The New York Observer » Reid Pillifant

NY1, YNN Get a DC Bureau

Earlier this week, YNN--the upstate sister station of NY1--sent a team of reporters to Washington D.C. to cover the swearing-in of Kathy Hochul, with an eye toward its impact on Western New York.

It's a familiar trek for NY1 reporters, who frequently travel to Washington for stories about the city's Congressional delegation, but one that's about Read More

Roundup: No Photos, Ersatz Equipment

Bin Laden Photos: "We don't need to spike the football," Obama said. [New York Times]

Bin Laden Photos: Plenty of senators have seen unofficial ones. [Politico]

Bin Laden Photos: Peter King is skipping his chance to see them tomorrow. [Michael Amon]

2012: King wants Rudy to run. [National Review]

2012: What tomorrow night's debate Read More

Both Senators, Nadler, King to Join Obama Tomorrow

President Obama will be at the World Trade Center site tomorrow and--while former President George W. Bush won't be joining him--a number of New York's congressional representatives will be making the trip back from Washington.

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand will both be in attendance. Congressman Nadler, who represents ground zero, will also be there. As Read More

Obama Won’t Release Bin Laden Photos, Peter King Okay With That

In an interview with 60 Minutes recorded today, President Obama told Steve Kroft the administration won't release photos of Osama bin Laden's death.

Bin Laden was shot in the head during a raid on Sunday evening, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney had previously called the photos "gruesome."

Lawmakers had been split on whether Read More

Obama to Visit Ground Zero Thursday

On Thursday, President Obama will return to New York City, where he'll visit Ground Zero and meet with family members of those lost in the September 11 terror attacks.

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer confirmed the visit on Twitter about an hour ago, but a full schedule for the visit has yet to be Read More

Bloomberg’s Bin Laden Speech

Mayor Bloomberg's office just sent out text of the speech he's delivering at the World Trade Center site this afternoon.

The mayor's remarks reference the U.S. commitment to bringing to justice those who perpetrated the September 11 attacks, and said: "Yesterday, Osama bin Laden found out that America keeps its commitments."

He also cites the September 11 Read More

Gillibrand Felt ‘Extraordinary Joy,’ Talks Pakistan Push-Pull

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she felt "extraordinary joy" at hearing the news about the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan yesterday.

"It's a moment of triumph and I think it's very important for New Yorkers," she said in an interview on CBS' Early Show this morning. She said she had spoken to some firefighters and Read More

Reacting to Bin Laden’s Death

Statements from elected officials reacting to the killing of Osama bin Laden began rolling in even as the president was just beginning to announce the news.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it a victory, and said he hopes it will comfort the victims of September 11.

After September 11, 2001, we gave our word as Americans that Read More

DCCC Raises Off Trump’s Antics

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee emailed its supporters this morning, asking for donations to help fight back against Donald Trump.

The email -- which came with the obligatory "You're fired" subject line -- opens with a question about why Trump has been so focused on the president's birthplace.

"It's simple," explains Robby Mook, the DCCC executive director. Read More

Roundup: New Hampshire Limo Edition

Trump: "Deadly serious" about running. [CNN]

Trump: "I am so proud of myself. I got this guy to release his birth certificate. I'm really, really happy." [NYT]

Trump: Obama's playing the race card. [Union Leader]

Trump: Not in a hurry to fulfill birth-certificate-for-tax-return pledge. [ABC]

Birthing: Obama overstated the controversy. [Poynter]

Birthing: A catalogue Read More

Pete King Likes Obama’s Panetta, Petraeus Shuffle

Before President Obama released his long-form birth certificate and Donald Trump held court in New Hampshire, the big national news this morning was that the White House would shuffle C.I.A. Director Leon Panetta into the role of Defense Secretary and replace him with General David Petraeus.

In a statement this morning, Homeland Security Read More

Rudy Returns! Giuliani Headed Back to New Hampshire

Rudy Giuliani will return to Manchester, New Hampshire next month for a house party at the home of local macher Ovide Lamontagne.

The news was reported this morning by the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Last month, Giuliani spoke to the local G.O.P.'s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, but aides were careful to characterize that visit as repaying some old Read More

Obama 2012: ‘Scratch and Claw,’ But Also Measure Carefully

President Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina, emailed out this "sneak peek" video to supporters today, laying out the "strategic framework" for the president's re-election campaign.

There are charts and maps and talk of expanding the electorate and making 2008 look "prehistoric." It's not the most thrilling presentation; at one point, Messina says: "This is the thing Read More

Ed Koch, Reluctantly for Obama

In 2004, former mayor Ed Koch committed an act of Democratic treason and endorsed George W. Bush in his re-election bid against John Kerry. In Koch's estimation, Bush could be counted on to keep the country safe, and that pre-empted any concerns about their domestic policies.

In an email to his mailing list this afternoon, Koch Read More

Haley Barbour Is Out

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour isn't running for president, after all.

In a statement this afternoon, Barbour said he couldn't offer the kind of committment it takes to successfully mount a campaign for the White House.

"A candidate for president today is embracing a ten-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His Read More