H-O-T-L-I-N-E A-F-T-E-R D-A-R-K
Can you spell "O-U-T-R-A-G-E?"
With the announcement of DHS cuts to NY and DC, cable was filled with angry pols:
DHS Sec. Michael Chertoff defended the cuts on "NewsHour": "I don't think it's fair to describe them as 'cuts.' Take New York, for example. Last year, New York got $200 million. This year, we're going to give them $124 million under this particular program. But last year was an artificially elevated number to make up from the very low grant the year before. If you average out the prior three-year grants, you're going to see this year is directly in line with what we've done over the last four years" (PBS, 6/1).
Rep. Peter King (R-NY): "This is absolutely indefensible. The Department of Homeland Security changes the story by the hour. There has never been one allegation of even one penny being misspent on any of the counterterrorism money in New York."
Chris Matthews: "Are they screwing Hillary and Chuck Schumer on this one? Is this politics? Is this red state, blue state stuff?"
King: "I don't think so, because they've given a lot of money to Los Angeles and Chicago, both of which are Democratic mayors; the city of Newark, which obviously is Democratic, which also needs it, by the way. No, I think, if anything here, it's a bias against New York" ("Hardball," MSBNC, 6/1).
Ex-NYC Police Commiss. Bernark Kerik: "I don't know if it's pure incompetence ... or it's some kind of political thing against New York City" ("Scarborough Country," MSNBC, 6/1).
A PORT IN THE STORM
Chertoff also talked hurricane preparation: "It's like a football team. You know, the preparation pre-season is what determines how you perform during the season. So we put that work in, and I've been personally engaged" ("NewsHour," PBS, 6/1).
And FEMA dir. David Paulison discussed it on the "Situation Room": "Our whole staff since Hurricane Katrina, quite frankly has been working seven days a week to get this organization back on track. We had a lot of work to do. We knew that. We have a tremendous amount of dedicated employees inside of FEMA, and they are committed, absolutely committed, to make this country proud of FEMA again" (CNN, 6/1).
CHEERS
Actor Kelsey Grammer was on "Hannity & Colmes" to talk about the new X-Men movie. But he was also asked about a future political career: "It's still something I'm toying with. It's a timing issue. I mean, I do have this obligation to my family. And I think politics is a pretty tough game, and I think it hurts your kids. And I think it can really take a toll."
More: "I think my kids are a little too young to get involved in this right now. And, of course, my wife is not particularly thrilled about the idea. But I've always fancied it as being something that would be post actor. Post career. It would be like a second career. So, you know, it's another decade out, probably" (FNC, 6/1).
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY CNN
CNN's Blitzer: "On a much better note, on June 1, 1980, Ted Turner founded CNN, the world's news leader, the most trusted name in news. Of course, back then it was disparagingly known by some as the Chicken Noodle News network. But that was then, this is now. So get this: happy 26th birthday to all of us here at CNN, the Cable News Network. And thanks so much to Ted Turner, our founder, for getting this enterprise under way. I think it's fair to say, Ted literally changed the world" ("Situation Room," 6/1).