{"id":12045,"date":"2014-01-19T00:37:19","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T08:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12045"},"modified":"2014-01-19T00:37:19","modified_gmt":"2014-01-19T08:37:19","slug":"open-thread1192014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/19\/open-thread1192014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–1\/19\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow, and feeling quite exhausted after being up all night recovering my computer.  The file that trashed it got through my firewall, while I was on Care2.  The management of Care2 is in no way at fault.  Nobody can maintain a site of that size and complexity without an occasional security glitch, and for the volume of traffic they have, they do an excellent job.  So fell victim to either a random hacker or a Republican hacker.  Given the pain I cause them, I suspect latter, but have no evidence to prove it.  Tomorrow is a High Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, and my Broncos will worship with the Patriots for the AFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl.  You can guess what I shall be doing.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 3:00 (average 5:06).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>: <\/p>\n

From TPM<\/a>: <\/font>On MSNBC\u2019s \u201cUp with Steve Kornacki\u201d this morning, Hoboken, N.J. mayor Dawn Zimmer offered an extraordinary account of her dealings<\/a> with the administration of Governor Chris Christie concerning federal Hurricane Sandy relief aid. She described an effort by top state officials \u2013 the lieutenant governor and a cabinet member \u2013 to coerce Hoboken\u2019s city government into fast-tracking approval of a proposed redevelopment project by withholding Sandy aid from the government and residents of her city. That project, she says she was told, was \u201cvery important to the governor.\u201d And if she worked to get it approved, \u201cthe money would start flowing to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

It just so happens that the proposed project in question is situated on three blocks of land owned by the Rockefeller Group, a client of the law firm of Wolff & Samson. That firm was founded by Christie confidante David Samson, a former state attorney general who Christie tapped to head his transition team in 2009. In 2011 the governor appointed Samson to become the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he remains today.<\/p>\n

Here are two of the videos from Steve’s show<\/font><\/p>\n