New York City
Weiner suits up: Disgraced former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner is considering a run for mayor of New York City, according to an article in this week’s New York Times Magazine. The politician, who resigned in 2011 after sending lewd pictures of himself over Twitter, said that his committee had already spent $100,000 on polling and research, and that the time for him to run for political office again was “now or maybe never.” Weiner said he wanted to ask voters for “a second chance,” while acknowledging that the sexting scandal would make him an underdog in any race. “I am a bit of a polarizing case,” he says. “[Some people] just don’t have room for a second narrative about me.” Before his resignation, Weiner had represented Queens and Brooklyn in Congress for more than a decade, and had openly discussed his desire to run for mayor.
Washington, D.C.
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Plan B for girls: A federal judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to make the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill available to girls of all ages without a prescription, overturning a 2011 Obama administration decision. Brooklyn federal Judge Edward Korman ruled that restricting over-the-counter access to the drug for girls under the age of 17 was arbitrary and unreasonable. The White House responded by saying it stood by its “commonsense” approach to the pill, which can prevent pregnancy up to three days after sexual intercourse. President Obama personally endorsed restricting access to Plan B in late 2011, arguing that an 11-year-old should not find the medication readily available “alongside bubble gum or batteries.” The administration may appeal the decision.
Norfolk, Va.
Fleet grounded: The Air Force began grounding one third of its combat aircraft this week to meet the demands of spending cuts resulting from the March 1 sequestration. A total of $857 million must be sliced from the Air Force’s budget for flying hours this year as part of the $85 billion across-the-board cuts to domestic and military programs. Units stationed in the U.S., Europe, and the Pacific will be affected, and training time will be reduced by about 45,000 hours by Oct. 1. Idled pilots will shift to training on simulators and in-classroom instruction, but some fear they won’t be sufficiently prepared. “You cannot go to war without this training,” said defense analyst Winslow Wheeler. Gen. Mike Hostage admitted that the U.S. is now “accepting the risk that combat airpower may not be ready to respond immediately to new contingencies as they occur.”
Louisville
Campaign tapes: Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell this week claimed that the offices of his re-election team had been bugged, after secret recordings of campaign strategy sessions were published on the liberal website MotherJones.com. In the tapes, McConnell and his team are heard discussing potential opponent Ashley Judd’s religious views and mental health history as possible areas of attack. “She is emotionally unbalanced,” someone is heard saying. “You know, she’s suffered some suicidal tendencies”—an apparent reference to the actress’s public struggle with depression. Judd announced at the end of March that she would not run for the Senate. The McConnell team said the recordings were part of a Democratic smear campaign, and is working with the FBI to investigate. “We’ve always said the Left would stop at nothing to attack Sen. McConnell,” said campaign manager Jesse Benton, “but Watergate-style tactics to bug campaign headquarters are above and beyond.”
Miami
Martin settlement: The parents of Trayvon Martin have settled a wrongful death suit filed against the homeowners association of the gated community where their son was killed, in a deal reportedly worth more than $1 million. George Zimmerman, who says he shot the unarmed teenager in February 2012 only after being attacked, was the neighborhood watch captain of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford at the time of the shooting. A homeowners association newsletter sent to community residents just prior to the attack had named Zimmerman as the person to contact if any issues arose. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the death, which provoked widespread outrage and rallies across the country, and is scheduled to go on trial in June. Lawyers for the Martin family say they plan to file a civil claim against Zimmerman at a later date.
Houston
Knife attack: A student went on a rampage with a knife at a community college this week, stabbing 14 and injuring two critically. Dylan Quick, 20, allegedly went from building to building at a suburban campus of Lone Star College, attacking his fellow students in the neck and face with a razor-type knife until another student subdued him. A statement from the sheriff’s office said pieces of the blade were found in at least one victim. “I turned around, and there was just blood dripping down the stairs,” said one student. “Just to see another human being do that was more traumatic than anything.” Police have charged Quick with three counts of aggravated assault, and say that he has admitted to having had fantasies about stabbing people to death since he was a young boy.
