Morning Brief

UNTOLD STORIES OF THE WEEK

GOP GAINS
GOP makes gains in New York Assembly special elections by Ford O'Connell Examiner.com
Republicans seem to have captured three of the four races for a net GOP gain of two seats in the New York State Assembly. (In the one seat won by the Democrat, his Republican opponent was a registered Democrat.)

NEW YORK STATE SENATOR EXPELLED, VIOLENCE ON THE SENATE FLOOR. NY SENATE SPEAKER IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
The New York Senate voted 53-8 to expel state Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens). Monserrate was found guilty of third-degree assault misdemeanor for slamming a glass into his girlfriend's face. Lurid tapes of him dragging her through the lobby of the apartment building and the trial entranced New Yorkers for weeks. See Wikipedia entry

4There was little debate on the matter preceding the vote because of the combativeness of some of his backers. Like Brooklyn Senator Kevin Parker (D), "whose history includes punching a traffic agent in the face, a complaint that he shoved a female aide, knocking her glasses off; and a pending felony assault indictment for allegedly roughing up a photographer". Parker was restrained from hitting a female senator by Senate Speaker Malcolm Smith who is himself under investigation by the US Attorney's office for steering taxpayer money to a charity he founded that, according to the New York Daily News, "was fingered for keeping the bulk of the money it raised for Hurricane Katrina relief."

4 The New York Post has been on the story about Smith's "charity" for months.

A 6-YEAR-OLD SUSPENDED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT gets $160,000 settlement.