The New York Post's police bureau chief has obtained the crime stats for the first 28 days of the de Blasio administration and they are sufficient for a misleading story. In addition to small jumps in rapes and felony assaults, the city's seen 28 murders, compared with 21 for the same period last year, a 33% increase! This isn't enough information to draw any conclusions about the mayor's governance, but it's all the evidence you need to feel that quick burst of dopamine after making a sanctimonious political observation on Twitter.

A quick note to our less-informed, less-connected, less technically inclined readers who may not fully appreciate the more granular features of New York's political galaxy: Jessica Proud is Joe Lhota's former campaign spokeswoman.


This sort of distortion can't go unchecked. The stakes are too high, the audience is too large. Dan Levitan, a de Blasio rep, knows this. He acts, and acts swiftly.


And so they tangle, these truth-fanged beasts of democracy, as the city's political scribes watch wide-eyed and lend the staccato of flatulence an undeserved air of edification.

Something else you should know: Robberies, grand larcenies, and burglaries are all down in the first 28 days of the year. Shootings and shooting victims have decreased by 17% and 18% respectively. (That's all thanks to the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, not de Blasio.)