Womp Womp: Independence isn't always independent. (photo: crainsnewyork.com)

Due to Yom Kippur, New York political news might be on the slower side today. Although some political parties don't seem to mind.

"In a snafu thick with irony, Rupert Murdoch was fooled into joining a minor but controversial New York political party," Crain's Insider declared, indicating even the politically powerful can be confused by party names in New York. Prompted by the report, Mr. Murdoch intends to re-register as unaffiliated.

Congressman Michael Grimm, despite being a Republican, is picking up endorsements from more conservative unions, especially the building and construction trades. Much of that support is due to Mr. Grimm's support for prevailing wage legislation on federally-funded projects. It's not immediately clear where the congressman stands on eighth-grade labor laws.

Might political reporters be treated to another fresh round of indictments? Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist convicted of bribing former Senator Carl Kruger, is working with authorities to investigate elected officials in both New York City and Albany. “I thought, ‘Who did Lipsky turn on?’ ” State Senator Liz Krueger mused, “I bet many people in elected office and in the lobbying world said to themselves, ‘I wonder if it’s X.'"

The New York Times looked at the role Assemblywoman Grace Meng's father, Jimmy Meng, is playing in her congressional campaign. Mr. Meng granted the publication a brief interview and agreed to a longer one, but then canceled. “They said I shouldn’t talk," he explained. "Thank you.”

"Some are speculating there may be politics at play," NY1 reported on the shape of Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito's seat in the redistricting draft maps. Allies of Ms. Mark-Viverito believe Council Speaker Christine Quinn wanted a majority-Bronx district to help win the support of that boroughs Democratic chairman, Carl Heastie. Several other council members are likely unhappy with their proposed districts and it will be interesting to see how many of them, if any, will air their grievances publicly.

Cue a round of outrage: Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson is no longer prosecuting stop-and-frisk trespassing cases at public housing projects unless the arresting officer is interviewed.

The House Majority PAC is providing air cover to electorally endangered Rep. Kathy Hochul in Western New York, slamming her GOP opponent Chris Collins: