Tuesday, October 15, 2013

NYC'S OTHER RACES: BROOKLYN DA, CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER.. ALSO: CASINO REFERENDUM



True News, Bharara an Politico (Capital) Push the NYT to Demanding That Cuomo Let Moreland Do Its Job

Will New York’s Political Watchdog Pass the Test?
The Times is concerned that after a promising start, Cuomo’s Commission to Investigate Public Corruption is becoming little more than a branch of the governor’s political network. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the right idea when he formed a commission to help end the scandal epidemic in New York State. He appointed a respected group of experts, asked them to come up with ways to cut the sleaze, promised them independence and asked for a preliminary report by Dec. 1. As that deadline nears, however, there is growing concern that the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, also known as the Moreland Commission, could become little more than a branch of the governor’s political network. If so, it will be another Potemkin committee, issuing another report. The independence Governor Cuomo promised will clearly be compromised if not wholly sabotaged if he or members of his staff tell the commissioners what to do and what not to do.*  Governor Andrew Cuomo Quashes Moreland Commission’s REBNY Subpoena and Other Follow-The-Money Subpoenas Hitting Too Close To Home(Noticing New York)

Governor Cuomo's Crusade (sort of) Against Corruption Comes With Too Many Asterisks. My Gotham Column(NYT) "a commission member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he desires to continue living peacefully" in NYS. “That’s fundamental, except maybe not for this governor.” “The politicians in Albany won’t like it, but I work for the people, and I won’t stop fighting until we all have a government that we can trust.”— Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, in a commercial shown more than 100 times last summer.



Both the NYT and Times Union Today Say Cuomo Will Pay A Price for Killing Moreland
Even worse, doing so would destroy the confidence of an already wary public that anything meaningful can be done to curb the way money corrupts politics in Albany.* “What gives, Mr. Cuomo?” the Albany Times Union writes on the Moreland Commission. “As dismal as this all is, it may not be too late for this commission to succeed — if Mr. Cuomo can keep his hands off it, regardless of whose feathers get ruffled, and if the commissioners haven’t lost their vision of the original goal and their will to do something about it. If not, Mr. Cuomo should be prepared to own a failure as embarrassing as the system he vowed to fix.”


Bharara: New Media End NYC's Journalism of Sheep
Quotes Murrow Preet Bharara: “fresh news outlets like BuzzFeed … bent on doubling down on political investigations will provide grist” 4 corruption probe Bharara, SDNY US Atty, bullish on , /, & new , in testimony tonight to Moreland Commission *  In testimony, Bharara laments loss of investigative journalists, and puts high hope in new outlets and revived old * U.S. Attorney To Commission: Political Corruption Is Out Of Hand In N.Y. State(WCBS)* Top Lobbyist Patricia Lynch Sees Income Loss Since 2011(NYDN)


The Old Bulls At the NYT Editorial Board Embarrassed to Get Off Their Ass Today
Were is the Outrage From the Goo Goos and Reforms?
New York Legislators’ Secret Income(NYT Ed) The state anticorruption commission must press for details about outside money sources that lawmakers have kept hidden for decades.Considering the scandals in the New York State Legislature, one would think that battered lawmakers would be eager to clean up their reputation. Instead, they’ve hired lawyers to fight a new anticorruption commission’s efforts to find out precisely where they earn outside income. This fight, they insist, is all about maintaining a separation of powers and protecting the Legislature from an intrusive executive. That's the press, baby (Video from Deadline - USA)

Cuomo Damage Control Plan to Cut Off the Moreland Commission is Blocked By GOP Senate
Cuomo doing damage-control over anti-corruption commission — gets no favors from GOP (NYDN)

Cuomo may want to reignite talks with the Legislature on ethics reform, but Senate Republicans are letting him know, says an insider, ‘We may very well do it, but we’re not doing it on your time frame. State Senate Republicans are balking at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to reignite talks with the Legislature on ethics reform, with Cuomo believing it will hurt Senate Republicans in retaining control of the chamber. Cuomo has been turning to G. Steven Pigeon, the former Erie County Democratic chairman, for politics, policy and fundraising, in part due to Pigeon’s close relationship with Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, one of Cuomo’s proxies in Buffalo, The Buffalo News writes * Cuomo’s power game with Con Ed(NYP) * State officials say Cuomo’s Director of Operations Howard Glaser is working on helping Cuomo author his State of the State address, and is pushing to get the governor’s casino expansion plan realized, the Times Union reports



Silver Pay$ to Keep Speakership
Silver to Pay Members $$$ to Keep Him As Speaker
NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver To Cut Unit With Three Dozen Workers(NYDN) Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is preparing to shutter a decades-old unit within the Assembly, with some saying the embattled pol wants to allocate its funding to his members in hopes of strengthening his standing.* 30-year legal battle between state and Park Ave. firm over unemployment cost taxpayers $16M — and counting (NYDN)
 

Does NYP's Dicker Think Trump Under Investigation/Lawsuits Against His University is Going to Run Against Cuomo?
New York Republicans are trying to get Donald Trump to run against Cuomo for governor, making the case that despite being a political novice, Trump has the name recognition to pose a challenge, the New York Post’s Fred Dicker writes * That trial balloon lost air quickly: sez he's not particularly interested in running for NY governor  *  Donald Trump said running for governor as a Republican is “not something that is of great interest to me” in response to reports that GOP officials would push for him to challenge Cuomo in 2014, Gannett Albany writes: 


NYT Runs Features On de Blasio as the NYP Continues to Attack Him, Joe Who?




NYT Look's Into de Dlasio Problems With His Father
From His Father’s Decline, de Blasio ‘Learned What Not to Do’(NYT)But by the time Mr. de Blasio turned 7, family life had started to go bad. His father, Warren Wilhelm, was drunk and angry much of the day. At one family gathering, he fell to the floor and had trouble getting back up.The New York Times and WNYC did deep dives into Bill de Blasio‘s early childhood and relationship with his parents. “I have a real respect, and a real anger and sadness at the same time,” Mr. de Blasio said of his father, who became estranged from the family. “I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do the math on exactly what it all means.”* Between losing his leg in WWII and his tragic suicide in 1979, Bill de Blasio's father forged a career with think tanks and multinational corporations aimed at blocking the spread of communism. A decade after his death, his son was in Nicaragua, working in support of the kind of socialist government his father's old colleagues tried to prevent in Latin America.* De Blasio's Political Awakening Started As A Child(NY1)

WSJ Lifestyle As Investigative Journalism Closes
[image]Next Mayor May Be Tallest, but Hoops Isn't His Game * Bill de Blasio Stinks at Basketball (NY Mag) * Newsday compared Mr. de Blasio’s style on the campaign trail to rival Joe Lhota: “Bill de Blasio often bends his 6-foot-5 frame low to look voters in the eye, squeeze a shoulder and shake their hands … Lhota listens intensely to would-be constituents … Looking for an icebreaker at a recent stop in Queens, he pointed to a man’s team cap and said, ‘Go, Rangers.’”

 WHY DE BLASIO IS SMILING TODAY: "Big Papi saves Red Sox with grand slam"
[USA Today / Paul White]


NYP Says de Blasio Only Against Some Campaign Reforms 
As a Councilman, de Blasio staged a successful fight against the Campaign Finance Board for trying to impose campaign donation limits on unions, in contrast to his current position of maintaining limits on individual independent expenditures *  Sal Albanese explains his non-endorsement of Bill de Blasio (Capital)* Bill De Blasio Didn't Know Teacher He Tried To Help Was So Anti-Israel(NYDN)
De Blasio against campaign donation hikes — unless they benefit him(NYP)After a Republican group filed a lawsuit last month seeking to nix the state’s limit on independent expenditures from individuals, Bill de Blasio came out strongly in favor of maintaining the limits. But when his allies in labor were threatened with strict donation ceilings back in 2005, de Blasio staged a fierce and successful fight to keep the cash flowing, records show. And now the mayoral front-runner’s campaign is benefiting financially from that victory. “The general principal we think is that if you completely control a subsidiary — whether it’s a corporate affiliate or a union — we think that should be counted as a single contribution,” said Gene Russianoff, senior counsel for the New York Public Interest Research Group. “The whole goal of the Campaign Finance Board is to limit the role that contributions play in elections, and we’re losing some of that in this election cycle.”* While New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser has another scathing column against Mr. de Blasio, this one over Friday’s interview on actor Alec Baldwin‘s new MSNBC show: “After enduring the self-serving, white-guy blah blah — Raise taxes! Cuff the cops! — I longed for the gentle pleasures of root canal. At least you get something for the pain.”* Experts Question de Blasio's Affordable Housing Plan(WSJ)

Almost No Coverage of Lhota Today
Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio bashed his Republican opponent Joe Lhota’s economic plan, calling it a $2- to $3-billion tax break for corporations and the wealthy, which Lhota has defended as saying it would create jobs, the Daily News reports: * Joe Lhota believes his months amid the debris of 9/11 caused the Hodgkin's disease that changed his attitude on life(NYDN) * Lhota Hits Airwaves On Charter Schools(YNN) * Republican Joe Lhota is out with a new television ad attacking de Blasio for his policy on charter schools in an attempt to reach the small but passionate voting bloc of charter school students, Capital New York writes:  * De Blasio’s GOP opponent, Joe Lhota, thinks the Democrat has put Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an “awkward situation.” * Lhota Says You Shouldn’t Ask About Columbus’s Controversial History Today(NYO) * The Ad Campaign: Looking for a Boost, Lhota Turns the Focus to Charter Schools(NYT)


"Although some people think they may be lazy, I think they’re doing a phenomenal job" Ray Kelly re: to
No Murders In New York City For One Whole Week(Huff Post) * De Blasio, Lhota Celebrate Italian Heritage At Columbus Day Parade (NY1)* Politics on Parade in the Mayoral Race








Proud Italian de Blasio Not to Sure About Columbus
Bill de Blasio Has Mixed Feelings About Christopher Columbus(NYO)
While he’s beyond proud of his Italian-American heritage, Bill de Blasio nevertheless stops short of celebrating Christopher Columbus, the famed Italian explorer who also committed violent atrocities.


Reporters Says Campaigns Are Just About "What People Want" A Good Rational Why Journalists Did Not Cover Issues in This Years Campaign

We Don't Need Reporters Just Let Campaigns Spin
SALLY GOLDENBERG ON NY1: "IN NEW YORK, YOU NEED A REASON NOT TO VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRAT. It's not a good example to look at Bloomberg because of his money. It's not a good example to look at Giuliani because it was just a different time then; Giuliani was sort of the answer to what people wanted and now de Blasio is the answer to what people want. And there's no rationale for Lhota's candidacy. That doesn't mean he's not a good candidate or has good ideas or whatever; the appetite of electorate doesn't point to Joe Lhota."



7 Days No Murders in the City
Mayor's Office: City Has Gone Full Week Without A Murder (NY1)







A Tale of Two Parks
Philanthropists and parks advocates are worried that de Blasio’s past support for requiring well-funded New York City park conservancies to share money with poorer parks would negatively effect charitable contributions,De Blasio Parks Stance Unsettles Some(WSJ)





Hynes Campaign Team Spins He Can Win
Charles Hynes‘s campaign, arguing they have a path to victory, released an internal poll showing him behind rival Ken Thompson 48 to 36 percent, but winning after testing a negative message against Mr. Thompson. The Thompson campaign noted that it’s not usually a sign of strength to release an internal poll showing your candidate behind.* Hynes’ weapon: opponent’s ‘corruption ties’(NYP) *Hynes Campaigns In Canarsie(NY1) A 'grass roots' Twitter campaign for Hynes that looks like 'astroturf' to Thompson via
 


Bloomberg Last Charter School Push Party
New York City’s Department of Education is giving the green light to open or expand 23 charter schools before Mayor Michael Bloomberg leaves office and provide them with free space in city buildings, the Post writes * No big changes coming from De Blasio(NYP)  In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas notes that the centerpiece of de Blasio’s campaign—taxing the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K—is merely an expansion of Bloomberg’s education spending  * At a Columbus Day celebration, de Blasio vows to 'review' late Bloomberg moves(Capital) * State Education Commissioner John King said the decision to abruptly “suspend” four public forums on the Common Core standards was made because they had been “co-opted by special interests.”

Hudson Yards Tax Break
New York City’s Industrial Development Agency is expected to rule in favor of a $330 million tax break over 20 years for the Hudson Yards project including office space and a million square foot shopping mall, Crain’s writes:

AG Investigates No Jobs Jobs Agency
A State Inquiry Is Said to Target Job Agencies(NYT)

The New York State attorney general’s office is investigating employment agencies that may have cheated job seekers, even charging placement fees for nonexistent jobs.



Harlem coup d'état? Pastors unite against Rev. Al Sharpton, who they claim is nothing more than 'a personality' now





Gabby Giffords visits her first gun show since being shot in the head; calls for bipartisan effort to enact gun reform(NYDN)






Back to NYC Basement Apartments

New York City housing advocates are calling on the city to legalize some illegally converted spaces such as basements or attics, by waiving certain laws as the Bloomberg administration did last year to test micro-units, The New York Times writes:* The law of supply and demand “: How S.F. became America's least affordable city  







It Was the Best of Campaigns; It Was the Worst of Campaigns
  
Joe Needs Debate TKO, Behind in Points
Team De Blasio Also is On Its A Game On Negative Campaigning Against Lhota
GOP's Joe Lhota lobbied for big Madison Square Garden tax break in 2010: records(NYDN)* Bill de Blasio attacks Joe Lhota over the Daily News's MSG report (NYO)


De Blasio Wooing the 1% of Wall Street
Wooing ‘Hometown Industry,’ de Blasio Meets Wary Wall St.(NYT) Bill de Blasio tried to reassure a corporate audience that his progressive policies would not jeopardize the city’s financial industry, part of his ongoing effort to court New York’s plutocrat class. * Baldwin All Business in MSNBC Debut With Bill De Blasio as Guest(MSNBC) * De Blasio’s Top Cop(NYPD Confidential)* De Blasio's Frontrunner Status Discourages Lhota Backers from Donating(DNAINFO) * Biz leaders brace for de Blasio era(CrainsNY) * How will the mayor pay workers?(CrainsNY) Bill de Blasio says he will give workers retroactive raises. Will he borrow to pay for it? He needs to be asked.* New voter registration figures: NYC's electorate even more Democratic (NYDN) * Bill de Blasio Goes Into All-Out Italian Mode for Columbus Day Parade * Lhota hits the New York delegation for abandoning Wall Street(Capital) * Lhota, De Blasio Stump For Votes On Columbus Day Weekend(NY1) * . Blasts Joe Lhota's Economic Plan as "Fiscally Irresponsible"




Reagan Democrats Running Away From Lhota as de Blasio Even Leads With Conservative Voters
The NYP Continues to Attack de Blasio But Nowhere Near the Spitzer Levels. . .  Nothing in the NYT on the mayor's race. . .  Daily News has a feature piece on Lhota which manages to say he worth millions.HIS LONG CLIMB: Joe Lhota came from humble beginnings in a family of immigrants — but now he's worth millions(NYDN)


Daily News Conservative Dems Running Away From Lhota
Despite early promises of support, Dems have been no-show for Lhota as he trails de Blasio(NYDN)


Pay to Play Pension Lawyer Wins With de Blasio and Stringer


De Blasio's top donor is pension pal(CrainsNY) Class-action lawyer Jay Eisenhofer bundles thousands, and his firm earns millions. Jay Eisenhofer, the front-running Democrat's top fundraiser, is a prominent class-action attorney whose firm specializes in representing pension funds in lucrative shareholder lawsuits against big businesses. The decisions on who represents the city's pension funds in such cases are made by the mayor's Law Department and the city comptroller. Mr. Eisenhofer has raised $15,000 for Scott Stringer, the all-but-certain next comptroller.


Cops ‘lied’ to reach arrest quotas(NYP)A former city prosecutor wants the Bronx district attorney to probe a team of narcotics cops he says lied on the stand and helped put away innocent people to meet quotas. Peter Tilem, a criminal defense lawyer and one-time ADA, has submitted an allegedly damning August deposition to Bronx DA Robert Johnson and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly from a former narcotics detective on the team







NYP: De Blasio agrees with Alec Baldwin that cops who use stop-and-frisk are lazy and not a peep out of PBA
De Blasio rips NYPD’s ‘lazy’ use of stop-and-frisk(NYP) Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio agreed with Alec Baldwin’s assessment that the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk is “lazy” — a view Republican rival Joe Lhota called “infuriating.”* Joe Lhota accuses rival Bill de Blasio of calling cops lazy over stop-and-frisk comments(NYDN)





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NYP's Goodwin Calls the Rent Guidelines Board A Coward

Does REBNY Already Own the Council?
The assumption by many New Yorkers that Bill de Blasio will be the new mayor is producing emotions that range from fear to loathing. OK, there is some euphoria, too. The socialist-leaning de Blasio is calling for a temporary freeze on rents in apartments that are home to more than a million people. That hasn’t happened in the 44 years that the Rent Guidelines Board has set the maximum allowable increases for rent-stabilized apartments, according to The Wall Street Journal.  A spokesman for the largest owners group told the Journal: “Bill is not too smart backing this. I’m not sure if this is campaign rhetoric, but he will recognize the reality if and when he takes office.” There you have it. The belief that de Blasio doesn’t mean what he says — he couldn’t be that dumb! — reflects more than a cynical view of politicians. It reflects the cowardice of people who hide behind hope. They whistle past the graveyard because they find it easier to pretend the train coming their way will spare them.

de Blasio Italian Heritage 
Democratic NYC mayoral frontrunner Bill de Blasio’s Italian heritage was on full display this afternoon when he made an appearance at the end of the annual Columbus Day Parade in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood that was once the heart of Brooklyn’s Italian-American community.


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Council Speakers Race PACs & Boss
Looks Like Business PAC Working With the Jobs4NY PAC and Queens Boss Crowley Could Name Council Speaker

Business PAC is Really Real Estate PAC Controlled By Leaders of One Community
Greenfield's Fake Business PACS Intends to Give Him and His Backers in the Sephardic Jewish Community A Voice in Picking the Next Speaker 
The inner workings of a mysterious 'small biz' PAC(CrainsNY) Largely unnoticed, however, was that little of its funding came from small businesses. The PAC was bankrolled mostly by real estate interests in southern Brooklyn's Sephardic Jewish community, raising the question of what they hope to gain and whether their spending will ultimately benefit the enclave's ambitious political patron, Councilman David Greenfield, who is looking to play a big role in the upcoming race for council speaker.  

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Advance Groups Logo on Phony PACS
How Will These Secret PACS Push the Candidates They Elected to Vote In the Council Speakers Race?
Advance Group puts logo on phony firm's invoice( CrainsNY) Last week, The Insider broke the news that the United Federation of Teachers' super PAC had paid more than $370,000 to a fictitious political consulting firm "Strategic Consultants Inc.," which was actually the well-known Manhattan consulting firm the Advance Group. An open records request that came back on Tuesday from the City Campaign Finance Board (and is embedded below) offers fresh and somewhat amusing evidence of the connection between the two: Many of the invoices the agency received from Strategic Consultants have the Advance Group logo on them.*   

It is very clear that Wall Street has Dark Pools where traders operate beyond the regulators.  What is not clear is that their are also Dark Pool where lobbyists, campaign consultants and elected officials make  deals with each other undermining democracy hidden from public view.CrainsNY reporter Chris Bragg has done a great investigative job exposing how lobbyist/consultant the Advance Group was on both sides of many campaigns by using IE PACS and fake to run the UFT PAC. The Advance Group is also the lobbyist for the NYC Hotel and Motel Trades Council.  The Hotel Council ran a PAC that Spent $410,000 to make Quinn NYC's next mayor. The Advance Group ran a PAC that attacked Quinn. Anti-Quinn Group Set for Two Final Weeks of Battle - The Epoch Times The Advance Group's stable of clients include the anti-horse carriage group NYCLASS which spent 300,000 on anti-Quinn ads.*  

Consultant Worked for Gay Candidate and Anti-Gay Candidates At the Same Time
 The advance group got paid $28,000 by gay city council candidate Yetta Kurland at the same time the firm work for the City Action Coalition PAC, which on its website touts itself as supporting candidates who oppose gay marriage and abortion rights.Advance was on both side of the Kurland race.  The firm also secretly worked to have been promot Johnson’s candidacy through an IE paid for by the UFT via a company called Strategic Consultants—apparently a dummy shell corporation set up to obscure the Advance Group’s double-dealing.
Surprise: Anti-Abortion & Anti Gay-Marriage Groups Are
Uniting to Donate Lots of Money Against Gay City Council Candidates(Village Voice)  CrainsNY reports The Advance Group was paid more than $36,000 to produce mailers for the five candidates backed by the City Action Coalition PAC, which on its website touts itself as supporting candidates who oppose gay marriage and abortion rights. The alliance was odd because the Advance Group touts itself as one of the most progressive political consulting firms in the country, and has represented clients such as the Gay Men's Health Crisis, according to its own website. The Advance Group is listed as being paid by the group for "printing" and "postage," but it did not actually create the literature, according to spokeswoman for the firm. "We did not design any printed materials, we were not involved in creating the content, nor did we ever represent the candidates," said the spokeswoman for the Advance Group.  Then who designed the Mailers for City Action Coalition, the candidates?


Moreland Update
The TU says Cuomo “should be prepared to own a failure as embarrassing as the system he vowed to fix” if the Moreland Commission gives up its work after proposing a constitutional amendment on campaign finance reform. 


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Council Speakers Election Promises

How does the next council speaker get elected Sal without promising Lulus, Member Items an Jobs 4 members family?

    1. 58m
      Jan. offers Council another opp for reform. New rules should eliminate lulus, committee chairs should be partially selected on merit. @unitedNYblogs @gregmocker Good point! Let's see if new members including the so called Progressive Cauc choose public interest over PAC's

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Election Big Loser

 True News Loser of the 2013 Election 
The Partnership's Kathy Wylde
If you think the Giants are having a bad year check out the head of the Partnership.  Wylede allowed the Working Families Party to take over the mayor's and Public Advocate's office.  She now must count on Virginia resident Corrupt Queens' Boss Joe Crowley to line up enough councilmembers to elect Mark Weprin as Council Speaker. As long as Wyde is in power there will never be reform of the city's corrupt party leadership or Board of elections.
OFFICIAL DISPATCH from Lhota's closed-door meeting yesterday, via Kathy Wylde of the Partnership for NYC: "Joe Lhota met with about thirty members of the Partnership for New York City today to detail priorities he would focus on as mayor including support for job creation, making the city more affordable, and ensuring that it remains safe. the big question was whether there is a path to victory for a Republican in an increasingly Democratic town. Joe argued that most New Yorkers agree with him on big issues if he can get his name known and his message across. Those attending included CEOs from finance, real estate, media and law. The Partnership has met with all mayoral candidates, but does not make endorsements. Joe was introduced by Loews CEO Jim Tisch."

Controlling the News
A significant part of the job of reporting the news has to do with providing information to the public on various aspects of the work of their government, at every level.
Scathing! Watertown Daily Times | For Cuomo, term ‘bully pulpit’ takes on a whole new meaning  Watertown Times: "The governor, who has displayed remarkably thin skin...has severely ratcheted down the flow of information..."





. Breaking Arrest in Baby Hope Case

Arrest Made in Baby Hope Case via
NYPD have arrested Conrado Juarez, 52, of the Bronx in connection with the murder of , 4-yr-old Anjelica Castillo.* Kelly: Suspect Conrado Juarez admitted this morning he killed & disposed of the body in a cooler w the help of a sister.
‘Baby Hope’ cousin admits fatal sex attack(NYP) * Cousin Arrested in ‘Baby Hope’ Killing(NYT)






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NYC Tax Payer Subsidies Russian/China

NY's Subsidies to Ratner Wound Up in the Pockets of Russian an Chinese Billionaires
Forest City Ratner to sell 70% stake in Atlantic Yards to Chinese government-owned developer; largest such deal with Chinese backing (Atlantic Yard Report)
Atlantic Yards'Norman Oder's quote nails it. The bottom line is: after Forest City did the heavy lifting to get subsidies, tax breaks, and regulatory approval, gaining what they call in the real estate development business "entitlement," Atlantic Yards became a pure investment opportunity, and global capital knows no boundaries, neither ethical nor geographic. And that means public assistance from New Yorkers are helping the Chinese government earn profits.
  1. 11m
    Forest City stock up 5.45% after jointVenture announced w/Chinese govt developer Where's NYC coverage?

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We Hate Congress

AMERICA: FIRE 'EM ALL!
Poll: Just 25 Percent Think Their Own Member Of Congress Deserves Reelection(Huff Post)* GOP pollster on the NBC-WSJ numbers: ‘Significant and consequential'(Wash Post)
Congress Update  Only way Boehner can hold now, is if he rejects whatever deal comes out of Sen & passes a temporary debt limit ext. Then it's battle w Reid* G.O.P. Hopes to Take Senate Are Dimming(NYT) Conservatives like the Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, who faces challenges on all sides in Kentucky, are feeling the dangers of being associated with Washington.* on GOP use of cultural rage, rember JFK: 'Those who foolishly seek power riding back of tiger end up inside.'


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Watergate Reporting Gone

Why We Lost Investigative Reporting

NYT Correspondent: A Watergate Scandal Would Never Be Uncovered by Journalists Today(Fishbow)

In recent years, as Ken Auletta discussed not too long ago on PBS NewsHour alongside David Carr, The Guardian has broken three massive, Woodward & Bernstein-like stories. But over in D.C., at least according to New York Times Magazine chief national correspondent Mark Leibovich, it’s a much sadder story.
Liebovich spoke on Wednesday to students at the University of Montana as part of the President’s Lectures Series. Per a report in the Montana Kaimin by Andrew Visscher, he says it all has to do with the rise of D.C. self-congratulation:
The media provides the fuel necessary for this new order of self-seeking politicians, Leibovich said. He claims a journalistic takedown like Watergate could never happen in modern times, where journalists are often more focused on Facebook statuses and Twitter followers. He said most modern consumers have no interest in reading a 5,000-word feature. A new strategy among newspapers is to blur the lines between hard news and opinion columns on the front page, he said. Most readers want more of a feature-sounding voice to big news, he said. Leibovich claimed that by giving the consumers what they want, the media often gives incredible amounts of airtime to anyone who is standing out.* Carr: "polarized political map is now accompanied by a media ecosystem that is equally gerrymandered"(NYT) * When Journalists Are Labelled Traitors(New Yorker)


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All the Media Silent On Local Impact on  Citizens United
We have just gone though the first local election since the Citizen United ruling where two major IE groups Jobs4NT and NYClass has pumped money into almost every first time winning candidate or attacked their opponent.  CrainsNY reporter Chris Bragg has done a good job showing that on of the big PAC groups headed by Advance's Scott Levinson was not following the election law and was in some elections working against the interests of his council clients.  Only True News has asked where is the media on Citizens United effect on the city's elections. Mark Levine ran  in a minority created district he did not even live in won with the help of Jobs4NY, NYClass and United for the Future.* Politicians for Sale (NYT Ed)The Supreme Court should follow its own precedent and uphold overall campaign contribution limits.



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TMZ Council Campaigning

City Council Candidate Made 'Battlestar Galactica'-Themed Passover Website(DNAINFO)
Ben Kallos acknowledged he created the site for those wanting to host a "Battlestar"-style seder.



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Liberty Open

NYS Pays the Bill to Open the Statue of Liberty

 he Statue of Liberty Will Reopen Tomorrow
Deal Will Reopen Statue of Liberty - NYTimes.com
Amid the government shutdown, New York State will pay National Park Service personnel to reopen the popular attraction this weekend.* Gov. Cuomo Reaches Deal to Reopen Statue of Liberty(WSJ) * Gov. Cuomo, Feds Reach Deal To Re-Open Statue Of Liberty During Federal Government Shutdown (New York Daily News) * Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, other national parks to reopen ...(NBC) * Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore to reopen(CNN) * Statue Of Liberty Reopens Under State Funded Deal (NY1)



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Another Co-Op

5 Pointz Officially Set For Demolition(Huff Post)




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Gambling Word Games/Pay to Play $$$
Sounds like the BOE Spokesperson is Epstein's mother from Welcome Back Kotter  
Update NYS BOE Excuse The state Board of Elections blamed logistics and a sick employee for failing to post the rewording of the state’s casino referendum online until after the deadline to challenge it, the Associated Press reports  

Was the Wording of the Referendum not publicized until it would be too late for a legal challenge?  Albany Jackpot: The Same Crooks That Got Away With the AEG Robbery Are Still Making $$$ From Gambling
 Update
Judge to Decide Next Week in Casino Referendum Suit(NYT)
State’s ‘sick’ excuse for casino-ballot flub(NYP)

NYT Ed Blasts Gambling Wording
Gambling on Loaded Language(NYT E) A New York State judge should not allow lawmakers to skew the wording on a ballot in a way that tips the scales in favor of a pro-gambling outcome.* Casino debate set for next week( * Casino question is skewed up: group(NYP) The New York Public Interest Research Group joined a legal fight Thursday against what it calls the one-sided wording of a referendum aimed at persuading voters to approve Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s expansion of casinos.*  Dirty dealing on casino referendum(NYP Ed) It wasn’t enough for the Cuomo administration to stack the deck in favor of its ballot referendum on Las Vegas-style casinos by tacking on language suggesting all sorts of goodies would come with approval. The move also appears to have been made in secret — and not publicized until it would be too late for a legal challenge. This is the accusation now before a court in Albany. City and State Loser of the Week James Walsh and Douglas Kellner – The State Board of Elections lashed out at Brooklyn attorney Eric Snyder this week for his lawsuit alleging that the language of the gaming amendment was biased in favor of its passage, howling that Snyder’s failure to meet the 14-day deadline for filing his objection was “inexcusable” and threatened to “disenfranchise” voters in the military. The only problem with the BoE’s indignation was that the wording of the referendum wasn’t even posted on the board’s website until two weeks after the deadline to sue had passed. While the BoE insists the language was accessible if requested, the glowing wording of the amendment, which promises jobs, increased school aid and property tax relief, has drawn criticism from good government groups who denounce the board’s process as “rigged.” * Pro-casino coalition hints at a late ad blitz [Jimmy Vielkind] * The Staten Island Advance reminds readers that there’s a chance – however remote it seems at this moment – that a casino could eventually come to their borough if this amendment is approved.
  1. 4h
    Casinos Everywhere. Good tour of debate over Cuomo's so called Eco Development Plan:

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Don Quixote NYP

NYP Seems Alone In Still Going After de Blasio
De Blasio played faves with constituents(NYP) When carpenters-union Local 157 official Anthony Pugliese reached out about a worker with immigration issues, de Blasio and his staffers made it a top priority. De Blasio, now the Democratic nominee for mayor, himself jabbed as loony a woman who was seeking additional lighting near her home on 12th Street.* Gotham’s Goliath: The people vs. the public sector(NYP Ed) William McGurn, the Post’s editorial-page editor, believes that the New York City class profiting “at everyone else’s expense” is the public sector, because campaign finance laws privilege them by allowing their chosen candidates to start out ahead. Bill de Blasio’s got the broad narrative right: We’ve got two New Yorks today, with a fat and privileged overclass lording it over everyone else.* Education de Blasio is counting on enhanced parental involvement as a major pillar of public school transformation.(Wash Post)
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Daily News an de Blasio Ought to Get A Room
New mayor will bring new First Lady — the city's first in 12 years(NYDN) What de Blasio won’t tell you is that the class profiting at everyone else’s expense is the city’s public sector. Because the campaign-finance laws privilege this class, their chosen candidates start out any race far ahead. But de Blasio won’t tell you any of this because if he’s elected mayor, this is the New York he’ll be working for.* ‘Two cities’: Debunking De Blasio(NYP) * Speaker Silver backs Bill de Blasio's plan to reform elite public school admissions(NYDN)

Where in the World Was Bill During the NY1 Debate?
SO THAT'S WHERE HE WAS: NYO's Politicker: "Bill de Blasio Skipped Televised Debate for Fund-Raiser," by Ross Barkan: "'I’m sure we can get you my exact whereabouts, I don’t remember the exact hour but we’ll get them for you,' said Mr. de Blasio, whose staff declined to provide the exact location or time of the fund-raiser. http://goo.gl/lhakGL * As councilman, Bill de Blasio helped teacher facing time for protest of Israeli policies toward Gaza, West Bank(NYDN)





Bill Make Thompson Campaign Against GOP Hynes A Cause
Bill de Blasio Has Choice Words for Charles Hynes (NYO)Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio urged his supporters to turn out for Brooklyn District Attorney candidate Ken Thompson and help him defeat incumbent District Attorney Joe Hynes in a radio interview
Charles Hynes’s Political Giving Under Fire(NYO)
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think, you know, fair is fair. We have Democratic primaries. And I’ve gotta tell you: my primary opponents have been exceedingly gracious, as you’ve noticed, and have all agreed to support us with a whole heart. They’ve done, really all of them, a fantastic job of helping us. I think Democrats are supposed to support Democrats. As we used to say, as children: Ken won fair and square. I don’t think there’s anything else to it and it just makes me, as a Democrat, want to work harder for Ken.” – Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio, urging supporters to vote for Ken Thompson in the District Attorney election, via Politicker. * Races Heat Up For New York City Council Speaker, Brooklyn DA  * Bill de Blasio Tells His Supporters To "Redouble" Efforts For Ken Thompson(NYDN) * Did refuse to shake 's hand when DG wanted to congratulate him? Thompson denies it

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Latest Mayoral Poll

Breaking New Mayoral Poll Bill de Blasio (67%); Joe Lhota (23%); Adolfo Carrion (2%) in WSJ-NBC 4 New York-Marist poll. 7% are undecided.* Despite crime warnings from Lhota, # of voters who say deBlasio would do better job on crime rose from last poll (WSJ) * Two thirds of registered voters want to move the city in a different direction from the Bloomy years * Does Giuliani endorsement help Lhota? 31% say it makes them more likely to vote for Lhota, 47% say it makes them less likely. * Is Lhota getting hurt by national GOP? 40% of voters think Lhota is not independent from the national party. * WSJ-NBC 4 New York-Marist poll found 52% of registered voters think de Blasio is more likely to keep crime down, compared to 31% for Lhota.* "also leads among whites, 57 percent to 33 percent." * For de Blasio, 65% have a favorable opinion and 23% have an unfavorable one. *Lhota Continues to Trail de Blasio by Wide Margin, Poll Finds(NYT) * De Blasio Has Wide Lead: Poll(WSJ) Pollster Lee Miringoff says even if Lhota could win over all the undecided voters and de Blasio's less committed voters, he still doesn't close the 44 percent gap."* If poll numbers hold and loses by nearly 50 points, will be biggest landslide since 2-term incumbent Ed Koch won in 1985


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Lhota Not Must Time, Tues Debate


Lhota Could Tie This Race Up in Just a Couple Months(NY Mag)  Last week a Quinnipiac poll showed Bill de Blasio leading Joe Lhota by an absurd 50 points in the mayoral race. This week, a WSJ / NBC 4 / Marist poll found that lead had shrunk to a still-absurd 44 points. At this rate, Lhota only needs about seven and a half more weeks to catch up to de Blasio in the polls. Don't forget to vote Nov. 5!* A great radio story RT Lhota at MTA, where he raised morale, restored service & sometimes blew his stack (WNYC) * Lhota Loves Staten Island(YNN) * Joe Lhota To Bill de Blasio: Man Up And Show Your Face On The NYC 2013 Trail(NYDN)



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Cuomo Playing Chess
Buzz Cuomo Wants A Woman On His Ticket in 2014
Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy denied speculation that he would leave the Cuomo administration to become the next head of the Rochester Business Alliance, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined to shoot down the rumors, The Buffalo News writes




 Looks Like the Moreland Commission About to Get Fucked

Cuomo's Plan B
Cuomo Seeks to Resurrect an Ethics Deal(WSJ)
Members of a state panel investigating New York political corruption are involved in talks between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders to craft a new package of ethics laws, said people familiar with the discussions.


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Liu Fundraiser & Treasurer Go to Jail

Former Fundraiser Oliver Pan sentenced to 4 months in prison and 3 years probation.* Former Campaign Treasurer Jenny Hou sentenced to 10 months in prison and 3 years probation.* Former Liu campaign treasurer weeps at sentencing(NYP)
Former Liu Associates Avoid Lengthy Sentences for Fund-Raising Scheme(NYT)
John Liu Rages at U.S. Attorney After Ex-Treasurer Sentenced to Prison(NYO)
Liu’s campaign aides sentenced to jail(NYDN)
Liu slammed the US attorney for pursuing the case, which he has consistently deemed a “witch hunt.”* Former Liu Associates Are Sentenced(NYT) * Liu's Ex-Aide, Supporter Sentenced(WSJ)
City and State Loser of  the Week Xingwu Pan and Jia Hou – While City Comptroller John Liu attended galas and parties across the city, two of his top campaign aides received prison sentences this week for their roles in a straw donor fundraising scandal to boost Liu’s mayoral campaign. Both defendants asked for no jail time – instead they got four and 10 months respectively. After Hou and Pan’s sentencing, Liu fired some potshots against the Feds on their behalf, and with good reason–after all, their conviction helped torpedo his mayoral campaign.***Liu Saved $$$ said he saved the city $5 billion as comptroller. 


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New Starting Line?

Now the Shutdown is Messing Up the Marathon
"NYC Marathon considering alternate starting line" -- AP: "The government shutdown could mean a change to the starting line for the New York City Marathon. That's because the usual staging site is the federally operated Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Organizers of the Nov. 3 race say they are working with city, state and federal officials to come up with an alternate site if the shutdown continues. They declined to say which site they are considering but said it would remain on Staten Island. More than 45,000 runners participate ... Fort Wadsworth is part of Gateway National Recreation Area controlled by the National Parks Service. ... Additional security is planned for this year's event after a bomb attack at the Boston marathon." [h/t Mike Allen]* Shutdown could affect NYC Marathon(NYP)



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Moreland Dump
NY's Fake Press Will Give Cuomo A Pass For Dumping Moreland But Not the National Journalist

Hot Air Alert

Cuomo denied that he personally ordered his anti-corruption Moreland Commission to quash subpoenas bound for his allies, but was vague on whether the governor’s office played a role. 
NYC housing advocates are losing hope that the commission will dig deeply into the state’s politically connected real estate industry. 
Cuomo chickens out on corruption(NYP Ed) Never mind. That’s the message Gov. Cuomo just sent about his vow to clean up Albany. That vow had been taken seriously because it was backed by a Moreland Commission with powers to investigate corruption and help hold wrongdoers accountable. Now comes word the governor wants to disband the commission and offer in its stead a constitutional amendment for public financing of state elections. Moreland Committee Co-Chair William Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County district attorney, said the NYC media wouldn’t question his independence if they knew him better. “It’s just categorically false that the governor is interfering, controlling, directing the commission. It is just not accurate,” he said.* QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You know that the Moreland Commission is staffed by people from the governor’s office and the AG's office. We staff the commission. The co-chairs vote on what subpoenas to do and it requires a unanimous vote… The co-chairs make the determination.”– Gov. Andrew Cuomo answering questions about his anti-corruption panel at a news conference in Utica, via the News.*  Cuomo denied that he or his staff ordered the Moreland Commission to kill several subpoenas in recent weeks but did not say whether he played a role in guiding those decisions, Daily Politics reports * Gov. Cuomo Denies Ordering Subpoenas Be Killed, But More Vague On If He Advised It(NYN) * Here's a transcript of the exchange between Cuomo and on the Moreland Commission and its subpoenas * Cuomo: The Co-Chairs Choose The Subpoenas(YNN)




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Cuomo's Pay to Play TV and Movies

Tens of thousands of dollars early this year while he was pushing to expand a production tax credit program to cover shows that relocate to New York, like Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” and “America’s Got Talent.”

TV execs hand big bucks to NY pols who give them tax breaks New York’s film and television industry has given more than $900,000 to state lawmakers since 2010, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo taking $219,000, including while he was pushing to expand a production tax credit program, the Daily News writes: 





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Moreland Not News to Local TV News


Pay Ads to Block Any TV News On Moreland Comm
Local TV Makes Millions Off Of Pro Cuomo Ads and Does Not Cover the  Moreland Commission Killing of Subpoenas to Investigate Where The Money to Pay for Those Misinforming NY Good For Business Ads Came From . . .
Sources said the subpoena sought to seek information on the party’s spending from its “housekeeping” account — which raised millions this year used to fund ads promoting Cuomo’s legislative agenda.Cuomo's anti-corruption panel stops at investigating his own Democratic party A subpoena that sought to seek information on the New York Democratic party’s spending from its ‘housekeeping’ account was never sent, sources tell the Daily News.NY Democrats say they raised $7 million (UPDATED) - Albany Watch*  Pro-Cuomo lobbying group disbands - New York Daily News *   Pro-Cuomo Group Repeats as Top Spender on Lobbying *  Report: Moreland Commission Kills Subpoena Against Democratic Party. 

TV Makes $$$ Telling Us NY is Open For Business While in Truth It is Closed Shut
How can TV run ads saying NY good for business when The Tax Foundation said New York has the worst business climate in the nation
New York is the unfriendliest state for business(NYDN)

Feerick Commission More Free to Operate
Two members of the Feerick Commission, created by former Gov. Mario Cuomo, said the body had little interaction with the governor, a contrast to the current Moreland Commission, which has heard from Cuomo regularly, the Times Union writes


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NY Worst Business Climate Entire Country

NY Good For Business TV Ads Brainwash New Yorkers
When the financial sector began healing after its 2008 crash, NYC landlords were hopeful that big banks would return to their traditional roles as the growth engine for the nation’s largest office market. They are still waiting.*  New York has the worst biz tax climate in the country *Once Again, NY Dead Last In Tax Climate(YNN) * Duffy On Taxes: ‘We Have A Lot More Work To Do’(YNN)
* The Tax Foundation, a business-backed group in Washington, D.C., ranked New York as tied with New Jersey for last place for having the worst business climate in the entire country, a finding unsurprising to business leaders in the state, Gannett Albany reports:  * The Bloomberg administration is reducing some of the city’s revenue-generating fines on small businesses and buildings regarding misplaced signage, Capital New York reports: 



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Mayor's Race

Mark Green "Has there ever been a bigger transition than .. going from a 5'6" Wall St billionaire to a 6'5" WFP lefty?"
Why we’re getting Mayor de Blasio (Mark Green, NYDN) Explaining big Bill's remarkable rise. In the Daily News, former New York City public advocate Mark Green lists the reasons why de Blasio is polling so far ahead of Lhota in the mayoral race, this year’s electorate is a “pendulum moving fast in the opposite direction”

New York mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio’s an upper crust guy, pizza-wise(NYDN) De Blasio plan could close some charter schools: advocates(NYP) Some of the city’s best and brightest students would be left out in the cold under Bill de Blasio’s plan to charge rent to charter schools, educators and advocates said…* Bill de Blasio slams NYCHA leadership, Bloomberg, vows big changes(NYDN) De Blasio ripped Mayor Michael Bloomberg for ignoring the scandalous conditions that the 600,000 New York City Housing Authority residents have endured, and pledged to clean house at the beleaguered agency * De Blasio blamed New York City’s reliance on high-stakes admissions testing for creating schools that he said did not reflect the city’s diversity, because not all families can afford expensive test preparations for their childrenBill de Blasio: Tests shouldn’t be only way kids get into NYC elite schools(NYDN) * * A Brooklyn Supreme Court judge granted de Blasio’s motion as public advocate to be an intervener in Long Island College Hospital’s court fight with State University of New York over who will operate the financially-ailing hospital, the Post writes:  * At a Jewish fund-raiser Tuesday night, Bill de Blasio defended his praise for the late Israeli Rabbi Chacham Ovadia Yosef, which he was strongly criticized for due to the rabbi’s history of controversial statements. “No one is perfect in this world,” said Mr. de Blasio, prompting Gawker to write a follow-up story entitled: “Bill de Blasio Doubles Down on Racist Rabbi Praise.” * . Skipped Televised Debate for Fund-Raiser  * Bill de Blasio Skipped Televised Debate for Fund-Raiser(NYO) * Women's Groups Endorse De Blasio; Lhota Releases 22-Page Policy Book (NY1)
 
As a Brooklyn councilman, de Blasio helped his wife, Chirlane McCray, get a job at Maimonides Medical Center, a hospital in his district that de Blasio successfully recommended receive millions of dollars in city money over his years in the Counil
After an Introduction by de Blasio, a Brooklyn Hospital Hired His Wife(NYT) The chief executive of a Brooklyn hospital told Chirlane McCray, Mr. de Blasio’s spouse, that she had no job open at the moment, but that she could invent one. Ms. McCray worked for Maimonides Medical Center from 2005 to 2010.*De Blasio: My wife’s poem made me fall in love with her(NYP)



Far Behind, Lhota Pushes for His Ideas(WSJ)
Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota will release a policy book titled “Five Boroughs. One City. The Way Forward. Joe Lhota: A Mayor for All of New York”, which he says represents a “framework” for his administration*
Hamodia editorialized in favor of Mr. de Blasio’s remarks and questioned rival Joe Lhota‘s more restrained  comments. “Why Lhota would deem it necessary to add such a wholly unnecessary and disrespectful qualification is puzzling,” the publication wrote. “It was Lhota’s choice of words that were most unfortunate.”* Real Estate Board of New York president Steven Spinola said that Public Advocate Bill de Blasio does not frighten developers and the group won’t spend money on Joe Lhota in the mayoral race, Capital New York reports: 


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Gambling Update

NYP Blasts Casinos A court could decide Friday if a referendum to expand casino gambling in New York wasn’t just uncommonly reworded to include rosy benefits — but whether it was approved illegally in secret.* The legal challenge to the casino expansion plan being heard Friday by a state judge threatens to derail not just the seven casinos sought by the governor, but also the back-up plan for four new video lottery terminal facilities.Legalizing casinos: A loser for NY(NYP Ed) In the Post, Steve Malanga, a senior editor of City Journal, criticizes the state’s attempts to legalize casinos, saying that gambling often fails to meet its economic projections and that revenues rarely spur tax relief  Who Is Getting The Most From Gambling Interests?(YNN) Gambling interests have contributed a cominbed $3.2 million to political candidates and committees since 2011, an analysis from Common Cause released this morning found. The report shows the political campaign committees for the Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans were the top recipients of the gambling interests largesse, receiving $414,750 and $403,750 respectively.  Third on the list was the gubernatorial campaign of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who first pushed for the amendment to expand casino gambling in New York beyond American Indian tribes in 2012. He has received $361,500 from the gambling industry since 2011, the report found.
Gambling interests have donated millions to NY pols(NYP) * Gambling industry donates millions to state political campaigns  * ”Cuomo, NY Legislature already hit casino jackpot” [AP]* Lawyer: New York Casino Referendum Was Passed In Secret (CBS) * Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy estimates that the plan for four initial casinos upstate, assuming voters pass a ballot referendum in November, would bring in $430 million per year for public education, property tax relief, and aid to localities, the Times Union writes *  The Times Union writes that the supposed benefits of the state investing in casino expansion is hardly a sure thing and highlights New York’s record of backtracking on promises on how to spend additional revenue * Pro-Casino Committee Doesn’t See Any Leading Language(YNN) * NYPIRG: NYers Are Entitled To A ‘Neutral’ Casino Ballot Proposal(YNN) * Tom Precious notes Cuomo has been “curiously silent” on one of his top agenda items – the casino amendment – which opponents believe is by design.* Capital Region elected officials and business leaders acknowledged concerns over the possibility of more casinos, but said it is a bet worth taking for the potential economic development return.


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Nothing Learned By Pension Scandal?


The state Department of Financial Services will investigate salary spiking in the state’s pension funds and potential conflicts of interests among consultants, Gannett Albany reports: 









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NY1 Missing Debate Questions Again


True News Wags NY1 Debate Team Again 

True News believes the Lhota Carrion debate was must better run and the questions were better but, the same important issues that were left out in the first debate were left out again in the second. 

From the last Debate in August
On Thursday True News said the mayoral debate was poorly run by the moderator and reporters asking questions.  We said the many important topic were not covered, union contracts, rising pension and health care costs and nothing was said about housing, education and homelessness.

Errol Lewis and NYT's David Chen On Last Nights Road to City Hall Agreed 

"Lewis: I do not want to bore everyone with the difficulties of time management when you doing a live debate, like we were handing before. We prepared more questions than we had time ito ask … what was one of the topic that you would like us to get to David Chen from the NYT (who was a questioner at the debate)." Chen: "We wanted to ask them how they would deal with contracts and pension. . .

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Mayoral Debate Lhota Vs.Carrion

Lhota and Independence Party mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión participated in a largely cordial televised debate, with both candidates directing their attacks at Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio, who declined an invite, NY1 reports Republican Joe Lhota and Independence nominee Adolfo Carrion mostly attacked Democrat Bill de Blasio, who skipped the televised debate. [Courtney Gross]
Joe Lhota quickly points out the Democratic nominee is not present.* Bill de Blasio doesn't provide solutions to dealing with income inequality, Joe Lhota charges. * Carrion says he opposes de Blasio's proposal to increase taxes on New Yorkers making more than $500,000. * says raising min wage, etc. is important, but more important is job creation. supports min. wage increase * I have always said the best social program is a job. *  
 I want to grow the police force and put more officers on the street. * Adolfo Carrion suggests Bill de Blasio has flip flopped on stop and frisk. * Lowering taxes on small business and raising min. wage increases economic growth. *  Asked how he differs from BdB on public safety, Carrion says he wants to bring the NYPD to full force; increase community policing. * . says is playing smoke and mirrors with public on tax increase
 *  .: increased taxes leading to flight from NYC, not wise to seek tax hikes on the wealthy * Joe Lhota says he agrees with Carrion that BdB's plan will cause the flight of the wealthy and of jobs; says BdB hasn't read up on it.

 Adolfo Carrion says his plan is to put neighborhood public schools "on steroids," adding resources and lengthening the school day. * As an I could not vote in the primaries, along with one million other voters. We need election reform. * Good point. As an I couldn't vote in the primaries either. * Adolfo Carrion says it's absurd to think that Bill de Blasio has some "phenomenal mandate" based on his showing in the primary.* Carrion says just 260K voters picked de Blasio as the nominee and "you folks" in the press treat it as a mandate. Yes to non-partisan votes.* Lhota's q to the absent BdB: How can you call yourself a progressive considering your stance on charter school expansion? says the govt interferes with peoples rights * . says barry goldwater was ahead of his time, but wrong on civil rights
Adolfo Carrion asks de Blasio if he will keep commitment to universal pre-k if he doesn't get Albany to approve a tax hike on wealthy. * Carrion asks how BdB would pay for pre-K if his proposed tax hike doesn't get through Albany.* Adolfo Carrion says he's "proud" of the protest against U.S. military exercises that got him arrested in Vieques. * Joe Lhota at debate says mayor should have control of NYC's bridges, not MTA.* .Lhota, taking his question, is called on to defend his youthful interest in Barry Goldwater: "He spoke his mind... I found that refreshing."
Joe Lhota in debate is describing himself as a moderate "New York" Republican - and his own person.* Joe Lhota says wait until you see the real debate next week.* Bill de Blasio is on many issues an "extremist," Joe Lhota charges.* Adolfo Carrion says as a Latino and a man of color, there's not really a place on the political spectrum for him and others like him. * Lhota says he believes the GOP is wrong when it comes to the shutdown. He dodges q about whether his view on ObamaCare is out of sync w/NYC. * Carrion says the need is for an informed electorate that is "free from the shackles" of traditional party politics. * "Absolutely not," Adolfo Carrion says when asked if he had any qualms accepting the Independence Party's backing. * .: Declare a state of emergency on housing in the city.* . says rents are going up because of taxes* Both Lhota and Carrion support nonpartisan elections. * Agreement: Both Lhota and Carrion say there should be a full-service casino in NYC. * . says he would not appear on , would   * Interesting. Both Lhota and Carrion believe money to Central Park Conservancy should be shared w/ other parks.* says tolling east river bridges would create fairness * A Carrion administration will drop the toll on the Verrazano bridge.

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Cuomo's Public Financing Way Out?
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As Goo Goos Stand Up For Moreland Commission Independence. . . Cuomo Looks for Exit
 
Update: Moreland Commission
Cuomo’s Moreland Act Commission on Public Corruption is discussing the possibility of disbanding after recommending that a constitutional amendment be offered to voters for a public campaign finance system, the Times Union writes:  

The state Legislature and the governor’s office have interfered with the Moreland Commission’s efforts to investigate corruption in Albany, and sources say that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering an exit strategy from the commission, The New York Times reports * The Times Union writes of the need for strong ethics rules and watchdog bodies, praising state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for their efforts in bringing integrity to government * The TU praises AG Eric Schneiderman and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for joining forces to try to restore some ethics to government.

Media Ignores: Large Ongoing Crimes Being Uncovered That Have Nothing to Do With Public Finance 
“(A)ccording to people familiar with the commission’s work, the effort to investigate corruption in Albany is burdened by resistance from the Legislature, which has refused requests for information about lawmakers’ outside income, and by unexpected involvement by the governor’s office, which has leaned on the commission to limit the scope of its investigations.”* A Cuomo spokeswoman insisted the commission is “moving forward aggressively.”* The special Moreland Commission appointed by the governor in July will convene again, privately, today, amid a flurry of stories questioning its independence from the Cuomo administration. Recent reports say the commission held back subpoenas at the administration's request, and Capital reported yesterday that commissioners are in discussions with the administration to propose a public campaign finance system as a constitutional amendment. * It's the first step toward negotiating a truce that leaves the commission irrelevant, or, as Jim Odato suggests this morning, nonexistent.


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Advance Groups Gamed Public Fiance

Advance Groups Logo on Phony Group Makes Millions in Matching Funds, Main Stream Media Ignores
Several payments that a UUFT super PAC sent to a fictitious political consulting firm “Strategic Consultants” have the Advance Group logo on their invoices
Advance Group puts logo on phony firm's invoice( CrainsNY) Last week, The Insider broke the news that the United Federation of Teachers' super PAC had paid more than $370,000 to a fictitious political consulting firm "Strategic Consultants Inc.," which was actually the well-known Manhattan consulting firm the Advance Group. An open records request that came back on Tuesday from the City Campaign Finance Board (and is embedded below) offers fresh and somewhat amusing evidence of the connection between the two: Many of the invoices the agency received from Strategic Consultants have the Advance Group logo on them.* Supreme Court Again Weighs Spending Limits In Campaigns. This decision could = the death of democracy




It is very clear that Wall Street has Dark Pools where traders operate beyond the regulators.  What is not clear is that their are also Dark Pool where lobbyists, campaign consultants and elected officials make  deals with each other undermining democracy hidden from public view.






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All the Media Silent On Local Impact on  Citizens United
We have just gone though the first local election since the Citizen United ruling where two major IE groups Jobs4NT and NYClass has pumped money into almost every first time winning candidate or attacked their opponent.  CrainsNY reporter Chris Bragg has done a good job showing that on of the big PAC groups headed by Advance's Scott Levinson was not following the election law and was in some elections working against the interests of his council clients.  Only True News has asked where is the media on Citizens United effect on the city's elections. Mark Levine ran  in a minority created district he did not even live in won with the help of Jobs4NY, NYClass and United for the Future.* Politicians for Sale (NYT Ed)The Supreme Court should follow its own precedent and uphold overall campaign contribution limits.

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Non Profit's Dark Pool$
NYP Secret Pots of Public Dollars Guarantee Corruption


Rapfogel’s Albany enablers(NYP Ed)The report is called “Spending in the Shadows,” and it cites $3 billion in “off-budget” cash that will be spent in New York this year via “ ‘lump sum’ pots of money” on the sheer say-so of individual politicians. It’s a sweet setup for the pols, their pet projects and the groups that get the taxpayer cash. Remember, Rapfogel’s Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty got $90 million from all government sources ­last year. Thanks to secret money “pots,” key budget decisions don’t have to be debated publicly. They can be made after the budget is passed, on the whims of individual officials, and kept from public view. Groups that get cash can then direct donations back to the pols who arranged the funding, just as Rapfogel is thought to have done. It points to scandals involving Sen. Malcolm Smith, ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley and ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez as examples.* The Cuomo administration is putting a hold on new state contracts involving the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, with six contracts totaling $11.3 million set aside until the attorney general’s investigation is completed, the Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes * Former Bronx Charity Head Busted By NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman(NYDN) * Ex-Director of Charity Is Charged in Theft(NYT)  * Penny Harvest Charitable Group to Stay Afloat With City Money(NYT)

 -Mob Gang Honors One Of Their Own Who Did Time

Queens Pols Host ‘Welcome Home’ Dinner For Alan Hevesi(NYO)
A small group of Queens officials quietly schmoozed with disgraced ex-Comptroller Alan Hevesi last night, reuniting with him for a “welcome home” dinner after he was jailed for his role in a massive pay-to-play scandal.  Mr. Hevesi, a power broker who was close to the Queens County Democratic organization before he admitted to receiving $1 million in kickbacks while investing the state’s pension fund, dined with State Senator Toby Stavisky, Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz and former Queens Borough President Claire Schulman at a local diner in Rego Park.

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NYC Rising Health Care Costs


New York City’s Health Care Budget Burden(Epoch Times)
The cost of health care for municipal workers has nearly doubled in the last decade and the city is looking for ways to reduce its burden. Though workers pay a portion of their health care costs through co-pays, few contribute to their health care premiums, a rare feat in the today’s lean economy. The benefits have made working for New York City attractive, but come with a cost. In fiscal year 2002, the city spent $2 billion on health care. By fiscal year 2016, it is projected to spend $7 billion.




Mayor Michael Bloomberg on his next step in life: “I’ve said I’m not a consultant. I would want to own the company. I’m not a teacher. I want to learn, but that’s not my bag. I’m not an investor. I delegate that to others. I’m not an author. I wrote one book, did a book party, know what it’s like.”* Mayor Michael Bloomberg who fought to limit the size of sugary sodas in theaters and trans fats in restaurants said his ideal meal is a peanut butter and bacon sandwich on white bread, the Daily News writes: 




 
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Smith Investigation Ongoing
Prosecutors in Queens pol Malcolm Smith's bribery case seek to hush wiretap info(NYDN)

The prosecutors want the info kept secret because the investigation that busted the state senator and other political figures is ongoing. White Plains Federal Court Judge Kenneth Karas said Monday he wants to see the evidence next week so he can decide whether it needs to be kept secret, according to Grant Lally, lawyer for Vincent Tabone, a Republican party official charged in the case.


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Council Candidate Health Problem


Queens City Council Candidate Has Health Scare [Update](NYO)
City Council candidate Lew Simon, who is trying to unseat Queens GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich, received a major health scare this week when doctors found several blockage near his heart.




 
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Hynes

Dear NYP Hynes is Running On GOP Line Because He Lost Not That He Wants To Build the GOP
Will Hynes help the GOP grow?(NYP) Well, welcome to the fight. I say that as another long-time Democrat who eventually concluded the party was headed in a different direction. My own switch happened after September 2001, when I entered the polling place for the mayoral primary and asked for a ballot that would permit me to vote for Herman Badillo.* Bill de Blasio Tells His Supporters To "Redouble" Efforts For Ken Thompson(NYDN)

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et tu Williamsberg
Hynes Got in Trouble for Protecting Some In Williamsberg From Sexual Abuse Charges and Today Leaders Of ThatCommunity Endorsed His Opponent  
4
Honored to have support of both Aaroni & Zalmani Satmar sects + Jewish leaders representing ​Boro Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush & W'burg* DC37 Reverses No-Endorsement Policy for Brooklyn D.A.’s RaceEndorses Ken Thompson

“Let’s go Joe” and “Hynes must go.” “We’ve listened for 21 years,” yelled Mark Appel, founder of Voice of Justice, a long-time Hynes foe. At his campaign re-launch, Joe Hynes went back and forth with protesters. THE VOICE OF JUSTICE is a social justice organization which advocates for social justice in the areas of healthcare, mental health, immigration, child protection issues


Hynes Rally Hecklers and GOP
Charles Hynes' strategy: "If I can retain 40 or 50% of the folks that voted for me in the primary and then get 85% of the Republican and Conservative votes that's the path to victory…"
Hynes officially kicks off Republican campaign for DA(NYP)
Protesters Crash Joe Hynes Re-Election Launch(NYO) 
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes heckled as he announces re-election bid as a Republican and Conservative (NYDN)
Charles Hynes Sees a Path to Victory on the Republican Line(WFP) * Protesters rock DA Hynes's campaign rally(Brooklyn Paper)


Hynes and  PR great insider who ran the last two Hynes reelection campaigns blames George Arzt for the primary loss.  Arzt was not at the rally kick off yesterday. 


Hynes Is Met by Hecklers as He Renews Bid for Brooklyn District Attorney(NYT)* The Hynes Legacy Has Gone South(frumfollies) Brooklyn District Attorney Charles “Joe” Hynes’s sudden re-election launch got off to an acrimonious start today when supporters of rival Ken Thompson, who defeated Mr. Hynes in the Democratic primary last month, heckled and interrupted the event. The press conference, held on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall, was delayed for several minutes as Hynes backers strained to drown out the chants. “Let’s go Joe!” they cried from the steps. Supporters waded into the throng to thrust their own blue signs in front.* QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is all about a pre-election. I don’t mind dissent as you can yell all you want, but at least be decent enough to listen to what I have to say … You’ve already demonstrated you’re opposed to the democratic process.” – Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes at his campaign re-launch, via Politicker. * Hynes Looks To Preserve DA Tenure On GOP Line (NY1) * Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes formally threw his hat back into the ring Tuesday, but for the first time he's not running as a Democrat. (NY1)



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Bloomberg in the Middle

In Unlikely Turn, Bloomberg Convenes the Mayoral Rivals(NYT)
Playing peacemaker, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg shared the stage on Tuesday with the would-be successors he has refused to endorse.
Front-runner Meets Mayor, Gets Personal(WSJ)





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Sexual Harassment Kellner Running

Manhattan Has A Joe Hynes
Wife Dumps Micah
Assemblyman Kellner’s wife dumps him(NYP)
Micah Kellner Files Paperwork Indicating He’ll Pursue General Election(NYO) Kellner lost his highly-charged primary contest to opponent Ben Kallos by about 6 percent following revelations that a sexual harassment complaint was once filed against him. The Working Families Party, which endorsed Mr. Kellner long before his loss, has since voted to endorse Mr. Kallos in the general.WFP said We call on Micah Kellner to stand down from this futile and foolish endeavor.”* Scandal-plagued Kellner running on party line that’s disowned him(NYP) * Scandal-scarred Assemblyman Micah Kellner is burning more bridges is continuing his NYC Council run on the Working Families Party line in the general election even though he lost the Democratic primary and the labor-backed party has disowned him.* With a legit Republican also in the mix, that race could be interesting.* One former rival, Ed Hartzog, endorsed Kallos. [LongIslandExchange]* Assemblyman Micah Kellner was dumped by his wife, Marie Ternes, a political consultant and former aide to ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, after losing the Democratic primary for Manhattan’s Upper East Side council seat amid sex-harassment allegations.* One editorial page said Assemblyman Micah Kellner "needs to go away. Quickly," and not run on the Working Families Party line for City Council. [Observer] * Council candidate lost the Dem primary, just got $88K in public matching funds - most of any awarded today. Needs every penny.* Assemblyman Joe Borelli announced he would introduce legislation to close a loophole that would allow unpaid interns to file sexual harassment claims against oppressive superiors, Politicker writes: 
Micah Kellner gets public funds for an unsanctioned Working Families run (Capital)


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James No Matching Funds


Letitia James: I Won't Accept Matching Funds In Public Advocate Race(NYDN) New York City Democratic public advocate nominee Letitia James has pledged not to accept any public matching funds in the general election, which would have been roughly $28,350, saying “it’s not necessary* Setting a good example  (NYDN Ed) Letitia James and Scott Stringer say no thanks to tax dollars for runaway elections. Brooklyn Councilwoman Tish James, who won the Democratic public advocate nomination in an Oct. 1 runoff, says she won’t accept the estimated $28,530 in matching funds that would likely be available to her because she is facing a field of weak challengers.* Payback time(NYDN Ed) Give two cheers to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz and incoming Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who will return tens of thousands in excess campaign funds to the public fisc.
Read more:
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Council Speaker Race


Wide-Open Race for Council Chief(WSJ)
Letitia James's Victory in Public Advocate Primary Could Affect Contest* Winner in City Council contest — for most contributions to fellow members * . made max-out primary donations to Tish James and Paul Vallone, max donation to de Blasio in late Sept... City and State Winners of the Week  Mark Weprin, Dan Garodnick and Jimmy Vacca – Had Daniel Squadron prevailed in the runoff for New York City public advocate this week, the conventional wisdom was that Garodnick, Vacca and Weprin would have been out of luck in the race for Council Speaker; white men winning all three of the citywide elected offices, it would have looked terrible in a majority-minority city for the only other top job to go to yet another white dude. Fortunately for this trio, Tish James’ runoff win virtually assures that she will become the first woman of color elected citywide in New York City. As a result they didn’t just escape elimination, they moved to the front of the class as viable contenders in the estimation of many pundits—for what that’s worth.*  COUNCIL WATCH: FIRST ABOVE EQUALS: City & State columnist Seth Barron analyzes the contest to be the next Speaker of the New York City Council, including the influential role of Democratic county leaders in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx:


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Gambling Pay to Play $$$

Albany Jackpot: The Same Crooks That Got Away With the AEG Robbery Are Still Making $$$ From Gambling

NYT Blasts Gambling Wordings
Gambling on Loaded Language(NYT E)

A New York State judge should not allow lawmakers to skew the wording on a ballot in a way that tips the scales in favor of a pro-gambling outcome.

Update NYP Blasts Casinos
A court could decide Friday if a referendum to expand casino gambling in New York wasn’t just uncommonly reworded to include rosy benefits — but whether it was approved illegally in secret.* The legal challenge to the casino expansion plan being heard Friday by a state judge threatens to derail not just the seven casinos sought by the governor, but also the back-up plan for four new video lottery terminal facilities.
Legalizing casinos: A loser for NY(NYP Ed) In the Post, Steve Malanga, a senior editor of City Journal, criticizes the state’s attempts to legalize casinos, saying that gambling often fails to meet its economic projections and that revenues rarely spur tax relief 
Who Is Getting The Most From Gambling Interests?(YNN) Gambling interests have contributed a cominbed $3.2 million to political candidates and committees since 2011, an analysis from Common Cause released this morning found. The report shows the political campaign committees for the Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans were the top recipients of the gambling interests largesse, receiving $414,750 and $403,750 respectively.  Third on the list was the gubernatorial campaign of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who first pushed for the amendment to expand casino gambling in New York beyond American Indian tribes in 2012. He has received $361,500 from the gambling industry since 2011, the report found.*  Gambling interests have donated millions to NY pols(NYP) * Gambling industry donates millions to state political campaigns  * ”Cuomo, NY Legislature already hit casino jackpot” [AP]* Lawyer: New York Casino Referendum Was Passed In Secret (CBS) * Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy estimates that the plan for four initial casinos upstate, assuming voters pass a ballot referendum in November, would bring in $430 million per year for public education, property tax relief, and aid to localities, the Times Union writes *  The Times Union writes that the supposed benefits of the state investing in casino expansion is hardly a sure thing and highlights New York’s record of backtracking on promises on how to spend additional revenue * Pro-Casino Committee Doesn’t See Any Leading Language(YNN) * NYPIRG: NYers Are Entitled To A ‘Neutral’ Casino Ballot Proposal(YNN) * Tom Precious notes Cuomo has been “curiously silent” on one of his top agenda items – the casino amendment – which opponents believe is by design.



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Hospital On Life Support

Brooklyn’s Interfaith Medical Center was put back on life support thanks to a sudden cash influx from the Cuomo administration. 


__________________________________________________________________________________
Fracking Update


Cuomo in Utica says he does not believe there needs to be a do-over of the fracking review: "I feel good about where we are."*
Cuomo doesn't see a need for fracking review do-over 
Cuomo said he’s comfortable with the state’s review of hydraulic fracturing, and that he was not aware of a letter sent by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo asking for a more comprehensive review of the potential health impacts, Gannett Albany reports:


__________________________________________________________________________________
Pension Protection

In the Times Union, state Sen. Tony Avella shines a light on companies across the country that are selling off their pension responsibilities to an investment company without the retirees’ consent, and touts his legislation protecting retirees: 

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Education

Dept. of Ed. ‘dumping’ tough students in struggling schools(NYP)
U.F.T. CALLS FOR DELAYING COMMON CORE CONSEQUENCES by Eliza Shapiro: U.F.T. president Michael Mulgrew is] arguing that New York City teachers and students need more time to teach and learn the new curricula before they are penalized or rewarded for their performance. …NYC Dept. of Ed spokeswoman Erin Hughes: "It is a disservice to our students…" http://goo.gl/dqW5Ov



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Weiner Vs Hannity
"Post-Mayoral Anthony Weiner Has Another Epic TV Interview" [
SEAN HANNITY: "You want a job on MSNBC. I got it. Now I know why you came here today."
ANTHONY WEINER: "Fox apparently has much lower standards..."
HANNITY: "Ouch. Want me to talk about low standards? You really want to go there?" [FoxNews]


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Mayor's Race


Charter school leaders are uneasy about Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio’s plan to stop offering charters free rent, and are seeking donations, freezing hiring plans, and prodding students and teachers to speak out,
Thousands of parents and children, staging one of the biggest demonstrations in years, converged on City Hall in Lower Manhattan to protest de Blasio’s plan to make charter schools pay rent.
De Blasio puts union interests ahead of kids(NYP) The colorful shirts marchers wore in support of charter schools yesterday included some that declared “Charter Schools ARE Public Schools.” That mere statement of fact is a miracle to some and a nightmare to others. * Thanks to yesterday’s march, the divide is taking center stage in the mayoral race. And it comes as a poll finds that 56 percent of New Yorkers want more charters.Lhota told a business group earlier. “These parents cannot afford a private school and, more importantly, their children’s future cannot afford their local district school.” His comments were aimed at Democrat Bill de Blasio, who wants to cap charters and threatens to charge rent to those that share buildings with other schools. He also promises not to close failing schools — all positions that parrot the teachers union.* Charter school rally sends message to Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota(NYDN)  Thousands of parents, students and teachers march the Brooklyn Bridge to support charters* Lhota Backers Losing Hope(WSJ) * amNY opinion -- Charter schools earn more than passing grade:  "He wants to preserve the status quo," Joe Lhota says of Bill de Blasio. He says the status quo in education is failing NYC children. * nAt the ABNY breakfast, GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota told hundreds of business leaders that Democratic frontrunner Bill de Blasio as a proponent of bloated government whose “extreme” positions won’t reduce income inequality.* Lhota also said de Blasio’s “naive and reckless” views on policing could allow crime to make a vicious comeback.* De Blasio is "blind" to the city's real economic problem: the overregulation of businesses. [Observer] * Lhota spoke to the Association for a Better New York, but it "lacked the spectacle and unabashed embrace that infused Mr. de Blasio’s appearance four days ago before the same group." [Michael Grynbaum] * Lhota referred to the motorcycle attack as "wilding" and suggested de Blasio would negotiate with bikers over coffee. [Jennifer Fermino and Erin Durkin] * Joe Lhota Hits Mayor Bloomberg's Opposition To Church Services In School Buildings  * Mayoral candidate Joe Lhota disagreed with his ally and top donor Ken Langone’s negative assessment of his chances in the mayor’s race and said he has an opportunity to win, The Wall Street Journal reports: 

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WFP's Town


Joe Lhota points to the upcoming debates as the key to his path to victory. After the debates, he says, the polls will shift . . . Others Believe NYC A WFP Town
NYC reverts to its natural state as a 1-party town, as the Working Families Party's long game pays off
Joe Lhota slams Bill de Blasio's views on crime, police as 'naive and reckless'(NYDN)
Republican mayoral candidate Lhota blasted Democrat de Blasio's response to the biker beatdown of a SUV driver, as well as his views on stop-and-frisk policing. The de Blasio campaign called Lhota's attack 'distortions and fearmongering.'* Supporters of Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota, including Ken Langone, one of his biggest financial backers, are increasingly resigned to the prospect of Lhota losing the mayoral race, in part due to de Blasio’s lead in the polls, The Wall Street Journal reports * Lhota PAC $$$ Manhattan federal Judge Paul Crotty gave no indication as to when he would rule on an injunction request by a political action committee backing Lhota’s campaign, which seeks to strike down the state’s $150,000 campaign donation limit, the Post reports: http://bit.ly/1fi5v6t * The Daily News’ Harry Siegel predicts that de Blasio will win the New York City mayoral race, and credits the Working Families Party, of which de Blasio is a founder, for realigning the city’s politics to the left * There is a debate tonight on NY1. Joe Lhota and Adolfo Carrion have agreed to attend. Bill de Blasio has declined the invitation.* De Blasio Talks Pizza, Son's Afro in Reddit AMA (WSJ)* .* De Blasio plan could close some charter schools: advocates(NYP)


De Blasio will help decide fate of Long Island College Hospital(NYP)
says he has "a very old fashioned view" and believes the constitution needs to be followed when it comes to policing.* Joe Lhota is out out of touch because he wants to double down on stop-and-frisk tactic, Bill de Blasio charges.* It's not the time to be giving tax breaks to businesses in uncertain economic times, Bill de Blasio says.* Some of NYC’s wealthiest residents are afraid of the prospect of Mayor de Blasio, with one predicting he’ll “tax everyone to smithereens.”* Unions are raising money for a pro-Bill de Blasio action committee to counter David Koch. [Sally Goldenberg * Bill de Blasio says Mayor Michael Bloomberg took a "hand-off" approach and that's why income inequality grew.* Bill de Blasio's plan to charge rent to charter schools is rankling advocates, and helping prompt the Bloomberg's administration to hurry and approve two dozen co-locations. [Javier Hernandez] * Another challenge facing de Blasio: not just expanding pre-K classes, but improving them. [Ivan Pentchoukov]* Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he would not increase the city’s contributions to the MTA if he became mayor, in contrast to Lhota’s position, in a radio interview this morning, Capital New York writes:  * An opinion piece in Hamodia, a prominent New York City-based Jewish newspaper, a writer compared de Blasio’s support for the leftist Sandinista movement to being a “Nazi sympathizer.”* A “painful” poem penned by a youthful Chirlane McCray was one of the reasons Democratic NYC mayoral frontrunner Bill de Blasio fell in love with her.* Hospital Hired de Blasio’s Wife After He Introduced Her: The chief executive of a Brooklyn hospital told Chirlane...  * Video: At Jewish Fundraiser(theyeshivaworld)
Video: At Jewish Fundraiser, De Blasio Defended Condolence Statement On Rabbi Yosef - See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=192012#sthash.xY5Hy4VU.dpuf


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Comptroller's Debate
In the first televised debate of the New York City comptroller race, Republican nominee John Burnett went on the attack from the beginning, knocking his Democratic opponent Scott Stringer for missing pension board meetings
Wall Streeter Burnett Attacks Stringer's Political Ties In Comptroller Debate(NY1)
Longshot John Burnett Launches All-Out Attack On Scott Stringer In Controller Debate | NY Daily News
Candidates Spar Over Souls and Pensions in Comptroller Debate(NYT)
Miss tonight's debate between vs ? watch it here * In their first televised general election debate, GOP NYC comptroller candidate John Burnett attacked the political ties of his Democratic opponent, Scott Stringer, and questioned whether Stringer has a soul.* By attacking Scott Stringer and questioning whether he has a soul, the Republican comptroller nominee is trying to make sure people pay attention to this sleepy race. [Bobby Cuza]

John Liu Still Fighting
City pensions go on offensive against Oracle boss(NYP) New York City Comptroller John Liu is part of the drive by activist shareholders to rein in Ellison’s pay package and unseat directors who oversee executive compensation.* The Daily News’ Juan Gonzalez praises New York City Comptroller John Liu for his “dogged oversight” of runaway spending on city computer contracts, citing his dispute with the city over its agreement with Verizon as an example:


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Westside Waste Transfer Station
 
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against New York City over the controversial waste transfer station planned for the Upper East Side, say the pier currently under construction for the station would be susceptible to floodwater, the Daily News writes: http://nydn.us/16AU3y0

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NYCHA

City Council Moves to Stall Land Leases at Public Housing(NYT)
The New York City Council moved to block the Bloomberg administration from acting on a plan to lease land in public housing developments to private developers for market-rate apartments. The New York City Council and a group of tenants sued the Bloomberg administration in state Supreme Court in Manhattan over plans to lease lands in public housing developments for the creation of market-rate apartments*

NYC council sues to stop NYCHA’s land-leasing to luxury developers(NYDN)

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Judge No Tomorrow Taxi

Let the market, not government, pick new taxi(NYP Ed)


Judge Blocks New York City Plan for ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’(NYT)
A judge said that New York City had exceeded its authority by requiring cab operators to buy the NV200, the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow.A state Supreme Court judge blocked the Bloomberg administration’s Taxi of Tomorrow plan, saying the Taxi and Limousine Commission exceeded its authority by requiring nearly all yellow taxi operators to purchase the same vehicle, the Times reports * Taxi of Tomorrow Rejected by Court(WSJ) A state court on Tuesday rejected Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Taxi of Tomorrow program as an overreach of executive authority, potentially dooming a project to create a virtually uniform taxi fleet for the city.* A state judge blocked the city from requiring taxi owners to purchase a Nissan NV200 — the Taxi of Tomorrow — and City Hall aides there may not be enough time left in the mayor's tenure to successfully appeal. [Matt Flegenheimer] *Future Look of City’s Cab Fleet Uncertain(NYT)
* Soooo yesterday! (NYDN Ed) The Taxi of Tomorrow is soooo yesterday. By ruling that Mayor Bloomberg exceeded his authority in ordering all new cabs to be a single model of Nissan van, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shlomo Hagler has, for all intents and purposes, ended this administration’s misadventures in deciding who will drive what cabs where and for whom.* Yassky: Borough taxis, like bike lanes, are here to stay 

City and State Loser of the Week David Yassky – Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Yassky just can’t seem to get their plan for a uniform fleet of taxis off the ground. First, Comptroller John Liu twice rejected the city’s contract with Nissan, the maker of the taxi model, on largely symbolic grounds. Then this week, a state Supreme Court judge ruled that the city exceeded its authority in requiring that nearly all yellow taxi operators purchase the same vehicle. At this rate, with a new mayor coming in, the plan may not ever get off the ground. We’re guessing when they dubbed the plan “Taxi of Tomorrow”, they meant tomorrow as in the future, not “at some point after numerous court challenges.”


Bogus-toll cabbie off streets for good(NYP)




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Marathon Fed Shutdown Victim

The NYC Marathon usually begins at Staten Island’s federally run Fort Wadsworth Park, but Washington gridlock has shut down the starting line less than four weeks before the world’s most crowded 26.2-mile race kicks off. There is a contingency plan in place. 

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Cuomo Dump ConEd Hike

Cuomo, who has been a critic of utility companies since Sandy struck a year ago, said ConEd should not only be denied the $450 million rate increase it is seeking, but that its rates should not go up at all next year.



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Were Are the NYC Papers on Moreland?


Glen Falls Newspaper Demand Vs NYT Silence On Moreland Commission for details of outside work legislators do
EDITORIAL: Legislators need to hand over employment records(Post Star) Few comparisons are less apt than Assemblyman Tony Jordan’s comparison of lawyers to doctors in the context of client confidentiality. The first problem with Jordan’s comparison is its irrelevance. The commission is not asking for lists of patients from doctors. Many legislators are lawyers, however, with active practices. Last year, Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos made $250,000 in his law practice. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made more than that, perhaps as much as $450,000, according to ethics disclosure records.“The public has an interest in knowing whether a public official is profiting from office; the public has an interest in knowing whether a public official has interests with or ties to particular special interests; and the public has an interest in knowing those financial interests that can affect a public official’s actions.”


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Jobs4NY's Parkside Lobbyists for the Media

Not One Story About Parkside's Role in Jobs4NY
The New York Newspaper Guild pays the Parkside Group $60,000 a year to lobby for them. It is strange that the major role Parkside plays in state and local elections it never gets written about.  Parkside ran Jobs4NY for the real estate industry which spent millions buying future councilmembers. The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practices.
REBNY | Jobs For New York PAC - The Real Deal *  Lobbyist Has a Dual Role at City Hall - New York Times(2005) * True News: A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians * A Letter to Garcia: (Michael) Garcia U.S. Attorney | Room Eight

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Buying the Press

Capital NY Building Stable Of Columnists
VandeHei, Politico Editor, Is Made Chief Executive(NYT)
Carl Bernstein Plans Memoir on His Cub Reporter Days (NYT)
The NY Post Loses Over $50 Million a Year But Things are Great(Fishbowl)

Golden Age of PR: in Observer's Power 50 List of firms, DKC and Rubenstein, both used by Forest City, rank 2 and 3(Atlantic Yards Report) According to the New York Observer, it's The Golden Age of PR, and anyone who's watched Atlantic Yards evolve--remember all the "liar fliers" or the arena's opening communications strategy?--knows how crucial such promotions have been

 

 

PolitiFact Launching New Site Dedicated to Fact-Checking TV and Radio Pundits


From The BBC Guardian performed 'public service': The Guardian performed a "considerable public service" when ...


National Newspaper Week

The Many Front Pages of New York, Past and Present(NYT)
In 1900, at least 15 daily general circulation English-language newspapers were being published in New York. Their names and logos are largely the stuff of nostalgia.The Mirror folded in 1963 with a million readers. Dwindling advertising doomed the ultimate conglomerate, the hybrid World Journal Tribune – known as the Widget — in 1967 (its offspring, New York Magazine, survived). New York Newsday closed in 1995. 



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Washington
Monday

Hillary Clinton is hitting the campaign trail with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe this weekend - the first time the former Secretary of State will appear publicly for the Democratic candidate.
In Nixing Weekend Deal, Dems Exposed - George Will, Washington Post
The Republican Crises: "This Is Not Normal" - Steve Benen, MSNBC
Obamacare & Edsel: A Tale of Two Lemons - David Catron, Am. Spectator
Focus on Growth, Not Debt - Lawrence Summers, The Fiscal Times
Now Democrats Demand More Spending? - Joel Pollak, Big Government
Three Lessons for the Tea Party Movement - Michael Kazin, CNN
Neighbors: Booker Never Lived in Newark - Charles Johnson, Daily Caller
Want More Babies? Stop Terrifying Women - Carrie Lukas, USA Today
Why College Costs Will Soon Plunge - Barton Hinkle, Richmond TD
Rand Paul's Hate Speech Against Muslims - Dean Obeidallah, Daily Beast
Paul Tells Christians to Fight Persecution - Mollie Hemingway, Federalist

More From Real Clear

Defense: China Hacking Us Through Our Limos - John Reed, Foreign Policy
Tech: Imagine a World Without Shops or Factories - Peter Day, BBC News
World: Is Iran Lunatic or Rational? Neither - Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
Energy: The Genetics of Global Warming - Michael White, Pacific Standard
Science: Is World Getting Better or Worse? - Bjorn Lomborg, NewScientist
Sunday
TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads(Huff Post)
An NYT researcher tries : "despite >40 attempts over...11 days, she was never able to log in.”  * From the Start, Troubles With Online Health Exchanges(NYT)
G.O.P. Hopes to Take Senate Are Dimming(NYT)
Senate leaders take reins on shutdown talks(Wash Post)
Short tempers, foul moods hit Congress as fight drags on(Wash Post)
From the Start, Troubles With Health Exchanges - Robert Pear, NY Times
GOP: A Party at War With Itself - Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times
Debt and Our "Hunger Games" Future - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
Janet Yellen the Right Choice for Fed Chair - Cathy Minehan, Boston Globe
Lindsey Graham says he won't vote for a budget deal that will "compromise" Boehner's leadership in the House
Extended Interview: Malala Yousafzai leaves Jon Stewart speechless

‘Bless These Braying Jackasses’: SNL’s Senate Chaplain Barry Black Prays Away the Gov’t Shutdown


Yellen Pick Shows Alliance of Left and Wall St. - Tim Carney, DC Examiner


Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords joined AG Eric Schneiderman to tour a gun show in Saratoga Springs and highlight a voluntary agreement and stricter state gun control law.
Giffords and her husband, retired Navy Captain and former astronaut Mark Kelly, spoke at RIT Saturday.
Giffords Attends Gun Show(WSJ)
 A Mad Tea Party - Maureen Dowd, New York Times
No Evidence Dems Can Take Back House - Salena Zito, Pitt Tribune-Review
GOP Governors Need to Clean Up Their Act - Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC
Obama's Ugly Shutdown Spectacle - Sherman Frederick, LV Review-Journal
How Activist Is the Supreme Court? - Adam Liptak, New York Times
A "Wonderland" Moment for the Court - George Will, Washington Post
The Republican Party's Age of Unreason - Nicholas Wapshott, Reuters
Obamacare Is a Blemish on U.S. Technology - Ed Rogers, Washington Post
Where Even the Middle Class Can't Afford to Live - Emily Badger, Atlantic
Create Jobs by Ending the Swipe Fee Rip-Off - Doug Kantor, RCP
Tackling, at the Turn of the Century - Gregg Easterbrook, New York Times
The Peace Prize, the Pakistani Girl, and Putin - Carl Cannon, OC Register
Latest Polls: VA Gov | NJ Gov | NJ Sen | Obama Approval | Generic Ballot

Editorials

Why Is WH Hiding Obamacare Enrollment Data? - Investor's Biz Daily
Republicans in Ruins - New York Daily News
California's Green Trade War - Wall Street Journal
Supreme Court Is Primed for Another Blunder - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Senate must bail out the House (NYN)



Saturday
A Mad Tea Party (Dowd, NYT)
Republicans in ruins(NYDN)
GOP scrambles after Obama
pans House plan(Wash Post)
Fiscal Cliff deal had 85 yeas, Boehner supported, Cantor & McCarthy opposed. McConnell had negotiated it.
The Color of Politicsby Peter J. Boyer Cory Booker and the post-racial generation(New Yorker)
Exit Ted Cruz, enter Paul Ryan (CBS)

The only way to end gridlock(By Chris Matthews, NYP)
White House, businesses press Republicans on debt(Wash Post)
Republican Strategist Fired After Saying Cory Booker Tweets Like "Gay Guy" (Gothamist)
3 assumptions that are more or less fictional 1. We'll really breach the debt ceiling. 2. Boehner might be ousted 3. Hastert rule matters 
Both Houses of Congress Try to Extend the Dialogue(NYT)
Steve Lonegan Strategist Thinks Cory Booker’s Online Relationship With a Stripper Was Kind of Gay(NY Mag)
Pace Quickens on Budget Resolution - Hook & O'Connor, Wall Street Journal
Pelosi: "We Can't Be Enablers Anymore" - Joan Walsh, Salon
Voters See Both Parties Blundering - Michael Barone, Washington Examiner
A Political Bloodbath for Republicans - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Obamacare, Debt and Disaster - Romina Boccia, The National Interest
Baby Boomers Ruined The Government - Joe Klein, Time
"Vanity Fair" and the New Feudalism - Matthew Continetti, DC Free Beacon
Is U.S. Political Bubble About to Burst? - Ezra Klein, Bloomberg
Funding Jihadists, Denying Military Benefits - Andrew McCarthy, NRO
What's With New Jersey's Senate Election? - Gail Collins, New York Times
The Secret of Success: Failure - Scott Adams, Wall Street Journal
Men Dither While Women Lead in the World - Hanna Rosin, CNN
Why I Plan to Grill Janet Yellen - Sen. Rand Paul, Time
When the Rejected Became the Mainstream - Al Sharpton, Huffington Post
Why Do Advertisers Back Race-Baiter Sharpton? - Ben Shapiro, Townhall
Republican Hostage Game Has Just Begun - Francis Wilkinson, Bloomberg
Park Service Paramilitaries - Mark Steyn, Orange County Register
Video Highlights: George Will, James Carville, Mark Levin, Bill Maher
The Shutdown’s Human Cost: A Family’s Hopes at NIH Put on Hold(Daily Beast)

Editorials

Seeds of Compromise? - Washington Post
Anytown, USA Is Not Impressed By the Farce in D.C. - The Economist
Bring on Sequester 2.0 - Chicago Tribune
Schools Outlaw Handshakes, Dodge Ball, and Fun - New York Post


Friday
State and federal officials are discussing the possibility of reopening the Statue of Liberty, despite the partial government shutdown.
SHUT SHOW: President Obama frowns on GOP's proposal to extend deadline for raising debt limit(NYDN)
Global Chemical Weapons Watchdog Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Now Is the Time to Delay ObamaCare - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Last Days of the Republican Party - John Judis, The New Republic
The Six Big Takeaways From the Shutdown - Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
A Crisis of the President's Own Making - Kimberley Strassel, Wall St. Jrnl
Dealing With Default - Paul Krugman, New York Times
The Way Out of the Debt Crisis - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Gerrymandering Isn't to Blame for D.C. Impasse - Sean Trende, RCP

foreclosure.jpg
Too Big to Fail banks still extend, pretend American Banker reports the big four are sitting on tens of billions of dollars of losses(Rolling  Stone)
Inside the Republican Suicide Machine - Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone
Obama Lied, Our Health Plans Died - Michelle Malkin, Townhall
Hostile States Undercut Obamacare - Geoffrey Cowley, MSNBC
Why Does Sebelius Still Have a Job? - Tom Bevan, RealClearPolitics
Climate Deniers Meet Joe Camel - Becker & Gerstenzang, USA Today
40 Years After Embargo, U.S. Is Energy Giant - Robert Bryce, Bloomberg
The Lessons of Kwame Kilpatrick - Brian Dickerson, Detroit Free Press
Don't Detroit America - Lee Habeeb & Mike Leven, National Review
How Amazon Became the Everything Store - Brad Stone, Bloomberg BW
Employer Ban Is Key to Ending Distracted Driving - David Teater, RCP
Video Highlights: Woodward | Krauthammer | Cruz vs. Whitehouse

JonStewart.jpg
Reviewing Obamacare coverage: Week 2 Stewart-Sebelius is the splashy story, but there’s lot of interesting state and local coverage(Columbia Journalism Review)An Inadequate Offer From the House - New York Times
Shutdown Gov't Works Hard to Inconvenience Americans - Oklahoman
How Obama Can End Republicans' Hostage-Taking - The Nation
Obamacare Premiums Nowhere Near Affordable - LV Review-Journal



Private charity to cover fallen troops' death benefits during shutdown(NYDN)
At least someone in D.C. is willing to do the dirty work! South Carolina man begins mowing Lincoln Memorial lawn before cops order him off — SEE THE VIDEO(NYDN)




JFK and the Dawn of Punitive Liberalism - George Will, Washington Post
The Extremist Gang of 40 - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
The Bigger Battle Behind the Shutdown - David Malpass, Wall St. Journal
GOP Becomes the Party of Pain - Froma Harrop, Providence Journal
Dems Want Americans to Suffer From Shutdown - Michael Ramirez, IBD
PR Nightmare Over Military Death Benefits - Jennifer Griffin, FOX News
Obamacare Saved My Family From Ruin - Janine Urbaniak Reid, Wash Post
From 'Young Invincibles' to Mature Vulnerables - Deb Saunders, SF Chron
Yellen's Road: Liberal Theorist to Fed Chair - Binyamin Appelbaum, NYT
Break the IRS's Wall of Silence - Maggie Gallagher, New York Post
We Need an Invasive NSA - Jack Goldsmith, The New Republic
Why Should We Trust the Government? - James Taranto, Wall St. Journal

America Suffering From Miley Cyrus Syndrome - Meghan Daum, LA Times
How Liberalism Destroyed the American Jew - David Harsanyi, Federalist
Why Won't Doctors Tell Fat People They're Fat? - M. Pemberton, Spectator
Krugtron the Invincible - Niall Ferguson, Huffington Post
Major Garrett on Govt Shutdown - Bevan & Stone, RCP Morning Commute
Election 2013 (Quinnipiac): VA Gov: McAuliffe +8 | NJ Gov: Christie +29

Editorials

Janet Yellen: A Wise Choice for Fed Chair - New York Times
Obama's Shameful Military Death-Benefit Theater - SD Union-Tribune
Is Paul Ryan the Answer to Ending Shutdown? - Washington Post
The Default Deal Obama Should Take - New York Post

The GOP is now viewed favorably by 28% of Americans, down from 38% in September. This is the lowest favorable rating measured for either party since Gallup began asking this question in 1992.
GOING DOWN-HILL FAST! Obama slams Republicans' 'hostage-taking' refusal to hike debt limit without strings attached as GOP downplays impending default(NYDN)
Shutdown leaves kin of dead soldiers without money for funerals(NYDN)
House set to pass legislation assuring that families of fallen soldiers are given death gratuity benefits (NBC)
Reps. Charles Rangel and Joe Crowley were arrested along with six of their non-New York Democratic House colleagues for civil disobedience during a planned rally over immigration reform.


Janet Yellen tapped to head Federal Reserve(NYDN)
Janet Yellen would be the first woman to run the Federal Reserve
If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would become the 15th person to head the Fed and 1st woman to serve in that powerful post.
President Obama will nominate Janet L. Yellen, a Brooklyn native, as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve today. She has been vice chair since 2010.

Divide Hardens Between Obama, Boehner - Alexis Simendinger, RCP
Obama Faces a Solomonic Riddle - Ruth Marcus, Washington Post
The Strange Shutdown - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Republicans' Fringe Festival - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Divided Gov't Requires Negotiation - Rep. Eric Cantor, Washington Post
The Uncompromiser in Chief - Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times
Only Obama & Jack Lew Can Cause a Default - John Hinderaker, Power Line
Why I'm Very Happy About Janet Yellen - Justin Wolfers, Bloomberg
Yellen Nomination: A Blow to the Recovery-Starved - John Tamny, Forbes
Ayotte Balances Demands From Right, Center - Huey-Burns & Conroy, RCP
Is the House in Play Now? Of Course Not - Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call
Americans Revolt Against Park Closures - Michelle Malkin, Townhall
Blocking Obamacare Evidence of Racism - DeWayne Wickham, USA Today
Is This How the IRS Cover-Up Works? - John Fund, National Review

No Shame: Congressional Perks Deemed 'Essential' During Shutdown

Let's Build a More Secure Internet - Eli Dourado, New York Times
Big Brother Really Is Watching You. Here's How - Pratap Chatterjee, TD
Che: Turning Killing Machine Into Icon - Alvaro Vargas Llosa, TNR
New Jersey Senate (Quinnipiac): Booker (D) 53, Lonegan (R) 41

Editorials

Obamacare Meltdown - Boston Herald
Time for Republicans to End Irrational Crusade - Tampa Bay Times
Obama Manipulates Vets, Seniors, Children in Shutdown - DC Examiner
Egypt, Cool It With the Fatwas - Christian Science Monitor

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Law and Or

More Baby Hope arrests possible(NYP)

Baby Hope was tortured before her death: source(NYP)
Firefighter arrested in ‘bottle stab’(NYP) * Cold Case Heats Up With Tip(WSJ) * Baby Hope’s mom ‘devastated’(NYP)
* Mother of "Baby Hope" never reported child missing. She speaks but does not explain.* What ‘Baby Hope’ would look like now(NYP)





WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO: Biker captures the moment he is robbed at gunpoint just before an undercover cop comes out of nowhere to shoot the thief



Strip club catfight ends in stabbing(NYP)
Lupica: For Kelly, finding Baby Hope's killer was 'Eureka!' moment for a great set of cops that never gave up(NYN)
Cousin Arrested in ‘Baby Hope’ Killing(NYT)
A cousin of the little girl known as Baby Hope, whose body was found in Manhattan in 1991, has been arrested in her killing, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said.

New, Young Help for Poor in Infamous Bronx Courts(NYT)
A partnership with Columbia Law School allows the Bronx Defenders to guide future lawyers while providing more legal services to the indigent.








Gabby Giffords to attend upstate New York gun show to applaud organizers for 'code of conduct'(NYDN)



Man Arrested In Connection With Attack On Gay Couple Near MSG (NY1)
FIRST PICTURE: SUV driver in brutal biker beatdown seen with stitches outside home as undercover NYPD detective utters first comment — 'I'm hanging in there'(NYDN)
Fourth NYPD Officer Comes Forward in Motorcycle Road Rage Scandal(DNAINFO)
A former narcotics officer was on the ride where bikers beat a man in front of his family, sources say.


Psychic Found Guilty of Stealing $138,000 From Clients(NYDN)
Dad of baby shot dead in stroller busted for robbery(NYP)
Brooklyn dad of baby shot dead in stroller is collared in subway robbery in which he threatened to slap victim's pregnant sister(NYDN)

THIS WASN'T HIS FIRST ARREST: Undercover NYPD biker thug busted in SUV beatdown also cuffed during 2012 Occupy Wall Street demonstration(NYDN)


Rabbis Arrested in Torture Plot(WSJ)
THE PRODFATHER: Two rabbis busted in plot to charge desperate Jewish wives $100K to kidnap and torture their husbands with a CATTLE ZAPPER to force them to grant a religious divorce(NDYN)
Alleged rabbi divorce torture service cost up to $70K, FBI investigators say (CBS)
Internal Affairs cop part of biker ride that ended in beating(NYP)
Couple faces charges for stealing money from day care business(NYP)
Foul up in gay ‘assault’(NYP)
Orthodox rabbis beat me, stun-gunned my genitals: suit(NYP)




Baby Hope’s identity revealed(NYP) The real name of Baby Hope, who was found murdered in 1991, was Angelica Ramirez, a law-enforcement source told The Post.
Interns aren’t protected from being groped: judge(NYP) Manhattan federal Judge Kevin Castel determined that Lihuan Wang, a former intern at Phoenix Satellite Television US, couldn’t bring a sex-harassment claim against the Chinese-language broadcasting company and her former supervisor there because unpaid interns aren’t employees — so they’re not covered by the city’s Human Rights Law. Castel also pointed out that the City Council has had various opportunities to amend the law to protect interns, but has failed to do so.*\Baby Hope’ Identified as Angelica, but Questions Remain(NYT)

Disgraced cop busted in biker gang’s attack(NYP)
Cops with their eyes closed(NYP Ed)
Grand jury hears evidence in biker gang attack(NYP)
Bronx motorcycle gang thug guilty in pee-shooting(NYP)

Seventh Biker Charged in West Side Chase and Attack(W
Timeline: The biker gang attack on Alexian Lien

Bosses in NYC Can Sexually Harass Unpaid Interns, Judge Rules(NY Mag)
'PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD!': Brooklyn mom found dead atop her 11-day-old son inside bedroom — family believes she died of complications from recent C-section(NYDN)
U.S. Accuses 2 Rabbis of Kidnapping Husbands for a Fee(NYT)

No Clues in Deaths of Brooklyn Mother and Infant(NYT)

Searching for the Father of ‘Baby Hope’(NYT)

Dead 22 Years, ‘Baby Hope’ Has a Name Again(NYT)
Undercover Detective Is Arrested in Attack on S.U.V.(NYT)
Drivers’ Defense: Too Drunk to Be Guilty(NYT)
Police Reveal Break in Baby Hope Mystery; Mother May be Found(WSJ)
4 arrested in murder of 17-year-old in Brooklyn




Detective Arrested in Biker Case(WSJ)
Detective Seen in Bikers’ Attack on S.U.V. Is Arrested(NYT)
Undercover NYPD cop arrested for his involvement in violent biker-SUV attack(NYP)
Meet the cop arrested in biker gang’s attack on family man(NYDN)
Thug beats down woman in violent robbery(NYP)
Charges Upgraded Against Police Detective in Motorcyclists’ Attack on S.U.V.(NYT)
Rabbis Said to Use Torture, for Fee, to Force Divorce(NYT)







Bank robberies suspect busted after ‘looking up women’s dresses’(NYP)
Potential jurors in Madoff ex-staffer trial hear of A-list victims(NYP)

Topless woman in senseless bust(NYP)


 


'I am not in any way sorry': Anti-Semitic Times Square Elmo remorseless as he's sentenced to a year in prison for $2M extortion attempt from Girl Scouts(NYDN)







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Terrorism
Qaeda Suspect Is Brought to New York for a Hearing(NYT)

Request to Appoint Lawyer for Terror Suspect Is Denied

A federal judge in Manhattan rejected a request for Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, who faces indictment on conspiracy charges stemming from the 1998 bombing of two United States embassies in East Africa.

BREAKING: Two Taliban-supporters arrested in New York trying to raise money, supplies for terrorists.
Two Are Charged in a Plan to Send Goods to Taliban(NYT)
New Yorkers Charged With Aiding Taliban(WSJ)

Al Qaeda Suspect Captured In U.S. Raid Arrives In New York(Huff Post)