Bloomberg calls NRA ad 'dumb PR'

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a new NRA Web video that labels President Barack Obama an "elitist hypocrite" is "dumb PR."

In an appearance Thursday on "CBS This Morning," the mayor said: "You have to be stupid to do that."

The video's narrator asks why Obama is skeptical of putting armed security in schools when his daughters are protected by armed guards in their own school.

The White House has called the NRA ad "repugnant and cowardly."

Bloomberg, who's a strong gun control advocate, said the NRA was itself hypocritical for coming out with a video shooting game app.

After the Newtown, Conn., tragedy, the NRA blamed violent video games and movies, not guns, for contributing to mass shootings.

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Jackson Health System asks Kendall trauma center be shut down

Ratcheting up the stakes in Miami-Dade’s hospital wars, Jackson Health System has filed two petitions with the state demanding a hearing to consider its belief that the license for trauma operations at Kendall Regional Medical Center was granted illegally and should be revoked.

Jackson, which for years has had the county’s only trauma center, has been complaining loudly since the Scott administration decided the state needed more centers. Kendall Regional’s opened in November 2011.

Jackson executives estimate it has been losing about $28 million a year since then because, as one of its trauma doctors quipped, Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center tends to get the inner-city gunshot victims who have no insurance while Kendall gets the suburban car accident victims with insurance.

State officials and the HCA hospital chain, which owns Kendall Regional, maintain that Miami-Dade’s size requires more than one trauma center.

Mark McKenney, medical director of the Kendall center, said Wednesday the center has treated 2,500 patients in its first year -- “with mortality rates significantly below the state and national averages.” He said Kendall treats anyone who comes through the door, including plenty of gunshot and stabbing victims who may or may not have insurance.

McKenney said the state decided Miami-Dade needed more trauma centers after a 2005 study showed that only 39 percent of the county’s trauma victims were treated in trauma centers. Those treated in ordinary emergency rooms showed a considerably higher mortality rate, McKenney said.

In Miami-Dade, HCA’s Mercy and Tenet’s Palmetto General have also applied for trauma licenses. Jackson countered by seeking trauma units at its two community hospitals, Jackson North and Jackson South.

In its filings to the Department of Health on Jan. 2, Jackson’s lawyers asked for formal administrative hearings, maintaining North and South were unfairly denied approval in a Dec. 13 Department of Health letter that stated the regulators were rethinking trauma rules on trauma centers after court rulings.

The Jackson petitions, first reported on Tuesday by Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida, noted that an administrative law judge in November 2011 decided that the Department of Health’s trauma certification rule was invalid. After that, the department granted provisional licenses to Kendall Regional and three other hospitals.

On Nov. 30, 2012, the First District Court of Appeal upheld that decision. Seven days later, the department approved the application of Ocala Regional, another HCA facility, and allowed it to open the following day. Gov. Rick Scott is the former chief executive of HCA.

Jackson’s attorneys accused the department of giving these other hospitals a “selective benefit.” They said that a hearing would establish that “the ultimate facts” show that “all provisional licenses issued under the invalid trauma rule need rule should be revoked,” as well as all pending applications, until the department established a legally acceptable rule on trauma centers.

Steve Ecenia, an attorney for HCA, called Jackson’s petition “bizarre” because, instead of seeking approval for its own applications, it was trying to hit back at other hospitals, including Ocala, “hundreds of miles away.” He said the appeals court decision wasn’t final, because there are demands for a rehearing, and the Department of Health’s licensing has been fair.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said Wednesday that the department “had no additional information to provide.” A Jackson spokesman said executives couldn’t comment “because of pending litigation.”

Wayne Brackin, chief operating officer of Baptist Health South Florida, said Baptist is “very worried about this trauma issue,” because in the 1980s, the trauma system fell apart in Miami-Dade with many hospitals losing money on the service, and Baptist doesn’t want the Ryder Trauma Center weakened by competition that could again endanger trauma care in the county.

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Closing arguments on tap today in Miami police sergeant’s drug-corruption trial

A brawling federal trial in which a Miami police sergeant has fought against accusations by fellow officers that he’s corrupt will wrap up Wednesday with closing arguments followed by jury deliberations.

Miami police Sgt. Raul Iglesias, who ran a drug-fighting squad, testified earlier this week that a string of government witnesses — including four detectives from his unit — all lied while accusing him of planting dope on a suspect and stealing drugs and money from street dealers.

Iglesias, 40, former commander of the Crime Suppression Unit, denied again and again that he ever did anything illegal on the job, including asking detectives for “throw-down dope” to plant on the suspect in a downtown Miami parking lot in early 2010.

“Absolutely not,” Iglesias testified, disputing the recent testimony of two detectives. “That’s a ridiculous statement,” he said, calling his former colleagues “liars.’’

Iglesias further testified he never told a third detective that it was OK to pay confidential informants with drugs.

The detective, Roberto Asanza, testified he did just that in May 2010, with Iglesias sitting by his side.

But Iglesias denied the confidential informant was paid with a small baggie of cocaine after a bust in the Allapattah area. Asanza, after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor possession charge, received a probationary sentence last year.

“I have no knowledge that he ever paid [the informant] with drugs,’’ Iglesias testified.

Iglesias, who faces nine counts of conspiracy to possess cocaine, violating suspects’ civil rights, obstruction of justice and making false statements, seemed unflappable as his defense attorney, Rick Diaz, questioned him Monday. Iglesias was relieved of duty with pay in May 2010.

But on cross examination, federal prosecutor Ricardo Del Toro mocked the 18-year veteran officer’s testimony, saying that if he is to be believed, that means five government witnesses lied and he is the only one telling the truth.

“That’s No. 5,” Del Toro declared in astonishment at one point, as Iglesias accused one more witness of lying about his alleged wrongdoing.

Earlier in the trial, CSU detectives Suberto Hernandez and Luis Valdes told jurors that Iglesias asked the pair if they had any “throw-down dope” to plant on a drug suspect after a search of the man during a Jan. 27, 2010, surveillance operation turned up no drugs.

“He looked at myself and Hernandez and he asked for throw-down dope,” said Valdes, an officer for nearly nine years.

“I said, ‘We don’t do that here. Nobody on this team does it.’’’

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iPhone demand said to be ‘robust,’ recent cuts don’t reflect weak demand

Following recent reports from Nikkei and The Wall Street Journal that suggested Apple (AAPL) slashed iPhone 5 component orders in half due to weak demand,  the company’s stock fell significantly and opened below $ 500 for the first time in nearly a year. The reports have been called into question, however, with many believing they do not represent true consumer interest. Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday, per Apple Insider, that his supply chain checks have indicated that demand for the iPhone 5 “remains robust.” The analyst believes the recent reports are a result of improved yield rates and possibly Apple’s recent supplier changes.

[More from BGR: PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 could cost just $ 350, expected to launch this fall]

Despite the recent concerns, Wu expects Apple to post better-than-expected earnings for the December quarter led by sales of 47.5 million iPhones with a gross margin of 38.7%. Both estimates are above Wall Street’s expectations of between 46 to 47 million iPhones and a 38.3% gross margin.

[More from BGR: HTC One SV review]

Sterne Agee reiterated its Buy rating on shares of Apple with a price target of $ 840.

Wu’s expectations remain bullish compared to other Wall Street analysts. Stuart Jeffrey of Nomura is the most recent analyst to cut his outlook on Apple stock. Nomura reduced the company’s price target to $ 530 from $ 660 Tuesday morning, citing weak demand for the iPhone 5 and increased pressure on Apple’s margins.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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'Cougar Town' Cast on Switching to TBS for Season 4

After premiering on ABC, Cougar Town has moved to TBS after three seasons, making the switch from network television to cable. With the show now in its fourth season, the cast revealed what they think of the channel switch.

"'Those are some smart people!'" star Courtney Cox emulated her response to TBS picking up the show. "I was just like, 'Great. It's someone who'll promote the show and it'll be something they're proud of.' It just felt great."

The cast echoed Cox's feelings on the move to TBS, citing their new network's heavy promotion of its shows as a big perk. Busy Phillips summed up the cast's perception of the move as a confidence boost to the show.

VIDEO: 'Cougar Town' Cast on the Prowl in Vegas

"Anytime you're given a second chance as a television show, it's awesome," she said. "With TBS, it's been such an awesome opportunity 'cause here's a network that...has this great brand that they're promoting...Of course it's been great to move from a place where we didn't feel like we were getting a lot of attention or promotion or network love to a network that's very enthusiastic."

Phillips, who plays Courtney Cox's character's assistant, "Laurie Keller," maintains that not only does the new network give Cougar Town a new platform but also gives it an opportunity to properly establish its identity.

"People will get a chance to see that it's not a show about...Courtney Cox sleeping with young guys. It's not about cougars; it has nothing to do with cougars," she said. "It's about this amazing, weird, funny group of friends and family that drink a lot of wine and have a lot of silly games that they like to play."

PICS: A Marriage in Pics: Courteney Cox and David Arquette

With the switch from network to cable comes more leeway with censorship, which presents the already racy show with an opportunity to become even racier. Cox, who is also a co-executive producer on the show, said she can already feel the difference.

"I think already our show is the same, yet I feel like it's a little racier," she said. "It's a little more out-and-out funny."

Watch the full video to see how Cox's young daughter, Coco, reacts to hearing her mom recount a naked shoot in front of the entire cast and crew.

Cougar Town airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TBS.

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Mayor: City won't back down on bus union's job demands as thousands of kids, parents left stranded

Getty Images

Thousands of city kids were left stranded this morning when school-bus drivers and matrons went on strike, leaving parents scrambling to find other ways to get their childen to school.

On Fox-5 TV this morning, the mayor said the city won't back down.

"There's no extra money so we couldn't change our mind and cave if we wanted to," Bloomberg said. "There's only a certain amount of money. I'm not going to move money away from police and worry about safety in the streets to pay bus drivers."

The mayor also said he would not ask the courts to intervene right now.

"I don't think it's time yet to do that. No. 1, it's not clear that all of the unions are striking. We'll find out later this morning. It's not clear this union won't come to its senses and say I just don't want to hurt the kids -- and this is not something that's going to help them. They're going to lose out on their pay from now until June," said the mayor.

The schools chancellor predicted widespread problems.

"It's going to be chaotic today, it's going to be traumatic. This is the first day. It hasn't happened in 33 years," said Walcott.

The devastating job action, called Monday by the union representing most of the city’s yellow bus drivers and matrons, left as many as 152,000 children — including 54,000 special-needs kids — faced with travel nightmares or even getting stuck at home for the duration of the work stoppage.

City officials took to the airwaves yesterday to blast Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union for leaving the students — many of whom have already suffered through Hurricane Sandy and missed a week of school — in the lurch.

“The union drivers are striking against our children, plain and simple,” Walcott said yesterday.

The city distributed free MetroCards to tens of thousands of students yesterday to help them with the expected transportation chaos. Free monthly cards also will be handed out to parents of kids in second grade and younger today.

But MTA officials acknowledged that the cards might not work at all subway stations until later today, nor on all public bus routes until late tomorrow.

The last time city school-bus drivers went on strike was 34 years ago. It lasted three months.

Today’s strike was sparked over a job-protection clause that the city removed from newly bid-out contracts.

Local 1181 claims that up to 2,500 of its members’ jobs will be at stake if new bus companies are awarded contracts in June without the protective clause.

“We’ve tried every option to avoid a strike, but our members feel that their back is to the wall and they must take a stand on this issue,” said Local 1181 chief Michael Cordiello.

Workers were heard chanting this morning "What do we want? Contracts. When do we want them? Now."

The city disputes the group's job numbers and insists it wasn’t allowed to maintain the protections because they were deemed illegal by the state’s highest court in 2011.

Education officials also said they’re trying to trim costs from their $1.1 billion yellow-busing budget, the highest in the nation.

While at least six small bus companies said they were planning to operate as usual this morning, it wasn’t clear whether union protesters might try to block them.

Asked yesterday whether his union would allow other workers to cross picket lines or enter non-union bus depots, Cordiello would only say, “Our members have been instructed to do nothing that’s illegal.”

His union represents nearly 9,000 drivers, matrons and mechanics — including nearly all the bus matrons who are required to supervise special-ed students.

That appeared to mean that even companies with non-Local 1181 drivers would be prevented from running their special-education routes.

Local 584 of the Teamsters union — which represents roughly 1,000 drivers, matrons and mechanics — said it wouldn’t join the strike because its contract with bus companies doesn’t allow for it.

But its president, Dan Gatto, also said his members wouldn’t cross picket lines.Parents can get updated information on which bus routes are running by clicking the Department of Education link on the city’s nyc.gov Web site or at www.opt-osfns.org/opt/Resources/SchoolRouteStSearch/searchresult.aspx.

yoav.gonen@nypost.com

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Wedgie-spree at Florida theater lands prankster in jail

Authorities say that Charles Ross is known to go around Manatee County and create situations in order to harass and annoy people while filming their reaction for You Tube.

Last weekend, Ross, 18, of Bradenton, ended up in jail after police say he went on a wedgie spree at a theater.

Deputies say Ross was at Royal Palm Theater Sunday night with a friend and began grabbing people by their pants and pulling them up hard, causing discomfort.

A victim told deputies that Ross pulled up his pants, wedgie-style, and then asked the victim if he wanted to hit him, all while his friend was filming, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

One victim decided to press charges but others were too embarrassed, deputies said.

The deputy took the camera as evidence and both Ross and his friend were removed from the theater and told they would be arrested if they come back, according to the report.

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The Golden Globes, Starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and Nobody Else

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:  

RELATED: The Way the World Could Have Ended

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Forget the rest of the show. And the red carpet. And the after-parties. And Lena Dunham, and maybe even Unimpressed Tommy Lee Jones. Now if only someone could just put together all the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler bits from last night’s Golden Globes — what little their was after that fantastic monologue, anyway. Well, you’re in luck. Don’t thank us, thank Flavorwire. Oh, fine, thank us a little bit:

RELATED: The Only ‘Kiss From a Rose’ Cover You’ll Ever Need

RELATED: Let’s Get Honest with ‘The Avengers’

If you were wondering, we were totally rooting for the fish: 

RELATED: ‘Roseanne’ Predicted Internet Addiction; A Weather Alert from Hell

RELATED: Yes, Someone Turned Their Dead Cat Into a Helicopter

As you may have heard, it is very cold in Los Angeles. As you also may have heard, cold in Los Angeles is very different than cold anywhere else, and, well, it’s quite funny watching them squirm:

And, finally, here is a cat using its feline agility to maneuver itself into a hammock. Yes, we are jealous: 

Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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SAG Awards Flashback: Daniel Day-Lewis 2003

Movie and TV stars have thousands of fans around the globe who would love to meet them, shake their hand, or even just be in the same building as them. Sometimes we forget that those very stars themselves worship other stars. As we found out at the 2003 SAG Awards, Matthew Perry has a steady admiration for Daniel-Day Lewis.

At that year's SAG Awards, Day-Lewis was nominated for his first SAG Award for Best Actor following his vivid performance in Gangs of New York. As he is being questioned by ET's former correspondent Jann Carl about fame and fandom, he is interrupted by a celebrity fan: Matthew Perry.

VIDEO: First ET Interview: Daniel Day-Lewis

The Friends actor, who is being interviewed on the other end of ET's platform, approaches Day-Lewis and shakes his hand, wishing him luck on his nomination. Perry may have been in attendance that night for his own nomination for Friends for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series but wasn't too proud to express his adoration for a fellow actor.

"I don't know if anyone really gets used to it 'cause obviously it's not something...you...do...every day," Day-Lewis responds to the fandom question after meeting Perry. "Plus, I live it a very remote place as well. Even just going to the city for the day is shocking."

While the English actor reveals that he hasn't prepared an acceptance speech for the nomination, he would eventually have to improvise one at the podium, as he was granted his first SAG Award that night.

VIDEO: Oscars Flashback '90: Day-Lewis's Right Foot

ET catches up with Day-Lewis backstage right after he wins the award. Although his acceptance speech went well without preparation, he confesses that his heart is racing. With the Oscars following a month later, Ms. Carl informs Day-Lewis of a promising trend for him that suggests that he will also win the Best Actor Award at the Oscars.

"Is that true? Don't put a curse on it. Let's wait and see," he says. "...Quite honestly, to be amongst this group of people, if any one of them won anything we'd just stand up and applaud because it's fine, fine work."

VIDEO: Daniel Day-Lewis Spoofs Eastwood's 'Empty Chair'

Curse or no curse, Day-Lewis didn't receive the Best Actor award a month later at the Academy Awards. However, he did receive the Oscar five years later for There Will Be Blood, for which he had also received a SAG Award.

Five years after his last SAG-Oscar winning pair, Day-Lewis has another chance to repeat his awards season success with nominations for Lincoln for both the SAG Awards and the Oscars after recently winning a Golden Globe.

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VOTE for the worst liar in history

Lance Armstrong’s lies weren’t the first to lead to a stunning crash. Here is a list of the rest of history’s 10 all-time greatest liars, a rogues gallery of devious dissemblers who can all be enshrined in the forked tongue Hall of Shame.

AFP/Getty Images


RICHARD NIXON — You know when a guy says “I am not a crook,” watch out. “Tricky Dick” Nixon took presidential perfidy to new heights, when he went on TV on August 15, 1973 and said “I had no prior knowledge of the Watergate break-in.” A year later, he resigned.

AP



BERNIE MADOFF — He was more of a Ponzi King than the scam’s inventor, Charles Ponzi. Madoff pretended to be one of the most savvy investors in New York, but his firm was a bogus house of cards that wound up costing his investors $50 billion when it collapsed. Now Bernie cooling his heels in prison.

Spencer A. Burnett

TAWANA BRAWLEY — Her lie set racial tensions in New York to boiling in the 1980s. The Dutchess County teen falsely claimed to have been abducted and raped by a group of men, including a cop and a prosecutor. In 1988, a grand jury found her story was a horrific hoax.

AP

JOHN EDWARDS — A slick haircut doesn’t mean you’re honest. The clean-cut Edwards went from possible President to loathed liar when — after two years of denials — he admitted in 2010 to siring a love child with mistress Rielle Hunter while his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer.

AP

MILLI VANILLI — Their album may have been called “Girl You Know It’s True, ” but it was really a big lie. The “musical” duo of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, became laughing stocks in 1990 when they had to return their Grammy for best new artist after it was revealed they did not actually sing the songs on the album.

AP

ANTHONY WEINER — Sure, you were “hacked” Mr. Weiner. When a picture of the Queens Congressman’s “member” wound up on the internet he tried to claim he got shafted — by a hacker to stole the picture and put it on line. Later it was revealed that he actually sent the pic to a young woman who was not his wife. He finally admitted “I have not been honest,” and short time later resigned.

AP

PETE ROSE — He was known as “Charlie Hustle.” It was an appropriate nickname. Baseball’s all time hit leader denied for years that he ever gambled on baseball, even though he was banned from the game in 1989. Then in 2004, he admitted he did place bets on the national passtime, and even bet on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds “every night.”

AP

MARION JONES — She lost her golds on the track, but still takes top honors for lying. The disgraced track star had the five medals she won in the 2000 Summer Olympics stripped for doping, charges she initially denied. She was later sentenced to six months in jail for lying to federal prosecutors who were probing use of steroids.

PINOCCHIO — History’s all time greatest liar, this little wooden “boy” wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him. His fibs were so devious that they actually made his nose grow, making him the forerunner of all politicians throughout history.

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