For families of some 9/11 victims, new DNA tools reopen old wounds

Trays are pictured at the office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York during an event in New York City, New York, U.S., September 6, 20 NEW YORK - A breakthrough in DNA analysis is helping identify more victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York, but the scientific advance is of little consolation for families of those whose remains may have been buried in a Staten Island landfill.

Officer involved in infamous Eric Garner choking case facing department charges

A New York City police officer involved in the infamous 2014 chokehold death of a man caught allegedly selling bootleg cigarettes was formally charged with violating NYPD regulations, officials said. Officer Daniel Pantaleo will face disciplinary proceedings in the internal case to be heard and by the Civilian Complaint Review Board, NYPD officials told ABC New York City station WABC-TV.

28-year-old challenger defeats Rep. Joe Crowley in New York primary

U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley, one of the most powerful Democrats in the House, has been defeated by his 28-year-old challenger, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in a shocking upset. Crowley had been considered a candidate to become the next House speaker if Democrats win the majority.

Grimm compares kids crying at border to daycare drop off

Staten Island Republican congressional candidate Michael Grimm said Tuesday that the cries of children being taken away from their parents at the border are no worse than the sobs of kids being dropped off at daycare. The convicted tax cheat , running for his old congressional seat, said Americans shouldn't put too much stock into recordings recently released of children sobbing at immigration shelters after they'd been taken from their parents at the border.

US disaster-response force stretched thin as hurricane season starts

FILE PHOTO: Representatives from FEMA speak with a resident of the Staten Island borough neighborhood of New Dorp Beach about registering with the agency for financial assistance to help recover from the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy in New York, NY, U.S., November 15, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo As Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida last September, the top U.S. disaster-response official ordered all hands on deck.

Scaramucci at his side, Grimm sounds in general election mode

But Grimm, who got a boost from Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived communications director for President Donald Trump, at a fundraiser on Saturday, also sounds like he has his sights set on the general election to come. And in that battle, Grimm is setting himself up as the person who can stop the 11th Congressional District from being swamped by a "radical left agenda" pursued by Democrats.

DA McMahon pushing for bill to allow judges to disarm ‘dangerous’ people

Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon is among a contingent of city prosecutors pushing for a bill that would allow judges to take firearms away from people who could potentially harm themselves or others. bill as part of the 2018-19 budget.

Golden talks congestion pricing, speed cameras

As state budget negotiations intensified in Albany ahead of an April 1 deadline, an influential Brooklyn state senator said he is in favor, at least in principle, of a proposal to institute a congestion pricing plan to get vehicles off clogged Midtown Manhattan streets and another idea that would double the number of speed cameras outside of New York City schools. But state Sen. Marty Golden , the only Republican state senator representing a Brooklyn district, said his support is contingent on getting certain provisions into both bills.

Alleged cat torturer gets 15-month jail sentence

A cat named Chester is pictured in this undated photo. Chester has made a full recovery and is being cared for in a loving home, after being tortured and abandoned in a garbage can in Staten Island, N.Y. A New York man has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for "mercilessly" torturing his neighbor's cat and abandoning the injured animal in a trash can while live-streaming it all on Facebook, authorities said.

Erica Garner, who became outspoken activist after her dad was police chokehold victim, has died

Erica Garner, who became a nationally-known activist against police abuse following her father's death after he was put in a police chokehold, has died following a recent heart attack, her official Twitter site confirmed. Garner, 27, had been hospitalized following a heart attack on Dec. 24. She "suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen while in cardiac arrest," a family member wrote on Erica Garner's verified Twitter page on Wednesday.

Unsealed court docs: Luthmann’s alleged death threats, ‘La Cosa Nostra’ connections

Flamboyant lawyer Richard Luthmann may fancy himself a champion of the little guy, but federal prosecutors say he is little more than a "violent criminal and fraudster" who, along with accomplices, bilked customers in a scrap-metal business they had formed, had a victim threatened at gunpoint, and took advantage of a blind client in a bid to hide their scheme. Luthmann, 38, who two years ago famously sought to resolve a civil lawsuit through "trial by combat," was arrested Friday morning by the FBI on a slew of charges, including kidnapping, kidnapping conspiracy, money laundering, brandishing a firearm to commit a crime, aggravated identity theft and extortion conspiracy.

Steve Bannon backs ex-con Grimm in NY Republican race

Former White House senior adviser and conservative firebrand Steve Bannon may once again shakeup the Republican Party by supporting and functioning as an outside adviser for a controversial candidate to defeat an establishment Republican congressman in a district that covers the New York City borough of Staten Island, FOX Business has learned. Bannon met Wednesday in Washington, D.C., with former Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican who held the New York's 11 congressional district seat that covers most of Staten Island until 2015, when he was sentenced to seven months in federal prison on tax evasion charges.

Sex slaves: Prostitution arrests point to human trafficking

Shady massage parlors and "spas" that offer sex -- commonly referred to as a "happy ending" -- after your back rub highlight a serious and often overlooked issue -- human trafficking of sex slaves. Store fronts that peddle prostitution may seem innocent enough -- even though they are illegal-- with ads on sites like Backpage.com featuring scantily clad women, who are usually Asian, posing for provocative photos alongside captions that "promise a good time."

NYC mayor wants free preschool for 3-year-olds, too

In this Sept. 4, 2014, file photo, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio visits the Inner Force Early Tots Childhood Learning Center, a community-based organization that's part of the pre-K program, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on the first day of the mayor's expansion of early childhood education.