Mayor Eric Adams
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Source: Power 105 / The Breakfast Club
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was left flustered when confronted on a radio broadcast about reviving harmful racial profiling policies by the NYPD.
On Thursday (March 28), New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on The Breakfast Club for a conversation with hosts Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy. It soon got tense due to lawyer and political commentator Olayemi Olurin challenging Adams on his administration’s stances concerning the New York Police Department and public safety, which left him at times visibly flustered.
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As Adams had finished a point about the public perception of crime and safety in the city’s subway system, Olurin questioned him on his rhetoric about in press conferences. “You’ve continued to fearmonger about crime in the subways, you’ve added 2,000 police officers in the subways despite the fact that you’ve acknowledged that the subways are not that dangerous,” she said. Adams replied, “I’m lost. Can you give me the quotes where I’ve done that?”
The exchange soon got testy as Olurin quoted statistics from a federal monitor regarding the revival of policies utilizing racial profiling of Black and Brown citizens as Adams seemed to scoff with a laugh. “They said that you brought back units doing stop and frisk worse than what we’ve seen in the Bloomberg era.” Adams countered by asking her to show data, to which Olurin replied, “I know it’s been available to you because your spokesperson commented on it.” She then went on to recount how in their analysis, they found that 97% of all stops and searches in ten neighborhoods have been on Black and Latino New Yorkers.
Adams was clearly frustrated, at times directing his conversation towards Charlemagne and DJ Envy instead of Olurin halfway through the interview, saying she was providing “misinformation.” One key moment came as Adams attempted to deflect by bringing up NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller who was shot and killed in Far Rockaway earlier this week, claiming that Olurin was “dismissive” of his life. “Mayor Adams, that’s not going to work on me,” she replied. He then challenged her on if she has ever visited the family of a slain officer, to which she countered: “And the family of the 19-year-old who was killed by cops that he called for help yesterday in Queens, have you visited them?” He offered no response.
The entire interview between Mayor Eric Adams and Olayemi Olurin is available to watch above.
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New York City is taking a hard line against social media. The mayor has filed a lawsuit claiming TikTok, Instagram and more are responsible for the mental health crisis with kids.
As reported by Digital Music News, the current mayor of The Big Apple is taking social media to task with claims that their apps are causing the youth issues with their mental health. On Wednesday, Feb. 14 Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference alongside New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, NYC Health + Hospitals President Dr. Michell Katz, and New York City Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks. During the presentation, the politician announced the filing of a lawsuit against TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook, citing that each of these platforms are fueling a nationwide mental health crisis.
“Over the past decade, we have seen just how addictive and overwhelming the online world can be, exposing our children to a non-stop stream of harmful content and fueling our national youth mental health crisis,” he explained. “Our city is built on innovation and technology, but many social media platforms end up endangering our children’s mental health, promoting addiction, and encouraging unsafe behavior. Today, we’re taking bold action on behalf of millions of New Yorkers to hold these companies accountable for their role in this crisis, and we’re building on our work to address this public health hazard. This lawsuit and action plan are part of a larger reckoning that will shape the lives of our young people, our city, and our society for years to come.”
According to NYC.gov, the filing allege that the platforms “intentionally designed their platforms to purposefully manipulate and addict children and teens to social media.” Some of the features that the officials say create these conditions include “using algorithms to generate feeds that keep users on the platforms longer and encourage compulsive use” and “mechanics akin to gambling in the design of apps, which allow for anticipation and craving for likes and hearts.”
The Daily News reports a representative from Meta says that Facebook and Instagram have “over 30 tools and features” to assist parents in making social media safe for their children. Jose Castañeda, a spokesman for Google, says that YouTube also offers “parents robust controls” and says that “The allegations in this complaint are simply not true.”
You can view the press conference below.
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NBA star Kyrie Irving made his return to Brooklyn and took a shot at New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the process.
On Tuesday night (Feb. 6), the Dallas Mavericks went up against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center with Kyrie Irving playing there for the first time since his acrimonious split with the team last season. During a 36-point performance, Irving was near the sideline when a fan known as Courtside Nets on X, formerly Twitter, asked the guard why he didn’t exhibit that while with the Nets. “Thank Mayor Adams for that, bro,” Irving replied.
The jab (no pun intended) was related to the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate enacted by Mayor Adams. Irving opted not to get vaccinated, and so the policy kept him from playing in the Nets’ home games during the majority of the 2021-2022 season. The team also sat him for most of its road games during the first two months of that season. The guard would appear in the Nets’ 75th game of the season after Mayor Adams created an exemption from the mandate for athletes. In total, Irving only played 29 games, costing him millions.
The Mavericks would go on to win the game 119-107, with Irving getting some boos from the crowd. Afterward, he reflected on his time with the team, which ended last February when they granted his request to be traded to Dallas. In his three and a half years with the team, the assembled “super team” of Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden only once won a playoff series playing together.
“Obviously, I fell short in terms of the championship aspirations but, for me, I think it was bigger than a championship here,” Irving said, according to the Daily News. “I had to really take some moral stances that propelled me into a place in my life that I had to become accustomed to. There were some political things that were going on here as well that I couldn’t control, that I was responsible for. There were some things that I did on my own accord that I look back on, and they were mistakes, and I have to be accountable for those things. I’m not perfect, but one thing I can say is I’ve been able to learn from things.”
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The NYPD is under fire after a traffic stop of City Councilman Yusef Salaam, with observers noting it as more inducement for police transparency.
Last Friday (January 25), City Councilman Yusef Salaam was driving through Harlem with his wife and children when an NYPD officer pulled him over. In a statement, Salaam said that as the officer approached, he told him that he was a city council member; Salaam had been listening to a call with his fellow members during the drive. “I introduced myself as Councilman Yusef Salaam and subsequently asked the officer why I was pulled over. Instead of answering my question, the officer stated, ‘We’re done here,’ and proceeded to walk away,” the statement continued. Salaam concluded by stating he wasn’t given a reason for the stop.
The NYPD would release the body camera footage of the incident, saying: “As the video shows, throughout the interaction, the officer conducted himself professionally and respectfully.” When asked about the reason for the stop, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Information Tarik Sheppard claimed that he was unsure if Salaam asked the officer the reason for the stop, but said that the report disclosed that the reason was that Salaam’s vehicle had an out-of-state license plate and illegally tinted windows. Mayor Eric Adams defended the stop saying it was a “picture-perfect example” of a professional police response.
Councilman Salaam, who was one of the Exonerated Central Park Five spending up to a decade wrongfully imprisoned, still maintained that he was not notified then of the reasons for the stop and cited that as a reason why he and his colleagues have heavily advocated for a new police transparency bill opposed by Mayor Adams. He declined to join a ride-along scheduled by the mayor, who claims the new bill’s guidelines would cause more work for officers. Other Council members who are more conservative such as Robert Holden blasted Salaam for announcing his position during the stop, accusing him of “using his official title to evade the law.”
However, Salaam was defended by others in the Council including Sandy Nurse, who overheard the interaction on the call. “He’s a dark-skinned Black man who went through a very traumatic thing as a child,” she said. “I think it would only make sense for him to identify himself, as someone who has lived his experience, to an officer — why wouldn’t he make that clear?”
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Source: @nypdtips / Instagram
The New York Police Department is actively searching for a pair of robbers using mopeds as they accosted victims in Manhattan last month.
On Wednesday (January 3), representatives for the New York Police Department said that they were actively searching for two men who were riding a dark-colored moped as they robbed victims in Manhattan last December. The incidents took place on December 15 and 18.
According to their reports, the first of the incidents occurred on the 15th in the Midtown area at First Avenue and 52nd Street as the pair rode up alongside a 38-year-old woman. They snatched her purse from her forcefully, causing her to fall. The pair then sped off, according to witnesses. On the 18th, the pair set out on a longer spree of robberies over nearly three hours in Midtown starting at 7:40 P.M. as they robbed three more women between the ages of 22 and 40. The spree ended as the two attempted to rob a man in his thirties.
The news comes as similar incidents have become more frequent in the city since 2022. Last October alone, there were multiple incidents numbering over two dozen in Manhattan and in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn involving theft by robbers on mopeds and e-bikes. The prevalence of these incidents has also occupied space on the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Instagram account recently, with posts capturing the thieves atop mopeds and scooters.
Despite those instances, the city did report a 9.7% drop in robberies during November 2023 when compared to the same period the year before. There were no published statistics for December. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell stated at the news conference held at One Police Plaza that the department had seized over 27,000 illegal ATVs and unregistered mopeds last year as part of a focus on quality of life enforcement, up from 18,000 in 2022. In response to the news, Mayor Eric Adams displayed elation. “The results are clear — crime is down, jobs are up, tourism is back,” Adams said. “But our work is not done. We’re not spiking the ball. We’re not saying, ‘Mission Accomplished.’”
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Source: Pacific Press / Getty / Eric Adams
You can always count on NYC Mayor Eric Adams to say something ridiculous that will leave you scratching your head and laughing because it was so bonkers.
Spotted on Raw Story, the socialite who moonlights as New York’s Mayor has stepped in it. During a recent interview with PIX11 host Dan Mannarino, Eric Adams somehow found a way to say that one of the city that never sleeps’ best attributes is there is an opportunity you can witness a plane flying into a skyscraper.
Yes, you read that correctly.
In his own words, Adams said, “This is a place where every day you wake up you could experience everything from a plane crashing into our Trade Center to a person who is celebrating a new business opening. And that’s why it’s the greatest city on the globe.”
We are sure you have probably read that unbelievable quote numerous times. So here is the video of him saying it also just to let you know that we are not pulling your chain with this story.
Social Media Clowned Him
As you can imagine, Adams’ comments opened the door for many reactions.
“How does anyone have that thought let alone express it in public as mayor of New York? Also New York is two words,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another X user wrote, “Riding the subway, shopping at a bodega, watching multiple skyscrapers destroyed in a terrorist attack that kills thousands of people; just NYC things.”
This latest Mayor Mixxy moment comes after his aides had their homes raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into Adams’ 2021 campaign and whether there were connections to the Turkish government to funnel campaign donations.
Welp.
You can see more reactions to Mayor Adams’ comments in the gallery below.
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Photo: Pacific Press / Getty
3. Unbelievable
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Cardi B
If you’re a political hopeful or veteran hoping for a Cardi B endorsement, it’s not coming. The Bronx rapper is washing her hands of politics.
The “Bodak Yellow” rapper is fed up with the current political system and expressed her frustrations during an Instagram Live session.
Cardi B, who has always been quite vocal about politics and what is happening in the country and globally, was BIG MAD about NYC Mayor Eric Adam’s proposed budget cuts.
Mayor Mixxy’s 5% budget cuts will affect a bunch of NYC departments to help compensate for the billions of dollars that the city has to spend to take care of asylum seekers who have come to the city.
The New York Post reports that Adams plans to cut $32 million from the sanitation department, $74 million from the FDNY, and $547 million from the Department of Education.
Adams will also be getting rid of a bunch of street garbage cans in the outer boroughs, and 34 popular cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History will see their budgets cut by $6 million, according to the New York Post.
Mayor Adams Reasoning For The Severe Cuts
Regardless of there being a legitimate reason for the severe cuts, the Grammy Award-winning artist is not here for them, claiming things like the city will be “drowning in rats” (that’s been a problem forever) due to cuts to sanitation and crime will “go through the roof” because of the cuts coming to the NYPD.
“In New York, there is a $120m budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries, and the police department. And a $5m budget cut in sanitation … We are gonna be drowning in … rats,” Cardi B said during the live session.
Mayor Adams might be on the side of Cardi B, who warned that more cuts would be necessary without additional federal funding to help manage the influx of migrants in NYC.
Per The Guardian:
Migrant costs are going up, tax revenue growth is slowing, and [Covid-19] stimulus funding is drying up,” Adams said in a statement.
“No city should be left to handle a national humanitarian crisis largely on its own, and without the significant and timely support we need from Washington, today’s budget will be only the beginning.
Cardi B Is No Longer Endorsing Presidents
The Biden Administration has not agreed to Mayor Adam’s pleas for funding amid the growing criticism for the continued funding to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion and Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, something Bardi touched on in her passionate IG Live along with announcing she is no longer endorsing presidents.
“I’m endorsing no presidents no more,” Cardi B said. “Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars,’… talking about, ‘Yeah, we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No … we’re not. We don’t got it, and we’re going through some shit right now. So say it!”
She continued, “We are really, really, really f**ked right now. No, we cannot fund these … wars.”
Someone asked if the country is going “broke,” she replied, “Yes, it is. We ain’t got McDonald’s money.” Despite her claims, the country has seen some solid economic numbers. You can read about that here.
Further condemning Biden’s alleged terrible handling of the economy and foreign policy, she said, “Feed that … to somebody else, twinkle, but don’t feed it to me.” She then promised to ” get to the bottom of it.”
We will await those findings.
X Users React
Elon Musk’s sorry platform X has been a hotbed for discourse since Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation to Hamas’ brutal attack on October 7.
Many have called on political leaders, mainly Democrats, including President Joe Biden, to call for a ceasefire in protests across the globe.
Recently, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been the target of many protests, and other Democrats. Still, some are pointing out the fact that the House of Representatives is currently under Republican control and are wondering why that energy isn’t being applied to the GOP and its batsh*t crazy members.
Many responded to Cardi B’s video by pointing out that she was aiming her valid criticisms in the wrong direction and that the Biden/Harris administration has nothing to do with New York City’s budget.
One thing is for sure: the upcoming presidential election will be a hot mess. We hope Cardi B and others understand that there is a lot on the line with a GOP hell-bent on “Making America White oops Great Again.”
Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Prince Williams / Getty
2. Political Cardi is a hit with fans
6. Of course, you should not be shocked the MAGA folks will use this to their advantage.
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As the top fundraiser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams had their home raided by the FBI, reports revealed additional raids on two other aides were conducted.
According to reports, on the same day that the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, the agency executed search warrants on two other homes of people close to Mayor Eric Adams.
Unnamed sources close to the investigation confirmed that the homes of Rana Abbasova and Cenk Öcal were searched on the same day of the Suggs raid. Abbasova currently serves as the director of protocol for the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and was previously a longtime liaison to New York City’s Turkish community when Adams was Brooklyn Borough President, and Öcal was part of his transition team and a former Turkish Airlines executive who was let go in 2022 after a shakeup.
The searches were conducted at Abbasova’s home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Öcal’s home which is also in New Jersey. The news follows a report that Abbasova was placed on leave earlier this week. When questioned by reporters, Fabian Levy, the Deputy Mayor of Communications, replied: “As we have repeatedly said, we recently learned of an individual who acted improperly, which we promptly reported to investigators. While we continue to cooperate with investigators, the most important thing to remember is that the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.” Abbasova and Öcal didn’t respond to comments from the press.
Federal authorities conducted the searches on Suggs’ home and the other parties as part of an ongoing investigation into the 2021 campaign of Mayor Adams to detect if there was any conspiracy between Adams’ campaign and the Turkish government to funnel foreign donations into the campaign vault as well as to investigate if the Turkish government exerted influence on Mayor Adams to pressure New York Fire Department officials to bypass safety concerns for a new high-rise building housing the Turkish consulate to be completed. Mayor Adams also had his electronic devices seized last Monday (November 6) by federal authorities on the way to an event in conjunction with the raid on Suggs’ home.
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty / Eric Adams
New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be in some serious trouble.
The socialite who sometimes masquerades as New York City’s Mayor had his phones seized by the FBI as part of an ongoing federal investigation into fundraising.
Spotted on CNN, the feds popped up Mayor Eric Adams and seized phones and an iPad after securing a court-authorized warrant, a person close to the matter said.
Per CNN:
The seizure is a dramatic escalation of the federal probe into whether foreign money was funneled to his campaign, bringing it directly to the mayor, a Democrat. The investigation is being handled by the FBI and the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing so far, but he is the latest politician to come under scrutiny for ties to foreign governments – in his case Turkey.
The seizure came days after the FBI raided the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser as part of the investigation to determine whether the mayor’s 2021 campaign conspired with a Brooklyn-based construction company to funnel foreign money into campaign coffers.
Prosecutors Had To Convince A Judge There Was Probable Cause To Seize Adams’ Phones
According to the New York Times, to seize Mayor Adams’ devices, prosecutors had to convince a judge they had probable cause that there was evidence of a crime on the electronic devices.
Adams said he had nothing to hide in a statement sent to CNN on Friday, November 10.
“As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation — and I will continue to do exactly that,” the mayor said. “I have nothing to hide.”
Two sources close to the matter told CNN that FBI agents “walked right up to him” on the street and seized his devices following him giving a speech at New York University’s Kimmel Center Monday. ]
Welp.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
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Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty
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The home of a top consultant to New York City Mayor Eric Adams was raided by the FBI, prompting Adams to cancel a major trip to head back to the city.
In the early morning hours on Thursday (Nov. 2), agents with the FBI conducted a raid on the Crown Heights home of Brianna Suggs. Suggs is the top fund-raiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and an esteemed campaign consultant of his. Suggs was also reportedly questioned by agents, who left with three iPhones, two computers and files bearing Adams’ name from her home. Federal agents also executed the search warrant at the KSK Construction Group in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in addition to other residences. Investigators are also looking into a small college outside of Washington D.C. with ties to Turkey.
Suggs has been a strong fund-raiser for Mayor Adams, helping his successful campaign obtain $18.4 million in funding. She was also working on his 2025 reelection campaign, with reports saying that $900,000 has been raised so far. The FBI warrant is tied to an ongoing investigation to determine whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the construction company and the Turkish government to direct foreign money to the campaign by using straw donors in 2021. Adams has previously been vocal about his trips to Turkey, saying, “I think I’m on my sixth or seventh visit,” during a flag-raising ceremony for the nation in lower Manhattan last week.
News of the raid led Mayor Adams to abruptly cancel a series of meetings with other city mayors in Washington D.C. concerning the ongoing migrant crisis in New York to head back home with his team. When asked about his hurried return by reporters later that evening at a Dia De Los Muertos event at Gracie Mansion, he said he would comply with any inquiries from federal authorities. “I feel extremely comfortable about how I comply with rules and procedures,” Adams said. “I hold myself to a high standard, and I hold my campaign to a high standard, and I hold my staff at City Hall to a high standard.”
The raid comes weeks after another high-ranking figure close to Mayor Adams, former city buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich, was indicted and charged with using his position to extract bribes in the form of cash and other gifts for favors, which included access to Mayor Adams.