Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Wishing You and Your Loved Ones a Very Happy Labor Day Weekend

"G-Man"

NY Democratic Gubernatorial Debate - Andrew Cuomo v. Cynthia Nixon


Source: CBS New York

Here’s How the U.S. is Helping Massive Theft in Venezuela

President Nicolas Maduro

New details emerge on how the Maduro regime is storing its stolen loot in Florida properties.


Luxurious high-rises. Spacious, sprawling mansions. Green, verdant horse ranches. Nearly 20 properties in total, stretching from Palm Beach to Coral Gables, Florida — tens of millions of dollars’ worth of assets, soaking in the south Florida sun.

And all of them, as of last week, now frozen by federal authorities, caught in a spiraling, $1.2-billion money laundering ring reaching the highest ranks of Venezuela’s government.

The allegations of one of the largest money laundering rings in recent history, and the subsequent fallout, haven’t broken into the U.S. national press. But the striking details at play are indicative of both political realities in Venezuela — of an economy collapsing, of people fleeing in unprecedented numbers, while the regime descends into autocracy — and fledgling anti-kleptocracy efforts in the United States, which continues to provide an outlet for the kleptocrats drenching Caracas.

Click here for the full article.

Source: ThinkProgress

Mumia Abu-Jamal Case Back in Court: The Road to Freedom



By Noelle Hanrahan and Seth Nosanchuk, Prison Radio

The legal documents that have been flying back and forth between the Philadelphia DA and Mumia Abu-Jamal's legal team all summer reveal a disorganized and untrustworthy prosecutorial bureaucracy, shrouding a decades old Penn Square cover-up.

At stake is the reinstatement of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s appeals which challenge his life without parole sentence. This is big! If he wins these motions to reopen his Post Conviction Relief Application in the Common Pleas Court, it is game on. His case will be back in court challenging decades of adverse rulings overturned.

The Hearing is on August 30, at 9 a.m., in Judge Leon Tucker's Courtoom at the Criminal Justice Center.

If the Common Pleas Court rules in Mumia Abu-Jamal’s favor, his attorneys will have to wade through a labyrinth of appeals and procedures but they stand a chance of securing a new trial. There is key evidence that was not given a fair hearing the first time around, that will be back in play. 

So what is the story leading up to the August 30th hearing? Common Pleas Court Judge Leon Tucker ordered the Philadelphia DA’s office to search for any record of former DA and PA Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castille's "personal involvement" in the most high profile case in Philadelphia- Mumia Abu-Jamal's conviction and sentence to death. The U.S. Supreme court admonished Castille and others for not recusing themselves from sitting in judgement on the PA Supreme Court on cases they handled "personally" as the prosecutors. This precedent applies to Mumia's criminal conviction and appeals. 

Evidence is key.  Judge Tucker, unimpressed by the efforts of the now former DA's office in 2017, ordered the entire case record delivered to his chambers so he could look himself.  During his review he found a cover note to a now missing, potential smoking gun letter written by Castille.  The new DA's office (as of January 2018) under Larry Krasner has been searching under pressure from Judge Tucker and Mumia’s lawyers Judith Ritter and Sam Spital (NAACP LDF) for this memo and other evidence of Castille's involvement.  Judge Tucker expanded the order to include additional files on other death penalty cases pending during Castille's tenure.
 
The DA’s office was unable to find “ANYTHING” in its own files relevant to Ronald Castille’s involvement in this case.  Yet,  Mumia’s attorney’s this summer discovered evidence, a newsprint reference, to an additional letter from Castille to then Governor Casey regarding death penalty cases.  Proof that this additional letter existed was brought to light by the defense, not the DA. This new revelation, this summer, prompted the DA to admit that  “approximately an additional 193 boxes had been overlooked in its prior search—9 of which it still cannot find" and remained unexamined.  
 
"In its failure to recognize that Ronald Castille played an active role in pursuing the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the new District Attorney’s office, headed by Larry Krasner, is failing to do what justice requires. It is continuing the position of his predecessors, to the satisfaction of the Fraternal Order of Police.”—Bret Grote, Esq. Abolitionist Law Center Legal Director
 
See the link the most recent court filing here. This story is not over, and we will keep reporting from the front lines.  Stay tuned.  

DCP Advises Parents to Safeguard Children’s Personal Information


The New York State Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is advising parents and guardians to protect their children’s personal information during the back to school period. With the new school year about to start and the activities such as school groups, teams and clubs, the DCP is calling on consumers to learn more about what they can do to help stem the tide against identity theft and prevent fraud victimization.

“The back to school season is the time of the year when adults are frequently asked to share their child’s personal information for school registration, sports sign-up and other activities,” said Rossana Rosado, New York Secretary of State. “The Division of Consumer Protection is reminding parents and guardians to be on alert when offering personal information that can expose the child to fraud and identity theft while filing forms that could fall in the wrong hands.”

Identity theft can happen to anyone, even children. Child identity theft occurs when a minor’s personal information is used to create a false identity, which usually includes the commission of fraud. The false identity is then used to obtain credit cards, open new utility accounts or make large purchases, such as a car or home, in the name of the child victim.

Children’s identities are especially attractive to thieves because the theft of the child’s identity often remains undetected for years. For many child victims, the realization that their identities have been stolen does not occur until the first time they attempt to open a bank account, apply for a job, seek credit or rent an apartment.

Children are 35 times more likely to become victims of identity theft. Identity thieves often target kids because they have pristine credit profiles and dormant social security numbers. Before providing sensitive data to schools, daycare centers, sports programs, activity clubs, doctors’ offices and libraries, ask how the information will be used, stored, disposed and accessed.

New York State law affords parents and guardians of children under the age of 16 the opportunity to place a security freeze on their protected consumer record. The placement of a freeze prevents the credit reporting agency from releasing the protected consumer’s “consumer report, any information derived from the protected consumer's consumer report, or any record created for the protected consumer” to third parties. The freeze also prevents anyone from opening a credit account in the child’s name. A parent or guardian interested in placing a freeze on their protected consumer’s record must contact each consumer reporting agency to effectuate a “protected consumer” freeze with that credit reporting agency. Each consumer reporting agency has a different criterion to effectuate a “protected consumer” freeze.
 
Click here for safety tips on protecting your child. 

Source:  The New York State Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection

Florida GOP Nominee for Governor on Upcoming Election: 'We Can't Monkey This Up'


Source: CBS News

John McCain Lies in State at the Arizona Capitol Rotunda


Source: CBS News


Note: The purpose of posting the second report is not to malign the legacy of Senator John McCain, but to adhere to this news site's policy of presenting opposing viewpoints. 

 "G-Man"

The Mumia Abu-Jamal Commentaries: 'Bipartisan Hell'


Click here for audio. 

Source: Prison Radio

$50 Million Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Filed Against Columbia University, Former Dean Of Students


NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp today filed a $50 million sexual harassment suit against the trustees of Columbia University in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Complaint also names Tom Harford, the former Dean of Students of Columbia's School of General Studies, as a defendant in this matter.

The firm represents plaintiff Jane Doe, an undergraduate at Columbia University. Jane Doe alleges that Dean Harford engaged in inappropriate and manipulative sexual behavior with her and that Columbia University violated Title IX in failing to protect her from his sexual misconduct. Doe is represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp's Chairman David Sanford, Vice-Chair Jeremy Heisler, and New York associate Meredith Firetog.

"Columbia pays lip service to the ideals of a safe campus, but it has a well-documented record of violating Title IX in preventing and responding to reports of sexual misconduct," said Sanford. "Jane Doe's story has become a familiar one at Columbia."

Click here for the full article.

Source: MarketsInsider (via Empire Report New York) 

Raccoon Rabies Vaccines Will Fall From the Sky In NYC This Week



BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Rabies vaccines will fall from the sky to target raccoons ... Sorry, Rocky.

A helicopter will drop edible rabies vaccines this week in areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island where raccoon habitats are most likely to be found, officials announced.

The mass vaccination is slated to occur in Staten Island and the Gateway National Recreation Area on the border of Brooklyn and Queens from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., the Health Department said. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Patch.com (via Empire Report New York) 

Report: Feds Investigating if Chris Christie, Trump Lawyer Received Laundered Money

By Joseph A. Gambardello, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Federal officials are investigating whether a fugitive Malaysian financier laundered tens of millions of dollars and used the funds to pay a legal team that includes former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Marc Kasowitz, an attorney for President Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The financier, Jho Low, allegedly played a central role in the embezzlement of $4.5 billion from a Malaysian fund called 1Malaysia Development Bhd, according to U.S. court filings cited by the Journal. Low also is wanted by Malaysian authorities in connection with the scandal.

There is no indication anyone paid with the allegedly laundered funds knew the money was tainted, according to the newspaper.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: syracuse.com (via Empire Report New York) 

Puerto Rico Governor Reacts to Report on Higher Death Toll


On August 28, the government of Puerto Rico signed off on a report showing the death toll from Hurricane Maria was 2,975 people, far higher than the initial estimate. CBS News correspondent David Begnaud continues his discussion with Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in this extended interview.

Tennessee Man Accused Of Burning Black Man Had Reported Ties To White Supremacist Group


John Carothers allegedly wrote a letter admitting to the murder and sent it to a racist “Christian Identity” group.


A white man accused of burning a black man alive in Tennessee earlier this year subscribed to a racist and anti-Semitic ideology known as Christian Identity, an expert in extremism told HuffPost. 

John Daniel Carothers, 53, stands accused in the March murder of 40-year-old Robert Miller at a house in Murfreesboro. Prosecutors said in court this month that authorities had recently intercepted a jailhouse letter Carothers wrote and sent to a white supremacist group. In the letter, Carothers confessed to the grisly murder and expressed white supremacist views, according to the prosecutors. 


“To my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ our savior and Lord, My name is John D. Carothers and I believe the Bible is about white people and for white people,” the handwritten letter said. “I am in Rutherford County jail for burning a black man. I set him on fire with lighter fluid poured on his head.” 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post

Former Texas Police Officer Found Guilty in Unarmed Teen's Death


This report was published on YouTube on August 28.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Vermont’s Only Black Woman Lawmaker Pulls Out of Race in Wake of Online Threats



Vermont state Rep. Ruqaiyah “Kiah” Morris, (D-Bennington) has decided against running for re-election in the state’s House, citing the online harassment and racist threats made during her tenure as among the reasons why.

Morris, the only black woman in the Vermont Legislature, won the Democratic nomination to serve a third term in August. However, the representative said in a Facebook post on Friday that the online vitriol has made political participation difficult.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post

Aretha Franklin Fans Pay Their Respects To 'Queen Of Soul'


2018 Primary Elections Coverage: Arizona and Florida


STDs Continue Rapid Rise in U.S., Setting New Record, CDC Says


by Linda Carroll

Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in America, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2017, surpassing the record set in 2016 by more than 200,000, CDC scientists reported Tuesday.

Experts say many factors have contributed to the rapid rise, though the biggest one may be less frequent condom use. It’s less clear whether dating apps, like Tinder, have contributed in some way to the spread of STDs, though some researchers think they have.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News 

CNN, Credibly Accused of Lying to its Audience About a Key Claim in its Blockbuster Cohen Story, Refuses to Comment

 

CNN’s blockbuster July 26 story – that Michael Cohen intended to tell Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he was present when Donald Trump was told in advance about his son’s Trump Tower meeting with various Russians – includes a key statement about its sourcing that credible reporting now suggests were designed to have misled its audience. Yet CNN simply refuses to address the serious ethical and journalistic questions raised about its conduct.

The substance of the CNN story itself regarding Cohen – which made headline news all over all the world and which CNN hyped as a “bombshell” – has now been retracted by other news outlets that originally purported to “confirm” CNN’s story. That’s because the anonymous source for this confirmation, Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis, now admits that, in essence, his “confirmation” was false. As a result, both the Washington Post and the NY Post outed Davis as their anonymous source and then effectively retracted their stories “confirming” parts of CNN’s report.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Intercept_ 

Senate Leaders McConnell and Schumer Pay Tribute to Senator McCain


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) paid tribute to Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who died on August 25, 2018, at the age of 81. Senator Schumer said both he and Senator Flake would be offering a resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office building in honor of Senator McCain

This report was broadcast on August 27. 

Click here for video.

Secretary Mnuchin Says President Has 'Right to Terminate NAFTA'

 
Secretary Mnuchin speaks briefly with reporters about the trade deal with Mexico and ongoing talks with Canada, arguing that the president’s “right to terminate NAFTA” was a “big part of getting Mexico and Canada to the negotiating table.”

Click here for video.

Washington Journal: Lily Eskelsen Garcia Discusses Proposals to Arm Teachers and Education Policy


Garcia talked about the Trump administration’s consideration of proposals on arming teachers in schools, standardized testing, school funding, and education policy.

Click here for video.

Controversial Poem Takes on the Catholic Church, Pedophile Priests



                              Devón

Pennsylvania AG: Laws Must Change Following Priest Abuse Report


Source: CBS News

U.S. & Mexico Announce Revised Trade Deal, Canada Begins Negotiations


Source: CBS News

Almost Half of Americans Can't Pay for Their Basic Needs


Source: CBS News

Pope's Credibility Attacked Amid Sex Abuse Scandal


UN: Possible War Crimes in Yemen Committed By All Sides


'Genocidal Intent': UN Says Myanmar Military Leaders Must Face Prosecution


This report was posted on YouTube on August 27.

'Hate in the Streets Has No Place' in Germany, Says Merkel


Source: FRANCE 24 English

40 Years and Counting: The UN's Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon


Source: FRANCE 24 English

Media Piles Pressure in EU Copyright Row


Source: euronews.

British PM Plans to Boost Investment in Africa


Source: euronews.

China Hints It Will Scrap Its Two-Child Policy


Source: euronews.

Kushner Cos. Fined $210K By New York for False Documents

Jared Kushner
 
By Associated Press

The Kushner family real estate company was fined $210,000 by New York City regulators on Monday following an Associated Press investigation earlier this year that showed it routinely filed false documents with the city claiming it had no rent-regulated tenants in its buildings when, in fact, it had hundreds.

Separately, a watchdog group said Monday that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has engaged in the same practice, perhaps in a more brazen way, by telling the city that buildings he owned were empty, though tax records showed they were filled with tenants, many rent-regulated.

The city's buildings department fined the Kushner Cos. for filing 42 false applications for construction work on more than a dozen buildings when presidential adviser Jared Kushner ran the business. The AP report showed that the false paperwork allowed the Kushners to escape extra scrutiny designed to stop landlords from using construction to make living conditions for low-paying, rent-regulated tenants unbearable and get them to leave.

Click here for the full article.

Source: CRAIN'S New York Business (via Empire Report New York) 

Debate Fixing N.Y.'s Economy: Cuomo and Nixon Need to Get Beyond Platitudes


By Errol Louis

With only a few weeks left until the Democratic primary, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his challenger in the September Democratic primary, Cynthia Nixon, owe the public detailed answers about how they plan to fix the state’s stumbling economy.

According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, the economy is second only to health care as the issue that Democrats say will determine who they will select for governor this year. All the more reason for the candidates to lay out detailed, specific programs to help families, businesses and workers get ahead.

On the outside, things look rosy. The major stock indexes hit four-year highs this week, and New York continues to enjoy strong economic growth and a low unemployment rate of 4.6%. Cuomo can boast that more than 1 million jobs have been created since he took office.

But the state faces a serious affordability crisis — including nearly 60,000 homeless people in New York City — that highlights our extreme inequality. Some families are prospering while others teeter on the brink of disaster.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The New York Daily News (via Empire Report New York) 

Spectrum Customers Alarmed By 'Phantom Charges'


Source: RochesterFirst.com (via Empire Report New York)

Monday, August 27, 2018

How the Trump Administration Went Easy on Small-Town Police Abuses


The Obama Justice Department thought Ville Platte, Louisiana — where officers jail witnesses to crimes — could become a model of how to erase policing abuses that plague small towns across the nation. Jeff Sessions decided not to bother.


On a chilly morning in December 2016, 12-year-old Bobby Lewis found himself sitting in a little room at the police station in Ville Platte, a town of 7,300 in southern Louisiana. He wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been, but the detective grilling him had been at it for some time. Bobby was a middle school student — a skinny kid with a polite demeanor — and though he got in trouble at school from time to time, he wasn’t used to getting treated like this. He was alone, facing the detective without a parent or a lawyer.

A blank piece of paper sat on the table in front of Bobby. He and his friends were thieves, the detective insisted. They sold drugs. They trafficked guns. The detective brushed off Bobby’s denials. She knew what he was up to, and if he didn’t write it all down — inform on his friends and confess to his crimes — she’d charge him. She’d confiscate his dog, Cinnamon, she told him. She’d throw his mother in jail. Bobby was nothing but a “B” and an “MF,” as he later relayed the detective’s words to me, sheepish about repeating them. When his mother finally turned up at the station house, it seemed only to enrage the detective further. “Wipe that fucking smile off your face, and sit up in that fucking chair,” Bobby and his mother recall the detective barking at him.

Earlier that day, Bobby told me, he had been walking home from a friend’s house when a police cruiser pulled up alongside him. He recognized one of the officers. Her name was Jessica LaBorde, but like most people in Ville Platte, Bobby knew her only as Scrappy. The sobriquet was too fitting not to stick. Profanity prone in the extreme, LaBorde was known for her tinderbox temper and hostile disposition. She styled herself like a Marine drill sergeant — fastidiously pressed police blues, jet-black hair pulled back tight — and she would become Bobby’s interrogator. (LaBorde did not respond to calls or a detailed list of questions about the incident.)

Click here for the full article. 

Source: ProPublica

NASA 'Human Computer' Katherine Johnson Celebrates 100th Birthday



This report was published on August 26. 

Nasa has joined the 100th birthday celebrations for Katherine Johnson, an African-American “human computer” who overcame racial and gender discrimination, to become a crucial part of the US’s space programme.

The contribution of Ms Johnson and two of her black colleagues, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, who worked at Nasa’s Langley Research Centre located in Hampton, Virginia, was featured in the 2016 movie Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi. In the movie, Ms Johnson was portrayed by actress Taraji Henson.

“Wishing a #happybirthday to Katherine G Johnson on her 100th birthday today,” Nasa’s official history office wrote in a tweet. “She worked at @NASA_Langley as a human computer starting in 1953. Her calculations were critical to our early human spaceflight programme (you've probably seen that in the movies).”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Independent

Report: $2.5 Billion for Immigrant Incarceration


Gretta Goodwin, Government Accountability Office Homeland Security & Justice Director, discussed a new report on the cost of incarcerating immigrants.

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN 

Gov. Cuomo: 'Senator McCain is Twice the Public Elected Official This President Will Ever Be'


Remark Issued After White House Announced Flag Will Be Raised
After Flying at Half-Staff for Only Two Days in the Senator's Honor

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

UPDATE - 4:02 PM (EST) Statement from President Trump 

Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment.

I have asked Vice President Mike Pence to offer an address at the ceremony honoring Senator McCain at the United States Capitol this Friday.

At the request of the McCain family, I have also authorized military transportation of Senator McCain’s remains from Arizona to Washington, D.C., military pallbearers and band support, and a horse and caisson transport during the service at the United States Naval Academy.

Finally, I have asked General John Kelly, Secretary James Mattis, and Ambassador John Bolton to represent my Administration at his services.

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Albany Update: Executive Order Declares State of Emergency and Temporarily Lifts Sunset Provisions in Speed Camera Legislation


Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in New York City and reinstating the speed camera program. The Executive Order temporarily suspends the sunset provisions in the speed camera program legislation, providing New York City the authority it needs to implement the program ahead of the school year.

The Governor's Executive Order also directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide support, to the extent authorized by law, to the City of New York to implement the program in time for the 2018 school year.

"I refuse to sit idly by as Republican State Senators put politics over the lives of our children and jeopardize public safety," Governor Cuomo said. "In the face of the Senate Republicans' shameful inaction and with the school year set to begin, we are taking emergency action to reinstate the speed cameras program and protect our children. I thank Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Johnson for their cooperation and commitment to keeping our children safe. This is extraordinary action for an extraordinary situation - but I continue to call on the Senate Republicans to do their job and pass lifesaving speed camera legislation once and for all."

In July, Governor Cuomo released a State DOT analysis of recent data and studies that confirm speed cameras save lives. Additional studies have shown that after installing cameras in 2014, 10 fewer children have been killed by motor vehicles each year - from 18 to 8. Governor Cuomo has staunchly supported the speed camera program, introducing his own program bill, and the Assembly passed similar legislation during the 2018 legislative session.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said, "With schools opening next week, we have to ensure the safety of our students getting to and from school. The State Senate failed to return to Albany to renew the law that allows for the operation of speed cameras around schools in New York City. Speed cameras are vital to monitor traffic and keep our students free from harm, and I commend the Governor for signing this Executive Order that will help save lives. Enough politics -- I join the Governor in calling on the State Legislature to do their job and make it permanent."

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Tributes Pour in After Sen. John McCain's Death



Statement from State Senator James Sanders, Jr. 

"When men need an image of being a man, we often think of Senator John McCain. Regardless of his politics, this stand up guy was the epitome of hardcore. Senator McCain, we will miss you as a veteran, as a Senator, as a candidate, but mostly as a man. And let no one who shirked military service 5 times because of "bone spurs" (Mr. President), cast aspersions on this combat vet, and P.O.W." 

Sanders serves New York's 10th Senate District. 

Source: The Office of State Senator James Sanders, Jr.

New Details on Deadly Shooting at Esports Tournament


Yemen's Cancer Crisis Amid War


Elon Musk, Tesla and the Saudi Connection


Myanmar Court Postpones Verdict in Jailed Reuters Reporters' Case

Colombia: Anti-Corruption Referendum Fails to Win Approval


US-Kenya Trade Talks: Trump Seeks to Counter China's Growing Role

#MeToo Movement Gains Momentum in China


Source: FRANCE 24 English

The Venezuelan Exodus


Source: FRANCE 24 English

France's Macron Targets Welfare Cuts as Growth Falters


Source: FRANCE 24 English

Zimbabwe: Top Court Confirms Mnangagwa's Election Victory


Source: FRANCE 24 English

Pope Francis Advises Gay Children and Their Parents to Seek Psychiatric Help


Source: FRANCE 24 English

NYCHA Orders Entire Staff at Throggs Neck Development in Bronx to Turn in Keys and Get Out


By Greg B. Smith 

A top-to-bottom house cleaning is unfolding at a Bronx public housing development where NYCHA discovered pervasive lead paint, with the entire staff ordered to hand in their keys and exit the property.

The clean sweep took place Friday at the Throggs Neck Houses and was ordered up by NYCHA General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo in response to a growing list of tenant complaints.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Daily News (via Empire Report New York) 

Embattled Buffalo Bishop Malone Defies Calls for His Resignation




BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) - Richard J. Malone, the embattled Bishop of Buffalo, isn't going down without a fight.

“I stand before you today recommitted to my calling to serve as Bishop of Buffalo,” Malone said in a news conference Sunday at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. “The shepherd does not desert the flock at a difficult time.”

Business, political and religious leaders on Friday all called on Malone to step aside after a 7 Eyewitness News investigation revealed a continuing cover-up of sexual abuse allegations in the Diocese of Buffalo under Malone.

Click here for video. 

Source: WKBW (via Empire Report New York) 

Cuomo: 'We're in a Fight for the Soul of This Country' (Full Video)


This video was published on YouTube on August 26. 

Source: NYGovCuomo

Cuomo, Nixon Gear Up for Only Democratic Primary Debate


By Kenneth Lovett

ALBANY — New York’s political circles will be focused Wednesday on the one and only debate between Gov. Cuomo and his Democratic primary challenger, Cynthia Nixon.

For Nixon, the debate likely represents her best chance to close the polls that show her trailing by 30 points.

Sources close to her and other political observers believe she will come in armed with a number of one-liners aimed at the governor in hopes of getting the notoriously prickly Cuomo off his game.

"She needs to do something that will change the dynamic of this race,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “She presumably is going to try and get him to make a gaffe. That is something that would absolutely make sense in her playbook.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The New York Daily News (via Empire Report New York)