Reverend Calvin Butts, the politically influential Harlem pastor, is in damage-control mode following the Voice's article last week about the Abyssinian Development Corp., addressing the contents of the piece in a closed-door meeting with church elders, known as deacons, and in Sunday's sermon.

See also: The (Very) Earthly Pursuits of Rev. Calvin O. Butts III

The article raised questions about the financial situation at ADC, which was founded by Butts, the longtime leader of Abyssinian Church, in 1989, and about a series of high-end vacations billed to the organization by senior staff. The article also disclosed the contents of a lawsuit alleging that ADC swindled an elderly man out of a parcel of land worth close to $1 million. The article caused a buzz both in Harlem and elsewhere.

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Reshma Saudani and Jack Dorsey at her Manhattan campaign launch.

Reshma Saujani, 37, and a quintet of journalists are tucked inside the green room at swanky Village cabaret, (Le) Poisson Rouge. Every so often a staffer or groomed coif of the NYC tech glitterati will poke around the door, but Ms. Saujani has staked out five minutes--not easy after stepping offstage with Jack Dorsey, the inventor of Twitter.

"I'm a man of few characters, so I'm going to keep this very, very brief," Dorsey told the packed crowd earlier at Saujani's Manhattan campaign launch for public advocate Monday night. "We need more strong women leaders in this country. We need more revolutionaries. That is Reshma."

The daughter of Indian refugees who fled the regime of Idi Amin in Uganda, Saujani earned advanced degrees at Harvard and Yale, then moved to New York City with $200,000 in student loan debt. She interned at the White House during the Clinton administration, went on to work for Hillary's campaign, litigated for Wall Street, paid off those loans, and sent money home. She ran for Congress in 2009 (the first South Asian woman to do so) in New York's 14th district, and was then appointed to the position of Deputy Public Advocate. There, she created the DREAM fellowship to give undocumented immigrant students a shot at higher education.

She's not afraid of the F-word, either.

"Would you consider yourself a feminist?"

"Absolutely," Saujani tells the Voice backstage, with zero hesitation.

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New York City's most colorful councilman nabbed in bribery scandal.

The outline of the story is bizarre enough in its own right: A Democratic state senator plans to run for mayor of New York City as a Republican, and attempts to bribe GOP county leaders to support his effort, only to be arrested and charged when it turns out the real estate tycoon financing his bribery plan is actually an undercover FBI agent.

That's the scenario sketched out in the federal complaint against state Sen. Malcolm Smith and five others unsealed by prosecutors this morning. The whole document is worth reading--there's plenty of juicy material in the charges, which are full of secret parking-lot meetings, phony real estate deals, mail fraud, and more.

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In this week's paper, the Voice examines Investigations Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn's handling of the uncomfortably close relationship between her Inspector General for Correction, Michael Caruso, and disgraced former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.

Here now are three other intriguing nuggets of the story from the mixed-up files of Caruso's six-year-old lawsuit against Hearn and the city for wrongful termination.

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Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker released a YouTube video this morning outlining his own political aspirations for the future. Booker, a nationally-known, high-profile figure, is seen as one of the rising stars of the Democrat party, and many expected him to challenge Republican incumbent Chris Christie for governor in 2013. Following the governor's response to Hurricane Sandy, his approval ratings have hit record highs.

"I will complete my full second term as mayor of Newark New Jersey," he said in the video. "And as for my political future, I will explore the possibility of running for the United States Senate."

Sources tell NBC New York that the mayor will definitely run for a US Senate seat in 2014, which is currently held by Democrat Frank Lautenberg. The incumbent will be 90 years old in 2014, and running for a six-year term.

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James King

Rep. Peter King

New York Congressman Peter King had the gall to stand up to tax-bully Grover Norquist over the weekend by publicly saying that he doesn't feel as though he's bound by a pledge he first signed 18 years ago stating that he wouldn't support any legislation that raises "the marginal income tax rate for individuals and business."

Norquist responded by taking a shot at King's marriage.

"I hope [King's] wife understands commitments last a little longer than two years or something," Norquist told CNN's Piers Morgan yesterday.

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To: Lovers of America
From: The Republican National Committee
RE: Emergency platform changes

Dear Patriots: It seems that 47 percent was somewhat larger than we anticipated in last week's election. Henceforth, we urge all Republicans to adopt these immediate policy changes.

1. Our new platform on babes.

Please refrain from any further discussion of women's health, reproductive issues, and/or sexual assault. If you're asked to comment on any of these matters, subtly pivot to safer ground. Suggestions include saying "Some of my best friends are broads" to recounting your glory days as a shutdown defender off the bench for your middle school basketball team.
Here after, our entire platform on babes will be boiled down to two simple policies:

A. "I really like what you've done with your hair" and

B. "There's nothing hotter than a good pair of child-bearing hips."

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City Councilman Lopez?

Despite highly publicized accusations that he's a dirty, dirty old man, Democratic Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito "Gropez" Lopez won re-election to the Assembly on Tuesday. But the longtime pol dropped a bombshell on his supporters: this might be his last term -- in the Assembly, anyway.

"While I will continue to advocate fiercely for the residents of the 53rd Assembly District through this term with the commitment, dedication and devotion I always have, over the next few months, I will be evaluating my plans to seek re-election to the New York State Assembly," Lopez said yesterday.

Lopez, as we mentioned, is a bit of a pervert. At least four former female Assembly staffers have accused him of various acts of sexual misconduct -- two of those allegations were swept under the rug via-some taxpayer funded hush money approved by Lopez's former pal Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

So why would a creep like Lopez -- who has no problem getting re-elected even with such heavy baggage -- leave his seat? Is he doing the honorable thing by removing himself the public eye? Probably not -- he's still Vito Lopez.

Further reading on Lopez's pervy-ness:

Vito Lopez In Sex And The Assembly: How To Sweep A Scandal Under The Rug

Ladies, Assemblyman Vito Lopez Would Prefer You Not Wear A Bra To Work

Vito Lopez's Pervy-ness Cost Taxpayers $103,000 -- Thanks To Shelly Silver

Gloria Allred, NOW Have Shelly Silver In Sights Over Hush Money

Here's The Letter Shelly Silver Sent Assemblyman Vito Lopez

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Kenneth Thompson

The attorney who represented Nafissatou Diallo -- the hotel maid who accused French pol Dominique Strauss-Kahn of raping her in a Manhattan hotel last year -- announced yesterday that he's looking to unseat longtime Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, and there's already suggestions that the only reason he represented Diallo (possibly free of charge) was to garner name recognition for a potential run for public office.

Former federal prosecutor Kenneth Thomspon registered last week with the Board of Elections to challenge Hynes, who has been in office since 1989, and has received criticism as of late for his handling of sex abuse allegations within Orthdox Jewish communities in the borough.

Thompson, however, has his own criticisms to overcome.

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www.weknowmemes.com

How's this for a PR stunt: you know that obnoxious friend of yours (or perhaps your overly Conservative mother -- hi mom!) who always says that, "if (insert politicians name here) wins the election, I'm moving to Canada?"

Well, Queens-based JetBlue airlines wants to make that happen -- but they want to take disgruntled voters to locales a bit more exotic than our frigid neighbor to the North.

Just in time to seize some of the political buzz surrounding tonight's presidential debate, the airline has announced its "election protection" contest, where winners (or losers?) will receive a free flight to their choice of more than 20 countries if their pick in this year's presidential election loses.

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