Politics

In Israel Obama says,``The world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.''

He also said he is a member of a committee he does not belong to.

He did not discuss the status of Jerusalem.

An Iraqi journalist is disappointed that Obama said nothing to Iraqis.

John McCain hoped to counterprogram Obama's speech in Germany with a visit to an offshore drilling rig! But weather is going to ruin it.

McCain said he did not make a mistake when talking about Anbar province.

The Plank gets a German journalist to explain why Berlin is the perfect city for Obama, and the Victory Column is the perfect setting for his speech.  read more »

The chair of the Staten Island Conservative Party is reportedly going to back the Republican nominee for Congress, Bob Straniere. [Staten Island Advance]

A columnist in Queens wonders in Michael Bloomberg is facing another big defeat with the Willets Point redevelopment plan. [Queens Gazette]

Letitia James, David Yassky, Velmanette Montgomery, and reps from the Marty Markowitz's and Ed Towns' offices were at the public hearing on Admiral's Row last night. [Brownstoner]

The City Council is expected to vote in favor of the Carrol Gardens "narrow street" rezoning today.[Gowanus Lounge]

Jimmy Dahroug denounces his primary opponent's challenge to his petition. [Spin Cycle]

The City Council race in Middle Village is down to only two candidates -- the two who were separated by only 38 votes in the June 3 special election. [Queens Crap]

Michael Bloomberg has joined Bill Gates in Times Square this afternoon to announce a $500 million initiative to curb tobacco use in developing countries.

“I’m delighted Bill and Melinda Gates are supporting one of the most important public health efforts of our time,” Bloomberg said in a public statement released prior to the event. The two just walked on stage here at the New York Times center on West 41st Street to discuss the initiative.

This announcement comes on the heels of a World Health Organization report about the widespread use of tobacco, which Bloomberg helped fund. He attended the release of the study back in February.  read more »

From tireless intern Bharat Ayyar:

Congressional hopeful Eric Massa, a retired Navy commander, held a conference call with reporters this morning, and outlined his plan for veteran health care, which he says has been neglected by Washington.

“I don’t care how much it costs. I don’t care,” Massa said. He added later, “Supporting our veterans is not a matter of cost. It’s a matter of political will.”

Massa, who raised an impressive sum of $298,156 during the filing period that just ended, wants to introduce legislation that would not only mandate full funding of the Veterans Administration but also permit veterans who are too far from a V.  read more »

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Here’s Representative Anthony Weiner responding to a question about his management skills--and his reputation for high staff turnover--yesterday at the Crain’s business breakfast, which was before the New York Times story reported that he has run through more staff than any other member of the New York House delegation.

“I think I’m tough but I’m fair,” he said, adding, “And I'm cheap.”

In the story, Weiner chalks up his attitude to growing up in Brooklyn as a middle-class kid (always on message!).

City Councilman Lew Fidler, who also grew up middle-class in Brooklyn (and supported Freddy Ferrer over Weiner in the 2005 mayor’s race) told me, “I push my employees too and I haven’t had any turnover in six years.  read more »

John McCain said 'The Awakening," a breaking point in the violence in Iraq, happened because of the surge, but actually, it started before. [A.P]

Newark is mourning the possible loss of its Starbucks. [N.Y. Times]

Barack Obama's Kansan Uncle Charlie, who was among the soldiers who liberated Buchenwald during the Second World War, gives an exclusive interview to the Associated Press as Obama tours Israel. [A.P.]

House Republicans might buy an ad in The New York Times to display the op-ed by John McCain that the paper rejected. [The Crypt]

McCain canceled his press avail for today. [Ben Smith]

Last night at an event in Jamaica I spoke with City Councilman James Sanders, a former Marine and early Barack Obama supporter, who is in favor of Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. (John McCain has also said he will increase troop numbers in Afghaistan).

"The battle in Afghanistan, we have to win," Sanders said. "There, I justify putting in more troops."

A keen-eyed reader pointed out the similarities between City Council member Melinda Katz's comptroller campaign logo, and the logo of Representative Anthony Weiner's campaign-like web site, Keys to the City. (Weiner is expected to run for mayor).

Neither has held citywide office before.

A former campaign aide to Hillary Clinton, Sam Arora (once named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill"), Twitters the message above.

Jason Horowitz writes that Barack Obama's campaign has essentially become a "multimedia company capable of competing with the traditional press,"although tight control of the campaign's message has alienated some of the Netroots crowd.

Dana Rubenstein looks into Charlie Rangel's landlords--a powerful family that one broker calls "old-school and reserved."

Rubinstein also reports that New York's real estate industry is divided over the presidential race. 

Eliot Brown discovers that the last property owner in West Harlem who won't make a deal with Columbia has recently become a little pessimistic. 

Brown also sits down with one of the largest landowners in Willets Point, who is not pleased that Michael Bloomberg "loves to embrace eminent domain."

Barack Obama told Israelis and Palestinians they both share responsibility for progres, saying, "[T]here's a tendency for each side to focus on the faults of the other instead of looking in the mirror."

The Washington Post writes that Obama "has remade the campaign's foreign policy playing field," and "declared the war in Iraq all but over."

Obama visited the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and received "an unusually warm welcome" from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

More anti-terrorism money is coming to New York City.

Working for Anthony Weiner is tougher than boot camp.

Eliot Spitzer has been notified that he’s still being investigated by the State Commission on Public Integrity.

There’s a federal probe of former congressman John Sweeney’s connection to a lobbying firm.

A top operative working for Rudy Giuliani’s was demoted from his position as the state Republican Party because others felt he was most interested in pushing Giuliani for governor.

David Seifman also notes Anthony Weiner’s warm remarks about Michael Bloomberg are dramatically different than how he spoke about the mayor in 2005.

Grace Rauh writes that Weiner’s remarks seem to depart from when he said in June--that Bloomberg gets a pass from his “lapdog press.”

Andrew Cuomo spoke to local residents in Albany.

A fiscal watchdog wants the city to roll back its property tax cut.

Tom Friedman says the troop surge that John McCain supported has made Iraq safe for Obama’s foreign policy.

The New York Times is skeptical that Obama can reach the goal of his health care plan in the time he says he can.

Elected officials are unhappy with the M.T.A.’s proposed fare hike for next year.

Joe Bruno, who retired as a state senator on Friday, is today the C.E.O. of a company that does business with the state.

7:30 a.m. Activists protest NBC's lack of coverage of China's connection to the Darfur crisis; outside taping of the "Today Show," 30 Rockefeller Center.

10 a.m. Malcolm Smith kicks off annual summer employment program; district office, 209-19 Linden Blvd., St. Albans.

11 a.m. Opening of the latest section of Hudson River Park; intersection of West and Canal streets, south side.

12:30 p.m. The Women's City Club of New York holds screening of City of Water, a documentary on the future of New York City's waterfront; 305 Seventh Ave., between 27th and 28th streets, 11th Floor Conference Room.

1 p.m. Traffic enforcement officers and union officials tout new assault felony law; City Hall.  read more »

In Jordan, Obama pledged to work towards Israeli-Palestinian peace, and King Abdullah told him Palestinian statehood has to be a top priority.

The the King drove Obama to the airport!

In an interview with Katie Couric that will air tonight, Obama says he thinks Israel's strike against Syria last year was appropriate.

The National Enquirer is reporting (no really!) that they have caught John Edwards having an affair.

Joe Bruno took a job with CMA Consulting, headed by the widow of a state senator who Bruno once appointed to head the finance committee.

David Paterson's father donated $15,000 to his campaign committee, according to New York's list of the governor's top donors.  read more »

After signing an executive order this morning, Michael Bloomberg fielded a question from a reporter about the new M.T.A. fare hike, and whether the state might force the city to put more money in the M.T.A. budget.

“There is certainly not going to be more money coming from the city," Bloomberg said. "We don’t have it. If the state mandated that we had to put more money in, we’d have to raise city taxes."

Bloomberg said revenue has to be found elsewhere and suggested the state collect taxes from cigarettes sold on Indian reservations.

Funding mass transit, of course, it something of a sensitive issue with the mayor because of his failed congestion pricing plan.

The spokesman for Marty Connor's re-election campaign, Chad Marlow, supports term limits, even though his boss, a state senator, has been in office since 1978.

In 2005, when the City Council was reportedly looking to alter the city's term-limit laws, Marlow authored a blog post on the Drum Major Institute’s web site called "Confessions of a Term Limits Convert." He wrote:

“If you believe our elected officials are largely comprised of highly talented, innovative thinkers who represent the very best our society has to offer the public sector, you would naturally oppose term limits. I do not.”

Connor’s opponent, Dan Squadron, talks frequently about the need to shake things up in Albany.  read more »