Tag: Eric Adams

NYC Mayoral Race ‘Not for Sale to Trump Donors,’ Mamdani Says
NEW YORK – In a stunning turn of events that could reshape the Big Apple’s political landscape, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani fired back at what he perceives as interference from President Donald Trump and his wealthy supporters, insisting that the New York City mayoral race remains “not for sale” following incumbent Mayor Eric Adams‘ abrupt withdrawal from the contest.
Adams, who had been mounting an independent bid since April, released a video on social media Sunday announcing the end of his reelection campaign – just three weeks after defiantly vowing to press on. The move comes amid reports of a meeting earlier this month between Adams and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, sparking speculation about a potential role for the mayor in the Trump administration. While Adams’ spokesperson emphasized that he will serve out his term without any confirmed post-office plans, the decision has ignited a firestorm of reactions from the remaining candidates, highlighting deep divisions in a race already fraught with ideological clashes.
Mamdani’s Vision for New York City
Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman who clinched the Democratic nomination over the summer with a decisive victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others, wasted no time framing Adams’ exit as part of a broader scheme orchestrated by Trump and his billionaire backers. Appearing on MSNBC Sunday evening, Mamdani declared, “Donald Trump and his billionaire donors may be able to determine the actions of Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, but they will not dictate the results of this election.” He doubled down on this sentiment in a video posted to social platform X, warning Cuomo: “You got your wish. You wanted Trump and your billionaire friends to help you clear the field. But don’t forget. You wanted me as your opponent in the primary too, and we beat you by 13 points.”
From a conservative vantage point, Mamdani’s rhetoric smacks of the kind of far-left paranoia that has alienated moderate voters in cities across America. As the youngest and most progressive candidate in the field, Mamdani’s campaign promises to slash living costs in one of the world’s priciest metropolises through aggressive policies that critics argue could stifle economic growth and empower socialist-leaning agendas. His attacks on Trump – a president who has championed deregulation and tax cuts to boost urban economies – seem designed to rally the Democratic base but risk turning off independents and working-class New Yorkers weary of progressive experiments that have led to rising crime and fiscal woes in the past.
Cuomo, running as an independent centrist, welcomed Adams’ departure as a game-changer that sharpens the race into a clearer ideological showdown. Speaking to reporters outside a campaign event in Queens Sunday night, Cuomo praised Adams’ “selflessness” and warned that a Mamdani victory should terrify New Yorkers. “I believe Mayor Adams is 100% sincere. I applaud his selflessness… He said, ‘I’m going to put my personal ambition aside for the good of the city,’ because he’s afraid of the result if Mr. Mamdani would win the election, and we should all be afraid of the result,” Cuomo said. He dismissed Mamdani’s primary win as irrelevant in the general election, noting, “This is now a much larger election where more New Yorkers will vote. And I am telling you, and I’m out there every day, New Yorkers do not support what Mamdani supports.”
Cuomo’s comments underscore a pragmatic, results-oriented approach that resonates with right-leaning voters disillusioned by the city’s leftward drift under progressive leadership. Denying any direct conversations with Trump – despite a New York Times report suggesting otherwise – Cuomo positioned himself as the steady hand capable of steering New York away from what he sees as Mamdani’s radicalism. He also brushed off Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa as non-viable, though he expressed interest in speaking with Adams “whenever appropriate.”
Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and GOP standard-bearer, has faced his own pressures, revealing last week that unnamed wealthy New Yorkers – possibly Trump donors, though unconfirmed – offered him money to bow out. Undeterred, Sliwa’s spokesperson issued a statement affirming his staying power: “Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani. Our team, our resources, and our funding are unmatched. Most importantly, we have the best solutions to help working people afford to stay in New York City and feel safe.” Trump’s recent jab at Sliwa as “not exactly prime time” hasn’t helped, but in a fragmented field, Sliwa’s tough-on-crime stance could siphon votes from disaffected Democrats and independents who prioritize public safety over progressive platitudes.
Polling data adds intrigue to the post-Adams landscape. A Suffolk University City View survey released last week showed Mamdani leading with 45% support, followed by Cuomo at 25%, Sliwa at 9%, and Adams at 8%. With Adams out, his centrist supporters – many of whom overlap with Cuomo’s base – could consolidate behind the former governor, potentially closing the gap. However, Mamdani remains unfazed, telling Eyewitness News that the race hasn’t fundamentally shifted: “It’s a race between us and the failed politics that we’ve seen, whether it’s Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams… We’re going to show that they can’t dictate the outcome of this race.”
Mamdani elaborated on Trump’s involvement, suggesting the president’s interest stems from fear of a genuine affordability agenda: “Donald Trump will do what Donald Trump wants to do, but the important thing is to understand why he’s so interested. He ran a campaign speaking about cheaper groceries and a lower cost of living. That’s the campaign that we ran. The difference is that he has shown no interest in delivering on that agenda, instead just persecuting his supposed political enemies.”
Conservatives might counter that Trump’s economic policies have delivered real wins for urban America, from opportunity zones to criminal justice reform, and that his donors’ involvement reflects a healthy interest in preventing New York from sliding further left. Mamdani’s dismissal of such influence as nefarious ignores the reality that big-money politics cuts both ways – progressive billionaires like George Soros have long meddled in local races with far less scrutiny.
As the November election approaches, Adams’ name will still appear on the ballot, alongside longshot Jim Walden, who suspended his campaign last week and endorsed Cuomo. The mayor’s exit could indeed boost Cuomo, but it also amplifies the stakes in a contest pitting progressive idealism against centrist pragmatism and conservative grit. New Yorkers, battered by high costs and urban challenges, will decide if Mamdani’s vision aligns with their aspirations – or if it’s time to reject the left’s grip on the city that never sleeps.
September 28, 2025
Eric Adams Exits New York City Mayoral Race
After working for the New York City Police Department for more than two decades. © ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock.com
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams abruptly suspended his re-election campaign on Sunday, September 28, 2025, just five weeks before Election Day, citing funding woes and relentless media scrutiny that he said had crippled his bid for a second term. The announcement, delivered in a nearly nine-minute video posted to X, marks the end of a tumultuous tenure for the one-term Democrat and could consolidate opposition votes behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, potentially tightening the race against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Adams, who rose from NYPD captain to Brooklyn borough president before winning the mayoralty in 2021 as the city’s second Black mayor, framed his exit as a reluctant necessity. “Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign,” he said, his voice steady but somber against a backdrop of city skyline footage. “The constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.” He acknowledged lingering voter unease from his dismissed federal corruption case, insisting, “I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city, and if I had to do it again, I would fight for New York again.”
The mayor’s departure from the race—where he had been polling in the low single digits as an independent—leaves a crowded field led by Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist who stunned observers by winning the June Democratic primary. Recent polls show Mamdani commanding 43% to 47% support among likely voters, far ahead of Cuomo’s 23% to 29% and Republican Curtis Sliwa’s 9% to 17%. Adams hovered below 10% in most surveys, a sharp fall from his early-term popularity amid post-COVID recovery efforts.
Adams did not endorse any candidate, but his remarks carried clear barbs at Mamdani’s progressive platform, warning of “extremism growing in our politics” and “insidious forces [who] use local government to advance divisive agendas with little regard for how it hurts everyday New Yorkers.” He urged voters to choose leaders “not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered,” a nod to his own record of crime reductions and quality-of-life investments. “Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very system we built over generations,” he added. “That is not change, that is chaos.”
The decision caps a year of speculation fueled by Adams’s scandals, including a September 2024 federal indictment on charges of bribery, wire fraud, and illegal campaign contributions—dismissed in February 2025 at the Trump Justice Department’s urging to enlist the mayor in immigration enforcement. Critics alleged a quid pro quo, with then-interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigning after orders to drop the case. Adams denied any deal but admitted the probe had eroded trust.
As recently as early September, Adams vowed to stay in, declaring himself “the only one who can beat Mamdani.” He skipped the Democratic primary to run independently, a maneuver that spared him from Mamdani’s upset victory but isolated him further amid liberal backlash over his rapport with President Donald Trump. Trump’s overtures—suggesting Adams and Sliwa exit to boost Cuomo—added to the pressure, though Sliwa has rebuffed calls to withdraw.
Adams’s exit could reshape the November 4 contest, potentially funneling his supporters—outer-borough Black and Latino Democrats, Orthodox Jews—to Cuomo, the centrist independent who has positioned himself as Mamdani’s chief foil. In head-to-head hypotheticals without Adams and Sliwa, Mamdani’s lead narrows to 48%-44%, per a New York Times/Siena poll, though he still holds a double-digit edge in multi-candidate scenarios. Cuomo, speaking after an unrelated Queens event, called the dropout “a game-changer,” praising Adams’s resilience: “Only in New York can a child raised in a tenement in Bushwick… rise to become mayor.”
Mamdani, campaigning on affordability in the world’s priciest city, dismissed the shift on X: “Trump and his billionaire donors might be able to determine Adams and Cuomo’s actions. But they won’t decide this election.” Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder, faces internal GOP pressure but insists on staying, despite Trump’s quip that he’s “not exactly prime time.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, lauded Adams: “He leaves the city better than he inherited it.” Trump, in a Reuters interview, predicted Adams’s votes would flow to Cuomo. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler urged Sliwa’s support to “defeat Zohran Mamdani.”
Adams pledged to serve out his term, battling COVID fallout, crime surges, the migrant crisis, and economic woes. “This is not the end of my public service,” he said. “I will continue to fight for this city… to make our streets safer and our systems fairer.” He implored his successor to expand his initiatives on policing, mental health, and homelessness.
With Adams out, the race—New York’s first competitive general election in decades—pivots to a potential Cuomo-Mamdani showdown, testing the city’s appetite for bold progressive change against centrist pragmatism. Polls suggest Mamdani’s enthusiasm edge among younger voters could prove decisive, but Cuomo’s consolidation play keeps the outcome fluid. As one X user quipped amid the frenzy, “Eric Adams was given a choice… dropout, and turn Fed evidence against the NYC crime machine.” Whether that’s hyperbole or harbinger, the Big Apple braces for a bruising finish.
September 28, 2025
3 September 11th attacks Victim Identified After Nearly 24 Years
Three 9/11 Victims Identified Nearly 24 Years Later. © Richard Drew/AP/TT
NEW YORK — Nearly 24 years after the devastating September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, New York City’s medical examiner’s office has identified the remains of three more victims, offering closure to their families through advancements in DNA technology. The announcement, made on Thursday, marks another step in the ongoing effort to return the remains of those lost in the tragedy to their loved ones.
The identified individuals are Ryan D. Fitzgerald, a 26-year-old currency trader; Barbara A. Keating, a 72-year-old retired nonprofit executive; and a third woman whose identity was withheld at her family’s request. All three were among the nearly 3,000 people killed when al-Qaida hijackers crashed jetliners into the World Trade Center’s twin towers, the Pentagon, and a field in southwest Pennsylvania. Their names have long been etched on the National Sept. 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, but until now, their families had no confirmed remains to connect to their memory.
The identifications were made possible through advanced DNA testing of minute bone fragments recovered from the World Trade Center debris over two decades ago. The city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner has been tirelessly analyzing tens of thousands of such fragments, retesting them as DNA techniques improve to overcome challenges posed by fire, sunlight, and bacterial degradation. “Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham in a statement. “We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”
Barbara Keating was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, a Boston-to-Los Angeles flight that hijackers crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The 72-year-old was returning to her home in Palm Springs, California, after spending the summer on Cape Cod. A career social worker, Keating had served as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Middlesex near Boston and remained active in her Roman Catholic church in retirement. Her son, Paul Keating, expressed awe at the medical examiner’s dedication. “It’s just an amazing feat, gesture,” he told the New York Post. He revealed that genetic material from his mother’s hairbrush was matched to DNA samples from relatives, with a fragment of her ATM card being the only other trace of her recovered from the rubble.
Ryan Fitzgerald, a 26-year-old Manhattan resident, was working at a financial firm in the World Trade Center while pursuing a master’s degree in business. Described in obituaries as a driven young man planning a future with his girlfriend, Fitzgerald’s remains were identified through the same meticulous process. Efforts to reach his family for comment were unsuccessful as of Friday.
The third victim’s identity remains private, respecting her family’s wishes, but her inclusion in this announcement underscores the scale of the identification effort. Of the more than 2,700 victims who perished at the World Trade Center, approximately 40% still have no identified remains, leaving many families waiting for answers.
The medical examiner’s office has made steady progress, with identifications added as recently as last year. The process involves not only cutting-edge science but also extraordinary commitment. “We’re talking about people putting in overtime 24 years later, for us,” Paul Keating said, highlighting the emotional weight of the work for families. New York Mayor Eric Adams praised the effort, stating, “We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.”
As technology continues to evolve, the medical examiner’s office remains committed to testing and retesting fragments, ensuring that more families may one day find closure. For now, these three identifications offer a bittersweet moment of connection for those who have waited nearly a quarter-century to lay their loved ones to rest.
August 8, 2025
Police Investigate Detectives Involved at Home Linked to Crypto Torture Case
The New York Police Department is investigating two detectives who provided security at a luxurious Manhattan townhouse where two cryptocurrency investors are accused of torturing a man for three weeks, according to two city officials with knowledge of the matter.
One of the detectives, Roberto Cordero, who has also served for years on Mayor Eric Adams’s security detail, picked up the victim from the airport on May 6 and brought him back to the townhouse, where he was held captive until his escape last week, the officials said.
Detective Cordero and the other detective, Raymond J. Low, who investigates narcotics cases in Manhattan, were placed on modified duty on Wednesday, according to an internal document and the officials, who were not authorized to speak because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
It is unclear whether the detectives were employed directly or whether they had been working for a private security company. Officers are not permitted to work for security firms without Police Department approval, according to the department’s patrol guide. It was also unclear whether the men were present during the crime prosecutors say occurred there.
In a statement, the Police Department confirmed that two officers had been placed on modified duty, which generally restricts a person to desk work, and that the matter was under internal review.
Neither Detective Cordero nor any legal representatives could immediately be reached for comment. When reached by phone, Detective Low declined to comment.
A 20-year veteran, Detective Cordero has served on the Executive Protection Unit, the mayor’s security detail, since December 2021, according to records from the police and the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent oversight agency.
The house where they worked is at 38 Prince Street in the NoLIta neighborhood. On May 23, an Italian man, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, escaped from the home, where he said he had been tortured for weeks.
The Manhattan district attorney has charged the two cryptocurrency investors — John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33 — with kidnapping and torturing him. Mr. Woeltz has been indicted by a grand jury, though the indictment will remain sealed until he is arraigned on June 11, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said on Thursday.
When Mr. Carturan arrived at the townhouse on May 6, he was captured and held by Mr. Woeltz and a 24-year-old woman, according to prosecutors and an internal police report. They wanted the password to a Bitcoin wallet worth millions, the report said.
The woman, Beatrice Folchi, was initially charged by the police with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, but she was released and her prosecution was deferred, a law enforcement official said.
Detective Cordero joined the Police Department in January 2005 and has served in the 46th Precinct in the Bronx and on a narcotics team in Manhattan, according to police and Complaint Board records.
He has been the subject of several complaints accusing him of abusing his authority and using physical force. In one complaint from 2014, a man accused Detective Cordero and seven other officers of beating him, strip-searching him and taking his money. The case was settled in 2016.
Detective Low joined the Police Department on the same day as Detective Cordero, according to police records.
Detective Low was elevated to his rank in 2013. He has been named in nine complaints dating back to 2008, including one that accuses him of making a false official statement and using a chokehold, according to Complaint Board records.
May 29, 2025