December 5, 2008
Recent articles by J. Jioni Palmer
Democrats ready to climb the Hill
With control of the House of Representatives set to change hands for the first time in 14 years when Congress reconvenes in January, New York's Democrat-dominated delegation is in the position to advance legislation for the first time in more than a decade.
With Castro absent, life goes on
By day, commuters line the sidewalks waiting for a bus -- often trailers hitched to a tractor -- or a 1950s Ford or Chevy working as a taxi not already crammed beyond capacity. Trucks of all sizes and cars, some Soviet-era Ladas, others new French Peugeots, whiz down potholed roads spewing noxious charcoal fumes, while pedestrians precariously dart through traffic.
REPORTING FROM CUBA
For U.S., it's close but no cigar
HAVANA - A contingent of U.S. lawmakers left here yesterday without meeting with the nation's leader, but in agreement that a possible U.S.-Cuba prisoner swap might open a way to improve relations.
Delegation 'makes nice' with Cuba
International diplomacy is the art of mixing tact with patience, and both are in abundant supply as a 10-member delegation of U.S. lawmakers concluded its second day of meetings in this balmy seaside city.
They look for union lable of approval
In many ways, Seaford Rep. Peter King is an anomaly -- he's a Republican who has been able to count on support from organized labor when he runs for re-election.
Dems: NY safer if King's ousted from security post
Installing a lawmaker from Mississippi as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee would be better for New York than if Rep. Peter King remained in that post, a top House Democrat said yesterday during a conference call with Nassau Legis. David Mejias.
Tackling King of the Hill
On the surface, Peter King projects an air of coolness about his re-election prospects as campaign 2006 enters its final stretch.
ELECTION 2006
Bill's rally big LI show
With Democrats eager to rack up a string of wins, former President Bill Clinton told a crowd of more than 1,000 at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale yesterday that his party could take back the reins of Congress and the statehouse, but only with a strong turnout on Election Day.
Local pols give a little to get a little
Rep. John Sweeney knows the value of money in politics: rake in the dough, dish out the dough, rise through the ranks.
ELECTION 2006
Humble and hopeful
In public office, most politicians rely on a healthy ego and a sense of self-importance to survive, and many are generally loath to admit their shortcomings.
ELECTION 2006
King clings to throne
The way Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) sees it there are plenty of differences distinguishing him from what he views as his opponent this fall.
ELECTION 2006
King rides against wave
In the online universe, the Peter King-Dave Mejias race is red-hot, and it's mostly a one-sided affair.
Mejias: King is 'selling us out'
Nassau Legis. Dave Mejias (D-North Massapequa) yesterday accused Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) of being in the pocket of defense contractors because the incumbent cautioned patience over a recent report about potentially faulty radiological testing devices.
Bush stars in King-Mejias debate
The overflow crowd in the basement at the Levittown Library last night might have been watching a debate between Rep. Peter King and Nassau Legis. David Mejias as the race for New York's 3rd Congressional District heats up, but President George W. Bush was very much in the hot seat as well.
ELECTION 2006
Israel hopes to serve in Democratic House
When Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) voted in favor of authorizing the war with Iraq, it was based, he says, on personal assurances from President George W. Bush.
ELECTION 2006
Mejias tops some coffers but not opponent's
Nassau Legis. Dave Mejias of North Massapequa has raised more campaign money than any Long Island congressional challenger, but that's still $1 million less than what the man he's running against, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), has in the bank.
ELECTION 2006
Bishop heavily favored in Congressional race
Four years ago, Tim Bishop was an unknown and untested political neophyte when, with a lot of help from a billionaire buddy and a major blunder by his opponent, he won election to Congress.
Dems closing in on House
Democrats appear to have a good shot at securing control of the House in November, political experts say, and many wonder if even seemingly untouchable GOP incumbents will survive.
Ackerman: Still some time for talks
After two days of meeting with a succession of senior government officials, Rep. Gary Ackerman was finally taken to the presidential palace in Pyongyang where he would meet the elusive former North Korean President Kim Il-Sung.
Damage control
In a further attempt to stamp out lingering allegations that Republican leaders coddled former Rep. Mark Foley and to hold on to his own job, House Speaker Dennis Hastert yesterday apologized and promised a quick and thorough investigation.
FALLOUT FROM FOLEY
More fire for Hastert
Pressure on House Speaker Dennis Hastert mounted yesterday as a senior Republican aide quit, saying he had told Hastert's aides more than three years ago about Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct with congressional pages.
I was abused, Foley says
Republicans increasingly fear their control of Congress is in danger five weeks before Election Day as new - and more sexually explicit - electronic communiques between former Rep. Mark Foley and underage boys are revealed almost daily.
For Democrats, New York is a state of opportunity
With Democrats sensing their best opportunity to take control of the House of Representatives since losing it more than a decade ago, political analysts say their most likely path back to power will require toppling "blue state" Republicans - like those in New York.
LI Sound bill likely to be OKd
A measure authored by Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) that could provide up to $25 million a year for the preservation of open space along Long Island Sound was expected to pass the House of Representatives last night.
More bickering in Congress over 9/11
What had been expected to be a non-controversial resolution commemorating Sept. 11 has sparked fighting between Democrats and Republicans, with each party accusing the other of playing politics.
Bill Clinton slams show
Stung by an ABC mini-series that blames the Clinton administration for passing on capturing Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 terror attacks, former president Bill Clinton has denounced the film as an audacious misrepresentation of the facts.
HURRICANE KATRINA: ONE YEAR LATER
Survivors' tales of life on the mend
One year after the most devastating storm in U.S. history killed more than 1,300 people and left more than three-quarters of a million people homeless, New Orleans remains a shattered city, its inhabitants still groping to gather the pieces of their broken lives.
HURRICANE KATRINA: ONE YEAR LATER
Saving New Orleans: Big, but not so easy
Bryan Block returned home in December, eager to be in the vanguard of the Big Easy's revival.
Lack of diversity or lack of interest?
Republican Peter King and Democrat Steve Israel have no people of color working in their Capitol Hill offices.
King eyes ethnic profiling
Declaring that airport screeners shouldn't be hampered by "political correctness," House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King has endorsed requiring people of "Middle Eastern and South Asian" descent to undergo additional security checks because of their ethnicity and religion.
AFL-CIO backs Mejias
Giving his underdog congressional bid a boost, the New York AFL-CIO endorsed Nassau Legis. Dave Mejias (D-North Massapequa) over Republican lawmaker Peter King.
THE SECURITY
Scheme evokes failed plot on jets in '95
Philippine authorities in 1995 disrupted a terrorist plot to blow up 11 airplanes headed for the United States from Asia using liquid explosives - a plan similar in scope and potential devastation to the alleged scheme British officials foiled yesterday.
Lieberman at a loss
Political neophyte Ned Lamont won a ground-shaking victory over veteran Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman in a primary yesterday that was largely framed as a referendum on the incumbent's support for the war and perceived closeness with President George W. Bush.
A fight to hold on to his seat
It could have been a stop along the road to the White House. A small diner on some highway, with patrons sitting elbow to elbow at the counter, bacon crackling on the grill and the smell of pancake syrup in the air as waitresses hustled about clearing tables and pouring cups of joe.
Some NY pols boycott Iraqi PM's speech
A handful of New York lawmakers skipped Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's speech before Congress yesterday to protest his criticisms of Israeli military tactics in Lebanon.
A step closer to LIRR project
The House is expected to pass today a $1.75-billion financing deal for the construction of a link allowing Long Island Rail Road commuters to ride directly into lower Manhattan, several sources familiar with congressional negotiations said yesterday.
A fast exit for these Yanks
When David Goldi Merhige arrived in Lebanon two weeks ago for his cousin Joseph's wedding, Beirut was a bustling seaside city with a cosmopolitan flair.
Tribunal debate centers on details
Despite the inflamed rhetoric, Rep. Steve Israel said he left last Wednesday's House Armed Services Committee hearing on the president's tribunals for terrorist suspects thinking that the divide in Congress really isn't that great.
Mejias' bid finds new bounty
Eager to show that he's a serious contender, Nassau Legis. David Mejias (D-North Massapequa) raised more than $200,000 less than two months into his campaign to unseat veteran Rep. Peter King, according to campaign finance documents.
Convicted in D.C. assault
Garden City native Collin Finnerty was convicted yesterday of assaulting a man on a Georgetown sidewalk last fall after taunting him with anti-gay epithets.
Plot is salt in the cut
The alleged plot to bomb PATH tunnels in lower Manhattan has renewed criticism of the Department of Homeland Security's decision to cut the Big Apple's federal anti-terror dollars.
Al-Qaida's new role: to inspire plotters
The disrupted plot to bomb PATH tunnels under the Hudson River once again shows that much of post-9/11 international terrorism is driven by inspiration and "self-starters" who seek out networks and plan attacks on their own, say terrorism experts and law enforcement officials.
Plot was derailed in early stages
For at least a year, eight followers of al-Qaida scattered across six foreign countries discussed how to send suicide bombers to blow up PATH tunnels under the Hudson River, but their plans never came close to realization, U.S. officials said Friday.
King welcomes the war of his words
He once referred to the GOP leadership as "roadkill," said his party was taken over by "barefoot hillbillies," and compared the Million Man March with a "Klan rally." So it isn't surprising that Rep. Peter King would call for The New York Times to be tried for treason - and relish the furor that erupted.
War foe Ackerman made military profit, records show
Rep. Gary Ackerman, who has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq, has earned at least $85,000 from investing in a military supply company a year before it won a major government contract, according to financial records reviewed yesterday by Newsday.
King seeks federal probe of NY Times
Citing national security concerns, Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday to begin a criminal investigation of The New York Times for publishing a report on a secret government program begun after Sept. 11 to monitor banking transactions for terrorist links.
Mayor: It makes no sense
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's journey to Capitol Hill yesterday isn't likely to result in an immediate boost in federal anti-terror dollars for the Big Apple, congressional sources say.
Breaking ranks on Iraq
Breaking ranks with the bulk of her party, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy was one of only two New York Democrats to vote in favor of a contentious Iraq war resolution that passed the House Friday on a mostly party-line decision.
Army admits a shortage
After initially downplaying a shortage of the special anti-bleeding bandages available to troops in Iraq, a senior Army officer acknowledged yesterday that some soldiers are in combat without the potentially lifesaving field dressings.
Secret GOP memo politicizes war
House Majority Leader John Boehner intends to use an upcoming floor debate on the Iraq war as a platform for GOP lawmakers to portray themselves as tougher than Democrats on "national security polices," according to a confidential memo obtained by Newsday.
Congress probes limousine deal
Congressional investigators have uncovered evidence that a former congressman convicted on bribery charges helped steer a $20-million contract to a limousine company with ties to the ex-lawmaker, Capitol Hill sources say.
Rep. Kennedy pleads guilty
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) pleaded guilty in criminal court yesterday to driving under the influence of a prescription drug.
No more for NYC
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said yesterday that he doesn't expect New York to get any additional funds from the $1.7 billion Homeland Security pot that, when divided up last week, cut money given to the city by 40 percent.
THE REACITON
A welcome bit of Iraq news
Battle-tested Iraq war veterans heaved sighs of relief.
House weighed down by dark cloud
The marbled corridors still bustle as lawmakers shuttle between hearings and votes and meetings.
Dems consider asking for Jefferson's ouster
A Democratic leadership committee was considering last night whether to recommend that Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) be stripped of his position on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Gay union ban questioned
Rep. Tim Bishop says he opposes a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages not only because he thinks it's bad policy for the federal government to meddle in marital affairs, but also as a matter of principle.
Different views on security
The federal government cut anti-terror funds to New York City by 40 percent because of fundamentally different views on how the money should be spent, according to documents obtained by Newsday and interviews with homeland security experts.
White House stands by fund shift
Sustaining a bipartisan torrent of criticism over New York City receiving fewer counterterrorism dollars this year than last, Bush administration officials yesterday aggressively defended the grant awards, stressing that protecting New York from a terror attack remains a top priority but that other vulnerable areas also need to be fortified.
Bush 'troubled' by reports
In his first public comments on a burgeoning controversy that threatens to undermine U.S. military efforts in Iraq, President George W. Bush yesterday said he was "troubled by the initial news stories" that up to 24 civilians were killed by Marines patrolling the western city of Haditha.
9/11 RESPONDERS HEALTH WOES
Anti-terror cuts
Despite being the site of the nation's deadliest terrorist attack, New York City will see a 40 percent reduction in federal anti-terror funds this year.
False alarm jolts House
The sound of a mechanical hammer was mistaken by a New Jersey congressman for gunfire in the Rayburn House Office Building Friday and led to an "old fashioned" search of the largest structure on the House side of Capitol Hill.
THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE
Safe passage in Bush's hands
Immigration legislation working its way through the U.S. Senate enjoys the broad backing - at least in principle - of most Democrats and moderate Republicans, congressional sources say, yet final passage remains uncertain because of staunch opposition from the GOP's conservative wing.
Third time a challenge
Roughly six months after opting not to challenge Republican Rep. Peter King, Nassau Legis. David Mejias is expected to announce next week that he'll attempt to unseat the seven-term incumbent.
Criminalization enters debate
What has come to be one of the most controversial points in the nation's ongoing debate over illegal immigration came in a suggestion from the Bush administration.
Lawmakers set to battle over FEMA
Bracing for a showdown with two other powerful committee leaders, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said yesterday he'd oppose efforts to strip the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Department of Homeland Security.
Port security is on the docket
The House today is expected to approve a sweeping port security bill, two months after lawmakers revolted over a Bush administration plan to give control of six U.S. ports to a United Arab Emirates-owned company.
It's recess, but no rest for pols
The meeting with Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus had officially concluded, but Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Jamaica Estates) had one more item on his agenda.
Giving voice to Iraqi women's plight
When Bushra Jamil fled Iraq after the first Gulf War she never thought she'd return to her homeland again.
Finnerty will face D.C. trial on assault
Duke University lacrosse player Collin Finnerty will be tried for his alleged role in a November assault outside of a Georgetown bar, a federal judge ruled yesterday after prosecutors revoked a plea deal that would have let the Garden City native off with community service.
BETHPAGE
Grumman site may become emergency center
The former Grumman site in Bethpage could become a regional emergency operations center under a proposal by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi if a catastrophic natural disaster or terror attack struck the metropolitan area.
Rep. Israel cautions on Iraq leadership
Reports that Shia politicians have agreed on a new prime minister - an essential move in forming a new government - are a positive development, but much work still needs to be done, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) said Friday.
Rep. Israel says 'false' pretenses led to war
Three years after he voted for invading Iraq, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) says the case for war was based on a "false pretense" perpetuated by President George W. Bush.
Second Ave. line in final design stage
The much ballyhooed Second Avenue Subway line inched closer to becoming a reality today with the federal government classifying the project as in its "final design stage."
Sen. to fight new bill on immigrants
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says that "Jesus himself" would be judged a criminal under a "mean-spirited" GOP immigration proposal that makes it a felony to help or hire undocumented immigrants.
Giuliani on panel to study Iraq policy
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was named yesterday to a bipartisan panel to examine the nation's involvement in the war in Iraq.
REPORTING FROM NEW ORLEANS
Big uneasy: Rebuilding
It took Darrell Foy and his friends only a couple of days to rehabilitate the Bienville Street duplex where his aunt Leola Lions died after floodwaters inundated her Mid-City neighborhood.
Port deal in trouble
A House panel voted yesterday to scuttle a proposed deal to give control of operations at six American ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, setting in motion a legislative process that could hand President George W. Bush his first significant congressional defeat.
GOP set to battle Bush on port plan
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill said yesterday that a legislative showdown with the White House over a proposed deal to give control of operations at six American ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates could begin as early today.
REPORTING FROM NEW ORLEANS
A spirited Mardi Gras
The rumbling drums and cowbell clang produce hauntingly infectious beats that penetrate the soul and cause limbs to move uncontrollably.
REPORTING FROM NEW ORLEANS
Mellow Mardi Gras
There was never any doubt Jim Thompson would ride atop a Mardi Gras parade float this year as he has for more than a decade. Or that he and his family would partake in the pre-Lent festivities.