Category Archives: New York

Republican says comment Garland should be executed was ‘facetious’

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Carl Paladino, a Republican candidate for Congress in New York, recently caused controversy when he praised Adolf Hitler

A Republican candidate for Congress in New York said he was “being facetious” when, in the same interview, he said the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, should be executed for authorising the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s Florida home.

The candidate, Carl Paladino, recently caused controversy when he praised Adolf Hitler, as “the kind of leader we need today”.

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Trump Organization chief expected to plead guilty in tax evasion case

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Allen Weisselberg has been accused of taking more than $1.7m from the company, including rent, car payments and school tuition

Donald Trump’s longtime finance chief is expected to plead guilty as soon as Thursday in a tax evasion case that is the only criminal prosecution to arise from a long-running investigation into the former president’s company, three people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, was scheduled to be tried in October on allegations he took more than $1.7m in off-the-books compensation from the company, including rent, car payments and school tuition.

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Moderator describes ‘tragic irony’ and ‘horror’ as violence on Rushdie unfolded

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Ralph Henry Reese, co-founder of project that offers exiled writers refuge, says attack should serve as wake up call – and call to action

Moments before Salman Rushdie was nearly murdered at a public event in western New York on Friday, he had signed up to become a roving envoy for writers in mortal peril, agreeing to travel across the US to encourage cities to provide asylum and protection for artists in need.

The bitter irony – that within minutes of having made this pledge Rushdie was himself stabbed 10 times on stage – was revealed by the event’s moderator, who was also injured in the assault.

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Salman Rushdie ‘road to recovery has begun’ but ‘will be long,’ agent says

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Author is off ventilator and able to talk after suffering stab wounds to his neck, stomach, eye, chest and thigh in New York attack

Salman Rushdie’s “road to recovery has begun” but “will be long” after his stabbing in western New York late last week, the novelist’s agent has said.

“The injuries are severe,” the agent, Andrew Wylie, said Sunday in an email to the Guardian, alluding to stab wounds that the author suffered to his neck, stomach, eye, chest and thigh two days earlier. “But his condition is headed in the right direction.”

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Salman Rushdie attack: suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder charge

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Suspect from New Jersey is accused by prosecutors of ‘preplanned’ attack on author in New York before being remanded without bail

The man suspected of stabbing the novelist Salman Rushdie at a literary festival in western New York pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault at a court appearance on Saturday.

District attorney Jason Schmidt alleged on Saturday that Hadi Matar, 24, took steps to purposely put himself in position to harm Rushdie, getting an advance pass to the event where the author was speaking and arriving a day early bearing a fake ID. “This was a targeted, unprovoked, preplanned attack on Mr Rushdie,” Schmidt alleged.

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Rushdie attack prompts questions over security at New York event

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Suspect had a ticket for Chautauqua event but some say protections should have been enhanced given sensitivies

A day after the bloody attack on Salman Rushdie in western New York, questions are being asked about how the perpetrator gained untrammeled access to the event with apparently minimal security precautions.

Rushdie, 75, was attacked at 10.47am on Friday, moments after he had sat down on stage in the Chautauqua Institution, a historic community of artists and thinkers about 15 miles south of Lake Erie. The auditorium, which accommodates about 4,000 people, was two-thirds full.

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Terror and blood shatter tranquil arts festival after attack on Salman Rushdie

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Witnesses describe screams as people rushed to render aid to the novelist and subdue his assailant

• Salman Rushdie: author in surgery after being stabbed in New York – live

The Chautauqua summer arts festival in upstate New York is normally a calm and pleasant affair, drawing thousands of literary-minded people eager to commune with their favorite writers.

That changed dramatically on Friday, when the famed novelist Salman Rushdie, who had just walked on to a stage to give a lecture, was stabbed by a man wielding a knife – transforming the faculty-lounge atmosphere into a blood-spattered scene.

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Salman Rushdie is on ventilator and may lose an eye after attack, agent says – as it happened

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Here are more reactions on Rushdie’s stabbing from those in the writing community, from Maya Yang for the Guardian:

Journalists, writers and celebrities reacted with shock and horror after author Salman Rushdie was attacked onstage at an event in New York state on Friday.

Rushdie was attacked as he was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, according to witnesses. Police later said he had been taken to hospital with an apparent stabbing wound to the neck.

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Trump says he invoked fifth amendment in New York attorney general’s investigation: ‘I declined to answer’– live

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In lengthy statement, Trump says he refused to answer questions during deposition as part of inquiry into real estate dealings

The justice department has announced charges against a Tehran-based member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards for attempting to hire someone in the United States to kill John Bolton, a national security adviser under Donald Trump.

According the department, 45-year-old Shahram Poursafi last year promised an unnamed person in the United States $300,000 to kill Bolton, probably as retaliation for Washington’s assassination of Qassem Suleimani in January 2020. The goal was apparently to have Bolton killed by the 3 January anniversary of Suleimani’s death in Baghdad, but the person Poursafi allegedly hired for the job was actually a confidential informant.

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Trump declines to answer questions in New York business investigation

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Ex-president pleads the fifth two days after the FBI raided his Florida home seeking classified documents

Donald Trump declined to answer questions under oath on Wednesday in New York state’s civil investigation into his business dealings, pleading the fifth two days after the FBI raided his Florida home in a criminal case, seeking classified documents taken from the White House.

The former US president’s decision to exercise his fifth-amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination was delivered during a closed-door deposition in Manhattan, where the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, is examining the Trump family real estate empire.

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New York City declares monkeypox a public health emergency

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Mayor Eric Adams says as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of infection and that authorities are working to get more vaccine doses

Officials in New York City declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus on Saturday, calling the city “the epicenter” of the outbreak.

The announcement by the mayor, Eric Adams, and the health commissioner, Ashwin Vasan, said as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of infection. The declaration will allow officials to issue emergency orders under the city health code and implement measures to help slow the spread.

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‘I’m one of the lucky ones’: vaccines scarce as US monkeypox cases rise

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The US has nearly 5,000 confirmed cases of the virus, but getting vaccinated has not always been straightforward

For 67-year-old Peter Madero, getting a monkeypox vaccination from the Chelsea sexual health clinic in Manhattan on Friday was a matter of staying protected amid increasing cases of virus as it spreads across the country and world.

But Madero admits that he was “one of the lucky ones”, successfully securing a vaccine after a month of waiting.

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Thieves rob flashy New York preacher of $1m in jewellery during online sermon

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Lamor Miller-Whitehead, known for his flamboyant style, was delivering a livestreamed service when three robbers walked in

A New York City preacher was robbed of more than $1m worth of jewellery while delivering a livestreamed sermon on Sunday when armed bandits crashed his Brooklyn church.

Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, a Rolls-Royce-driving preacher known for his flamboyant style and friendship with Mayor Eric Adams, was delivering a sermon at his Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries when police say three robbers walked in. They flashed guns and demanded property from Miller-Whitehead and his wife, Asia K DosReis-Whitehead, police said.

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North-eastern US braces for record-breaking heat

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One heat-related death reported in New York while authorities in Philadelphia extend health emergency declaration

Residents in the north-east US braced for potentially record-breaking temperatures on Sunday as a near-week-long hot spell continued, prompting officials to warn of dangerous heat.

At least one heat-related death, in New York, was reported. Around the region, athletic events were shortened or postponed and cities opened cooling centers and even turned to buses to offer relief from the heat.

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Ivana Trump, first wife of Donald Trump, dies aged 73

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Czech-born skier and model, and mother to Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric, praised by ex-president as ‘beautiful and amazing woman’

Donald Trump has announced the death at 73 of Ivana Trump, his first wife and the mother of his three oldest children, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, the former president said: “I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City.

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Ghislaine Maxwell appeals against sex trafficking conviction

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The British socialite was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month

The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has officially appealed against her conviction and sentence in the United States for sex trafficking.

The 60-year-old was found guilty by a jury of luring young girls to massage rooms for the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to molest between 1994 and 2004.

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R Kelly sentenced to 30 years on sexual abuse charges

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The R&B singer, 55, had been found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering involving women, girls and boys

The singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing women, girls and boys, more than 20 years after first facing allegations.

Kelly’s conviction represents a victory for survivors of sexual violence, particularly those who may hesitate to speak out against abusers for fear of retribution.

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‘You destroyed so many lives’: R Kelly victims give emotional statements

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In a series of heart-rending speeches, victims delivered testimony about the impact his crimes had on their lives

The victims of R Kelly gave emotional testimony of the impact his crimes had on their lives during the sentencing hearing that saw the US singer given 30 years in prison.

In a series of heart-rending speeches, several women stood up in court, sometimes addressing their abuser, sometimes pausing for breath or holding back tears.

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‘She ruined lives’: Ghislaine Maxwell’s victims tell of the impact of her abuse

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The British socialite maintained her innocence as women came forward to accuse her of sexual abuse and trafficking

Shortly before Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in her New York sex trafficking case, several of the former British socialite’s victims provided impact statements in court.

The victims who addressed Judge Alison Nathan described harrowing abuse at the hands of Maxwell and her one-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein and the longterm emotional impact that still haunts them.

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Fears of violence against pro-choice protests intensify amid wave of attacks

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Use of teargas and arrests by police and targeting by anti-abortion activists disrupts demonstrations in multiple states

Fears over police violence and attacks by anti-abortion activists have been growing following a wave of incidents at demonstrations against the US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which upheld the constitutional right to an abortion.

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people have gathered at protests objecting to the ruling. The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful but some have seen incidents of police violence – including attacks on protesters – and an incident of a car driving dangerously through marchers.

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