A member of the House Committee on Homeland Security will be releasing a report that alleges cigarettes sold on Indian reservations ultimately help fund Hamas and Hezbollah. The report, "Tobacco and Terror," from the staff of Republican Representative Peter King, illustrates how bootleggers could buy tons of cigarettes from Indian reservations, where cigarettes are not taxed. Here's a sample sentence from the report: “A motivated terrorist cell could generate sufficient funds to carry out another......

Last week, Brett Favre was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This week, Eli Manning graces the cover of the magazine. If you believe the S.I. cover curse/jinx, then the Giants may be in trouble. In the magazine, Peter King gives the Giants-Packers game the cover story treatment, while Dr. Z decides to pick the Giants to make up for picking against the Jets in Super Bowl III. We're not sure if Manning believes in......

President Bush submitted a budget proposal to Congress this week that involved dramatic cuts to the city's anti-terrorism funding. "The plan would eliminate programs for port security, transit security and local emergency management operations in the next budget year." Well, why would a low-priority target like NYC need all that money anyway? Oh wait, we remember! It was hard not to see this coming, though. The city already took a 40% cut in funding from......

If a change in clothes doesn't help the Jets, what will? Despite looking snazzy in their New York Titans throwbacks, the Jets looked anything but sharp on the field in a 16-9 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. Some creative playcalling, including a reverse, got the Jets deep inside Eagles territory as the fourth quarter wound down, but Chad Pennington couldn't get the ball to Laveranues Coles on fourth-and-one fade. The whispers are growing louder......

There was a suspicious package in Times Square this afternoon. The NYPD shut down Times Square briefly as they investigated the object at 42nd and 7th Avenue. And the package turned out to be a red backpack forgotten by its Brooklyn owner. D'oh! The city has heightened its security after the London and Glasgow incidents, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff affirms that decision. He told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, "I believe......

The new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says the NYPD thinks it's the NPD - the National Police Department. The Daily News reports that Democratic Mississippi representative Bennie Thompson is critical of the NYPD's tactics that stretch into other jurisdictions. He told the News, "While I understand that chasing down leads in other locales might help keep the city safe, I emphasized that the NYPD is not the FBI, that it does......

In Congressional testimony in Washington D.C. yesterday, deputy NYPD commish Richard Falkenrath told lawmakers that he wakes up every morning braced for another terrorist attack. The method of attack? Simultaneous detonation of satchel bombs. Falkenrath, who was testifying in front of the Homeland Security Committee on a mass transit bill, also told House members that there have been 22 bomb threats and 31 leads related to subway attack plots this year. The proposed bill......

And by listen, we mean "listen to the expected news that Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2008." The NY Times reports that Hillary Clinton has been meeting with "top New York Democratic officials" to explain her 2008 plans and ask for their support when that happens. According to anonymous sources, Clinton has met with Representative Charles Rangel and State Democratic Party chair Herman D. Farrel Jr., and may meet with Governor-elect Eliot......

The Daily News uses today's cover to wonder about Hillary Clinton's march to the Presidency. Though many signs point to her running (the campaign war chest! winning re-election by even taking some Republican areas in NY State!), she still needs to make the decision. Republican Representative Peter King tells the Daily News that the GOP shouldn't underestimate Clinton - and husband Bill. "I've seen her walk into a room full of firemen on Long......

The fun of the Internet! The website Legistorm lists the salaries of Congressional staffers, and the Post did some legwork to find the payrolls of NY-area representatives and senators. The Post, though, points out a few big payrolls: One of the fattest payrolls in Washington belongs to Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem), who controls the top Democratic spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Rangel pays four of his top committee aides more than $150,000,......

Representative and head of the Homeland Security committee Peter King of New York wants better airport security. How much better? Well, better enough to protect against shoulder-fired missiles. In fact, let's look at the transcript of what he said on Fox News (yeah, we know, Fox News...) since he mentioned a NYC neighborhood while talking to Chris Wallace:Well, I'm not saying we should be targeting people, Chris, but I think we should put political correctness......

If there's one thing the revelation that Al Qaeda was planning a cyanide attack on NYC subways is good for, it's making New York City and State politicians foam at the mouth over the Department of Homeland Security's NYC anti-terror fund slashing. Al Qaeda did not end up attacking the subways because security was increased and there wouldn't be enough fatalities. Senator Charles Schumer said, "This is just more evidence that what Homeland Security......

As New York state and city politicians attack the Department of Homeland Security over cutting the funds NYC gets for anti-terrorism efforts, the DHS has been fighting back by saying that New York City's proposal wasn't well-prepared. The NY Times writes, "Federal officials said yesterday that the city had not only done a poor job of articulating its needs in its application, but had also mishandled the application itself, failing to file it electronically......

The Department of Homeland Security cut the yearly antiterrorism budget for the "Urban Area Security Initiative" and New York and DC got the shaft, with their funds cut by 40%. New York City, which had received $207.6 million last year, will now get $124.5 million (DC went from $77.5 million to $46.5 million), while cities like Omaha, Louisville, Atlanta, and Jacksonville are getting more; ost notably, Jersey City/Newark got a 44% increase in funds,......

The port brouhaha is now in President Bush's court, as Dubai Ports World has requested that the U.S. government investigate the deal - the very same kind of investigation that the Bush administration said the deal did not need. Hmm, we wonder if Karl Rove asked the company to request it, to get them out of this pickle, or if DPW realized they'd have to do this or else there'd be protests at the ports......

From his hospital bed, Governor Pataki has joined other politicians in opposing Dubai World Ports from taking over P&O Ports holdings in the U.S. Specifically the ports which serve New York and New Jersey. Senators Schumer and Clinton had been against the deal, along with Representative Peter King (Long Island, Republican) and NJ Senator Menendez, given the history of terrorist ties with the United Arab Emirates. But the Bush administration claimed "favorable" relations with the......