NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING: * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was aware of the challenges coming into his second session, and tackled priorities like redistricting and the budget early to strengthen his hand with the Legislature, the New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/LjHR5V * Cuomo may require an end to the abused "per diem" reimbursement system for state lawmakers and mandate relief measures in exchange for a legislative pay raise after this fall's elections, the Post's Fred Dicker writes: http://nyp.st/MuFQFJ * Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a major donor to state Senate Republicans, is driving some of them crazy with his "do-or-die" pressure on issues like teacher evaluation disclosure, the Daily News writes: http://nydn.us/KWWdiW * The state comptroller found that companies in the Bronx, Brooklyn and upstate misused or abused state funds for a $2 billion special education preschool program that relies heavily on private contractors, the Times writes: http://nyti.ms/LVrfak * More than 50,000 New York City homeowners are appealing their property tax assessments this year, a near record, as bills rise and profits from home sales plummets, the Post reports: http://nyp.st/MJdgTb * Lawsuits and interviews show the NYPD has an "anti-snitching culture" that makes it difficult for police officers to call the Internal Affairs Bureau about colleagues' corruption or misconduct, the Times says: http://nyti.ms/MuCBAX * Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and his fiancé, activist Sean Eldridge, are launching a campaign to push for publicly financed elections in coordination with Cuomo, the Times reports: http://nyti.ms/MuD0mZ * Jerry's, an unassuming diner near City Hall, has emerged as the "unofficial canteen for the city's political power brokers," the Wall Street Journal writes: http://on.wsj.com/MvbdQu