Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was unsparing in his criticism of radio ratings measuring company Arbitron, which just rolled out new measuring devices. Cuomo's statement reads, "Arbitron's decision to release its unreliable and unaccredited radio ratings system is an affront to racial and ethnic minorities in New York and around the country... Arbitron's unwillingness to defend the validity of their system on its merits proves it places its own economic incentives over the interests of minority......

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was on 60 Minutes last night and showed bipartisan leanings, when it comes to someone who could head the Securities and Exchange Commission. McCain, who previously blasted SEC chair Christopher Cox, said, "This may sound a little unusual, but I’ve admired Andrew Cuomo. I think he is somebody who could restore some credibility, lend some bipartisanship to this effort.” The candidate said Cuomo "did a good job" as HUD secretary......

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has made misleading practices in the student loan industry one of his major issues (see the AG's info on student lending), and yesterday he announced seven companies will follow a "code of conduct for their marketing". Campus Door, EduGap, GMAC Bank, Graduate Loan Associates, Nelnet, Nextstudent and Xanthus were found to have questionable practices--mailing fake checks or false rebates, offering gifts (iPods) to distract from "sometimes onerous" loan terms, and making......

For those of you hitting the road this Labor Day weekend, be on the alert for gas stations "illegally overcharging" or advertising fake low prices. The Post reports that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is warning drivers about this practice, "Our investigation revealed that New York City is rife with gas stations that engage in deceptive practices where they display one price as a way to lure customers - and then charge them more at the......

The mere act of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo hosting a community forum on the Upper West Side raises the question about whether he may be eying a run for mayor next year. The Sun reports that the "forum provides an opportunity to raise his profile in the city and make inroads with elected officials whose support would be invaluable in a mayoral campaign," especially when "critics have expressed frustration with the current field of likely......

Note to MTA board members: Think before you speak! Maybe even pre-think before you think! MTA Board Vice Chairman David Mack has learned this lesson, maybe, after his controversial, elitist remarks explaining why he would fight for unrestricted free E-Z pass usage, "Why should I ride [the train] and inconvenience myself when I can ride in a car?" Background: Attorney General Andrew Cuomo questioned the MTA's decision to give E-Z passes to former and......

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced an investigation that found Rite Aid and CVS drugstore chains selling expired goods, like medicine, milk, eggs, and baby formula. Cuomo called it a "double whammy for the consumer." The statewide investigation revealed 142 CVS (60% of the stores visited) and 112 Rite Aid (43% of stores visited) stores in over 41 counties were selling expired products. A CVS near City Hall was selling expired decongestant, while a Rite Aid......

Making good on a campaign promise, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (pictured) has put pressure on three major Internet service providers to shut down online groups that share child pornography. Verizon, Sprint and Time Warner have each agreed to cut off access to websites and bulletin boards disseminating the illicit images, with a special emphasis on Usenet, one of the oldest computer network communications systems that uses no central server. According to the Times, the......

Photograph by Benzadrine on Flickr Did you venture to the South Street Seaport to see the Bodies Exhibit any time over the past three-plus years? If so, you're entitled to a refund because Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and exhibitor Premier agreed to a settlement after a disturbing 20/20 report suggested the bodies used were from executed Chinese prisoners who may have been tortured. Premier licenses the bodies from Dalian Hoffen Bio Technique Company Limited,......

It's on! MTA chairman Dale Hemmerdinger says the agency will go to court in order to have the option of giving free E-Z Passes to retired and current board members--many of whom are wealthy. The MTA says that the passes are a small thank you to board members who serve without compensation. But Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said, "If the law says no compensation then the law means no compensation and these gimmicks that are......

Faced with reports that MTA board members get E-ZPass for free, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo thinks the policy should end. His office's letter to the MTA was even titled, "Illegal Compensation of Board Members." Revelations about the MTA's generous E-ZPass policy started last year, and among the beneficiaries were, according to WCBS 2, "nearly 1,000 retired bridge and tunnel workers," 52 former board members and 34 current board members. And the board members can have......

Congratulations, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: You seem to be the "wealthiest statewide elected official," according to the NY Times and your tax returns. While Cuomo makes $151,000 as AG, his total reported income was $545,000, thanks to investments. Governor David Paterson's 2007 income, combined with his wife's, was $269,815. Most notably, the Patersons only made one charitable donation: $150 in clothing to the Salvation Army. That works out to be 0.06% of their income,......

Today, a Newsday editorial suggests Albany DA David Soares was either "afraid" or "just incompetent" when it came to reporting about former Governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement in using the state police to smear his political rival. Well, that's what happens when you initially say Spitzer had nothing to do with the Troopergate scandal, and then issue another report saying Spitzer was actively involved. Yesterday, the Daily News's Michael Goodwin added Soares to the list of......

Just as news settles that former Governor Eliot Spitzer was personally involved in trying to bring down rival State Senator Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, the Albany DA's office probably won't prosecute anyone in the Troopergate mess. Not only will former Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp, who leaked information about Bruno to the Times Union back in July, not face perjury charges, it also looks like Attorney General Andrew Cuomo knew about Spitzer's plan to use the......

According to its website, Murray Hill's Tonic East “is the most well rounded sports bar in the area, with an attractive scene of locals.” But it seems black was not deemed beautiful by the management: they recently agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the tune of $35,000. Responding to complaints from blacks who say they were denied entrance “based on violations of the unwritten dress code,” Cuomo’s office......

On Wednesday, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo crashed Fashion Week when he announced an indictment against the former superintendent of the 26th Street Armory. James Jackson had solicited bribes from fashion darling Marc Jacobs (pictured), who allegedly complied in order to secure the coveted armory space for his fashion shows. The Armory is considered a "community asset" whose space is to be used by the military and public. As of Wednesday, the designer was in......

A New York State appellate court ruled that under the federal concept of the "marriage recognition rule," which grants reciprocity to the bond of marriage formed in other states, it will recognize gay marriages solemnized in other states. As one of the largest states in the nation, this is a huge step for proponents of normalizing same-sex marriages. Gay marriages still aren't allowed in New York State, although a young mayor in New Paltz, NY......

With Martin Tankleff's recent release (after 17 years behind bars) and the appointment of none other than New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as a special prosecutor in the murder investigation, there's more attention paid to who may or may not have been responsible for the murder of Seymour Tankleff and his wife Arlene in 1988. At the time, prosecutors pegged the cold-blooded killing on their 17-year-old son Martin, claiming that the distraught......

Today, Governor Spitzer is giving his second State of the State Address. Which makes us recall last year's State of the State. A year ago, everyone was all smiles on the podium as Spitzer delivered his first address [pdf]. It was going to be a new Albany, free of discord and full of bipartisan cooperation to benefit all New Yorkers. Senate Majority leader Joseph Bruno was on board (“This is our agenda. Tax cuts, no......

Troopergate is the story that just keeps giving! Yesterday, we found out that Darren Dopp, former aide for Governor Spitzer accused of leaking information to smear Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, probably won't face perjury but there's question as to whether a sworn statement he gave is actually a sworn statement since it doesn't have the language "I swear to the truth of this statement." Now it turns out that Dopp called Attorney General Andrew......

While Governor Spitzer has been trying to get back to business, the Senate Investigations Committee and Albany County DA's office have been busy deciding what to do with Spitzer's from communications director Darren Dopp. Dopp resigned after he at least co-devised a plan to smear Spitzer's rival Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno over the summer. The NY Times reports the Albany County DA's office is not going to charge Dopp with perjury - yet. Dopp's......

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that NY State filed papers with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission explaining why the license for the Indian Point nuclear power plant should not be renewed. In fact, Cuomo called the plant a "catastrophe waiting to happen" and said, "I believe Indian Point should be closed and it should be closed now." Here are some of the reasons Cuomo and Governor Spitzer gave (more here - the petition submitted to the......

Former Westchester County District Attorney - and one-time Attorney General candidate and potential Senate candidate - Jeanine Pirro and her husband Al Pirro have announced they are separating. Their statement to the press: "We have agreed to amicably separate. As always, our priority remains our two wonderful children. We ask that people respect our privacy. There will be no further comment." The couple has been married 32 years and have weathered through many years of......

When Governor Spitzer announced he was dropping his controversial plan to offer driver's licenses to illegal immigrants yesterday, he was praised by his fellow Democrats. The NY Times notes that the decision won Spitzer "the kind of wide acclaim from elected officials that he could not win for the proposal itself." And that's gotta sting a little. Spitzer had first introduced a broad plan to allow illegal immigrants to get licenses, which caused outcry from......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a stabbing on Monument Walk in Brooklyn, a stabbing on West 31st St. in Brooklyn, and a stabbing on Hughes Ave. in Brooklyn. Cops are looking into the death of a man who was found unconscious in the bathroom of the Knitting Factory. They're deeming the incident suspicious. A Columbia University hunger striker was carried off a couch after passing out from hunger. Meanwhile, a group of drunken students......

The Governor and the Attorney Genral are not getting along. One would think that Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo would totally be BFF in New York politics. Both are the sons of prominent fathers––one a real estate bigwig, the other a son of a New York Governor. They've got a lot in common. Spitzer held Cuomo's job as state attorney general before becoming Governor. Cuomo's the current attorney general and seems to share his predecessor's......

It's turns out that a dirty tricks campaign - even if it's not quite criminal - can be pretty damaging. A new Quinnipiac poll shows that Governor Spitzer's approval rating has dropped to a new low of 47%. Of course, that's the low after nine months in office, so there's still room for improvement - or to find a new low. Most intriguingly, more than three-quarters of voters want Spitzer to testify about the scheme......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery at the Washington Mutual on Sheepshead Bay Rd. in Brooklyn, a worker fell into the water off Pier 11 on Governor's Island, and a bank robbery on 57th St. and Broadway in Manhattan. Additional charges could be in store for the woman who allegedly shot a Staten Island commune leader before fleeing to Philadelphia. Maya Rudolph is not returning for the new season of Saturday Night......

Governor Spitzer can rest a bit easier now: The Albany County DA found that the governor's aides broke no laws when they tried to use the state police to discredit a rival, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. DA David Soares will release a report today, but in the meantime, his spokeswoman's statement said, "This office found no illegal conduct. To the contrary, we found that the governor, his staff, and the New York State......

With Hillary Clinton focusing on her strong presidential campaign, NY State Democrats are wondering who will take over her place as the junior Senator from New York. Apparently Governor Spitzer may be open to putting Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on his shortlist. The Sun explains that while Spitzer and Cuomo are not necessarily friendly (especially due to Troopergate), Spitzer might want Cuomo in another powerful political office so he can avoid facing off with him......