Free Republic

That's the ticket. by Fred Barnes 05/07/2008 The NOTION THAT BARACK Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate is crazy. She passes the first test of a veep selection: she's a plausible president. But she fails the second. She doesn't qualify as a partner on the Democratic ticket (and possibly in the White House) that Obama would be comfortable with--far from it. But there is someone who does meet these two requirements, plus a third one and maybe a fourth. That person is Democratic Governor Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania. Yes, Rendell was the leading supporter of...

The NOTION THAT BARACK Obama should pick Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate is crazy. She passes the first test of a veep selection: she's a plausible president. But she fails the second. She doesn't qualify as a partner on the Democratic ticket (and possibly in the White House) that Obama would be comfortable with--far from it. But there is someone who does meet these two requirements, plus a third one and maybe a fourth. That person is Democratic Governor Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania. Yes, Rendell was the leading supporter of Clinton when she trounced Obama in the...

Rendell joins Chelsea Clinton for 'gay pub crawl' in Phillyby BRETT LIEBERMAN, Of The Patriot-News Saturday April 19, 2008, 4:22 PM Christopher Murray embraces Chelsea Clinton Friday night when the former first daughter campaigned with Gov. Ed Rendell and actor Rob Reiner during a pub crawl of gay bars in Philadelphia. They loved her hair; they smacked her butt; they hooted and hugged Friday night as Chelsea Clinton hit Philadelphia for what campaign aides called a "gay pub crawl." BRETT LIEBERMAN, The Patriot-News "Chelsea, the gays love you!" Jeff Guaracino, 35, shouted as the former first daughter took the stage...

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said that media in the U.S. have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in the Democratic presidential race and are heavily biased toward Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. In an interview with Britain’s Financial Times, Rendell — who has endorsed Clinton in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary — said the bias against the former first lady is the worst instance of favoritism “I have seen in my 31 years in politics.” He added: “The media has drunk the Kool-Aid with Obama … They have fallen in love with the message and the messenger… “They don’t even pretend to...

Senator Barack Obama fought back Saturday against accusations from his rivals that he had displayed a profound misunderstanding of small-town values, in a flare-up that left him on the defensive before a series of primaries that could test his ability to win over white voters in economically distressed communities. For a second day, Mr. Obama sought to explain his remarks at a recent San Francisco fund-raiser that small-town Pennsylvania voters, bitter over their economic circumstances, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them” as a way to explain their frustrations. Acknowledging Saturday that “I didn’t...

"...Midge Rendell went on to become a federal trial court judge in 1994 and was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997 to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals..." "...She is now one step away from a seat on the highest court in the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Specter says that could be in her future..."

An error of judgment: Penn is out TRIBUNE-REVIEW BY: Salena Zito Hillary Clinton's chief strategist and pollster Mark Penn has made like Elvis and left the building, a little more than two weeks before the Pennsylvania April 22nd primary.

Rendell-Casey, Round 2 By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, April 6, 2008 To win Pennsylvania, Barack Obama must pull off a "Missouri" -- that is, do what he did in the Show Me State: win a handful of heavily populated, liberal-centric counties and call it a day. Ironically, that is what Ed Rendell (a Hillary Clinton supporter) did to Bob Casey (an Obama supporter) in Pennsylvania's 2002 Democrat gubernatorial primary.

Real clear politics has a link today to a piece by Time's Karen Tumulty profiling Clinton blowhard Ed Rendell. It's not worth reading ( click the link if you want to see it), but the "money quote" is in the headline above. Rendell excoriates the MSM for their unfair coverage of the Dem primary race, and praises Fox News for being the "fairest" in their political coverage..Astounding..pigs can fly..and blind ones even find acorns..

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supporters of both Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton agree on at least one thing -- that Obama's campaign shouldn't have let a retired general accuse Bill Clinton of McCarthyism. The fracas started when the former president spoke last week in North Carolina, saying it would be great to have an election between "two people who loved this country" and focused on the issues instead of other distractions. Retired General Merrill McPeak accused Clinton of questioning Obama's patriotism, and likened the comments to communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy. On "Fox News Sunday," Obama supporter and New Mexico governor...

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is on the witness list in Paul v Clinton. He is a key witness and is going to be asked questions about money he failed to report. If any of you can help advance this story on blogs in Pennsylvania before the primary, that effort would be appreciated. Will the mainstream media touch it? The odds are probably not very good. If you know any Obama people, this should interest them. WATCH RENDELL & HILLARY

'Clinton Country' celebrates St. Patrick's Day By Mike Wereschagin and Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, March 16, 2008 A warm -- and loud -- reception awaited Sen. Hillary Clinton along the St. Patrick's Day parade route Downtown. Flanked by Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Clinton walked the mile-long route Saturday morning as Pittsburghers showered her with affection. Clinton is heavily favored to win Western Pennsylvania in the April 22 Democratic primary, in which she will square off with rival Sen. Barack Obama. It was Clinton's second day campaigning in the city, after making...

In the state, it's politics unusual for Clinton, Obama By Mike Wereschagin TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, March 16, 2008 Patrons pack the bar at Rookie's Restaurant and Sports Pub in Allentown, but their conversations steer clear of the political battle being waged for their votes. Bartender Nick Goldsmith keeps an ear on what is said inside this Lehigh County joint. If one of the candidates' names comes up, he knows he might have to jump in and shut down an argument before it becomes a fight. Again. "I don't usually discourage it until it gets out of hand," says Goldsmith, 29. That's...

Primary re-does costlyPOSTED: March 8, 2008 Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., left, get a hug from Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell as she in introduces at a campaign stop for a low dollar fundraising reception at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) LANSING (AP) — The biggest stumbling block to doing over the Democratic primaries in Michigan and Florida may be the cost. Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer estimates it would cost the state party $8 million to $12 million to set up party-run election sites and allow...

If he can get some assistance from a Pennsylvania attorney, Peter Paul's counsel may be able to have Gov. Ed Rendell under oath in a deposition just before the Pennsylvania Primary. It may cause a bit of embarrassment for both Rendell and the Clintons. Peter's counsel is speaking with counsel who may want to participate in the Rendell grilling. Part of a problem that is being encountered is that some big firms will not let any of their attorneys take on Rendell or the Clintons. They see it as bad for business. If you know a bulldog attorney in Pennsylvania...

TRIBUNE-REVIEW Pa. no longer on the horizon By: Salena Zito It's showtime, folks ... part II. Welcome to a smaller yet more critically important Super Tuesday. Today has become the focus for the Democrats in a political season that has seen the primary contest maps redrawn in a way no pundit could have ever predicted. In an interview last week, Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean told the Tribune-Review that he never would have predicted that the primary season would have gone on this long. In fact, Dean said he thought it would have been decided before the first Super...

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said Monday that the media's pro-Obama (or anti-Clinton) bias explains in part why Barack Obama is portrayed as running away with the Democratic presidential nomination (instead of being locked in a close fight with Hillary Rodham Clinton). "The media does not like the Clintons for whatever reason," Rendell, a Clinton supporter, said in an interview with The Fix. "Maybe some of it's [the Clintons'] fault, but the media does not like the Clintons." Rendell insisted that the "media has relished this fall with glee that I have never seen in any other candidate in the...

The Talk Shows Sunday, February 24th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): McCain campaign manager Rick Davis; Govs. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Jon Corzine, D-N.J., and Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Ralph Nader, consumer advocate and former presidential candidate.FACE THE NATION (CBS): THIS WEEK (ABC): Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R); National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell; Robert Bennett, attorney for McCain; Govs. Ed Rendell, D-Pa., Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kan., and Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn.; Sen. Chuck Hagel,...

Clinton plays for keeps TRIBUNE-REVIEW BY Salena Zito Yes, poll numbers are slipping away from Hillary Clinton and shifting toward Barack Obama. And if former presidential campaign manager for Bill Clinton David Wilhelm is an indicator of things to come, super-delegate support is being peeled away as well. Yet with all of that going against the junior senator from New York, it would be unwise to count her out just yet, or ever. Because as dodgy as things may get for Clinton, she is not one to give up -- even when facing a 10-game losing streak from contests that...

Many are still incensed by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s editorial board comments in Monday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette… “You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate.” That, along with the introduction of race as a component of the Democrat presidential nomination process, has alarmed many liberals who believed they were above all that. I contend, that kind of thinking is in their blood. As far as Rendell’s comments, he’s more ignorant than racist. Since “conservative whites” are… conservative, the chances they would vote for a Democrat in...

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell says Barack Obama is going to lose votes because some white voters are not ready for a black president: "I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate." Rendell also said he thought race cost his Republican opponent, former NFL star Lynn Swann, around five points in the 2006 election for governor. Rendell's statement was jarring for me. Last summer, at my wife's high school reunion, I met a guy who grew up in Penn Yan and now works for a nuclear facility outside Pittsburgh. He's a Libertarian...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black. "You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday's paper. To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, by a margin of more than...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.

Via TPM Election Central, I see that Governor Ed Rendell is back to embarrassing a presidential candidate he ostensibly supports. Here's an account of how Rendell, a Hillary supporter, recently sized up Obama's chances in Pennsylviania: Gov. Ed "Don't Call Me 'Fast Eddie' " Rendell met with the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week to talk about his latest budget. But before turning the meeting over to his number-crunchers, our voluble governor weighed in on the primary fight between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and what the Illinois senator could expect from the good people of Pennsylvania...

Rendell-Clinton 2008 Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, the former Democratic National Committee chair during the Bush-Gore Florida recount in 2000, will throw his political weight behind Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton today.

Keystone state may be vital to candidates By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, January 21, 2008 Staff writer Salena Zito contributed to this story. Pennsylvania's April 22 presidential primary, usually written off as meaningless, could mean everything this year. If no clear front-runners emerge in either party after Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 and another flurry of primaries through March, the Pennsylvania primary would become a key battleground. It's the only primary in April and the last big prize before the Democratic and Republican conventions.

Pennsylvania's April 22 presidential primary, usually written off as meaningless, could mean everything this year. If no clear front-runners emerge in either party after Super Tuesday on Feb. 5 and another flurry of primaries through March, the Pennsylvania primary would become a key battleground. It's the only primary in April and the last big prize before the Democratic and Republican conventions. "I do believe that the Pennsylvania primary, which I had initially thought would not be relevant, is now becoming more and more relevant to the Republican nominee and has an outside chance of being important to the Democratic nominee,"...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683 Pennsylvania Gun Control Bills Defeated Fairfax, Va. – The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee today struck down three gun control bills and successfully preserved Second Amendment rights for law-abiding gun owners in the Commonwealth. The National Rifle Association was opposed to all three bills. House Bill 18 would have gutted Pennsylvania’s pre-emption law and would have allowed local municipalities to place further restrictions on the sale, possession, carrying and use of firearms. Without preemption there would be countless local firearms laws, making compliance impossible for law-abiding gun owners. This bill was struck down...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Map, News) - Gov. Ed Rendell is returning campaign contributions from two donors associated with former fugitive Norman Hsu, a man facing fraud charges. Rendell's decision to give back $7,000 comes three weeks after the Democratic governor said he would donate to charity nearly $38,000 that came directly from Hsu. The most recent giveback resulted from "sufficient questions" about the donors that were raised in press accounts, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said. The governor is returning $2,000 contributed in May 2005 by a resident of Daly City, Calif., and $5,000 donated in April 2006 by a resident of...

Rendell can't spin away Hsu By Brad Bumsted STATE CAPITOL REPORTER Sunday, September 23, 2007 HARRISBURG Capitol observers were astounded when Gov. Ed Rendell called Democrat fundraiser Norman Hsu, a felon and then-fugitive, "one of the best 10 people I've met." They're likely more astounded now. Rendell made the comment to The Philadelphia Inquirer; it became instant fodder for Capitol insiders. If Mr. Hsu is on the governor's Top 10 list, who else is on the list? Incredibly, Rendell last week backed off the statement at his first Capitol news conference since the Hsu scandal surfaced. The governor threw in...

Rendell: No P.I. Needed For Lobbying Flap (KYW 1060) PHILADELPHIA Governor Rendell said he does not see the need to hire a private investigator to probe one of his friends who failed to properly register before lobbying on behalf of a film company. Dauphin County Republican Jeffrey Piccola, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, said he plans to hire an investigator to probe the actions of a film company, Lionsgate, and of a Pittsburgh lobbyist for the firm who failed to properly register before she began seeking tax credits for the film industry that were ultimately signed into law....

Rendell reconsiders Hsu allies' money, too By Mario F. Cattabiani Inquirer Staff Writer HARRISBURG - Gov. Rendell, who two weeks ago decided to give to charity $38,000 donated to his campaign by former fugitive Norman Hsu, said yesterday that he would consider doing the same with contributions from associates of the disgraced Democratic fund-raiser. "I'm going to take a look at it," Rendell said in response to a question at a Capitol news conference. The comment came a week after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D., N.Y.) said she would return $850,000 in contributions from 260 donors with connections to Hsu....

Rendell Fundraising Questions Might Not End With Hsu By: Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin 09/21/2007 Norman Hsu has provoked an abundance of unflattering questions about the fundraising scruples of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and a host of other high-profile Democrats. And, at least for Rendell and Clinton, questions about another may lie ahead. Hsu's past hasn't exactly enhanced his beneficiaries' reputations. In 1991, Hsu fled California as authorities prepared to jail him for soliciting money from investors while maintaining no legitimate business operation. Likewise, Peter F. Paul's background didn't make him the...

ALL THE DOCUMENTS ARE AT HILLCAP DOT ORG EQUAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA WEBSITE HAS THE VIDEO TRAILER FR EXCLUSIVE: Did Governor Ed Rendell hide a 120K donation and 150K stock pledge from the FEC? Note: in fairness to Governor Rendell, we attempted to contact him and his press secretary, Chuck Ardo. Since Sept. 6, the attempts to get their comments have remained unsuccessful. Dateline: Upland, CA Sept. 17, 2007 Doug from Upland Exclusive to FreeRepublic.com Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who reluctantly announced that he would give the $37,000 to charity that he received from the bungling bundler and...

PA GOP: Fast Eddie Robs Peter Paul to Pay Hillary Friday, September 14, 2007 Contact: Michael Barley HARRISBURG —Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. was not surprised to see that Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton are involved in more fundraising scandals with another convicted felon, named Peter Paul. Paul alleges that Ed Rendell, then Chairman of the Democrat National Committee, told him to lie about his involvement with a 2000 Clinton for Senate fundraiser. “Apparently, when Sen. Clinton and Gov. Rendell need campaign donations, they dial up the list of America’s most wanted as...

Felon wants Rendell to testify By Brad Bumsted STATE CAPITOL REPORTER Saturday, September 15, 2007 Peter F. Paul of Asheville, N.C., contends in court documents that after The Washington Post pursued a story disclosing his felony convictions, Rendell asked him to lie in 2000 to cover up Paul's role in a Hollywood fundraiser he helped sponsor for Clinton. "He will be deposed. He's a material witness," Paul told the Tribune-Review in a telephone interview. Court documents allege in a civil lawsuit pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court that "Rendell, on Hillary Rodham Clinton's behalf, asked Paul to lie about...

Governor Ed Rendell, recently caught up in the Norman Hsu Democrat donation quagmire, received a facsimile at his office today asking some tough questions about his involvement in the Paul v Clinton civil case coming soon to Los Angeles Superior Court. The governor is a key witness in the case.

Disgraced Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu, who was wanted by California authorities for the last 15 years, is once again on the lam, putting Gov. Rendell, a staunch supporter, in an increasingly awkward political corner. And for now, Rendell isn't saying whether he will reverse his decision and return nearly $38,000 in contributions from Hsu or continue to stand by the man he recently called "one of the best 10 people I've met." Press secretary Chuck Ardo said the governor had no immediate comment on Hsu's disappearance. "The governor will respond to today's events after having time to review them," Ardo...

A prominent Democratic fund-raiser wanted on a felony fraud charge in California has donated or steered tens of thousands of dollars to Pennsylvania politicians in recent years, moving some to now jettison the money. But one of Norman Hsu's biggest beneficiaries in the state, Gov. Rendell, said yesterday that he would keep the money ---snip--- U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and U.S. Reps Joe Sestak and Patrick Murphy - all Democrats - said yesterday that they would return part or all of the money that Hsu had given or raised for them. They joined a raft of other Democratic politicians...

Rendell: Suspect's money goes back -- if he's guilty 5:10 PM EDT, August 30, 2007 HARRISBURG - | Gov. Ed Rendell this afternoon defended his decision to keep a $40,000 donation from a prominent Democratic fundraiser who is wanted on a felony fraud charge in California, saying he will only return the charges against him are sustained. In a conference call with reporters, Rendell said fund-raiser Norman Hsu "gave me that money legally. He hasn't been convicted of anything … We'll see what the court system does. If the court sustains it, we'll give it back." The Los Angeles Times...

Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. --Gov. Ed Rendell, despite pressure from gun dealers, decided Tuesday not to delay a database upgrade that will halt Pennsylvania firearms sales for three days. The Democratic governor said the shutdown to allow work on the criminal history database would last one day less than previously announced. The Pennsylvania Instant Check System will be down from 6 p.m. Sunday and return to operation at 6 p.m. Sept. 5. "It is clear that there will never be an ideal time to temporarily shut down the system so we can make changes necessary to ensure the system continues...

(CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA -- Governor Ed Rendell called attention to the deplorable condition of many Pennsylvania bridges, following a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis during the height of rush hour Wednesday. “We’re first in state owned bridges that are over 75 years of age. We are also first in the nation in number of structurally deficient bridges", Rendell said. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there are roughly 25,000 bridges in Pennsylvania, 5,900 of which are structurally deficient. According to a Federal Highway Administration web site, a “deficient” rating does not necessarily mean a bridge is likely to collapse;...

HARRISBURG -- Electric-rate shock for consumers could produce a windfall for Gov. Ed Rendell's alternative energy agenda. That essentially was the message a top Republican senator delivered to the Democratic governor during a private Sunday morning meeting that helped dissolve a partisan political stalemate and paved the way for an agreement less than two days later, according to other participants in the budget talks. The idea floated by Sen. Dominic Pileggi - that spiraling electricity bills anticipated in much of Pennsylvania over the next four years will provide a gush of tax revenue - finally moved Rendell off a position...

Legislators on Sunday have less than a day to agree on a state budget before a partial government shutdown that would furlough thousands of workers and curtail some services. Gov. Ed Rendell said he will decide Sunday afternoon whether an agreement is close enough that he can call off the furloughs. "I'm not optimistic now," Rendell said on Saturday. The stalemate between the Democratic governor and the narrowly divided Legislature over a $27 billion-plus budget and some of Rendell's top priorities showed no sign of easing. (snip) Republicans said they are frustrated at the scope of Rendell's proposals including massive...

BACKGROUND: http://hillcap.org NEW YORK SUN ARTICLE, Feb. 2005 Pursuant to the above referenced article, Aaron Tonken was wearing a government wire for evidence gathering in the Hillary campaign finance fraud that began in 2000 and continues to this day. When discovery in Paul v Clinton finally begins later this year, much light is going to be shed on those who want certain information to remain hidden. When the Paul and Clinton saga began, Ed Rendell was then the chairman of the DNC. On Jan. 31, 2003, he was sworn in as Governor of Pennsylvania. Overlooked in any of the mainstream...

Domestic Terrorists Anti-Government Groups Often associated with unorganized militias, the Anti-Government movement actually embraces a much larger variety of groups and causes. The extreme fringe believes that the U.S. government is either the enemy or has been subverted by the enemy and must be actively defended against. Anti-Government Issues and Beliefs Gun Control is a conspiracy to enslave us starting with the removal of our ability to either defend ourselves or forcefully change our government. The first ten amendments of The Constitution are God given and all others are temporary, invalid or outright fraudulent. All judicial authority resides with the...

The new member of the U.S. House spoke to a Muslim group. He offered praise as well as some admonishment. Inside the posh Hilton Philadelphia last night, a dinner crowd of several hundred Muslims was full of praise for the political courage it said U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak had shown merely by showing up to speak. Outside the City Avenue hotel, amid Passover week snow flurries, about a dozen Jewish protesters held up signs blasting Sestak for what they said was his nerve in showing up. One sign read, "Say it ain't so, Joe." Sestak, a Democrat from Philadelphia's western...

The Penguins and public officials have agreed to borrow up to $290 million for an arena, but must figure out how to make payments on that much debt, Gov. Ed Rendell said Friday. "We've agreed on the concept; we just have to agree on how to get there," Rendell said. "Everyone has to pay a little more." National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman has joined the negotiations as a mediator. "He would like to see this thing brought to a head, and so would I," Rendell said.

Gov. Ed Rendell "pretty much" ruled out being a vice presidential candidate for the Democrats in 2008: "I like to be my own boss," he said on "Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace." Surprise, taxpayers! "Boss" Rendell thinks he has no boss. But his knickers are in a knot because events aren't going his way. Last weekend, Mr. Rendell was in high dudgeon at the National Governors Association meeting:

Large sections of three major Pennsylvania highways were closed Friday after ice and snow caused unsafe driving conditions that led to multiple accidents. Interstate 81 and Interstate 79 remained closed in both directions Friday, more than a day after the storms, and Interstate 80 was closed eastbound, The New York Times reported