A day before Geoffrey S. Berman was axed from his job as head of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, he refused to sign onto a letter crafted by senior officials in Washington lambasting New York’s mayor for putting COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings. Berman’s refusal didn’t directly contribute to his ouster. But it was another example of the ways in which he appeared to run afoul of Attorney General William Barr and other high-ranking officials at the Justice Department. According to several people familiar with their relationship, Berman, a political donor to President Donald Trump who investigated and charged some of his allies, wasn’t a team player. He operated outside Washington leadership, and won praise from Trump critics as an independent thinker.

From Macy’s “Miracle on 34th Street” store to the World Trade Center’s office towers, New York City hit a key point Monday in trying to rebound from the nation’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak. For the first time in three months, New Yorkers are able to dine out, though only at outdoor tables. Shoppers can once again browse in the city’s destination stores. Shaggy heads can get haircuts. Cooped-up kids can finally climb playground monkey bars instead of apartment walls. Office workers can return to their desks, though many haven’t yet. Larry Silverstein, for one, couldn’t wait. The 89-year-old World Trade Center developer was headed to work at his office there Monday, along with up to a third of Silverstein Properties’ staff.

New York City’s effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus through contact tracing has been hampered by the reluctance of many people who are infected with the virus to provide information to tracers, according to a report in The New York Times. The Times report said just 35% of the 5,347 city residents who tested positive or were presumed positive for COVID-19 in the first two weeks of the contact tracing program gave information about their close contacts. Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the School of Public Health at Rutgers University, called the 35% rate for eliciting contacts “very bad.” “For each person, you should be in touch with 75 percent of their contacts within a day,” Halkitis told the Times. Dr.

A New York City police officer removed from duty after he was recorded putting a man in what the police commissioner said was a banned chokehold once faced criminal charges alleging he pistol-whipped a teenage suspect and broke two of his teeth. The police department moved quickly to suspend Officer David Afanador without pay after Sunday’s confrontation on the boardwalk at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Monday the swift action was a sign of “unprecedented times.” “I think we have an obligation to act swiftly but we also have to get it right and to inform the public about what’s going on,” Shea told TV station NY1. Shea announced the suspension hours only hours after video of the incident was posted on social media.

With New York State now boasting one of the lowest percentages of daily positive COVID-19 tests (0.96%) in the nation, and as cases continue to Baruch HaShem decline, Agudath Israel again voices its opposition to unevenly applied governmental laws that impede our religious freedoms and parental autonomy. The Agudah has said this to governmental officials and has said it publicly in our May 19 and June 12 statements: The state recognized that COVID-19 cases have plummeted for months when it sanctioned horse racing, peaceful protests by thousands, professional sports training, and graduation ceremonies, all with only minimal restrictions. Our shuls, camps, and schools are at least as vital, and the Governor must find safe ways to open them as well.

Today, the Association of Jewish Camp Operators (AJCO), took the extraordinary move of requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to ask the court to immediately open overnight camps in New York State. AJCO, an umbrella organization formed by Agudath Israel years ago to represent the interests of Orthodox Jewish camps, made its request in the US District Court for the Northern District of New York following the filing of a legal complaint this past Thursday against Governor Cuomo. Today’s detailed legal submission includes declarations by a leading infectious disease specialist, Dr.

The American Museum of Natural History will remove a prominent statue of Theodore Roosevelt from its entrance after years of objections that it symbolizes colonial expansion and racial discrimination, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. The bronze statue that has stood at the museum’s Central Park West entrance since 1940 depicts Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an African man standing next to the horse. “The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” de Blasio said in a written statement. “The City supports the Museum’s request.

A New Jersey State Police trooper was hurt in a collision with a dump truck on the New Jersey Turnpike on Monday morning. The crash occurred on the southbound side near milepost 70.7 in Cranbury, State Police said. State police said the trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the crash. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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Disturbing video has surfaced of NYPD officers choking a man unconscious, while using an illegal chokehold. The incident occurred in the Far Rockaway section of Queens. The NYPD released a short statement to YWN that reads: “We are aware of the video and there is an active investigation underway by the Internal Affairs Bureau. This matter is taken extremely seriously and we expect to have an update this evening as the investigation unfolds.” The New York City Council earlier this month passed legislation that made it a criminal offense for cops to use chokeholds. Meanwhile, a crowd has gathered tonight to protest in front of the 101 Precinct in Far Rockaway.

Join Councilman Chaim Deutsch in calling for an end to the chaos that has reigned on the streets of New York City for more than two weeks. Mayor de Blasio: New Yorkers are suffering because of the constant fireworks. People can’t sleep, and many are terrified to leave their homes at night. Kids and pets are afraid. Seniors and the medically vulnerable are unable to rest. Because fireworks can set off Shot Spotter, lives are in danger. New Yorkers have been hospitalized in critical condition because of injuries sustained from fireworks. END THE MADNESS. GIVE US BACK OUR CITY. CLICK HERE TO SIGN to send a message to Mayor de Blasio: we need leadership! (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)