Results tagged “senatorsschumer”

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 into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our City.

Continue reading "Michael Bloomberg, the Ulitmate Party Hopper"

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 votes (37 Democrat - including Senators Schumer and Clinton - 7 Republican and 1 Independent) to break the filibuster.

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.

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.

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, asked for the FAA to restrict airspace, while Mayor Bloomberg thought that as long as the FAA thought the rules worked, so be it. The Mayor's office now says, “The mayor said he believes this decision should be left to the experts at the F.A.A., and he appreciates that they have acted swiftly."

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 memorial, as were Senators Schumer and Clinton. The Bushes will be visiting a firehouse on Pitt Street this morning in the city and will later travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Flight 93 crashed. Then, at 9PM, the President will be in the White Houes and will address the country at 9PM.

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 no reports of any violence, though there were some anti-immigration folks along the way, but there was a heavy police presence to ensure things. It'll be intriguing to see what happens in DC once Congress gets back from their break - it's an issue that very complicated for many people.

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 of its indulgent parents, is the favored baby of the family. Moynihan Station—earnestly playing by the rules, reluctant to complain—has been rewarded for its obedience by being ignored.

Even in spite of support from Presidents Clinton and Bush, Senators Schumer and Clinton, and other politicians, there's still question as to how much money the station will get from federal funds (of course the Republicans are trying to reduce the amount - and when Gothamist says "of course," we are simply recalling all the other times that the Repulican-controlled Senate tries to cut funding for NYC projects). Not to mention how much it will actually cost to build the station (the 1993 costs esimated it at $315 million; today it's over $1 billion). And why does the PATH station at Ground Zero (which will be gorgeous) get $2 billion, when Penn Station with ten times more passengers (550,000 daily) get $600 million? It's pretty upsetting, because Penn Station, as it is now, is depressing, so Gothamist hopes that daughter-of-Senator-Daniel Maura Moynihan is successful in getting politicians to do something.

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 head the Democrats for Bloomberg group, and Kerrey reportedly accepted. And Kerrey did credit the Mayor's handling of the school system and trying to calm race relations.

The NY Times has a profile of Kerik, and his story is definitely the stuff of a movie (his mother abandoned his family when he was 2, and he later found out that she was a prostitute, perhaps killed by her pimp). Which is probably why, when Kerik published a book, The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice, Oprah Winfrey featured him on her show. Kerik looks like he's had a lucrative career on the speech circuit; according to the Washington Speakers Bureau, Kerik was making $25,000-40,000 per speech, with topics like "My Time in Iraq," "Crisis Management," and an overview of the WTC attack.