Category Archives: New York

Weinstein accuser Kaja Sokola: ‘It is very important for people to speak out’

Posted on by

Woman who testified at producer’s trial says despite mixed verdict she is proud to have stood up and told her story

Victims of sexual crimes and #MeToo harassment have, on multiple fronts, seen setbacks in the US in recent months.

The movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is now looking at a third trial on sexual assault charges after previous cases delivered mixed results for his victims. A high-profile case of federal racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking against the rapper Sean Combs returned a verdict only on lesser charges.

Continue reading...

New York City declares Harlem legionnaire’s disease outbreak over

Posted on by

Local hospital’s cooling tower was found to be harboring the bacteria after seven people died and 90 were hospitalized over three weeks

New York City has declared the deadly legionnaires’ disease outbreak in central Harlem over, nearly three weeks since it began.

On Friday, city health officials announced that there have been no new cases among residents who live or work in the area since 9 August. As of Friday, there have been 114 cases of legionnaires’ disease, with 90 people hospitalized – six of those remaining in hospital – and seven deaths.

Continue reading...

Nearly 1,000 ‘worker over billionaire’ actions planned for Labor Day in US

Posted on by

Rallies from Alaska to Hawaii will highlight cuts to wages, unions and social safety nets under Trump policies

Nearly 1,000 “worker over billionaire” protests are being planned in all 50 states starting this weekend as part of a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration’s policies.

The actions include marches and rallies in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, a Labor Day parade in New York City, rallies in Palmer, Alaska, Freeport, Maine, and a planned protest at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Continue reading...

Jerry Adler, actor in The Sopranos and The Good Wife, dies aged 96

Posted on by

Adler was involved behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before finding acting success in his 60s

Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died aged 96.

Adler died on Saturday, according to a brief family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep”, Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.

Continue reading...

Zohran Mamdani leads in fundraising for New York City mayoral contest

Posted on by

The Democratic nominee far outpaces former governor Andrew Cuomo and embattled incumbent Eric Adams

Zohran Mamdani pulled in almost double the funds of his nearest rivals for New York City mayor between early July and mid-August, as the candidates prepare for the crucial post Labor Day push to the November poll.

New York’s City’s campaign finance board said on Saturday that the democratic socialist, who won the Democratic party nomination in June against former state governor Andrew Cuomo, raised $1,051,200, with an average donation of $121 recorded equally from donors in and outside the state.

Continue reading...

Judge blocks White House from defunding 34 municipalities over ‘sanctuary’ policies

Posted on by

Cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities had sued Trump administration over funding freeze

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from cutting off federal funding to 34 “sanctuary cities” and counties that limit cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement, significantly expanding a previous order.

The order, issued on Friday by the San Francisco-based US district judge William Orrick, adds Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as Boston, Baltimore, Denver and Albuquerque, to cities that the administration is barred from denying funding.

Continue reading...

Three people killed and eight wounded in Brooklyn lounge shooting, police say

Posted on by

The 11 victims ranged in ages from 27 to 61 after multiple gunmen opened fire inside Taste of the City in Crown Heights

Three people were killed and eight others wounded when multiple gunmen opened fire inside a crowded Brooklyn hookah lounge and restaurant early Sunday morning, according to authorities.

Police officers responded to reports of a shooting inside the Taste of the City lounge in Crown Heights just before 3.30am, New York police department (NYPD) commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said at a press briefing later Sunday.

Continue reading...

Three people injured in shooting at New York City’s Times Square

Posted on by

NYPD say shooting took place after verbal dispute and one person is being held in custody

Three people have been injured in a shooting at New York City’s Times Square after a 17-year-old opened fire, the New York police department has said.

Police said they were questioning one person who is being held in custody, but that no charges have been pressed yet.

Continue reading...

Trump’s justice department reportedly subpoenas New York attorney general

Posted on by

Department issued two subpoenas to Letitia James for civil fraud case against Trump and an investigation into the NRA

The Department of Justice has issued two subpoenas to Letitia James, the New York attorney general who has been repeatedly criticized by Donald Trump, according to reports.

One of the cases relates to a civil fraud case brought by James’s office against Trump, which resulted in the president owing New York state $500m, the New York Times reported. The other case relates to the attorney general’s investigation into National Rifle Association (NRA), a rightwing gun lobbying group.

Continue reading...

Three more victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks identified in New York City

Posted on by

Barbara Keating, Ryan Fitzgerald and an unnamed woman were identified by DNA testing nearly 24 years after attacks

Advances in DNA testing have allowed forensic scientists to identify three more victims of the terrorist attacks in New York City on 11 September 2001, authorities in Manhattan have confirmed.

The development brings to 1,653 the number of individuals who have been positively identified from the 2,753 who died after al-Qaida terrorists flew two hijacked commercial aircraft into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on that morning.

Continue reading...

Forged signatures listed on New York City mayor’s re-election campaign petition – report

Posted on by

More than 50 signatures were revealed to be fraudulent on Eric Adams’ petition to run as an independent in election

More than 50 signatures on New York mayor Eric Adams’ petition to run as an independent candidate in November’s election are fraudulent, according to a report published on Friday.

The Gothamist said it had found 52 signatures from people who said their names were forged, including signatures of three people who turned out to be dead. The publication cited others who said they were deceived into signing the petitions.

Continue reading...

Forged signatures listed on New York City mayor’s re-election campaign petition – report

Posted on by

More than 50 signatures were revealed to be fraudulent on Eric Adams’ petition to run as an independent in election

More than 50 signatures on New York mayor Eric Adams’ petition to run as an independent candidate in November’s election are fraudulent, according to a report published on Friday.

The Gothamist said it had found 52 signatures from people who said their names were forged, including signatures of three people who turned out to be dead. The publication cited others who said they were deceived into signing the petitions.

Continue reading...

Man allegedly hijacks transport cart at Buffalo airport and destroys moving walkways

Posted on by

Kevin Simmons was charged criminal mischief and larceny after allegedly driving cart over walkways while drunk

A man commandeered a transportation cart at New York’s Buffalo Niagara international airport and destroyed moving walkways with it at the facility, according to authorities investigating the unusual incident.

Kevin J Sinning, 29, of Wyoming, faces charges of second-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, criminal nuisance, third-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property worth more than $3,000 after his arrest at about 1am on 28 July, the Niagara frontier transportation authority police department said.

Continue reading...

Man allegedly hijacks transport cart at Buffalo airport and destroys moving walkways

Posted on by

Kevin Sinning was charged with criminal mischief and larceny after allegedly driving cart over walkways while drunk

A man commandeered a transportation cart at New York’s Buffalo Niagara international airport and destroyed moving walkways with it at the facility, according to authorities investigating the unusual incident.

Kevin J Sinning, 29, of Wyoming, faces charges of second-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, criminal nuisance, third-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property worth more than $3,000 after his arrest at about 1am on 28 July, the Niagara frontier transportation authority police department said.

Continue reading...

Maryland boy dies after being trapped in storm drain as rains drench east coast

Posted on by

Baltimore saw up to 4in of rain and the New York transportation system was flooded on Thursday; more rain is possible, weather service warns

A 13-year-old boy has died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the east coast, officials said.

Kids were playing in the rain on Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48km) west of Baltimore, but flood waters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy volunteer fire company spokesperson Doug Alexander.

Continue reading...

Intense rain and flash floods expected from New York City to Washington DC

Posted on by

Acting New Jersey governor declares state of emergency as residents along US east coast prepare for severe weather

Authorities are urging residents to prepare for severe weather as a powerful storm system that could cause intense flash floods moves through a swathe of the US east coast stretching from New York City to Washington DC.

Forecasters are predicting intense rainfall, with rates possibly reaching up to 3 inches an hour. While most areas are expected to receive 1 to 3 inches of rain, certain isolated locations could see as much as 5 to 8 inches.

Continue reading...

What to know about the victims of the New York City skyscraper shooting

Posted on by

NYPD officer Didarul Islam and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner among the four killed in Monday’s attack

An off-duty New York police officer as well as a high-ranking real estate executive were among those killed on Monday evening during a shooting at a Manhattan high-rise building that left four victims dead and one other person seriously injured, according to officials.

The New York police department (NYPD) officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was assigned to a Bronx precinct and had been on the job for three and a half years, was off duty when the attack began.

Continue reading...

Texas sues New York official for refusing to take action against abortion provider

Posted on by

Action tees up a state v state battle involving mailing of abortion pills that’s expected to go to US supreme court

Texas has sued a New York official for refusing to take action against an abortion provider, teeing up a state-versus-state battle that is widely expected to end up before the US supreme court.

Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, has petitioned the New York state supreme court to order a county clerk to enforce a fine against Dr Margaret Carpenter, a New York doctor accused of mailing abortion pills across state lines.

Continue reading...

Videos reveal harsh conditions inside Ice’s New York City confinement center

Posted on by

Footage shows people sleeping on floor next to toilets in facility that agency says is not a detention site

Two videos have surfaced shedding light on what is happening behind closed doors at a New York federal building where people are being confined after being seized by officers on their way out of immigration court on the 12th floor, with the footage offering a rare look inside a controversial and closely guarded space that is part of Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown.

The filming, shared by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), captures one of several rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, on the building’s 10th floor, where accounts have emerged of people being detained in wholly unsuitable conditions with few basic provisions, but there had been no public access to direct evidence.

Continue reading...

Trump’s border czar to target sanctuary cities in US: ‘We’re gonna flood the zone’

Posted on by

Homan vows to escalate Ice operations after off-duty officer allegedly shot by undocumented person in New York City

The Trump administration is targeting sanctuary cities in the next phase of its deportation drive after labelling them “sanctuaries for criminals” following the shooting of an off-duty law enforcement officer in New York City, allegedly by an undocumented person with a criminal record.

Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s hardline border czar, vowed to “flood the zone” with Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (Ice) agents in an all-out bid to overcome the lack of cooperation he said the government faced from Democrat-run municipalities in its quest to arrest and detain undocumented people.

Continue reading...