Report: Undercover NYPD officer arrested for participating in SUV attack

An undercover police officer was arrested Tuesday after allegedly lying to police about his involvement in the Sept. 29 motorcycle mob and subsequent attack of an SUV driver in New York City.

According to WABC-TV, the undercover officer, 32-year-old Wojciech Braszczok, was charged with riot and criminal mischief.

The veteran detective originally told police he didn't arrive on the scene until after the attack on Alexian Lien took place. However, video viewed by the NYPD told a different story, according to NBC New York and the Daily News.

In the video, the undercover officer can be seen banging on the rear window of the Range Rover, unnamed police sources told NBC.

"It shows him punching the back window," another unnamed source told the Daily News of the new footage reviewed by investigators on Monday. "And then as the camera is moving it catches him maybe throwing a kick at the side of the car."

After Lien was pulled from the SUV by the bikers, the undercover officer is then seen riding away. Lien was then beaten in front of his wife and daughter by the bikers, who had followed the vehicle up the West Side Highway after it clipped one of their fellow cyclists.

Motorcycle road rage update: New video and another …Play video."

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the officer, who waited several days before coming forward, had been placed on modified duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Tuesday afternoon he turned himself in and was taken to Manhattan Central Booking.

The undercover officer was unarmed at the time of the attack, according to the report, and was not carrying a badge.

The rules for undercover officers when it comes to reporting crimes are often vague:

Undercover officers are required to immediately report being a witness to a crime. Uniformed officers are required to take police action if they see a crime occurring, but the rules are murkier for undercover officers who face blowing their cover, confusing civilians who don't realize the undercover is really a cop and ruining years-long investigations.

"Compromising his identity could compromise all the work he's doing and his safety as well," Michael Palladino, president of the NYPD detectives union, told NBC. "It's very difficult to lead a double life."

Four bikers have been formally charged in the SUV assault so far, and police are seeking at least two other suspects.

Biker beating suspect gets kid glove treatment?Play video."

According to NBC, as many as five other off-duty police officers may have been riding with the hundreds of motorcyclists at the annual event.

A new video is said to show a detective smashing an SUV's window before its driver's recent beating.
Report: Lied about involvement

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least eight Democratic members of the House were among about 200 people arrested Tuesday after they blocked a main street near the Capitol during a massive rally seeking to push Republicans to hold a vote on a stalled immigration reform bill.

Police would not identify those arrested. Representatives of the social policy organization Center for Community Change and The Associated Press witnessed the arrests of Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga.; Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill.; Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.; Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; Joseph Crowley and Charles Rangel, both D-N.Y.; Al Green, D-Texas; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.,

Representatives of other groups whose members attended the rally, such as United Farm Workers and Farmworker Justice, confirmed that several of their members were arrested as well.

Those arrested will be charged with "crowding, obstructing and incommoding" under the local laws of the District of Columbia, the Capitol Police said. The arrests began about 4 p.m. EDT and had ended two hours later, police said in a statement.

Before being arrested, Gutiérrez said he planned the act of civil disobedience "so the speaker of the House can free Congress and finally pass immigration reform."

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Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is arrested by U.S. Capitol Police officers on Capitol Hill during a im …

The rally took place after the six-time Grammy winners Los Tigres del Norte performed at the National Mall during a show in which the Mexican band dedicated each song to the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

Prospects for passage of a comprehensive immigration bill appear dim. A bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate and backed by the White House includes billions of dollars for border security as well as a 13-year path to citizenship for those already in the U.S. illegally.

It's unclear whether the GOP-dominated House will ever pass legislation that could form the basis for a final deal with the Senate. Most House Republicans have rejected this comprehensive approach, and the House Judiciary Committee has moved forward with individual, single-issue immigration bills that could come to the floor sometime later this year or next.

Citing the demonstration, the White House issued a statement calling for the House to take up the immigration bill.

"The enthusiastic demonstration of support for immigration reform this week has proven to Congress that the broad coalition behind commonsense solutions to our nation's broken immigration laws is as strong as it has ever been," according to the statement from press secretary Jay Carney. "It's time for the House of Representatives to reopen the government, pay their bills and get back to the important work of moving the economy forward."

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A demonstrator is arrested by U.S. Capitol Police officers on Capitol Hill during a immigration rall …

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The lawmakers, all Democrats, are among about 200 people detained at a massive protest for immigration reform.
What they'll be charged with

The United States may announce within days that it is suspending most military aid to Egypt – sparing counter-terrrorism efforts and other "core interests" – three months after that country’s military toppled its democratically elected president, according to U.S. officials and the Reuters news agency.

President Barack Obama is leaning toward withholding most assistance that does not directly go towards battling extremists or fostering security in the Sinai Peninsula, enforcing Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, Reuters reported late Tuesday. Obama has not made a final decision, the agency said.

CNN reported that all U.S. aid would be affected and that the suspension would take effect in the coming days.

The White House denied that Obama had decided to halt “all military assistance.” But it left the door wide open to suspending some the aid three months after Egypt’s military ousted President Mohamed Morsi in July -- a move the United States has stubbornly refused to call a coup.

“The reports that we are halting all military assistance to Egypt are false,” National Security Council spokeswoman Catlin Hayden said in a statement. “We will announce the future of our assistance relationship with Egypt in the coming days, but as the President made clear at UNGA, that assistance relationship will continue.”

That statement left ample room for the Reuters report to be accurate. Another U.S. official declined to specifically deny the news agency’s version.

Obama said 10 days ago on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly that he had “concerns” about the political turmoil in Egypt but said he was “committed to a constructive relationship” in part because of the country’s peace treaty with Israel.

“So we will continue to work with the Egyptian government, although urging them and pushing them in a direction that is more inclusive and that meets the basic goals of those who originally sought for more freedom and more democracy in that country,” Obama said as he met with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Obama was even more blunt, saying that the United States would keep working with countries that do not embrace democracy as long as they "work with us on our core interests," like fighting Islamist extremists.

"Going forward, the United States will maintain a constructive relationship with the interim government that promotes core interests like the Camp David Accords and counterterrorism. We’ll continue support in areas like education that directly benefit the Egyptian people. But we have not proceeded with the delivery of certain military systems, and our support will depend upon Egypt’s progress in pursuing a more democratic path," he said.

In the subsequent months since Morsi's removal, Egypt’s military has banned the Muslim Brotherhood and taken other actions against the group, which won a narrow majority in the country’s first democratic elections since the removal of longtime dictator (and close U.S. ally) Hosni Mubarak.

In the past, Israel has urged the United States not to withhold aid in a way that might upset the balance kept by the peace treaty or send Egypt plunging into the kind of chaos that extremists could exploit to attack the Jewish state.

It’s not clear whether the potential shift in assistance will come with a determination that Morsi’s removal was in fact a coup d'état – a step that, under U.S. law, would require a halt to military aid.

At the time, officials indicated that a review of roughly $585 million in unspent funds was ongoing and confirmed that the United States was considering withholding the delivery of 10 Apache helicopters, had suspended the delivery of F-16 fighters, and canceled a prominent biannual joint military exercise known as “Bright Star.”

Yahoo News Chief Washington Correspondent Olivier Knox contributed to this report.

Report: U.S. may freeze most Egypt aid

Obama is leaning toward withholding most assistance that does not directly go towards battling extremists.
'Concerns' over turmoil

Pentagon freeze on death benefits sparks outrage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress expressed outrage Tuesday that families of fallen U.S. military personnel are being denied death benefits while Democrats and Republicans grope for a way to end the partial government shutdown. The GOP-led House readied a quick fix.

The Pentagon typically pays out $100,000 within three days of a soldier's death. But it says the shutdown means there is no authority now to pay the money.

House Speaker John Boehner blasted the Obama administration Tuesday for withholding the payments. He said Congress gave the Defense Department broad authority to continue paying bills such as the death payments in a law passed just before the government shut down on Oct. 1.

"Frankly, I think it's disgraceful that they're withholding these benefits," Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.

He said the House would address the problem Wednesday, and he called on President Barack Obama to sign the bill into law. Senate Democrats have been hesitant to pass piecemeal legislation, insisting the entire government be reopened.

In the Senate, members of both parties lamented the impasse.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the lack of compensation for the families of five soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the weekend was "appalling."

"Shouldn't we be ashamed?" said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"Your government has let you down in a time of your need," echoed fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, describing what his message to the families would be. Graham blamed Democrats, Republicans and Obama for the situation.

Military death benefits delayed by shutdown

Lawmakers voice anger and point fingers over the freeze on payments to families of fallen U.S. soldiers.
'Shouldn't we be ashamed?'

Poll: GOP gets the blame in shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are holding Republicans primarily responsible for the partial government shutdown as public esteem sinks for all players in the impasse, President Barack Obama among them, according to a new poll. It's a struggle with no heroes.

The Associated Press-GfK survey, out Wednesday, affirms expectations by many in Washington — Republicans among them — that the GOP may end up taking the biggest hit in public opinion from the fiscal paralysis, just as that party did when much of the government closed 17 years ago. But the situation is fluid nine days into the shutdown and there's plenty of disdain to go around.

Overall, 62 percent mainly blamed Republicans for the shutdown. About half said Obama or the Democrats in Congress bear much responsibility.

Asked if she blamed Obama, House Republicans, Senate Democrats or the tea party for the shutdown, Martha Blair, 71, of Kerrville, Texas, said, yes, you bet. All of them.

"Somebody needs to jerk those guys together to get a solution, instead of just saying 'no,'" said Blair, an independent. "It's just so frustrating." It's also costly: She's paid to fly with a group to four national parks in Arizona and California next month and says she can't get her money back or reschedule if the parks remain closed.

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In this Oct. 8, 2013, photo, Andrea Bentley, with the American Federation of Government Employees, p …

The poll found that the tea party is more than a gang of malcontents in the political landscape, as its supporters in Congress have been portrayed by Democrats. Rather, it's a sizable — and divisive — force among Republicans. More than 4 in 10 Republicans identified with the tea party and were more apt than other Republicans to insist that their leaders hold firm in the standoff over reopening government and avoiding a default of the nation's debt in coming weeks.

Most Americans disapprove of the way Obama is handling his job, the poll suggests, with 53 percent unhappy with his performance and 37 percent approving of it. Congress is scraping rock bottom, with a ghastly approval rating of 5 percent.

Indeed, anyone making headlines in the dispute has earned poor marks for his or her trouble, whether it's Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, or Republican John Boehner, the House speaker, both with a favorability rating of 18 percent.

And much of the country draws a blank on Republican Ted Cruz of Texas despite his 21-hour Senate speech before the shutdown. Only half in the poll were familiar enough with him to register an opinion. Among those who did, 32 percent viewed him unfavorably, 16 percent favorably.

Comparisons could not be drawn conclusively with how people viewed leaders before the shutdown because the poll was conducted online, while previous AP-GfK surveys were done by telephone. Some changes may be due to the new methodology, not shifts in opinion. The poll provides a snapshot of public opinion starting in the third day of the shutdown.

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Graphic shows AP-GfK opinion poll on government shutdown; 2c x 5 inches; 96.3 mm x 127 mm;

The poll comes with both sides dug in and trading blame incessantly. On Tuesday, a proposal by House Republicans to create a working group of 20 lawmakers to tackle deficit issues prompted a White House veto threat, and a plan by Senate Democrats to raise the debt limit by $1 trillion to avoid a default drew a frosty reception from the GOP. Obama is insisting Republicans reopen government and avert default before any negotiations on deficit reduction or his 2010 health care law are held.

Among the survey's findings:

— Sixty-eight percent said the shutdown is a major problem for the country, including majorities of Republicans (58 percent), Democrats (82 percent) and independents (57 percent).

— Fifty-two percent said Obama is not doing enough to cooperate with Republicans to end the shutdown; 63 percent say Republicans aren't doing enough to cooperate with him.

— Republicans are split on just how much cooperation they want. Among those who do not back the tea party, fully 48 percent say their party should be doing more with Obama to find a solution. But only 15 percent of tea-party Republicans want that outreach. The vast majority of them say GOP leaders are doing what they should with the president, or should do even less with him.

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In this Oct. 8, 2013, photo, Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, makes a statement outside hi …

— People seem conflicted or confused about the showdown over the debt limit. Six in 10 predict an economic crisis if the government's ability to borrow isn't renewed later this month with an increase in the debt limit — an expectation widely shared by economists. Yet only 30 percent say they support raising the limit; 46 percent were neutral on the question.

— More than 4 in 5 respondents felt no personal impact from the shutdown. For those who did, thwarted vacations to national parks, difficulty getting work done without federal contacts at their desks and hitches in government benefits were among the complaints.

Blair's nine-day trip to national parks with a tour group won't happen if the parks are still closed next month. "I'm concerned," she said, "but it seems kind of trivial to people who are being shut out of work."

In Mount Prospect, Ill., Barbara Olpinski, 51, a Republican who blames Obama and both parties for the shutdown, said her family is already seeing an impact and that will worsen if the impasse goes on. She's an in-home elderly care director, her daughter is a physician's assistant at a rural clinic that treats patients who rely on government coverage, and her husband is a doctor who can't get flu vaccines for patients on public assistance because deliveries have stopped.

"People don't know how they are going to pay for things, and what will be covered," she said. "Everybody is kind of like holding their wallets."

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In this Oct. 8, 2013, photo, President Barack Obama pauses as he talks about the the budget and the …

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Oct. 3-7 and involved online interviews with 1,227 adults. The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points for all respondents.

The survey used GfK's KnowledgePanel, a probability-based Internet panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. Respondents to the survey were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods, and were later interviewed for this survey online. People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn't have online access were given that access at no cost to them.

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Online:

AP-GfK Poll: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

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Associated Press writer Stacy A. Anderson and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

Poll: GOP gets most blame in shutdown

Americans hold Republicans primarily responsible for the impasse, but there's plenty of disdain to go around, an AP poll finds.
How Obama fares