Khloe Kardashian Odom signing autographs for fans. (Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images for Sears)

It looks like Gov. Andrew Cuomo caught up with the Kardashians.

The high-end clothing line run by Khloe Kardashian and her husband, NBA star Lamar Odom, has pulled a designer t-shirt from its website after the state threatened to sue them for copyright infringement.

The shirt, which had been available on the Rich Soil Clothing website, featured a design that looked "suspiciously like a state logo," according to the Daily News, which first reported the fashion faux-pas.

According to a photo published by the paper, the shirt featured a logo with a picture of the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by the words "Rich Soil" and "New York."  The State Department of Agriculture's logo, which designates food grown in the state, features a near-identical image, encircled by the slogan "Pride of New York."

"The State of New York has invested substantial time, effort and resources creating the respect and goodwill associated with the trademark,” a department lawyer wrote in a letter to the company Friday, according to the paper. If demanded the company immediately halt sales--or risk legal action, the paper said.

At a press conference in Albany Monday, Mr. Cuomo played coy about the face-off with the infamous family when asked to comment.

“I wish I could in some ways,” he told reporters. “It would at least be a little more interesting than what I normally do ... My understanding was that was basically sent out as a copyright infringement letter on a sort of pro forma monitoring basis."

Ms. Kardashian and her husband did not respond to tweets seeking comment, and their clothing company did not respond to an e-mail about the shirt.

State officials said they had not received a response from the company as of Monday afternoon.

Sheldon Silver. (Photo: Getty Images)

Facing growing calls for his resignation, Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, surrounded by an army of loyal supporters, apologized for his handling of the Vito Lopez allegations and announced a series of reforms to ensure, he said, that such mistakes will never be made again.

"I want New Yorkers to know I care deeply about this institution and its employees, that I remain dedicated to our core commission of protecting those who are most in need of a strong and caring government," Mr. Silver told reporters at a press conference in Albany hours after Mr. Lopez officially resigned.

To help prevent any future interference, Mr. Silver announced that, going forward, all sexual harassment complaints made against an elected official or staffer will be handled by independent investigator or counsel, who will neither be appointed nor serve at the will of the speaker.

Mr. Silver also moved to ban all confidential settlements by any government agency, including both houses of the Legislature and the Governor's office. And he announced that any member or supervisor who is informed about harassment by another employee will have a mandatory duty to report that harassment--or face immediate sanctions.

The speaker faced intense criticism for his handling of the complaints against Mr. Lopez. According to a pair of lurid reports released last week, Mr. Silver failed to refer complaints against Mr. Lopez to the Assembly's ethics committee, and appeared more concerned about keeping the allegations from the public than making sure they were handled properly.

Mr. Silver again admitted Monday that he had made mistakes and said that his conduct "weighs heavily on me.”

“Mistakes were made. I greatly regret them," he said, adding that he felt it was his responsibility to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

Still, Mr. Silver said that, despite a slew of editorials calling for his head, he has never considered stepping down.

“I did not give any thought to resigning," he said.

He also insisted that, despite calls for a more thorough investigation into his handling of the matter, he sat for more than 10 hours with investigators, as did senior staff members.

“I want to be clear. There was a full investigation here," he said, adding that he, too, was shocked by the reports' findings.

“I had no independent knowledge of the extent to which these complaints were taking place," he said. “I was horrified."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that voters don't blame him for the scandals sweeping Albany, joking that nobody could have expected him to ban sex.

Speaking during an appearance on WCNY's "Capitol Pressroom" earlier today, Mr. Cuomo was asked about a new poll that shows that, despite the recent scandals--including Assemblyman Vito Lopez's resignation following sexual harassment allegations--his numbers have ticked slightly up.

Mr. Cuomo explained that voters see "the government’s working better" despite the "corruption and scandal and politicians doing bad things."

Host Susan Arbetter asked why he shouldn't shoulder some of the blame.

“No, because look, well why should … Is the governor to blame for Vito Lopez’s sexual [harassment]? No,” he said, dismissing the premise. “When a congressman is doing sexual bad behavior, do we blame the president for a congressman’s sexual exploits? Ah, no."

Instead, he said that voters are "very good at making those kinds of separations.”

"Is the governor responsible when an assemblyman is bribed or when a legislator violates an escrow account or sexually harasses a staff ... No, of course not. It’s silly," he said. “We may postulate that theory well, the governor’s supposed to clean up everything, meaning, no sex," he said, joking.

“That would not be popular,” noted Ms. Arbetter.

“That’s right,” Cuomo said with a laugh.

Mr. Cuomo explained he thinks that voters see that he's doing everything he can to try to pass reforms to cut down on corruption.

“We don’t hold him responsible for the bad acts. But we believe he’s doing everything he can," he said. "Which is true. I am doing everything that I can do. I’m glad they see it that way."

And Mr. Cuomo threatened once again that, if his ethic reform plan fails to make it through by the end of the legislative session, he'll call for the special investigative panel called a Moreland Commission.

“At the end of the day, one way or the other, there will be a reform in place," he said.

Still, Mr. Cuomo refused to call for action again Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver and said that what is happening in Albany is reflective of society as a whole.

“Will you ever stop people from doing venial, stupid criminal, illegal acts?"he asked. "Not in government, not in politics, not in the militarily," he said. ”This is prevalent through society."

Queens Democratic Party Chair Joe Crowley announces his endorsements.

When the Queens Democratic Party rolled out its endorsements this morning in Forest Hills, one notable demographic, African Americans, was left without a major candidate. Indeed, Queens' black political establishment looked on with disappointment as their favored candidates for mayor, borough president and public advocate were passed over for rivals.

Congressman Joe Crowley, the party chair, endorsed Council Speaker Christine Quinn for mayor and former Councilwoman Melinda Katz for borough president. While a vast majority of district leaders voiced their approval, Elmer Blackburne and several other black district leaders dissented, indicating that instead they would support Bill Thompson, the former comptroller, who is also black. Ms. Quinn and Ms. Katz are white.

"Our community tells us that they're gonna vote for him [Thompson] again," Mr. Blackburne, a district leader from a predominately black southeast Queens, told reporters after the endorsement meeting. "We feel strongly and we'll be working very strongly with Mr. Thompson. [Ms. Quinn] can't win in our district. She can't win the Bronx, from the numbers I'm getting. She can't win in her own district, I'm told--her own part of Manhattan--and she can't win in Brooklyn."

Mr. Blackburne said he understood the county organization had an appreciation for diversity but also made decisions that were not always popular with the local black political establishment. Archie Spigner, a former southeast Queens councilman and close ally of sitting Councilman Leroy Comrie, the black candidate Mr. Crowley was considering endorsing instead of Ms. Katz for borough president, expressed disappointment at the seemingly last-minute decision the county organization made to not support Mr. Comrie.

"I'm disappointed but I understand their logic," Mr. Spigner told Politicker. "We'll have to see whether Leroy continues in the race. If he continues in the race, I'll be with him. The reasons they gave me were that he was a very unsuccessful, unspectacular fund-raiser."

Sources indicated that Mr. Spigner and other Comrie allies were only informed of Mr. Crowley's decision to support Ms. Katz late Saturday and Sunday. Initially, Politicker reported that the county organization was expected to back Mr. Comrie, despite his poor fund-raising. However, according to several plugged-in Democratic sources, Mr. Comrie's candidacy was met coolly in the pivotal organized labor community, some of whom favored Ms. Katz. When other candidates, sources said, made it clear they were not going to step aside if Mr. Crowley backed Mr. Comrie, the county organization reevaluated their plans and chose Ms. Katz, a strong fund-raiser and former county-backed candidate for Congress.

Mr. Comrie currently has about $40,000 in his campaign account, compared with Ms. Katz's $337,000. Ms. Katz also secured the endorsement of a southeast Queens power broker, Rev. Floyd Flake.

In addition to Ms. Quinn and Ms. Katz, the county organization chose to back Reshma Saujani, a well-funded candidate who has never held elected office before, for public advocate. Mr. Crowley repeatedly stressed that Ms. Saujani is of South Asian descent and would be able to provide representation to Queens' burgeoning South Asian community. Ms. Saujani's victory would be historic as there are no South Asian elected officials in New York City.

However, Ms. Saujani's endorsement came at the expense of Brooklyn Councilwoman Tish James, a black elected official also favored by the southeast Queens establishment. Ms. James, like Mr. Comrie, has struggled to fund-raise.

"They didn't go with Tish, they didn't go with Leroy, they didn't go with Billy [Thompson]," lamented one Queens Democratic insider. "Billy would've made a lot of people happy. They did it purely because they have close ties to Quinn."

Indeed, Mr. Crowley's predecessor, Congressman Thomas Manton, worked diligently behind the scenes in 2005 to help elect Ms. Quinn speaker. In a short speech, Ms. Quinn paid tribute to Mr. Crowley and Mr. Manton, who died in 2006.

"I can't help but think of Tom Manton and I can't help but think of a conversation and a similar endorsement, a little different meeting, that I had with Tom Manton, where he said he was supporting me in the race for speaker of the City Council," Ms.  Quinn said. "And in doing so it was an enormous step forward in my efforts to become speaker."

Senator Ball. (Photo: Observer media file)

GOP State Senator Greg Ball, an outspoken Hudson Valley legislator who repeatedly knocked then-Rep. Nan Hayworth last year--even threatening to run a primary campaign against her--is taking his hat out of the ring. In a statement released late this morning, Mr. Ball said he was focused on his work in Albany and had no overriding desire to defeat the Democrat who ultimately beat Ms. Hayworth, Sean Patrick Maloney.

“I want to make it clear that I am focused on finishing this legislative session and delivering for my current district and not running for Congress," he said. “As for my re-election in the current State Senate seat, I will make a final decision on that as the time nears.”

However, showing his rebellious size, Mr. Ball did manage to heap some praise on the Democratic incumbent, whom he said should be "applauded."

"Indeed, while I disagree with the current Congressman on most issues, we have a great working relationship and he and his office are to be applauded, for they have bent over backwards to mutually assist shared constituents,” Mr. Ball sated.

For her part, Ms. Hayworth has formed a new campaign account for a rematch with Mr. Maloney as Democrats prepare to defend their congressional victories in last year's elections.

The sign outside Ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez's office has already been removed. (Photo: Twitter/@thomaskaplan)

Ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s resignation became effective at 9 a.m. this morning, and Assembly officials wasted little time scrubbing all traces of the disgraced legislator online and in Albany.

Mr. Lopez's official government website has already been removed, as has his official Assembly email address. ("Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently," a message read.) By 10:30 a.m., the nameplate outside his Legislative Office Building had also been removed--apparently forcibly, per a photo tweeted by The New York Times' Thomas Kaplan. His name will also be removed from his floor seat, an official said.

At his district office in Brooklyn, phones this morning rang unanswered. “I’m sorry, but there’s no room right now to record your message. Please try again later. Goodbye," an answering service said.

At Mr. Lopez’s legislative office in Albany, staff reported to work but were apparently unsure of what to do.  “I don’t know,” a flustered woman who answered the phone said when Politicker asked if they were still operating.

Of course Albany leadership is no stranger to the process of making disgraced legislators disappear. In recent years the body had dealt with a slew of forced resignations, including most recently, Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who was forced to resign on federal perjury charges after helping the feds gather evidence against his colleagues by wearing a wire.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's spokesman, Michael Whyland, said that Mr. Lopez's staff will remain on the payroll for an "indeterminate" period of time performing constituent services and can still be contacted at the same offices and numbers.

But any legislation he introduced will be stricken, per Article 3, Section 13 of the State Constitution, Mr. Whyland said.

However, if Mr. Castro's office is any indication, those who live in Mr. Lopez's district may not want to held their breaths--phones at both his district and legislative offices rang unanswered Monday.

"EXCLUSIVE: Cuomo's war against the Kardashians." (Photo: Newseum)

Headline of the Day: "Shocker! Post finds honest NY politician."

This is an interesting editorial: "As Kanye West puts it: 'We want pre-nup!' From New York pols, that is. Rich folk insist on prenuptial agreements all the time. West’s partner, Kim Kardashian, and her ex, Kris Humphries, did. As have countless others. It’s time New Yorkers insisted on one, too — for the political marriage we enter into with the politicians we elect ... And we’d even give Kanye the credit."

The barrage continues against Speaker Shelly Silver over his inolvement in covering up sexual harassment claims against Assemblyman Vito Lopez. The Daily News and New York Post have three columns up today, for example, and over the weekend, the two pounded him in additional editorials. Mr. Silver's spokesman said the idea of him stepping down was "ridiculous." 

Tell us how you really feel, Post columnist Fred Dicker: "The Post ... made the mistake of giving Cuomo’s increasingly notorious spokesman, Josh Vlasto, an opportunity to respond. Within an hour, Cuomo’s office leaked the exclusive to the Albany Times-Union. Vlasto, considered untrustworthy by many reporters ..."

The primary run-off election continues to look like a potential disaster thanks to a "bumbling" Board of Elections. “If you ask me if the B.O.E. is doing a terrible job, I would say to you it's not the B.O.E., that it's just following the law," board president Fred Umane insisted. “It's the guidelines, rules, limitations, and statutes we have to live with.”

While Councilman David Greenfield and Assemblyman Dov Hikind exchanged some public jabs. Mr. Hikind speculated Saturday that Mr. Greenfield is behind a critical blogger. On Sunday, Mr. Greenfield mocked a Lopez conspiracy theory by tweeting, "Dov Hikind tells people I'm to blame for his 'blackface' incident. Must be something in the Albany water!"

Might already-indicted State Senator John Sampson have performed the standard nonprofit graft that has landed so many other pols in hot water too? Investigators are now looking into $40,000 that Mr. Sampson steered to a politically influential partner's charity.

We missed this interview Chirlane McCray, wife of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, did last week. So in case you did too:

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio's campaign for mayor got a significant boost Friday, with the endorsement of the city's largest union: 1199 SEIU.

It is the first major labor endorsement for Mr. de Blasio, who has been aggressively courting unions as he tries position himself as the "progressive alternative" to the race's early  front-runner, Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Mr. de Blasio's campaign manager, Bill Hyers, heralded the endorsement as proof the campaign is gaining momentum, despite concerns from many supporters about the entree of former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is expected to appeal to the same outer-borough, ethnic voters, and is expected to formally join the race in the coming day.

"Game-changing is a cliché in politics, but not when it comes to the mayoral endorsement of 1199 SEIU. Representing more than 250,000 members over five boroughs, no endorsement means more than this," Mr. Hyers said in a statement.

"Their support validates our belief that Bill de Blasio is THE PROGRESSIVE CHOICE for New York City Democrats -- and it confirms the strength of our effort," he continued. "Moreover, their members are some of the most politically active residents of New York City, deeply connected to and active in our communities, and they have pledged to dedicate thousands of volunteer hours for door-to-door canvassing, phone banking and rallies for our campaign.  We are honored to have their support."

The endorsement is a partial loss for Ms. Quinn, who many believed could have a shot with the group because some of staffing overlaps--although others have long expected them to go with Mr. de Blasio.

Here's a statement from 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East president George Gresham:

“The nurses and caregivers of 1199SEIU – New York City’s largest union with over 200,000 members throughout the five boroughs – have enthusiastically endorsed Bill de Blasio for mayor, because he is a principled champion of working people, and has the strongest vision for the future of our city, including good jobs, affordable housing, and quality education and healthcare for all. Our members are some of the most politically active residents of the city, we are deeply connected to our communities, and we intend to devote thousands of volunteer hours to door knocking, phone banking and building support. The elected leaders of our union voted unanimously to endorse Bill de Blasio because he has consistently stood side-by-side with caregivers for quality healthcare and issues that matter most to working families, and we will work passionately to ensure he is our next mayor of New York City," he said.

Jimmy McMillan. (Photo: David Shankbone/WikiCommons)

In what has to be the best endorsement of the mayor's race so far, Jimmy McMillan from The Rent is Too Damn High Party has earned a nod from none other than Papaya King.

The cheapo hot dog eatery not only plans to promote Mr. McMillan and his mutton chops in its stores, but has invited him to treat its new location on St. Mark's Place--which will be celebrating its grand opening tomorrow--as an "unofficial" campaign headquarters. It's also planning to  introduce a new specialty hot dog, "The Jimmy McMillan," in his honor.

"That's right, they invited me," a smitten Mr. McMillan told his fans in a YouTube video posted earlier today of the party. He could barely contain his amazement as he talked about the dog.

"I said, 'Wow! That's amazing! All these people gonna be eatin' me,'" he said to the camera. "Oh that's so hot! A hot dog with mustard and relish! That's better than Anthony Weiner!" he added, making a pun on one of his potential rival's names. “Hey--I didn't say that! I love you guys!"

In a letter to Mr. McMillan, Papaya King's Blake Gower stressed just how much the hot dog shop has in common with the perennial candidate and activist who shot to fame following his unforgettable appearance during the great 2010 New York gubernatorial debate, where his slogan, "The Rent is Too Damn High!" made waves.

"Today, you can get 2 franks and a famous papaya drink for $5; you can't even buy a latte at Starbucks for that price!  Food and drink is too damn expensive. We share similar values to your campaign and your message could not be clearer," Mr. Gower wrote in the letter, signed: "Stay fly, Jimmy.  Stay fly."

Mr. McMillan tweeted about the endorsement Friday with the words "Papaya King (Jimmy McMillan) hoy [sic] dog" and a link to the video, which appears to have been filmed this morning in Mr. McMillan's car. In case you want to stop by, the grand opening will take place tomorrow at 3 St. Mark's Place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Here's the full video:

City Comptroller John Liu. (Photo: Getty Images)

City Comptroller John Liu will announce the endorsement of a slew of Democratic officials from across Brooklyn Friday in another effort by his mayoral campaign to show he's gaining steam, despite the recent guilty verdicts against his former campaign treasurer and a fund-raiser.

The supporters include Assemblywoman Inez Barron, City Council candidate Ari Kagan, and Democratic district leaders Melba Brown, Betty Ann Canizio, Jeanette Givant,  Christopher Olechowski, Chris Owens, Corey Provost and Charles Ragusa.

The ethnically diverse batch of endorsers hail from neighborhoods across the borough, including Greenpoint, East New York, Crown Heights, Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach. Additionally, they include both establishment-types like Mr. Olechowski--who defeated Lincoln Restler, a thorn in the side of the county leadership--last year, and at least one Brownstone Brooklyn reformer in the form of Mr. Owens.

"New Yorkers need independent and effective leadership who will stand up for communities across the city and tackle the problems of poverty, systemic unemployment, school closings, racial profiling, foreclosures and low paying jobs,” said Ms. Barron, the wife of outspoken City Councilman Charles Barron, in a statement. “We need immediate change and the best mayoral candidate to offer bold solutions and get things done is John Liu.” Mr. Barron, also a district leader, had previously endorsed Mr. Liu.

"I support John for Mayor because he understands the needs of all people with different social economic backgrounds who need help making ends meet and the reforms needed to give our students a solid education to compete in this global economy,” said Ms. Canizio.