Azi Paybarah

Over in Connecticut, a reader says GOP Senate candidate Linda McMahon - who has a primary today - sent out a mailer last night hitting the challenger she'd like to face in November, Democrat Richard Blumenthal.  "So, she must be feeling confident," this reader says.

Jon Stewart: "Wasn't it George Washington who said any mosque has to be at least six blocks from Ground Zero?"

Stewart's guest in this clip is Ambassador Ahmed Akbar, who says the founding fathers had a deep respect for Islam.

Andrew Cuomo won't say if he agrees with his running mate on the Islamic center slated for near Ground Zero.

Carl Paladino: "I have a lot of friends who are Muslims."

The National Legal and Policy Center files another complaint against Rangel, reports The Post.

DNC member Robert Zimmerman's joint letter with GOP Rep. Peter King on the 9/11 Health bill angered Dem Rep. Anthony Weiner.

A contributor to Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign was fined $30,000 in civil penalties to the Federal Elections Commission after he was found to have made contributions to the campaign under the name of other donors in order to skirt donation caps.

The contributor, Dr. Jose Valdez, is alleged to have funneled $11,500 to Giuliani's campaigns under the names of four other donors.

Capital New York hears from the often unheard voice in the Islamic center near Ground Zero debate: the Muslim community.

GOP debate in NY23, on September 1.

State Senator Eric Adams supports Genting at Aqueduct.

Boehner raises money for GOP congressional challenger Chris Gibson.

Espaillat runs on an anti-Albany message, despite the fact he currently works in Albany.

Coffey donated to Franken, who then came here to help Coffey's AG campaign.

32BJ and 1199 SEIU oppose Espada, officially.

McGeveran basically calls it a bad day for the tabloid front pages.

And the AP's Mike Gormley says legislators "ended up basically with Governor Paterson's budget" and that Paterson "has his own buget like no governor has done before." Vielkind says "he got almost everything he wanted."

The only thing better than hearing Rep. Charlie Rangel go back and forth with reporters about his ongoing ethics trial is hearing him do it as he refers to himself in the third person.

After appearing with Mayor Bloomberg at the new Willis Avenue Bridge, Rangel stuck to his story that he never personally benefited from anything he allegedly did wrong -- a major requirement necessary in finding him guilty on the more serious of the 13 ethics violations he faces.

Around the 6:00 mark, he says, "You can't find any monetary benefit that comes to Charlie Rangel. Not inferred, not implied, or NOTHING." At the 8:30 mark, he adds, "There's not one scintilla of evidence that supports that Charlie Rangel got a nickel of anything from anybody."

One of the strongest knocks against Rep. Charlie Rangel that I hear when I go to his district is that the twenty-term congressman has been in office for too long.

Each of his four Democratic opponents, to varying degrees, hit on this theme. Which may help explain why the congressman is having a "Team Rangel Next Generation Crew" event two days before his 80th birthday party.

Details for the younger-oriented event after the jump:

The DNC National Committeeman from Long Island, Robert Zimmerman, co-signed a letter with Republican Peter King of New York saying Democrats should put the 9/11 health care bill up for a vote again but without the special requirement preventing Republicans from adding amendments to it.

The legislation would have paid for health care costs for sick rescue workers -- something almost nobody objects to -- but fear of what amendments Republicans would add onto the bill drove Democrats to put the legislation up for a vote under special rules: no amendments would be allowed to be added to the bill, but in order to pass, it needed a two-thirds majority, not just a simple majority.

The bill had a lot of support, but failed to hit the two-thirds threshold. Minutes after it failed, the finger pointing ensued, leaving both Democrats and Republicans looking not so good.

The letter from Zimmerman and King calls on Republicans to promise not to add any amendments to the bill if it comes up for a vote again. But if they don't make that promise, the vote should take place anyway.

"If House Republicans do not make this agreement, however, we believe the Democratic Leadership has the moral obligation to allow this legislation to pass by a simple majority vote," they wrote in the August 9 letter.

The letter, in its entirety after the jump.

Thanks to a stakeout, The Post gets some information on the how Deputy Mayor Patti Harris juggles her work at City Hall and at the non-profit charity she runs for the mayor: "Harris, along with two City Hall aides, were chauffeured in a city-owned Buick Lucerne to the foundation's $45 million Beaux Arts six-story mansion at 25 E. 78th St."

In the foundation's tax filings, Harris said she only spends about 15 minutes a week working at the foundation [fixed].

I've been trying to get similar information about Harris' comings and going using another means: the Freedom of Information Law.

On May 12, 2010, Anthony Crowell, counsel to the mayor, said they'd respond to my request for Harris' schedule within 120 days. That puts the expected response some time next month.

My initial request for Harris' schedule (and those of other City officials) were sent out on January 5, 2009 and have not yet been filled.

Excessive compensation.

"I was taking a risk by being unwilling to call the President a socialist."

Stu Loeser's argument: "If nonpartisan elections were in effect then, New York may well have had Mayor Ferrer instead of Mayor Bloomberg."

Rangel won't say if he signed a plea deal.

Rangel defends a troubled non-profit he helps fund.

Rep. Mike Arcuri distances himself from Rangel.

Schedule mystery: "[Deputy Mayor Patti] Harris, along with two City Hall aides, were chauffeured in a city-owned Buick Lucerne to the foundation's $45 million Beaux Arts six-story mansion at 25 E. 78th St.

Gunplay in Harlem leaves two cops injured.

It's A1 in the Times.

Douthat: "The lifelong commitment of a gay couple is more impressive than the serial monogamy of straights."

The Times calls a constitutional convention to fix Albany "a distraction."

Lazio pushes the Islamic center issue.

Hertzberg: "Nationally, opposition to Park51 is rapidly becoming a matter of Republican discipline and conservative orthodoxy."

The Post hits Bloomberg for his defense of the project.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver doesn't agree with Bloomberg on the issue.

Reforming Albany is Ed Koch's "last hurrah."

Andrew Cuomo declined to be interviewed about his mom.

Cuomo also declined to speak about his daughters.

John Kerry, seriously.

$12.5 million in member items in the state budget.

Lovett: "In all, nearly $13.5 million for 666 local projects approved in last year's budget were paid by the state since the beginning of last month, according to a Gannett News Service report."

An Assembly candidate says she's not really a lobbyist.

Wrobleski finds a conspiracy theory behind the "Jewish money" story.

Dadey and Avlon want two-terms for city officials, except City Council members.

Lisberg: "Bloomberg is principled about freedom when it comes to religion, but practical about freedom when it comes to crimefighting."

Rep. Ed Towns evolves on the war.

Live debate on hydrofracking, on August 12.

State Senator Tom Libous: "Yeah, OK, state government came to a standstill, but the way I look at it -- we stopped them from taxing more and spending more."

Reisman: "The number of tax credits due to be received by businesses in the 2010-11 fiscal year will be sharply reduced from $550 million to $50 million."

AGNY candidate Sean Coffey's tax returns.

And Coffey's political donations raise questions of pay to play access.

Step one, hold the event in the sun. Step two, make sure the event lasts a really long time. Step three, after thirty minutes, ignore a reporters plea for them to take questions.

This example is brought to you by 32BJ Vice President Kyle Bragg, who was the emcee for a rally yesterday, and Daily News Bureau Chief Adam Lisberg.

Notices about how to use the new electronic voting machines are being sent out by the NYC Board of Elections. A reader who received one passed along their copy to me.

The new machines will debut this fall, when there will be lots of things on the ballot: candidates for governor, two US Senate seats, candidates for comptroller and attorney general, all 212 state legislatures and, in New York City, maybe a ballot question or two.

So, instructions on how to use the machines may be a handy thing to read.

Here's my 2-minute and 30 second highlight tape from the nearly 45-minute long rally yesterday to oppose non-partisan elections.

My favorite line is State Senator Bill Perkins saying, simply, "non-partisan elections - anti-American."

Kagan makes the wood of amNew York and Newsday.

Rangel says his birthday party is still on for August. 11.

Barbaro: "Several are privately fuming that Mr. Rangel is forcing them to choose between their gratitude to him and their shot at re-election."

King blames Democrats if rescue workers die because the 9/11 health bill failed.

A lawyer in a 9/11 health care lawsuit is backing Saujani over Maloney.

NY Post: "Bloomberg seems largely to have been speaking for himself" in defense of the Islamic center at Ground Zero.

DiNapoli banks on strong labor support.

Schumer's office declines to respond to Townsend's criticism.

TU: Recounting prison population could help Democrats keep control of state senate.

Molloy wonders why Giuliani's kid was shoplifting.

A local meeting about making English the official language of Jackson, in upstate Washington County. may have violated the Open Meetings Law.

New voting machines on display in next-door Warren County on August 26.

Klein uses his emergency powers to sidestep a recent state education ruling on how school facilities are used.

Key Food closes and culture war heats up, in Flushing.

Pras doesn't support Wyclef's presidential campaign.

McAuliff: " 'Kevin Powell has not had a job since 1996,' said Powell."

DN hits Dilan for saying he'd support the farm workers bill, then abstained.

"She was no better than me" a woman busted for shoplifting at Duane Reade said about Caroline Giuliani.

And Jon Stewart sizes up Democrats and Republicans on the 9/11 bill, and says "I give up."

Among the people who attended a rally to oppose non-partisan elections: City Council members Larry Seabrook and Ydanis Rodriguez, who are each facing legal issues and may not be the best spokesmen to have at hand.

From the Siena poll today showing that 61 percent of New Yorkers oppose building an Islamic center near Ground Zero, a closer look at who the opposition is:

Catholics: 45-22 percent agree with opponents

Jews: 52-11 percent agree with opponents

Protestants: 43-16 percent agree with opponents

College educated: 44-22 percent agree with opponents

An openly gay Democratic City Councilman in Queens just endorsed a challenger to Democratic State Senator Shirley Huntley, one of the people who voted against-same sex marriage.

The Councilman, Jimmy Van Bramer of Sunnyside, said he’s support Lynn Nunes because “his commitment to reform and equality for all make Lynn the right choice for Southeast Queens and the right choice for New York.”

Lynn is challenging Huntley -- herself once favored by progressives and the Democratic establishment because she ousted the controversial Ada Smith. But now, Huntley is drawing fire from progressives for voting against same-sex marriage.

The endorsement announcement comes one day after same-sex marriage advocates cheered the overturn of a gay marriage ban in California (it’s likely to wind up, at some point, in the Supreme Court).

Since being voted down last year, the landscape for passing same-sex marriage in New York has improved, slightly.

A couple of Democratic State Senators who voted against same-sex marriage last year have been replaced by supporters.

In Queens, for example, Democratic State Senators who voted against the bill include Joe Addabbo, Hiram Monserrate and George Onorato. Monserrate was removed and replaced by Assemblyman Jose Peralta. Onorato announced he’s retiring, and is expected to be replaced by Assemblyman Michael Gianaris. Both Peralta and Gianaris voted for same-sex marriage while in the Assembly.

But, as Liz Benjamin noted, the issue may not be coming up for a vote in the State Senate any time soon.

Huntley has $45,927 on hand for her campaign. Challenger Nunes has $115,114.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is out with a TV ad hitting Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Cuomo for supporting the development of an Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero.

Paladino, in a straight-to-camera moment, restates his intention to use eminent domain to block the plan.

Which may or may not be feasible.

Gov. David Paterson says trying to get state lawmakers to tax sugary beverages instead of clothing is like "running into a brick wall" and "demonstrates the need for greater campaign finance [reform]."

"There is no borrowing in this budget."

That's what Governor Paterson said this morning during a radio interview on WOR, which is a notion that was quickly challenged by the show's host since the state's budget includes a financial maneuver many (even Ira Glass) have criticized as borrowing.

Radio host John Gambling said the state is going to "take monies from the pension, are you not? It will be a liability down the road. Isn't that a form of borrowing?"

"No, that was kind of a semantic situation," Paterson said. "What we did was refinance it, divide it over a number of years. No student of government or budget analyst would ever call that borrowing. Because in borrowing, you're getting something. Here, it's just taking a debt and apportioning it out over a number of years."

"Borrowing," Paterson explained, "is when you take an amount of money and put it in the budget and then you have to pay the interest on it and delay it over a period of time."