Impeachment probe to examine COVID tests for Cuomo relatives
Andrew Cuomo is expanding to examine whether the governor unlawfully used his office to provide his family members with special access to scarce coronavirus tests a year ago, a state lawmaker said Thursday. The testing of people closely tied to the governor was carried out by high-ranking state health officials, The New York Times reported. Troopers picked up samples from doctor’s offices, state testing sites, nursing homes and other locations at the state health agency’s direction. Cuomo often suggested the primary purpose of limited COVID-19 tests was to isolate people who are likely exposed and sick. “The truth is we don’t have the testing capacity,” Cuomo told reporters March 9, 2020.
Washington Post's Marty Baron says he's retiring next month
FILE - Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron appears in the news room after winning two Pulitzer Prizes in Washington on April 16, 2018. Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post and one of the nation's top journalists, says he will retire at the end of February. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)NEW YORK – Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron, who has led the newspaper on a resurgence in recent years, said Tuesday that he will retire at the end of February. One of the nation's top journalism executives, Baron took over the Post's newsroom in 2012 after editing the Boston Globe and Miami Herald before that. In a note to the Post's staff, Baron recounted a series of “epic” stories that he's been involved in during his 45-year career in journalism.
Trump pressed Georgia investigator to look at Fulton County
It occurred as election officials were conducting an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in Cobb County. Trump pressed the investigator to look into Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that contains most of Atlanta. AdVarious election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. During another call in early December, Trump pressed Georgia Gov. In last week’s call with Raffensperger, Trump urged the secretary of state to change the certified results.
House to investigate DeJoy possible campaign law violations
WASHINGTON House Democrats said Tuesday they will investigate whether Postmaster General Louis DeJoy encouraged employees at his business to contribute to Republican candidates and then reimbursed them in the guise of bonuses, a violation of campaign finance laws. Two former employees told the newspaper that DeJoy would later give bigger bonuses to reimburse for the contributions. Postal Service to immediately suspend DeJoy, whom they never should have selected in the first place.Monty Hagler, a spokesperson for DeJoy, told the Post that DeJoy was unaware that any workers felt pressure to make donations. Postal Service changes that some fear will slow delivery of mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 elections. The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed DeJoy for records about widespread mail delivery delays that have pushed the Postal Service into the political spotlight.
Falwell resigns as leader of Liberty University
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned on Monday as leader of Liberty University, an official from the evangelical school said, according to The Washington Post. Screenshot of a now deleted picture from Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Instagram account (Jerry Falwell Jr.)This is a developing story. Related stories
How the Washington Post uses TikTok to engage with its audience
People enter The Washington Post building. The Washington Post has embraced Chinese-backed video app TikTok which is popular among Gen Z for its lip-sync videos and comedy routines. The Washington Post's video producer Dave Jorgenson sat down with Brian Stelter for this week's Reliable Sources podcast to talk about the paper's TikTok account, and how he has used it to showcase the action inside the newsroom. The Washington Post launched its own account in May, two months after Jorgenson pitched the idea to his bosses. Jorgenson says that being the trusted face of the Post's TikTok account is important.
House to vote on impeachment procedures Thursday
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The House will vote this week on affirming the Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and Ukraine, as Democrats move forward with a formal vote after initially resisting. The Thursday vote will push back against a White House and Republican congressional talking point that the impeachment inquiry is not legitimate because it hasn't been formally authorized, which comes as Democrats are facing off for the first time with a witness defying a subpoena as part of the inquiry. The resolution, which will be introduced and marked up in the House Rules Committee, would be the first vote the full House will take related to impeachment, after the House did not vote to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry earlier this month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday in a "Dear Colleague" letter that the resolution was not legally necessary, but the House would take the vote "to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives." The text of the resolution has not been released, but House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement that the measure will lay out how the House is "ensuring transparency" as it moves toward the "public phase" of the impeachment inquiry.
House subpoenas Perry in impeachment inquiry
Alex Wong/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON (CNN) - House Democrats on Thursday issued a subpoena to Energy Secretary Rick Perry for documents related to the Trump administration's contacts with Ukraine as part of the ongoing House impeachment inquiry. The subpoena was issued by the House Intelligence Committee in consultation with the House Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees. A letter sent to Perry by the House Democratic chairmen of those three committees states that "public reports have raised questions about any role you may have played in conveying or reinforcing the President's stark message to the Ukrainian President." Last week, Perry pledged to work with lawmakers looking into the whistleblower complaint. "I'll just briefly say we're going to work with Congress and answer all their questions," Perry said at a department event.
How the Washington Post has changed under Jeff Bezos
The former publisher of The Washington Post describes how Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has helped the paper since he bought it for $250 million in 2013. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Amazon chief Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013, and within three years the paper had doubled its web traffic and become profitable -- an impressive feat for a media company that struggled in the wake of the financial crisis. Bezos said publicly that he had to "do some soul-searching" before getting involved with The Washington Post. Six years into his ownership of the Post, Bezos often speaks about how rewarding the experience has been. And both his technology brilliance and his business brilliance will come in very handy to the Washington Post over his lifetime."
Jay-Z's Roc Nation, NFL join forces for music and social justice
Roc Nation, an entertainment company, will advise on NFL performances, such as the Super Bowl. Roc Nation declined to comment on the partnership but is expected to address the media on Wednesday. "Roc Nation has shown that entertainment and enacting change are not mutually exclusive ideas -- instead, we unify them." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league and Roc Nation "share a vision of inspiring meaningful social change across our country," according to NFL.com. And that's pretty much how we operate at Roc Nation.
Trump reflects on late brother's struggle with alcoholism
(CNN) - President Donald Trump provided an uncharacteristically reflective account of his relationship with his late brother Fred Trump Jr. in a new interview with The Washington Post, again citing his deceased brother's struggle with alcoholism as a driving force behind his administration's war on the opioid crisis. "I guess you could say now I'm the chief of trying to solve it," Trump told the Post in an interview published Thursday. Fred Trump Jr. struggled with alcoholism for much of his life and died in 1981 at age 42. There was sort of a double pressure put on him," he told the paper, referring to himself and his father, Fred Trump Sr. Trump told the Post.
Google, Amazon remove gun-related shopping results
In the case of Amazon, the Post cited a single listing for a Butler Creek 25-round magazine. On Google's platform, the Post found offers for shotgun shells and hollow-point ammunition, along with shopping results for magazines. "The sale of weapons, guns, and certain gun parts is strictly prohibited on Google Shopping." In 2016, for example, a BuzzFeed reporter arranged a private gun sale over Facebook, despite the company's existing ban against such activities. Google has banned the listing of guns and related products from Google Shopping since at least 2012.
David Hogg says he's been the target of 7 'assassination attempts'
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. - Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg claims "there have been seven assassination attempts" on his life in the past year. Hogg made the remarks in an interview with The Washington Post released Tuesday. "But I also realize, if they kill me, that's probably the stupidest thing they could do to try to end the movement," Hogg told the newspaper. "Honestly, I realize that it's horrible that I have to live through this, and it is traumatizing," Hogg said. Now that he's the legal voting age, Hogg said he's hoping for change in the 2020 presidential election and will be casting his ballots with a mind toward ending gun violence.