By Jill Colvin 4/30 9:04am

Blame Game

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Rudy Giuliani Says Some in Washington in ‘Denial’ Over Terror Threat

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led the city through 9/11, accused some in Washington of being in “denial” about the risks posed by terrorism and said that Democrats too preoccupied with “liberal ideas” are putting public safety at risk.

Speaking at a fund-raiser for Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota last night, Mr. Giuliani, who made an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2008, said that New York City remains a target, and that government must be ever-vigilant to stave off the next attack. Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/26/12 2:55pm

campaign announcements

Jeff Boss with some of his posters. (Photo: Animal New York/Bucky Turco)

Conspiracy Theorist Jeff Boss Launches Mayoral Bid

Jeff Boss, who has made a name for himself by putting up posters around the city proclaiming that he “WITNESSED THE NSA ARRANGE THE 911 ATTACKS” will be running for mayor next year. In addition to his mayoral bid, Mr. Boss, who is something of a perennial candidate, has his eye on the Governor’s Mansion in New Jersey, the White House and the Town Hall in Guttenberg, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from Manhattan.

Mr. Boss officially registered his mayoral campaign last Thursday. He also announced his intention to run for mayor of New York City on his website, BossForSenate.com where he posted a lengthy, all-caps list entitled “Things I will do for you as Mayor of NYC.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/17/12 3:47pm

Cash Money

wtc getty

Mitt Romney Knew More About His 9/11 Investments Than His Campaign Is Letting On

After 9/11, Mitt Romney invested in Endurance Specialty Holdings, a company designed to profit off the chaos that followed by the attacks. When Politicker first wrote about Mr. Romney’s investment in Endurance last week, Romney campaign spokeswoman Michele Davis told us the investment was part of Mr. Romney’s blind trust, which means he didn’t directly make the decision to invest in the company. However, upon further review, we realized that, though the holding has since been moved to Mr. Romney’s blind trust, he was directly responsible for his initial investment in Endurance. Read More

By Hunter Walker 9/11/12 5:48pm

Cash Money

World Trade Center (Photo: Getty)

How Mitt Romney Made Money After 9/11

Mitt Romney’s investments have already proven to be obstacles for him on the campaign trail with a slew of attacks on the company he co-founded, Bain Capital, and his vast network of offshore assets. However, this latest bit of information about Mr. Romney’s business dealings may be the most politically problematic yet: almost immediately after the September 11th, Mr. Romney profited from a company designed to make money from the chaos that followed the attacks. Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/11/12 4:14pm

Conspiracy Theories

MD Rabbi Alam (Photo: MD4MO.org)

Dems Disavow 9/11 Truther Running For Missouri Office

A candidate running for Secretary of State in Missouri is at the center of a controversy over comments he once made about the Jews and 9/11. MD Rabbi Alam has a website trumpeting his run for office and describing himself as “National Chairman” of the “US National Democratic Party Asian American Caucus,” but sources with the DNC say claims of his involvement with the party were greatly exaggerated. Read More

By Foster Kamer 9/09/11 9:50am

BADVERTISING

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DCCC’s Slightly Terroristy, 9/11-y Anti-Bob Turner Ad Still Lives…On TV.

Yesterday, we broke news of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s recent anti-Bob Turner ad, which featured a bizarrely ill-timed attempt at illustrating Republican NY-9 candidate Bob Turner’s affection for corporate interests: an airplane buzzing the skyline of Manhattan. Three days before the tenth anniversary of 9/11—which has this entire city a little tense, and which goes without mentioning renewed threats of violence—it would seem like an entirely avoidable bush-league error. The spot was eventually doctored to remove the skyline. And yet… Read More

By David Freedlander 8/30/11 10:57am

9/11

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Bronx Councilman Takes Up The Call for Prayer at 9/11 Ceremony

Mayor Bl0omberg has said that there will be no clergy or formal prayers at the tenth anniversary ceremonies for the 9/11 attacks next month, and Fernando Cabrera, a City Councilman from the Bronx, has taken up the campaign to change his mind.

“I am urging the Mayor to reconsider the decision to exclude prayer from the 10th Anniversary 9/11 ceremony,” Cabrera said in a statement.  “During 9/11, the faith community served as pillars for many New Yorker’s coping with the tragedy. As a pastor during the tumultuous aftermath, I know firsthand that it was a time where people were searching for meaning and things bigger than themselves. People’s faith helped fill this void and continue to serve as spiritual and emotional support.” Read More

By Azi Paybarah 8/25/11 7:10am

suggested reading

986 - Governor Mario Cuomo shoots a basketball in the Youthland area during his visit to the New York State Fair. Nicholas Lisi / The Post-Standard

Morning Read: 'Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo'

2012: Buffet hosts Obama fund-raiser on 9/30 at Four Seasons; $38,000 VIPs get 1hr Q&A with Goolsbee. [Page Six]

2012: “Libby Pataki, who never craved limelight and who loves her life now, she’ll be supportive? Yes.” [Cindy Adams / NY Post]

2012: Pataki is probably campaigning for VP, or a job in new administration. [Colby Hamilton / WNYC]

2012: “There are now rumblings from Donald Trump, a former contender for the Republican nomination, that he may run as an independent. There are certain to be others.” [Patrick Caddell and Douglas Schoen / WSJ]

NY-13: Possible Dem candidate Murphy has not opened a campaign account yet. [Tom Wrobleski / SI Advance]

NY-25: “Dan Maffei to run again, but district might no longer include Monroe County.” [Jill Terreri / Democratic and Chronicle]

54AD: “My job is to campaign. I don’t screen every dollar that I receive,” said Espinal, when asked about donations from a slumlord. [Erin Dunkin / Daily News]

9/11: Editors urge Bloomberg to allow clergy to pray at anniversary ceremony, noting he’s had clergy at his own inauguration. [NY Post]

China: White House says Biden finds China’s 1-child policy “repugnant.” [Aliyah Shahid / Daily News]

“Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo”: Daily News editors trash AP story about NYPD security tactics.

Security Tactics: Star-Ledger runs the AP story above the fold. [Flickr]

State Fair: Cuomo goes there today. Newspaper notes “The truth is, at the fair, Mario was at his best.” [Sean Kirst / Post-Standard]

Vacation: “[Cuomo] spent much of the last week in the Hamptons.” [Thomas Kaplan / New York Times]

Taxes: “We need real reform of the tax code in which everyone is asked to make some contribution, however small,” writes the publisher of the NY Daily News. [Mort Zuckerman / WSJ]

5 p.m.: Zuckerman discusses his op-ed on WSJ.com.

Mortage Probe: Schneiderman’s allies apply pressure to Iowa AG. [Jimmy Vielkind / Times Union]

Mortgage Probe: Editors say Schneiderman is opposing the settlement deal because of politics. [NY Post]

Scandal: “Holder called the prospect of hacking ‘disgusting’ and ‘unconscionable.’” [Joseph Straw / Daily News]

DSK: “The dismissal of the charges in no way means that Strauss-Kahn is innocent.” [Leslie Crocker Snyder / Daily News]

Property Taxes: Despite 2% cap, they may rise, thanks to soaring pension costs. [Rick Karlin / Times Union]

Schools: “Our safeguards have clearly worked. A comprehensive search for cheating in 2009 by city Controller William Thompson came up empty.” [Dennis Walcott / Daily News]

Teacher Evaluations: “[P]ublic-school educators can’t be deemed ineffective based only on the performance of their students.” [Jacob Gershman / WSJ]

Rochester: Ally of Mayor Byron Brown kicked off ballot over residency issues. [Matt Gryta and Brian Meyer / Buffalo News]

Nassau: “Does he think that if he gives the workers free hot dogs and burgers that all will be forgiven?” PBA re: Mangano’s BBQ. [Celeste Hardwick / Newsday]

Nassau: Unresolved ballot issues on Long Island make sending absentee ballots difficult. [Robert Brodsky / Newsday]

By Azi Paybarah 8/24/11 11:02am

Security

(Screenshot from AP video story)

'Mosque Crawlers' and other NYPD Surveillance Tools

In the run-up to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Associated Press is out with a detailed look at how the NYPD keeps tabs on “ethnic neighborhoods” in and around New York City.

“Ethnic mapping” is one technique the NYPD uses, according to the AP:

“They have informants that go in and out of mosques, They’re called ‘mosque crawlers.’ They have undercover NYPD officers who just troll ethnic neighborhoods — they’re called ‘rakers.’ They’re just mapping the human train of the city. They’re job is just to look for hotspots, what’s going on in the cafes, the bars, the clubs, the bookstores of ethnic neighborhoods inside New York City.”

“The NYPD denies it trolls ethnic neighborhoods. It says it only follows leads.”

Video after the jump. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 8/18/11 2:36pm

QUOTES

'No Political Speeches' on 9/11 Says Bloomberg; Cuomo and Christie 'Understand That'

“Nobody’s going to give a political speech. This is much too solemn an event. And I’m sure Gov. Cuomo and Gov. Christie understand that.”

–Michael Bloomberg today, when asked about Governor Cuomo’s reported plans to address attendees at the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Update: The headline was adjusted to reflect the fact that Bloomberg was talking about not having “political speeches” at the event, rather than the broader category of “speeches.” Thanks to the reader who brought that to my attention.