According to the Wall Street Journal, Occupy Wall Street is down to their last $170,000 after raising more than $700,000 this fall. "If we keep spending at the rate at which we've been doing, we will probably go broke in a month," a member of the accounting group tells the paper. Where did all the money go? Housing, feeding, and clothing lots of people. On Saturday, the movement voted to freeze all spending except for bare necessities: housing, food, and clothing. more ›

Some people write on their hands, put a note on their fridge, or scream into their cellular phone to remind them to pay the power bill. Comptroller John Liu has New York City's second-most popular tabloid to do the reminding, and yesterday the Post broke a story that the embattled presumptive mayoral candidate owed ConEd $500 and the Tax Department $943; both invoices were left over from his campaign for the Comptroller's office. But reached at his 45th-birthday party/fundraiser last night, Liu said he was grateful for the heads up. "I want to thank The Post for that story," he told the paper. "If, in fact, we do owe that amount, we'll pay it right away." more ›

With NYC Comptroller John Liu's campaign finances under scrutiny by the federal authorities (they arrested one fund raiser), the media has been trying to shed light on who has been helping him build a significant war chest to compete in the 2013 mayoral race. And it turns out it's two women—two CHINESE women. And we know how they can be. more ›

NYC Comptroller John Liu's hopes of running for mayor in 2013 are being thrown into question as the federal authorities' investigation into his campaign fundraising has resulted in the arrest of one of his fund raisers on fraud charges. Liu said, "I am saddened by what I read today. If it is true, then the conduct was clearly wrong and my campaign was not told the truth." more ›

The NY Times has a front-page story on City Comptroller John Liu, the city's highest-ranking Asian (ever) and one of many Democrats eyeing a run for Mayor in 2013. Of course, the Times' article claims that while Liu has raised over $1 million in the first half of 2011, "much about Mr. Liu’s campaign money that does not add up." more ›

Wednesday's Hair Summit with Donald Trump behind him, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry is back in New York City today to meet with 100 Hispanic business leaders in Inwood, including the head of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers Fernando Mateo. "It's something that I kept pretty quiet, because I just wanted it to happen," Mateo tells 1010 WINS, "I don't know how 1010 WINS got a hold of the information, but you did, and I'm not going to deny it." Was it the bejazzled "Rick Perry" tube top? Mateo must be STOKED that they both support racial profiling. Maybe they'll get mani/pedis? more ›

Pissed that we're in the midst of an unauthorized war in Libya? Upset that Guantanamo Bay is still open? Think that health care legislation last year was watered down? You can tell President Obama yourself at a series of fundraisers that he's holding in Manhattan on Thursday, but it won't be cheap. A dinner at four-star Upper East Side restaurant Daniel will cost you $35,800 a plate, while tickets to the LGBT Leadership Gala start at $1,250, but a performance of Sister Act to benefit the campaign with the president in attendance is a steal at $250 (you could also spring for the $10,000 VIP seats that include a photo). more ›

A day after Joe Daniels, the president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, announced that an admission fee would likely be charged, an anonymous donor slid $10,000 in cash into the donation box at the World Trade Center memorial site preview center. That's like 500 tickets to the 9/11 museum right there! "I was home watching the Yankee game when I got a call from the preview center's manager. She asked me if I was sitting down," Daniels tells the Post. "We just found $10,000 in the donation box." more ›

Can you believe there's barely a little more than a month left for Paladino and Cuomo to photoshop each other to hell? It feels like only yesterday that Cuomo was being criticized for his "Rose Garden" campaign, and now look at him! Of course, he could afford any kind of campaign he wants, then and now; Cuomo has built up a war chest of over $20 million. Paladino, on the other hand, is scrambling to get more donations for his campaign. more ›

Last week, Democrat Andrew Cuomo announced he had nearly $24 million in the bank for his gubernatorial campaign. This number was especially astonishing given that the Republican nominee, Rick Lazio, had less than $700,000 in the bank (his team emphasized Lazio had raised $3 million overall). So why does Cuomo need so much money? Yesterday, the Attorney General explained it was all because of Carl Paladino. more ›

Senator Charles Schumer has been so busy lately worrying about baggage fees and Facebook privacy, not to mention criticizing Wall Street, it's easy to forget he's up for re-election. But it seems he doesn't have to worry about fundraising among his old crowd: Sen. Schumer has made nearly $2.2 million from interest on political donations that he collected more than six years ago. more ›

Despite a "high-level arm-twisting campaign" by the Democratic party, Rep. Mike McMahon (D-Staten Island) voted against health care reform. And though the vote won him the respect of some Republicans, the White House wants to make him pay, according to the Daily News. 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 ›

Grammy-winner Wyclef Jean is “disgusted” by allegations he’s personally profited from his Haiti foundation, Yele. In a YouTube address the singer said he’s contributed $1 million of his own money to Yele and asked the public to wait for proof of the organization’s activities—forthcoming in future videos—and then judge if "Wyclef is the truth or not." However, he couldn’t explain away the inconsistencies for which he’s come under fire. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo doesn't just lead Gov. David Paterson by a ratio of 4:1 at the polls — he's also ahead of Paterson by a ratio of 5:1 at the bank. Though he hasn't formally announced his candidacy, Cuomo has already pulled in more than $16 million, while Paterson has just over $3 million in his war chest. more ›

Let there be cake! Actually, the Department of Education has the opposite sentiment, and is banishing the age old tradition of school bake sales to the history books. The new regulations will also trim the fat from vending machines, and aims to limit how much sugar and fat students digest during the school day. more ›

New York investor Hassan Nemazee, whose prolific political fundraising for Democrats like Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Charles Schumer, was released on $25 million bond yesterday. Nemazee is " accused of lying about his assets to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank." The NY Times further explains, he "orchestrated the fraud by using forged documents showing that he held accounts with collateral worth hundreds of millions of dollars," but the accounts never existed or were closed. Nemazee did end up paying the money back to Citibank on Monday, but was arrested on Tuesday. He is under house arrest—monitoring device plus no computer or Internet access—at his Upper East Side duplex, which the Daily News says is worth $20 million (that plus his $8 million Katonah estate are what's securing his bond). Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Sens. Barbara Boxer, Chris Dodd and Schumer told Politico they plan to return his donations. Time has a 2-minute look at Nemazee. more ›

Today is the 24th annual AIDS Walk New York, which benefits the Gay Men's Health Crisis and over 50 other AIDS service programs. This year's fundraiser is expected to have 45,000 participants. Last year, the over $7 million was raised and, since 1986, the event has raised over $100 million to benefit HIV programs and services in the tri-state area. The event kicks off in Central Park at 10 a.m. (with plenty of entertainment before) and walkers will travel 6.2 miles around Manhattan. Which also means there are street closures along the route (Central Park's exit at 72nd Street & Central Park West; Central Park West to 110th Street; 110th Street to Riverside Drive; Riverside Drive to 74th Street; 74th Street to Central Park West). A post-walk rally for gay marriage equality is also scheduled in Times Square, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. more ›

The Post says former mayor Rudy Giuliani is "launching a new fund-raising committee to dole out cash to New York GOP candidates." Which might open the door for him to run for governor in 2010. more ›

An estimated 45,000 people walked in the 23rd annual AIDS Walk New York today and raised a record total of over $7 million. Per NY1, "it is the most money ever raised by an AIDS walk in the United States." AIDS Walk founder and producer Craig R. Miller noted how in spite of the faltering economy, people donated, "New Yorkers stated loudly and clearly that the critical work of Gay Men's Health Crisis and more than the 50 other HIV/AIDS service organizations must be supported if we are to see an end to the domestic AIDS crisis." more ›

As the City Council reels from slush fund mess and other budget scandals, the NY Times found more 12 of the 51 City Council members, or approximately 25%, were using campaign funds to pay relatives or themselves. One aid to familial lining of pockets is the fact that taxpayers are filling campaign war chests with cash, even when Council Members are running unopposed or face barely credible challenges. more ›

This morning, Senator Barack Obama delivered a 45-minute speech at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, attempting to put behind him the controversial remarks made by his mentor, pastor Jeremiah A. Wright. Though Obama quickly denounced the remarks last week, the story didn't go away. Today, he reiterated his condemnation of Wright’s more inflammatory beliefs about racism in America, but would not denounce him entirely, giving way to a broader discussion about race:

I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias… I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe... more ›

Hillary Clinton's campaign happily announced that the Senator from New York had raised $35 million during February, her best month ever. Adviser Harold Ickes used the news to accentuate the positive, "We have been through a dry period in the last eleven contests but we are about to start our upswing." Clinton is thrilled with the fundraising efforts, saying, "It’s incredibly gratifying to see people coming forward with their vote of confidence." She also said her $5 million personal loan to the campaign was not paid back. more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn't totally eschewed the Republican party. According to the NY Sun, the Democrat-turned- Republican-turned- independent will be "entertaining" Nancy Reagan "as well as hosting a fund-raiser for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library." Like the former First Lady, Bloomberg has progressive views on health and science issues (like stem cells). And Bloomberg has been known to host many fund-raisers for various people and causes. But some suspect that Bloomberg might be looking for... more ›