DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The choice was unconventional: Eric Adams, the candidate who would go on to win the 2021 election for mayor of the nation’s financial capital, had picked an inexperienced 23-year-old to run his campaign’s fund-raising operation. Ostensibly, the fund-raiser, Brianna Suggs, did her job. Thanks in part to her work, the campaign would spend more than $18 million and win the election. But the unusual arrangement, which raised eyebrows in the tight-knit, professional world of Democratic political fund-raising, might have come at an extraordinary cost. On Thursday morning, federal agents raided Ms. Suggs’s home in Brooklyn and walked away with a wide range of materials, including three iPhones, two laptop computers and a manila folder labeled “Eric Adams.” The court-authorized search was part of an expansive public corruption investigation into whether the campaign conspired with the government of Turkey to receive illegal foreign donations.

Persons: Eric Adams, Brianna Suggs, Suggs’s, ” Organizations: Democratic Locations: Brooklyn, manila, Turkey

Mr. Adams, who typically takes great pains to distance himself from any investigation of people in his outer circle, took the opposite tack on Thursday. He abruptly canceled several meetings in Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to discuss the migrant crisis with White House officials and members of Congress, and returned to New York. Appearing at Gracie Mansion on Thursday night, Mr. Adams said he wanted to be “on the ground” to “look at this inquiry” as it unfolded. His decision to return risked leaving the impression that he placed more importance on the investigation than the migrant crisis, and political experts said the mayor had allowed the raid to distract him from addressing a key policy goal. “This was an opportunity for him, literally and symbolically, to be in Washington with his tin can demanding more funds for New York.”

Persons: Adams, he’s, ”, Christina Greer Organizations: Washington , D.C, White, City College of New, New Locations: Washington ,, New York, City College of New York, Washington

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday searched the Brooklyn home of Mayor Eric Adams’s chief fund-raiser, Brianna Suggs, a campaign consultant who is deeply entwined with efforts to advance the mayor’s agenda, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The raid apparently prompted Mr. Adams to abruptly cancel several meetings scheduled for Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., to talk to White House officials and members of Congress about the influx of migrants in New York and other major cities. Instead, he hurriedly returned to New York “to deal with a matter,” a spokesman for the mayor said. Ms. Suggs, who could not immediately be reached for comment, is an essential cog in Mr. Adams’s fund-raising machine, which has already raised more than $2.5 million for his 2025 re-election campaign. A third person with knowledge of the raid said agents from one of the public corruption squads in the F.B.I.’s New York office questioned Ms. Suggs during the search of her home.

Persons: Eric Adams’s, Brianna Suggs, Adams, New York “, ”, Suggs, Adams’s, Ms Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington , D.C, White House Locations: Brooklyn, Washington ,, New York

☆ In a Democratic District, Can a Party Defector Get Elected?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At a public housing complex in Coney Island, Brooklyn, a powerful Democratic councilman sought to quickly make the case for why voters should reject his opponent. “He was elected as a Democrat,” the councilman, Justin Brannan, said to a resident. “But he sold us out and became a Trump Republican.”Until recently, that simple argument would have been persuasive enough to convince most voters in this part of New York. Mr. Brannan’s opponent is Ari Kagan, a councilman who was elected as a Democrat to represent Coney Island, but is now a Republican. Because of redistricting, Mr. Brannan and Mr. Kagan have wound up contesting the same district.

Persons: “, Justin Brannan, ”, Ari Kagan, Brannan, Kagan Organizations: Democratic, Trump Republican, Republicans, Republican Locations: Coney Island , Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, Coney

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship on Thursday took out three missiles and several drones that had been fired from Yemen and were heading north, the Pentagon said. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Thursday that the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer in the northern Red Sea, intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Ryder said in a Pentagon briefing. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesIranian-backed Houthi rebels have expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel. Last week, in Yemen’s Sanaa, which is held by the Houthi rebels still at war with a Saudi-led coalition, demonstrators crowded the streets waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Carney, ” Ryder, Ryder, ”, Abdel, Malek, Jack Jeffery Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, U.S . Navy, Pentagon, Navy, Houthi, U.S, Press Locations: U.S, Yemen, Brig, Red, Israel, Yemen’s, Saudi, America, United States, Cairo

☆ 400-Pound N.Y.P.D. Robot Gets Tryout in Times Square Subway Station
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“No bathroom breaks, no meal breaks.”The robot will begin its pilot on Friday night and spend two weeks mapping the station at Times Square. It will be accompanied by a human officer from midnight to 6 a.m. to introduce K5 to the public. The rollout of the new technology comes as the city’s subway stations are springing to life after a pandemic slump. Richard A. Davey, president of New York City Transit, said 4 million riders used the subway each day from Tuesday through Thursday, most likely making this the highest ridership week in three years. Mr. Adams, who once patrolled the subways as a transit cop, was elected on a promise to reduce crime without violating New Yorkers’ civil rights.

Persons: Mr, Adams, Richard A, Davey Organizations: Times, New, New York City Transit, Yorkers Locations: New York City

For many Libyans, the collective grief over the more than 11,000 dead has morphed into a rallying cry for national unity in a country blighted by 12 years of conflict and division. The oil-rich country has been divided between rival administrations since 2014, with an internationally recognized government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east, where Derna is located. "The wound or pain of what happened in Derna hurt all the people from western Libya to southern Libya to eastern Libya,” he said. Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s forces besieged Tripoli in a yearlong failed military campaign to try to capture the capital, killing thousands. The Prime Minister of Libya’s Tripoli government, Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, said he and his ministers were accountable for the dams' maintenance, but not the thousands of deaths caused by the flooding.

Persons: — Zahra, Gerbi wasn't, “, ”, Gerbi, Moammar Gadhafi, Ali Khalifa, Mohamed, Derna, Khalifa Hifter’s, Claudia Gazzini, Ibrahim al, Noura, Sour, Abdul, Hamid Dbeibah, Aguila Saleh, ’ ”, Saleh, ___ Jeffery Organizations: Facebook, NATO, United Nations, Tobruk, Crisis Locations: TRIPOLI, Libya, — Zahra el, Libyan, Derna, Benghazi, Tripoli, Ali, Zawiya, London

☆ As Migrant Crisis Worsens, New York Leaders Pressure Biden to Do More
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After months of mostly working behind the scenes, a force of municipal, business and labor leaders in New York has begun a public campaign to highlight how they believe Washington has failed to adequately address the migrant crisis that has overwhelmed the city in recent months. As part of that effort, Mayor Eric Adams staged a rally just outside the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse on Thursday and called on federal officials to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers. Kathy Hochul met with White House officials to push the Biden administration for more support, days after she shifted tactics and began to publicly call on Mr. Biden to speed work authorizations. She emerged from the meeting in Washington hopeful but still dissatisfied that the help offered was “not enough to fully address this crisis.”

Persons: Eric Adams, “, ”, ” Mr, Adams, Kathy Hochul, Biden Organizations: Thurgood Marshall U.S, Gov, White Locations: New York, Washington

☆ Synagogues in 12 States Targeted in Hoax Calls to Police
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The hoax calls to police departments or suicide hotlines around the country say that a man is considering killing himself and others or that a bomb has been placed in a building. In some cases, the callers watch in real time as police interrupt frightened worshipers. The incidents are part of a string of 26 “swatting” calls aimed at synagogues in 12 states across the country that the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization, has tracked for the last month, including at least five in New York City and state. In New York, police officers have showed up at synagogues with bomb-sniffing dogs. In California, callers said there was a backpack bomb hidden under a bench.

Organizations: Defamation League, SWAT Locations: New York City, New York, North Carolina, California

☆ Mayor Adams Says Migrant Influx Will Cost New York City $12 Billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The estimated cost of caring for tens of thousands of asylum seekers arriving in New York City will be $12 billion over three years, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday in his latest plea to federal officials to help manage the crisis. The city could have more than 100,000 migrants under its care by 2025, the mayor said, about twice the number who are currently living in the city’s homeless shelters. City officials had previously projected that it would cost $4 billion through the next fiscal year to process and care for the 96,000 migrants who have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022. Officials said they had raised the estimate as migrants continued to arrive in the city by the thousands.

Persons: Eric Adams Locations: New York City

☆ 27-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst died by drowning after Brooklyn concert, father says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Goldman Sachs analyst found dead in a Brooklyn creek drowned, his father has said. Castic's father told Fox News that there were still unanswered questions around his death. His father told Bloomberg that Castic's phone, wallet, and keys were found on him when his body was recovered. He was a bright, charismatic, caring and hardworking young man," Castic told Fox News. Castic's father told Fox there were still unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding his son's death.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, John Castic, Castic's, John Castic's, Castic, Jeffery Castic, Bloomberg, Karl Clemente, Fox Organizations: Fox News, Brooklyn Mirage, Bloomberg, Fox, NYPD Locations: Brooklyn, Jersey City , New Jersey, Newtown Creek, Greenpoint, Williamsburg

“This is a room full of people who truly believe in the ability to go up against Adams and win,” said Cristina González, one of the hosts, on Thursday, after word of the meeting leaked. Mr. Adams will likely be a heavy favorite to capture a second term. He remains broadly popular with the coalition of Black and Latino voters outside of Manhattan who sent him to Gracie Mansion. Evan Thies, a spokesman for the Adams campaign, said in a statement that the mayor had lowered crime and “invested billions of dollars in working people” and that polls showed he had strong support from New Yorkers. “The fact that these folks would rather play politics in some back room two years before the election, instead of help the mayor help working people, tells you all you need to know about what they really care about: their own power,” he said.

Persons: Adams, ”, Cristina González, Gracie, Evan Thies Organizations: Democratic, New Yorkers Locations: Manhattan, New

☆ New York City Tells Migrants There’s ‘No Guarantee’ of Finding Help Here
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City will immediately begin discouraging asylum seekers from seeking refuge here, distributing fliers at the southern border that warn migrants there is “no guarantee” they will receive shelter or services, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday. “We have no more room in the city,” Mr. Adams said during a news conference at City Hall. Mr. Adams said the city would intensify efforts to help the migrants connect with family, friends or outside networks in order to find alternative housing arrangements. If alternative housing arrangements are not available, single adult asylum seekers will have to return to the intake center and reapply for housing. It is unclear what would happen if there is not housing available at the intake centers.

Persons: Eric Adams, Mr, Adams Organizations: City Hall Locations: York City

☆ When Signs of Trouble Appear, Mayor Adams Turns to His Religious Base
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The next day, a longtime associate of Mr. Adams had been charged in a straw donor scheme to raise money for his mayoral campaign; the mayor was not implicated. Amid the wave of negative news, Mr. Adams chose to lay low. “Hard is having someone talk down to you and expect for you to take it no matter what they say and what they do,” Mr. Adams told the parishioners. Carmel Baptist Church and the Fire Department chaplain, conducted a morning prayer with Mr. Adams. Andrew M. Cuomo was being investigated for sexual harassment, he visited a Black church in Harlem with political leaders, and was often photographed with Latino and Black members of the clergy.

Persons: —, Adams, Mr, “, ”, V, Simpson Turner, Eric Adams, Andrew M, Cuomo Organizations: New York Times, Christian Cultural Center, Carmel Baptist Church, Fire Department Locations: Mt, Carmel, ”, Harlem

☆ Yusef Salaam Is Declared Winner of Harlem City Council Primary Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | More About Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yusef Salaam, one of five Black and Latino men whose convictions were overturned in the 1989 rape and assault of a female jogger in Central Park, cemented his victory in a highly contested City Council primary race in Harlem, according to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Mr. Salaam, 49, held a commanding lead on Election Day, with more than twice the number of votes over his closest rival, Inez Dickens, a state assemblywoman. The New York City Board of Elections began tabulating ranked-choice votes on Wednesday, and the new ranked-choice tabulation now shows Mr. Salaam with almost 64 percent of the vote to Ms. Dickens’s 36 percent. “This is a victory for justice, dignity and decency for the Harlem community we love,” Mr. Salaam said in a statement. Mr. Salaam is not expected to face a serious challenger, if any, in November.

Persons: Yusef Salaam, Inez Dickens, tabulating, ” Mr, Salaam, “, ’, Dickens, Al Taylor Organizations: Council, Associated Press, Mr, New York, Assembly Locations: Central Park, Harlem, New York City

☆ In Harlem and Beyond, City Election Points to a Generational Power Shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Walking down 125th Street the day after taking a commanding lead in the race for a City Council seat in Central Harlem, Yusef Salaam couldn’t make it half a block without someone congratulating him on his likely victory. Voter after voter who greeted Mr. Salaam on Wednesday said they recognized him as one of the five Black and Latino men exonerated in 2002 in the rape and assault of a female jogger in Central Park in 1989. “I think this election is largely about change,” Mr. Salaam, 49, said. The other candidate in the race was Al Taylor, 65, also an assemblyman serving his sixth year in the State Legislature. In both Harlem and East New York, voters went from supporting self-described socialists to backing moderate Democrats.

Persons: Yusef Salaam couldn’t, Mr, Salaam, “, Inez Dickens, Eric Adams, Al Taylor, Charles Barron, Inez Barron Organizations: Council, United Federation of Teachers Locations: Central Harlem, Central Park, Harlem, Brooklyn, East New York

☆ District Attorneys in Queens and the Bronx Prevail in Democratic Primary
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Several Democratic incumbents in New York saw unusual challenges from more conservative candidates in Tuesday’s primary, with the opponents hoping to benefit from a demographic change, as an influx of immigrants is shifting some districts to the right. Incumbents easily held off primary challenges in Democratic primaries for district attorney in Queens and the Bronx; further north, a Council race in Buffalo was won by a woman whose son was shot in the Tops supermarket racist massacre. In New York City, just over 149,000 people had cast their ballots as of 6 p.m., according to the City Board of Elections. That includes 44,611 votes that were cast during the nine-day early voting period that began June 17 and ended on Sunday — less than a quarter of the early-voting turnout two years ago, when candidates for mayor were competing in the primary. There were contested primaries in New York City Council contests across the boroughs, with the races for a two-year term instead of the usual four years because of redistricting.

Organizations: Democratic, Buffalo, City Board, City Council Locations: New York, Queens, Bronx, New York City

☆ In N.Y. Primaries, Democrats Face a Swell of Challengers From the Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Melinda Katz ran for Queens district attorney in 2019, her principal opponent in the Democratic primary was a public defender and democratic socialist with a platform of ending cash bail and eventually abolishing the police. With endorsements from progressive prosecutors around the country — as well as from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Tiffany Cabán, a first-time candidate, lost by fewer than 60 votes after painting Ms. Katz as a regressive Democrat. Four years later, the strongest challenge to Ms. Katz is coming from George Grasso, an opponent running to her right who has accused her of being soft on crime. It’s not the only contest in the city where moderate Democrats are facing opponents on the right in primaries on Tuesday. In several City Council races, from the Bronx to southern Brooklyn, moderate Democrats are being challenged over public safety, affordable housing and education by more conservative members of their own party.

Persons: Melinda Katz, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez — Tiffany Cabán, Katz, George Grasso, It’s Organizations: Queens, Democratic, Council Locations: Bronx, Brooklyn

☆ The ‘Fiercely Loyal’ Adams Adviser Agitating From Inside City Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Brian M. Rosenthal | Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the days after Eric Adams was elected mayor of New York, several of his supporters approached him with some uncomfortable advice. They urged him not to hire his closest ally, Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin, for his administration, according to six people with knowledge of the conversations. It was an audacious suggestion. But the group of supporters argued that Ms. Lewis-Martin could cause trouble at City Hall, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. They noted that when Mr. Adams was Brooklyn borough president and Ms. Lewis-Martin was his deputy, she had alienated staff members and pushed the limits of ethics rules.

Persons: Eric Adams, Ingrid P, Lewis, Martin, Adams, “, God Organizations: City Hall Locations: New York, Brooklyn

☆ Harlem City Council Election Tests Limits of Progressive Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years ago, when a democratic socialist narrowly won a crowded Democratic primary for a City Council seat in Harlem, some saw it as a sign that the historically Black neighborhood was becoming more politically progressive. But roughly a month before this year’s primary on June 27, the first-term councilwoman, Kristin Richardson Jordan, unexpectedly dropped out of the race. Her decision has recast the hotly contested Democratic primary, which now comprises three candidates — none particularly progressive. Two are sitting State Assembly members: Al Taylor, 65, a reverend in his sixth year in the Legislature; and Inez Dickens, 73, who held the Harlem Council seat for 12 years before joining the Assembly. All are moderate Democrats who, before Ms. Jordan’s withdrawal, had tried to distance themselves from Ms. Jordan and her political stances, which include redistributing wealth and abolishing the police.

Persons: Kristin Richardson Jordan, Al Taylor, Inez Dickens, Yusef Salaam, Jordan Organizations: Democratic, Council, Assembly, Harlem Council Locations: Harlem, Central Park

Mr. Adams on Tuesday angrily rebuffed the notion that he was facing a staff exodus, and accused the media that covers him of existing in a narrative-generating “bubble.” He noted that he oversaw more than 300,000 employees, and the high-level departures represent just a fraction of the city work force. “And we’re saying, is everybody running for the door?” he said. “No, everybody is running to do their job.”Reached by phone on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Sewell declined to comment on her exit. “This is an unprecedented moment in New York’s history and we should acknowledge that everyone who works in public service is under tremendous pressure to manage myriad crises,” Mr. Young said. “People will leave, but one thing remains the same: our commitment to handling the crises we inherited, turning this city around, and improving the lives of all New Yorkers.”

Persons: Adams, “, ”, Sewell, Banks, ” Max Young, Mr, Young

☆ As Crisis Grows, All of New York’s Migrant Plans Are Met With Outrage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Liam Stack | Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now, the daily stream of migrants feeding the crisis has doubled in size in recent weeks, city officials say. With no clear solutions at hand, the city turned to shelter some migrants in public school gyms starting last week. That plan, like many others before it, was almost immediately met with outrage — not only from activists and human right groups, but also from public school parents and the ranks of everyday New Yorkers. On Wednesday, the city began to distance itself from that proposal, too. More than 67,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the crisis began.

☆ In a Speech, Mayor Adams Says Jordan Neely’s ‘Life Mattered’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Maria Cramer | Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a week after the killing of a mentally ill man on a city subway, Mayor Eric Adams gave his most forceful comments so far about the death, saying it “never should have happened,” in a speech in which he also called for renewed investment in mental health services. But Mr. Adams continued to urge the public to wait for an investigation into the killing of the man, Jordan Neely, before drawing conclusions. In other recent cases, he has interjected his opinion quickly and expressed sympathy for the person he perceives as the victim, and suggested a course of legal action against the person he perceives as the perpetrator. But on Wednesday, he said that in the case of Mr. Neely’s death, “we have no control over that process.”“One thing we can control is how our city responds to this tragedy,” he said, adding, “One thing we can say for sure: Jordan Neely did not deserve to die.”Mr. Neely, a 30-year-old Black man and former Michael Jackson impersonator, was choked to death on May 1 by another passenger, Daniel Penny, who is white. His death could have been avoided if he had received more help as he struggled with mental illness, Mayor Adams said.

“It is a crisis situation,” Ms. Hochul acknowledged on Tuesday. “There’ll be literally thousands more individuals coming across the border and ultimately find their way up to the State of New York.”Counties near the city are now bracing for overflow, some more willingly than others. The executive of the Democratic stronghold of Westchester County, just to New York City’s north, is open to welcoming some undocumented migrants from the city’s overflowing shelter system. “We are not a sanctuary county,” Mr. Blakeman said. Deputies with the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department sat a few yards away in cream-colored cruisers, ready to block the entrance of any approaching bus.

☆ Hochul Acknowledges She Didn’t Vet Adviser Accused of Sexual Harassment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kathy Hochul acknowledged on Thursday that she had not scrutinized the background of a longtime political adviser when she hired him to run her 2018 re-election campaign for lieutenant governor of New York, just months after he was fired for sexually harassing colleagues at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C.Ms. Hochul said that she had seen no reason to vet the adviser, Adam C. Sullivan, because he had already managed her 2011 congressional race. In the absence of a thorough background check, the governor said she had no knowledge of the accusations against him until The New York Times reported them this week, long after Mr. Sullivan had risen to become one of her most trusted counselors. “To ask for a résumé and go through a whole new process later for campaigns, that wasn’t what I was doing,” Ms. Hochul, a Democrat, told reporters of her 2018 hiring decision. “Had I known what I knew now, there would be a very different circumstance.”The remarks were part of Ms. Hochul’s first extended account of her dealings with Mr. Sullivan, 43, whose close ties with the governor threaten to cast a cloud over her promises to clean up Albany after her predecessor, Andrew M. Cuomo, resigned amid his own sexual harassment scandal.

Search resuls for: "Jeffery C"

25 mentions found