Gov Cuomo Andrew
==
promoted primary exxon AG and portfolio and frack
7 25 beat badly by z mamdami, offered legal services to war crim bibi
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sort of anti-trump covid hero but jiggered # on sr citizens; NY AG --> resign?
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Andrew Mark Cuomo (/ˈkwoʊmoʊ/ KWOH-moh, Italian: [ˈkwɔːmo]; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and former government official who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuomo, held for three terms as the 52nd governor.
Born in Queens, New York City, Cuomo is a graduate of Fordham University and Albany Law School. He began his career working as the campaign manager for his father in the 1982 New York gubernatorial election. Later, Cuomo entered the private practice of law and chaired the New York City Homeless Commission from 1990 to 1993. Cuomo then served in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as assistant secretary from 1993 to 1997 and as secretary from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. After failing to win the Democratic primary in the 2002 New York gubernatorial election, Cuomo was elected New York attorney general in 2006.
Cuomo won the 2010 Democratic primary for governor of New York and won the general election with over 60 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 2014 and 2018. During his governorship, Cuomo signed the Marriage Equality Act in 2011 to legalize same-sex marriage, the Compassionate Care Act in 2014 to legalize the medical use of cannabis, and the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in 2021 to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. Cuomo's administration oversaw the construction of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Second Avenue Subway, the Moynihan Train Hall, and a reconstruction of LaGuardia Airport.[1] In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2012 Webster shooting, Cuomo signed the NY SAFE Act of 2013, the strictest gun control law in the United States. He also delivered Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act; a 2011 tax code that raised taxes for the wealthy and lowered taxes for the middle class; 12-week paid family leave; and a gradual increase of the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour.[2] Cuomo received national attention for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. Although he was initially lauded for his response efforts, he faced renewed criticism and federal investigation after it was discovered that his administration covered up information pertaining to COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.[3][4]
Beginning in late 2020, Cuomo faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.[5][6] An investigation commissioned by New York attorney general Letitia James reported in August 2021 that Cuomo sexually harassed at least eleven women during his time in office,[7][8][9] for which Cuomo faces criminal investigations.[10][11][12] Following the release of the attorney general's report, Cuomo was called to resign by President Joe Biden. On August 23, Cuomo officially resigned from office and was succeeded by his lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul.[13][14][15][16] At the time of his resignation, he was the longest-serving governor in the United States still in position. On December 28, the Westchester County district attorney declined to issue criminal charges from the credible allegations, citing "statutory requirements" of New York's laws.[17][18] On January 7, 2022, a judge dismissed a criminal complaint which was filed against Cuomo.[19]
Early life and education
Andrew Mark Cuomo was born on December 6, 1957,[20] in the New York City borough of Queens to lawyer and later governor of New York Mario Cuomo and Matilda (née Raffa).[21] His parents were both of Italian descent; his paternal grandparents were from Nocera Inferiore and Tramonti in the Campania region of southern Italy, while his maternal grandparents were from Sicily (his grandfather from Messina).[21][22] He has four siblings;[23] his younger brother, Chris Cuomo, is a current NewsNation anchor and a former CNN journalist, and his elder sister is noted radiologist Margaret Cuomo.[24]
Cuomo graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in 1975.[25] He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1982.[25]
Early career
During his father's successful 1982 campaign for governor, Cuomo served as campaign manager. He then joined the governor's staff as a policy advisor and sometime Albany roommate,[26] earning $1 a year.[27] As a member of his father's administration, Cuomo was known as the "enforcer" where his father was known as the "nice guy" in a good cop/bad cop dynamic to further advance his father's legislative agenda.[28]
From 1984 to 1985, Cuomo was a New York assistant district attorney and briefly worked at the law firm of Blutrich, Falcone & Miller. He founded Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP) in 1986 and left his law firm to run HELP full time in 1988.[27] From 1990 to 1993, during the administration of New York City mayor David Dinkins, Cuomo was chair of the New York City Homeless Commission, which was responsible for developing policies to address homelessness in the city and providing more housing options.[29]
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Cuomo as HUD Secretary, 1998
Cuomo was appointed Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1993, a member of President Bill Clinton's administration.[30] After the departure of Secretary Henry Cisneros at the end of Clinton's first term under the cloud of an FBI investigation,[31] Cuomo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to succeed him as Secretary of HUD. Cuomo served as Secretary from January 1997 until the Clinton administration ended in 2001.[30]
[
](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elijah_Cummings,_Paul_Sarbanes,_and_Andrew_Cuomo.jpg)Cuomo with Elijah Cummings and Paul Sarbanes in 1998
In 2000, Cuomo led HUD efforts to negotiate an agreement with United States handgun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. This agreement required Smith & Wesson to change the design, distribution, and marketing of guns to make them safer and to help keep them out of the hands of children and criminals.[30] Budgets enacted during Cuomo's term contained initiatives to increase the supply of affordable housing and home ownership and to create jobs and economic development. These included new rental assistance subsidies, reforms to integrate public housing, higher limits on mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, a crackdown on housing discrimination, expanded programs to help homeless people get housing and jobs, and creation of new empowerment zones.
...
New York attorney general
Election
Main article: 2006 New York Attorney General election
Cuomo declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for New York State Attorney General in 2006 and on May 30, 2006, captured the Democratic Party's endorsement, receiving 65% of the delegates. Though Cuomo won the endorsement, former New York City Public Advocate Mark Green and two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor Charlie King also earned places on the Democratic ballot.[42] King dropped out of the race before the primary and endorsed Cuomo.[43]
Cuomo won the primary with a majority of the vote, defeating his nearest opponent by over 20%. Clinching the Democratic party nomination was considered a significant rebound following his unsuccessful and unpopular 2002 gubernatorial campaign, and at the nominating convention June O'Neill, the Democratic chairwoman of St. Lawrence County, called him "New York's own Comeback Kid".[42] In the general election on November 7, 2006, he defeated the Republican nominee, former Westchester district attorney Jeanine Pirro, winning 58% of the vote.
Tenure
Police surveillance, 2007
Main article: Eliot Spitzer political surveillance controversy
On July 23, 2007, Cuomo's office admonished the Spitzer administration for ordering the New York State Police to keep special records of then Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno's whereabouts when he traveled with police escorts in New York City.[44] At the discretion of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno.[45] Spitzer responded by accepting responsibility and issuing an apology to Bruno.[44][46]
Student loan inquiry, 2007
In 2007, Cuomo was active in a high-profile investigation into lending practices and anti-competitive relationships between student lenders and universities. Specifically, many universities steered student borrowers to a "preferred lender", which resulted in the borrowers' incurring higher interest rates. This led to changes in lending policy at many major American universities. Many universities also rebated millions of dollars in fees to affected borrowers.[47][48]
Cuomo with Representative Gary Ackerman in October 2008
Usenet, 2008
On June 10, 2008, Cuomo announced that three major Internet service providers (Verizon Communications, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint) would "shut down major sources of online child pornography" by no longer hosting many Usenet groups. Time Warner Cable ceased offering Usenet altogether, Sprint ended access to the 18,408 newsgroups in the alt.* hierarchy, and Verizon limited its Usenet offerings to the approximately 3,000 Big 8 newsgroups. The move came after Cuomo's office located 88 different newsgroups to which child pornography had been posted.[49][50][51]
2008 Obama remarks
In 2008, Cuomo said of the Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama, who was running against Hillary Clinton, the candidate Cuomo supported: "You can't shuck and jive at a press conference." Cuomo received criticism from some for his use of the phrase. Roland Martin of CNN said that "'Shucking and jiving' have long been words used as a negative assessment of African Americans, along the lines of a 'foot shufflin' Negro'. In fact, I don't recall ever hearing the phrase used in reference to anyone white."[52]
Corruption and fraud investigations, 2009
Cuomo investigated a corruption scandal, a "fraudulent scheme to extract kickbacks", which involved New York investigators, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and attorneys general in dozens of states.[53]
Consideration for U.S. Senate appointment
See also: Possible appointment choices for the New York Senate seat
After Hillary Clinton became President Obama's choice for U.S. Secretary of State in December 2008, then–New York governor David Paterson was charged with appointing a temporary replacement until a special election. Cuomo was seen as a leading contender for this appointment.[54][55][failed ^verification] Caroline Kennedy (who is a first cousin of Cuomo's ex-wife) was another leading contender, but withdrew for personal reasons two days before Paterson was set to announce his choice, leaving Cuomo and U.S. representative Kirsten Gillibrand as the most likely appointees.[55][56] On January 23, Paterson announced he would appoint Gillibrand to the U.S. Senate.[57]
Gubernatorial elections
2010
Main article: 2010 New York gubernatorial election
Election results by county in the 2010 New York gubernatorial election
On September 18, 2009, advisors to President Barack Obama informed Governor David Paterson that the president believed he should withdraw his 2010 gubernatorial candidacy, stepping aside for "popular Attorney General Andrew Cuomo".[58] On January 23, 2010, the New York Daily News reported that Cuomo would announce plans for a gubernatorial campaign at the end of March.[59] Later reports indicated Cuomo would announce his gubernatorial campaign coinciding with the state Democratic Convention in late May.[60] On May 22, 2010, Cuomo announced his run for governor in a video posted to his campaign website. Cuomo announced his choice for lieutenant governor on May 26, 2010: Robert Duffy, Mayor of Rochester.[61]
In the November 2, 2010, general election, Cuomo faced Republican Carl Paladino, a Buffalo-based businessman who had been heavily supported by the Tea Party movement. Cuomo won the election for governor by a landslide, winning 62.6% of the vote. Paladino performed strongly in his native Buffalo area, while Cuomo performed well in the eastern part of the state as well as downstate.[62]
In addition to the parties fielding candidates, New York's electoral fusion laws allow parties to cross-endorse candidates. The Independence Party and Working Families Party cross-endorsed Andrew Cuomo, while the Conservative Party and Taxpayers Party cross-endorsed Carl Paladino. The Independence Party line received 146,648 votes (5.0% of Cuomo's total, and 3.2% of the statewide total) and the Working Families line received 154,853 votes (5.3% and 3.4%), with the Democratic line receiving the remaining 2,610,220 votes (89.6% and 56.5%). The Conservative line received 232,281 votes (15.0% of Paladino's total, and 5.0% of the statewide total) and the Taxpayers line received 25,821 votes (1.5% and 0.6%), with the Republican line receiving the remaining 1,290,082 votes (83.3% and 27.1%).
2014
See also: 2014 New York gubernatorial election
Cuomo sought reelection in 2014, with former U.S. Representative Kathy Hochul as his new running mate. On March 5, 2014, Westchester County executive Rob Astorino announced that he would run on the Republican ticket against Cuomo for governor.[63] Law professors Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu challenged the Cuomo–Hochul ticket in the Democratic primary election[64][65] – capturing 34% of the vote on the gubernatorial line (Wu drew 40.1% as lieutenant governor[66]).[67] On November 4, 2014, Cuomo was reelected for a second term with 54% of the vote,[68][69] while Astorino received 40.6% of the vote.[70]
Despite low voter turnout, Cuomo won the general election by a comfortable margin; however, his margin of victory was smaller than it had been in his 2010 victory. Astorino won most of upstate New York but was overwhelmed in New York City. Cuomo was sworn in for his second term as governor.
2018
Main article: 2018 New York gubernatorial election
Cuomo was challenged in the primary from the left by actress and activist Cynthia Nixon. She criticized him for having failed to fix the New York City Subway following his declaration of the 2017 New York City transit crisis as well as for not protecting undocumented immigrants, not legalizing recreational marijuana,[71] and not creating a single-payer healthcare system.[72] When debating Nixon, Cuomo countered her argument on the subways by pointing out that the system is owned by New York City, though past administrations agree it is the governor's role.[73][74][75] An analysis conducted by New York City comptroller Scott Stringer revealed that New York City pays for 70 percent of subway repair costs.[75]
Cuomo defeated Nixon, 65.5–34.5%.
On November 6, 2018, the Cuomo-Hochul ticket defeated the Molinaro-Killian ticket by a margin of 59.6% to 36.2%.[76]
On March 19, 2021, The New York Times, in an episode of their podcast The Daily, leaked audio of Cuomo threatening Bill Lipton, head of the Working Families Party, which had endorsed primary opponent Nixon, that "[i]f you ever say, 'Well he's better than a Republican' again, then I'm gonna say, 'You're better than a child rapist.'"[77][78]
2022
Main article: 2022 New York gubernatorial election
In May 2019, Governor Cuomo announced he would run for a fourth term.[79] In August 2021, after a report released by the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, detailed accusations of sexual assault by Governor Cuomo and his attempts to silence victims, the New York State Legislature's leaders indicated that they would seek to remove Cuomo from office. In the face of almost certain removal from office, he announced his resignation as Governor, effective August 24, 2021.[80] Although there was no formal withdrawal, individuals close to Cuomo indicated he would likely not seek his party's nomination following his resignation.[81]
Governor of New York (2011–2021)
Main article: Political positions of Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo took the gubernatorial oath of office at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2011, succeeding David Paterson.[82][83] During his first year as governor, Cuomo worked to pass an on-time budget[84] that cut spending without raising taxes,[85][86] made a new deal with a large state-employee union,[87] signed ethics reform legislation,[88] passed a property tax cap,[89] worked to enact a same-sex marriage bill with bipartisan support,[90][91] and restructured New York's tax code.[92][93]
In 2014, Politico reported that Cuomo had been actively involved in the formation of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) three years earlier, which gave control of the state senate to Republicans.[94] He has been accused of failing to bridge the rift between the IDC and the Democratic caucus in the Senate.[95]
[
](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Clinton,_Bob_Castelli,_Andrew_Cuomo.JPG)Cuomo with former U.S. President Bill Clinton (center left) in 2012
There was media speculation about a possible presidential run, either in 2016 or 2020.[96][97] Several reports indicated that Cuomo supported the Independent Democratic Conference until its dissolution and defeat in 2018 in part to appear more moderate for an eventual presidential bid.[98][99][100][101]
For his 2018 re-election bid, Cuomo accepted being on top of the ballot line for the Independence Party, a list that featured numerous Republicans, including ardent Trump supporters.[102]
In an August 15, 2018, anti-sex trafficking bill-signing event, Cuomo said: "We're not gonna make America great again. It was never that great. We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged."[103] The assembled audience of Cuomo's supporters booed.[104]
In a February 2019 opinion poll, Cuomo's approval rating dropped to 43 percent, the lowest of his tenure as governor, and a full 50% said they disapproved.[105] The poll showed an eight-percent drop from January 2019; it was taken after Cuomo signed several pieces of progressive legislation, including an expansion of abortion rights and access and stricter gun laws, suggesting that the legislation may have upset certain voters and contributed to the drop; however, the majority of voters agreed with his position on both issues.[106] By early 2020, Cuomo's favorability rating was up to 77 percent, a record high.[107]
Appointee donations controversy
On his first day in office, Cuomo renewed an executive order signed by Eliot Spitzer which prohibited Governors of New York from receiving donations from gubernatorial appointees.[108] A February 2018 investigation by The New York Times, however, revealed that the Cuomo administration had quietly reinterpreted the order, and that Cuomo had collected $890,000 from 24 of his appointees, as well as $1.3 million from the spouses, children and businesses of appointees.[108] Some donations were made to Cuomo just days after the donor was appointed.[108]
In March 2018, The New York Times reported that Cuomo had rewritten the disclaimer language on his campaign website for the executive order barring donations from appointees.[109] The website added two caveats whereby some gubernatorial appointees are allowed to donate to the governor, which The Times said could potentially lead to more donations from appointees to the governor.[109] The Cuomo campaign returned a $2,500 donation from one appointee who was in violation of the new disclaimer, but retained approximately $890,000 raised from other appointees.[109]
From the time of Utah governor Gary Herbert's retirement on January 4, 2021, until his resignation on August 23, 2021, Cuomo was the longest-serving governor in the United States still in position, with 3,887 days in office.
Corporate incentives
Cuomo has supported providing tax and other incentives to attract business to locate in New York State.[110][111] He even joked in 2018 that he would be willing to change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" if Amazon located their "Amazon HQ2" in the state.[112] His strong support for New York City's bid to become the home of Amazon's HQ2 faced criticism based on arguments that the costs to the state outweighed the possible benefits.[113] Amazon decided on two "major corporate outposts", in New York City and Arlington, Virginia, instead of a single second headquarters,[114] before bowing out of the former under local pressure.
COVID-19 pandemic response
Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
[
](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_Biden_and_Kamala_Harris_meet_with_Governors_and_Mayors_in_the_Oval_Office_of_the_White_House_Friday,_Feb._12,_2021.jpg)Cuomo meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and a bipartisan group of governors and mayors in 2021
On March 1, 2020, Cuomo issued a statement regarding novel coronavirus in New York wherein he mentioned the first positive case of novel coronavirus in New York State.[115] On March 2, 2020, Cuomo said that community transmission of the new coronavirus is "inevitable".[116] He also mentioned New York City's plans to aggressively ramp up diagnostic testing for the new virus and said that he would like to see New York City conducting "1,000 tests per day". He announced the "world-renowned" Wadsworth Center was partnering with hospitals to expand surge testing capacity to "1,000 tests per day statewide" for the novel coronavirus. On March 3, 2020, Cuomo signed a $40 million emergency management authorization for coronavirus response and claimed that "New York's overall risk remained low".[117] He also announced the institution of a new cleaning protocol at schools and in the public transportation system "to help stop any potential spread of the virus". On March 4, 2020, Cuomo confirmed nine new cases in the state and said that it was "literally like trying to stop air" and that it was inevitable that it would continue to spread.[118]
On March 6, 2020, Cuomo criticized the federal government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, calling it "absurd and nonsensical".[119]
Early in the coronavirus response efforts, Cuomo received widespread praise from epidemiologists for his handling of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, including a statewide lockdown and a shutdown of nonessential businesses in an effort to help flatten the curve of the virus. At the same time, however, Cuomo also received criticism for failing to grasp the gravity of the pandemic before its risks were fully visible to the American public.[120][121]
On March 28, 2020, Cuomo threatened Rhode Island with a lawsuit over a state quarantine policy enforcing quarantine on arriving New Yorkers.[122][123]
In the spring of 2020, social media posters and television hosts such as Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Ellen DeGeneres came up with the term "Cuomosexuals" to express admiration and love for the governor and his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, related to their leadership roles during the COVID-19 pandemic.[124]
In June 2021, Cuomo lifted COVID-19 restrictions, following the news that 70% of adults had one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.[125]
Between July and August 2020, Cuomo utilized state resources and property, including assigning work by Executive Chamber government staffers to compile materials and perform frequent work on the drafting of his book on a non-voluntary basis.[126] In October 2020, Cuomo published his book, American Crisis, proclaiming victory against the pandemic due to his leadership. He wrote that New York "confronted and defeated" the virus, although the state had the highest per capita hospitalization rate in the country by February 2021.[127] Cuomo was paid more than $5 million to write the book.[128]
In November 2020, Cuomo received the International Emmy Founders Award from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his coronavirus briefings.[129][130] On August 24, 2021, the morning after his departure, the academy rescinded the Emmy award due to the New York Attorney General's report on sexual harassment allegations against him.[131]
On December 14, 2021, Cuomo was ordered by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics to pay New York state $5.1 million in book profits he made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission rejected the prior approval after complaints that Cuomo used state resources, including personnel used to edit, write, prepare, and gather data to write "American Crisis". Cuomo is ordered to return proceeds from the book by January 13, 2022.[132][133]
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in his state, nine state health officials resigned, reportedly in response to Cuomo's policies. In a press conference on January 29, 2021, Cuomo stated that he did not trust the expertise of health officials.[134]
Criminal justice
In August 2017, the Cuomo administration awarded more than $7 million, financed with money from large bank settlements, in grants to New York colleges to offer courses to New York prisoners.[135] In January 2018, Cuomo proposed reforms that would "reduce delays during trials, ban asset seizures in cases where there has been no conviction and make it easier for former convicts to get a job after leaving prison".[136] He also called for an end to cash bail for minor crimes.[136]
Under Cuomo's tenure, he granted commutations to fewer prisoners than many previous Republican and Democratic New York governors.[137] Cuomo commuted a total of nine sentences.[137] Cuomo pardoned 140 adults who were convicted of nonviolent felonies as 16- and 17-year-olds, but had served their sentences.[137] He pardoned 18 others who had served their sentences for nonviolent felonies but were exposed to deportation due to their criminal record.[137]
Cuomo leading the 2018 New York City March For Our Lives rally
Environment
In 2017, Cuomo announced that the Indian Point nuclear plant, which produced one quarter of New York City's power, would be phased out. As a result of the phaseout, the carbon-free power generated by the plant was replaced by power generated by carbon-generating fossil fuels. As a consequence, New York was estimated to struggle to meet its climate goals.[138]
Gun control
On January 15, 2013, Cuomo signed into law the first state gun control bill to pass after the December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in neighboring Connecticut.[139] The NY SAFE Act was described as the toughest gun control law in the United States.[140] The act came under criticism, and the National Rifle Association called it draconian. The New York State Sheriffs' Association issued a statement supporting tougher penalties for illegal use of firearms but criticizing several aspects of the legislation, including a magazine limit of seven rounds and a "too broad" definition of assault weapons.[141]
On July 5, 2013, Cuomo signed an amendment to the NY SAFE Act that exempts retired police officers from some of the act's ownership restrictions.[142]
On July 7, 2021, Cuomo declared the first 'disaster emergency' in the United States on gun crime for New York.[143][144]
Hurricane Sandy
[
](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B%26T_3604_%288139739680%29.jpg)Cuomo in New York City in October 2012 following Hurricane Sandy
After Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Cuomo allowed New York voters, via a specific provision aimed at accommodating those displaced, to cast provisional ballots for the 2012 election anywhere in the state.[145] He also appointed a commission to examine the responses of New York utilities to damage caused by the storm.[146]
Controversy ensued when the Cuomo administration used $140 million, including $40 million of federal disaster relief funds, to pay for the broadcast of national TV ads promoting "New New York" slogans outside New York in an attempt to attract new business investment to the state.[147][148] Many have been critical of the effort, including former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who called the ads "fluff" and "a waste of taxpayer money".[147]
Hydraulic fracturing
:{[
](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CREDO_Action_%26_New_Yorkers_Against_Fracking_Protest_Gov._Cuomo%27s_Plan_to_Frack_New_York.jpg)
Protesters oppose Cuomo's proposed overturn of a fracking ban in 2012. Cuomo later decided against the move.}:
In June 2012, the Cuomo administration said it was considering lifting a state ban on the practice of hydraulic fracturing (also known as "fracking")[149] to stimulate the economy in upstate New York. But critics said that fracking upstate could contaminate the water supply of New York City, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.[150][151] Following a long-awaited study started years earlier, New York State health officials cited "significant public health risks" associated with fracking, and on December 17, 2014, the Cuomo administration announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing in New York State.[152]
Israel
In solidarity with Israel, Cuomo announced an executive order against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Cuomo tweeted: "If you boycott Israel, New York State will boycott you."[153]
Marijuana legalization
In January 2014, Cuomo announced an executive order to allow the limited use of medical marijuana in New York.[154] Later that year, a comprehensive bill to legalize medical cannabis was passed by the state legislature, containing some restrictions at Cuomo's insistence such as a ban on consumption by smoking.[155][156] On July 5, 2014, the Compassionate Care Act was signed into law by Governor Cuomo.[156][157]
In December 2018, Cuomo announced his support for legalizing the recreational use of cannabis, after previously stating his opposition and calling it a "gateway drug" as recently as February 2017.[155] On March 31, 2021, recreational use of cannabis was officially legalized with the signing into law of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act by Governor Cuomo.[158]
New York City Subway
...
remarks about right-wing conservatives
In a January 17, 2014, interview with Susan Arbetter on WCNY's The Capital Pressroom, Cuomo stated:
[New York Republicans] are searching to define their soul, that's what's going on. Is the Republican party in this state a moderate party or is it an extreme conservative party? ... The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE Act – it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that's who they are and they're the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that's not who New Yorkers are. If they're moderate Republicans like in the Senate right now, who control the Senate – moderate Republicans have a place in their state. George Pataki was governor of this state as a moderate Republican, but not what you're hearing from them on the far right.[167]
This remark received a major reaction in the conservative media. Radio host Glenn Beck wrote a letter to the governor regarding the remarks from the interview.[168] Fox News contributor and radio/TV show host Sean Hannity threatened to move out of the state with all of his assets if Cuomo did not apologize for his remarks.[169] Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said during a radio broadcast that Cuomo's remarks were "most unfortunate at best. Are there pro-lifers who are extremist? Yes, there are. But I think they are a distinct minority."[170]
The New York State Democratic Committee, which is headed by Cuomo, supported his remarks and reiterated them in a May 2014 statement responding to a speech by Rob Astorino, who was running against him in the 2014 gubernatorial election: "Tea Party Republicans have done enough damage in Washington, today's speech made it abundantly clear that we don't need them here in New York."[171]
Same-sex marriage
Cuomo at NYC Pride March in 2013
In keeping with a campaign promise, Cuomo signed the Marriage Equality Act, introducing same-sex marriage, on June 24, 2011, following an "intense public and private lobbying campaign", and later called for all states to do the same.[17
Post-gubernatorial career
Cuomo filed for a state retirement pension, to be effective September 1, 2021 based on 14.56 years of state service as attorney general and governor.[279] According to Politico, Cuomo used the weeks after his resignation to mount a revenge campaign against his successor Kathy Hochul and other perceived enemies, financing it with $18 million of leftover campaign donations.[280]
On March 3, 2022, during Cuomo's first public appearance since his resignation, he gave a speech at the God's Battalion of Prayer church in Brooklyn and came out against cancel culture and hinted at a political comeback. Cuomo said, "The press roasted me, my colleagues were ridiculed, my brother was fired. It was ugly. It was probably the toughest time of my life." In the speech before an ally's church, he said, "Contrary to what my political opponents would have you believe, nothing I did violated the law or the regulation."[281]
On March 14, 2022, at an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Cuomo came out stating his plans to create an organization that will be called: "Progressives for Israel", as part of his justification for this organisation, he stated "You cannot denounce Antisemitism but waver on Israel's right to exist and defend itself but it should be non-Jewish officials who speak first and loudest". Cuomo later declared "I am going to call the question for Democrats 'Do you stand with Israel or do you stand against Israel." This comes amidst speculation that Cuomo intends to run in the 2024 United States Senate election in New York.[282]
In February 2023, Andrew Cuomo criticized President Biden over the problems stemming from the Mexican border and migrants being displaced within the United States.[283]
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https://www.energyindepth.org/eid-testifies-before-house-science-committee-releases-report-on-dubious-science-behind-ny-fracking-ban/
link to EID Report: A Look Inside New York’s Anti-Fracking Echo Chamber
Energy In Depth’s (EID) Simon Lomax will testify before the House Science Committee this morning and unveil anew EID whitepaper, which details the massive influence of anti-fracking activists on the “science” behind the ban on fracking in New York.
This whitepaper examines the 184-page “public health review,” prepared by Gov. Cuomo’s health commissioner to justify the ban, and finds strong evidence of political pressure from a well-funded, well-organized network of foundations and activist groups opposed to shale development in New York.
It details how the research papers praised by the Cuomo administration as “bona fide scientific literature” included reports that were financed and produced almost entirely by anti-fracking groups. Moreover, the same group of foundations funding the research also had strong financial ties to the media outlets that promoted the research and the “ban fracking” campaign groups that used the research to lobby the Cuomo administration.
Below is Mr. Lomax’s testimony:
TESTIMONY OF SIMON LOMAX
WESTERN DIRECTOR, ENERGY IN DEPTH
HEARING ON
“HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: BANNING PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES ON POSSIBILITIES RATHER THAN PROBABILITIES?”
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 23, 2015
Chairman LAMAR Smith, Ranking Member Johnson and distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify. My name is Simon Lomax and I am here today representing Energy In Depth, a research, education and outreach program of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
The IPAA represents thousands of oil and natural gas producers and service companies, andits members are responsible for developing 95 percent of the nation’s oil and gas wells.
Today, Energy In Depth is releasing a whitepaper called A Look Inside New York’s Anti-Fracking Echo Chamber. It deals with the unprecedented decision of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to effectively ban Marcellus Shale development in the Empire State, through a ban on so-called high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking for short.
I say unprecedented, because according the Wall Street Journal,New York is the first state with significant shale gas resources to ban fracking. Gov. Cuomo’s decision was completely at odds with earlier findings from state and federal environmental regulators that hydraulic fracturing has been used safely for decades.
In fact, Gov. Cuomo’s decision overturned two earlier findings from New York state environmental regulators, in 2009 and 2011, that hydraulic fracturing in theMarcellus Shale could be conducted safely under stringent regulations.
The reaction to the New York ban has been telling. While some fringeenvironmental groups are celebrating, others in the environmental movement say this simply goes too far. For example, Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg – a major ally of environmental groups – called Gov. Cuomo’s decision a misguided policy that “doesn’t make any sense at all.”
President Obama’s Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who served on the board of a national environmental group before joining the president’s cabinet, reacted by saying fracking bans are, “the wrong way to go.” She added that supporters of such bans “don’t understand the science.”
Similarly, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) – a celebrated environmentalist – flatly refused to ban hydraulic fracturing when the subject came up recently in an interview on Meet The Press.
Against that backdrop, the question our whitepaper seeks to answer is how did Gov. Cuomo justify a decision that falls so far outside the mainstream? In other words, what makes New York the exception to the rule?
To justify the ban, the Cuomo administration produced a 184-page literature review of recently published research papers. But, as detailed in our whitepaper, we discovered significant and undisclosed ties between some of the research used to ban fracking in New York and the political campaign to ban fracking in New York.
For example, one paper was written by fracking opponents who actually used buckets lined with plastic bags to take air samples near oil and gas wells. You might think this kind of paper would get shot down in the peer-review process.
But the peer-reviewers were also fracking opponents. One of them was Sandra Steingraber [actual scientist] ,the co-founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking, the state’s leading anti-fracking campaign group.
When challenged by a reporter about this, Steingraber insisted her peer review was “absolutely objective.” Then, a few days after that interview, she gave a speech at a post-ban celebration with anti-fracking activists in Albany, where she said “it is so sweet now to come together in one room to tell the story of our victory.”
But there’s more. We found a network of environmentally active foundations funding the groups that produced the research paper, some of the media outlets that covered the paper, and the campaign organizations that pressured the Cuomo administration into banning fracking. These financial ties totaled $3.7 million at the research phase, $2.2 million at the media phase, and more than $16 million at the campaign phase.
This wasn’t an isolated case. We found at least five more research papers cited by the Cuomo administration where anti-fracking foundations provided funding to the researchers, funding to the media outlets that promoted the research, and funding to the campaigns that seized upon the research to drum up political opposition to shale development in New York.
The anti-fracking work of these foundations was led by the Park Foundation, based in Ithaca, New York, whose president has openly admitted to funding anti-fracking research, media and political campaigning in an effort oppose fracking from every angle.
In effect, these foundations built an echo chamber to drown out the facts in the debate over hydraulic fracturing and Marcellus Shale development in New York.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I look forward to your questions.
TAGS:
fracking, fracking ban, Hydraulic fracturing, New York, Shale, testimony
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https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/kentuckys-gravy-train-is-now-in-danger-thanks-to-mitch-mcconnells-heartless-greed/
no lnx
Kentucky’s gravy train is now in danger — thanks to Mitch McConnell’s heartless greed
Written by Daily Kos Staff April 26, 2020
As of 48 hours ago, few people knew that Kentucky was the nation’s leading recipient of federal largess, and certainly had no clue just how much the state received compared to the rest of the country. Then, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky, started whining about “Blue state bailouts,” and the shit has hit the fan.
Andrew Cuomo
@NYGovCuomo
NY has given $116 billion more to the federal government than we received since 2015.
Kentucky *took* $148 billion more from the federal government than it gave.
Just give NY our money back, Senator McConnell.
Embedded video
Looks like it’s time to reexamine Kentucky’s privileged status.
Blue states have been happy to carry the burden of funding red states for … kinda forever. California, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, in particular, have pumped untold hundreds of billions over the last several decades into mostly rural red states.
That dynamic carries forth in states themselves, with large urban centers paying for rural regions, like the upstate-downstate divisions in Illinois and New York, or Philly-central Pennsylvania.
And that would be fine! Liberals are okay with helping out those that are less well off. Liberals have no problem with the federal government subsidizing telephone and mail service to rural areas—services that would not be justified by capitalistic math. We’re okay subsidizing rural health care. We’re okay subsidizing rural education, or opioid treatments, or transportation networks (e.g. roads).
The problem here isn’t our willingness as liberals to help our disproportionately rural Conservative brothers and sisters. The problem is twofold: 1) the bullshit pretense that these same people are “anti-government” and that urban liberals are somehow feeding off the government trough, and 2) the refusal of these same assholes to help when blue states get hit with catastrophe. Instead, Mitch McConnells and his asshole buddies suddenly discover the evils of the budget deficit—a deficit that wouldn’t be so large if Kentucky wasn’t bleeding the country dry.
Still, once upon a time, liberals and Blue states were like “whatever, we’ve got it good, we’re the United States of America. We’ll help.” But McConnell’s toxic brew of greed and cruelty has shattered that pretense.
Conservatives have pretended for far too long that it is they, the “heartland,” the “real America,” that supposedly makes this country great, and it is the cities, the Brown and Black people, the feminists, the liberals, who are dragging it down. Yet it is us paying for their infrastructure, for their health care, for their Medicare and Medicaid and food stamps and aircraft carriers and all the things that make their society functional.
They wouldn’t last a week without our assistance. Yet not only is there zero appreciation, but they act like they’re the ones being screwed over.
If Republicans want to finally acknowledge that we are all in this thing together, that we are a United States of America, then great, we can continue being generous.
But that’s not what’s happened. Quite the opposite. Their divisive up democratic talk, in fact, has sown the seeds for a national breakup.
And so now, Kentucky’s largess is firmly in the sights of Democratic lawmakers. No more flying under the radar. No more free ride. I’m going to embed this tweet one more time for effect:
No more red-state bailouts.
So every time Mitch McConnell mentions the deficit? Kentucky first.
Mitch McConnell doesn’t want state bailouts? Kentucky first. Return the $148 billion in extra money it received the last five years.
Mitch McConnell wants to rail against the evil federal government? Then by all means, Kentucky, return that evil tainted federal cash.
Mitch McConnell wants to rail against New York or California? Return the money paid by New York and California taxpayers.
The red-state anti-government scam is fully exposed. No more.
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https://www.alternet.org/2020/03/a-weak-man-with-delusions-of-competence-trump-buried-for-lying-his-way-through-the-daily-pandemic-press-conferences
no lnx
‘A weak man with delusions of competence’: Trump buried for lying his way through the daily pandemic press conferences
Written by Tom Boggioni / Raw Story March 21, 2020
In a brutally blunt piece for the New York Times, columnist Jennifer Senior went scorched earth on Donald Trump for his lie-filled performances in the now daily press briefings on the coronavirus pandemic — suggesting the media call them what they are: presidential “propaganda.”
Following a day when the combative Trump attacked NBC reporter Peter Alexander for merely asking what he could say to the public that is living in fear of the pandemic, Senior said enough is enough.
“In a time of global emergency, we need calm, directness and, above all, hard facts. Only the opposite is on offer from the Trump White House. It is therefore time to call the president’s news conferences for what they are: propaganda,” she wrote. “We may as well be watching newsreels approved by the Soviet Politburo. We’re witnessing the falsification of history in real time. When Donald Trump, under the guise of social distancing, told the White House press corps on Thursday that he ought to get rid of 75 to 80 percent of them — reserving the privilege only for those he liked — it may have been chilling, but it wasn’t surprising. He wants to thin out their ranks until there’s only Pravda in the room.”
According to the columnist, Trump’s press conferences are full of bluster and lies and stand in stark contrast with those being held by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
For many, Friday’s contentious press conference should be the tipping point for most journalists.
“At his Thursday news conference, a discussion of chloroquine and other experimental therapies formed the core of his remarks, when those drugs and therapies are untested and unproven and, in some cases, won’t be ready for several months, as NBC’s Peter Alexander pointed out the following day,” she recalled. “‘What do you say to Americans who are scared?’ Alexander pressed. ‘I say that you’re a terrible reporter,’ Trump answered. Only a liar — and a weak man with delusions of competence — would be so unnerved by the facts.”
“Most dangerous of all is Trump’s insistence that things are fine, or will be shortly, that they’ll be stronger and better and greater than ever. We don’t have any evidence that this is true, and the president finds any suggestion to the contrary quite rude. When a journalist pointed out to him on Thursday that the economy had all but ground to halt, Trump cut him off,” she explained. “Here’s the truth: Things might be hard — unfathomably hard — for months, perhaps even north of a year. Anyone who’s reading or listening to other sources of news besides the president knows that. It takes sensitivity and strength and intelligence to speak truthfully to the public about imminent hardship, the prospect of enduring pain.”
Then came the Cuomo comparison.
“I listen to Cuomo, who says the same thing. His news conference on Friday was about the practical things, knowing the entire state — country, globe — had just taken a precipitous slide down Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, with food, shelter and safety now topmost on many people’s minds. No one can evict you for 90 days. We’re getting hospital beds. We’re recruiting doctors and nurses in training to fight this fight, and we’re coaxing medical professionals out of retirement,” she wrote. “Then he spoke from the heart. One of his daughters was in quarantine. ‘To tell you the truth, I had some of the best conversations with her that I’ve ever had,’ Cuomo said. She was alone for two weeks. ‘We talked about things in depth that we didn’t have time to talk about in the past,’ he continued, ‘or we didn’t have the courage or the strength to talk about in the past — feelings I had, about mistakes I had made along the way that I wanted to express my regret and talk through with her.'”
“He was expressing fallibility. Imagine that,” she concluded.
You can read the whole piece here.
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no lnx
https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/19/bob-mccarthy-the-gops-unknown-power-broker/
apr 2019
Charlie Joyce finds his way out of Wellsville every once in a while – even all the way to Crosby, Tx.
That’s where the oil and gas supply executive and major GOP donor turned up a few days ago, right next to President Trump, who likewise found his way out of Washington to sign an executive order easing regulations on energy pipelines. And when Fox News reported the event back on April 12, there was Joyce at his side offering applause and wearing a major smile.
As The Buffalo News reported back in 2016, Joyce may be the most influential New York Republican you never heard of. That’s because he goes about his business in a quiet and unassuming way, even if he has been good to Catholic Charities, Southern Tier causes, and nearby universities like Alfred and St. Bonaventure.
He remains one of only two New Yorkers on the Republican National Committee, and has been a member of the Executive Roundtable of the Republican Governors Association. He travels in lofty money circles like the RNC’s Regents, the National Republican Senate Committee’s Majority Makers Club and the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Chairman’s Club.
President of Otis Eastern, the big pipeline and oil supply firm in Allegany County, Joyce feels more comfortable in some oil field and mud spattered coveralls than black tie Manhattan fund raisers – where he’s also a regular. He’s an official “lay low” guy, who quietly goes about his business but can end up standing next to the president.
“This something I’ve been lobbying for,” Joyce said last week, referring to the executive orders Trump signed at the Texas ceremony expediting oil and gas pipeline projects. It’s the kind of action Joyce wishes his own state government would embrace, but knows won’t happen. He has long complained that he must dispatch his large workforce across the border to Pennsylvania’s oil fields because of New York’s strict prohibitions against fracking.
So, while he was also traveled to Texas to continue support for the new, international training center for oil and gas workers established in Crosby by the industry and its unions, Joyce was a natural to witness the presidential signature.
“I really didn’t expect to be up there standing next to him as he signed it, but there I was,” he said. “It was cool.”
At the ceremony, Trump’s jabs at New York and Gov. Andrew Cuomo over its pipeline regulations stemming from environmental concerns brought another smile to Joyce.
“He mentioned New York State several times as one of the states where we can’t move our product, blocking energy growth,” he said. “And he mentioned Cuomo – rather strongly.”
The governor, meanwhile, didn’t spare his own jabs at Trump. He thinks states should have a say in regulations that protect rivers and streams from pollution.
“States must have a role in the process for siting energy infrastructure like pipelines, and any efforts to curb this right to protect our residents will be fought tooth and nail,” Cuomo responded.
Trump might as well have aimed his pen at Cuomo while signing his executive orders. In 2017, the state Department of Environmental Conservation rejected a National Fuel permit for the Northern Access pipeline, though a federal appeals court in Manhattan invalidated the DEC’s action on Feb. 5. Now the company still needs approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers and faces lawsuits.
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Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to approve New York's Clean Energy Standard Monday, making an enforceable commitment to Gov. Cuomo's goal of sourcing 50 percent of the state's power from renewable energy by 2030.
a monumental step forward in ensuring the governor achieves his ambitious 50 percent by 2030 renewable energy goal," Lisa Dix, senior New York representative for the Sierra Club, said.
"Governor Cuomo has shown his commitment to climate leadership by moving New York and the nation, towards a renewable energy future, while at the same time creating thousands of jobs across the state, protecting ratepayers from volatile fossil fuel prices and improving New Yorkers' public health and environment."
Today's decision comes after more than a six-month process that began in December when Gov. Cuomo instructed the PSC to ensure that New York powers 50 percent of the electric sector with renewable energy by 2030. After the PSC's initial proposal in early 2016, more than 11,000 New Yorkers submitted comments and hundreds came out to the public hearings hosted across the state supporting the governor's proposal for an enforceable renewable energy target.
In addition to the Clean Energy Standard order, New York is also moving forward on developing the state's offshore windportfolio. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is expected to release an offshore wind blueprint to lay out a long-term statewide plan for developing this invaluable resource. Recently, NYSERDA announced its intent to bid into a federal leasing process for New York's Wind Energy Area and the Long Island Power Authority announced its support for building New York's first offshore wind farm and the largest offshore wind project in the country, 30 miles off the coast of eastern Long Island.
Making a long-term commitment to a pipeline of offshore wind projects will be crucial to achieving the governor's 50 percent by 2030 goal while also establishing New York as the regional offshore wind hub—supercharging the state's economy by bringing high-paying, local jobs and manufacturing opportunities to local communities.
"With today's order and recent actions on Governor Cuomo, Governor Cuomo is clearly setting New York as a climate and renewable jobs leader," David Alicea, organizing representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said.
"We look forward to working with his administration as they develop these policies and a long-term large-scale offshore wind plan to build a robust renewable energy economy for the state
http://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-approves-clean-energy-standard-50-from-renewables-by-2030-1954654514.html
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Peabody was one of five corporations originally swept up in Cuomo's 2007 inquiry into alleged failures to adequately disclose the potential risks to their businesses from climate change in their annual reports to shareholders. The other four were all utility companies - Dynegy, AES, Xcel and Dominion Resources - three of which were building or planning to build more coal-fired power plants. Dynegy, AES and Xcel settled within two years of receiving subpoenas. Now only Dominion remains.
"The general idea was to take this lens of transparency from the securities regulation world where you have to be transparent on all sorts of risks that you take with investors, especially if they're in the public market," said Matthew Gaul, former chief of the Investor Protection Bureau, a unit within the office of the New York's attorney general that along with its Environmental Protection Bureau, ran the investigation of the energy companies.
A September 2007 letter from the attorney general's office to Peabody Energy CEO Gregory Boyce expressed concern over the company’s plan to build new coal-fired power plants using conventional technology without the means to capture CO2 emissions, and noted that adding these plants to the nation's existing coal fleet “will subject Peabody Energy to increased financial, regulatory, and litigation risks” that haven’t been disclosed to shareholders. At the time, Peabody was a partner in building Prairie State, a coal-fired power plant in Illinois.
The AG's letter warned that "Peabody Energy cannot excuse its failure to provide disclosure and analysis by claiming there is insufficient information concerning known climate change trends and uncertainties.”
...
Schneiderman has by far the most powerful investigative toolkit of any attorney general. The state's Martin Act, designed specifically to attack investor fraud, prohibits "all deceitful practices contrary to the plain rules of common honesty," an extraordinarily broad mandate. And unlike federal securities laws, no proof of intent to deceive is required under the Martin Act, and neither damage resulting from the fraud nor reliance upon the fraud by investors has to be proven. The act is often used in conjunction with the state's Executive Act, which grants additional power to investigate fraud in the context of any business activity.
With the broad powers granted under the Martin and Executive Acts, Attorney General Schneiderman may be able to change the behavior of the oil industry even if no other attorney general enters the fray, just as his predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, forced changes in the climate change-related risks utilities must disclose.
It's notable that the utilities surrendered to Cuomo without any charges being filed - all he had to do was open an investigation. Perhaps this was partly because the Martin Act allows the attorney general to pursue both civil and criminal cases - simultaneously, if he so chooses - while also stripping the company under investigation of legal protections it would normally be afforded.
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http://www.propublica.org/podcast/item/podcast-glaser-cuomo-and-the-refusals-that-made-the-story/