Free Republic

After statues of Christopher Columbus were defaced around the country this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he supports keeping Manhattan’s statue of the Italian explorer, saying it represents “the Italian-American legacy” in America. Asked by a reporter at his daily coronavirus press briefing whether it is time for the 14-foot marble statue in Columbus Circle outside Central Park to go, Cuomo responded that while he understands the feelings surrounding the controversial historical figure, he supports keeping the monument. “I understand the dialogue has been going on for a number of years,” Cuomo said. “The Christopher Columbus...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing a legal challenge over continuing COVID-19 gathering restrictions for houses of worship in New York. According to the suit, social distancing rules are not neutral policy but instead a “content-based regulation of First Amendment-protected activity.”

If you think you’ve seen enough of Chris Cuomo after his much-publicized contraction of coronavirus and nightly TV reminders of “you know who my brother is,” think again. The CNN anchor was apparently caught in the nude in the garden of his Hamptons mansion during a social media yoga session filmed by his wife, Cristina Greeven Cuomo. The younger brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seemingly seen in a screengrab strutting his stuff in the buff outside his home in Southampton, where he had been broadcasting from his basement while under quarantine. The 49-year-old super-fit newsman was allegedly...

In the face of civil unrest, strong leaders emerge to lead people away from lawlessness.

In an unprecedented blue-on-blue round of finger-pointing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has blasted NY City's mayor, Bill de Blasio for allowing criminals under the guise of 'protest' to take over New York City and smash, burn, and loot the place into rubble. According to Breitbart: Cuomo issued stinging criticism of De Blasio and the NY Police Department, saying Monday evening’s failed attempt to quell violence was “inexcusable.” The governor explained that he offered help from the National Guard, but De Blasio rejected the offer. “My option is to displace the mayor of New York City and bring in the...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday took fresh shots at President Trump, saying the native New Yorker has “failed to do anything positive” for the state while in office -- the latest escalation in the war of words between the two men. “His policies have been vicious to New York,” Cuomo said at a press conference. “He changed the tax code in a way that increased the taxes in New York and other Democratic states. He has failed to do anything positive for New York.” Cuomo was responding to criticism by Trump of the way Cuomo has handled both...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) responded to President Trump’s display of the Bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church Wednesday saying, “Here in New York we actually read the Bible.” “The president held up the Bible the other day in Washington, D.C.,” Cuomo said during a Wednesday press conference. “Here in New York we actually read the Bible." The governor began the press conference by reading verses from the Bible that he said “are especially appropriate for today in this time of where we are,” as protests over the death of George Floyd continue to rock New York City and...

Democratic governors and mayors have been mugged by reality. They’re suffering from shock, as violence and looting rage on. Their hands bitten to the bone by the hard political left they once thought they could use and tame. Police have been shot by rioters. Lawyers in New York were arrested after allegedly attempting to firebomb a police car with officers inside. Food stores in urban food deserts have been destroyed, as have the downtowns of many of the great cities, Chicago among them, which suspended canceled its school meal program for hungry children, most of them minorities. The looters roll...

The head of a prominent New York City police union told "The Ingraham Angle" Tuesday that President Trump should consider sending federal personnel to prevent more rioting and looting in America's biggest city. "NYPD is losing the city of New York and we have no leadership in the city of New York right now, from City Hall to the brass of the NYPD," New York Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins told Laura Ingraham. "The men and women are being pelted with rocks, bricks, cars [are] lit on fire. And this is continuous. We have a curfew that's been implemented...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered nursing homes to admit violent rioters and protesters throughout the state. "If we are going to be compassionate, caring, and pro-science, we need to admit these oppressed individuals into every care facility available," he said at a press conference this morning. "I don't want to hear any talk of how this might hurt old people. This isn't the Dark Ages -- we listen to SCIENCE in this state!" The order forced nursing homes to admit anyone carrying a brick, Molotov cocktail, baseball bat, or bike lock and house them until they recover. Scientists...

The NYPD’s top uniformed cop talked to the Post in an exclusive interview Tuesday about how his cops have been “giving their blood” as they’ve responded to protests that have become increasingly violent over the past five days and raged against Governor Andrew Cuomo’s criticism of his department. Chief Terence Monahan said he had slept for only three hours since the fifth night of protests and that all his guys are “cut up” from struggling with troublemakers in the city. “Our guys are tired, they’re bleeding,” Monahan said. “I think everyone you’re going to see is walking around cut up....

While he acknowledged that "the fight against COVID is largely won," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) vowed "to keep this City shutdown as long as I can. We mustn't overlook the greater threat posed by the possibility that Trump will be reelected. Averting such a possibility is my top priority. If that causes additional suffering in the short-run that's a price we have to be willing to pay." To bolster his strategy, the Mayor pointed to a just-released statement by Harvard professor Jason Furman that "a strong economic recovery would almost certainly lead to President Trump winning...

MONDAY NIGHT: Massive looting across NYC STRANGE: very few police. REPORT: No states have asked for assistance from the DOD.SEE VIDEOS.........

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a curfew for New York City, following four nights of sometimes violent protests following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd. “There’s gonna be a curfew in New York City that we think could be helpful and more importantly there’s going to be an increase in the force in New York City,” the third-term Democrat said on the upstate radio show “WAMC The Roundtable.” Cuomo noted around 4,000 officers were on duty during last night’s protests, adding: “There will be double that, about 8,000 tonight.”

The president of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association was critical of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s handling of violence throughout the state after some peaceful protests. President Thomas Mungeer wrote that he finds it “appalling” that the governor hasn’t condemned violence directed at State Police during “the riots across the state.” The letter continues, noting that members of the state legislature and governor’s administration have offered little support during ‘the riots across the state’. “I find it appalling that you have not condemned the violence directed at your New York State Troopers during the riots across the state,” he...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will ask State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the NYPD’s conduct during Friday night’s “disturbing” clashes with protesters during anti-cop marches in Brooklyn sparked by the police custody death of George Floyd.The AG would report back in 30 days on violence including one cop’s caught-on-video shoving of a demonstrator in Brooklyn, the governor said.“Last night we saw disturbing clashes amidst protests right here in New York City, in Brooklyn,” Cuomo said Saturday in the Bronx, during his daily coronavirus briefing.“We all saw the video last night. I’m asking Attorney General James to review the actions and the procedures that...

Patricia Castillo remembers when the Newfane Rehab and Health Care Center, where her mother lived, notified her that a patient had just been admitted from a nearby Niagara County hospital with COVID-19. Jill Sawyer, whose father lived at the same nursing home, remembers getting notified, too. “It was just a death sentence,” said Sawyer. The virus raced through Newfane, killing Castillo’s mother and Sawyer’s father and 24 other residents. “My father was only 70 years old,” Sawyer sighs, and he was still “shuffling around and calling me 20 times a day.” Now, she says the phone doesn’t ring and she...

Politico took aim at Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a report Friday, saying his "coronavirus halo" has begun to "fade." "Two and a half months into the crisis, Cuomo’s take-charge attitude has begun to soften," Politico reporters Anna Gronewold and Erin Durkin wrote. "The governor, who gained legions of fans for his briefings that blended an authoritative tone with a personal touch, is increasingly on the defensive -- and casting blame on the federal government and its guidance." Cuomo has been under increasing scrutiny for the controversial nursing home policy implemented in March that critics say is responsible...

The beginning of phase 2 has NOT been given the green light from Governor Cuomo. This revelation comes after hours of mixed messages from local leaders and state officials late Thursday night. Governor Cuomo seemed to contradict the idea that Phase 2 was a natural two-week progression from Phase 1 in a radio interview Thursday afternoon with WAMC in Albany. In it, he spoke about sending state data to international researchers for analysis.

Americans are vigorously debating the merits of continuing to lock down the U.S. economy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A single statistic may hold the key to resolving this debate: the astounding share of deaths occurring in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities: The #1 COVID problem 2.1 million Americans, representing 0.62% of the U.S. population, reside in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. (Nursing homes are residences for seniors needing help with activities of daily living, such as taking a shower or getting dressed, who also require 24/7 medical supervision; assisted living...