With its namesake on vacation, the O'Reilly Factor has some big, shouty shoes to fill. Who better than Laura Ingraham? And for maximum ratings, Bill's bookers found a nice, corrupt, Congressional barrelfish for yesterday's show. Note to Charlie Rangel: FOX is not the same as a subpoena, you don't actually have to appear on it. more ›

Remember earlier this year when pressure from union leaders caused State Senate Democrats to return $15k that Walmart had donated? Here we go again. The News looked into the big box retailer's donations in Albany and found that in the past two years it has given $63,500 to state politicians and committees as well as an additional $74,500 to congressional candidates and their PACs. That is a nice jump up from the $43,355 they gave in the previous two-year period. Coincidentally, did you know that the store was trying to invade New York City again? more ›

This morning—after last week's admonishment for an ethics violation involving a trip to the Caribbean—Harlem representative Charlie Rangel announced he'd temporarily step down from his powerful post on the House Ways and Means Committee. Despite a bad attitude throughout the process, he claimed that from the "very very beginning" he had "offered" to give up his chairmanship, but that now he had "sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asking her to grant me a leave of absence." As justification, Rangel said he was taking leave in order “to avoid my colleagues having to defend me” during their campaigns. He didn't take questions. more ›

Despite admonishment by an ethics committee for taking a corporate sponsored trip to the Caribbean, flouting House rules barring gifts worth more than $50, Congressman Charlie Rangel says he won’t resign from his powerful post on the House Ways and Means Committee. "Why don't you ask me if I'm going to stay chairman of the committee in light of the fact that we're expecting heavy snow in New York?" he quipped to reporters yesterday. Still, four fellow Dems called for him to step down and President Obama reprimanded him. According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Obama stressed that "rules are put in place for a reason and that those rules can and must apply to each and every person." more ›

After a lengthy investigation, a House ethics panel ruled that Rep. Charlie Rangel violated congressional rules by traveling to the Caribbean on corporate junkets in 2007 and 2008. The Harlem Democrat said he had been "admonished" by the committee, which has not yet announced its findings regarding allegations of improper fundraising, tax evasion on property in the Dominican Republic, and his use of four rent-stabilized apartments in Manhattan despite House rules barring gifts worth more than $50. more ›

Last night a fire killed a woman at the Harlem apartment complex that's home to many politicians including Gov. Paterson and Rep. Charles Rangel. Firefighters found the 50-year-old victim lying dead on the bathroom floor of her 16th floor apartment, according to the Daily News. They said she was hard to reach because her living space was cluttered with junk, what they called "Collyers' mansion" conditions (referring to the famous booby-trapped Harlem house where two pack-rat brothers died among over 100 tons of stuff including books, newspapers, trash and clocks). more ›

President Bush visited New York City yesterday to encourage Congress to reauthorize his No Child Left Behind program. Bush gave a speech at the Harlem Village Academy school and praised its founder, faculty and students and emphasized the importance of the NCLB Act. Bush made it a point to visit all eight classrooms and shake every student's hand, prompting one student to tell the Sun, "I think it was the best day of my life," and a teacher to ask Bush for more money to be added to NCLB. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Falling debris at 107th St. and Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, a police officer is shot in Brooklyn's Nassau County's 3rd Precinct, and a car vs. building incident on Atlantic Avenue.
• Kittens in trees are over. Firefighters rescue drowning dog in Hudson River
• When your roommate is a mysterious stranger, write about him in The New York Times.
• NYC playing fields: no longer just for "having sex, getting high on drugs or settling fights."
• The man behind the woman behind the man. How Charlie Rangel played queenmaker to Hillary.
• And speaking of the queens, she's flush: Hillary raised $26 million in the first three months of 2007.
• One 13-year-old is dead and another 13-year-old is arrested after a playground fight turns deadly.
• Are special ed kids on Staten Island getting the shaft from the Department of Education?
• Is this cliche-fulfillment: Three city teachers caught smoking a joint outside an Allman Bros. concert at the Beacon Theater.

Light and Oil on Water by mdpNY. more ›

3 Pack by Jeffrey Docherty.
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In no time flat has Congressman Charles Rangel upset people. Actually, the new head of the House's Ways and Means Committee may have upset a whole state. In Thursday's NY Times story about how New York politicians will head very influential committees in Congress, Rangel said while discussing how New York State gives up a lot in federal taxes but doesn't get much in return (whereas Mississippi gets much more in federal money than what it pays in taxes), "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?" more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg gave his fourth State of the City address (which was titled "Building a City of Opportunity"), which was notable for how positive he was about the city. The NY Times called it "feel-good," Newsday called it "upbeat," with lines like "The state of our city is strong -- and we are going to make it even stronger for the future." Clearly, that was the only way to go since he's running for re-election this fall, but some things, like keeping the streets safe and improving education standards, are timeless in being effective at publis sentiment. Here some gold from his closing:

We may not agree on everything. In fact, that’s one thing that will never change in this city. But I know we all share the same love and passion for this great city. And with our passion, our pride, and our people how can we not succeed? more ›