who received the call was satisfied with current candidates for mayor.
Police Commissioner Testifies At City Council Public Safety Committee Budget Hearing(NY1)
* Mystery phone poll asks registered voters if they'd support Ray Kelly for mayor(NYDN)
The NYPD commissioner says he isn't running for mayor, calling into question who sponsored the questionnaire, the likes of which are usually done to gauge a candidate's success if they enter a race. Top potential sponsors claimed that they had nothing to do with the calls.


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Campaign 2013

  campaigning at the Parkchester Train Station
Disclosure Forms Raise Questions for Some Mayoral Candidates Financial disclosure forms released Thursday offered voters a look into the personal finances of three of New York City's leading mayoral hopefuls - and raised questions about the role of outside groups that reimburse city officials for travel expense
 NY1 Online: Website Reveals Candidates' Stances On Schools

Democratic state lawmakers are questioning a bill that was signed into law this week that allows a Brooklyn foundation, the Foundation for Sephardic studies, to apply for a retroactive property tax exemption going back a decade, the Times Union writes

Vallone and Liu
Peter Vallone and John Liu May Form Unorthodox Alliance via

Mayoral Bike Share Views
Mayoral pack likes Bike Share

219_thomas_lopez-pierre_bet_photo Thomas Lopez-Pierre Will End Incendiary Council Campaign(NYP)
 

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CBS the DA Hynes Network


"Manhattan Judge To CBS: Turn Over Emails On Brooklyn DA Reality Show"  * Judge Wants Emails About Brooklyn D.A. Television Program A Manhattan judge has ordered CBS to turn over emails by Friday morning in an attempt to establish who has editorial control over a television series about Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes' office or else possibly face an injunction that would postpone the show's debut episode next week, according a rival candidate.  A Manhattan judge ordered CBS producers to turn over emails related to the production of a reality television show featuring Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, and will decide whether to stop the network from airing the show, the Post reports:

A Prosecutor, a Wrongful Conviction and a Question of Justice(propublica.org)
Michael Vecchione, head of the rackets division in the Brooklyn district attorney’s office, takes questions from the media in 2008. Vecchione is named in the wrongful conviction lawsuit brought against the city by Jabbar Collins and Joel Rudin.

* Will Courts Stop Brooklyn D.A. Joe Hynes’s CBS Show From Airing? (NY Mag)



RIP Jitu Weusi. 


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NY's Economy


Cuomo’s Tax-Free NY plan is sparking some interest, as well as skepticism, among entrepreneurs, investors and development experts.
Central New York business owners and politicians warned that Tax-Free NY It can’t repeat the mistakes of the Empire Zone program.
Sen. George Maziarz encouraged the governor to explore the possibility of applying various incentives under Tax-Free NY to assist in the redevelopment of 200,000 square feet of available space at the old Rainbow Centre Mall.

Port Authority Pay to Play
Port Authority fires treasurer, 2 top staffers after accepting valuable gifts from vendors: sources

Peace Bridge
A meeting over the expansion of the Peace Bridge was so contentious the board deadlocked over a vote to approve the minutes from a previous meeting. 

Undocumented Tuition Aide Stalled
Legislation to provide state tuition aid to undocumented immigrants appears to have stalled in Albany.
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Bike Share

Mayor Bloomberg says the free market will determine how popular the citibike program will be.
Citi Bikes Are Finally Really Here(Y Mag)
Bikes For City Bike Sharing Program Begin To Appear In Manhattan
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Another Stadium Pay Day

MLS Stadium in FMCP is apparently DOA(Queens Crap)

From the Times Ledger:
The odds that a soccer team funded by an Abu Dhabi sheik and the New York Yankees will scrap plans for a stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park are more likely than official announcements have indicated, TimesLedger Newspapers has learned. Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced Tuesday Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the owner of a British team called Manchester City Football Club, and the Bronx Bombers, which have signed on as minority partners, will head the league’s newest franchise. The team, called New York City Football Club, plans to begin its first season in 2015 at a temporary venue the team said has not been decided, but which documents seen by TimesLedger identify as Yankee Stadium.
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Sandy

For Most Beaches, It's a Go(WSJ)
Since superstorm Sandy crashed into the coast, New Jersey and New York beach towns have marked recovery by a common goal: Be open in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Post-Hurricane Aquarium to Partly Reopen With Lower Cost and Half the Animals(NYT)
With repairs to the flood-damaged complex likely to continue for years, the aquarium staff decided to partly reopen and to move many fish to other institutions.

Heat on Kelly for cam jam(NYP)
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly was grilled yesterday over the delay in installing $300,000 worth of security cameras in the Rockaways — and e-mails obtained by The Post show that the paperwork is on his desk. 
* Saturday Night Benefit Planned for Coney Island Mermaid Parade(NYT)
* Obama Directs Feds To Pick Up More Of New York's Public Sandy Relief Tab(NY1)
* Aquarium to reopen(NYDN)
7 months after Sandy, Jersey Shore reopens to cheers:  

It's official: All eight of the City’s free public beaches will be open for the 2013 season beginning tomorrow! Sandy can't stop NYC.

The A train back to Rockaways May 30

Sandy Survivors Living In Hotels Get Another Extension From FEMA  

NY Aquarium To Reopen Saturday After Repairing Some Of Their Sandy Damage

All of City’s Public Swimming Beaches to Reopen by Memorial Day(NYT)

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Bike Sharing
Driver enraged after city moves his car for bike racks — and then tickets him(NYP)






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Taxi Owners Vs Bloomberg

Taxi Fleet Owner Files Complaint Against Bloomberg(NYP)
According to a complaint, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg expressed “retaliatory intentions” during a profanity-laced exchange with a taxi owner at a Knicks game last week.A taxi fleet owner filed a federal complaint against Bloomberg, claiming the mayor expressed “retaliatory intentions” during a profanity-laced exchange with him at a Knicks game last week.

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Education

15 principals won’t use new exams’ scores in admission (NYDN)

Tuition Protesters Still in Top Office At Cooper Union(NYT)

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Bloomberg's New Castle
Bank of Bloomberg (NYP)  How rich is billionaire Mayor Bloomberg? So rich that the IRS paid him interest of between $1,000 and $5,000 last year when it was late on a refund. So rich that the 35-acre estate he bought in Southampton for $20 million a couple of years ago wasn...  * GOING AWAY PRESENTS: Bloomberg snatches up two pricy real estate properties on Long Island ahead of mayoral exit(NYDN) * A Final Peek at Bloomberg’s Tax Returns(NYT) Next year, as a private citizen, Michael R. Bloomberg will presumably not disclose any part of his tax returns, so this year was the last chance for reporters to see them. * Final (Redacted) Peek at Mayor Bloomberg's Taxes(WSJ)

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NYS Government

Another Gambling Plan
State Sen. John Bonacic introduced a bill yesterday that laid out the framework for the siting of seven casinos, three upstate, two in the Catskills, and two in Queens or Westchester counties, despite Cuomo only wanting three, the Times Union reports: http://bit.ly/16YtgwZ
The Complicated Gamble On Casinos(YNN)

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MSG

City Gives the Garden’s Owners a Deadline on Penn Station(NYT)
The Planning Commission voted to extend the arena’s operating permit for 15 years, during which time the arena’s owners could either make plans to move or substantially improve the transportation hub. The New York City Planning Commission voted unanimously to extend Madison Square Garden’s operating permit for 15 years, during which time the arena’s owners can make plans to move or substantially improve Penn Station


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Washington
'This war, like all wars, must end': President Obama redefines the battle against terrorism, reveals new limitations on dangerous drones(NYDN) * Obama Resets War on Terror(WSJ) * Noonan: A Battering Ram Becomes a Stonewall(WSJ)






4h
Eric Holder versus journalism via via
 AG gave the OK on Fox snoop(NYP)
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder himself authorized the government’s snooping on Fox News reporter James Rosen, according to an explosive new report. The feds got a court to approve a warrant to go after Rosen’s personal e-mails, along with...

Jon Stewart Tears Apart Obama, DOJ For Prosecuting Whistleblowers And Potheads But Not Bankers

The Ad Hominem Presidency - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
House Dems Dismiss Existence of Obama Scandals - Kate Nocera, BuzzFeed
IRS Investigation Has Barely Begun - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Holder OK'd Tap of FOX News Reporter's Emails - Michael Isikoff, NBC News
Obama Admin's Attempts to Intimidate Will Fail - Roger Ailes, FOX News
How Obama Hurts the Press - Leonard Downie Jr., Washington Post
Boston & London Show the World Has Changed - Mike Lupica, Daily News
Britain in Denial About Islamist Threat - Douglas Murray, Wall St. Journal
Obama Refines War-on-Terror Rules - Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPolitics
The Fog of ObamaCare - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
CA to be Spared the ObamaCare Apocalypse - Jonathan Cohn, New Republic
Key Weakness at the Heart of Immigration Bill - Byron York, DC Examiner
Watch Out for Dodgy Mortgages, Again - Sheila Bair/Barney Frank, Fortune
My Bogus Dilemma on Tornado Aid - Sen. Tom Coburn, CNN
Tesla & Solar: The New Energy Economy - Todd Woody, Quartz
Cheers & Taunts Greet Weiner's Return - Michael Barbaro, New York Times
Charles Hurt on Obama's Scandals - Bevan & Stone, RCP Morning Commute

Editorials

Obama Staff Lost Sense of Balance Over Leaks Obsession - DM Register
Our Veterans Can't Wait: Solve the VA Backlog - Miami Herald
Setting Limits on Drones - Finally - Baltimore Sun
Tsarnaev's First Kill - New York Post

5m
Roger Ailes grabs moral high ground over Obama on phone, email seizures



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Law and Order

Horace Mann Issues Apology but Refuses Outside Inquiry(NYT)

Police Question Suspect in Killing of a 14-Year-Old in Queens(WSJ)
Lawmakers push to exempt retired cops from new gun rest (NYDN)
Stop and frisk is up in Brooklyn(NYDN)
Family, friends mourn 14-year-old girl slain on Queens bus by gang bullet(NYP) * Recalling a Girl, 14, Laughing, Before She Was Shot on a Bus(NYT)
* Horace Mann Finally Apologizes for Sexual Abuse(NYT)



Queens Man Convicted of Murder in Robbery That Led to Officer’s Death(NYT)
The conviction of Nelson Morales was the third to result from the shooting death of Officer Peter J. Figoski in 2011.
Doctor Gets Eight Years In Fraud At L.I.R.R.(NYT)

Dr. Peter J. Ajemian had pleaded guilty in January in a scheme that allowed hundreds of retired Long Island Rail Road workers to collect disability benefits they weren’t entitled to.
Family, friends mourn 14-year-old girl slain on Queens bus by gang bullet(NYP)
New Yorkers want watchdog for NYPD: pol(NYDN)



Friday evening on Holiday weekend news drop RT Horace Mann Issues Apology but Refuses Outside Inquiry


Mike cop guilty (NYP) A cop once assigned to Mayor Bloomberg’s elite security detail was convicted of attempted murder yesterday for shooting his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend outside her Queens apartment. The sordid love triangle brought down the stellar career of Leopold... * Ex-bodyguard for Mayor Bloomberg convicted of attempting murder to murder ex-girlfriend(NYDN)

Brooklyn robber terrorizing teens with knife, box cutte (WABC)
Police hunt for man targeting Queens change machines(WABC)
Man Accused In East Village Assault Will Not Face Hate Crime Charges(NY1)
Horace Mann Apologizes for Abuse but Won’t Start New Inquiry(NYT)
Sources: Actress Bynes Arrested After Allegedly Tossing (WABC)


3rd Conviction in Robbery That Left Officer Dead(NYT)
The conviction of Nelson Morales was the third to result from the shooting death of Officer Peter J. Figoski in 2011.

Detective Convicted of Attempted Murder in Queens(NYT)
In 2010, the off-duty detective, Leopold McLean, 48, fired several shots at Lepaul Gammons, then 39, including one that hit him in the buttocks, officials said.

In Review of Brooklyn Cases, So Many Obstacles(NYT)
As investigators review 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.
Man found fatally stabbed in Chelsea(NYP)
Man fatally stabbed during dispute in Chelsea(WABC)
Amanda Bynes arrested in Midtown, allegedly throws bong(WABC)
Man, 28, Stabbed to Death in Chelsea(NBC) 


Turning Lives Around, and Saving the State Money(NYT)
Teofilo Ramos, caught selling heroin but sent to treatment rather than prison, exemplifies the success of New York’s reform of the Rockefeller drug laws.


Man beaten by subway performers on F train in Astoria(WABC)
Man Fatally Stabbed On Chelsea Street (NY1)
Man Attacked by Subway Performers(NBC)
3 sought in NYC subway attack(NBC)
Suspect sought in fatal stabbing at Chelsea adult video (WPIX)
Amanda Bynes arrested in Midtown after throwing a bong from WPIX)
 
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Terrorism
Jihad spiral of London savage (NYP) The knife-wielding Islamist who beheaded a British soldier on a London street had been a soccer-loving, churchgoing schoolboy before his descent into jihad.  Michael Adebolajo, 28, was born to devout Christian parents of Nigerian descent but fell in...* ‘Better me than the children’: hero mom(NYP)