Washington - Many New York lawmakers took President Donald Trump’s recent threat to veto a must-pass omnibus spending bill if it includes $900 million for the Gateway program’s Hudson Tunnel and Portal Bridge as nothing less than a hostile act. “When you hear him say, ‘We’re eliminating one of the biggest infrastructure projects that can principally benefit New York and New Jersey,’ what is that but ‘I declare war,’” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans). “It is a complete slap in the face of New York.” Meeks and other New York lawmakers — most of them Democrats — said this is just the latest clash in a highly unusual public political battle of words and deeds between the lifelong New Yorker and New York State since he won the presidency. Much of the conflict is over the conservative and partisan Trump administration’s dismantling of Democratic initiatives, but it is also about New Yorkers’ fury … [Read more...] about Trump and New York state’s public political battle ‘very uncharacteristic,’ experts say
New york
Cynthia Nixon running for governor of New York
Cynthia Nixon announced she is running for governor of New York on Monday, challenging Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in the Democratic primary. "I love New York, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for governor. Join us," the actress tweeted, along with a link to her campaign fundraising website. The website describes Nixon as a "lifelong New Yorker and progressive activist" who chose to run in order to "fight for a better, more equal New York." "Cynthia hasn't been bought and paid for by special interests and won't be accepting any corporate contributions in this campaign," the fundraising website says. "Instead our campaign will be powered by the people." Nixon, a Manhattan resident best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes on "Sex and the City," introduced her platform in a commercial advertisement released Monday afternoon. “We are now the most unequal state in the country,” Nixon says as narrator of her campaign video. “Half the kids in … [Read more...] about Cynthia Nixon running for governor of New York
Ilhan Omar documentary among Minnesota projects headed to New York’s Tribeca Film Festival
Robert De Niro's Tribeca Film Festival will have more than a touch of Minnesota this year. Two projects shot largely in the state will be part of the event that runs from April 18-29 in New York City. "Time for Ilhan," by documentary filmmaker Norah Shapiro, chronicles Ilhan Omar's successful bid to win election to the Minnesota House of Representatives, making her the first Somali-American, Muslim woman to hold state office in the United States. In addition, Rosemount native Naomi Ko will be shopping a pilot for a potential series. "Nice," which was mostly shot in the Twin Cities, stars Ko as a young Korean-American woman who faces a crisis when she's diagnosed with cancer. Ko, who appeared in the 2014 indie hit "Dear White People," is hoping screenings at the festival will attract a streaming service or network that will green-light an entire season. The festival, now in its 17th year, will also feature new documentaries about Gilda Radner and the New York Times, as … [Read more...] about Ilhan Omar documentary among Minnesota projects headed to New York’s Tribeca Film Festival
New York’s Palm Sunday Massacre killer freed
A man who killed 10 people in 1984 in one of New York City's most notorious massacres has been released from prison.The New York Times reported that Christopher Thomas was released in January from Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, N.Y.Thomas killed eight children and two women in a crime known as the Palm Sunday Massacre. The sole survivor was a 13-month-old girl named Christina Rivera.One of the first police officers to arrive at the massacre scene in Brooklyn, Joanne Jaffe, cared for the toddler that night and later helped raise her.Jaffe rose to become the highest-ranking female police chief in the New York Police Department before retiring this year.She told the Times she hopes Thomas is rehabilitated “and doesn't hurt anyone else.”Retired Lt. Herbert Hohmann, who led the investigation, told the New York Post that Thomas “doesn't deserve to be out on the street.”The now 68-year-old Thomas was convicted of manslaughter in 1985. Some jurors said at … [Read more...] about New York’s Palm Sunday Massacre killer freed
Sandbagging the 2nd Amendment: Ex-justice hurts his own cause with New York Times op-ed
close Video Kurtz: How John Paul Stevens undermined gun control 'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz weighs in on former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' statement that the Second Amendment should be repealed and how it created an even bigger schism in the gun control debate. You might think a 97-year-old guy who hasn't been heard from in years wouldn't have the firepower to influence the gun control debate. But then John Paul Stevens came along and called for repealing the Second Amendment. And he did it with the megaphone of the New York Times op-ed page. My first thought, of course, was that this will never happen, even if a former Supreme Court justice thinks it's a good idea. And my second thought was that Stevens has really set back the cause of reformers who hoped to pass modest gun legislation in the wake of the Florida school shooting. Now it's easy for the gun rights side to say that reform advocates secretly hope for a radical agenda, as outlined by Stevens, … [Read more...] about Sandbagging the 2nd Amendment: Ex-justice hurts his own cause with New York Times op-ed