1. the morning line
    Free at Last, Free at Last • What were we doing in the days before DNA testing? Well, apparently jailing busloads of innocent people, for one thing. The eighth — eighth! — New York State convict in thirteen months to be exonerated by DNA evidence was released yesterday after fifteen years in jail. [NYT] • Both tabloids look at the State of the Union address through the eyes of Ceasar Borja Jr., the son of a WTC cop whom Hillary Clinton had flown to Washington. His father died of lung disease hours before Bush’s speech. [NYP, NYDN] • It’s not exactly the Oscars, but a consortium of community activists got to nominate the city’s worst landlords last night. The runaway winner: Adam Mermelstein of TreeTop Development, who used fake inspectors with prop badges and invalid eviction papers to harass his tenants. [NYDN] • Now this is a divorce case. Four children, $55 million in assets, $5 million in legal bills, and the heaviest dueling allegations in recent memory (kiddie porn and spousal rape versus drug addiction and mental disease). Welcome to Westport. [NYP] • And you know you love the Mets a little too much when they have to take out a restraining order against you. An 18-year-old Piazza fan was barred from Shea for three years after faking a press pass to get closer to his idol. [amNY]
  2. the morning line
    George and Hillary Want 9/11 Health Care • The health of 9/11 first responders finally becomes a major political issue; President Bush will address it in tonight’s State of the Union address, and now-official White House contender Hillary Clinton used ground zero to announce her $1.9 billion long-term treatment initiative. [amNY] • The Sean Bell case began in earnest yesterday, with the 23-member grand jury beginning to parse the evidence in the infamous 50-shot police slaying of an unarmed man. The presentation will take close to a month; detractors say the D.A. is using the occasion for a “minitrial.” [NYP] • A side effect of being rich and famous is that people think they don’t need to make good on their debts to you. For instance, New Delhi owes New York City $16.4 million (in real-estate taxes for the properties India owns here). Our courts are tempted to tweak the laws so the city can sue. [DNA World] • “Come on, guys, we can get more mileage out of this antique-dealer-suing-bum story. Angles, think angles.” “How about the bum’s son comes to town to reconcile with him?” “Perfect.” [NYDN] • And a mass evacuation of New York City will commence today via the Brooklyn Bridge, under the cover of Coast Guard cutters and military helicopters. Luckily, it’s all so that Will Smith can save the earth or become a stockbroker or something. [7Online]
  3. numbers game
    Poll: New Yorkers Support Their Overwhelmingly Reelected Senator Today’s Daily News has blockbuster front-page news: In a poll of New York City residents, more would pick their own senator to be the Democratic presidential nominee than would pick a freshman Illinois senator with far lower name recognition. (Who’d have thunk it?) If there’s any interest to the poll, it’s in the demographic breakdowns. • New York City voters who would pick Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nominee: 43 percent • New York City voters who would pick Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nominee: 24 percent
  4. the morning line
    Hillary! • We’re 48 hours into Hillary’s official campaign for the presidency, and already the Times is wondering who’d fill her Senate seat. Names that have come up: Paterson, Meeks, Velasquez, Lowey — and even Suozzi. A News survey, meantime, finds Hillary beating Obama handily — in New York City. (Of course, we’re pretty sure Gore and Kerry did likewise to Bush here.) [NYT, NYDN] • Damon Mootoo, the deaf guy from Guyana who disappeared in Queens last week hours after arriving in the United States, was finally found and returned to his relatives. He said he lived in cars and backyards for four days. [NY1] • Tired of the busy signals when you try calling for that Per Se reservation exactly two months in advance? You’ll be thrilled to learn that a new service charges clients $35 to $45 to nab them rezzies at tough-to-get-into hot spots. [NYP] • London may be edging out Gotham as the biz capital of the world, due in part to the United States’ lawsuit-heavy culture and tough immigration rules, says a new $500,000 report. [NYDN] • Waitress, the movie made by New York indie-film actress Adrienne Shelly before she was murdered in her apartment last year, was shown to applause and tears at Sundance. [1010WINS]
  5. it just happened
    Hillary’s In To the great surprise of no one, Hillary Clinton finally announced this morning that she’s running for president in 2008. “I’m in. And I’m in to win,” she said in a statement posted to her new campaign Website, oddly echoing the old Lotto slogan. “All you need is a dollar and a dream,” retorted fellow presidential aspirant George Pataki, continuing his quixotic campaign. Hillary Says ‘I’m In to Win’$2 2008 Race [NYT] Hillary for President [Official site]
  7. early and often
    How Chic Is Our Power? Yesterday’s Times brought word that Nancy Pelosi’s elevation to House Speaker is changing not just Washington’s politics but also its fashion. “[W]ith the ascent of Nancy Pelosi, 66, widely recognized and admired for her Armani and easy fashion savvy, the days of the dowdy Washington dress code may be numbered,” wrote reporter Lizette Alvarez. She quoted Representative Mary Bono: “I am so sick of the matronly box — the rest of America doesn’t dress like that.” It made us wonder: Do New York’s big-shot female pols have better fashion sense than Washington’s? We pulled a bunch of photos of five Big Apple power players and gave them to New York fashionista Amy Larocca for a once-over. After the jump, her verdicts.
  8. 20-person poll
    Iraq: To Surge or Not to Surge? So now it’s official: Bush wants to send 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq. And, as we know, congressional Democrats think that’s a bad idea; indeed, Senator Ted Kennedy introduced legislation earlier this week that would require Congress’ approval before any additional forces could be considered. So do New Yorkers support Bush’s plan? Do they support Kennedy’s? And do they think 20,000 more troops will make a difference in Iraq, anyway? It’s 20-Person Poll time, and random passersby on Madison Avenue say no, no, and no.
  9. it just happened
    Dems Say No to MSG Convention And so the 2008 Democratic National Convention goes the way of the 2012 Olympics: Despite Bloomberg’s best laid plans, it won’t be coming to New York City. Moments ago, the Democratic National Committee announced that it will hold its next presidential- nominating convention in Denver. This is no doubt a strategic move, a way to try to attract Coloradans and other Western voters to Big Blue. (New York will no doubt remain safely in the good guys’ column even after this snub.) And after living through the GOP convention here in 2004, did we even want to put up with all that mishegoss again, anyway? Plus, you’ve got to consider it from the Dems’ point of view: The last convention they held at Madison Square Garden, in 1992, nominated Bill Clinton. Wouldn’t want to follow that precedent, wouldja? Democrats Pick Denver as Convention Site [The Caucus/NYT]
  10. in other news
    Spitzer Not Actually Forcing Gay Things Down Your ThroatsIt turns out John Faso — remember, that guy who was trounced by Spitzer? — was wrong after all when he infamously accused his rival of planning to “force gay marriage down the throats of New Yorkers.” The first days of the Spitzer administration suggest the governor has a slower, gentler method in mind. Same-sex marriage, which the GOP wanted you to believe was all but a lynchpin of Spitzer’s platform, was conspicuously absent from the barrage of proposals in his State of the State address. Gay-rights advocates are somewhat alarmed, the Sun reports. But not to worry: As Spitzer’s communications director says, “Gay marriage isn’t a Day One issue.” The governor will get around to it, eventually: “We have to prioritize and that’s how we prioritized.” Spoken like a true leader. Spitzer: Gay Rites Ahead [NYS] Earlier: Spitzer’s Support for Gays Will Not Be Tested [E&O]
  11. intel
    Magazine Can’t Wait for End of Bloomberg EraWe’ll remind you, first, that New York elects its mayor the year after the United States elects its president. Then we’ll remind you that Mike Bloomberg was elected to a second four-year term — unprecedented spending, unprecedented margin of victory, remember? — in November 2005 and inaugurated on January 1, 2006. Finally, we’ll remind you that this means he’ll be New York’s mayor until December 31, 2009. Now let us point you to the first two sentences of Adam Gopnik’s “Comment” in the current New Yorker. The emphasis is ours: It is a sign of the times — which, a Greenwich Village bard once told us, change — that two former mayors of New York may run for President next year, and no one thinks that either candidacy is even slightly a joke. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is thinking of running, as a Republican, and current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be a former by then, may run as a None of the Above. Hey, even the world’s most storied fact-checking staff gets a holiday break, too. Gothamitis [NYer]
  12. early and often
    The Breakfast of Champions When the House and Senate convene at noon today, Democrats will finally — as they’ve been salivating for since November, or even since Gingrich — take control of both chambers. So how does one start such a momentous day? We asked much of New York’s newly empowered congressional delegation what they’d be eating for breakfast. Sen. Chuck Schumer: Cold cereal, “my favorite food.” Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Long Island: Coffee and a bagel. (What kind of bagel? That, says George in her office, will be “a game-time decision.”) Rep. Joseph Crowley, Queens and the Bronx: “Special K with strawberries and 2-percent milk, plus a cup of cold-brew coffee.” Rep. Edolphus Towns, Brooklyn: Scrambled eggs and sausage. Rep. Nydia Velasquez, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Lower East Side: Oatmeal. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Queens and the East Side: A Power Bar. (“I’m going to need the energy to get ready for the first 100 hours.”) Rep. Eliot Engel, Westchester, Rockland, and the Bronx: Bagels and lox and herring, imported to Washington from New York. Rep. Nita Lowey, Westchester: “Her usual oatmeal.” Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Woodstock: Raisin Bran and black tea. Rep. Louise Slaughter, Rochester: French toast “with the most beautiful and smartest grandkids in the world.” If you need us, we’ll be at Eliot Engel’s. —Jocelyn Guest Earlier: Dem Congress Is New York’s Gain — And Mississippi’s Loss?
  13. the morning line
    A Third-Rate Burglary? • As we cynically predicted, the story of Giuliani’s suddenly public ‘08 battle plan swiftly moved from the plan’s contents to who obtained it and how; the Giuliani camp says it was “borrowed” from an aide’s suitcase, photocopied, and returned. Exciting stuff. [NYS] • A construction worker dubbed a “Subway Superman” (by both tabs) leaped in front of an oncoming train to drag a stranger to safety. Better yet, he did it while wearing a ski cap with a Playboy Bunny, which is mysteriously logo-free on the Post cover. [NYDN; NYP] • Subpoenas continue to fly in the Joe Bruno probe. The State Senate chief — and, as of two days ago, New York’s top Republican — is under scrutiny for corruption, and the latest FBI target is an Albany investment firm Bruno did consulting for. [NYDN] • NYC taxis will help map out the city’s many pesky cell-signal dead zones: Ericsson, the Stockholm-based phone maker, got the Taxi & Limousine Commission to install sensors in cab trunks. The Swedes are under the cute illusion that “cabs go everywhere.” [Fox News] • And in a bit of truly silly timing, Cites — an international environmental agency — lifted its ban on sevruga and osetra caviar imports from the Caspian Sea. The news should send corks popping at Petrossian and become relevant to the general consumer in, let’s see, about 362 days. [NYT]
  14. in other news
    Rudy Goes Off the Script (or Does He?)Rudy Giuliani has lost his ‘08 presidential battle plan. Literally. He — or one of his aides — left the damn thing in a hotel, all 140 pages of it. It’s the front page of today’s Daily News, and the way the News presents it, there’s actually little more to be gleaned from the text than from, say, a cursory examination of public documents. We learn that Bernie Kerik, Judith Nathan, and Donna Hanover are “liabilities,” that Giuliani is losing influential money guys to McCain, and that fund-raisers will be cutely divided into “Team Captains,” “All-Stars,” and “Sluggers.” Of course, any time something this farcical happens to a major figure, it’s a good time to dust off the old who-benefits-most meter. (Doesn’t U2 lose, and then find, the master tape every time the band has an album coming out?) But this time there appears to be no gain in it whatsoever for Giuliani’s camp, which comes across as rather hapless. Unless! Unless we put on our tinfoil hats and assume that the entire point of the largely non-damaging disclosure is this: “The document was obtained by the Daily News from a source sympathetic to one of Giuliani’s rivals for the White House.” How dare you, Giuliani’s Rival, engage in such dirty, unprincipled … oh, wait. We see. Revealed: Rudy’s ‘08 Battle Plans [NYDN]
  15. 20-person poll
    Iraq Study Group: Perhaps Monkier Than We Thought? The Iraq Study Group report is out, obviously, and now, it seems, all the important players have weighed in: Bush says he doesn’t want to decrease troop levels and the Post says the panel’s chairmen are “Surrender Monkeys.” Clearly it’s time for another 20-Person Poll. New York’s intrepid interns hit Madison Avenue to ask three questions. Question No. 1: The Iraq Study Group says “the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating.” Does that come as a surprise to you? Big surprise: 2; no surprise: 18 Question No. 2: Who has a better plan for Iraq, President Bush or the Iraq Study Group? Bush: 3; ISG: 12; neither: 5 Question No. 3: Are James Baker and Lee Hamilton, the chairmen of the Study Group, in fact surrender monkeys? Yes, monkeys: 6; no, not monkeys: 14
  16. 20-person poll
    President Hillary? Today’s Post insists — more than anyone else has yet insisted — that Hillary Clinton has really, genuinely, honest-to-goodness decided to run for president. Which means it’s time for another 20-Person Poll. New York’s interrogating interns hit Madison Avenue this afternoon, and they asked twenty registered Democrats who’d get their vote in a presidential primary. Here in her home state, things are looking good for our junior senator — unless, that is, a certain melting pot from Illinois decides to run. Matchup No. 1: Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama Clinton: 6; Obama: 14 Matchup No. 2: Hillary Clinton vs. Al Gore Clinton: 10; Gore: 10 Matchup No. 3: Hillary Clinton vs. John Edwards Clinton: 13; Edwards: 7 Matchup No. 4: Hillary Clinton vs. John Kerry Clinton: 15; Kerry: 5 ‘I’m Going to Go for This’ [NYP] Earlier: President Mike?
  17. the morning line
    Hillary for President! • OMG. Hillary Clinton is — you’re not gonna believe this — totally running for president. She said so to a “New York lawmaker” on the phone, and he told the Post. Her declaration? “I’m really going to go for this.” OMG. [NYP] • Yesterday in Astor-ia: In finalizing the settlement long settled, Anthony Marshall was cleared of abuse allegations concerning his 104-year-old mother, Brooke Astor. He and his wife still need to return over $11 million in “gifts.” Oh, and his lawyer was docked 10 percent of his six-figure fee for chatting to the press. [NYDN] • Thirty-nine people in New York and New Jersey are now down with E. coli, all traceable to a single Taco Bell in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Some of the joint’s employees are sick as well. And the marketers of Fast Food Nation are really wishing this happened two weeks ago. [NYT] • Crews will take another tug at the ol’ Intrepid, currently stuck in cementlike silt on its way to a dry dock where it was supposed to be getting a spruce-up. The path is reportedly clear now that a Navy contractor has ladled out some of the gunk from under the ship’s stern (for $3 million). [amNY] • And in an irresistible police-blotter item, a man is arrested for a series of shop, hotel, and drug-store robberies wherein he’d open his coat to reveal a dynamite-stick belt (actually highway flares). Inventive but unsurprising, considering the perp is an actor with Law & Order on his resume. (Duh-dum.) [WNBC]
  18. 20-person poll
    President Mike? In this week’s cover story, and on the heels of the weekend’s news that Hillary Clinton is moving yet another step closer to maybe, eventually admitting she’s running for president, New York’s John Heilemann considers the possibility of a Bloomberg White House bid in 2008, reporting that the mayor is seriously considering a run and that political pros thinks he’d be a serious contender. Inspired, Daily Intel took to the streets — well, took to Madison Avenue immediately in front of the office — for our first-ever 20-Person Poll. How would Mayor Mike fare in some hypothetical matchups? According to some random pedestrians, not so badly — as long as Hillary doesn’t run. Matchup No. 1: Michael Bloomberg vs. Hillary Clinton Clinton: 15; Bloomberg: 5 Matchup No. 2: Michael Bloomberg vs. Barack Obama Bloomberg: 12; Obama: 8 Matchup No. 3: Michael Bloomberg vs. John McCain Bloomberg: 13; McCain: 6; No answer: 1 Matchup No. 4: A three-way race between Bloomberg, Clinton, and McCain Clinton: 14, Bloomberg: 4, McCain: 2 His American Dream [NYM]
  19. in other news
    City Hall: Feeling A Bit Congested? The idea of congestion pricing — putting a bit of a squeeze on all drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street on weekdays —- has been around for a while. In recent weeks, however, it’s suddenly begun to get traction, and, as the Sun reports today, it now seems that City Hall will apply for federal funds next year to study the idea. Who’s so excited about the issue? Well, first, the Partnership for New York City, a group of 200 big-business CEOs, is about to release a report that will claim a better-than-expected response to the idea. Second, a major consulting firm is phone-polling the hell out of the citizens about the issue. (For an added dash of mystery, the firm’s client is not being disclosed.) And third, the Manhattan Institute will host a panel on the issue this Thursday. Congestion pricing, as Aaron Naparstek reports in this week’s magazine, was invented up at Columbia at 1951. And the best argument for reducing Manhattan traffic is that it’s somehow taken 55 years for the concept to travel about 140 blocks down Broadway to City Hall. Fees to Ease Midtown Traffic Jams May Get a New Look From City Hall [NYS] Unlocking the Gridlock [NYM]
  20. intel
    Grannies Don’t Like Bush, Either, and Sing About It Ah, the sight of little old ladies doing things you don’t expect little old ladies to do. It’s jarring, sure, and can maybe even have a political impact, which is why the so-called Granny Peace Brigade gathered for a rally — and chorus line, of course — in a West Village church yesterday afternoon. Retired 75-year-old jingle writer Joan Wile belted out an antiwar song she’d written, calling on grannies of the world to “get off your duffs, we gotta get Bush!” Carol Husten, also 75 and dressed in a white wig with fake pearls bigger than golf balls, impersonated Barbara Bush, whom she dubbed “the power behind the Bush dynasty.” And a chorus line of the so-called Granny Jailbirds, about half a dozen from the eighteen arrested October 2005 for sitting in at a Times Square military recruitment center and acquitted this year, joined voices in a satiric anthem, lustily singing, “There’s no business like war business,” and pointing their canes like semi-automatic weapons at an enthusiastic crowd of about 100 mostly elderly peaceniks.
  21. the morning line
    That’s Al, Folks • Eliot Spitzer, in his waning days as attorney general, is set to release a “devastating indictment” of Alan Hevesi that will almost surely lead to the comptroller’s fast resignation, says the Post. Sources tell the tabloid that the AG report will also serve as the cue for a criminal case. [NYP] • Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, before departing for Washington, got together with Spitzer for a “two-hour strategy session” to discuss, we don’t know, the Giants or something. Pundits tie the bustle to Barack Obama’s early presidential “maybe.” [NYDN, NYT] • In a real-estate listing to end all listings, the penthouse triplex of the Pierre Hotel can be yours, ballroom and all. For $70 million. [NYT] • There’s an E. coli outbreak in New Jersey, with about nineteen cases reported. Eleven of the victims had eaten at a Taco Bell in South Plainfield, which has since “voluntarily” closed. That’s strange; we didn’t know they served spinach. [amNY] • And, in more before-breakfast news, Health Department inspectors are cracking down on illegal meats. Confiscated recently from various New York stores: armadillo fillets, iguana, cow lungs, “smoked rodent,” and — our favorite — “unidentified red meat.” [AP via Taipei Times]
  22. in other news
    Dick Parsons Continues to Maybe Plan to Run for MayorYou might have seen yesterday’s news that Time Warner chairman and CEO Dick Parsons, speaking at the Reuters Media Summit, did not explicitly reject the possibility that he might run for mayor in 2009. (“[W]hile saying he was not running for the job, he suddenly sounded a lot more like a man who wants to keep the option open,” is how the Times put it.) You might also have seen Cindy Adams told-you-so-ing that “I told you this months back, at which time Mr. Parsons said no-no-a-thousand-times no.” We’ll just quickly point out that Ms. Adams’s item, from April 19, merely said “Time Warner big mouths … [were] salivating over boyohboyohboy what a shot this African-American multimillionaire businessman would have.” And we’ll further point out, while these told-you-sos are being told, that Geoffrey Gray reported in August 21 issue of New York, that “[i]nsiders say that it’s all but official: Richard Parsons, Time Warner’s chairman and CEO, will run for mayor.” That’s all. Business Chief Hedges, a Bit, on Running for Mayor [NYT] A Movie Star Goes for Moore on B’Way [NYP] Is Parsons the New Bloomberg? [NYM]
  23. in other news
    Jeanine Pirro’s Future Is Bright, Somehow Lest you thought we were all done with her, now there’s a suggestion we may very well still have Jeanine Pirro to kick around. At least, that’s what the state Republicans tell today’s Times. One pol “can’t see why she wouldn’t be a wonderful candidate,” and another says “[s]he definitely has a future in state politics.” Oh? Could there be some untapped reserve of Pirromaniacs out there waiting to be engaged? Really? Well, maybe not. “I can’t imagine that Pirro has a statewide future,” says Steve Fishman, New York’s resident Pirro expert since he chronicled her attorney-general campaign and Dynasty-size marital troubles in October. “I mean, her scandal so hobbled her every step of the way, and so publicly. There’s a playbook out there on how to destroy her. That said, she’s proved herself to be a vote-getter in Westchester, where she’s been reelected three times — the last time right after Al went to jail. So if there’s an appropriate congressional seat …” But, still, Fishman can’t see why she’d bother with all that again. “We’re much more likely to see her hosting her own show on Court TV,” he says. “She could easily have a Nancy Grace–like future ahead of her.” Great. Just what we need: Another Nancy Grace. Don’t Dismiss Pirro, Republicans Say [NYT] Can This Marriage Be Saved? [NYM]
  24. in other news
    Albany Reveals Pork, and Silver Makes It Kosher Such an exciting day in Albany today! The State Assembly is actually giving the public a peek at its pork. Each year, the Assembly gets $85 million to play with (with not an iota of oversight, the Times reports), and, under a judge’s order, the chamber has grudgingly disclosed the full list of lawmakers’ constituent-pleasing local initiatives. So what do we learn? That this year’s most spectacular spending record belongs to Speaker Sheldon Silver, Bloomberg’s Olympic nemesis and the voice of the Lower East Side, who is conveniently in charge of the chamber’s purse strings. Of the $50 million dollars earmarked so far, the report shows Silver funneling almost $7 million — that’s 14 percent of the total allocation for the whole state — to his beloved LES. Some highlights: • $500,000 or so in three separate donations to the United Jewish Council of the East Side • $386,000 to the Chinese-American Planning Council • $200,000 to the Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty • $100,000 to the Museum of Jewish Heritage • $75,000 to the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council • $40,000 to the Eldridge Street Project, to preserve a synagogue If it’s all sounding a bit rich to you — and, well, a bit Hebraic — not to worry. You’ll be happy to know Assemblyman Tom Kirwan, an upstate Republican, got $2,500 to fix a church boiler in Newburgh. Assembly Lists Recipients of Funds for Pet Projects [NYT]
  25. in other news
    In a Change of Roles, Hevesi Picks on Pataki. But Why?George Pataki wants to make the most of his remaining tenure in Albany. And now the state comptroller — that would be our old pal Alan Hevesi — is accusing him of trying to push through, as the gate closes on his governorship, a number of stalled initiatives that will result in billions added to the state’s debt. Financially speaking, New York State is a pretty deep shade of red as it is — there’s $3,515 of Empire State debt for every adult resident, compared to $707 in Texas. So maybe this comptroller dude has a point about adding even more. But the problem, of course, is who knows? Is Hevesi the Comptroller ringing the bell on Pataki the Governor’s fiscal irresponsibility (you know, like a comptroller is there for)? Or is Hevesi the Dude Who’s the Target of Like Three Investigations just lashing out at Pataki the Guy Who Ordered One of Them? Which makes us realize: Yeah, this guy’s toast. Hevesi Says Pataki Pushing Billions of New Debt in Final Months [amNY]
  26. numbers game
    Hillary Clinton Runs Most Expensive Non-Campaign Possible You think it’s cheap to run a sure-to-win cakewalk of a campaign? Hardly. Hillary Clinton managed to spend $36 million on her 30-point victory two weeks ago — about $1.2 million per percentage point. Hillary’s never-in-question victory cost her more than twice what New Jersey’s Bob Menendez spent to squeak out a win over Tom Kean Jr. and almost twice what Chuck Schumer spent to win an even bigger victory in 2004. How was all that money spent? Some line items: • $17 million for advertising, including at least $1.58 million to a Denver-based firm that helped hone her strategy. • $2.5 million to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. • $1.1 million to pollster Mark Penn. • $930,000 to media strategist Mandy Grunwald. • $746,450 on catering, including $2,500 at a hot-dog shop. • $200,000 to a subsidiary of the Grover Park Group, a political-consulting firm employing two Clinton advisers. • $51,000 on professional photographers to document the fund-raiser grip-and-grins. • $37,500 to Maggie Williams, a close friend (a payment Clinton’s staffers now call an error). • $27,000 on valet parking. • $13,000 on flowers. And, let’s be honest, isn’t it the fresh bouquets that make all the difference? Clinton Won Easily, but Bankroll Shows the Toll [NYT] The Woman in the Bubble [NYM]
  27. in other news
    The Enemy of My Hevesi Is My Friend We’re almost beginning to feel bad for Alan Hevesi, who’s clearly about to get dragged over some serious coals in the wake of a misdemeanor so bland it didn’t even cost him a reelection. First the governor-to-be Eliot Spitzer withdraws his support and (in his current capacity as the attorney general) launches a probe into Hevesi’s wife-chauffeuring ways. Now, governor-not-much-longer-to-be George Pataki is matching Spitzer in the pile-on, unilaterally granting his own investigator subpoena power. The move, which allows the special counsel to collar witnesses and drag them to court if there’s ever a trial, is a setup for a State Senate removal proceeding — a rare procedure that will likely end up arranging Hevesi’s eviction from Albany. It’s also a clear signal to all state authorities to cooperate with the investigation. That said, the trial is unlikely to start this year, because then it would only affect Hevesi’s current term. But that’s okay: Don’t forget that Spitzer’s AG investigation is still ongoing, too. Isn’t it nice when the incoming and outgoing administrations can agree on something? Hevesi Inquiry Expected to Get Added Power [NYT]
  28. the morning line
    Small Victories • Holy crap, could this be …? It is! There is actual construction afoot at ground zero — and on the Freedom Tower, no less. The steel cage defines the areas where elevators and stairwells will go; the pouring of concrete starts tomorrow. And if we’d seen this, oh, let’s see, four and a half years ago, we’d probably burst with pride. [NYT] • In case you want to relive the glory of last Tuesday: A Democratic congressional candidate in Connecticut WON! WON! WON! the recount against his GOP opponent, a three-term incumbent. “Landslide Joe” (hey, he nicknamed himself) Courtney’s sweeping mandate is now officially based on a 91-vote advantage. [NYT] • NYC’s Board of Health might take things slower with the trans-fat ban. It may also give it a form other than a piece of City Council legislation, lest the city be hit with a ton of lawsuits. McDonald’s, by the way, says it will totally comply (even as it’s hiring new high-profile lawyers). [Crain’s] • A fired media executive is in deep trouble for being a good Samaritan, of sorts. Stevan Hoffacker was allegedly monitoring the company’s e-mail traffic from his home PC in Queens and sending colleagues heads-up messages if they were about to get canned as well. The bosses at SourceMedia must have been puzzled by all the prescient “You can’t fire me, I quit” storm-offs. [NYDN] • And alleged phone-thrower Naomi Campbell is looking for a plea deal but won’t take anything that will require her to do cleanup duty (the court-mandated humiliation du jour for errant celebrities). “It’s not that she’s squeamish,” her lawyer is quoted saying — and trailing off directly afterward. [NYP]
  29. numbers game
    It’s Giuliani Time!America’s Mayor — or New York’s former mayor, at least — has set up an exploratory committee for a presidential run, and, boy, are the tabs excited. We’ll happily grant that Rudy Giuliani’s 9/11 bona fides aren’t nothing, but we also wonder if his quest to become the standard-bearer of the family-values party might in fact be an uphill battle. Some numbers to consider … Number of Republican presidential nominees since 1980: 4 Number who performed admirably on September 11 and 12, 2001, including the 2000 and 2004 nominee: 0 Number who were from the Northeast (remembering the George H.W. Bush was considered a Texas resident when he became president): 0 Number who were Roman Catholics: 0 Number who were pro-choice: 0 Number who were pro–gay rights: 0 Number who were divorced: 2 Number who were twice divorced: 0 Number who informed his wife of their impending divorce via press conference: 0 Number who moved in with his gay close friend and his gay close friend’s partner after being thrown out of his mayoral residence by wife, whom he had informed via press conference he would be divorcing her: 0 CORRECTION, Nov. 17: We are bad at counting, and this item originally claimed five GOP presidential nominees since 1980. And we have forgotten most of what we knew about Bob Dole, including that he was divorced; this item originally cited only one divorced nominee.
  30. the morning line
    Hizzoner for Prez! • Rudy Giuliani is absolutely positively running in ‘08, the papers say, unless he’s not. The ex-mayor formed an exploratory committee, registering it, intriguingly, with New York State instead of the Federal Elections Commission (this limits public access to the findings). So how long before Bernie Kerik somehow screws this one up? [NYP, NYDN] • From the police blotter, a murky drama in Brooklyn: A mother leaped onto subway tracks in front of the F train shortly after the police found her son dead in the family’s apartment. She survived; the authorities are investigating how the boy died. [WNBC] • For those keeping track: The Intrepid is still stuck in Hudson River mud; the first attempt at budging it failed; now a new round of dredging begins. The ship’s keel and propellers are reportedly encased in an “almost concrete-like” sediment. And the next highest tide is not until December. [amNY] • Looks like the upcoming Spanish exhibit at the Guggenheim is going to be a Goya short. The painting Children With a Cart was stolen somewhere near Scranton, Pennsylvania, while making its way to New York from Toledo (the one in Ohio). The FBI is on the case, which is to say they’re soliciting tips. [NYT] • And in other painting-mishap news, it will only cost Steve Wynn $85,000 to repair the damage caused when he put his elbow through Picasso’s Le Reve. The gaffe’s witnesses, by the way, included Barbara Walters and Nora Ephron. So we’d expect Tom Hanks to soon be stumbling through a Pollack or something at a theater near you, on his way to meeting Meg Ryan. [AP via Yahoo]
  31. in other news
    Obama Is Gaining on Hillary! It’s good to be Senator Barack Obama right now. The cover of Time is fresh in everyone’s memory; his will-he-run-or-won’t-he status means the personal attacks haven’t started yet; and come next Sunday, Obama’s book — The Audacity of Hope — will top the Times Best Sellers List. (Hey, we still believe in an audacity called hope.) The book, published by Crown and released October 17, has already moved 182,000 copies in hardcover and is now in seventh printing. That places it on the list ahead of Bob Woodward, Bill O’Reilly (who’ll probably have something to say about that), and John Grisham, in his foray into nonfiction. Even the Times itself cautiously calls it “something of a publishing stunner.” It’s even more stunning for a book by a politician. Trent Lott’s book, Herding Cats, sold fewer copies than an actual cat-herding manual might (11,000), and Jesse Helms’s defiantly titled Here’s Where I Stand sold 3,000 (leaving the precise location he’s standing a mystery to the wide public). Of course, Senator Obama still has yet to face his most formidable opponent: New York’s own Hillary Clinton. And by this we mean, of course, that her Living History has sold 1.2 million copies. What else would we mean? Obama’s New Book Is a Surprise Best Seller [NYT]
  32. early and often
    N.Y. GOPers to Winning Dems: Don’t Stop Worrying About Tomorrow Democrats looking forward to their takeover of Congress might consider looking backward as well — to November 1994. Representative Sue Kelly, of New York’s Nineteenth District, which includes all of Putnam County and part of Westchester, was one of the 73 new GOP representatives swept into the House that year. She was narrowly defeated on Tuesday by John Hall, former lead singer of the band Orleans. “This was a blue tsunami, and I learned, because I’m in that class of 1994 that was a red tsunami, that there are people who get elected and don’t last,” she says perhaps a bit defensively, after not lasting. “What you have here is a huge overcorrection. The Democrats now own Capitol Hill. The public won’t let that stand for very long.” Ed Rollins, former White House political director and Republican strategist, says an antiwar fervor gave “good Republican districts to the Democrats” in 2006. “There are around ten to twelve seats that could very easily swing back.” Long Island representative Peter King, a Republican who was reelected with 57 percent of the vote, says, “People voted against what was happening in Iraq. It was an anti-vote. But you can’t get reelected in 2008 just on an anti-vote. They’ve got to show something.” — Wren Abbott and Amos Barshad
  33. the morning line
    Body Parts • Somebody cut off and stole George Washington’s head. A statue of the first president now stands nogginless at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, with a dollar bill proffered as a mocking replacement. Suspects include leftover British royalists, Republicans driven mad by post-election grief, and, of course, adorable scamps from the nearby Columbia campus. [NYP] • A city doctor is gearing up to do a uterus transplant, the country’s first (Saudi doctors did it once in 2000). Prospective recipients are being vetted right now. The transplant is meant to be temporary and last only through a pregnancy — still an ambitious goal. [NYDN] • The Democratic majority has its first scandal! Harlem’s own Charlie Rangel is apologizing to Mississippi for a little zinger he unleashed on it yesterday. The exact phrasing, to refresh your memory, was “Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?” Apparently some people do, and some of those, like Representative Chip Pickering (R-Miss., natch), are issuing angry press releases. [amNY] • If you see something, say something: A black duffel casually dropped on Bensonhurst’s busy Shore Parkway has revealed an intact human body. The Times story is priceless for the colorful locals’ la-di-da reaction, which includes the phrase “This has always been a popular area for dumping bodies.” [NYT] • And, let’s just get this over with: The taxi fare hike is kicking in a full month sooner than expected, on November 30. Under new rules, the riders will pay the same rate for slow or stopped traffic as they do when the cab actually, you know, is taking them somewhere. [WNBC]
  34. in other news
    Dem Congress Is New York’s Gain — and Mississippi’s Loss? If we accept that essentially everyone in New York City is a Democrat, then Tuesday was unquestionably a good day for New York. And if we accept that the Democratic party — based on the coasts, with liberalish sensibilities and an urban base — likes New York more than the Republicans do, having the Democrats in control of Congress is also unquestionably good for New York. But as metro political ace Pat Healy points out in today’s Times, in even the most practical and concrete of terms, the Democratic ascension on Capitol Hill is a very, very good thing for New York. How so?
  35. the morning line
    Alan Hevesi, and Other Car Wrecks • So after all that outraged wife-chauffeuring tabloid ink, Alan Hevesi handily won reelection, 57 percent to 39 percent. Anyone want to bring up the scandal now? Didn’t think so. “You can make the case that the public has spoken,” says Mayor Bloomberg. [NYDN] • A 5-year-old Brooklyn boy is dead after a ruthless hit-and-run. An SUV lurched onto the Flatbush sidewalk, struck a family of four and continued on — until shocked drivers in other cars nearby gave chase and blocked its way. And another errant Brooklyn SUV collided with, of all things, an ambulance this morning, injuring at least five people. The ambulance’s driver had to be cut out of the wreckage. [NYP, WNBC] • The City Council met to discuss an urgent topic: raising its own members’ salaries 25 percent. Surprisingly, almost everyone’s in favor. The current base salary for the part-time job is $90,000. [amNY] • Remember the long, hysterically pitched discussion of whether cell-phone service in NYC subways would be a good or a bad thing? MTA doesn’t. Four companies submitted competitive bids to retrofit the city’s trains with cell-phone transmitters back in January; ten months later, the Authority still hasn’t made a decision. [NYT] • And Christie’s cleared $491 million in one night, almost doubling the record for an art auction. It could have been even more, but the house ended up withdrawing the Picasso, on whose convoluted origins (Mendelssohn, Nazis, Andrew Lloyd Webber) we reported, at the last moment. Still, some vigorous paddle work there. [NYT]
  36. early and often
    You Go to War With the Defense Secretary You Have And so, finally, Rumsfeld is sent packing. At a White House press conference earlier this afternoon, George Bush acknowledged that maybe the country isn’t so much liking him these days — and the country was absolutely detesting his defense secretary. It’s a day late and a dollar short — years late and untold lives short? — but Donald Rumsfeld has tendered his resignation and will be replaced by former CIA chief Robert Gates. Jon Dolan’s got his take on the announcement at Early and Often. ‘Fog of War II’ Starring Donald Rumsfeld [Early and Often]
  37. early and often
    It’s Her Party, and She’ll Cry If She Wants To. (She Doesn’t Want To.) Senator Hillary, as we all know by now, won an overwhelming victory last night, shellacking John Spencer by a nearly Spitzerian 31 percentage points. And yet, as Jon Dolan notes on Early and Often, some observers still found her overshadowed by Big Bill, who stood off to the side through her acceptance speech and said nothing at all. But those commentators — TV pundits, political professionals — missed the point, Dolan argues, while the voters understood it: Bill is Prince Philip now, and Hillary’s the top Clinton. “Whatever Clinton problems lie ahead are ones she can own herself,” he writes, “and not let the world blame on her husband.” Get his full take on Hillary’s ascension — plus a nice dig at Bob Shrum — at E&O. It’s Hillary’s Show Now [Early and Often] The Woman in the Bubble [NYM]
  38. early and often
    For N.Y. Dems Last Night, the Skies Above Were Clear Again However festively you commemorated last night — our version involved a TV, some charts, several Sharpies, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and at least four laptops — nowhere in New York, we’d imagine, was more festive than the state Democrats’ victory party, held at the Sheraton Towers in midtown. The Dems swept the state — even Alan Hevesi stayed in the driver’s seat — while also winning the House of Representatives, the majority of governorships, and, if not yet the full Senate, at least the hotly contested Senate races in New Jersey. Happy days, as they say, were undoubtedly here again. So what was it like at the Sheraton? Early and Often’s Jon Dolan was there, and he fills us in on boring Spitzer, incessant Franz Ferdinand, and the angriest living Democrat in New York. Live From the Democratic Party [Early and Often]
  39. the morning line
    Everything Is Beautiful; It’s Morning in America • While bleary-eyed Democrats are gloating like Posties on circ day, let’s go over the entirely unsurprising results of local races. Hillary made quick work of John Spencer (Blues Explosion! Get it?), Spitzer is your new and already boring governor, Cuomo crushed Pirro, and Alan Hevesi is back, uh, behind the wheel. [NYT, NYDN, NYP] • The suspect is talking, and more lurid and ultimately depressing details of the Adrienne Shelly murder are emerging. Nineteen-year-old illegal immigrant Diego Pillco says he strangled the actress with a sheet after she called him a “son of a bitch,” because he took the insult literally. [NYP] • The Transit Authority is installing digital cameras on 450 city buses — and up to seven cameras per bus. We’re not sure how to feel about this one, and the manufacturers are not helping much by saying things like “The bus is always recording, everywhere, all of the time.” [NYDN] • The city is mulling the Lower East Side rezoning proposal that would put the kibosh on the future skyscrapers in the neighborhood. The Department of Planning says it wants new buildings capped at 80 feet (about eight stories); activists want the bar lowered to 60. No word on color restrictions. [amNY] • And finally, we’ll just slavishly repeat the headline here: “Woman Hurt In ‘Shake-It-Like-Shakira’ Contest Sues NYC Bar.” Because, really, what can be added to that? Only a lame joke about how hips make good witnesses (they don’t lie). But we’re above that. [WNBC]
  40. neighborhood watch
    Carroll Gardeners Fight the Good FightCarroll Gardens: Volunteers MoveOn into vacant Carroll Gardens apartment, using it to call voters round the country. [Brooklyn Papers] Kensington: City drags its feet in building playground, kids sad. [NYDN] Lower East Side: Cronkite Pizzeria and Wine Bar helps hipsters indulge their inner child and their repressed adult by serving up cotton candy and affordable wine. [Gothamist] Park Slope: Sharing is caring, and drivers and bikers will soon be splitting Fifth Avenue. [Streets Blog] Prospect Heights: From ghetto to glorious: New bodega management patches hole in wall and actually stocks what its customers want, which is beer and cigarettes. [Daily Heights] West Village: Ye Waverly Inn reopens, with better lighting and a new mural but sadly, when these photos were taken, no Graydon. [Eater] Williamsburg: Breast-feeding has come to the ‘Burg, and the nabe’s okay with it. But not quite as okay as lactating moms would like. [Brooklyn Record]
  41. early and often
    In the Air There’s a Feeling of Voting Silver bells, silver bells — it’s election time in the city! And what’s this fine November day looking like in the five boroughs? Well, a bit overcast, to be honest. But it’s also looking like democracy in action, people, and New York staffers around the city are filing to Early and Often, telling tales of voting in their corner of the Apple. So far we’ve heard from film critic David Edelstein in Park Slope, kids editor Susan Avery on the Lower East Side, politics guru Chris Smith in Fort Greene, and that lovable scamp Jesse Oxfeld in the West Village. Read their Stump Stories on E&O, and check back during the afternoon for more. Stump Stories [Early and Often]
  42. early and often
    And the Winner Is…It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, kids. No, not Democratic subpoena power on Capitol Hill — something even better. It’s the first annual Early and Often Awards. It’s an effort, writes E&O’s Jon Dolan, to thank “those who made this election interesting.” And what’s the trophy? “Our talisman is the Mark Foley doll, the symbol of all that was horrifying, fun, and deliciously democratic this year.” Want to know who ran the best campaign, who was the best liar, who had the best gaffe, and who wore the best accessories? It’s all there on E&O, plus much, much more. It’s the Early and Often Awards [Early and Often]
  43. early and often
    Not Sure You Can Bring Yourself to Vote for Alan Hevesi? You’re a Democrat, like virtually everyone else in the city, and so you assumed you’d be voting for Alan Hevesi. But now you’re not sure you can, now that you know the state’s top accountant was spending public money to chauffeur his wife. But, at the same time, can you bring yourself to vote for this other guy, Chris Callaghan? Who is he? Is he competent, or just the candidate who didn’t break the law? And what if you do hold your nose and pull the Hevesi lever today, will that ensure, even if he’s later removed from office, that at least some other Democrat gets the gig?
  44. the morning line
    Don’t Stop Thinking About, Oh, Roughly Nine O’Clock Tonight • Let’s see in what spirit the three papers sent us off to the voting booth. Daily News: “Dems Expected to Sweep State.” Post: “Dems Dimming Celebration; A Bitty Less Giddy As Polls Tighten Up.” And Times: “For Democrats, Even a Gain May Feel Like a Failure.” Jeez, Adam Nagourney, every silver lining’s got a touch of gray, eh? [NYDN; NYP; NYT] • The opening date for the World Trade Center [Memorial Museum] is getting quietly pushed back from 2009 to [mid-2010]. The brackets are for our own use, as we’re probably just going to be copying and pasting this one in the future. A lot. [NYDN] • The teacher’s union reached a deal with the City Hall on a new contract a year before the old one expires, circumventing the tedious ritual wherein one side threatens a strike, the other acts scared, and both incrementally slouch toward compromise. Oh, well, next time. The teachers’ salaries may rise over 7 percent under the deal. [NYS] • But maybe not for this one: Another teacher-student affair, and this time, just to make matters that much more sordid, the school’s principal is getting fired for a full-blown cover-up. The assistant principal may get the boot for not cooperating with the investigation. [NYT] • And the AP reports that more and more New Yorkers are getting their marijuana delivered to the door by courteous, well-organized, corporate-style couriers, “even on Christmas.” Now that’s quality of life. [AP via Boston Herald]
  45. early and often
    So, What’ll Happen in New York’s Congressional Races Tomorrow?The signs point to a Democratic House of Representatives after tomorrow’s votes are counted, according to nearly all the people who handicap such things. How will the great state of New York play into the impending blue wave? Over at Early & Often, Jon Dolan takes a look at the six Empire State congressional races that could still go either way, and he predicts E&O’s “totally guaranteed results.” Will he be right? Will the Dems take the House? We’ll know soon enough. The Future of New York’s Congressional Delegation [Early and Often]
  46. 21 questions
    Ed Koch Is Still Dem Enough to Think Hillary Should Be Next PresidentName: Ed Koch Age: 81 Job: Partner, Bryan Cave LLP; former mayor of New York Neighborhood: Greenwich Village Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional? Jack Rudin. What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York? Anything at Il Mulino. In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job? I practice law and write commentaries, movie reviews, and books.
  47. in other news
    Standing Athwart the Williamsburg Bridge, Yelling Stop The opposition to our city’s vertical growth spurt is getting louder and more concerted. Today brings news from two fronts: Williamsburg and the Lower East Side. The Times takes a look at recently rezoned Williamsburg and Greenpoint, where almost every vacant lot is coming up steel and glass, and the North Brooklyn Development Corporation, a social-services group, is worried that the construction frenzy is sprinting far ahead of government oversight. The bait-and-switch they allege is so familiar and basic it hurts us to retype it.
  48. it happened this week
    Regrets In a pre-election week punctuated by acts of contrition, none was sorrier than John Kerry’s mea culpa for seeming to instruct a group of college students to do their homework lest they “end up in Iraq.” Having single-handedly halted Democratic momentum, Kerry said, “I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted.” President Bush, who has lately donned a hair shirt over piddling aspects of his handling of the war, nevertheless vowed never to fire Rumsfeld or Cheney. Congressman Charles Rangel said he was sorry for calling the veep a “son of a bitch,” but showed no pangs of conscience for observing that Cheney hadn’t “shot anyone in the face lately.” Remorseless campaigner Andrew Cuomo showed he had no hard feelings toward ex-rival Mark Green by accepting a $50,000 donation from Green’s developer brother, Stephen, before scolding current opponent Jeanine Pirro’s “shameful” paying of her driver $148,000 in county-funded overtime.
  49. early and often
    Betsy Gotbaum Drove Mrs. Hevesi, Too!Well, okay, the city’s public advocate didn’t actually drive Al’s ailing wife anywhere. But if we accept the phrase as a handy euphemism for using government resources for private ends — e.g., “John Sununu totally drove Mrs. Hevesi to that round of golf” — then Betsy’s chauffeuring the old lady, too. True, it’s only for $1,900 — a far cry from the $80,000 and change Alan reimbursed — but it shows that pols everywhere are getting nervous. Jon Dolan had more at Early & Often. Is Betsy the New Al? [Early and Often]
  50. intel
    America’s Mayor and South Africa’s Police Chief? You can’t take Rudy Giuliani anywhere these days. He merely visited Johannesburg in June to speak at a conference, and he commented that crime there could be reduced by 60 percent if the city were run like a business. Since then, the South African city has been abuzz with rumors that the mayor who transformed urban policing in the United States is set to oversee security when Johannesburg hosts the 2010 World Cup — or maybe even to take over policing the city. (According to one local commentator, Bill Bratton, the former NYPD commissioner now running L.A.’s force, turned down the job — and a seven-figure salary — in the late nineties.) But it’s all just wishful thinking, says Giuliani spokesman Sunny Mindel. “Mr. Giuliani spoke in general terms about how to turn around an urban center,” she says, noting that Joburg mayor Amos Masondo has never formally offered Giuliani any job. And the soccer people say his intervention isn’t necessary, anyway. “We are certain that South Africa’s authorities have the necessary resources to face the task of providing security and safety for World Cup 2010,” says their top flack. Mayor Masondo, remaining coy, declined to comment. — Nadine Rubin
  51. early and often
    They’re All Out of Comptroll!Alan Hevesi’s 35-year career in New York politics is, as we all know, melting down (hitting a pothole? getting pulled over? stalling out? various other automotive metaphors?) over revelations he used a state employee to ferry his sick wife around the state. But here’s the thing: Maybe what he did ain’t actually so bad. According to the new Village Voice such droits de politician are more or less par for the course across in Albany. Astonished? Us either. Early and Often’s Jon Dolan lays out all the dirty details. Everyone’s a Passenger in New York Politics [Early and Often]
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