Sunday, October 20, 2013

True News Sunday Update 24/7

Bad Campaign Team, Bad Time for the Northeast GOP
Lhota Circular Firing Squard
Republicans: Joe Lhota's Bid For NY Mayor Strategically Baffling, "Painful" To Watch(NYDN)
After winning the GOP primary, Lhota waited — some say wasted - 17 days before making his first big policy pitch, a 33-point plan to power up the economy. It offered a clear contrast to Democrat Bill de Blasio's platform. Some days, Lhota himself is barely visible. On Saturday, 17 days before the election, he had no events on his public schedule until a 6 p.m. fundraiser in Chinatown, all but eliminating the opportunity for “free” media coverage.* ABC News' Jon Karl Asks Ted Cruz 'How Much do Your Colleagues Just Despise You Right Now' (VIDEO)* Lhota Calls Republican Party Critics Of His Campaign Are ‘Empty Vessels’


NY Press Grim Reaper Bet On It
The Press Who Only Covers the Horse Race of Campaigns Has Made It Harder for Lhota to Communicate to the Public How He is Different.
They not longer see their role as informing voters an showing how the candidates differ. The NYT has not had a story about the mayoral campaign all weekend.  The Daily News has a story how some GOP operatives say the Lhota campaign is Baffling, "Painful" To Watch * Politico has a story about de Blasio 3 top females staff members. Female aides steer Bill de Blasio’s campaign. The Daily News did question de Blasio pledge to  get all students to read at grade level, by the editorial team did it in a tongue in cheek style not taking on the leading candidate directly.Bill’s homeschooling. Even the NYP gave one to de Blasio by the candidates saying that the NYPD are the best trained police in the world. De Blasio flip-flop: NYPD doing great *The Huff Post has a story on how de Blasio might help the rich see what is wrong with inequality De Blasio: 'Transcendent Moment' May Help Wealthy See What's Wrong With Inequality * Bill de Blasio's to-do list: lawsuits, pink slips (CrainsNY) * Bill de Blasio Hails Red Sox, But Promises Yankee And Mets Fans He Won't Rain On Their Parade(NYDN)




NYP's Michael Goodwin Must Feel Very Alone in NYC
 It’s not ‘divisive’ – it’s the truth!(Goodwin, NYP) Such is the fate of any who dare throw off the smothering blanket of leftist conformity. The thought police, having learned well the wrong lessons from George Orwell, insist that the only truth is the one they approve. The only standards they endorse are double standards. And so dissent was patriotic when George Bush was president, but treasonous under Barack Obama. The symbol of Dinkins’ New York was the squeegee man, whose business model was intimidation. Trapped motorists paid for dirty water on their windshields, or else. It was a stickup, $1 at a time.





Daily News Cuomo vs BdB On Tax Cuts Triangulation

Cuomo Fight With Liberal de Blasio Could Improve His National Chances
.Cuomo "is clearly planning to take any available state cash & plow it into Lhota-type tax cuts 

The Cuomo - de Blasio title fight(NYDN Ed)
The state's two Democrat heavyweights are on a collision course on taxes and spending. While tensions are natural between New York governors and New York City mayors, who often find they have limited sway in Albany, the looming struggle between Cuomo and de Blasio will be fueled by sharply competing governing visions, economic philosophies and political strategies.They are doomed to collide despite the fact that both are firm liberals on social policy: pro-gay marriage, pro-immigration, pro-gun control. Nor will they be spared by virtue of the fact that they know each other well: While serving as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Cuomo hired de Blasio as New York Regional Director.


Tea Party Meteor Hits NY's GOP to Win Citywide Electons, Noting Left But Party Hacks Bottom Feeders 
Tea Part hunting extinct species(NYP Ed) “We’ve got to get the Rockefeller Republicans out of the party,” a fellow told me in Minnesota recently. Or was it Arizona? Or Wilkes-Barre, Pa.? Actually, I think it was all three. I hear it all the time as I travel around the country speaking to conservative groups. For those who don’t know, the Rockefeller Republicans — named after the former New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller — were the liberal, mostly Northeastern wing of the Republican Party. Liberal Republican sounds like a contradiction in terms today, particularly for young people who grew up in the age of strictly ideological parties. But for most of US history, the parties weren’t strongly ideological institutions so much as coalitions of interests. There were very liberal Republicans and very conservative Democrats.* Lhota’s Republican problem(NYP) * Fiscal Crisis Sounds the Charge in G.O.P.’s ‘Civil War’(NYT) * Really nice story by Burns on the death of the big-city GOP mayor. GOP has focused on govs, not mayors

Campaign Manager/Candidate de Blasio Tries to Let All the Air Out of Lhota's Crime Argument

de Blasio: NYPD “Incredible Job”
De Blasio flip-flop: NYPD doing great (NYP)
A mayoral candidate said Friday he thinks the NYPD is “the best-trained police force on earth” — and praised its accomplishments under Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. He also lauded the “incredible job” it’s done to bolster safety. But the candidate wasn’t Republican Joe Lhota. It was Democrat Bill de Blasio, who spent months blasting the Police Department and Commissioner Ray Kelly over the stop-and-frisk strategy. On Friday, he became the ­department’s biggest booster.* De Blasio backtracks on campaign finance reform(NYP ED) Bill de Blasio’s habit of siding with labor against everyone else is legendary, but one of the best examples of that can be seen in his support for a cap on political donations from Joe and Jane New Yorker — but not unions.* Joe Lhota cuts controversial attack ad with scenes of crime-ridden NYC down to 15 seconds(NYDN) * De Blasio: New York City Has Had Plenty Of Great Mayors, 'Not Everyone's Been A CEO Like Bloomberg'(NYDN)


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Team de Blasio Pros

'I remember vividly being on the receiving end of a deep, deep concern from the Jewish community': Bill de Blasio recalls his front-row seat to Crown Heights riots(NYDN) *De Blasio Downplays Role As City Hall Aide During 1991 Crown Heights Riots(vosizneias)  * Female aides steer Bill de Blasio’s campaign(Politico) They operate behind the scenes and only reluctantly speak to reporters about their roles. But the successful journey of Bill de Blasio, who’s likely to become Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s successor, rested in large measure on the trio – Emma Wolfe, Anna Greenberg and Rebecca Kirszner Katz.They used niche media and softer family pieces, a volunteer army for petitions that formed the crux of support, and polling ...De Blasio campaign has women from his operative wife on down, and never ceded women voters to Quinn *
. had the dish on de Blasio Long Island fundy earlier in the week. $1,000 per guest for 90-minute event (Newsday)

It Does Not Look Like the Daily News Believes de Blasio Promise to Have All Students Reading at Grade Level by the Third Grade
Bill’s homeschooling(NYDN Ed) Attention, moms and dads. Would-be mayor Bill de Blasio has homework for you. Don’t be afraid. He will teach you how to do the assignment so that you know how to help your children do better in school.In perhaps his most specific pledge, de Blasio says he will “ensure all students are reading at grade level by third grade.” At present, 28% make that cut, so de Blasio is talking about an enormous undertaking, one that. He pointed instead to “three pillars” of a program that, he says, would move the needle. One calls for retaining experienced teachers. A second calls for introducing universal all-day pre-k, an idea that’s in doubt because Gov. Cuomo has spurned the tax hike de Blasio is depending on to fund the initiative. The third has to do with relying on parents to better educate kids.
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      The 1% isn't happy MT Amazing the fear in elite NYC circles that BDB will turn city back into a 1970s graffiti hellscape

Is GOP Ulrich Selling Pizza to Keep GOP Alive?
Please join family, friends and supporters of NYC Councilman Eric Ulrich for a final fundraiser before the election. Suggested minimum donation of $25 per person.










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Bloomberg Let Them Eat Cake
 
'OUT OF TOUCH': Bloomberg under fire for calling city’s lack of affordable housing a 'good sign' of Big Apple's vibrant economy(NYDN) * Mayor: Homelessness a ‘good sign’(NYP) * Her parents must be proud(NYN Ed)

Bloomberg told to stay out of gun-control fight(NYP)
Whether people like or dislike him, the fact that Bloomberg was a unique mayor is hard to escape...







Silver Wants Chinese New Year Off
WHAT ABOUT CHINESE NEW YEAR? After De Blasio, Lhota vow to add Muslim holidays to school calendar, other groups seek recognition too(NYDN) Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver jumped into the brewing holy war Friday, saying the city should consider giving kids the day off for the Chinese New Year.
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    Equality for NYC students - school holidays for those who celebrate Lunar new year, Eid and Diwali




Do Your Think Silver Has Spoken to Willie Wife Judy Rapfogel His Chief of Staff?
Micah Kellner’s general election effort to keep running on the WFP line after losing the primary to Ben Kallos is a cynical effort to use this year’s matching funds to get some free mail to use as KY in an effort to ease his way into his next Assembly race. I’m betting it backfires.

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We need Jerry Brown in NY! Our "reformers" in NY spend all their pol capital on criticizing street cops while ignoring the corrupt pol syst!



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Brooklyn DA


Hynes Campaign Team Spins He Can Win
DN Op-Ed Brooklyn Lucky to Have A Race
In the Daily News, Paul Moses, a journalism professor at Brooklyn College, believes Brooklyn residents are “fortunate” to have a genuine contest in the Brooklyn district attorney race with Charles Hynes running on the Republican and Conservative lines 

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)

Thompson Supporters Accuse Hynes of Exploiting Racial Fears(NYO)
*Hynes Campaigns In Canarsie(NY1) A 'grass roots' Twitter campaign for Hynes that looks like 'astroturf' to Thompson via EYEWITNESS: Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes said his son saw convicted felon Clarence Norman at rival Ken Thompson's campaign headquarters. [NY1 / Zack Fink]

While Joe Hynes elaborated on his claim that convicted ex-party boss Clarence Norman ran rival Ken Thompson‘s campaign–providing what an NY1 reporter called “scant evidence.” “There are at least four people that morning at the campaign headquarters when Norman was running Thompson’s campaign,” Mr. Hynes argued. “Including my son.” Brooklyn D.A. exposed as a deadbeat dad who abandoned son in Nigeria 18 years ago(NYDN) Christopher Eribo, 47, is a $90,000-a-year Brooklyn prosecutor who abandoned his family in Nigeria 18 years ago — mother of child seeking child support for her now 18-year-old son. * Al D’Amato Backs Another Thompson Democrat (NYO)*  DA race gives hope to convicted murderer's mom (CrainsNY) * Hynes lost money on crime novel(NYP) * Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes, author of the 2007 murder mystery “Triple Homicide,” has reported $6,430 in losses promoting his debut novel over the past five years.




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Subway Trains With Not Doors

No Doors Between Subway Cars? M.T.A. May Consider New Model(NYT)








In this Season of Fake Groups Designed to Manipulate Voters, Lhota Gets Caught
Anti-de Blasio advocacy group has GOP ties(NYP) A newly-formed Hispanic advocacy group that slammed Democrat Bill de Blasio’s stop and frisk stance at City Hall Thursday has ties to the Republican mayoral candidate’s campaign  Hispanics for Safe Communities founder Juan Reyes and about 20 associates warned that de Blasio’s bid to limit stop and frisk would bring back the crime waves of decades past.But Reyes didn’t mention that his son, former Mayor Giuliani aide Juan D. Reyes III, was a committee member for GOP nominee Joe Lhota’s birthday fundraiser bash at the midtown Sheraton later that same evening.


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  Moreland Commission is “off the leash”

Daily News Takes Well Deserved Create For Making Moreland More Real But Forget About Bloggers and Other Papers Who Also Pushed
Off the leash (NYDN)
Gov. Cuomo's anti-corruption commission shows some teeth The Daily News connects the dots on the sudden decision by Cuomo’s anti-corruption commission to barrage the state’s political parties with subpoenas, and says Cuomo should continue to stay out of the commission’s way. It was not until the NYT editorial push on by the DN, NYP and Bloggers did Cuomo free the commission.

The News Takes Credit Alone For Ending Moreland Cover Up
The Old Bulls At the NYT Editorial Board Embarrassed to Get Off Their Ass


Daily News Dot 1: Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman create the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, with the governor declaring that the panel would be an “independent” force, free to pursue all leads — including any that lead to his desk.
Dot 2: Daily News Albany Bureau Chief Kenneth Lovett reveals that the commission is not so independent after all. Sources tell Lovett that it dropped certain subpoenas under pressure from Cuomo’s top aides.
Dot 3: The shelved subpoenas include one aimed at the state Democratic Party’s “housekeeping” account, which had financed ads promoting the governor’s agenda. In one case, the commission actually delivers a subpoena to the Democrats’ ad-buying firm, then pulls it back.
Dot 4: Reform-minded voices, including this page, warn Cuomo that back-room meddling risks trashing the commission’s credibility — and ruining this generation’s last, best shot at cleaning up Albany.
Dot 5: In a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board, Cuomo acknowledges that the panel is not truly independent since it answers to him and uses staff borrowed from his office. He also says that he was concerned only that all subpoenas approved by the commission’s co-chairs — Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Syracuse DA William Fitzpatrick and former federal prosecutor Milton Williams — would be legally defensible. Dot 6 : A few hours later, the commission announces a unanimous vote to subpoena the “housekeeping” records after all — and not just from the Democrats, but also from the Republican, Conservative and Working Families parties, plus the housekeeping accounts controlled by legislative leaders.

Moreland Connections
K2 Intelligence CEO Jules Kroll, whose company is about to be hired by the commission, contributed campaign cash to both the commission’s co-chair, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, and AG Eric Schneiderman, who appointed some commission members and is providing its staff. 


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Team de Blasio Pros


De Blasio War Room Uses Bratton to Attack Lhota


Bill Bratton sounds off on mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio's policing policies(NYDN)Former New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton laughed off Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota’s comments about his ego, and said Lhota is stretching the truth by claiming credit for the NYPD’s CompStat program
Bill De Blasio: 'There's No Way We're Going Back To The '60s And '70s;' Says Lhota Is 'Fear Mongering'(NYDN)

Sugar Sodas
De Blasio said he would continue Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s legal fight to ban large sugary drinks if he is elected mayor, adding that childhood obesity is a serious problem the city must tackle, Politicker writes:

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Lhota First Timer


Lhota Kicking the GOP Also
Lhota’s Republican problem(NYP) The Post’s William McGurn suggests that Lhota stop stressing the disagreements he has with the national Republican Party, and contrasts his campaign to his former boss, Rudy Giuliani: Purely as a policy matter, that disagreement is to be expected. A blue-city Republican is not going to hold the same social positions as a red-state senator. But a blue-city Republican candidate also has to be the upstart. That means he needs to present vision that sharpens differences, not blurs them.* Judge Rejects Bid by PAC to Raise Large Sums for Lhota(WSJ)
GOP’s Latino Outreach(YNN)





Lhota Campaign Even Screwed Up the Copy Right on His TV Ad About Crime
Joe Lhota‘s campaign was forced to scramble after Newsday and other publications revealed his latest television spot used copyrighted photography without purchasing it beforehand. “I’m very upset that somebody would use it for a political campaign,” said one photographer.
But the New York Post has Mr. Lhota’s back on the controversial spot: “In sum, Lhota’s ad lays out the risks if this city elects a mayor who has made America’s most successful police force one of his targets. And the louder Lhota’s critics howl, the more you know he’s got it right.”
Revealing WNYC story on Lhota, who tells he doesn't want to "interfere" with his campaign operatives: * Introducing Lhota at a fundraiser: "You’re not going to get someone who can’t remember his real name." via * Joe Lhota cuts controversial attack ad with scenes of crime-ridden NYC down to 15 seconds(NYDN)




NYP Has Not Idea How to Reach NYC's Voters
Does the NYP Believe That A National Review Editor Has A  Clue How To Win Over NYC Voters - Give Up
A bold attack to topple de Blasio(NYP) Voters will decide in three weeks whether America’s financial and media center becomes yet another toppled liberal domino. Given his 23 percent to 67 percent deficit, Lhota might as well run boldly on reformist, free-market and limited-government ideas. In the Post, Deroy Murdock, a contributing editor with the National Review Online, writes that with Lhota facing such a large deficit against his opponent Bill de Blasio, he should run on reformist, free-market, limited government ideas




OH, NO, JOE! New Bill de Blasio ad features daughter Chiara defending the mayoral hopeful from recent Lhota attacks(NYDN)
Chiara de Blasio Stars in Newest Ad(WSJ)
The Democratic nominee has decided to feature his family again in another ad, but this time his daughter is the star.* New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio is raising money through a low-dollar raffle for tickets to an exclusive fundraiser with former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, State of Politics writes:  * De Blasio Campaign Raises Off Clinton Event(YNN)


Crain’s New York Business endorsed Republican Joe Lhota for mayor of New York City, praising his management skills and familiarity with government in contrast to de Blasio’s thin experience as a manager




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The Speakers Race


It Is Not the Great White or Woman Hope, It is the Great Permanent Government Hope for Speaker
Special Interests Not Looking for A White Man But A Puppet
City and State's Alexis Grenell missed the point that Jobs4NY real estate backer spent $10 million to pick the next speaker and that the special interests  are looking for a to block de Blasio progressive programs. If the permanent government find a white or minority woman councilmember they feel they could control, they will pick her in a NY second. They used Speaker Quinn a women for the last 8 years to protect their interests.  The same holds true to the businesses PACs partners the county leaders who are looking for jobs an money from the next speaker. Two of five party leaders are minority, none are women.  The real fight for speaker is between the progressives forces and the business interests, Party leaders and the GOP councilmembers. The progress will give the city's party leaders their first real challenge for control of the speakership ever by using the real problem of the need for more women and minority power in city government. In the past council speakers were  chosen in secret deals by party leaers this years race for speaker will be played out in the newspapers.  The Tokenization of Tish James is only the first shot of a battle the battle for the control of New York.

The Tokenization Of Tish James(City and State)
Thanks to the election of Letitia James as the Democratic nominee for public advocate, the career prospects of white men are on the rise. And it’s just in the nick of time. With nearly every citywide office and all statewide offices currently in their possession, white males need all the help they can get. So it makes perfect sense that James’ victory now clears the way for a continuation of the status quo. Having paid lip service to women and minorities, Democratic county leaders can now back a white male Speaker in good conscience. This will surely come as a relief to the trailblazing candidate herself, who teared up on election night, no doubt at the thought of all the little boys who can now embrace their white male privilege.
Weprin Campaigns for Speaker By Pushing Social Issues
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    Modern tech can be used as a powerful tool for a schoolyard bully. Zero tolerance to bullying is crucial
    City Council speaker contender Dan Garodnick received a letter from developers and the building trades industry pressuring him to back a Midtown East rezoning plan pushed by the Bloomberg administration, Crain's writes: 





New York Party Bosses Can't Deliver the Vote Anymore
   
Permanent Bosses Broken Parties
Today both the Daily News and City and State both have done stories crediting the Working Families Party with winning the Mayoral election.  What both papers failed to talk about is the disconnect of the city's Democrats and Republicans party bosses from the voters in their own parties. In other words they can no long deliver the vote. More importantly they represent only themselves and a few close criminal co-conspirators in dysfunctional parties that have cut off the public they claim to represent. The Queens Boss supported Quinn, the Bronx and Brooklyn bosses supported Thompson the Manhattan and Staten Island bosses did not endorse anyone. Over on the Queens side none of the party bosses supported Joe Lhota in the primary, but the voters in their party did.

Party Bosses and Ballot Lines For Sale
Former Bronx Republican Party leader Jay Savino and Queens GOP Vice Chair Vincent Tabone wait for their used to selling their party line to Bloomberg tried to sell their party this year to Malcolm Smith. The Queens party leaders even lost control of who runs the Board of Elections.  It very strange that the media is doing story of  Bill Lipton's WFP big win and not talking about who the losers are. What the newspaper should be looking into is not only the corruption connected to these party leaders, but how few people participate in party elections and picking who leads party bosses. Why are the newspapers and the city's permanent government, led by the partnership protecting the party leaders? The cluelessness of their Quinn endorsement shows they are as disconnected from the voters as the party bosses are. The permanent government has allowe a political and election system where only cleaver activists from the WFP know how to win in.  And a media that covers the horse race rather the getting to the realities of the real issues that effect  New Yorkers.  The Working Families Party's long game is paying off(NYDN) * Last Look: Bill Lipton (City and State)

 Robert Kennedy Last NY Pol That Tried to Reform the Party Bosses
Incumbent Protection 
Party Leaders 
Elected officials have taken over the party positions with the sole purpose of centralizing power and using it resources to help them get reelected. The party has no agenda or issue it pushes for. Most of the people in party positions have never beenchallenged. It function more like the old soviet union' Communist Party, then a democratic institution. It is even allow according to the U.S. Supreme Court to use politics to pick judges. Lopez Torres v. NYS Bd of Elections  
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Elected Officials, Reformer, Goo Goos Groups Silent On Party Reform
It has been 50 years since anyone has tried to reform New York's Democratic Party. In the mid 60's Robert Kennedy who defeated the democratic machine to become senator set his sights on cleaning up the state's Democratic Party. Kennedy tried to clean up Manhattan’s Surrogate Court, which to this day remains a Piggy bank for party patronage.  Kennedy called the Court "a political toll booth exacting tribute from widows and orphans." He took aim at cronyism in Albany and fought to strengthen home rule of New York City. He also proposed nonpartisan redistricting, a move aimed at eliminating one of the main tools party leaders use to keep their incumbents in office for decades. Fiercely battled by a faction of the Democratic machine, Kennedy’s attempts reform the city's political  parties died with his 1968 assassination.  So called reformer and good government groups have never taken up his cause.


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Stupid is As Stupid BOE Does
The Board of Elections decided to print the November ballots in a tiny, six-point font while providing magnifying glasses to voters. 

 DN Good at pointing out the problems of the BOE but never goes after the Party Hacks who run it
Daily News re ballots w/9-point type: "Somehow, the (Bd of Elections) never fails to do the wrong thing."
NYC Board of Elections thinks small: Ballots for mayoral race being printed in tiny, 6-point type 
New York City Ballots’ Tiny Print Is Criticized(NYT) Elected officials and government watchdogs criticized the New York City Board of Elections for printing ballots for the November elections with the candidates’ names in tiny, six-point font, with the Board arguing that the font size is necessary*
Daily News re ballots w/9-point type: "Somehow, the (Bd of Elections) never fails to do the wrong thing." (NYDN)


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Russian Vs Russian Vs Greenfield

1600 Write In Votes in 1997
Assemblyman Alec Brook Krasny who is supporting Gregory Davidzon got 1600 votes as a write in candidate  in 1997 after he got knocked off the Democratic Party ballot the first time he ran for office* Storobin Bets Davidzon Will Get Less Than 100 Votes(NYO)* GOP Source: Davidzon Campaign A Test Of Media Mogul’s Worth In Future Elections(Sheephead Bites)  * Russian “Kingmaker” Gregory Davidzon Launches Write-In Campaign For City Council(Sheephead Bites)

Media Mogul Launches Last-Minute Write-In City Council Campaign(NYO) In a bizarre 11th-hour twist, Russian media mogul Gregory Davidzon has leaped into a heated City Council race in southern Brooklyn. “I’m running because I can win,” Mr. Davidzon told Politicker after making the announcement on his station this afternoon. “I will spend as much money as I need to. Most importantly, before I made this decision, we made our internal poll and the numbers showed … I have chance to win.”“I’m running because I can win,” Mr. Davidzon told Politicker after making the announcement on his station this afternoon. “I will spend as much money as I need to. Most importantly, before I made this decision, we made our internal poll and the numbers showed … I have chance to win.”
candidates and at Marine Park Civic forum 

Breaking Fun fact, despite being a political power broker, Davidzon is not registered to vote
  Democratic District Leader (in AD45) Ari Kagan supporting Gregory Davidzon over the Dem nominee Update: A Davidzon press release claims Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny is endorsing him, in addition to Ari Kagan  * CD48 – Russian Radio Mogul Enters Council Race As Write-In Candidate(Yeshiva World News‎) * CD48 – Russian Radio Mogul Enters Council Race As Write-In Candidate(JP) * Gregory Davidzon Announces Write-In Bid for City Council in 48th District 



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CM Greenfield's 180 on DA

 David Greenfield to endorse Ken Thompson TONIGHT for Brooklyn DA.
David Greenfield to endorse the DA candidate he told us would 'target Jews'
David Greenfield-Charles J. Hynes Race-Baiting Should Scare You ...
Greenfield Endorses Hynes for Brooklyn DA - Hamodia
Hikind, greenfield exchange heated remarks about da endorsements
Who Are You Going to Believe, Ken Thompson, David Greenfield, or ...


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Albany Hush Fund Cover Up Lawsuit

Here's a copy of the contract between the Assembly and the firm it hired to handle the Lopez-related lawsuits
NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Hasn't Spoken To Indicted Friend William Rapfogel(NYDN)

Staff in the AG Office Could Be Called As Witnesses
Assembly Asked AG For Defense In Harassment Suits(YNN)
“As I explained in our prior conversations, we have concluded it would be inappropriate to have the Attorney General represent the speaker in these matters,” Levine wrote. “Among other things, in these matters, staff of the Office of the Attorney General may potentially be called as witness.”* A state Assembly attorney asked the state attorney general’s office to represent the chamber and Speaker Sheldon Silver, who faced lawsuits in the Vito Lopez sexual harassment scandal, State of Politics writes:

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Cuomo's Epstein Mom Excuse
Gov. Andrew Cuomo skipped the annual Empire State Pride Agenda event to attend the Al Smith dinner, but told the gay rights group he couldn’t attend because he would be having “family time,” Capital New York writes: http://bit.ly/1i2a2a5 
* Cuomo is already mailing far in advance of the 2014 elections.

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Press Covers Winners Differently


When Your 50 Points Behind The Press Questions You and Points Out Problems
.Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota did not object when three women, including a reporter and a female member of his NYPD security detail, were asked to leave a Brooklyn synagogue where he made a brief campaign stopJoe Lhota does nothing as women with him are kicked out of Brooklyn synagogue(NYDN)
Lhota offered more detail Wednesday on his role in the creation of CompStat, the Police Department’s monthly crime statistics, saying he was involved with how to collect the numbers and make them readable month to month, The New York Times reports FACT-CHECK — Times' David M. Halbfinger: Lhota, on Tuesday: "I was involved in the creation of CompStat in 1994…" Lhota on Wednesday: "I was involved with them on how to collect the numbers in New York City and basically lay out, so that it was all basically formatted in a way that, month to month, it was readable…At the time…they didn't have the forms down pat. That was my role. … I grant you, it was a minor role." *Lhota Ad Steps Up the Attack  *Lhota is struggling to win Latino votes;(WNYC) about his campaign, the Republican Party in general?

Update Lhota's PAC $$$  Pro-Lhota Super PAC Denied(YNN) A super PAC supportive of Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota has been denied by a federal judge to raise unlimited amounts of cash, a federal judge ruled.  Judge Paul A. Crotty says allowing unlimited contributions this close to Nov. 5 would undermine a "fair and predictable election process." The PAC plans to appeal
Joe Lhota uses footage of recent biker attack in ad slamming Bill de Blasio for his 'recklessly dangerous agenda on crime'(NYDN) Joe Lhota Promises More Ads Attacking 'Vacuous' Bill de Blasio(NYO)* Headline of the Day: “The Ad Campaign: Far Behind, Lhota Takes a Risk.”*
* LHOTA'S AD — Capital's Sally Goldenberg: It uses footage from the infamous Crown Heights riots to suggest de Blasio would return the city to its high-crime past and that Lhota's experience can prevent that. Tish James, a de Blasio supporter and Democratic nominee for public advocate, said, "There is no place in our diverse city for dog whistle politics." Democratic nominee for Brooklyn D.A. Ken Thompson said the ad is "fanning the flames of racial divisiveness." http://goo.gl/kLaOTF * SCOOP: Joe Lhota's schedule says at 2 p.m. he "Will tour Torah Academy with Assemblyman Goldfeder…" But the Democratic legislator told Capital he's not attending. "I have already endorsed Bill DeBlasio…I worked closely with Joe Lhota while he was at the M.T.A. but I will continue to support Bill…" Biker's Lawyer Object to Ad "It's in a campaign video now? That's crazy": Lawyer for biker who filmed assault objects to ad * another Op-ed about Lhota's . This by :
 

When Your 50 Points Ahead 90% of The Press Does Not Questions You or Points Out Problems. 
"Cuomo virtually shot down the possibility...that the state would take up a de Blasio plan to hike the city tax rate" During a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board, Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized de Blasio’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthy, shooting down the possibility that the state would take up de Blasio’s plan in an election year.  * . says Cuomo actually told the he has an "open mind" for his pre-k proposal (which includes tax hikes) * Bill de Blasio responds to Gov. Cuomo's criticisms of tax plan: 'He will have an open mind'(NYDN) * Bloomberg Set To Scale Back Fines That Frustrated Business Owners * "How Bill de Blasio Earned the Backing of Ultra-Orthodox Power Players in Brooklyn"  * The Contenders: In City Council, De Blasio Loses Speaker Race, Chairs General Welfare Committee
Daily News Editorial Board Stands Up  Bill’s rude awakening (NYDN Ed)  “A campaign program is one thing,” Mr. Cuomo quipped, “a government program is something else.”  de Blasio needs a half-billion dollars a year and has staked all on convincing Albany to okay a city income tax hike on high earners. Bill, meet Andrew: Gov. Cuomo says no. Suddenly on a shaky foundation, de Blasio said of Cuomo, “If you look carefully at what was said, he said he has an open mind on my proposal.” Not so. De Blasio’s plan would add a half-percentage point to the city tax, pushing the city’s rich above where Cuomo started. Cuomo: “I am afraid of the mobility of the over two-million,” meaning that he worries that the 40,000 rich folks who pay an enormous proportion of the total tax take will leave the state.* In WSJ op-ed, a Greenwich CT business consultant calls de Blasio's pre-K plan "free day care" with unlikely benefits:

HAPPY HALALIDAY! Both NYC mayoral hopefuls De Blasio and Lhota agree on closing schools on Muslim holy days(NYDN)
Bill de Blasio says he'll end mass, indiscriminate NYPD spying on the city's American Muslim communities (CBS) Tablet Magazine looked at Mr. de Blasio’s roots in the Orthodox Jewish community, noting he “spent the months before the 2001 City Council election working the midnight Borough Park synagogue circuit.” This, in addition to basic advance work, has helped him avoid awkward incidents like the one rival Joe Lhota experienced yesterday.  Union workers pinning all their hopes on Bill de Blasio: "Changes to healthcare, schools - everything." * Lhota, de Blasio hailed for Muslim holidays stance(NYP)



De Blasio Deploys Daughter Against Lhota(YNN)
De Blasio Responds to Lhota’s Doomsday Ad With a Cheery One(NYO) New ad features daughter Chiara, with a cameo by Dante.
Next Police Commissioner  For Police Commissioner, the Next Mayor Has a Wide Array of Options (NYT)

 

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Moreland Issues New Subpoenas


Separation of Powers looming Lawmakers Vs Moreland Commission

Breaking ThurPM
Moreland Commission now serving subpoenas on NYS legislators. Huge important legal battle re: separation of powers looming.
The founder of the firm hired by the anti-corruption Moreland Commission to use counter-terrorism software to probe state lawmakers finances donated $10,000 to one of the commission’s co-chairs, Capital New York writes
The founder of the intelligence firm that is finalizing a contract with the Moreland Commission has given $20,000 in campaign contributions to one of its co-chairs, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice.
Anti-Corruption Commission Co-Chair Received Donations From Firm Set To Be Hired By Panel (NYDN) *   Cuomo's anti-corruption commission turns sights on itself and its allies(NYDN)
EXCLUSIVE: Anti-Corruption Commission Sending Subpoenas To Gov. Cuomo-Tied Entities(NYDN)
Commission probes NY lawmakers’ outside income(NYP)
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The Moreland Commission should make clear how they chose this particular company. Government contracts are big business and making huge campaign contributions is a time-tested marketing strategy.” – NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney on reports that the founder of a firm hired by the Moreland Commission gave campaign donations to one of the co-chairs, via Capital New York.  * The founder of the firm hired by the anti-corruption Moreland Commission to use counter-terrorism software to probe state lawmakers finances donated $10,000 to one of the commission’s co-chairs, Capital New York writes: http://bit.ly/GSGQqd
Governor Andrew Cuomo's anti-corruption commission decided to reverse its stance and subpoena the state Democratic Party among other entities tied to the Governor. * Make them come clean (NYDN Ed) Subpoena-slapping is about to befall the top bosses and moneymakers of the state Legislature. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch. Cuomo, under pressure on casino money and Moreland, meets the 'Times'  * Moreland Commission targets NY's limitless campaign accounts

Albany Rats Shaking in Their Boots
Subpoena City(YNN)
Some lawmakers are shaking in their boots over Tuesday's abrupt announcements by the Moreland Commission suggesting it will subpoena legislators, as well as examine all soft money “housekeeping” accounts, including one linked to Gov. Andrew Cuomo that the commission had reportedly balked at subpoenaing. Those actions followed a meeting yesterday that one source described as a “fresh start.” The commission's new boldness was announced just before Cuomo sat down with the Times' and Daily News' editorial boards.
 Commission Says It Will Compel Legislature To Turn Over Records(YNN)
Lovett: Cuomo doing damage-control over anti-corruption commission that held back subpoenas to Cuomo friendlie(NYDN) * Schneiderman: Moreland Must Be Independent (Updated)(YNN) * Inbox: After legis leaders "refused to cooperate," Moreland Commission votes to "aggressively move forward in compelling production" of info * Moreland Commission To Issue Subpoenas To NYS Lawmakers For Info On Outside Income(NYDN)  QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Our investigation includes examining New York State legislators and their connections to outside business practices. On August 27, we requested information to be submitted by certain legislators. Leaders of the legislature for both the Assembly and Senate refused to cooperate. The Commission voted today to aggressively move forward in compelling production of information into specific matters that the Commission is investigating.” – The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, via the Daily News.* JCOPE Mid-Year lobbying data is out * Sources: the Moreland Commission voted today to subpoena the State Democratic Party, among other political committees.* . on : Lhota didn't attack for lack of experience.


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)

Judge Sullivan Does Not Like Bharara Press Operation
Federal Judge Chides Bharara for ‘Tabloid’ Press Operation(Law Blog) At a recent panel discussion in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan said the U.S. attorney’s office press releases had assumed a “tabloid” tone. The judge questioned whether Mr. Bharara was casting too much judgment on public officials who stand accused of corruption, but have not been convicted.

Lawmakers High Costs of Living
State power players draw the most cash(TU)
Legislature spends $102M in latest report, lawmakers with influence receive the most
The truism that money follows power remains at work in the state Senate, where IDC leader Jeff Klein has reported office expenditures of $5.7 million over the past six years.

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CityTime Trial
 
Mayor Bloomberg knew CityTime contractors were getting rich on taxpayer money, and his administration signed off on it, defense lawyers told the jury during opening statements in the trial on what has been dubbed one of the “largest and most brazen” frauds in NYC history.  Juror’s Gesture Livens CityTime Fraud Trial(NYT) Judge George B. Daniels questioned the juror after a defense lawyer said she had made the outburst against his client.*  Federal prosecutors depicted the three men accused of bilking New York City out of tens of millions of dollars through the CityTime payroll system as fraudsters who rigged the system to make themselves a combined $44 million, The Wall Street Journal reports * Trial Begins for Architects of Pay System(WSJ) * Bloomberg administration signed off on CityTime expenses: lawyers(NYDN)
The CityTime Cover Up(True News) * Juror ‘flips the bird’ at CityTime payroll scam defendant(NYP) * Juror in Tussle Over Taxi Is Taken Off Fraud Case(NYT) Juror No. 5 in the CityTime trial, who clashed with a defendant over a cab, is said to have admitted reading an article about the case.




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Kelly Homeland Newspaper Fiction

Ray Kelly for DHS campaign was like the Dolan for Pope campaign - imagined by NYC tabloids via



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Weiner "I Coulda Been A Contender"

Anthony Weiner blames mayoral loss on Al Gore

Weiner's Return to Reality Rough
Former congressman Anthony Weiner told GQ magazine that he would have been elected mayor if the Internet did not exist, and said that since his mayoral campaign ended, he and his wife Huma Abedin have had a “very rough time,” the Post writes:* As to Mr. Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, the ex-congressman reflected, “Huma’s been kind of traumatized by this whole thing.” “But we’ve had a very rough time. It causes me a great deal of pain in the way she gets reported,” he said. “She’s more sensitive. I’m just an empty, soulless vessel, so it doesn’t hurt me as much.”* Anthony Weiner blames the Internet for him not being New York City mayor.(Gawker)
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OId Judges

 Weeks before a statewide vote on raising the judicial retirement age to 80, the state court system abruptly ended double-dipping for older judges after Cuomo, who opposes the retirement age ballot amendment, mentioned the issue with the DN editorial board.
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The Morning After the Debate

 Bloomberg Loves High Heals
Mayor Bloomberg Loves High Heels On A Woman(NYDN) And Mayor Michael Bloomberg also had some candid moments in the latest New Yorker issue. “I like women, and I think they look stunning in high heels – not that they look bad without high heels,” the mayor said at a recent party. “If I were a woman, I think I would wear high heels.” Christine Quinn once said the mayor “likes me in high heels.”




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More Luxury Development 4 Bklyn
At Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Site, Waning Opposition to Prospect of Luxury Towers(NYT)
A plan for luxury towers at the old Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn may signal a final goodbye to the gritty neighborhood some residents once knew.
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The Morning After the Debate
 
Without None Partisan NYC Will Not Have Competitive Elections in the General
de Blasio Tea Party Role Reversal Debate
It was freaky Tuesday in last night's mayoral debate with the two candidates exchanging each other's playbook. Frontrunner Bill de Blasio was not content to sit on his massive lead in the polls and hammered away at his rival, Joe Lhota, while Lhota seemed less interested in taking swings at his opponent.  Lhota and de Blasio face off in testy debate(NYP) Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio and Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota faced off in their first televised debate, with de Blasio repeatedly linking Lhota to the national Republican Party and the “divisive” Giuliani administration*De Blasio jabs Lhota with ‘Tea Party’ attack(NYP) *  Candidates Clash in First Mayor Debate(WSJ) Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota sought to portray himself as an experienced, moderate alternative to Democrat Bill de Blasio in their first debate, but often found himself on the defensive instead.

NYT's Powell Picks Up On A Mayor LaGuardia Truthism
Times columnist Michael Powell pitched Mr. Lhota for first deputy mayor in rival Bill de Blasio‘s administration: “A New York mayor can be as progressive as he wants, but he better make sure the garbage is picked up, the streets are plowed, and that the subways run. And that the unions don’t strike.”* Evoking the spirits of Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia and Gallagher the Comedian, a small group of antigambling activists demolished a defunct slot machine outside the Capitol in the latest attempt to draw attention to the “No” campaign.

TAKING AIM: Mayoral candidates Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota attack each other over policies, ideologies in first debate(NYDN) * Lupica: Over-the-top de Blasio did not act like a front-runner(NYDN) * De Blasio, Lhota Slam Each Other's Visions In First Televised Debate(NY1) MUST BE A 'CHANGE' ELECTION: Newsday headline: "DE BLASIO, LHOTA, IN FIRST DEBATE, REJECT BLOOMBERG POLICIES"; News headline: "BILL DE BLASIO, JOE LHOTA WORK TO SET THEMSELVES APART FROM BLOOMBERG IN FIRST DEBATE"'* The NYT says both charter and public schools need to do a better job at making room for “over-the-counter” students, among them transients and the poor, who show up at the schoolhouse door in the middle of the year.* Muslims Rally for Bill de Blasio(NYO) promises that NYC public schools will get Muslim holidays off* Bill de Blasio Continues Pressing Fast-Food Fight(NYO) * De Blasio said he would add the two most religious holidays for Muslims, Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha, to the list of days that public schools close, adding to the 13 school days off each year(NYDN)


de Blasio Lucky Guy
“Do not lump me with the national Republicans,” Lhota, 59, told his opponent…

Tea Party Stopping, Weak Debate Skill Sinks Lhota 
In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas believes de Blasio is coasting on his primary campaign platform of raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K, and that he fell back on standbys in the debate when challenged. De Blasio tying rival Lhota to Tea Party is a cheap shot(NYP Ed) Some guys have all the luck. Bill de Blasio has run a lazy mayoral race based on stale ideas — but he floated to front-runner status because his primary opponents were weaker. General-election challenger Joe Lhota is New York’s last chance for a real race — or to at least make de Blasio say something interesting and new. But Lhota didn’t rise to the occasion in Tuesday night’s debate.  De Blasio, the city’s public advocate, was a weak performer. He coasted on his one main idea: hiking taxes on the wealthy to pay for pre-K, and thus magically make our “tale of two cities” into one. De Blasio repeatedly called this trope “big and bold.” Lhota should have said: Spending yet more money on education is the oldest vote-getter in the book. That’s how New York ended up with a $24.6 billion education budget, or $22,364 per student. The Times’ Michael Powell writes that Lhota has the misfortune of running as a Republican at a time when the national party is contributing to the shutdown of the federal government, though cautions that he is not of the “Tea Party variety”*  The New York Times had a relatively brutal review of Joe Lhota‘s debate performance last night: “The body language was revealing: Mr. Lhota seldom made eye contact … In fact, his eyes often drooped closed for several seconds. He frequently seemed tangled in the nuances of his own policy plans.”* Lhota also cast himself as the candidate with more experience in the race, saying: “I can be mayor on day one without any training, without any learning curve whatsoever.”

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Lhota GOP Anchor

KEEPING LHOTA ON DEFENSE — Sally Goldenberg: "de Blasio turned an issue that could have hurt him into an easy, generic attack on Lhota and Lhota played right into his hand. During a discussion about teacher retention and the growing achievement gap between white and minority students, de Blasio again referenced 'the Republican playbook' and the tactic of antagonizing teachers." Lhota responded, "Bill there you again; you start talking about (me) as if I'm some type of national Republican," a frustrated Lhota said. … In perhaps his sharpest attack of the debate, Lhota warned de Blasio's plan to increase income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers would end up hurting the middle-class.* Lede of the Day: WNYC's Andrea Bernstein: "It's apparently worse in New York City to read from a Republican playbook than from a Marxist playbook."* Brooklyn Conservatives Impressed by Lhota’s Debate Performance(NYO) * Joe Lhota Comes Out Swinging Morning After Debate(NYO)



Lhota's ScareCrap Out of You Ad- BdB Willie Horrton
LHOTA NEW TV AD ON CRIME  In a new TV ad released this morning, the Lhota campaign highlights Mr. de Blasio’s weak positions on crime * Joe Lhota Ad: Bill de Blasio's 'Recklessly Dangerous Agenda On Crime Will Take Us Back'(NYDN) * Joe Lhota Releases Scariest Ad Yet(NYO) * De Blasio Compares Latest Lhota Salvo to Infamous Willie Horton Ad(NYO) * Lhota launches nastiest campaign attack yet(NYP) Just to be clear, these 5000 cops Lhota claims de Blasio voted to cut? Those were votes for budgets of that noted Marxist Mike Bloomberg
* De Blasio backers call on Lhota to take down a 'dog whistle' ad (Capital) * Bill de Blasio Accuses Joe Lhota Of Releasing "Divisive And Negative" Ad | New York Daily News * A new TV ad for Joe Lhota criticizes Bill de Blasio on public safety, and de Blasio likened it to the infamous “Willie Horton” ad that attacked Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential race, The Wall Street Journal writes:  * De Blasio Lashes Out at Lhota Over a Television Ad: The candidates for mayor of New York City clashed over a(NYT)
In a new TV ad released this morning, the Lhota campaign highlights Mr. de Blasio’s weak positions on crime. - See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=192807#sthash.VV5Ij7h0.jmXABWm8.dpu
Cuomo: No Money for de Blasio Pre K Plan
Missing is A Reporter Asking de Blasio for His Reaction to Cuomo's Statement
Casinos the Great NYS Hope . . . "Cuomo virtually shot down the possibility...that the state would take up a de Blasio plan to hike the city tax rate"
During a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board, Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized de Blasio’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthy, shooting down the possibility that the state would take up de Blasio’s plan in an election year, the Daily News reports:  The Daily News’ Harry Siegel writes that with raising taxes apparently off the table and fracking under continuous study, Cuomo is embracing casinos as an “extractive industry,” one that might be more palatable to Iowa Democrats in 2016 * Gov. Cuomo Concerned Bill de Blasio Tax Plan Could Drive Millionaires From NY(NYDN) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Mr. de Blasio’s plan to tax the wealthy might be a non-starter as he seeks to lower taxes next year. “What they fear is that they’re in a place where the taxes will continually go up and there will be a ceiling and they’ll say, ‘I’m going to Florida,’” Mr. Cuomo said of the wealthy. “I believe that.”  CUOMO WATCH — Azi Paybarah: The governor met with the Times and News editorial boards yesterday. The meetings come amid growing questions about Cuomo's influence over an anti-corruption commission that he reportedly has helped steer away from probing allies in the state Democratic Party and real estate industry.. Questions have also been raised about Cuomo and allies skewing the language of a referendum about gambling.* Bob McCarthy already has a list of potential successors for Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy: Leecia Eve, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, ex-Rep. Kathy Hochul, or even GOP Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney.* . says Cuomo actually told the he has an "open mind" for his pre-k proposal (which includes tax hikes)* The Contenders: Work With Dinkins, Clintons Laid Groundwork For De Blasio's Political Career

Who Has Duffy Done?
Duffy Watch Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy did not commit to seeking re-election with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, saying his future plans would be discussed next year, with speculation that he would take a job with the Rochester Business Alliance, Gannett Albany reports:






Lhota the LittleTrain That Could Not
De Blasio getting away with lameness(NYP) Some guys have all the luck. Bill de Blasio has run a lazy mayoral race based on stale ideas — but he floated to front-runner status because his primary opponents were weaker. General-election challenger Joe Lhota is New York’s last chance for a real race — or to at least make de Blasio say something interesting and new. But Lhota didn’t rise to the occasion in Tuesday night’s debate.NYT MAKES THE CASE LHOTA COULD NOT The Times makes the case that New York City has one of the most successful charter school systems in the country, and that the next mayor can improve the system in part by shutting down poor performing schools: 


Bloomberg, leaving all these expired union contracts for successor, is criticizing "kicking the can down the road"?
Bloomberg says can-kicking Congress needs a new system(Capital) 

Little-Known Hasidic Sect Emerges as Political Powerbroker in Mayor's Race(DNAINFO)










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Albany Hit Jackpot Gambling $$$
Lawsuit Rejected
Update Lawsuit Over
It’s Been A Good Week For The Pro-Casino Side(YNN)

Brooklyn attorney folds, won't appeal casino decision
Pro-casino advertising exists.
The people lose in casino ruling(NYP Ed) The Post argues that the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the wording Cuomo’s team used for a ballot referendum on casino expansion set back the cause of increasing transparency in state government

Lawsuit Fails Update  Judge Rejects Casino Amendment Lawsuit
Amendment Opponent Plans To File Emergency Appeal(YNN)
The people lose in casino ruling(NYP)
Judge Rejects Suit to Block Casino Referendum(NYT) The suit, objecting to wording describing the New York State ballot question in positive terms, was “untimely and lacking in legal merit,” the judge said. The attorney behind a lawsuit challenging the language used in the constitutional amendment for casino expansion said he would file an appeal after a judge threw out his lawsuit
Albany Play to Pay Gambling Jackpot Again: The Same Crooks That Got Away With the AEG Robbery Are Still Making $$$ From Gambling 
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Ignoring the attorney general’s recommendation, the Board of Elections changed the neutrally worded casino amendment by adding language to gain voter support … transparency and proper notice are fundamental rights in this country, and that includes New York.” – Attorney Eric Snyder reacting to a state judge’s decision to toss out his lawsuit against language used in the constitutional amendment to expand casino gambling, via The New York Times.

Casino Referendum Led Gambling Industry to Spend Richly in Albany(NYT)
Since 2005, gambling and horse racing interests have spent more than $59 million on lobbying and political contributions in New York, mirroring similar efforts in other state capitals to persuade policy makers to authorize more gambling.
The pro-NY casino lobby is very well financed. As for the anti-casino lobby? Not so much * New York Jobs Now, the PAC containing casino companies, the Business Council and AFL-CIO, said it has “a couple million dollars” to spend, and is apparently now in the field polling, as Dana Rubinstein and I report today. The survey asked one reader whether an endorsement by Bloomberg or Gov. Andrew Cuomo would sway their thinking; neither has been proactively vocal on the topic of more casinos. Some poll results could be announced today.

Top Gambling Lobbyists
The top ten lobbyists retained by gambling interests during this period include a who's who of the most influential firms in the state: Patricia Lynch Associates ($1.46 million), Cordo & Company ($975,000), Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker ($953,000), Meara Avella Dickenson ($805,000), Featherstonhaugh Wiley & Clyne ($787,000), Park Strategies ($649,000), Dan Klores Communications ($643,000), Kasirer Consulting ($470,000), Brian R. Meara Public Relations ($439,000), and Bolton St. Johns ($398,000) *  Performing arts venues across New York are trying to head off potentially “devastating” competition from casinos by proposing they work together. 


How Can the Top Gambling Lobbyists Have Financial Problems? 
Capitol Confidential » Layoffs hit Patricia Lynch Associates - Blogs




Parkside Groups Citizen's United Invisible Campaign Consultant/ Lobbyist Operates in Dark Pools
 
NY's Corrupt Campaign Culture Enablers
The Parkside Group's Evan Stavisky is using the Supreme Courts Citizen United ruling to completely hide from the city and state campaign disclosure reporting reporting system. Despite being involved in over 50 campaigns this year, Parkside name is not in the CFB or NYS BOE campaign disclosure reporting files. How about that Moreland Commission.  Stavisky ran the so called independent expenditure PSC Jobs4NY which spent $10 million to elect council members and is now working with the Queens' democratic organization and other PACS to elect the next speaker.  Last years Parkside made $1.8 million in lobbying fees.  Parkside also took in $2.77 million from Albany legislator campaigns. 

New York's Culture of Corruption is Caused By the People Who Elect Them
Campaign Consultants/Lobbyists are often connected at the hip,” said NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney.  What the NYPIRG worker was saying their is a secret bond between elected officials and those that run their campaigns.  What NYPIRG has not looked at is the secret bonds between campaign consultants many of whom are also lobbyist. These secret bonds were not caused by the courts but by the state's weak campaign reporting requirements. Parkside which was paid over $2 million by the Democrat Senate Campaign Committee hires other consultants to do some of the work, but does not have to disclose who they are paying.  The big money and lack of rules have developed a secret world of Dark Pool where campaign consultants make deals giving each other work and trade support for their lobbyists clients.  

Campign Consultants Working On More Than One Side in the Same Time
This secret horse trading world has not only created a monopoly on who becomes a campaign consultant the money and power the chosen consultants are making and amassing has caused them to become sloppy arrogant as they go for the big money. Incredibly with the help of Citizens United they have found a way to work on more than one side in the same race.   The advance group got paid $28,000 by gay city council candidate Yetta Kurland at the same time the firm worked secretly to promote her opponent Cory 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.True New is working on more examples of campaign consultants working together to game New York's election system and why the DAs, Moreland and AG is silent on the Advance Groups Corruption

Jobs4NY Parkside Helped Elected to the New Council
Margaret S Chin (1), ), Inez E Dickens (9), Andrew Cohen (11), Andrew  King (12), Fernando  Cabrera (14), Vanessa L Gibson (16), Paul A Vallone (19), Costa G Constantinides (22), Costa G Constantinides (22), Rory Lancman (24), Laurie Cumbo (35), Ritchie Torres (36), Rafael L Espinal, Jr. (37), Alan Maisel (46), Mark Treyger (47), John Mancuso (50)


How Come the Millions Spent By PACS are Not Included in the Lobbyists Tally
About $105 million was spent on lobbying in the first six months of the year, the lowest in five years, according to a JCOPE report.

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Another Secret Attack Between Two Elected Officials Through A PAC
Independent Expenditure Effort Raises Eyebrows in the Bronx(NYO) Ms. Mark-Viverito and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda were two of mayoral front-runner Bill de Blasio’s earliest backers. But behind the scenes–as the two appeared together at press conferences–Mr. Sepulveda’s chief of staff, Kenneth Thomas, was serving as a board member on a political action committee that had set its sights against her.




The Mayoral Debate
De Blasio and Lhota Trade Barbs in First Televised Debate(NYT)
Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota Come Out Swinging in Their First Debate(NYO)

Lhota on bikers incident: Talking and having coffee is not enough to combat crime * de Blasio: Motorcyclists who try to slow down traffic, etc., "those folks are going to end up in jail." * . says "wanted the NYPD to sit down w/ bicycle clubs over a cup of coffee and talk about this."* "We're going to keep this city safe," Bill de Blasio says. And it's going to be done by repairing relationship between NYPD & communities.* A new line of attack: Lhota accusing de Blasio of flip floping on charter schools.* The reason charter schools should not be charged rent is because they are public schools, Joe Lhota says.
non-profit charters that don't have lots of resources, I'm not going to charge them rent." * Lhota is playing it safe and on topic while de Blasio, who's far ahead, is looking for a fight, which is not coming. * To say, as Bill D does, Bloomberg focused on luxury housing modestly absurd. Built,preserved more than 150,000 units of affordable housing * calls what is happening in Washington,DC "despicable" * Lhota on de Blasio: Every career politician also ends up raising taxes on the middle class * In debate is asked if he has plan B in case Albany doesn't support tax for pre-K. Continues to say time for "bold" ideas
. says wants to take $ away from middle class; mentions his support of tax hikes when he was in City Council.* People said should play it safe. He is coming out with an offense strategy defining * "Income inequality is an extreme problem that has to be dealt with in the City of New York," Lhota says. * . voted for budgets that reduced the NYPD by over 5,000 officers. Why?   * Okay, so BdB hangs necklace of MTA fare increase around Lhota's neck, but acknowledge Albany Democrats co-conspirators in undermining MTA * Bill de Blasio pivots back to FreshDirect issue, saying econ development money should go, for example, to CUNY for education.* "My opponent never met a corporate subsidy he didn't like," says, in response to Fresh Direct charge * de Blasio: "My opponent never met a corporate subsidy he didn't like."* Lhota: de Blasio said he wouldn't have helped keep Fresh Direct in NYC: "You cannot talk about creating jobs if you're going to export jobs" * "The mayor has to be the CEO," says. "You have to be bold." Dinkins got more police on the streets, he says. -DS * Bill de Blasio says Joe Lhota has been absent on saving hospitals.* New York City "might be less safe" under "because he's untested," says * Joe Lhota says he agrees -- the candidates shouldn't be negotiating employee contracts in public. * A real sports fan doesn't abandon his childhood team, says Bill de Blasio, a Red Sox fan.* Fred Siegel: "It seems to me that Lhota has been captured by his consultants." * Fred Siegel on Lhota: "He wasn't quick." Also: "Tech... tech was barely mentioned."


A hero received a medal at the White House, while Republicans should wear MASKS OF SHAME as fear of the Tea Party reigns in Congress(NYDN)



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The Mayoral Debates Start



Three Tuesdays. Three Debates for Mayor. What to look for  

The Media Covers the Horse Race
If You Think the Press is Kissing Up to Candidates ahead in the poll, and Lhota Does Not Get Much Coverage, Try to Find Stories on Carrion or Burnett
For Carrión, No Debate and Confounded Allies(NYT) Independence Party mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión has been excluded from tonight’s first televised debate between de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota because his poll numbers are too low, and he has little money left for a television campaign *Uninvited To NYC 2013 Mayoral Debate, Adolfo Carrion Jr. Pushes Petitioning, Picketing(WSJ) * Is the media ignoring NYC’s black GOP candidate?(NYP) Among the leading tropes about today’s Republican Party is that it is so inhospitable to African Americans that no serious black candidate wants to run under its banner — especially in our cities. His name is John Burnett, and he’s running for Gotham’s second-most-important elective office: city comptroller. And it deserves attention.

Spitzer's Emails
A state Appellate Court reversed a lower court’s ruling compelling the state Attorney General’s office to produce emails relating to Eliot Spitzer’s investigation into AIG in 2005, Capitol Confidential writes:

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Pre Debate Spin

de Blasio Already Acting As Mayor, Review Bloomberg Last Minute Decisions
De Blasio vows to ‘immediately’ review Bloomberg’s decisions(NYP) Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio said that if elected, he would immediately review, and possibly reverse, every decision made by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his last months in office. PBA suit over stop-and-frisk law(NYP) * Experts Question de Blasio's Affordable Housing Plan(WSJ)* De Blasio: Lhota’s A Tea Partier(YNN) * De Blasio Goes Negative in New Web Ad(NYO) *  New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio released a web video blasting rival Joe Lhota for “pandering” to the Tea Party and criticizing him for not standing up for “middle class New Yorkers,” State of Politics writes: * Long Island College Hospital won a reprieve from closure when a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge ruled that the state's law on hospital closures violated the state constitution, Crain’s reports * Here's 's pre-debate hit piece in full via  

Who is Going After Greenfield
New York City Councilman David Greenfield apparently has some enemies in his district. An 8-page pamphlet printed in Yiddish was circulated over the weekend in Borough Park titled: "David Greenfield: A Failure, A Traitor." According to the blog, Perpetual Voices, which translated the document, the pamphlet lists several reasons why voters should vote against Greenfield in November, including his "cynicism" for issuing a press release announcing his sponsorship of a bill to overturn the city regulation requiring parental consent before a rabbi performs the controversial metzitzeh b’peh bris--a bill that the pamphlet charges was nothing more than a "political ploy" to get votes in his district. The literature also charges that Greenfield leaked the infamous "blackface" photo of Assemblyman Dov Hikind in a Purim costume to the media. While it is unclear who issued the pamphlet, sources say that it comes from members of the orthodox Satmar community. It's worth noting that Greenfield does have a Council opponent in November, Joseph Hayon, a Republican. Hayon denied issuing the piece, but did reiterate several accusations against Greenfield that were highlighted in the pamphlet, including his support for a Council resolution urging Albany to pass the Women's Equality Agenda which, among other things, would codify abortion rights. "I'm aware that [the pamphlet] attacks David Greenfield, I am not aware of its details," Hayon said, later adding that "there are certain issues that David Greenfield did do that he shouldn't have done." Greenfield did not return a call for comment. 

Lhota Tries to Get Name  Recognition, 3 Months Late










Lhota slams Alec Baldwin following ‘trash bag’ barb(NYP)

Republican mayoral nominee Joe Lhota on Monday slammed novice TV host Alec Baldwin as “anti-woman” after the actor called Lhota’s spokeswoman a “trash bag” on Twitter. Baldwin also labeled Lhota…*PRE-DEBATE: Lhota vs. de Blasio re: Christopher Columbus Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota find reason to argue on Columbus Day(NYDN) * Joe Lhota Still Touting Newspapers’ Primary Endorsements(NYO) * Joe Lhota We Hardly Knew You(NY Sun) * Lhota's Bulworthian candor on Cuomo-Bloomy. Can't wait for walk back & apologies.


protest forms His Exclusion From the Debate







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Economy

Low Wage Workers
A new report that concludes the low wages of many fast-food employees are being subsidized by taxpayers through programs for the working poor sparked an outcry amongst progressive advocates and state Democratic lawmakers, the Times Union reports A new report claims low wages in fast food are subsidized by taxpayer programs like food stamps.

Tech Boom
How Old Media Helped Spur New York's Tech Boom(Atlantic)

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Health and Environment

Water Tunnel #3
Engineers inspect NYC water tunnel for first time since 1917(NYP) A crucial stage of the Third Water Tunnel is being completed Wednesday– allowing engineers to inspect another water tunnel for the first time in almost 100 years “We haven’t been…* New York City has opened the Third Water Tunnel after 43 years of construction, providing a backup source of water for the city for the first time in decades, The Daily News reports:* NYC ready to inspect 1917 tunnel(NYP) * Finally, Water to Flow in Manhattan(WSJ) *JOB 'WELL' DONE: Mayor Bloomberg opens $4.7B Water Tunnel 150 feet under Central Park — allowing 350M gallons of water to flow under Manhattan daily(NYDN)

 
Mayor Nanny
City Hall legislating in the shadows(NYP)

Indian Point
The Indian Point nuclear power plant has been cited for more violations than any other nuclear site in the country, though only four of the 384 citations between 2002 and 2012 were for “higher-level” violations, the Associated Press reports:

Liquefied Gas Filing Stations
As early as next year, New York could be home to fuel stations along the state's Thruway to supply liquefied natural gas to fleets of commercial trucks, though opponents say the embrace of these facilities is potentially dangerous, the Syracuse Post-Standard writes

Recycling Styrofoam
In the Daily News, former Gov. George Pataki writes that the best way for New York City to hit its ambitious target of recycling 30 percent of its waste is by expanding the recycling program to include Styrofoam and Plastic #6:* The next mayor of NYC could save some cash on trash disposal, according to the CBC.


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Cuomo"Who's On First" Moreland Routine

Who Ever is On First Moreland is Out 
The Times’ Michael Powell adds asterisks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s claims about the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption to reflect the governor’s attempts to inoculate himself from scrutiny
Did you or anyone in your administration block those subpoenas? “No,” the governor replied. “The co-chairs make the decisions.” Did your staff, the reporter persisted, play a role in guiding them? The commission’s staff, the governor replied, is picked by the governor and the attorney general.Is that a yes? “The co-chairs make that determination,” the governor said, before he really had to get going.
It called to mind a gubernatorial updating of Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first?” routine.






CIA Counter-Terrorism Software to Albany Corruption

Today the NYP Reports What the Blogger Broke Yesterday
Data firm tapped to target state corruption(NYP) * Why Albany hates sunlight(NYP Ed)

Moreland Fights to Stay Alive: BREAKING ON CAPITAL: A special investigative commission wants to turn software designed for counter-terrorism investigations on New York lawmakers, Capital has learned. … The Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption is finalizing a contract with K2 Intelligence for “reviewing immense amounts of data from disparate sources and of varied levels of organization to uncover conflicts of interest or possible corruption,” according to a letter from Cuomo's office. While the Moreland Commission has no set budget, the letter seeks approval to spend as much as $175,000 on the data analysis between now and the end of the year, drawing funds from the operating budget of the Cuomo-controlled Division of Budget. READ THE LETTER *  "Corruption commission seeks to turn N.S.A. software on "





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Silver Corned But Members Still Support


Mounting Troubles For Speaker Silver

Howard Gotbetter, a veteran Manhattan lawyer, is suing Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for breaching the contract of his oath of office, and gross negligence for failing to protect victims of sexual harassment in the Vito Lopez case, the Times Union writes:









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Education

Bloomberg Fire Half the Teachers
Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I’d Dump Half Of NYC’s Teachers(CBS) Mayor Stuns Many At MIT Speech, Says He'd Greatly Enlarge Class Size, Too. "Education is very much, I’ve always thought, just like the real estate business. Real estate business, there are three things that matter: location, location, location is the old joke,” Bloomberg said. “Well in education, it is: quality of teacher, quality of teacher, quality of teacher. And I would, if I had the ability - which nobody does really – to just design a system and say, ‘ex cathedra, this is what we’re going to do,’ you would cut the number of teachers in half, but you would double the compensation of them and you would weed out all the bad ones and just have good teachers. And double the class size with a better teacher is a good deal for the students.”* Another Soda-Tax Squabble(WSJ) * The Times Union disagrees with the Department of Education's decision to cancel parent forums on the Common Core. [Times Union Editorial Board]* Reflecting on his tenure as NYC schools chancellor, Dennis Walcott is very proud, but has some regrets.* New York state education officials said they would look for ways to make sure that students weren’t being over-tested, after parents and educators voiced concerns over exams tied to a new teacher evaluation system, The Wall Street Journal reports:  * New Tests, New Aim: Evaluating Teachers(WSJ) * Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch will hold 16 forums across the state on the new Common Core standards after a heated meeting prompted the cancellation of four similar events, Gannett Albany writes: *Facing Criticism, King To Hold 16 Common Core Forums(YNN) * UFT nixes evaluations at its own charter school(NYP)




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Gambling Push Pull Election

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? 
 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.
 
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The NYT is Melting, Media

Continued downsizing at Times Co. tower(NYP)A lengthy story in Monday’s New York Times about how the Times Co. has shed assets to better focus on its “central product” — the newspaper — left something out: continued downsizing at the 620 Eighth Ave. headquarters tower.The Times Co. is about to unload the last of seven floors it still owns in the 52-story, Renzo Piano-designed skyscraper at West 40th-41st Street, where it once owned more space than its development partner Forest City Ratner.

New York Magazine consider move to biweekly publication amid ongoing slide in ad dollars. via .
The N.Y. Post guns for 'New York'(Politico)

Matthews Reveals MSNBC Hosts, Anchors Under 'Group Pressure' to Be More Partisan (VIDEO)
 

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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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City Services


Bike Lane
Bike Lanes Multiply, but Critics Hit Brake(WSJ)
Sometime this fall, depending on the weather, one final dash of green paint will hit the asphalt on a New York City street: the last of the Bloomberg bike lanes.*As the end of Mayor Bloomberg’s third term approaches, the Department of Transportation has furiously expanded the city’s bike network, with 54.5 miles of bike lanes in planning or under construction this year after 17 miles were added in 2012.

Keeping Hospitals Open
New York’s Hospital Challenge(City Journal)

More Affordable Housing
The Times’ Room for Debate poses the question of what other programs could increase the number of affordable homes in New York City to eight housing experts:

Handicapped
Advocates are suing NYC, alleging the city’s emergency plans violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Soda Ban

The state Court of Appeals will hear the case on whether the Bloomberg administration’s ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces can go forward, State of Politics writes: http://bit.ly/1aRQqTt


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Washington

D.C. Starting to Look a Lot Like Beirut - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
What James Madison Wanted - George Will, Washington Post
Like Prohibition, Obamacare Unlikely to Last - Salena Zito, Pittsburgh TR
Americans in Need Will Save Obamacare - Garance Franke-Ruta, Atlantic
A Law Doomed From the Start - Kimberly Morgan, Foreign Affairs
Tea Party Is Playing With Live Ammo - Timothy Carney, DC Examiner
President Sir Lecturealot - Maureen Dowd, New York Times
There's No Spinning It, Republicans Lost Big - Timothy Noah, MSNBC
The Frog Pot Hypothesis - Robert Tracinski, The Daily Debate
Shutdown Theater: No Walk in the Park - Carl Cannon, OC Register
The Quackish Cult of Alternative Medicine - Jerome Groopman, TNR
Age of Climate Alarmism Is Coming to an End - Jim Lakely, DC Examiner
Baby Boom and Doom - Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker
When Is a Baby Not a Baby? - Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist
A Radical Teaching Method Could Unleash Geniuses - Joshua Davis, Wired
Dallas, 1963: It Was No City of Hate - Bill Murchison, American Spectator
I'm the Accidental Owner of a Banksy - Cara Tabachnick, NY Magazine
"JPMorgan announced this month that it would have to allot $9.2B to cover legal expenses alone."

Editorials

Did Congress Learn Anything? - Los Angeles Times
Food Stamp Bonanza Proof of Abused System - New York Post
Even When Republicans Lose, They Win - The Nation
Reelect Gov. Chris Christie - Philadelphia Inquirer
 Donors have been reminded thru McAuliffe run why they prefer Clintons' lavish attention to the way Obama handled them (Politico)
Obamacare paid $600 million to design the website. Experts estimate costs should have been under $5 million
Druckenmiller Rages Against Generational Theft - James Freeman, WSJ
The President's Brilliant Pivot - Charles Blow, New York Times

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads

Obama's Hard-Line Fiscal Strategy - Larry Kudlow, Investor's Business Daily
To Win Again GOP Must Be United, Hopeful - James Baker, Financial Times
Obama DHS Pick Underpins Immigration Push - Alexis Simendinger, RCP
A Ted Cruz on Every Corner - Gail Collins, New York Times
Potemkin Parliament - Mark Steyn, National Review Online
Remembering Tom Foley & Civility in Washington - Al Hunt, Bloomberg
Deal Doesn't Solve Massive Debt Problem - Senator Rand Paul, Wash Times
Dear Ted Cruz, Stop Talking - Kathleen Parker, Washington Post
Texans Stick With Cruz Despite Defeat - Manny Fernandez, New York Times
Tell Me Again How the GOP Lost? - Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Forging a Pacific Future - Secretary of State John Kerry, Los Angeles Times
SCOTUS at a Loss Over Racial Discrimination - Linda Chavez, NY Post
Facebook's New Rules - Joe Nocera, New York Times
The Los Angeles Times Endorses Censorship - Scott Armstrong, FOX News
A Blind, Autistic, Musical Genius - Adam Ockelford, Huffington Post

Editorials

Sebelius on the Run - Wall Street Journal
Worse Than Europe - The Economist
The Obamacare Debacle - Boston Herald
A Slam Dunk Win for Gay Marriage - New Jersey Star-Ledger
Gillibrand’s Pro-Woman PAC Fundraises Off Shutdown(YNN)
The Wisdom of "Mr. Republican" - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Obama Must Keep Leading From the Front - Dana Milbank, Wash Post
And Now the Blame Game - Wesley Pruden, Washington Times
Obamacare: The Ultimate Survivor - Geoffrey Cowley, MSNBC
This Is a Category 5 Nightmare - Yuval Levin, National Review Online
Obama Will Make GOP Pay for the Shutdown - William Saletan, Slate
Can GOP Win Over Millennials in 2014? - Adam O'Neal, RealClearPolitics
The Specter of Bankruptcy Haunts California - Steven Greenhut, Reason
Obama's Big Salute to Govt & Its Workers - Jonathan Capehart, Wash Post
No, America Isn't Going the Way of Rome - Barry Strauss, FOX News
Are Private Schools Worth It? - Julia Ryan, The Atlantic
Death Doesn't Care If You're Sexy - Anna Mussmann, The Federalist
Republicans' Hollow Defeat - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
What If Obamacare Implodes? - Michael Barone, Washington Examiner
The Electoral Aftermath of the Shutdown - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics
GOP Puts Us on the Road to Nowhere - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Obamacare Is a Bigger Disaster Than You Think - Philip Klein, Examiner
Radical GOP Out to Destroy Government - Norm Ornstein, Natl Journal
Why We'll Keep Fighting Obamacare - Jim DeMint, Wall Street Journal
Obamacare Rollout: It's Not All Bad News - Jonathan Cohn, New Republic
Democrats' Victory Will Be Short-Lived - Michael Graham, Boston Herald
How to Win in Virginia as a Liberal Democrat - Ron Brownstein, Natl Jrnl
The Art of the Possible - Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online
GOP Unity Only Way Obamacare Is Repealed - Ben Domenech, Federalist
Republicans' Uncertainty Strategy - Kirsten Powers, The Daily Beast
We Need a Realistic Path to Government Reform - Peter Berkowitz, RCP
Yes, Politics Was Once Friendly - Chris Matthews, Boston Globe
Redskins and Reason - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Schweitzer Mulling 2016 Presidential Bid - Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics
VA Gov (NBC/Marist): McAuliffe (D) 46, Cuccinellli (R) 38, Sarvis (L) 9
Native New Yorker "Could Not Refuse" Call To Lead Homeland Security

Editorials

Republican Defeat: The Tea Party Should Be Over - The Guardian
Implementation Exposes Obamacare Lies - San Diego Union-Tribune
The GOP's Immigration Trouble - Washington Post
Supreme Court Offers Hope for Relief From EPA - The Oklahoman

CRISIS AVERTED … FOR NOW: Congress acts at last minute to pass bipartisan deal that reopens federal government and raises debt ceiling — but only through February 7(NYDN) * President Obama On Anti-Default Deal: Full Text(NYDN)
  1. 4m
    Some congressional GOP walked into Obama's trap. Now he's stronger; GOP's weaker, & ObamaCare is more popular.
REPUBLICAN CIVIL WAR — Rep. Peter King Targets Sen. Ted Cruz — Reid Pillifant: King said his Republican colleagues "look like the crazies…I'm the only one who's been going after Cruz by name," King said. "And there's a purpose for that, because this is going to come back again in two or three months, whether it's January 15 or February 7 or whatever, there's going to be a threat of another shutdown.
SHUTDOWN VOTE: Four of New York's six Republicans — Chris Gibson, Michael Grimm, Peter King and Richard Hanna — joined a majority in the House of Representatives to affirm the Senate-brokered compromise that ended the shutdown and raised the debt ceiling. The only two nays in the New York delegation came from Reps. Tom Reed and Chris Collins, Republicans from the Southern Tier and Western New York. “The bottom line is, I didn’t come here to kick the can,” Collins, who was elected to Congress last year, told the Buffalo News. “This doesn’t deal with any of our entitlement spending. It doesn’t change the trajectory of our deficit, which is $700 billion a year. And therefore I can’t support it, and I’m going to vote no.”
The full roll call: http://goo.gl/1vjM4P
Finally! The GOP Fever Is Broken - Jamelle Bouie, The Daily Beast
Obama Wins! Big Whoop. Can He Lead? - Ron Fournier, National Journal
Bill Passes, But Will Stalemate Return? - Simendinger & Huey-Burns, RCP
Obama's Prize Is a Lame Duck Presidency - Tim Stanley, The Telegraph
For GOP, the Damage Is Undeniable - Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call
Dems Kidding Themselves on Who Is Winning - Peter Beinart, Daily Beast
Obamacare Disaster Much Worse Than Bad Policy - Conrad Black, NRO
Washington's Professional Debt Alarmists - Alec MacGillis, New Republic
The Psychology of Barack Obama - Robert Merry, The National Interest
Why Politics Has Become an Apocalyptic Mess - Howard Fineman, Huff Post
Understanding Working Class Whites - Henry Olsen, The American
Your Life, Under Constant Surveillance - Bruce Schneier, CNN
The Pro-Discrimination Left - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal
To Prevent Rape, College Girls Shouldn't Get Wasted - Emily Yoffe, Slate
Cory Booker Wins N.J. Senate Race - Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics
Terry McAuliffe: The Best Used Car Salesman - C.J. Ciaramella, Federalist
Learning the Lessons of a Decade of War - Dustin Walker, RealClearDefense
New Jersey Governor (Quinnipiac): Christie (R) 62% - Buono (D) 33%
Ann Coulter believes Hillary's presidential campaign will follow in the footsteps of Christine Quinn's mayoral bid
Price of "Statesmanship"? Sen. McConnell snares $1.2 billion for Kentucky dam in exchange for letting Govt Resume:  
Inside the GOP's surrender (Daily Beast)
In his speech, Obama welcomes the end of shutdown, calls for the end of crisis-to-crisis governing.
Obama Calls for New Spirit of Cooperation in Washington 
Rep. Nita Lowey is one of three House Democratic Members picked to serve on a conference committee tasked to avoiding the next shutdown/debt crisis.  
The DCCC had some fun with Rep. Michael Grimm’s 17-minute bathroom visit with an anonymous woman.
Obama to tap ex-federal prosecutor Jeh Johnson to lead Homeland Security

Editorials

Deal Buys a Little Time to Find Big Fiscal Fix - Washington Post
The Republican Surrender - New York Times
At Last, a Focus on Debt - Chicago Tribune
Obamacare's Black Box - Wall Street Journal


Breaking Senate leaders reach deal to re-open government, vote to come
At 11th Hour, G.O.P. Blinks in Standoff (NYT)
Hero and Zeroes: As Will Swenson is awarded Medal of Honor, John Boehner and his GOP drive economy to the brink (NYDN)
BOOM: BOEHNER SAID TO TELL REPUBLICANS HOUSE WILL TAKE UP OWN PLAN 

 Policy and the Republican Civil War - Ross Douthat, New York Times
Republicans Are at a Dead End - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
No Need for Lectures From a Debt-Addled President - Charles Hurt, WT
The Ship of State Turns Into the Ship of Fools - Maureen Dowd, NY Times
Jacksonian America Is Aroused and Angry - William Galston, WSJ
Are Democrats More Extreme Than Republicans? - Alex Castellanos, CNN
Five Thoughts on the Obamacare Disaster - Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Is This as Good as Obamacare Gets? - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal
The World Sees an America in Decline - Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian
Dress Rehearsals for the Next Terror Incident - Michelle Malkin, NY Post
How Obama Admin's Plan Put U.S. at Risk - Anita Kumar, McClatchy
To Control Climate Crisis, Control the Population - Alan Weisman, CNN
True Crisis: The Fibs Underlying Global Warming - Larry Bell, Forbes
Longing to Be a Victim - John Stossel, FOX Business
Still Torn Over JFK's Assasination - George Packer, The New Yorker
The Truth About Nature & Gender Roles - Christina Hoff Sommers, AEI
Why You Should Have a Messy Desk - Herbert Lui, Medium
Latest Polls: NJ (RCP Avg): Booker +13.8 | Obama JA | Generic Ballot
Warren Buffett: “Creditworthiness is like virginity. It can be preserved, but not restored.” [VIDEO]
Peggy Noonan to 'Dumb' 'Name-Callers' in the Tea Party: 'Stop It, You're Grown Up' (VIDEO)

Editorials

Obamacare's a Mess. Time to Stop Blaming Republicans - Chicago Tribune
Why We Miss Kay Bailey Hutchison - Houston Chronicle
Congress's Absurd Debate Over Its Obamacare "Exemption" - Bloomberg
Questions Into IRS Scandal Still Get No Answers - New York Post
Republicans Need to Dump The Tea Party - David Frum, CNN
The Presidency Is No Place for Amateurs - Edward Klein, FOX News
Dems Up Ante on GOP's Poor Hand - Eugene Robinson, Indianapolis Star
Leon Panetta's Problem With Obama - Ruth Marcus, Washington Post
Goldwater-Rockefeller Redux - Pat Buchanan, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
U.S. Would Be Better Off if Boehner & Cruz Drown - Roger Simon, Politico
Roger Simon and Media Bias - Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online
Obamacare Needs a Drop-Dead Date - Megan McArdle, Bloomberg
Stop Abusing America's Public Workers - Jesse Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times
Michigan Rebuts Redistricting/Polarization Claims - Sean Trende, RCP
An Affirmative Action Case Liberals Deserve to Lose - Emily Bazelon, Slate
Nobels and National Greatness - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
On the Perils of Paul Krugman - Niall Ferguson, Project Syndicate
GOP: A Party With No New Ideas - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Answering Paul Krugman - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Newsweek: Poster Child of Journalism's Failure - Michael Wolff, Guardian
The New York Times: America Sucks - Dennis Prager, Townhall
Video Highlights: Will vs. Krauthammer on Redskins Name Change
Lady senators impress everyone with adult behavior:(NY Mag)
Schumer: "McConnell stepped up for the good of the nation" (Washington Post)

Editorials

A Glimmer of Sanity in the Senate - Washington Post
Pension Tsunami Strikes Again - San Diego Union-Tribune
A Nuke Deal that Iran - and the World - Can Live With - Bloomberg
Like All Central Planning, Obamacare a Failure - Investor's Business Daily

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Law and Order


Teen mom who was found with dead fetus inside her bag at Victoria's Secret pleads not guilty to shoplifting charges — but stays mum about grisly discovery
Police: Man Caught With Gun On Subway Train After Jumping Turnstile (CBS)
Police Seek Suspect In Fatal Shooting At Bronx Gas Station
Investigators looking at Rikers suicidal inmate left alone against protocol (NYDN)
Close call for girl, 4, taken for ride with thief(NYP)
One dead in Bronx shooting(NYP)
Two are shot in Brooklyn(NYP)
Bloody night in as 10 are shot and five left dead -- and no arrests ”

Ray Kelly Delivers Keynote Speech At BPJCC Breakfast (Video)

Brooklyn group of black youths attack white couple in racial attack: cops(NYDN)


Man Gets 30-Year Sentence for Raping Bird-Watcher in Central Park(NYT)
Arrest in Staten Island convent fire(WSJ)
Ray Kelly for DHS campaign was like the Dolan for Pope campaign - imagined by NYC tabloids via

Bail denied in NYU ‘rape’ try(NYP)
Cops cuff 2 in violent robbery spree(NYP)
Detectives Working on Police Tips Line Must Sift and Coax(NYT)


‘Thief’ caught… carrying stillborn baby(NYP)
Now 4 SUV biker cops ID’d(NYP)
"…Kelly said there may have been officers from other law-enforcement agencies who also participated in the ride, but their participation is not part of the NYPD’s investigation." http://goo.gl/1HloLv
New accusers in rabbi ‘torture’ ring(NYP)
Madoff aides got rich with ‘elaborate fiction’(NYP)
AG wants data on city residents using Airbnb(NYP)
NYPD seeks public help in solving robbery pattern(WSJ)
Death on the Tracks: MTA Sees Spike in Number of People Killed by Trains (Mag)

New York officials say they have sold the state’s former juvenile detention center in the south Bronx for $6.65 million at auction.


Phony cop wanted in 10 robberies(NYP)
The Court of Appeals ruled that the state Legislature never intended to exclude gun license applicants based on permanent residence when it wrote the licensing law, allowing part-time New York residents to get handgun licenses, the Daily News reports:

PBA Suit Argues Council Exceeded Authority On Stop-And-Frisk Bill 
The Sergeants Benevolent Association, which represents 13,000 members of the New York Police Department, is suing to block a police oversight bill recently passed by the New York City Council, Capital New York reports: 

2nd undercover speaks out over biker bash(NYP)
NYPD: 4 other cops may have been at bike rally
Mom Stealing Candy From Duane Reade Leaves Baby Behind(Huff Post)

'Why would you do something so horrible to a little child? You're sick!' Baby Hope's mother recalls her face-to-face encounter with daughter's confessed killer(NYN)



More Baby Hope arrests possible(NYP)
Baby Hope's Mother Was In the Dark(WSJ)
Baby Hope's Mother Knew of Child's Fate Just Days Before Arrest (WSJ)
'I can't imagine that happening to my child': Baby Hope's sister, a mom of three, says she's glad 'they caught the bad guy' at last(NYDN)
Baby Hope's Mother Explains Her Silence(WSJ)



A WEEK WITHOUT SLAYS: Big Apple nears longest murder-free stretch of the year as overall homicide rate drops 26% since 2012

Man shot in chest on Upper West Side(WSJ)
NYPD: Man Shot On Upper West Side Street, Two Suspects Sought (NY1)

RECKLESS POSTER: A fund-raising pitch to help a biker accused of assaulting a motorist on the West Side Highway popped up on the Facebook page of an aide to Councilwoman (and potential Speaker candidate) Julissa Ferreras. The aide said she was "tagged" on the item and doesn't support it. [Post / Selim Algar and Daniel Prendergast]

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Terrorism
Long Island Man Faces Terrorism Charges After Failed Trip to Yemen(NYT)
Terror Suspect Caught in Libya Appears in Manhattan Court (NYT)
Terror Suspect Caught in Libya Appears in Manhattan Court(NYT)
Exclusive video: Long Island man accused of supporting al-Qaida:(NBC)
Terrorism Suspect Pleads Not Guilty(WSJ)