The New York attorney general's investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday. The office found that Cuomo harassed current and former state employees, as well as a number of women outside of state government, James said, as the office released a lengthy report on the investigation. James said Tuesday that her investigation found that Cuomo engaged in "unwelcome and nonconsensual touching," and made comments of a "suggestive" sexual nature. James said that the conduct created a "hostile work environment for women." Investigators spoke to 179 individuals, and reviewed 74,000 pieces of evidence, James said. That evidence painted a "deeply disturbing yet clear picture," she added. read more
New York City will require proof of vaccination for people going to indoor activities like restaurants, gym and performances, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The program will launch August 16 and will be enforced beginning September 13. The policy is one of the first of its kind in the United States; other large cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco, that have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases as the Delta variant spreads have resumed requiring people to wear face masks indoors. Several companies and public sectors have already announced mandatory vaccinations for employees. In New York City, health and hospital employees must be vaccinated or complete weekly COVID tests beginning this week. State employees and MTA workers must also follow the same rules starting on Labor Day. read more
Vice President Kamala Harris has her work cut out for her if she wants to succeed President Joe Biden at the White House in four or eight years. Harris may be Biden's heir apparent, but her unfavorable ratings, even among Biden supporters, are high for a politician hoping to move from Number One Observatory Circle to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And she has not been helped by her own penchant for public missteps. Harris's average favorability rating hovers around 44%, while her unfavorability rating is 46%, according to polling aggregator RealClearPolitics. Biden's numbers are superior, with an average favorable-unfavorable rating of 52%-43%. For instance, an Economist/YouGov survey published this week exposed Harris's weaknesses with white men, especially those without a college degree, and white women without a college education. read more
Soon after Amazon (AMZN) chairman and founder Jeff Bezos returned to Earth from space on Tuesday, the billionaire received sharp criticism from progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) contrasting the low tax bills paid by him and Amazon with those borne by everyday Americans who "keep this country running." The criticism came in response to remarks made by Bezos thanking Amazon customers and employees whose purchases and work "paid for" the space expedition, which was carried out by another Bezos-backed venture, Blue Origin. In a tweet responding to the remarks, Warren said Bezos, "Forgot to thank all the hardworking Americans who actually paid taxes to keep this country running while he and Amazon paid nothing." U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also responded sharply to Bezos on Twitter. read more
A White House official and a staff member for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have both tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the same reception last week, officials confirmed to Axio. While both individuals are vaccinated and mildly symptomatic, they illustrate how Americans inoculated against the coronavirus can still contract and, potentially, unknowingly transmit the virus " even at the highest levels of the nation's government. "We know that there will be breakthrough cases, but as this instance shows, cases in vaccinated individuals are typically mild," a White House official told Axios.
My sister, her husband, my nephew and his wife are fully vaccinated. All four came down with COVID. They live in Florida. So someone in Florida gave four vaccinated people COVID. So much for yesterday's talking point that all hospitalized COVID patients are right wing unvaccinated anti-vaxxer ------.