NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING     In an attempt to dispel the notion that he does not have the "fire in the belly" to be mayor, New York City mayoral candidate Bill Thompson has begun working part-time at his job on Wall Street and will hold 10 fundraisers this week, The Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/Zw6pVn   A new law allows the state to rein in its insurance rate hikes, meaning health insurance premiums will only jump by 7.5 percent this year, as opposed to the 12.4 percent asked by insurance companies, saving New Yorkers $500 million in premium costs, the News reports: http://nydn.us/TGay5c   The White House is working with Bloomberg aides on broader gun violence initiatives beyond an assault weapons ban, including universal background checks for buyers and a national weapons database, the Post reports: http://bit.ly/UvWP3i   The New York City Department of Education has a policy of offering an incompetent teacher a "satisfactory" rating if the teacher quits or retires before a termination trial, the Post learns: http://bit.ly/WhRF51   The News decries a resolution passed nearly two years ago that accorded lifetime achievement recognition to former public school teacher Jitu Weusi, because of Weusi's anti-Semitic statements: http://nydn.us/SfhKHj