MoMoney...

Vacant storefront windows throughout New York City are an urban blight. And with traditional retail being such a tough market, they're becoming more common.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has a plan to solve this problem.

While in Albany, the mayor called for the passage of a "commercial vacancy tax." What this would do is force retail locations from keeping their properties empty or holding out for a high-paying, long-term tenant.

Landlords currently have a legal right to hold out for the rent levels they want.

"We have a number of empty storefronts. It's a growing problem in our neighborhoods. Let's pass a smart, targeted tax to stop landlords from leaving their properties empty, from blighting neighborhoods," de Blasio said. 

"Let's make clear to landlords that this is a problem for our communities, and with this tax, hopefully we would encourage landlords to turn their properties over more quickly and ensure that small businesses have an opportunity to rent them at a reasonable level."

De Blasio is on the hunt for more money. Just a thought.

Dissaray...

A U.S. judge dismissed a Democratic Party lawsuit arguing that the Russian government, President Donald Trump’s campaign and WikiLeaks carried out a conspiracy to influence the 2016 U.S. election.

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan said he could not hear the claims against Russia, which were the focus of the case, because of a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity that shields foreign governments from litigation in the United States.

"The remedies for hostile actions by foreign governments are state actions, including sanctions imposed by the executive and legislative branches of government," Koeltl's written opinion said.

Koeltl also said holding WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign liable for dissemination of hacked emails would infringe on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Democratic National Committee's computer systems were hacked during the campaign and WikiLeaks published them.

Fading...

It’s too early to know where this Democratic story is headed in the fight to unseat Donald Trump. But some things are already clear.

The first is that Joe Biden’s campaign is on life support.  After two crushing defeats, there’s no doubt about the prognosis: the former vice-president is fading fast.

Back in 2008 and 2016, Hillary Clinton ran two versions of the argument that voters wanted a mix of experience and change: of looking back and looking forward. That argument failed among Democrats the first time, and won the national popular vote the second time around by a large margin.

But it has resoundingly failed amid the wreckage of Donald Trump’s presidency, just as it did amid the carnage of George W Bush’s. Democratic voters want more change, not less change. 

Biden likes to say that we should compare him to the alternative, not the almighty. Sadly the voters have made the comparison and found him wanting against both.

New Hampshire buried not one but three campaigns besides Biden’s. Elizabeth Warren had built a brilliant campaign around her many policy proposals until she ran into the brick wall of trying to make sense of Bernie Sanders’ signature idea: Medicare for All.

Who knew it would be so hard to make the math work to avoid taxing everybody while also massively expanding government healthcare? It’s much easier to keep people excited about abolishing private insurance if you don’t talk about taxes.

Trick...

In a recent scientific advisory published in the American Heart Association (AHA) Circulation journal, researchers analyzed over 50 studies, including several meta-analyses, and found heart-healthy diets are also naturally low in cholesterol, which is important because high blood cholesterol can up your risk for heart attack and stroke.

And, the one trick researchers found when digging through the data was that focusing on the overall diet rather than tediously tracking a numerical value of cholesterol intake is more effective in helping you successfully stay on track with healthy eating.

Focusing on heart-healthy dietary suggestions (think: lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and less of foods high in saturated fats such as butter, cheese, and red meat) works because totality of the diet matters, especially for people who need to lower their cholesterol,  People more often arrange their diets based on foods—not from a list of nutrients—so food-based advice relates more directly to daily dietary decisions.

Mildly...

The former vice president abruptly announced on Tuesday morning that he won’t spend primary night in New Hampshire as planned and instead is flying to South Carolina to headline a newly scheduled kick-off rally in the state he’s long considered his campaign firewall.

Nevada and South Carolina follow New Hampshire – which is an overwhelmingly white state. Biden’s campaign has long considered Nevada and South Carolina – with their far more diverse electorates – as much friendlier ground for the former vice president.

Biden, who limped into New Hampshire after a lackluster fourth-place finish in last week’s Iowa caucuses, said  Monday night to his supporters: “Stick with me 24 hours and we’re going to be just fine. We’re going to win this nomination.”

On Tuesday he said he was still “mildly hopeful” about his prospects in New Hampshire, while also downplaying expectations consistently for the Granite State.

Does White America care much for the Biden?

Sell...

Since heading to the Granite State ahead of Tuesday's primary, Biden continued his pointed attacks on former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, noting his lack of experience and paltry support within the African American community, and on Sanders, for calling himself a "Democratic Socialist."

'It's gonna go all the way down the line': Biden on Sanders' down ballot effect

Following a debate that featured numerous confrontations between Biden and Sanders over health care, foreign policy and electability, Biden again warned that nominating the self-avowed socialist is too risky. 

Biden argued that nominating Sanders would force Democrats up and down the ballot to cope with the potential downside of being associated with "a socialist," a label President Donald Trump could attack and exploit.

Hoax...

Looks.....

Divided...

Hack...