Senator Joe Lieberman addressed the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last night, heralding presidential candidate John McCain's record. The former vice presidential candidate in the 2000 election discussed his political affiliations, "What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this? I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party... John McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth: Being a Democrat or a Republican is......

Last night, the Republican National Convention got off to a subdued start as most of the focus was on Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Gustav. First Lady Laura Bush and First Lady aspirant Cindy McCain asked for delegates and the country to extend aid to the affected region. While President Bush had to cancel his Monday night appearance, he will address the convention tonight via satellite at 9:30 p.m. EST. Other speakers will include former presidential......

Photograph of protesters outside the Russian Consulate in Manhattan yesterday by Jason DeCrow/AP Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili signed a cease-fire that requires Russian military to withdraw from Georgia. U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice, who is in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi, told reporters, "Our most urgent task today is the immediate and orderly withdrawal of Russian armed forces and the return of those forces to Russia." While, per CNN, the "agreement includes a provision for independent......

President Bush announced today that he's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the country of Georgia, to show "America's unwavering support." Rice will go to Georgian capital Tbilisi after going to France, which had negotiated the ceasefire between Russia and Georgia. However, Georgia claims Russia tanks occupied the city of Gori today. Georgian president Mikhal Saakashvili criticized the West, including the U.S., saying, “Today, the West’s very will is tested. The main thing is......

President Bush held his first news conference in months to discuss the economy and tried to remain optimistic, saying in spite of the slowing economy, "I believe we will come through this challenge stronger than ever before." However, Bloomberg News reports Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was pessimistic in his Senate testimony, "abandon[ing] his June assessment that the threat of an economic downturn had diminished, telling lawmakers that growth and inflation risks are increasing."......

Today President Bush lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling ban (which his father actually put in place in 1990) saying, "We need to increase the supply of oil, especially here at home..Today, I've taken every step within my power to allow offshore exploration of the OCS. All that remains is for the Democratic leaders in Congress to allow a vote." Offshore drilling can only begin if Congress repeals the legislative ban on drilling; Representative......

Photograph of some of the G8 leaders--from left, President George W. Bush, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President of the European Union Jose Manuel Durao Barroso--from the AP Yesterday, President Bush discussed the end of the G8 talks held in Tokayo, Japan, saying they were "very productive." Specifically, he felt they "made progress, significant progress, toward a comprehensive approach" on......

Yesterday afternoon, President Bush's daughter Jenna was married in a sunset ceremony at the "Western White House" in Crawford, Texas. Her groom, Henry Hager, is from a "well-connected" Virginia family and had worked for Karl Rove. Bush told reporters today, "The wedding was spectacular. It was all we could have hoped for. We're mighty blessed." The White House released a few photographs and few details (it did confirm there were over 200 guests). It's......

Photograph of President Bush and members of the Giants organization by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Before being feted at the White House, the New York Giants visited the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and met soldiers wounded in Iraq. Coach Tom Coughlin said to one 31-year-old U.S. Marine whose lost both his legs in Falluja, "You are the real heroes." One soldier, Michael Cain, who lost his right leg five years ago and is a......

Photograph of soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment studying a map during a house search in Baghdad by Anja Niedringhaus/AP Five years ago today, the United States became involved with the Iraq War. While many Americans are unhappy with the war, per the Washington Post, "For the Bush administration, however, it is the first anniversary of an Iraq strategy that it believes has finally started to succeed." Today President Bush......

Photograph of Bush speaking to the Economic Club of New York by Mary Altaffer/AP Update: President Bush gave his speech at the Ecomonic Club - here's his opening:First of all, in a free market, there's going to be good times and bad times. That's how markets work. There will be ups and downs. And after 52 consecutive months of job growth, which is a record, our economy obviously is going through a tough time.......

Photograph of John McCain and President George Bush at the White House by Ron Edmonds/AP Yesterday, Senator John McCain was welcomed and endorsed by President Bush. Bush referenced McCain's doubters and past history, "John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment. And that's exactly what we need in a President: somebody that can handle the tough decisions; somebody who won't flinch in the face of......

Senator John McCain at a campaign stop in San Antonio, TX by Eric Gay/AP CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in......

Photograph of Fidel Castro from 2006, proving he was alive after intestinal surgery and wearing an Adidas tracksuit Cuban president Fidel Castro resigned his position after nearly 50 years of rule. The 81-year-old Castro has been battling illness since 2006, notably turning over power to his brother Raul and other ministers temporarily. Though he was still ruling after his 2006 surgery, Castro was little seen. Now it is expected that Castro's resignation positions Raul......

Mayor Bloomberg let his feelings about H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which was signed into legislation by President Bush on Wednesday, be known. Mayor Bloomberg said the government "is spending money it doesn't have," and "I suppose it won't hurt the economy, but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic." But don't worry, Americans - singles with incomes of under $75,000 and couples with combined incomes of under......

For those of you that still collect baseball cards (are there any left), be on the lookout for a joke card from Topps. The card manufacturer of our childhood, Topps is sneaking in a card with the former mayor and Yankees fan as a member of the Red Sox. You ask, "'But that's just nuts! He's a Yankees fan through and through! Why would Topps do such a thing?'" Well, because Rudy said in......

Photograph of President Bush, with Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in the background, delivering the State of the Union by Ron Edmonds/AP President George Bush gave his final State of the Union address, sounding positive about his leadership but also noting that there's still more to do: "From expanding opportunity to protecting our country, we have made good progress. Yet we have unfinished business before us, and the......

The NY Times' editorial board has made its endorsements for the upcoming primaries. While the Times' selection of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama is interesting (the Times cites experience), we're very taken with the editorial about the Republican candidates. The Times thinks John McCain is the best Republican candidate and notes some problems with him. But the heart of the editorial is an evisceration of former mayor Rudy Giuliani:Why, as a New York-based paper, are......

Though there's a "tentative deal" for President Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan in D.C., Mayor Bloomberg thinks it's a bad idea. During a speech last night (accepting an award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors), he outlined why the package was a problem. From the NY Sun:The $145 billion proposal being negotiated centers around the idea of providing several hundred dollars in tax rebates to individuals and families in a bid to spur the economy......

The U.S. financial markets may have been closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, but stock markets around the world tumbled as worries over the U.S. economy took hold. Johan Stein, who manages about $14 billion at an asset management firm in Stockholm told Bloomberg, "It's the worst I've ever seen. The financial system is in terrible shape, and no one knows where this will end.'' Many investors are doubtful that President......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: smoke inhalation victims at Centre and White Sts. in Manhattan, a shooting on Neptune Ave. in Brooklyn, and a truck vs. overpass at 155th St. and South Rd. in Queens. Design firm EDAW was chosen to plan the Steeplechase Plaza for a now-vacant lot near the Coney Island boardwalk. The development beneath the Parachute Jump may include a water park and a platform for viewing Cyclones minor league baseball......

That just happened! Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic Iowa Caucus with at least 37% of the vote (projections are changing). Former Senator John Edwards got 30% of the vote while Senator Hillary Clinton got 29%. The media is playing this as a huge failure for the Senator from New York, given how powerful the Clinton machine has seemed. Also stunning: There were 82% more Democratic voters in this year's caucus compared with 2004,......

Earlier today, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was killed during a rally. The Western-educated (Harvard, Oxford) Bhutto had been living in Dubai and London for eight years, but returned in October to prepare for Pakistan's national elections (to be held next month) with hopes of returning to power. However, her return parade was bombed, killing 134 people and injuring more than 400. [Her obituary in the NY Times.] U.S. politicians weighed in on......

The NY Times reports on Mr. New Jersey's ties with the political elite. With it being common practice for high-ranking politicians to attend his concerts, it's seems it's a two way street, with Bon Jovi also showing his support at their functions.He calls her “Mrs. C.” And she calls on him to add a little celebrity gloss to her presidential campaign. Jon Bon Jovi and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been friends for more than a......

On January 2, after seeing a young man have a seizure and fall into the 1 subway tracks at at the 137th Street station just as a train was entering the station, construction worker Wesley Autrey jumped in and covered the other man's body with his own. The train passed over them and a hero was born. Autrey repeatedly told the media that he didn't want his two young daughters to see the man,......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a homicide on Merrick and Baisley Blvds. in Queens, an overturned auto on the F.D.R. Drive at East 23rd St. in Manhattan, and shots fired at the police at 58th St. and 18th Ave. in Brooklyn. Two employees were found dead in an empty 20,000 gallon vat they were cleaning at an industrial laundry service in NJ. The men appear to have been overcome by chemical fumes and suffocated.......

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......

Last Sunday and Monday a collective of activists, journalists, retired government officials and theater makers gathered at The Culture Project to begin mock impeachment proceedings against President Bush. The “trial by theater” arose in part out of frustration with Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s pledge to leave impeachment “off the table” when her party seized the House majority. The month long series, called A Question of Impeachment, is intended to spark debate and, participants hope,......

We hope all of you, whether you have stayed in the city or have traveled to spend the holiday with loved ones, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. While, for many people, Thanksgiving is about the bounty of food, football games, or the start of the holiday shopping season, it's also a good opportunity to appreciate your life. The History Channel has an extensive website about the history of Thanksgiving (with video). Scholastic's school-children-targeted......

Realizing that air traffic congestion is terrible and will be even worse next week during Thanksgiving holiday, President Bush announced that the FAA is working on new ideas, plus military airspace will be opened up for five days to civilian planes. If using military airspace (the "Thanksgiving Express Lane") works well this time around, it may reopened for the Christmas holidays. The other measures the President announced were: FAA will focus on preventing delays......