Whether it's refusing to use a national tragedy as a xenophobic soapbox, keeping their genitals out of the public eye, or nobly declining to have sex with prostitutes while wearing diapers, we can always count on our elected representatives to put aside petty differences and do what's right for America. But shocking new data shows that Congress has lost touch with average Americans and has grown richer over the last several decades, at a faster rate than even the richest 10% of the country. more ›

During a Senate debate about the treatment of enemy combatants, GOP Arizona Sen. (and Ed Harris opposite day impersonator) John McCain made a throwaway joke about the good people of Long Island: "Last I checked, Long Island was part—albeit sometimes regrettably—of the United States Of America." Instant rimshot! Sen. Chuck Schumer didn't find it so funny though, which led to some seriously catty back and forth insults between the two. more ›

According to CNN, some malls in the US rolled out a new technology on Black Friday that allows retailers to track customers' cell phone signals while they're shopping. The technology is already being used in Europe and Australia, and it was scheduled to be tried out in two malls in California and Virginia. That was until Senator Chuck Schumer put a stop to it. more ›

Bike lane haters are still smarting after being forced to chug a gallon of Haterade after a judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Prospect Park West bike lane. But as they appeal the decision, the DOT has handed them a small victory by omitting the construction of a two-way bike lane on East and West Plaza Streets at Grand Army Plaza. "If we had not done what we've been doing with the bike lanes, they probably would have moved ahead," Louise Hainline of Neighbors That Don't Use Bike Lanes Neighbors For Better Bike Lanes tells the Daily News. more ›

Senator Charles Schumer had his Sunday press conference decrying prescription drug price-gouging, but since this is Columbus Day, he's having ANOTHER one today about a Long Island Rail Road passengers' bill of rights, spurred by the September 29 lightning strike that made commuting a mess. His office said it would be "similar to a passenger's bill of rights established for the airline industry, to provide baseline protections for passengers of Long Island's commuter rail system." more ›

Top Democrats were upset that President Obama wanted to tax wealthy Americans, because as our own Senator Chuck Schumer put it, making $250,000 a year doesn't make you wealthy in New York. So now they are offering a new plan to tax the rich: A 5.6% tax on those making $1 million or more a year, which would raise about the $447 billion needed to fund Obama's American Jobs Act. more ›

Governor Cuomo and other state politicians have received threatening emails for refusing to renew a tax on millionaires that is set to expire at the end of the year. The tax is actually levied against New Yorkers with income over $200,000, but Assembly Democrats want to extend it for those literally making more than million dollars a year. It's estimated that extending the tax on the richest 3% of New Yorkers for another year could generate at least $1 billion in desperately-needed revenue. But isn't it better to drown the government and let that billion trickle down on its own, as many millionaires argue? No, say people sending threatening emails! more ›

Many economists believe that president Obama's $447 billion jobs bill will help stimulate the economy—albeit not quite as much as the administration is predicting—by bolstering the GDP and creating or keeping at least 275,000 jobs. To pay for the plan, the president has asked the wealthy to dig under their manatee-leather couch cushions and be taxed as much as middle class folk. New York Senator Chuck Schumer thinks this is a bad idea. "The main hangup is not the jobs bill itself," Schumer tells the Daily News, "[Obama] proposed ways of paying for it that are probably not the best way to garner the votes. We're looking for better ways." Schumer then began furiously scratching a stack of Instant Take 5s. more ›

Last month the dismissal of the lawsuit against the Prospect Park West bike lane led to a cleansing, "Tahrir Square" moment for cyclists who felt the community-approved bike lanes were under siege by a few rich NIMBYs. Hopefully that feeling was savored, because Streetsblog reports that Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety have appealed the ruling. more ›

While President Obama's call to tax the wealthy at the same proportion of the middle class is strongly supported by moderates and independents, politicians of all stripes whose districts have moats around them aren't so sure about this whole "fairness" thing. Among them is important apple juice-purifier Chuck Schumer, who told CBS, “$250,000 makes you really rich in Mississippi but it doesn’t make you rich at all in New York." Indeed: the check average at the Whole Foods on Bowery last month was $245,325. more ›

First, he came for our prescription drugs, but we said nothing. Then, he went for our Prospect Park West bike lanes, but we were still pretty zonked out from the prescription drugs. Now, Chuck Schumer wants to regulate how much arsenic is in our apple juice. This is where we draw the line: it's not a tall glass of apple juice unless we're convulsing with joy! more ›

After questioning the credibility of reports that Libyan Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is once again close to death, New York Senator Chuck Schumer has written a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to withhold aid to Libya's nascent governing body, the National Transition Council. "If the new Libyan government continues to shield this convicted terrorist from justice, then they should not get one more cent of support from the United States," Schumer writes. more ›

According to his family, Libyan Lockerbie bomber and murderer of 246 people Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is really really sick and can't come out to play or face extradition. Sure, he's been on death's door before, only to miraculously stop acting keep living to ensure safe passage from Scotland to Libya in exchange for sweet sweet oil. But Senator Chuck Schumer tells the Daily News that he isn't buying it this time: "We're going to need a lot more verification than the word of local Libyan officials." more ›

After Judge Bunion dismissed the lawsuit against the Prospect Park West bike lane on Tuesday evening, we wondered if the fat lady had finally sung in the matter, so people could get on with their lives, and the DOT could go back to making the city safer for everyone. But it was not to be so: Jim Walden, the attorney for the two community groups who filed the suit, Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes and Seniors for Safety, issued a "demand" letter stating that the dismissal meant nothing, and the groups will be pressing on to obtain DOT records to prove that the bike lane was indeed part of a "pilot program." more ›

Nearly two years after his release on "compassionate grounds" by Scottish authorities, the convicted bomber of Pan Am flight 103 from JFK that killed 270 people, 103 of them Americans, in 1988 was seen on Libyan state television yesterday being introduced at a tribal rally. The announcer in the video declares that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was arrested because "half the world conspired against" him, and BBC reports that the broadcast yesterday was "live." Megrahi's appearance reflects poorly upon the Scottish authorities, who released Megrahi because Libya threatened to withold contracts to British-based oil giant BP worth "hundreds of millions of dollars." more ›

After politicians decried 9/11 commemorative coins being sold for profit, the federal government is now selling its own 9/11 commemorative coin for $56.95. Ten dollars of the proceeds of each coin will go towards funding for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. A law co-sponsored by Senator Schumer and Congressman Jerrold Nadler allows the US Mint to "strike up and offer for sale up to 2 million one-ounce silver 2011 September 11 National Medals." Sounding similar to some reprehensible infomercials we've seen, Schumer said in a press release, "These medals, commemorating the 10th anniversary of September 11th, provide a unique way to honor the bravery of those who perish and recall the patriotism and community that their sacrifice inspired in the nation." more ›

Senator Chuck Schumer, who just lurves his Sunday press conferences, yesterday called on the Department of Homeland Security and Amtrak to institute a "no-ride list" to complement the existing airline "no-fly list." His call to action came after files found at Osama bin Laden's compound suggested that Al Qaeda was planning a train attack for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. It is unclear how exactly such a system would be implemented, but Amtrak says it will review the proposal. more ›

Don't worry, New York, maple syrup is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it prevents cancer...or we just tell ourselves that to justify eating it by the spoonful. (Everyone does that, right?) According to Senator Chuck Schumer, New York state has more sugar maples than Quebec, and he is renewing his efforts to make the state "global leaders in the maple industry." more ›

Police are searching for a scam artist claiming to be a Brooklyn real estate agent. Cops say the man has struck at least eight times in Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, "showing" apartments in buildings under construction to prospective renters, making them sign a fake lease and taking their cash security deposit before disappearing (a familiar crime). But until they track him down, Brooklyn police will have their hands full with the 17 other people arrested and charged with various real estate crimes recently. more ›

Senator Chuck Schumer loves to talk about riding his bike around New York City. But Schumer, who resides on Prospect Park West, has been notably mum on the subject of the controversial PPW bike lane. At a press conference in Jackson Heights on Sunday, Schumer was running his mouth about biking again, telling reporters, "I rode my bike around these neighborhoods. I rode through Maspeth and Middle Village and Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. I ride my bike all over the city." But don't ask him about biking outside his front door! more ›

Recount! According to the 2010 Census data, New York's population grew by just 166,855 over the past decade to 8.175 million. But a previous Census estimate put the city's population at 8.3 million, and Senator Chuck Schumer thinks someone fudged the numbers. "These numbers cry out for investigation," he said. "I'm going to put a lot of pressure on them to do it. For the census director to just shrug his shoulders ... isn't good enough." more ›

This September, FBI head Robert Mueller will be stepping down after his 10-year term, and Senator Chuck Schumer thinks current NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly would be great for the job. "I think the country needs him," he told the Daily News. "Ray Kelly is a world-class choice, and he's at the top of the list, whether it's fighting terrorism, drug crime or street crime." It would also keep Kelly from possibly running for Mayor against Schumer's protege, Anthony Weiner. more ›

Is your local Starbucks a hotbed of criminal activity? Senator Chuck Schumer sent letters to websites like Twitter and Yahoo to switch their websites from standard HTTP protocol to the secure HTTPS protocol, because hackers have it way too easy finding your information off the WiFi networks in coffee shops and bookstores. He said in a statement, "It is scary how easy it is. Free WiFi networks provide hackers, identity thieves and spammers alike with a smorgasbord of opportunities to steal private user information like passwords, usernames, and credit card information." Otherwise, they'd just come to steal your stuff in person after finding out where you checked in on Facebook. more ›

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a long-time advocate of "rational gun-control laws," is putting his legislative money where his mouth is when it comes to gun laws: he told reporters that he is drafting legislation to require all gun buyers to undergo a thorough background check. And he wants to increase penalties to any states that don't contribute names to the national background-check system. more ›

Up until now, we thought that the "Flamingo Express" was just a 1961 hit single by The Royaltones (seriously), but according to Senator Chuck Schumer, it's also a dangerous prescription pill trade originating in Florida. He and three other senators are calling on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to approve a program that would better track the trade. He said, “Such a policy not only leaves Florida exposed to criminal elements in the business of trafficking controlled substances, but also has serious ramifications for the rest of the country battling abuse of prescription drugs." And don't forget about bath salts. more ›

German company Deutsche Börse AG is in talks with the New York Stock Exchange to acquire the NYSE and merge the two companies. But Senator Charles Schumer, aka Wall Street's "go-to-guy," has some demands: NYSE would have to come first in the merged company's name. more ›

It's no secret that former city DOT commissioner Iris Weinshall has been working hard behind the scenes to liberate her neighborhood from the menacing Prospect Park West bike lane, which has been terrorizing locals by calming PPW's notorious traffic and increasing bicycling. And it's also no secret that Weinshall's husband is none other than supposedly avid cyclist Chuck Schumer, the New York Senator who once told the Post, "The bike people drive [Weinshall] crazy, but they know they have an ally in me." Well, that was six years ago; it looks like Schumer's allegiance has shifted. more ›

It was only a week ago that we first heard about the crazy new bath salts drug trend, but they're already being targeted by the man for permanent banishment. Senator Chuck Schumer announced a bill today to add the two active ingredients in the powders, mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV, to the list of federally controlled substances. more ›

Even though it was widely thought to be one of the worst economic decisions in the tri-state area, we were willing to leave New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's choice not to move forward with the ARC trans-Hudson tunnel in 2010 and start the year fresh. But Senator Chuck Schumer just can't let go! At a Crain's Breakfast forum he blasted the Governor for his "terrible, terrible decision" and for "sacrificing the growth of region's future for the exigencies of the moment." He said: more ›