New York Times opinion columnist and editor Bari Weiss announced Tuesday she is leaving the NY Times, saying she was bullied by colleagues in an “illiberal environment,” weeks after declaring there was a “civil war” inside the paper. Weiss published a scathing resignation letter that she sent to Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger on her personal website, noting she doesn’t understand how toxic behavior is allowed inside the newsroom and “showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery.” Before joining the Times, Bari was an oped editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing blistering criticism over an internal report that found no strong link between a controversial state directive that sent thousands of recovering coronavirus patients into nursing homes and some of the nation’s deadliest nursing home outbreaks. Scientists, health care professionals and elected officials assailed the report released last week for failing to address the actual impact of the March 25 order, which by the state’s own count ushered more than 6,300 recovering virus patients into nursing homes at the height of the pandemic.

There were 17 people shot in NYC on Monday, as the uptick in gun violence across the city continues. Among the victims is a 17-year-old victim who was shot in the head and killed. There were also five people shot during three drive-by’s that occurred within a 14-minute span in Canarsie. There are no arrests in any of the incidents and the investigations remains ongoing. Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blames the uptick in crime on “shoplifters” looking to get food for their “hungry families”. In the past 400 shootings in NYC, not ONE was a shoplifter, or a “hungry person” looking for food for their families. They are 99% gang and drug-related incidents.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added four more states to New York’s quarantine list on Tuesday as he sought to contain the spread of COVID-19 from regions of the country where infection rates are growing. The addition of Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin means that travelers from 22 states will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering New York. The list of states that meet New York’s travel advisory’s metrics has continued to grow each week as coronavirus cases continue to spike nationwide.

With the number of shootings literally exploding in NYC, some prominent members of the Black Community are calling on the Mayor to reverse his decision and put the NYPD Plainclothes “anti-crime” Officers back on the streets. DeBlasio got rid of the unit during the George Floyd protest that rocked NYC last month. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams Adams, a former cop, became the second member of the African-American community to call on the NYPD to stop the violence by re-instituting the Anti-Crime Unit — undercover cops whose job was to get guns off the street. “I think that a total elimination is something we need to reevaluate,” said Adams. “Right now, bad guys are saying if you don’t see a blue and white you can do whatever you want.” Community activist Tony Herbert agrees.

The NYPD is investigating vandalism of the Black Lives Matter mural painted last week outside Trump Tower. Just after Noon, a man threw red paint on the large, yellow letters, on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. The man dropped the paint can and then ran off on West 56th Street, according to police. The mural between West 56th Steet and West 57th Street was painted over the course of five hours on Thursday with the help of dozens of people including Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and the Rev. Al Sharpton. President Donald Trump has slammed the idea on Twitter, calling the mural a “symbol of hate.” De Blasio said he is committed to creating Black Lives Matter murals in each of New York City’s five boroughs. Police describe the vandalism as criminal mischief. (AP)

During a briefing on Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an emergency order requiring travelers flying to New York from designated high-risk states to provide contact information when entering the state. In order to help enforce quarantining, all state airports will issue paperwork to travelers starting today, Cuomo said. Those who do not comply could receive a summons with $2,000 fine. They could also face a mandatory-quarantine. “None of this is pleasant, but we’ve gone through this before,” Cuomo said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A tanker truck overturned and burst into flames Monday on the western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike. It happened on the Exit 16W ramp during the morning commute. The exit ramp was closed in both directions, and traffic was delayed in the area. It’s unclear what caused the crash, but it did not appear that any other vehicles were involved. Tanker fire on the NJ Turnpike in East Rutherford sending smoke all the way into #NYC @NBCNewYork #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/vMs7djXay1 — Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) July 13, 2020 (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Authorities are investigating a shooting in New York City that left an infant dead and injured three adults. Police said on Monday that the 1-year-old boy was shot at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday during a cookout near a playground in Brooklyn. Witnesses said two men jumped out of a car and fired multiple shots at the group before driving away. Police said the infant was hit in the stomach while sitting in a stroller and died at the hospital. Three men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds but were expected to survive. (AP)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will allow schools to reopen in Phase 4 regions with a COVID-19 infection rate of 5% or lower (14-day average) as of August 1. Reopening will be halted if infection rate reaches 9% on a 7-day average, Cuomo says. Cuomo says announcements for which schools will reopen are coming Aug. 1. Along with infection metrics retirements, students and teachers will be required to wear masks and PPE. Students and staff will also be screened for the virus every day, including temperature checks. School districts must submit their reopening plans through a state web portal that will open on July 17. Plans must be submitted by July 31.