New York Politics & News
News coverage and commentary of New York state politics, progressive policies, and governance battles in the Empire State.
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- Opinion
How New York City Could Be Affected By the NYPD’s Slowdown in Arrests
The front-line officers of the New York Police Department appear to be engaged in a work slowdown following the recent executions of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. In part, the slowdown appears to be a response to an accumulation of anti-police statements and activities by Mayor Bill de Blasio, including controversial comments and an…David B. Muhlhausen -
- News
Fracking Supporters in New York Aren’t Giving Up, Despite State Ban
Andrew Cuomo has banned hydraulic fracturing in New York, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over. On Monday night, a big crowd in Binghamton braved sub-freezing temperatures to attend a pro-natural gas rally at a local Holiday Inn blasting the governor. “He made a purely political decision,” said Dan Fitzsimmons, executive director of the…Rob Nikolewski -
- News
The Reaction to New York’s Fracking Ban
Hydraulic fracturing is now a no-no in New York state. And that has 64-year-old Marchie Diffendorf, a lifelong resident of the rural town of Kirkwood, N.Y., most unhappy. “It’s angered and upset me,” Diffendorf said. “I think it was purely political.” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the Empire State has banned…Rob Nikolewski -
- News
How New York Football Greats Salute Fallen NYPD Officers
Less than 24 hours after two New York City police officers were shot and killed in broad daylight Saturday, New York Jets player Nick Mangold and New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin publicly honored the slain officers. Mangold, a center for the Jets, sported a black NYPD baseball cap yesterday while walking into Metlife…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Disbelief as New York Times Publishes Details on Where Newlywed Ferguson Officer Lives
Angering fellow journalists and the public alike, The New York Times published details on the residence of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whom a grand jury declined to indict for the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The newspaper posted an article Monday on Wilson’s marriage to a fellow Ferguson police officer, Barbara…Melissa Quinn -
- Opinion
This Blind Cuban Dissident Tells the New York Times What They Have Wrong on Cuba
On the day when millions of Americans were exercising their sovereign right to elect their leaders, a blind Cuban dissident who’s never been able to cast a vote in his life was in Washington with a simple message for The New York Times. “If you end the embargo now like The New York Times wants,…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
How a New York Times Story Upset the ‘Bush Lied, People Died’ Narrative
Iraq’s chemical weapons are back in the news. The New York Times reported that American troops found roughly 5,000 chemical warheads, shells and aviation bombs since the Iraq War began. Then last week The Washington Post reported the Islamic State terrorist group had used chlorine gas against Iraqi police officers. What’s going on? We’ve been…Kim Holmes -
- Opinion
Watch This Man Get Arrested for Just Playing His Guitar in New York City
Watch out: dangerous guitar players could threaten you next! That seems to be the mindset of the New York Police Department. The NYPD recently arrested a local musician for loitering while playing the guitar in a New York subway station, despite reading word for word the law which allowed him to perform his music. The…Jordan Richardson -
- Opinion
New York City Follows Obama Playbook on Immigration
The federal government is about to get kicked off Rikers Island. Taking a page from the Obama immigration playbook, the New York City Council this week is deciding which immigration laws it wants to enforce and which ones it does not. Under the proposed legislation that will very likely pass the Democrat-controlled council, the New…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Why Is Limbaugh’s Best-Selling Book Not on New York Times List?
“Jesus on Trial,” the new book by conservative author and lawyer David Limbaugh, just took the #1 spot on Amazon, but is nowhere to be found on the New York Times best-seller list. The Washington Examiner reported Thursday that Limbaugh’s book was omitted from the print hardcover best-seller list “despite having sold more copies than…Gabriella Morrongiello -
- Opinion
How New York’s New Gun Control Law Is Working Out (Hint: Not Great)
Which state has the largest National Rifle Association chapter in the nation? No, it’s not Texas. As a matter of fact, it’s not located anywhere near the Wild West or the south. The answer is New York. In just one year, the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association saw its membership almost double –…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Cyberbullying Law Struck Down in New York
A state court in New York recently struck down that state’s cyberbullying law as violating the First Amendment. The case arose when a 15-year-old Albany County high school student, Marquan Mackey-Meggs, created an anonymous Facebook page called “Cohoes Flame,” from which he created posts about other teens, including pictures. The posts were graphic and often…Blake Willis -
- Opinion
New York Times Reporter: ‘Some People Are Deserving of Incivility’
As I recounted Monday at The Daily Signal, The New York Times reporter Josh Barro thinks some people are “unworthy of respect.” Yesterday Barro doubled-down and tweeted back at me that “some people are deserving of incivility.” He argued that I am such a person because of my views about marriage policy. You can see…Ryan T. Anderson -
- Opinion
My Exchange with Two New York Times Writers on Marriage Equality and Civility
Can people respect each other and treat one another civilly even while disagreeing about marriage? No, according to New York Times domestic correspondent Josh Barro. As The Daily Signal reported, on viewpoints that Barro considers “anti-LGBT”, he thinks that “we need to stamp them out, ruthlessly.” The problem is that much of what Barro considers…Ryan T. Anderson -
- News
New York Times Writer Wants to ‘Ruthlessly’ Stamp Out ‘Anti-LGBT’ Attitudes
Josh Barro, a writer for The New York Times, wants to stamp out what he considers to be “anti-LGBT” attitudes from communities “ruthlessly.” Barro was writing in response to a speech Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, gave where he mentioned he was in support of marriage as union of a man and woman. In a tweet…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Former New York Times Top Editor Criticizes White House on Transparency
Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson said in an interview Wednesday that the Obama White House is far from transparent with reporters. A long time veteran of presidential politics, Abramson scoffed at Obama’s continued claim of transparency in light of “eight criminal leak investigations.”Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
Note to New York Times: Get a Dictionary
Conservatives just can’t win with The New York Times. Usually the critique from the left-leaning Times is that conservatives want to cut spending too much and are draconian in our efforts to reduce the size of government. But, in a weird defense of its support for the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, the Times argued…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
New York State Will Allow Towns to Ban Fracking
The New York State Court of Appeals recently issued a landmark ruling affirming the “home rule authority” of towns. In the 5-2 decision, the court upheld 2011 ordinances that prohibited Marcellus Shale gas drilling in the towns of Middlefield and Dryden. Under the new ruling, towns and local communities may use zoning laws to ban…Hanna Hebert -
- News
New York Lawmakers Make It Illegal to Touch a Tiger
The New York State Legislature doesn’t want you touching tigers. State Rep. Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored a bill that passed this week, pointed to New York’s history of tiger attacks—seven over the past 15 years, according to her office—as evidence the ban is in the public’s best interest. “There is no safe…Eric Boehm -
- News
New York City’s Soda Ban Struck Down
New York City’s “soda ban,” which prohibited merchants from selling most sugary drinks that were more than sixteen ounces, has met its end. The state’s highest court ruled the ban was illegal today, overturning an attempt to reinstate the law. Former mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to restore the controversial ban after lower courts struck it…Natalie Johnson