Donald Trump
Tribulation over Trump, Skeloses convicted, NYPD acts on Eric Garner
In this week's headlines, former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son were convicted again, Republicans scrambled to respond to President Donald Trump's support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the NYPD prepared to finally take disciplinary action years after the death of Eric Garner.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference. Shealah Craighead/White House
Danger evidently lurks around every corner, whether walking down a city street or on a relaxing day at the beach. On Thursday morning, a nearly century-old steam pipe burst in Manhattan and tore up the street, resulting 49 buildings being evacuated and an asbestos scare – and thankfully, only a few “very minor” injuries. Two young beachgoers on Fire Island were not so lucky. A 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy were victims of an apparent shark attack – but both youths should be fine. That and more in this week’s headlines.
Second time’s the charm
In the second major New York corruption conviction in as many weeks, former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son, Adam, have been found guilty – again. The pair had previously been convicted in 2015 on the same charges, but were retried after that original conviction was overturned. Unlike in the first trial, Skelos took the stand in his own defense and effectively threw his son under the bus. The move made no difference in the end, and the outcome came as little surprise. Just the week before, the defendants in the high-profile Buffalo Billion bid-rigging trial were found guilty as well.
New Yorkers react to Trump
New York’s congressional Republicans were split when it came to President Donald Trump’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Helsinki, Finland – including the Russian leader’s denial of election meddling. Republican Reps. Tom Reed and Chris Collins went on national TV to defend the president and his contradiction of U.S. intelligence that Russia meddled in the 2016 election. Reps. Lee Zeldin and Pete King offered rebukes, saying the president should have condemned any Russian interference in American politics. Rep. Claudia Tenney chose not to weigh in directly.
Justice for Eric Garner?
Four years after Eric Garner’s death at the hands of a police officer, the New York City Police Department announced that it would be moving forward with disciplinary action against the officers involved. The NYPD said it had given the U.S. Justice Department an Aug. 31 deadline to announce charges before disciplining those officers themselves. The department also confirmed that the proceedings against Officer Daniel Pantaleo and Sgt. Kizzy Adonis would begin soon, rather than in September as originally stated.
Cuomo keeps his lead
Quinnipiac University has released its latest poll and, once again, Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads Cynthia Nixon by a wide margin of 36 points. Like other polls that have come out for the race, though, it doesn’t deal with a perfect sample, surveying registered Democrats rather than likely primary voters. The two are very different demographics. Still, the numbers for Cuomo are strong, despite several recent corruption scandals tied to the governor.