Lawsuit announced by Eric Adams says 17 bus companies violated state law by transporting 33,000 people to the city
New York City has sued 17 charter bus companies that transported migrants from Texas, the mayor, Eric Adams, announced on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in New York state court in Manhattan, says the city is seeking $708m from the firms because that was the cost it incurred to house the migrants and provide services to them over the past two years.
Continue reading...Civil rights leader hosts protest outside office of alumnus who spearheaded campaign to remove Claudine Gay and criticized DEI
The civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton hosted a protest outside the office of the Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman on Thursday after Ackman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard following the resignation of the former university president Claudine Gay.
“[Ackman] declared war on DEI. He declared war on affirmative action. He’s defining himself as a rightwinger in terms of dealing with racial equality,” Sharpton told the Guardian during the protest alongside his organization, National Action Network, outside Ackman’s office in New York City.
Continue reading...Suicide note and journal reportedly discovered after crash outside music venue in Rochester kills two and injures five people
The FBI and local police are investigating the cause of a fiery car crash that killed two people and injured several others outside of an upstate New York concert venue.
Two people were killed and five were injured early Monday after a vehicle filled with gasoline canisters crashed into a crowd of people leaving a concert in Rochester, upstate New York.
Continue reading...Man fatally shot his wife and their sons before dying by suicide in a suburban New York home, according to police
A police sergeant, his wife and their two sons – ages 10 and 12 – were found dead in a suburban home in New York in what police said was a triple murder-suicide.
Watson Morgan, 49, a sergeant with the Bronxville police department, fatally shot his wife, Ornela Morgan, 43, and their sons before dying by suicide, police said. They were discovered just past midnight Saturday at the family’s home in Clarkstown – 18 miles north of Manhattan – after Morgan failed to show up for work at the police department in nearby Bronxville.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Continue reading...Former Trump lawyer says he used AI program Google Bard and blames his lawyer for not fact-checking him
Michael Cohen, the former attorney and fixer for ex-president Donald Trump, said in a newly unsealed court filing that he accidentally gave his lawyer fake legal citations that were made up by an artificial intelligence program.
In a sworn declaration made public on Friday, Cohen told a Manhattan judge that the sham citations had been generated by the AI program Google Bard, and had made their way into his lawyer’s filing because of a pair of misunderstandings – including his failure to realize that the information spat out by the program was not based in reality.
Continue reading...Organizers focus on second-most popular shopping day in cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters waved the pan-Arab colors flag and wore the symbolic Palestinian keffiyeh in a series of coordinated “No Xmas as Usual in a Genocide” rallies and marches across the US on Saturday.
Organizers with Shut It Down for Palestine said the organization had focused its protests on the second-most popular shopping day of the year – the day before Christmas Eve – as part of ongoing civic and commercial disruptions. Organizers said they planned to “organize actions to boycott, disrupt and rally at commercial centers”.
Continue reading...Tanisha, 36, and Barbara Wiggins, received degrees in human services together from Onondaga Community College in Syracuse
A New York mother and daughter duo have earned their college degrees together on the same day, fulfilling a lifelong dream for both of them.
With her toddler in tow, Tanisha Wiggins, 36, walked across the stage alongside her mother, Barbara Wiggins, 58, at their college, Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York. They were both awarded degrees in human services.
Continue reading...Deadly winter storm leaves hundreds of thousands without power and deposits flooding and freezing temperatures in its wake
At least six people were killed and hundreds of thousands were left without power as a deadly winter storm swept across the north-eastern US on Monday, depositing flooding and freezing temperatures in its wake.
Two of the deaths were in Maine in separate cases involving fallen trees, authorities said. Other deaths were reported in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and New York.
Associated Press contributed reporting
Continue reading...Comedian known for appearances on talkshows was struck by a car when riding an e-bike on 8 December
The comedian Kenny DeForest has died after a bike accident in New York, his friend and fellow comedian Ryan Beck confirmed.
DeForest, 37, best known for his appearances on talkshows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and the Late Show with James Corden, was riding an e-bike on 8 December when he was struck by a car.
Continue reading...The 4-3 decision could have major ramifications for the control of the US House as Democrats angle to gain control of it
New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the US House.
The 4-3 decision from the New York court of appeals could have major ramifications as Democrats angle for more favorable district lines in the state next year. Republicans, who won control of the House after flipping seats in New York, sought to keep the map in place.
Continue reading...Former president, who was expected to take the stand, announced on Truth Social on Sunday that he already testified to everything
Donald Trump announced he would not take the witness stand for a second time at his fraud trial in New York on Monday, the former US president’s last chance to make his case as he combats a potential $250m fine that hangs over his family business.
Trump had been expected to take the stand again as the hearings draw to a close. But on Sunday he announced on the Truth Social site that he would no longer be making an appearance.
Continue reading...Court hears Eli Bartov, professor at NYU, has worked about 650 hours on New York fraud case at rate of $1,350 per hour
An accounting expert who came to Donald Trump’s defense in his $250m fraud has racked up nearly $900,000 in fees for his testimony, a court heard on Friday.
New York University Stern School of Business research professor Eli Bartov testified on Thursday that he had found “no evidence here of concealment” in his review of the financial statements at the heart of the case.
Continue reading...Donald Trump claims he told his son not to testify since ‘His young life has already been unfairly disturbed and disrupted enough’
Eric Trump will not testify at his father’s fraud trial against the Trump Organization Wednesday despite being scheduled to take the stand for over a week.
“I told my wonderful son, Eric, not to testify tomorrow at the RIGGED TRIAL,” Donald Trump wrote late on Tuesday night in a rant against the trial. Trump said that his son “already testified PERFECTLY”.
Continue reading...Jaclyn ‘Jackie’ Elmquist disappeared on night of 30 November, and was found on Friday in a Manhattan building’s trash compactor
A 24-year-old woman who had gone missing before her body was found in a luxury Manhattan apartment building’s trash compactor died after falling down a garbage chute, police in New York City have concluded.
The police’s determination comes after mystery surrounded the disappearance of Jaclyn “Jackie” Elmquist, who disappeared after meeting with co-workers at a nearby restaurant on the night of 30 November. She was found on Friday in the basement trash compactor at +Art, a residential building in the city’s Chelsea district.
Continue reading...News that the book The Fabulist will be adapted into film comes after congressman was expelled last week
A book about the improbable rise and rapid fall of former congressman George Santos has been optioned by HBO Films, it was reported Saturday, and will be produced under the guidance of Frank Rich, a former New York Times columnist known for executive production credits on Emmy awards-winning Succession and Veep.
HBO reportedly optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano’s The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, published last week.
Continue reading...Former US president lays into Arthur Engoron’s wife on social media after being barred from making public statements about court staff
“I’m not running for re-election because I chose not to put myself, my family through this process because here’s the reality when it comes down… I would have an uphill battle against the press, I will have an uphill battle against the party,” said Santos.
“There’s a point in time where you just say, you know, enough is enough. I’m 35-years old which doesn’t mean that it’s goodbye forever,” he continued.
Continue reading...Creed actor accused by then girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, of slapping her across the face, twisting her arm, and throwing her into a car
The trial of the actor Jonathan Majors for assault and harassment against a former girlfriend following an alleged domestic dispute kicked off on Wednesday.
Jury selection began in the morning for the highly publicized case, according to Deadline, with Majors appearing in the courtroom. The 34-year-old actor, known for his role in the Creed movie franchise, Lovecraft Country and several current and forthcoming Marvel projects, faces several assault and harassment misdemeanours. He has pled not guilty to all counts; if found guilty, he faces up to a year in prison.
Continue reading...Actor said that his address had been edited to remove polemic against falsifying history
Robert De Niro said that his speech at the Gotham awards in New York was censored without his knowledge due to his anti-Trump comments.
De Niro came to the stage as part of the Gotham historical icon and creator tribute for the Martin Scorsese-directed Killers of the Flower Moon, and after reading out some remarks about the film, said that the first part of his speech had been removed from the prompter.
Continue reading...Jewish Voice for Peace estimates more than 1,500 protesters calling for permanent ceasefire blocked cars amid holiday traffic
New York peace activists calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza staged their most dramatic action to date on Sunday, closing down the Manhattan Bridge for three hours as people were returning from the Thanksgiving break.
Organizers with the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice For Peace (JVP) estimate more than 1,500 protesters blocked traffic on the bridge connecting lower Manhattan to Brooklyn as they chanted “let Gaza live” and other messages calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian territory where Israel and Hamas have warred since October.
Continue reading...On X Spaces Friday night, Republican congressman charted his rise from ‘It girl’ to ‘Mary Magdalene of the United States Congress’
Republican George Santos has said he expects to be expelled from Congress following a scathing report by the House ethics committee that found substantial evidence of lawbreaking by the lying New York representative.
In a defiant speech Friday sprinkled with taunts and obscenities aimed at his congressional colleagues, Santos insisted he was “not going anywhere”. But he acknowledged that his time as a member of Congress may soon be coming to an end.
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