L-R Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky From NowThis News:
States across the U.S. are struggling to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. New York state has been hit especially hard, as coronavirus cases across the state and New York City increase.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who holds coronavirus press briefings regularly, has called out Donald Trump and the Trump admin for its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Recently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid into Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans for blocking emergency aid for Democratic states amid COVID-19.
As Gov. Cuomo points out, New York state pays $29 billion more to the federal government than it gets back on an annual basis. But Sen. McConnell’s state of Kentucky regularly takes $37 billion MORE than it sends to Washington DC, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida sees his state take $30 billion more than it sends to the federal government. So, when McConnell and his GOP compatriots say they don’t want to “bailout” states like New York, Cuomo rightfully asks, “Who is bailing out whom?”
Donald Trump took to Twitter to troll New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday claiming the governor was “begging” for federal government assistance to combat the COVID-19 threat. “Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc,” Trump tweeted. “I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!” This follows Cuomo’s repeated statements denying Trump’s claim to have “total authority” on when U.S. states will cease their COVID-19 lockdowns. On Monday, Trump told reporters he has “total authority” to run the country, which he believes, re-opening the country’s businesses at any given time. But legal experts point to the fact that Trump never issued a national disaster proclamation. And so, there’s no ban from his office to lift. Cuomo told reporters that he would sue Trump if he attempted to re-open the Empire state too early. Cuomo also said, “there’s no value” in the president’s coronavirus press conferences.
Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want Independence! That won’t happen!
Tell the Democrat Governors that “Mutiny On The Bounty” was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!
The state of New York reported its first decline in daily coronavirus deaths possibly signaling better days on the horizon. From Bloomberg News:
New York State reported 594 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, fewer than the 630 it reported on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. The state has had 4,159 fatalities so far.
New Jersey, which has the second-highest number of U.S. cases, reported a slowdown in the death rate: Fatalities rose by 71 on Sunday, compared with 200 the day before. It also reported fewer new cases, 3,381, for a total of 37,505. Total deaths are 917.
As President Donald Trump and other leaders warned of rising death tolls, Cuomo said it was too early to say if the outbreak had reached a peak in New York — the center of the nation’s outbreak.
“You could argue that you are seeing a plateauing,” he told reporters in Albany. “Next week they will tell you whether we are on a plateau or is it just a blip,” he said, referring to statisticians.
Additional encouraging signs: New hospitalizations declined to 574 on Sunday from 1,095, and 74% of those hospitalized have been discharged.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday he will postpone the New York presidential primary originally scheduled for April 28 due to the coronavirus threat.
“I don’t think it’s wise to be bringing a lot of people to one location to vote, a lot of people touching one doorknob, a lot of people touching one pen,” Mr. Cuomo said in a news conference. “So we are going to delay that and link it to an election that was previously scheduled on June 23.”
A primary for state legislative and congressional races had already been set for June 23, and now all of the state’s primary elections will be held on the same date, he said.
Ten other states, as well as Puerto Rico, have rescheduled their primary elections as the campaign calendar has been upended by the outbreak, citing guidance from health officials who have urged people to avoid gathering spots, including polling places.
A handful of other states have switched to voting entirely by mail and have extended deadlines for doing so.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered all non-essential businesses to keep all employees at home beginning Sunday evening. Grocery stores, pharmacies & other support businesses will be allowed to stay open. There were 2,950 new cases reported in New York state in the last day alone. From the Washington Post:
All New York workers are prohibited from reporting to their workplace in person, with the exception of people who perform essential services, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said Friday.
The policy, to be formalized via executive order, will take effect Sunday evening and will be backed by the force of law, Cuomo said at a news conference. “These provisions will be enforced,” he said. “These are not helpful hints; this is not if you really want to be a good citizen.”
Cuomo emphasized that this policy is not an order to “shelter in place” — a term that is usually used in mass shooting situations. He said the guidance to residents to mostly stay inside may continue for months and that people should feel free to take walks for the sake of their mental health.
Cuomo says there are more than 7,000 confirmed cases in New York. The state has done more than 32,000 tests, including 10,000 in the last 24 hours – testing more per capita than South Korea and China – going outside the federal government for testing.
Coronavirus outbreak, New York: March 20: 7,102 cases March 17: 1,700 cases March 14: 613 cases March 11: 220 cases March 8: 105 cases March 5: 11 cases March 2: 2 cases
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (screen capture)The New York Post is reporting nine more New Yorkers have tested positive for coronavirus bringing the current total to 22 cases in the Empire State according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Eight of the new cases are in Westchester, connected to a single New Rochelle lawyer, identified by sources as 50-year-old Lawrence Garbuz, while the ninth is on Long Island, Cuomo said.
The afflicted attorney’s wife, son, and daughter have also tested positive, as have a friend, his wife and three of their four kids, Cuomo has said.
A neighbor who drove Garbuz to the hospital has additionally been confirmed to have the potentially deadly disease.
Because he also has an underlying respiratory infection, Garbuz is currently hospitalized in Upper Manhattan, while the others are self-isolating in their homes.
In related news, the Dow Jones closed down another 969 points due to fears about the spread of the virus.
A stranger burst into a rabbi’s home in New York state and stabbed five people as they were celebrating Hanukkah. From the New York Times:
An intruder with a large knife burst into the home of a Hasidic rabbi in a New York suburb on Saturday night, stabbing and wounding five people just as they were gathering to light candles for Hanukkah, officials and a witness said.
It was a terrifying scene, the officials and witness reported, saying that the violence occurred at about 10 p.m. as numerous people were celebrating Hanukkah at the home of the rabbi, Chaim Rottenberg, in Monsey, which is in an area with a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, visiting the rabbi’s home on Sunday morning, called the attack an “act of domestic terrorism.”
The New York Police Department said a suspect had been arrested in Harlem and was turned over to the authorities in Rockland County, which is northwest of New York City and where the attack took place.
The horrifying rise of antisemitism is tearing apart the fabric of our communities and the soul of this nation. We've got to stand together as a country and fight these flames of hatred.
My deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families, and the Jewish community. https://t.co/fcUUwN8rE6
My prayers are with the victims of these horrific acts of anti-Semitism and hate. This cannot be tolerated.
On the morning of the last night of Hanukkah, let us all rededicate ourselves to ensuring that light beats back darkness. Never again. https://t.co/AscnNJbjOx
I'm heartsick for the victims of this horrific attack. This is unfortunately just the latest of a series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York and New Jersey. We must fight anti-Semitism and make clear that hateful bigotry has no place in our society. https://t.co/MjlL1gkovV
Donald Trump took to Twitter today to rant about the issue of homelessness in America. Well, not exactly. The Trumpster tweeted specifically about the homelessness problem in two very blue states: California and New York. Trump wrote, “California and New York must do something about their TREMENDOUS Homeless problems. They are setting records! If their Governors can’t handle the situation, which they should be able to do very easily, they must call and ‘politely’ ask for help. Would be so easy with competence!” It’s worth noting, however, that a Rockefeller Institute of Government study this year found that New York’s residents and businesses consistently send more revenue to the Federal government than any other state, and the state continues to contribute more in taxes than the state receives back in federal spending. And residents of California pay one of the highest rates of federal taxes per capita in the country. As president, states shouldn’t have to beg or “politely” ask for help. That’s what the federal government is there for, and what they pay taxes for. And in the case of these two states, a LOT of taxes. Trump forgets that he’s not a king whose ring should be kissed. He’s an employee of the people of the United States. The Donald’s real issue here isn’t worrying about the homeless (which he’d rather just not see), but the fact that California and New York have governors who won’t bow down to him. Later in the day, Trump took another swipe at New York tweeting, “So sad to see that New York City and State are falling apart. All they want to do is investigate to make me hate them even more than I should. Governor Cuomo has lost control, and lost his mind. Very bad for the homeless and all!”
The legal maneuver comes as the virulently anti-LGBTQ law firm Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.
LGBTQ advocates fear the case could possibly be used to take such prohibitions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which has taken a more conservative bent since Donald Trump has put two right-leaning justices in place since taking office.
If the haters were to win at SCOTUS, conversion therapy bans across the country could be at risk of being struck down.
That said, LGBTQ minors in New York City will still be protected by the separate statewide ban that was passed earlier this year by the New York State Legislature.
The City Council’s law was seen as more vulnerable to a court challenge because it was broader than others in effect, including the statewide ban.
LGBTQ advocates say repealing the NYC measure will allow them to focus less on defending the law in court and more on expanding protections against conversion therapy in other states.
Opponents of an openly gay candidate for Town Justice in upstate New York apparently tried to smear him with a fake campaign ad using a suggestive photo from more than a decade ago and included innuendo regarding his work with YMCA youth.
Complete with rainbow letters spelling ‘Pride’ at the top of the page, the text of the ad stresses Justin Carroll’s sexuality, his husband, the possibility of being the first LGBTQ Town Justice in his town of Clinton, New York and more, according to Metro Weekly.
“Justin, a bankruptcy lawyer in NYC, recently relocated to Clinton with his husband Adam Lynch,” the flyer reads. “Among his accomplishments, Justin has been recognized as one of the country’s ‘Best LGBT Lawyers under 40.’ He sits on various boards and committees while working with youth at the YMCA.”
(click image to enlarge)
The text also mentions The Victory Fund, which helps openly LGBTQ candidates get elected to public office and has endorsed Carroll’s candidacy. The ad underscores TVF’s endorsement and Carroll’s sexual orientation: “Justin will be the first openly LGBTQ elected official for the Town of Clinton.”
Carroll told Metro Weekly he learned of the flyer when it was forwarded to him after it was posted to the Facebook page of the Hudson Valley News.
The news outlet eventually posted a retraction after the editor realized the ad was submitted via a fake email address.
Justin Carroll, our candidate for Town of Clinton (NY) Justice, speaks out about a fake ad attacking his sexuality and @VictoryFund support: “Obviously when opponents don’t have things to talk about, they find things to manufacture,” via @metroweekly.https://t.co/dkaoc9zyUN
“At first I thought the ad was just kind of laughable how amateurish it was, given the sophisticated nature of my campaign,” Carroll told Metro Weekly. “Second, it was disheartening, to think about that coming from this community where I’ve moved with my husband.”
“We’ve been living here for almost five years. It’s our full-time residence, it’s our only residence,” says Carroll. “We moved up here to raise a family. It reminds us of the places where we grew up, in Connecticut and Oregon. We’ve had the most wonderful interactions with our neighbors over the past five years and are familiar with all the local establishments.”
The 37-year-old also noted that the ad seemed “to weaponize my coming out story and things that I’m proud of, but with these nefarious undertones of ‘these people are invading our town and maybe they shouldn’t be left around children.'”
“That’s a disgusting sentiment, and it has no place in our public discourse,” he says.
