We've had half a day to absorb the news, but it's still kind of crazy that Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to drop his 6-years-old Republican coat for an unaffiliated one. Here's his official statement:“I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party. Although my plans for the future haven’t changed, I believe this brings my affiliation......

Yesterday, the controversial immigration bill proposed by President Bush stalled in the Senate when both Republicans and Democrats could not come to a final vote. The bill, which neither party liked very much for different reasons, represented a historic to change immigration law, and both parties tried to work on a compromise that would satisfy most Senators. Sixty votes were needed to stop debate and move to a final vote, but there were only 45......

In a meeting with attendees like Senators Schumer and Clinton, State Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, Representative Charles Rangel criticized Governor Eliot Spitzer. He said that Spitzer's aggressive handling of Medicaid and health-care-industry issues is only making the problem worse and isn't helpful - and that the governor's proposed cuts are too deep. Rangel also asked that both the governor and Local 1199 union that represent hospital workers (Local 1199......

When you get up early tomorrow to see if Punxsutawney Phil or Staten Island Chuck see their shadows, try to remember to put on something red! February is American Heart Month and the American Heart Association (AHA) is launching the HEART for Women campaign to raise awareness. And the AHA is encouraging everyone to wear red this Friday to spread the word. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in women, leading to......

After temporarily restricting airspace over the East River just after a small plane crashed into an East 72nd Street Building - and the restrictions were lifted shortly after the situation was under control - the Federal Aviation Admistration has decided to exlude all fixed wing aircraft from the East River corridor, excluding helicopters and seaplans. Airplane pilots must now get permission from air traffic control. Various politicians, from Governor Pataki to Senators Schumer and Clinton,......

Yesterday, President Bush arrived in New York City for September 11 anniversary rites. He and First Lady Laura Bush went to Ground Zero to lay memorial wreaths at the reflecting pools in the World Trade Center's footprints. They also visited a firehouse near Ground Zero and attended a memorial service at St. Paul's Chapel. Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, and former Mayor Giuliani, who all accompanied the Bushes to Ground Zero, were also at the......

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across the country for immigration rights, from Los Angeles to Indiana, Atlanta to Madison. In New York, the crowd seemed to swell around 70,000, though some organizers believed there were 125,000. Nonetheless, streets - and the Brooklyn Bridge - downtown were filled with immigrants from around the world and supporters alike, making their way to City Hall for the rally, which included Senators Schumer and Clinton. There were......

From his hospital bed, Governor Pataki has joined other politicians in opposing Dubai World Ports from taking over P&O Ports holdings in the U.S. Specifically the ports which serve New York and New Jersey. Senators Schumer and Clinton had been against the deal, along with Representative Peter King (Long Island, Republican) and NJ Senator Menendez, given the history of terrorist ties with the United Arab Emirates. But the Bush administration claimed "favorable" relations with the......

New York magazine has a really good article on the foot dragging with getting the new Penn Station, really Moynihan Station, relocated in the Farley Post Office across the street from current dingy Penn Station. Writer Chris Smith calls the project "the middle child of New York City development projects": Ground zero, which will always claim the greatest emotional attachment, is the firstborn. The West Side stadium, which can do no wrong in the eyes......

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael "I'm the guy who replaced Bernard Kerik as the nominee" Chertoff visited Manhattan today to "discuss funding with local officials and to inspect security efforts at Grand Central Terminal." Mayor Bloomberg and Senators Schumer and Clinton accompanied Chertoff, bugging him about forking over more funding for NYC security. Chertoff, a New Jerseyan, made the point, "The terrorists look for our weakest pressure point. And if you strengthen air......

Mayor Bloomberg goes to Berlin to forward the city's Olympic bid, and what happens? His "friend," former Senator and current New School President Bob Kerry tells the NY Times that he might just run for mayor. Kerrey is annoyed with the Mayor's lack of success in getting Washington D.C. to fork over substantial Homeland Security funds to secure NYC and the Mayor's reluctance to really tangle with the Republican-controlled Congress. Bloomberg had asked Kerrey to......

We'll finally see a New Yorker in the Cabinet, as President Bush has nominated from NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Kerik, who was police commissioner during September 11, 2001, is noted as being a "sharp departure from the usual button-downed mold of Bush appointees" (NY Times), as he's a high school dropout, was a NJ jail warden, ran the NYC Correction Department, admitted that he fathered a child......