Anna Schneider-Mayerson

Andrew Cuomo might not have read Wayne Barrett's tome on Cuomo' relationship with real estate magnate Andrew Farkas, but we were reminded that our own Anna Schneider-Mayerson spoke with both Cuomo and Farkas back in June.

The former HUD secretary sued Farkas for diverting federal funds to management instead of housing maintenance-- and then went on to work for Farkas and accept campaign contributions from him. According to Barrett, Farkas still considers Cuomo's suit a mistake. "Andrew was wrong," Farkas claimed.

But according to the notes Anna kindly passed on, the two seem to hold each other in the highest regard. Cuomo explained their beginnings thusly:

"He's (Farkas) just a good friend and he started a new company and I was doing the things that I was doing and he was ...he said 'do you want to come with me you know a little about real estate development.'"

Farkas, for his part, was sad to see Cuomo return to politics.

"I will miss him personally," said Farkas, adding "He made tremendous contributions while he was here and they were all additive."

-- Jason Horowitz

Okay, one more before we go back to reporting, you know, news:

Anna Schneider-Mayerson and John Koblin write about the surface unity of the New York delegation on the Middle East, while noting the real differences between, say, Charlie Rangel and Anthony Weiner on Israel's use of force, or between Joe Crowley and Pete King on how the politics of the whole thing are going to play out.

(Ben, as our hyper-informed audience probably knows, had an excellent, not-unrelated item on the subject.)

We've got a dispatch from Tel Aviv about the perception there that the international community is being more supportive of Israel than anytime in recent years. And another from Damascus about how the locals are welcoming the arrival of a war they think could be the "final battle".

Grim.

-- Josh Benson

Jason Horowitz visits Suozziland.

Anna Schneider-Mayerson digs into Mark Green's contributors.

Observer Classics features Mike Bloomberg and Mark Green.

Joe Conason uncovers congressional hypocrisy.

Jason Horowitz asks if this is the beginning of the end of Rudy's bubble.

Anna Schneider-Mayerson reports that Karl Rove learned via blackberry that he would not be charged with a crime.

Matthew Schuerman reports on the courting of the 2008 Democratic convention.

In Opinions, Joe Conason, Niall Stanage and Richard Brookhiser share their sentiments.

And David Yassky in the editorials.

Jason Horowitz reports on Iraq as rhetorical quagmire for New York's politicians.

Anna Schneider-Mayerson reports on Andrew Cuomo's private sector dealings.

Jason Horowitz and Nicole Brydson report on Bill Weld's withdrawal from the race for Governor.

Joe Conason writes it's politics as usual, instead of security.

Michael MacDonald writes in favor of public financing.

Jason Horowitz reports on Weld's post-convention barbeque.

Sheelah Kolhatkar asks where the marchers have gone.

Nicholas von Hoffman writes about English as a second language.

In the Editorials: Homeland Security and charter schools.  read more »

Jason Horowitz asks if Rudy can pass for a Republican, and how Hillary Clinton can help.

Legal reporter Anna Schneider-Mayerson profiles Mrs. Eliot Spitzer, better known as Silda Wall.

Joe Conason writes about leak etiquette.

Niall Stanage reports on politicians and Wal-Mart in New York City.

Nicholas Von Hoffman asks who else will take the fall for dirty tactics in Iraq.  read more »

And NYTV reporter, Rebecca Dana, writes about new White House press secretary Tony Snow.

Ben and I revisit the story of the Manhattan Twelve, the roundtable of conservative scholars whose decision to "suspend" their support of President Nixon in 1971 bears an intriguing resemblance the rebellion brewing among conservatives incensed by the Harriet Miers Nomination. (Hat tip to the New York Post's Ryan Sager who first noted the analogy, and whose book about the future of the Republican Party is forthcoming.)

Anna Schneider-Mayerson plumbs the reaction of the Federalist Society, the cozy klatch of conservative lawyers and scholars that has spent years building a pipeline to the federal judiciary, and finds widespread disenchantment with the Miers nomination. In the best quote category, Richard Epstein, the libertarian firebrand and legal scholar, fumes: "This woman comes from nowhere and has never been educated."

And, tying the ribbon around The Observer's Miers package, Simon Doonan hails the Texas blonde as an unlikely icon of 2006 spring fashion chic.

Jason Horwitz examines Mayor Bloomberg's growing anxiety about his legacy as he finishes up his first term in office and sprints toward his second.  read more »

On the opinion pages, Joe Conason salutes Mohammed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

And Niall Stanage looks forward to the drama of a Clinton-Pirro battle for U.S. Senate.

I dig into the controversy over the City Council's decision to subsidize security at only three cultural institutions, the Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center, and BAM, which has perplexed and angered officials at other leading groups.

Anna Schneider-Mayerson chats with the liberal Democrat who is Karl Rove's lawyer.

Matt Schuerman profiles Bertha Lewis, noting that Acorn's chief has gone from being Bruce Ratner's adversary to being his best friend, and in return won a chance to bring affordable housing to Brooklyn -- and a little help balancing her organization's books.

Jason Horowitz evaluates how two world-class architects, Renzo Piano and Frank Gehry, have developed very different niches in New York.  read more »

And do not miss Jessica Bruder's adventures in the suburban wilderness of her native New Jersey, where she found Ryan Mauro, 19, the self-styled Youngest Hired Geopolitical Analyst in North America. As it turns out, tracking terror is no easy feat. Particularly when you live with your parents.