Embattled East Orange New Jersey Mayor Robert Bowser has an interesting theory. In a press conference on Friday Mayor Bowser told reporters that his admission of a sexual affair with a subordinate in a sexual harassment deposition is a private issue and belongs between him and his wife. The mayor read a prepared statement and [...]

While waiting around for fiscal slope negotiations to conclude, Congress has bided its time with legislation seemingly timed for the holiday travel season. The House gave final approval to a bill that would give the TSA more leeway when screening checked baggage from international airports that is going on to a separate flight in the [...]

For a Congress spending every waking minute talking about deficits, they sure know how to spend gobs of money above and beyond requested budgets – as long as it goes to the hands of defense contractors. The Senate version of the defense authorization bill costs $631 billion. This is $17 billion more than the Pentagon asked for. It passed 98-0. It now goes to a conference with the bill passed by the GOP-led House, which costs $3 billion MORE. The White House threatened to veto the bill over the budget overages, which is just adorable.

Joining New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie revised his estimate upward in asking for disaster relief funds to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, seeking $36.8 billion. The additional money would be used to reengineer beaches, including additional sand dunes, to protect the [...]

It’s easy to forget, amid the non-stop talk about long-term deficits, that the East Coast remains fairly ruined from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – who’s going to win re-election next year by saying he’s the only man in the state equipped to handle the reconstruction efforts – already released [...]

Ever since Superstorm Sandy, we’ve seen the phenomenon of storm-washing from our finance sector. That’s when banks decide to capitalize on the storm and generate some good PR by offering extended reliefto homeowners in the storm’s path. Banks are offering extended relief to homeowners in areas affected by superstorm Sandy in the form of loan [...]

In contrast to Florida and Ohio, two states suffering from the worst effects of Hurricane Sandy are working to ensure the maximum voter turnout tomorrow. Of course, both states suppress their voters by not holding early voting options. But New York and New Jersey, concerned about Election Day just one week after Superstorm Sandy, have [...]

Rebuilding the East Coast after Superstorm Sandy will be an expensive proposition. A new estimate of the cost of the storm now reaches $50 billion, and just protecting New York City from future disasters through the use of a seawall and other barriers would tack on another $15 billion, though that money would be as [...]

We’re four days out from an election, and four days behind a hurricane that smashed into the Northeast. Millions of homes remain without power, though it’s slowly coming back online. Minds are focused on rescue and recovery. How exactly will this region shift into an election footing next Tuesday? The first question concerns the logistical [...]

Well, now we know what it will take to put a stop to the foreclosure crisis – a massive storm affecting the entire Eastern seaboard. For homes in that area at risk of foreclosure, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer a small bit of mortgage relief: The government-controlled mortgage finance giants said Tuesday that [...]

Brad Plumer picked up my story from last Friday about unemployment soaring in the Northeast. After pointing out the facts of the matter, he attempts to arrive at a conclusion. Politicians in New York and New Jersey simply question the data, which is kind of the last refuge of a scoundrel. Here are some of [...]