http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/the_prez_the_wife_the_pop_hunk_the_1TWm9MJcCbIdmdrkI9UOEL Latest News from the New York Post Online Edition, which delivers the Post's world-renowned gossip, best sports in town, and more. http://www.nypost.com/rw/SysConfig/WebPortal/nypost/images/rss_nyp_logo.jpg http://www.nypost.com/ 120 18 By ANDY SOLTIS International Marital infidelity may be de rigueur in France, but even the most blasé Parisians are transfixed by the scandal du jour -- a soap opera starring the country's president, a karate champ who's reportedly his girlfriend, his mega-glamorous wife and her pop-star pal. In the latest episode, President... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:03:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/the_prez_the_wife_the_pop_hunk_the_1TWm9MJcCbIdmdrkI9UOEL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/the_prez_the_wife_the_pop_hunk_the_1TWm9MJcCbIdmdrkI9UOEL By LARA JAKES International BAGHDAD -- Partial vote results in Iraq's historic election released yesterday showed a tight contest between the nation's prime minister and a secular challenger during a chaotic count that was marred by accusations of fraud. The preliminary tallies from five of Iraq's 18 provinces were a setback... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:15:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/iraq_nail_biter_Rj3iTKx6smDwTsE9oXwgCN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/iraq_nail_biter_Rj3iTKx6smDwTsE9oXwgCN By BILL SANDERSON Local Those flocking geese! Terrified passengers aboard a geese-stricken jumbo jet out of Newark found themselves circling New Jersey for almost 90 white-knuckle minutes as the pilot dumped fuel from what they feared was a crippled plane, sources said yesterday. Hong Kong-bound Continental Flight 99, a twin-engine Boeing 777 with 301... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:53:08 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/jet_gets_goosed_l5poTe7AUpuMJ0tGLYtlML http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/jet_gets_goosed_l5poTe7AUpuMJ0tGLYtlML By REUVEN FENTON Bronx A Bronx charter school is under fire from parents who say a teacher bullied kids -- and even forced one child to tell his crush, a girl, that he was gay. According to court papers filed this week, the teacher, Jared Alessandroni, 29, threatened to "out" a straight 9-year-old boy... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:11:09 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bronx/lawsuits_give_charter_teacher_for_BfJqPuCbZEsFNJnTIP3puI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bronx/lawsuits_give_charter_teacher_for_BfJqPuCbZEsFNJnTIP3puI By LUKAS I. ALPERT Weird But True These birdies are no fans of birdies. Two African gray parrots that live near the 16th hole of a Florida golf course have learned to screech out some choice phrases they've picked up from frustrated players. "Hit the damn ball!" one bird frequently yells. The other mimics the sound... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:16:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/weird_but_true/weird_but_true_3GTcBPrxMwSN4PxpN4kmMI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/weird_but_true/weird_but_true_3GTcBPrxMwSN4PxpN4kmMI By JAMIE SCHRAM, KIRSTEN FLEMING, and JOHN DOYLE NYPD Blotter Staten Island Police yesterday continued their manhunt for a robbery suspect who walked out of Criminal Court in Stapleton after posing as another prisoner. Cops searched more than 19 locations in their hunt for escaped prisoner Freddy Thompson, 35. He walked free Wednesday after posing as a prisoner being arraigned... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:16:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nypd_blotter/nypd_daily_blotter_TgTVH5bykE8IF6O7QW6Y5O http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nypd_blotter/nypd_daily_blotter_TgTVH5bykE8IF6O7QW6Y5O By ALEX GINSBERG Brooklyn Au revoir, Vue. You bleu it! One of the city's weirdest nightspots -- the Brooklyn club Vue, set atop the oddly chic Hotel Le Bleu on a desolate semi-industrial stretch of Fourth Avenue -- has shut its doors after a slew of noise complaints from neighbors and hotel guests... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:36:35 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/club_final_vue_ing_baqROrYtC1L7TlZVWqHmnN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/club_final_vue_ing_baqROrYtC1L7TlZVWqHmnN By LINDA STASI, YOAV GONEN and LARRY CELONA Queens They didn't want to say hello to his little friend. A routine meeting of education officials trying to hammer out a transportation contract took a bizarre and frightening turn when a bus bigwig reached into his briefcase -- and came up with a loaded pistol. Domenic Gatto, 61, owner... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/big_gun_at_bus_talks_HECEe4NrdXeR5Gy74Y5rHM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/big_gun_at_bus_talks_HECEe4NrdXeR5Gy74Y5rHM By JEREMY OLSHAN National Conan O'Brien is going from off the air to on the road. The former "Tonight Show" host will kick off a 30-city "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour" next month with stops at Radio City on June 1 and 2. "Hey Internet: I'm headed to your... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:49:13 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/conan_to_take_show_on_road_BJOWzbKlzRgNBIbTOaLVIK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/conan_to_take_show_on_road_BJOWzbKlzRgNBIbTOaLVIK National JACKSON, Miss. -- A lesbian teen got unfriendly looks from classmates when she returned to school yesterday, one day after officials canceled the prom rather than let her take her girlfriend and wear a tux. Constance McMillen, 18, said she didn't want to go back, but her father told... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:28:17 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/gay_prom_fallout_rCAEO1RFmsQzEbjfx6EdYM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/gay_prom_fallout_rCAEO1RFmsQzEbjfx6EdYM National WASHINGTON -- Nearly half of the country thinks global warming is exaggerated -- and even more Americans doubt that scientists' fears of severe environmental fallout will ever come true, according to a Gallup poll. The news comes even as President Obama pressures Congress to significantly cut smokestack emissions of carbon... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:27:51 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/call_it_glo_bull_warming_poll_ZZutNqclseh6nHARCuJK5L http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/call_it_glo_bull_warming_poll_ZZutNqclseh6nHARCuJK5L National Salmonella contamination at a Nevada food-flavoring plant may trigger the recall of as many as 10,000 products, according to a Consumers Union scientist. PepsiCo joined Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and McCormick in recalling food containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein. The widespread use of the flavoring means more companies will follow, said... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:15:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/salmonella_total_recall_BhIZNhUvUlITJNGq6t3OSL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/salmonella_total_recall_BhIZNhUvUlITJNGq6t3OSL By SELIM ALGAR and ED ROBINSON Local A feisty 91-year-old Long Island pharmacy cashier fought with a robber who knocked her down -- then insisted on finishing her work shift. "I want him to get caught because I want to smack him," said Florence Critelli after completing her day's work at the Rite Aid Pharmacy in... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/great_granny_clerk_Xe7mNtHVi4Ru5nWiVW1DiO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/great_granny_clerk_Xe7mNtHVi4Ru5nWiVW1DiO By TOM LIDDY and CATHY BURKE National A woman who briefly worked for ex-Met Lenny Dykstra has filed legal papers accusing him of soliciting a sexual act, then groping her and tossing her on a bed in his Los Angeles mansion when she refused. The San Diego woman, identified in the US Bankruptcy Court complaint as Jacqueline... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:15:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/dykstra_hit_with_sex_suit_JbN8q2d1UrIHAn9J79GE0K http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/dykstra_hit_with_sex_suit_JbN8q2d1UrIHAn9J79GE0K By PHILIP MESSING National Is your smart phone smart enough to save your life? Future cellphones may be tricked out with James Bond-like technology capable of alerting users to fires, carbon monoxide or toxic chemicals, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The genius phones will likely hit stores in a year or two... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:15:56 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/smart_phones_to_the_rescue_91pEZN6ZMeLHsmRjm2VjIO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/smart_phones_to_the_rescue_91pEZN6ZMeLHsmRjm2VjIO By RICH CALDER and BILL SANDERSON Brooklyn At the groundbreaking for the Nets' new Brooklyn arena yesterday, Gov. Paterson got some closure for what he says was one of the darkest times of his youth -- the Nets' trade of superstar Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976. Dr. J's departure was "one of the... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:11:09 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/gov_big_scoop_DgHXgfl0yf0ov1CRfZrw2L http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/gov_big_scoop_DgHXgfl0yf0ov1CRfZrw2L By LAURA ITALIANO and REUVEN FENTON Local Charles Augusto Jr. feels sorry for the two thugs he filled with buckshot last August when they tried to rob his Harlem restaurant-supply store and their accomplices, who were sentenced to prison yesterday.. "I think [a five-year-sentence] was too much, actually," said Augusto, who's hailed in his neighborhood as... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/shotgun_gus_pities_robbers_Pa3iIjFmrWItkZ4hwEJpMI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/shotgun_gus_pities_robbers_Pa3iIjFmrWItkZ4hwEJpMI By PERRY CHIARAMONTE Brooklyn A fast-moving fire left a 35-year- old Brooklyn man dead and two others hurt, authorities said. The fire ripped through 732 Decatur St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant at around 11p.m. Tuesday. "We ran outside and saw flames shooting out," a neighbor said. "It was horrible." An 81-year-old man and 40-year-old woman... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/fire_kills_klyn_man_VBlUowTsS9eWLsivt8NsDO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/fire_kills_klyn_man_VBlUowTsS9eWLsivt8NsDO By JAMIE SCHRAM and KEVIN FASICK Manhattan A homeless man was crushed to death by a sidewalk freight elevator outside a posh Japanese restaurant in Gramercy as diners looked on in horror. Michael McDermott, 49, was sleeping on the metal doors that covered the hole where the basement lift rises outside Japonais on East 18th Street, according... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/tragedy_at_posh_eatery_FVje7LoBn0SutMvRq2YUxK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/tragedy_at_posh_eatery_FVje7LoBn0SutMvRq2YUxK Local RHINEBECK, NY -- Police are investigating the death of a 44-year-old man who died after a sheriff's deputy used a stun gun to subdue him. Police found James Healy Jr. behaving irrationally outside his girlfriend's house, and a deputy used a stun gun on him during a struggle... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:01:18 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/stun_gun_tragedy_bUFgQsqRKEjVSptzgVy1LO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/stun_gun_tragedy_bUFgQsqRKEjVSptzgVy1LO By MURRAY WEISS Local A top NYPD supervisor and his girlfriend will surrender to the DA and plead guilty to allegations unearthed in a Post investigation that they rigged a $2.5 million contract for her to care for retired NYPD horses, sources told The Post. Detective Richard DePamphilis, the department's Mounted Unit... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:15:56 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/colt_dolt_cop_to_admit_guilt_pTZKr8uONm02upkbi2BMTN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/colt_dolt_cop_to_admit_guilt_pTZKr8uONm02upkbi2BMTN By AMBER SUTHERLAND and LORENA MONGELLI Manhattan "Law & Order" TV cop Richard Belzer said an Apple employee's claim that he choked her in an Upper West Side computer store was like a storyline from his show -- pure fiction. "The sad part of it was that police officers were called and had to report to the... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/hell_belz_not_me_rgLoVFefaClM2H1ooIR7oL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/hell_belz_not_me_rgLoVFefaClM2H1ooIR7oL By CHUCK BENNETT Local The Westchester County housekeeper who escaped death when her boss's Prius accelerated out of control and smashed into a stone wall was actually on the way to a Toyota dealer to have the car's gas pedal checked, police said yesterday. Harrison police Capt. Anthony Marraccini said the driver... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/prius_crash_gal_on_way_to_car_checkup_BnzxdCJECtE4xkaTOnuXNK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/prius_crash_gal_on_way_to_car_checkup_BnzxdCJECtE4xkaTOnuXNK By TOM TOPOUSIS Manhattan A Broadway office building that was illegally converted into high-end housing and that's been called a "deathtrap" managed to fly under the radar of the city's Buildings Department for at least five years -- even though inspectors were called to the property four times since 2008. But it... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:11:09 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/blunder_on_deathtrap_vqZ9barh9PFKx8dwblkJhJ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/blunder_on_deathtrap_vqZ9barh9PFKx8dwblkJhJ By CHARLES HURT National WASHINGTON -- Essen tially powerless to stop the Democratic health-care plan from getting rammed through Congress, the Republicans have settled on a strategy of making little fixes where they can and causing enormous discomfort for vulnerable Democrats in conservative districts. Short of simply punishing the Democrats in November, the Republicans... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:07:49 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/lost_tweak_end_all_that_left_for_vi9D2TvprPdLKLLP6xW7TO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/lost_tweak_end_all_that_left_for_vi9D2TvprPdLKLLP6xW7TO By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent National WASHINGTON -- Capping a frenzied day of closed-door talks, top Democratic lawmakers said yesterday they were close to securing the votes to pass health-care legislation. "The stars are aligning for victory on comprehensive health reform. The end is in sight," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). "We will finish the job... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:46:38 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/operation_nearly_over_Fnu92NOoerl2BZryAIGaoM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/operation_nearly_over_Fnu92NOoerl2BZryAIGaoM By DAVID K. L I National Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger conceded to cops he had sexual contact with a 20-year-old college student, but denied raping her, according to reports. State cops were back at a Milledgeville, Ga., bar yesterday, collecting evidence in a coed's claim that the superstar signal caller sexually assaulted her last... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:15:21 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/big_ben_rendezvous_with_co_ed_7CC9vyev0J0I2249TrESGJ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/big_ben_rendezvous_with_co_ed_7CC9vyev0J0I2249TrESGJ By JENNIFER FERMINO Local Judith Kaye -- New York's former chief judge, who's been tapped to lead two investigations into Gov. Paterson -- is an upstate native famous for championing judicial pay raises, gay marriage and much-imitated special courts to address drug abuse and mental health. As the longest-serving chief judge in... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:15:56 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/special_kaye_made_herstory_TANOn2Ai3E9R27dE4nXCbO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/special_kaye_made_herstory_TANOn2Ai3E9R27dE4nXCbO By FREDRIC U. DICKER State Editor Local ALBANY -- Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, facing declining poll ratings and calls that he step aside from two explosive investigations of Gov. Paterson, recused himself from the probes yesterday and named former Chief Judge Judith Kaye an independent counsel with powers to bring criminal charges in the cases. "I have... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/andy_gets_PwElrwZc4KvyUY0T5vSufL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/andy_gets_PwElrwZc4KvyUY0T5vSufL By FREDRIC U. DICKER in Albany and CARL CAMPANILE in NY Queens Aqueduct Entertainment Group was scratched yesterday. Gov. Paterson's office withdrew its support from AEG's plan to operate 4,500 video slot terminals at Aqueduct Racetrack following accusations of a rigged selection and relaunched the bidding process. "The Division of the Lottery has concluded that it cannot issue a... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:11:09 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/aqueduct_bidder_win_ko_lpfNWkM9Li89VhHWkof2dI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/aqueduct_bidder_win_ko_lpfNWkM9Li89VhHWkof2dI Manhattan An actor fired from "One Life to Live" after allegedly assaulting three men at a Manhattan gas station pleaded guilty yesterday to resisting arrest. Nathaniel Marston, who completed an anger-management program after the October 2007 incident, is expected to get neither jail time nor probation. He had been charged with... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:32:04 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wrist_slap_for_ex_soap_star_3gIETZMFwCsSV12sVfWGnL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wrist_slap_for_ex_soap_star_3gIETZMFwCsSV12sVfWGnL By TOM NAMAKO Transit Reporter Local Hold onto your wallets. MTA brass are considering a fare hike as early as this year as they struggle to fill a $750 million budget gap, The Post has learned. Increasing the cost of a ride on subways, buses and commuter rails in 2010 is just one option out of... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:29:43 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_now_mulling_hike_XsElmMyrO4EjoCcedpWW8K http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_now_mulling_hike_XsElmMyrO4EjoCcedpWW8K By JAMIE SCHRAM, JOHN DOYLE and LUKAS I. ALPERT Manhattan A savage thug followed a nurse into a Hell's Kitchen bar bathroom early yesterday and brutally beat her in a stall after she rejected his advances on the dance floor, authorities said. The 29-year-old victim, whose name is being withheld by The Post, suffered fractures to her eye socket... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:21:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/victim_nixed_fiend_dance_invite_LGSAutmaJcb1aYBsHuZIDJ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/victim_nixed_fiend_dance_invite_LGSAutmaJcb1aYBsHuZIDJ By YOAV GONEN Local For the second straight year, state officials have proposed cutting funds earmarked for General Educational Development testing -- a reduction that providers warned will further decimate the much-maligned program. "We probably are just short of wearing a dunce cap as it relates to our GED programs and work in the... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:53:08 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ged_cuts_earning_bad_grade_d9n1fuCqRMZFWt7g7ZQtkK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ged_cuts_earning_bad_grade_d9n1fuCqRMZFWt7g7ZQtkK By JANON FISHER Brooklyn It's been a rough week for Michael Persico. Tuesday at 6 a.m., the FBI knocked on the Colombo crime family scion's Dyker Heights home with a warrant for his arrest on racketeering charges. But the son of Carmine "The Snake" Persico and brother of Alphonse "Allie Boy... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:15:56 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/tracking_mob_scion_in_jail_jYF6v5knm7Apx1fTTyIfGJ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/tracking_mob_scion_in_jail_jYF6v5knm7Apx1fTTyIfGJ By TODD VENEZIA, AMBER SUTHERLAND and LARRY CELONA Manhattan A woman dropped her gym bag on the tracks of a crowded Upper East Side subway station yesterday — then made the fatal decision to jump after it as screaming straphangers watched in horror. The 48-year-old victim was crushed by a northbound No. 6 train barreling into the 77th Street Station... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:17:25 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/woman_crushed_to_death_on_subway_9Z15Jbow2Bk4kdbgNCD2BO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/woman_crushed_to_death_on_subway_9Z15Jbow2Bk4kdbgNCD2BO By SUSAN EDELMAN Local Lawyers for the city and more than 11,000 Ground Zero rescue and cleanup workers reached a tentative settlement last night that will give them as much as $657 million, The Post has learned. The proposal, presented yesterday to Manhattan federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, must be approved by 95 percent... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:15:56 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_oks_for_ailing_wtc_heroes_L4dX3chauYTC7FOVsDv9cK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_oks_for_ailing_wtc_heroes_L4dX3chauYTC7FOVsDv9cK By DAREH GREGORIAN Manhattan The pleasure was all his. A Manhattan woman whose picture was used as a sexual aid in the hit movie "Couples Retreat" has filed a $10 million lawsuit over her inspiring -- and unwitting -- appearance in the Vince Vaughn flick. Irina Krupnik "only learned of defendants' lascivious use of... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:03:58 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/stroke_on_her_Z7JE0PN157C2WQHf7oU3iP http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/stroke_on_her_Z7JE0PN157C2WQHf7oU3iP National WASHINGTON -- President Obama has announced which groups will get the $1.4 million he received for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama said yesterday that $250,000 will go to Fisher House, a national nonprofit that houses families whose loved ones are receiving care at Veterans Affairs medical centers... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:33:39 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/chooses_nobel_cau_es_jKALTPiBiRXpDvQQuVXzRM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/chooses_nobel_cau_es_jKALTPiBiRXpDvQQuVXzRM By KIRSTAN CONLEY National Move over, Wii. Sony is looking to bounce Nintendo out of the market with its own motion-controlled video-game system, the PlayStation Move. Much like the Wii, the Move includes a wand-like controller that tracks a gamer's movements. But the Sony system also includes a camera -- the Eye --... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:32:59 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sony_in_move_on_wii_xJ6EkvE2HircESiclCT1iL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sony_in_move_on_wii_xJ6EkvE2HircESiclCT1iL By JONAH GOLDBERG Oped Columnists The time for talk is over. So proclaimed the most talkative president in modern memory. I can't remember when President Obama said that. Maybe it was during the first "final showdown" on health care. Or maybe it was the third. The fifth? It's so hard to tell when... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/health_reform_hell_3OfIhTeLqd04OZZJbC5oeI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/health_reform_hell_3OfIhTeLqd04OZZJbC5oeI Editorials So, why did Andrew Cuomo blink? The attorney general yesterday backed off a probe of possible crimi nal conduct on the part of Gov. Paterson, handing the task to former Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye -- a woman with no prosecutorial experience who has spent much time lately... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:35 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/judge_judy_new_friend_juebysAUPVzU191gWureAN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/judge_judy_new_friend_juebysAUPVzU191gWureAN Editorials Gov. Paterson yesterday finally pulled the plug on Aqueduct Entertainment Group's lucrative contract to build the city's first racino. What took so long? Paterson based his action on the Lottery Division's conclusion that "it cannot issue a license" to AEG to run 4,500 video slot machines... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:35 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/back_to_the_starting_gate_5ZWjkQFHEgq2UGxHKNfIAL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/back_to_the_starting_gate_5ZWjkQFHEgq2UGxHKNfIAL Editorials Mayor Bloomberg has a lot of nerve criticizing Lt. Gov. Richard Ra vitch's plan to pile up more debt to deal with the state's fiscal crisis. "I think that doesn't pass the laugh test," he said Wednesday, referring to Ravitch's plan to let Albany, in part... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/it_your_fault_too_mike_hnrjGgAYVvzTLXFJrLdTSI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/it_your_fault_too_mike_hnrjGgAYVvzTLXFJrLdTSI Letters THE ISSUE: Robert Halderman's sentencing for trying to extort $2 million from David Letterman. *** The notoriously "privacy craving" David Letterman went on very public television to proclaim that he'd gone to the very public district attorney's office, who loudly trumpeted to all the newspapers how cleverly it... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/top_ten_injustice_NHEhWNCpNbFhA1jCQjouCL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/top_ten_injustice_NHEhWNCpNbFhA1jCQjouCL Letters THE ISSUE: Judge Garaufis' decision regarding the mentally ill and his potential conflict of interest. *** Brooklyn federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis came to an unrealistic decision relating to mentally ill individuals ("Judge Garaufis' Conflict," Editorial, March 8). New York has the right to appeal Garaufis' ruling, considering his conflict of interest... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/garaufis_arrogance_who_made_him_zMrU0Lm6yRnHPEyZjDOrPK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/garaufis_arrogance_who_made_him_zMrU0Lm6yRnHPEyZjDOrPK By MICHELLE MALKIN Oped Columnists 'Maybe it will take a woman to clean up the House," Nancy Pelosi boasted before the 2006 midterm elections. Looks like those XX chromosomes didn't give her much advantage over the old cleaning crew. The swamp she was supposed to drain is overflowing. And fewer than four years after... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/festering_swamp_JPhjLgl7xVirB5X6wMkz4H http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/festering_swamp_JPhjLgl7xVirB5X6wMkz4H By RICH LOWRY Oped Columnists The undertakers of Bill Clinton's political doom showed up in Little Rock, Ark., in 1992 for a meeting with the president-elect two months before his inauguration. They were the leaders of the Democratic Congress, and they might as well have been draped in black crepe. "You can trust us... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:34 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/bam_best_hope_gop_congress_NTqfV9QTLWrI7KqEk3Qh0K http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/bam_best_hope_gop_congress_NTqfV9QTLWrI7KqEk3Qh0K Business Misleading financial statements and failure to disclose certain details of Lehman Brothers Holdings’ collapse give rise to colorable claims against the failed investment bank’s former chief executive and other senior officials, a court-appointed examiner said. “The business decisions that brought Lehman to its crisis of confidence may have been... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/claims_against_lehman_tPc9nwLE4osfU0XvfhlUvL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/claims_against_lehman_tPc9nwLE4osfU0XvfhlUvL Business US regulators will consider changing rules that let broadcasters pull signals from cable companies during contract disputes, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said. The review follows a dispute that left more than 3 million New York area viewers without Walt Disney Co.'s ABC channel after a contract expired... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:00 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/feds_mull_rule_changes_F7kfq2h58uRFINYclP8qVN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/feds_mull_rule_changes_F7kfq2h58uRFINYclP8qVN By JOSH KOSMAN Business If you want to know how the Department of Justice will handle NBC Universal's merger with Comcast, watch the Federal Communications Commission. While Christine Varney, assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's antitrust division, said at a Senate hearing yesterday that her agency is examining the proposed merger... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:00 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/fcc_calls_shots_on_comcast_nbc_deal_vku7AIxVfSpZLv1V2E2L0J http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/fcc_calls_shots_on_comcast_nbc_deal_vku7AIxVfSpZLv1V2E2L0J By MARK DeCAMBRE Business Talk about sturm und drang! Sources tell The Post that there's unrest over compensation at Germany's Deutsche Bank and that it's creating a talent drain as bankers and traders head for the exits. According to people familiar with the matter, a number of employees -- including some... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/bank_brain_drain_FV3oh6MGkZGxCfHwWfRuLI http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/bank_brain_drain_FV3oh6MGkZGxCfHwWfRuLI By JOSH KOSMAN Business Government-controlled finance company GMAC has hired Goldman Sachs to start the process of selling the company's money-losing mortgage unit Residential Capital, The Post has learned. What to do with ResCap has been an ongoing issue for GMAC, whose businesses are split between auto lending and mortgages, and whose ability... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/goldman_hired_for_rescap_sale_sources_Xa7JEUHGXYiE5qXh1dg9SO http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/goldman_hired_for_rescap_sale_sources_Xa7JEUHGXYiE5qXh1dg9SO By MARK DeCAMBRE Business Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd on Monday is expected to hand more power to Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke, and press banks to contribute billions to a fund that would pay to wind down fallen institutions, sources told The Post. People familiar with the matter said Dodd will push... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dodd_backs_ben_LGmiyhGWO9lM7iMmHv5gsN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dodd_backs_ben_LGmiyhGWO9lM7iMmHv5gsN Business Ezra Levy, a former hedge fund trader and ex-CFO of Boston Provident Partners LP, pleaded guilty to federal charges that he stole about $3 million from the Manhattan-based firm. Levy, who was arrested in November, pleaded guilty to two schemes to defraud Boston Provident, run by Orin Kramer, the chairman... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:38:09 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/fraudster_guilty_plea_hR87ltegCqlZflDxd2i6NL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/fraudster_guilty_plea_hR87ltegCqlZflDxd2i6NL By PETER LAURIA Business The hits keep coming for record label EMI. A British court yesterday ruled in favor of Pink Floyd, bringing to a close the acid rock band's lawsuit seeking to prohibit EMI from selling individual tracks from its albums online. The ruling came just a day after the resignation of... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:00 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/emi_hit_with_legal_brick_JHHmSGG4JmJFt4UYQzMHsM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/emi_hit_with_legal_brick_JHHmSGG4JmJFt4UYQzMHsM By KEITH J. KELLY Business Two veteran Time staffers are moving up the magazine's masthead. International Editor Michael Elliott will become the new deputy managing editor, second in command to Managing Editor Rick Stengel, while Nancy Gibbs, a prolific cover story writer, moves into the No. 3 slot as executive editor. Gibbs, a Time... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/time_for_promotions_NHyStKMOHsy7RGhz2zbdiK http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/time_for_promotions_NHyStKMOHsy7RGhz2zbdiK Business Imports fall The trade deficit in the US unexpectedly nar rowed in January as im ports fell for the first time in five months, indi cating demand is cooling following the fastest pace of growth in six years. The gap shrank 6.6 per cent to $37.3 billion from... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:00 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/business_briefs_pHdxOXnSHFzJIGcTNF2NTP http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/business_briefs_pHdxOXnSHFzJIGcTNF2NTP By PAUL THARP Business Rioting paralyzed Athens yesterday as tens of thousands of angry workers went on strike and masked protesters set fires, smashed windows and battled club-wielding cops in street clashes over Greece's painful belt-tightening of benefits. The debt-strangled nation suffered its worst day of disruptions over the economic crisis, which will... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:48:01 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/greece_fire_tDaV8jKiuTuiNTZ65o75gN http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/greece_fire_tDaV8jKiuTuiNTZ65o75gN By Gary Buiso Brooklyn Community Board 6 this week rejected a school’s request to relocate to Gowanus, reasoning that the institution has no place among the din and danger lurking in a manufacturing district.On Wednesday, the board voted 20-12 with one abstention against recommending that the Summit Academy Charter School be granted... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:10:14 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/board_turns_down_summit_academy_l5hu6DjNxrqf5RZ2bdO6AM http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/board_turns_down_summit_academy_l5hu6DjNxrqf5RZ2bdO6AM By Michèle De Meglio Brooklyn If city and state politicians approve another school budget cut, there may be a “lasting impact” on District 22 schools.“It looks like there’s going to be another round. I was at Governor [David] Paterson’s town hall meeting on Monday and heard him say education is going to... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:10:12 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/district_schools_fear_budget_cuts_bCOpcEfO2fHgrbyrhvdc8L http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/district_schools_fear_budget_cuts_bCOpcEfO2fHgrbyrhvdc8L By Stephen Witt Brooklyn Featuring star power and street cred, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Barclays Center Arena - for better or worse - opened up a new era in the borough’s development.The 22-acre project will have thousands of units of market-rate and affordable housing and the arena will house the Brooklyn... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:10:10 -0500 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/brooklyn_shines_at_ay_groundbreaking_lDmuYAaJ7yFQ1uSSB4865L http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/brooklyn_shines_at_ay_groundbreaking_lDmuYAaJ7yFQ1uSSB4865L http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Copyright 2010