Andrew Cuomo to run as independent for New York City mayor: report
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo intends to run as an independent in New York City’s mayoral race after suffering a double-digit defeat to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the recent Democratic primary. Cuomo’s anticipated run, reported by NewsNation, where his brother Chris is an anchor, would pit him against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who switched this year to running as an independent, Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee. Cuomo plans to ask all candidates not leading the mayoral race by mid-September to vow to drop out, NewsNation reported. A spokesman for Andrew Cuomo said there will be an official announcement soon. Cuomo remained on the ballot after the primary as an independent, but he left open questions about whether he planned to actively campaign. “I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting,” Cuomo said as the primary drew to a close. “I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.” REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS Mamdani’s upset victory put Democrats in the precarious position of rallying behind a candidate who has promoted controversial positions that include raising income taxes on the city’s top earners, installing government-run grocery stores, and using public funds to make childcare universal. CUOMO STAYING IN NYC MAYOR’S RACE FOR NOW, FOLLOWING STUNNING SETBACK TO MAMDANI IN PRIMARY: SOURCES Mamdani, who is Muslim, has also drawn scrutiny for his vehement opposition to Israel, a key Middle East ally for the United States. Cuomo set himself apart from Mamdani during the primary race by advocating for Israel and garnering support from pro-Israel donors. Mamdani is backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and recently secured an endorsement from Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., an influential Dominican American in the city. The mayoral candidate has also been courting New York labor and teachers unions, some of which have signaled support for him. Three polls conducted in the past two weeks show Cuomo trailing Mamdami and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Adams in a close race for third and fourth. Cuomo served three terms as governor of New York but his scandal-plagued tenure, which included numerous sexual harassment claims, led him to resign in 2021. Cuomo denied wrongdoing but apologized for making people feel “uncomfortable.” He also faced criticism from Republicans for allegedly botching information about COVID-19 deaths in his state.
Noem says criticism of federal response to Texas flooding is ‘all politics’: ‘Disservice to our country’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said criticisms over the federal response to the deadly flooding in Texas were politically motivated, calling one Democratic lawmaker’s accusations “absolutely despicable.” Noem appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where she defended against claims that the FEMA response was delayed, and the assertion from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that President Donald Trump and Noem fired FEMA employees as flood victims called the agency. “You know, this memo and this criticism, I think, is all politics because I was there,” Noem said. “I was there and every time somebody asked for something, we said, absolutely, it’ll be here as soon as possible and it’ll be done.” Noem said that she and over 700 FEMA workers were in the area within hours of a call with Texas officials. The Coast Guard also immediately deployed following the call, she added. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM The July Fourth floods killed at least 129 people in central Texas. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County. The secretary said this operation was “the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster” and, unlike FEMA’s poor track record under the Biden administration, this time FEMA “operated how President Trump wanted it to operate.” “I’m very proud of the fact that we didn’t go there and manage it,” she said. “We went there and allowed the local officials to manage it, to run it. The state did a fantastic job. We’re there to support and give them what resources they need.” NOEM RIPS CNN REPORT CLAIMING SHE DELAYED DHS RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOOD AS ‘ABSOLUTELY TRASH’ When asked about Murphy’s claims about victims’ calls to FEMA going unanswered in the days following the deadly flooding due to firings, Noem called his words “an absolute lie.” “That’s what I think is so disingenuous and horrible about the situation. Nobody was fired, no contracts were ended, everybody was there answering calls and doing all they could to help the people of Texas,” Noem said. “So the fact that Democrats are politicizing this while people are still looking for their babies, they’re still looking for their family members, I think it’s absolutely despicable.” Noem said Americans “need to know the truth” of how Democrats are “taking advantage of this situation to help themselves politically.” “It’s a disservice not just to the people of Texas and these families that are going through grief right now, it’s a disservice to our country,” she said. Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Noem’s remarks, but they did not immediately respond. Noem was also asked about a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order against many of the ICE operations that have been carried out in Southern California.She called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and said the federal government will appeal. “We always built our operations, our investigations on casework, on knowing individuals that we needed to target because they were criminals, because they had conducted violent crimes against individuals in their communities or had overstayed their orders, had violated federal laws, and that is always how this is done,” Noem said.
AOC should be sued ‘into bankruptcy’ over latest attack on Trump, stunned critics seethe
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being accused of defaming President Donald Trump by calling him a “rapist” on social media amid controversy over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The far-left Democrat, who has traded barbs with Trump repeatedly across both of their political careers, weighed in on the current controversy surrounding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 after facing federal charges related to child sex trafficking. “Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Ocasio-Cortez posted to X on Friday. She appeared to be referencing the 2023 civil trial leveled against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll. A jury found Trump liable of sexual assault, but not of rape, which critics of Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly cited in their condemnation of her use of the word “rapist.” The comments came after the Trump Department of Justice said there is no list of Epstein clients. But Trump supporters and legal experts alike warned AOC to lawyer up after dropping the “R” bomb. “The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy. I realize she’s trying to raise her profile but this is way way too far,” legal analyst Phil Holloway posted to X on Saturday in response to a message from Ocasio-Cortez. ‘I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL’: AOC FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP CALLS HER ‘STUPID’ “Even under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you’ve managed to incur defamation liability Wow,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted to X in response. “Why didn’t you guys release the Epstein files over the last 4 years? Maybe you were too busy covering for Joe Biden… or, could it have something to do with another former Democrat President?” Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. APPEALS COURT DEALS TRUMP BLOW IN CHALLENGE TO E JEAN CARROLL VERDICT “Well we have grounds for a huge defamation suit here you idiot because Donald Trump has never been indicted for rape much less convicted,” host of YourVoice America Bill Mitchell posted to X. “You realize your X account doesn’t carry the same protections to defame people that you enjoy during congressional proceedings?” another X account posted. Other critics of the lawmaker’s message said the use of the word “rapist” comes on the heels of ABC paying Trump $15 million, which will go toward funding his presidential library, over George Stephanopoulos’ claim in March of last year that Trump was found civilly liable of rape in the E. Jean Carroll case. Trump has repeatedly denied even knowing Carroll, claiming she made false allegations that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s in an effort to sell books decades later. “Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted of being a rapist. This is defamatory. And I hope you are sued by Trump for this the same way George Stephanopoulos was sued and forced to pay Trump $15 million dollars. I hope you have millions ready for Trump, Porky. @AOC,” Trump ally Laura Loomer posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. ‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS “This is gonna be fun. AOC is so dumb she just called Trump a rapist – after ABC was forced to fork over $16 million in a settlement with Trump after George Stephanopoulos called him a rapist,” Townhall contributor Rachel Alexander posted to X. In March 2024, Stephanopoulos asserted in a tense interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case. Stephanopoulos showed a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape before he asked her, “How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” “You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, alluding to the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. AOC TAUNTS TOM HOMAN AFTER DOJ REFERRAL THREAT OVER DEPORTATIONS: ‘COME FOR ME’ Stephanopoulos repeated the claim on rape 10 times during the interview, Fox Digital previously reported, before Trump filed a defamation suit. ABC News and Stephanopoulos reached a settlement agreement with Trump’s legal team ahead of his second inauguration, paying $15 million and announcing the network and anchor “regret” the comments made on air. “Editor’s Note: ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024,” an editor’s note in an article focused on the interview states. Other social media commenters defended Ocasio-Cortez‘s use of the word “rapist,” arguing she did not use Trump’s name in her post and that a defamation case was unlikely. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office on Sunday for additional comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. “AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to over-compensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life,” White House communication director Steven Cheung said in comment provided to Fox News Digital on Sunday. “Instead, she should get some serious help for her obvious and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her pea-sized brain,” he added.
Syria says wildfires in northwest Latakia province contained after 10 days
The fires were contained with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi firefighting teams. Wildfires in northwestern Syria, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, have been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, the civil defence agency said, “with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts”, teams on the ground are working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out on July 3 amid an intense heatwave across the region, which also affected the Dortyol district and neighbouring Turkiye. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it destroyed about 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers not only had to use outdated equipment but also contend with high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis, nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and the installation of a transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the now-disbanded armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In a post on X, Raed al-Saleh, Syria’s minister for emergencies and disaster management, said civil defence and firefighting teams “managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts” with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams. Advertisement Turkiye earlier sent two firefighting aircraft to help battle the blazes. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to al-Saleh. “Firefighting teams are intensively working to extinguish remaining hotspots and cool the areas already put out. The situation is moving toward containment followed by comprehensive cooling operations,” said al-Saleh. “There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed fire expansion.” Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province were evacuated as a precaution. With human-induced climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria has “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years”. Adblock test (Why?)
Canadian universities too should be in Francesca Albanese’s report
“Universities worldwide, under the guise of research neutrality, continue to profit from an [Israeli] economy now operating in genocidal mode. Indeed, they are structurally dependent on settler-colonial collaborations and funding.” This is what United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese wrote in her latest report “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide”, which documents the financial tentacles of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and beyond. Its release prompted the United States’ governing regime to issue sanctions against Albanese in a move the Italian legal scholar rightly described as “obscene” and “mafia intimidation tactics”. The report reveals how universities not only invest their endowments in corporations linked to Israel’s war machine, but also engage in directly or support research initiatives that contribute to it. It is not only a damning indictment of the complicity of academia in genocide, but also a warning to university administrations and academics that they hold legal responsibility. In Israel, Albanese observes, traditional humanities disciplines such as law, archaeology, and Middle Eastern studies essentially launder the history of the Nakba, reframing it through colonial narratives that erase Palestinian histories and legitimise an apartheid state that has transitioned into what she describes as a “genocidal machine”. Likewise, STEM disciplines engage in open collaborations with military industrial corporations, such as Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, IBM, and Lockheed Martin, to facilitate their research and development. Advertisement In the United States, Albanese writes, research is funded by the Israeli Defence Ministry and conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with various military applications, including drone swarm control. In the United Kingdom, she highlights, the University of Edinburgh has 2.5 percent of its endowment invested in companies that participate in the Israeli military industrial complex. It also has partnerships with Ben-Gurion University and with companies supporting Israeli military operations. While Canadian institutions do not appear in Albanese’s report, they very easily could and, indeed, we argue, should. Canada’s flagship school, the University of Toronto (UofT), where one of us teaches and another is an alumnus, is a particularly salient example. Over the past 12 years, the UofT’s entanglements with Israeli institutions have snowballed, stretching across fields from the humanities to cybersecurity. They also involve Zionist donors (both individuals and groups), many of whom have ties with complicit corporations and Israeli institutions, and have actively interfered with university hiring practices to an extent that has drawn censure from the Canadian Association of University Teachers. This phenomenon must be understood in the context of the defunding of public higher education, which forces universities to seek private sources of funding and opens up universities to donor interference. After calls for cutting such ties intensified amid the genocide, the UofT doubled down on them over the past year, advertising artificial intelligence-related partnerships with Technion University in Haifa, joint calls for proposals with various Israeli universities, and student exchange programmes in Israel. The UofT also continues to fundraise for its “Archaeology of Israel Trust”, which was set up to make a “significant contribution to the archaeology of Israel” – a discipline that has historically focused on legitimising the Israeli dispossession of the Palestinian people. It also inaugurated a new lab for the study of global anti-Semitism, which is funded by the University of Toronto-Hebrew University of Jerusalem Research & Innovation Alliance. In addition to institutional partnerships, UofT’s Asset Management Corporation (UTAM), which manages the university’s endowment, has direct connections with many companies that are, as per Albanese’s report, complicit in the genocide in Palestine, including Airbnb, Alphabet Inc, Booking Holdings, Caterpillar, Elbit Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir Technologies. Advertisement A 2024 report found that 55 of these companies operate “in the military-affiliated defence, arms, and aerospace sectors” and at least 12 of UTAM’s 44 contracted investment managers have made investments totalling at least $3.95 billion Canadian dollars ($2.88bn) in 11 companies listed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as supporters of the construction and expansion of illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories. Furthermore, 17 of UTAM’s 44 contracted investment managers are responsible for managing around $15.79 billion Canadian dollars ($11.53bn) in assets invested in 34 companies identified by The American Friends Service Committee as benefiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza. UofT is not unique among Canadian universities in this regard. According to a report on university divestment, Western University, too, promotes ongoing partnerships with Ben-Gurion University and invests more than $16m Canadian dollars ($11.6m) in military contractors and nearly $50 million Canadian dollars ($36.5) in companies directly complicit in the occupation of Palestine and the genocide of Palestinians. The list of complicit companies again includes Lockheed Martin, as well others listed by Albanese like Chevron, Booking Holdings, Airbnb, and Microsoft. McGill University, another top Canadian university, has also invested in Lockheed Martin, as well as notable military industrial companies like Airbus, BAE Systems, Safran, and Thales, which have also been accused of providing weapons and components to Israel. In the context of the ongoing genocide, students, staff, and faculty at such complicit universities – including at each of our respective institutions – have been demanding that their universities boycott and divest from Israel and companies profiting from its warfare. They are not only explicitly in the right according to international law, but are actually articulating the basic legal responsibility and requirement borne by all corporate entities. And yet, for raising this demand, they have been subjected to all manner of discipline and punishment. What Albanese’s report lays bare is that university administrators – like other corporate executives – are subject to and, frankly, should fear censure under international law. She writes, “Corporations must respect human rights even if a State where they operate does not, and they may be held accountable even if they have complied with the domestic laws where they operate. In other words, compliance with domestic laws does not preclude/is not a defence to responsibility or liability.” This means that those administrating universities in Canada and around the world who have refused to divest and disentangle
Marc Marquez wins chaotic German MotoGP at Sachsenring
Marc Marquez stages a lights-to-flag victory to record his ninth German MotoGP victory as podium contenders crash out. Marc Marquez proved once again why he is known as the “King of Sachsenring” when the Ducati rider marked his 200th MotoGP start by winning the German Grand Prix in a race that became a test of survival after only 10 of 18 riders finished. Marquez’s ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring stretched his championship lead over brother Alex, who finished second, to 83 points while Marc’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished third to sit 147 points behind. Alex Marquez had started fifth on the grid and took second in his 100th MotoGP start despite still recovering from a fractured hand he suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix two weeks ago, which required surgery. Several riders crashed over the course of the race, especially at turn one – including VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi when they were in second place. But the day belonged to Marc Marquez as he marked his latest triumph at his favourite hunting ground by standing on his bike and doing a jig as he passed the chequered flag – a fourth straight weekend where he had won both the sprint and the race. “One more [win at the Sachsenring] was super special. From the beginning, I felt good, the confidence when I started the weekend was super high because we were coming from three victories in a row,” he said. “We are in an incredible moment. Now we can say that half the season is done. Now [the second] half we still need to be super concentrated.” Marco Bezzecchi of Italy riding the Aprilia Racing bike crashes out during the the MotoGP of Germany [Goose Photography/Getty Images] More riders fall in the challenging conditions Pedro Acosta became the third rider to crash early on after Lorenzo Savadori and Miguel Oliveira, with the young Spaniard gesturing at his fallen machine in frustration. Di Giannantonio had broken the lap record in Friday’s practice and given Marc Marquez a tough time early in the sprint race on Saturday. But the Italian was unable to push any harder to catch up to Marquez, who found a comfortable rhythm and pace to surge more than two seconds ahead despite easing off the throttle on two laps to conserve his tyres. As Marquez’s lead stretched to more than three seconds, Di Giannantonio’s challenge came to an end on the downhill braking zone on turn one when he lost control and crashed, with his bike tumbling across the gravel while he escaped unhurt. LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco, who started second on the grid before getting pushed down the order, crashed at the same turn seconds later. Bezzecchi had moved up to second, but the Aprilia rider also bit the dust on the very next lap at turn one, moving Alex Marquez up to second while Bagnaia suddenly found himself in the podium positions. The crashes did not end there as Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura lost his balance on turn one and ended up taking out Honda’s Joan Mir in the process, leaving only 10 of the 18 starters. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo finished fourth ahead of Alex Marquez’s Gresini Racing teammate Fermin Aldeguer. Ducati’s Marc Marquez during the German MotoGP [Ronny Hartmann/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
ECI makes SHOCKING claim, ‘large number’ of foreigners of THESE nations found in Bihar’s voter list during electoral roll revision
As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar continues, it has been found that the names of a large number of foreigners are mentioned in the voter list.
Meet Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, prosecutor in 26/11 Mumbai attack trial against Ajmal Kasab, nominated to Rajya Sabha
Four eminent personalities have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Indian President Droupadi Murmu. These four individuals include, Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, 26/11 prosecutor; Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Foreign Secretary; Dr. Meenakshi Jain, a historian; and C. Sadanandan Master.
Major update on bullet train: Japanese bullet train won’t run on Ahmedabad-Mumbai route? New report claims…
This change has come due to a significant rise in the cost of importing Japanese coaches.
Who was Surendra Kewat? BJP leader shot dead in Bihar days after chilling murder of Gopal Khemka
Days after the brutal killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopal Khemka, another leader from the party, Surendra Kewat, was shot dead in the Sheikhpura district of Bihar.