Storm brings heavy rain and wind to NYC, with regional travel delays expected

Dan Good

A storm system has brought rain and wind to the region, with travel delays expected across the northeast today.

Better bring the umbrella.

A storm system brought gusty wind and heavy rain to the northeast this morning, making for a messy New York City commute - and likely causing travel delays across the region.

A scaffolding collapse shut down a section of Bay Parkway in Brooklyn, while flooding is reported on I-278 East.

The storm also flooded roadways in New Jersey, forcing officials to close lanes on I-287 southbound in Harding Township, Morris County, as well as NJ 35 northbound in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County.

Officials are urging drivers to slow down on bridges due to the high winds.

According to weather.com, rain should fall until the early afternoon, but the wind should continue, likely leading to widespread air delays.

The cold front's potential impacts caused NWS to issue a high wind warning for the region. NWS meteorologists expect wind gusts in the city to reach up to 55 miles per hour tonight. There's even a chance for snow.

The storm should drop temperatures into the 20s during the next few days, worrisome cold for city residents and Christmas travelers.

Newark Liberty International Airport officials issued a weather statement this morning stating that travel disruptions are likely - and urging travelers to contact their airline to check on flight statuses.

The same storm system dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the midwest.

AP

The storm system is seen on a NOAA satellite image.

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Cuba lashes out against U.S. fines on foreign banks

The Cuban government Thursday denounced what it called the “unjust and illegal” multi-million dollar fines the U.S. government slapped on two foreign banks for violating Washington’s sanctions on the island.

The U.S. actions show that its “ferocious persecution of financial and commercial transactions by Cuba and those with legitimate relations … has only changed but has hardened,” a Foreign Ministry official said in a statement.

The British-based HSBC bank agreed to pay $1.9 billion to the U.S. government last week to settle accusations that it laundered drug money through its Mexican and other branches, and violated U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba.

The next day Washington announced that Japan’s Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ bank had agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle what the Cuban statement called “a supposed violation of the unilateral sanctions of the United States against various countries, including Cuba.”

Under the trade embargo, banks cannot move Cuban funds through U.S. financial institutions or handle U.S. dollar deposits for Cuban entities or citizens. Cuba is subject to other sanctions as well because it is on the U.S. list of countries that support international terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry statement noted that the sanctions came one month after the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for the 21st time to condemn the 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba.

While the HSBC settlement was reported to be one of the largest ever, the U.S. Treasury Department has hit several other foreign banks in recent years for violating sanctions on Cuba and other countries, especially Iran.

The Netherlands’ ING bank agreed to a $619 million settlement earlier this year. Credit Suisse agreed to pay $539 million in 2009. And the Swiss UBS bank was hit with a $100 million settlement in 2004.

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Sarasota man charged with child abuse after ‘hog-tied’ daughter, 11, dies

SARASOTA --
A 35-year-old Sarasota man has been charged with abusing his 11-year-old daughter, who died this week, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators have determined the girl was regularly “hog tied,” to a board on her bed with duct tape on her mouth, or tied up and put in a filthy family pool," according to authorities.

Sarasota County paramedics were called to the home of Kenneth Stoddard on Dec. 12 when the girl, Melissa Stoddard, stopped breathing. The girl was taken to Doctors Hospital in Sarasota and later to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where doctors discovered Melissa had severe brain damage and was classified as brain dead, according to the sheriff’s office.

The girl "also had ligature marks on her upper arms, wrists, ankles and thigh area," the report states.

Melissa Stoddard died Monday, and an autopsy determined that the cause of death was hypoxia, which is caused by the deprivation of adequate oxygen supply.

The Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the five other children who also lived in the home, some of whom described how the parents “restrained” Melissa," the sheriff's office said.

Kenneth Stoddard is charged with aggravated child abuse and is being held without bond. Additional charges are possible, according to the sheriff's office.

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Nexus 4 ad touts Photo Sphere as the go-to app for avoiding holiday family photo headaches [video]

Title Post: Nexus 4 ad touts Photo Sphere as the go-to app for avoiding holiday family photo headaches [video]
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Boehner dares Obama to reject a GOP tax hike on millionaires in 49-second address

WASHINGTON — In one of the most abrupt Capitol Hill press conferences ever, House Speaker John Boehner yesterday dared President Obama to ignore a Republican offer to raise taxes on millionaires and instead take a fiscal-cliff jump.

“He can call upon the Senate Democrats to pass the legislation or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history,” Boehner told reporters before walking off after just 49.5 seconds at the podium.

Boehner’s hasty retreat as reporters shouted questions mirrored the impasse in negotiations.

Obama, who proposed higher taxes on incomes above $400,000 a year, pressed Republicans to come to an agreement to avert the cliff by invoking the tragic school shooting in Connecticut.

Photo: Getty Images

RIGHT TO THE POINT: House Speaker John Boehner issues his latest fiscal-cliff negotiation challenge to President Obama yesterday.

“Goodness, if this past week has done anything, it should just give us some perspective,” Obama said at a White House press conference called to discuss gun control.

Without a deal, the cliff hits on Jan. 1 with huge automatic tax hikes on every American and deep spending cuts that likely will cause another recession.

Fitch Ratings agency yesterday warned that it would likely downgrade the United States’ top AAA credit rating if Washington can’t strike a deal.

Boehner’s latest proposal, called Plan B, would spare more than 99 percent of Americans from tax hikes but raise rates on annual incomes over $1 million.

The two sides are at odds over the mix of higher taxes and spending cuts needed to replace the self-imposed cliff but still reduce government debt.

Obama has proposed $1.3 trillion in new tax revenues over 10 years, while Boehner has called for $1 trillion.

“The idea that we would put our economy at risk because you can’t bridge that gap doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Obama said.

The House is expected to pass the Plan B bill today, with overwhelming support from Republicans despite their longtime opposition to higher taxes.

Obama said he would veto it, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). said the measure couldn’t pass his chamber even as a last-ditch effort.

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist blessed the bill, saying it would not violate his no-new-taxes pledge that many Republicans have signed.

smiller@nypost.com

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Survey shows better lending climate

Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.

That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved since 2011, with venture capital funds and community banks identified as the top sources of potential capital. Fifty-two percent called the economy “growing slowly,’’ compared to 7 percent describing it as “strong and growing.” Only 16 percent described the economy as weak.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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Teen shot to death on Lauderdale Lakes street in front of friend

A teenager was shot dead as he walked with a friend on a Lauderdale Lakes street.

Cornelius Mitchell, 17, of Fort Lauderdale died at Broward Health Medical Center after being shot in the 4400 block of North State Road 7. Mitchell was walking Tuesday afternoon with friend Bravon Newsom, also 17, who was grazed by a bullet.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Mitchell and Newsom got into a dispute with Elijah Ellington, who police say then pulled a gun and opened fire on the two teens.

Ellington, 32, of 7001 SW 11th St. in Pembroke Pines, is in custody.

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Angelina Jolie to Direct Unbroken Film

Angelina Jolie is in final negotiations to direct her second film, Unbroken, based on the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian-turned-World War II prisoner of war, according to Deadline.

Video: Angelina Jolie Talks Kids, 'Blood and Honey'

"I was so moved by Louie Zamperini's heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film," said The Oscar-winning actress in a statement. "Louie is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story."

Adapted from Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, the feature film will tell the real-life tale of American Olympic distance runner Louis Zamperini, who was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese Navy during World War II.

Unbroken will be the second film directed by Jolie. The 37-year-old made her debut in 2011's In The Land Of Blood And Honey.

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O, stop this apocalypse . . . now!

Michael Goodwin

This is why we have a president. The question is whether the president we have will rise to the challenge.

Barack Obama gave an eloquent, heartfelt address at Sunday’s memorial service in Newtown, Conn. He said privately that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School made Friday “the worst day” of his tenure. The pain showed on his face.

But sharing the suffering of the 26 families who lost loved ones and calming a traumatized nation won’t be enough. As Mayor Bloomberg put it bluntly, “Being the consoler in chief is part of his job. His main job is being commander in chief, and I endorsed him, and I endorsed him because he said he believes in rational use of guns in this country, and I expect him to do exactly that.”

Leaving aside his inexact reference to commander in chief, Bloomberg is right to put the ball in the president’s court. It belongs there precisely because there are no easy and obvious answers to where America goes from here.

For sure, there are some straightforward steps that will mark a good start. A ban on automatic and semi-automatic rifles, along with outsized ammunition clips that have no rational civilian use, likely will find wide support now.

The goal is clear: Take the “mass” out of “mass murder,” as one observer put it.

Yet it is striking that parts of that ban were in effect for 10 years until 2004, and Democrats did nothing to revive it when they had full control of Washington in the first two years of Obama’s term. The inaction offers an insight not only into the tricky politics of gun control, which divides both parties, but how Obama picked his priorities.

He did not believe he was elected to refight the prosaic battles of past presidents. He made it clear he wanted to “transform” America, not merely reform it. Splitting his party over gun control would have cost political capital he wanted to save for other fights, such as ObamaCare and re-election.

So, as Bloomberg not so delicately put it, “The president spoke out visibly on gun violence after the mass shooting in Tucson two years ago. Yet since those shootings happened, more than 24,100 Americans have been murdered with guns.

“Had we done something then, a vast number of those would be alive today and their families wouldn’t have been torn asunder.”

There is truth in that claim, but it also unfairly mixes apples and oranges. The slaughter of 20 children is horrific beyond description, but the vast majority of murders happens alone. They are carried out primarily with handguns that didn’t fall under a federal ban then and won’t now.

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iOS apps you need right now

If you’ve just gotten an iPhone 5 or an iPad Mini, you’re going to want to play with it. And if you’re looking for apps to try out on your new iOS device, these old and new favorites are perfect — not to mention cheap or free.

PHOTOTOASTER

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: PhotoToaster is one of the best ways to add effects to your images, and features an excellent interface layout for giving your images a really cool look.

The bad: Like many apps, PhotoToaster has begun to add in-app purchases, but there are several included filters that do the job nicely.

The cost: 99 cents

The bottom line: There are tons of image editors in the App Store, but PhotoToaster is easy to recommend, with its slick and simple interface, helpful menus to get you started and extremely impressive results.

ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS HD

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Angry Birds Star Wars does just enough with new worlds and new Star Wars-themed birds to add variation to an already great game mechanic.

The bad: The app is not universal to both phones and tablets, so you’ll need to purchase it twice if you want to use the game on both.

The cost: $2.99

The bottom line: With new birds, new powers andnew levels to explore set in the Star Wars universe, this is a worthy purchase, even if you’ve played the previous games.

NETFLIX for iOS

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Great-looking streaming shows and new interface elements make browsing through scenes easier.

The bad: The streaming library is only a fraction of the larger DVD library. You still can’t add to or change your DVD queue via the app.

The cost: Free

The bottom line: If you don’t mind the limited streaming library, the Netflix app is a great way to watch movies, and the new interface elements make it easier to use.

FIFA SOCCER 13

4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Not only the best soccer game, but the best sports game on an iOS device. New skill moves are easier to pull off, making them integral to the game. Precise controls and fast-paced action make for excellent gameplay.

The bad: Skill levels still feel too far apart. Poor camera selections make playing on an iPhone difficult, with very small players forcing you to bring your iPhone much closer than you’d like.

The cost: $6.99

The bottom line: If you want a great soccer game for iOS, FIFA 13 hits the mark on almost every level. With tons of teams, new skill moves, and online multiplayer, this is the sports game to beat on iOS.

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