UNVEILED: $4B Plan For New LGA

As they might say on HGTV, LGA is a complete tear-down. Therefore, according to plans unveiled today, a completely new single $4B terminal will be built in the current parking lot, after which the ramshackle four old terminals will be razed. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden today held a joint press conference about the project, which is presently slated to begin early next year.  Lots of renderings are in the promo clip below.

RELATED: LGA is currently the 20th busiest US airport, just behind PHL and ahead of FLL. JFK, which is also in Queens, is ranked 5th with double the passenger volume of LGA. ATL remains, by far, the nation's busiest airport with nearly double the traffic of JFK.

Airbnb Expands To Cuba

Via Digital Trends:

Airbnb extends its tendrils to just about every country within reach, so it’s no surprise that Cuba finally made the list. Earlier this month, the home-rental liaison took advantage of loosened U.S. trade restrictions to begin offering its services in the Communist island nation. The listings number in the hundreds right now, but Airbnb has been sending representatives to Cuba during the past few months to encourage more real estate owners to lease their properties. Most are concentrated in Havana, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, and other trendy destinations to cash in on Cuba’s tourism industry, which accounted for 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013. More than 2 million foreign travelers visit Cuba each year, and Airbnb expects that number to grow – the company saw a 70-percent spike in searches from U.S. users for listings in Cuba.

Finding lodging with Airbnb will remain difficult as very few Cubans have home web access and most must use expensive government-run internet cafes.

RELATED: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in Cuba today for the first-ever trade mission by a sitting governor since the thaw in US-Cuba relations.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein, and senior executives from New York-based companies including JetBlue, MasterCard, Pfizer and Chobani will accompany the governor. "As the door begins to open between the U.S. and Cuba, we want New York businesses to be first out of the gate when it comes to building trade partnerships and establishing a strong position in this new market," Cuomo said. Cuomo, who has taken some criticism for not speaking out against Cuba's anti-gay and human rights record, touched on the issue in a statement. "New York has proudly long been a leader on issues of equality and human rights and I agree with the President that engagement is the best way to promote democracy and bring about positive change, rather than continuing a failed policy of isolation."

NEW YORK: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Bans State-Funded Travel To Indiana

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's move came after pressure from gay New York state legislators.

The five gay lawmakers in the state Legislature wrote a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo today urging him to boycott Indiana’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” and ban state travel to the state. The lawmakers—Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Daniel O’Donnell, Harry Bronson and Matthew Titone—joined the growing chorus of criticism over the law, saying Cuomo needs to sign an executive order to bar state-funded travel to Indiana because they said the law is discriminatory toward gays and same-sex couples. The bill makes “clear that Indiana businesses are permitted by law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in matters including housing, employment, and access to public accommodations,” the letter said.

Hit the link to read their letter.

NEW YORK: Gay Pol Thanks Miley Cyrus For Help With Homeless Youth Funding Bill

Openly gay New York Sen. Brad Hoylman today thanked pop star Miley Cyrus for helping win millions of dollars in state funding for homeless youth shelters. Via DNA Info:

The 2015 New York State Budget now has $4.5 million in funding for homeless youth shelters, the first significant increase in seven years — thanks to Miley Cyrus. State Sen. Brad Hoylman said credit for convincing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to include the funding belongs to the "Wrecking Ball" singer. "I want to thank Miley Cyrus for her advocacy in helping raise awareness through our #5000TooMany social media campaign," Hoylman said in a statement. "Miley’s advocacy on behalf of homeless kids made a difference and is a perfect example how star power can be used to help others." Cyrus sent a letter to the Albany power trio a week ago urging them to include the funding in the budget.

State funding for homeless youth had been cut by two-thirds since 2008. The restored funding will reportedly pay for 1000 new shelter beds. The above-linked story does not specify how the new funding might be distributed to homeless LGBT youth services such as the Ali Forney Center.

Back To Almost Normal For NYC

Cuomo and De Blasio are making the rounds of local television this morning to defend last night's decision to close down the city. Via Gothamist:

Mayor de Blasio lifted the city-wide travel ban this morning after that devastating blizzard turned out to be just a bunch of stupid snow. There's about 7.8 inches in Central Park this morning—not the 24 inches or more that was expected—and current forecasts don't call for much more additional accumulation today. And there is certainly no reason to doubt those forecasts. The MTA is also resuming service system-wide this morning, but it's going to take hours for trains and buses to get back up to full speed. Staten Island Ferry service has resumed. Asked if officials overreacted to the storm, Cuomo reminded reporters of the huge snowstorm that crippled Buffalo in November—a storm that Cuomo said he underestimated. "You make big decision based on the best information you have," Cuomo said, adding, "I do not criticize weather forecasters."Cuomo also posited that taking the trains out of service and implementing a travel ban enabled the city to bounce back faster, because the roads were clear for plows to get through and trains weren't stranded. "If you tally it up, I don't know that this wasn't the most prudent course," Cuomo said.

Most people still have the day off, of course.

All NYC Mass Transit To Close At 11PM

This includes subways, buses, ferries, PATH, Metro-North, Long Island Railroad, and (perhaps obviously) AirTrain. New Jersey Transit will suspend all rail service until Thursday at 8PM tonight. No re-start time for the MTA has yet been announced. Wherever you are at 11PM, you'll likely be there for 36-48 hours.

UPDATE: Gov. Cuomo has also declared a ban on all non-emergency vehicular traffic beginning at 11PM, warning that those caught on the roads will be ticketed and fined $300.

Cuomo Proposes Rail Link To LGA

During his State Of The State address, yesterday New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed connecting LaGuardia Airport to New York City's rail system via a new AirTrain line. Adding rail service to LGA is an idea that has been pitched and abandoned several times in recent decades.

Cuomo’s plan involves a 1.5 mile long LGA AirTrain running over the Grand Central Parkway, connecting with MTA’s 7 subway line, as well as the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch at the Mets-Willets Point station. A typical ride from Grand Central Terminal to Willets Point is about 30 minutes via the subway, while the Long Island Rail Road currently only stops at the station during sporting events at Citi Field or Arthur Ashe Stadium. The AirTrain plan was just a small portion of a larger speech given by Governor Cuomo on Tuesday morning, with only a few details set in stone as of yet. The joint Port Authority and MTA project is initially estimated to cost $450 million, and construction could be completed within five years after all approvals are granted, according to a short statement released by the Port Authority.

Cuomo did not elaborate on a source of funding for the project. Next week the MTA is expected to authorize a subway and bus fare increase, raising the single-ride price to $2.75 and the price of a monthly pass to $116.50. Cash tolls on the Verrazano Bridge will rise to $16.00. (The Port Authority operates the bridges and tunnels to Jersey.)

RELATED: AirTrain service to JFK launched in December 2003 after five years of construction that ended up costing nearly $2B. That line, however, is much longer than the one proposed for LGA.

Officials Rebel Against Port Authority Plan To End Overnight PATH Train Service

Nighttime workers and nightlife fans in New Jersey will soon have no way to get home from Manhattan if the Port Authority gets its way. Via the Jersey Journal:

Several Hudson County officials will join forces with other officials tomorrow to call on the Port Authority to to cancel its proposal to eliminate the overnight PATH service. The press conference, which will include federal, state, and local elected officials, is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Grove Street PATH Station in Jersey City.

A slew of officials are scheduled to attend, including Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, North Bergen Mayor and state Sen. Nick Sacco, Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian Stack, and state Sen. Sandra Cunningham.

In a report released over the holidays -- and signed off on by Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Andrew Cuomo of New York -- the Port Authority proposes to eliminate PATH service 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. weeknights as a cost-savings measure. It would also affect hundreds of thousands more people if weekend overnight service were also eliminated, according to a press release. The PATH connects New York City with Jersey City, Newark, Harrison and Hoboken.

Jersey City residents have already suffered through two years of restricted service out of the World Trade Center station due to Hurricane Sandy-related repairs.

NOTE: For those wondering, a cab from downtown Manhattan to Newark will run you about $100 after you add in tolls and tip. It's about $40-$50 to Jersey City.

NEW YORK: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Unveils Plan To "End The AIDS Epidemic"

At a press conference held yesterday shortly before he marched in the NYC Pride parade, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new plan to "end the AIDS epidemic" in New York state.

Borrowing an idea from leading AIDS researchers, the Cuomo administration said on Friday that it had developed a plan to aggressively identify, track and treat people with H.I.V. infection with the aim of reducing new infection to the point that by 2020, AIDS would no longer reach epidemic levels in New York State.The state’s acting health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, said on Friday that he believed that by 2020, New York could reduce its annual incidence of new H.I.V. infections to about 750 from the current 3,000, bringing the number of new cases below the number of annual deaths, or as he put it, “bending the curve” in the direction of ending the epidemic in the state. This would put the number of new H.I.V. cases on a par with that of new tuberculosis cases, he said. “No one views tuberculosis as an epidemic — it’s a manageable disease at this point,” Dr. Zucker said. The governor’s plan builds upon “key policies already enacted,” the administration said, to track those infected, identify those who do not know they are infected and make sure they all get the treatment they need. The prospect of ending the AIDS epidemic is gaining momentum in epidemiological circles. It is based on studies showing that AIDS drugs have a double-barreled effect not just as treatment but as a means of blocking transmission. On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a leading AIDS researcher, argued at the Aspen Ideas Festival that “we can end the AIDS pandemic in the next 10 years.”

Treatment Action Group applauds:

With this bold initiative, New York State—long the epicenter of the nation’s HIV epidemic—becomes the first jurisdiction anywhere in the world to publicly declare a goal of ending AIDS as an epidemic with the launch of a comprehensive effort to end AIDS deaths and halt new infections by employing state-of-the-art testing, preventive technologies, treatment, and supportive services. “The goal is ambitious, but grounded in reality,” said Mark Harrington, executive director of TAG. “New York State has always been a leader and center of innovation in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We have seen an almost 40 percent decrease in new HIV diagnoses in the last decade, with fewer new infections each year, while nationally there has been no decline in the annual number of new HIV infections. With continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the state’s successful Medicaid reform, we’ve gained the momentum necessary to put more people living with, and at risk for, HIV into primary care, and to give them the support services necessary to achieve success.”

Did Cuomo Subtweet About Hillary 2016?

Yesterday New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo posted the above President's Day trivia question, leading some to wonder if he was subtweeting about Hillary Clinton and his own potential bid for the presidency. A spokesman for Cuomo, who apparently doesn't himself maintain his Twitter account, claims that the tweet was just a fun fact for the day. One political consultant doesn't believe that: "It’s Andrew Cuomo being mischievous. He’s tweaking everybody — including Hillary Clinton."

Email Of The Day- Eugene Delgaudio

"Dear Joe, 'Accept the Homosexual Agenda, or get out of New York.' This is the message Governor Andrew Cuomo is sending to the ENTIRE STATE. That’s right. If you hold to traditional values or believe in real marriage, you are no longer welcome in your own state. How dare he?! I can’t imagine the unmitigated gall Gov. Cuomo must have to make such a statement. It’s simply outrageous. Homosexuals make up less than 2% of the population, but the Homosexual Lobby is determined to take control of the entire country. That’s why I’m asking all of Public Advocate's NY supporters to contact conservative Senate Majority Co-Leader Dean Skelos. The New York State Senate should formally censor Andrew Cuomo for his statements. Please contact Senator Skelos at (518) 455-3171 and ask him to take action immediately. Together, we need to show the nation that out-of-control politicians cannot push us around. P.S. Will you chip in $5 or $10 or $35 to help Public Advocate fight for family values?" - Hate group crackpot Eugene Delgaudio, writing from a darkened warehouse on a suspiciously well-trafficked pier.

Sean Hannity: I'm Leaving New York

Fox News anchor Sean Hannity is very upset about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's comment about "extreme conservatives" and says he's leaving New York and taking his millions with him.

Beck Threatens To Renounce Citizenship

Via Right Wing Watch:

There can be no better demonstration of Glenn Beck's raging hypocrisy than the perfect example he inadvertently provided on his television program last night. Extremely disturbed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's statement that "extreme conservatives ... have no place in the state of New York," Beck dedicated his entire opening monologue last night to warning that this is just the sort of rhetoric that lead to the Holocaust and declaring that "if this is the way that America is going, then I renounce my citizenship." "If this is what America is going to become," Beck said, "I don't want to be an American any more."

RWW notes that Beck then interviewed Pastor John Hagee, who has repeatedly declared that atheists need to get out of America.

CNN: Cuomo Interviews Cuomo

Media watchers have raised eyebrows today after CNN anchor Chris Cuomo interviewed his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, about the Metro-North disaster in the Bronx.

Journalists usually refrain from directly interviewing their family members, even in normal breaking news situations. And there was a certain level of awkwardness in watching Chris call Andrew "Governor," and then say, "Now obviously to those who don't know, we are family, so we've been talking about this a lot." The interview was probably not markedly different from any other one that the governor was doing that morning, and it's unlikely that Cuomo would interview his brother about any major political issues, but the point of keeping family members out of these things is to ensure that nobody has a chance to jump to any conclusions about favoritism.

Brian Brown Has The Cuomo Sadz

"Does anyone really need to guess? It's payback. Come on. Cuomo talks a lot about corruption, but when his buddies vote his way, he's more than willing to give them a high-paying job in the administration. That's all this is. Give me a break." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in his 15th consecutive case of the sadz. This time Brown is furious that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appointed former GOP state Sen. James Alesi to a state position. Alesi was one of the four Republican state senators who pushed same-sex marriage into the win column.

Gay Marriage Turns Two In New York

Two years ago today same-sex marriage became legal in New York state, exactly one month after being passed in the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. Cuomo that same day.  Happy anniversary, New York!

Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Shame On New York City If They Elect Anthony Weiner

Well, Gov. Cuomo has certainly never been one to mince his words in the past.

Today, in an editorial board meeting with Cuomo and The Post-Standard and Syracuse Media Group, the governor was asked whether he thought the New York State Legislature should limit how long legislative leaders, like the Assembly speaker, should serve. Cuomo repeated a version of his opinion on term limits: he believe elections are the way to limit political service. The conversation continued between Cuomo and Stephen A. Rogers, chairman of Syracuse Media Group: Cuomo: "It's basically democracy. Those are grownups (in the Assembly) who are picking, who pick their leader." Rogers: "So if Anthony Weiner wants to run for mayor, he can run for mayor." Cuomo: "He runs? He runs." Rogers: "And if we elect him?" Cuomo: "Shame on us."

UPDATE: Closeted homosexual Matt Drudge is loving this.

REPORT: Cuomo Won't Run If Hillary Does

So claims an unnamed source in the Cuomo administration.

“The governor has told people in recent weeks that there’s not a chance for him to run if Hillary gets in the race because she’ll easily wrap up the Democratic nomination,’’ said a Cuomo administration insider with direct knowledge of the situation. “He knows that and he accepts that, and so he won’t even be thinking at all in those terms — unless Hillary decides not to run, which seems unlikely,’’ the source continued.

NY Gov. Cuomo Signs Gun Bill

NY Gov. Cuomo Backs Pot Law Reform

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that one of his top priorities for 2013 will be the further decriminalization of marijuana possession. Raw Story reports:

Even if the governor fails to convince the legislature to go along on decriminalization, marijuana arrests are already destined to begin falling dramatically thanks to a recent court decision barring so-called “stop and frisk” searches initiated without reasonable suspicion. Roughly half of the marijuana arrests in New York City were people who did not display the drug publicly but were ultimately charged as doing so thanks to a “stop and frisk” search, according to a survey by the civil rights group Bronx Defenders. In other words, most marijuana users aren’t flagrantly toking up in public, and a slight change of policy would dramatically affect how many of these people get arrested every year.

Via NORML, below are the current penalties for minor marijuana possession arrests in New York state.  Cuomo apparently wants to completely decriminalize the possession of less than 15 grams, which constitutes the vast majority of arrests.  It's unclear if Cuomo intends to attack the "public view" portion of the law.