Top aides with the Giuliani for President campaign are declining January paychecks, while insisting that it's not because the former Mayor's organization is strapped for cash. Rudy Giuliani is currently stumping in Florida after very lackluster performances in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. Iowa was not a surprise; Giuliani had written off the midwestern state as a poor use of time and resources. A very poor performance in New Hampshire had to have been......

Rudy Giuliani's good financial fortune derived from the formation of Giuliani Partners is leading to political misfortune, as yet another piece of lucrative business he conducted in the private sector has come back to haunt his candidacy. Recently, his involvement with Purdue Pharma--the producers of the painkiller OxyContin--has come under scrutiny. Giuliani is being accused of using his high profile in the wake of 9/11, his background as a federal prosecutor, and his personal reputation......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, a high-angle rescue on West 18th St., in Manhattan, and a multi-vehicle accident on Farmers Blvd. and the South Conduit in Queens. Hoboken mayor David Roberts was apparently prescient to ask how many stops his SWAT team made on the trip back north--fearing more embarrassing photos of his police force as they returned from relief efforts after hurricane Katrina. Additional pictures of......

Rudy Giuliani has a new 1-minute ad proclaiming his credentials to run the country by way of his leadership in NYC. A full transcript of the ad is after the jump but the gist is that Giuilani turned New York City from an "unmanageable, ungovernable" economically depressed crime-ridden hellhole into "the safest large city in America," "the best example of conservative government in the country." Interestingly enough, there's no mention of 9/11. And at......

Hundreds of Virginia Tech alumni, NYU students and other New Yorkers gathered for a candlelight vigil in Washington Square Park last night. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, who had traveled to Virginia Tech earlier in the week, brought back a candle from a vigil there and used it to light candles last night. And today, many people are also wearing orange and maroon, Virginia Tech's colors, for "Orange and Maroon Effect" day to show support for......

Yesterday, NBC News revealed that Virginia Tech shooting gunman Cho Seung-Hiu sent them a package of photographs, writings, and video - a "multimedia manifesto." The network turned over the materials to the authorities but also shared the package's contents during the evening news last night and on its website. Quickly, the images of Cho holding guns in both hands, pointing a gun at his head, pointing a gun at the camera, and more, started......

With March Madness behind us and baseball upon us (Mets' home opener in progress!), a smoothing transition between basketball and baseball is necessary: like beer bracketology. The Washington Post conducted a tournament of head-to-head, single elimination, blind taste tastings over four weeks, in order to distinguish one beer above all other contestants as an MVB. We are pleased to report via the New York Sun that the Brooklyn Brewery's Brooklyn Lager was crowned the champion......

It's been a tough week for Bernie Kerik. The former NYPD commissioner who had his bid to head up Homeland Security unceremoniously thwarted in 2004 amid allegations of shady dealings is now facing serious federal charges. The Washington Post reports today that federal prosecutors have informed Kerik that he is likely to be charged with multiple felonies, including tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wiretapping. This comes two weeks after Kerik refused a plea deal......

After two days of deliberations, a federal jury sentenced Ronell Wilson to death for the 2003 killings of undercover detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews. When the verdict was read, Wilson rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Nemorin's widow Rose. This is the first death penalty sentence for a federal case in NY State in over 50 years. While family and friends of the deceased cheered, Wilson's younger brother shouted after......

Well-known radical lawyer Lynne Stewart was sentenced today to 28 months in prison. In February 2005, she found guilty of terror charges - she had smuggled messages from terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman to his followers in defiance of prison rules. Stewart had been pleading for leniency, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and before the sentencing, Stewart's lawyer Elizabeth Fink said, "If you send her to prison, she's going to......

As we sat down to write this week's Best of the -ists post, a car blaring "21 Questions'" passed by our house. And that started us thinking about how some of the best -ist posts out there have at their hearts questions, some of which are answered, and some of which are left open. Check out the Best of the -ists from this week, and see if you agree. Londonist answers the questions "How......

- This week's New York has a story, not yet online, on the shocking and tragic execution-style murder of Tiesha Sargeant in which her drug dealing boyfriend admits to having sold $6,000 worth of weed the day of the murder. - What happens when the Department of Buildings decides the Bed-Stuy building you just bought a condo in is illegally built? "No bank will give a loan on this, you can't refinance or take......

Brooklyn's own Senator Charles Schumer is supporting the effort to eliminate foreign ethanol tariffs to alleviate rising gas prices. While gas prices would only be lowered by 8 cents if it went through, he said, "But with prices as high as they are, every nickel helps." That's true, but if you can't even find a gas station, then you're using up gas to find one. The Washington Post problem of 830,000 cars and only 54......

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Shanghaist gets all excited this week over a new nightclub in the city unfortunately named "Snatch" and Mike Tyson is scheduled to......

Marcia Baczynski and REiD MiHalko, Cuddle Party Founders...

Gothamist was a little upset today when we opened our New York Times to see sumo wrestlers. No, we weren't upset with their massive bellies, but with the fact that they were in Las Vegas and not here in New York. It was the first time the Grand Sumo Championships were staged in the US in 20 years. The Times reports over 25,000 fans took in the three day competition, but we think New York......

In a definitive move to wake up America this morning from our case of the Mondays, President Bush has nominatd his White House Counsel Harriet Miers (pronounced like Meyers) to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. According to early reports, Miers, who had been the assistant Chief of Staff (think Josh on The West Wing!), has known W for ages as his private lawyer, even helping him clear brush in Crawford. Not......

William Hubbs Rehnquist, the 16th chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, died last night of thyroid cancer. He was 80. While his death does not come as a huge surprise, he has been visibly ailing for months now, that he died days before confirmation hearings begin for John Roberts does turn things around a bit. Rehnquist, who was appointed to the court in 1971 by Richard Nixon, was made Chief Justice in......

Jessica Cutler, ex-blogger, author, The Washingtonienne...

Though it was the Washington Post's biggest story, the NY media suckerpunched the Post by running the revelation that former FBI No. 2 man, Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, the shadowy informant who helped reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal the Watergate scandal. Felt, now 91, confessed after the urging of his family, catching Woodward and Bernstein off-guard (Woodstein probably were probably planning a book to be published as soon at Felt died). Gothamist,......

Susan Shapiro, author, Lighting Up and Five Men Who Broke My Heart: A Memoir...

While the Knicks enjoy their stint as the best in the Atlantic, their cross-river rivals toil in last place with a 3-12 record. Last night, they performed as their record might suggest, falling to the Wizards, 95-68. Sounds like a thrilling game for those at the MCI Center. The loss was their 10th in 11 games, and the team was held to under 70 for the 4th time this season. The Nets also set franchise......

At this point, most Midtowners have seen at least five police cars, sirens and lights ablazing, for either President Bush or Senator Kerry as they stump around town. The NY Times New York Region > Bush and Kerry Share City, if Not Much Else" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/nyregion/21prez.html">had two examples of the candidates pandering to cityfolk:- Mr. Kerry, a Red Sox fan, told the crowd at the New York Hilton last night that if they "really wanted to......

A few major telelvision critics weigh in about the Democratic National Convention coverage so far: The Daily News' David Bianculli like old footage of Tom Brokaw on the convention floor in 1976 (the election is Brokaw's swan song, before he retires) but didn't like how CNN showed the empty seats at the Fleet Center; he also notes that Fox News covered the disappearance of pregnant Lori Hacking a lot. The Washington Post's Tom Shales thought......

Oh, my God, reading reading Michiko Kakutani's Books > Books of The Times: The Pastiche of a Presidency, Imitating a Life, in 957 Pages" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/20/books/20CLIN.html?hp">review of former President Bill Clinton's memoir, My Life, provided so many laughs in the morning. It's Michiko at her book report bitchiest, calling it "hurriedly written and even more hurriedly edited." Bill was probably feeling the pain while reading it. She's so becoming the secret poster girl of the Republicans......

Today at noon, Air America, the liberal radio network, will go on the air, with Al Franken's daily show, "The O'Franken Factor." The Times looks at how the ambitions to bring a liberal voice to radio have outpaced the realities (Air America hasn't bought any stations yet - it's just bought time on five stations) as well as how the network's personalities have to remain enterataining as it competes with conservative voices Rush "Oxy-Contin" Limbaugh......

Confirmation of Spalding Gray's death has saddened many, but, unfortunately, it seemed that a body would be recovered at some point, given his past history of suicide attempts. While family believes the writer-actor jumped from the Staten Island Ferry, Newsday reports that police believe he jumped from the "Manhattan, Williamsburg or Brooklyn Bridge because of where his body washed up." Another sad thing is the Gray's wife, Kathleen Russo, found out about the body that......

Gothamist loves New York, but hearing that we're getting apples, in the tradition of the Cow Parade, for public art, while D.C. is getting PANDAS...well, Gothamist concedes this showdown to our nation's capital, goddamnit. The Pandas, aka PandaMania or PandaPalooza, will be on display from May through September, while the Apples will be on display from August through October. The Washington Post has more details on pandas. Check out Cow Parade NY and D.C.'s......

The Washington Post has a detailed look inside Saddam's Tikrit hut. Gothamist has broken it down so you too can live like a dictator on the run, once you get a two room mud hut with rusty beds. Clothing: Three pairs of white boxer shorts and two white sleeveless undershirts (XL and XXL) still in their plastic wrapping...(with "A row of bright blue hooks for hanging clothing; the middle one is shaped like a heart.")......

The Washington Post had a field day when White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told the White House press corps, "Good morning. The president had his usual briefings this morning and just recently completed an interview with the Sun, for a discussion of his upcoming visit to the United Kingdom." Yes, THE SUN, Gothamist's favorite British tabloid, which is where we find out everything we want to know about Kylie, Liam, Posh'n'Becks, Sadie'n'Jude, Chris'n'Gwyneth,......