Cynthia Nixon
Nixon's challenge, Vance investigated and Kushner's false filings
In this week's headlines, Cynthia Nixon jumped into the gubernatorial race, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to review Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s decision not to prosecute Harvey Weinstein, and Jared Kushner's company is under scrutiny for falsely reporting having no rent-controlled tenants.
Spring may have started this week, but apparently Mother Nature didn’t get the notice. New York experienced its fourth nor’easter in three weeks, a storm dubbed by some as a “four’easter,” which dumped over a foot of snow in parts of New York City and Long Island. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday held a series of press conferences about the weather throughout the state, even stopping to offer assistance at a tractor-trailer accident. The state Republican Party, impressed neither by Cuomo’s press tour nor his photo op helping people during the storm, tweeted a series of Avengers-themed pictures poking fun at the governor. Although Cuomo surely had much more on his mind, considering his new primary opponent. That and more in this week’s headlines.
No, not that Nixon
The rumors are true – the actress and activist of “Sex and the City” fame is running for governor. Cynthia Nixon entered the Democratic primary against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who dismissed her criticisms of his administration as part of the “political silly season,” although he has been bolstering his progressive chops. Nixon was attacked by former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an openly gay Cuomo surrogate, who called Nixon an “unqualified lesbian.” While Quinn apologized, Nixon turned the insult into a fundraising rallying cry. Nixon touted more than 2,000 small dollar donations, saying it’s more than Cuomo has received in seven years.
Cy Vance, investigated
Cuomo ordered state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to review Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s handling of a 2015 sexual assault allegation against movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Vance declined to prosecute, saying his office didn’t have a strong enough case, despite a recording of Weinstein apologizing to the accuser for groping her breasts. Cuomo’s announcement came after the #TimesUp movement published an open letter urging the governor to look into why Weinstein was never prosecuted.
Crooked Kushner?
The Associated Press reported that the Kushner Cos., which at the time was run by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, lied about having rent-regulated tenants in its New York City buildings. The company routinely filed paperwork that said their buildings had no such tenants, when in fact they had hundreds. The revelation prompted the City Council to launch an investigation. And soon after, the city Department of Buildings launched a series of probes as well.