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Street crime units face challenges following high-profile controversies

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

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(NEW YORK) — Law enforcement officers assigned to street crime units aim to infiltrate gangs, confiscate illegal guns and remove drugs off the streets, according to police officials and legal experts.

However, street crime units have found themselves at the forefront of controversy and many have come under scrutiny following allegations of abuse and misconduct.

Critics of such units, whose officers sometimes operate in unmarked cars and plainclothes, have said they too often fall into discriminatory and abusive practices.

Units under scrutiny

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the local police department’s street crime unit was accused in September of abusing their authority and injuring members of the public in a series of lawsuits alleging civil rights violations at the hands of police.

The unit was called BRAVE, an acronym for Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination.

Complaints against the department allege beatings and strip searches of suspects at a warehouse that the street crime unit used for interrogations, which allegedly turned violent and during which police officers would allegedly turn off their body cameras.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome permanently closed the warehouse known as “Brave Cave” and disbanded the police department’s street crimes units amid the allegations.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul announced his impending resignation following the allegations and lawsuits.

“We will hold ourselves accountable,” Paul said at a City Council meeting in September. “The investigative efforts will yield accountability that will meet community expectations.”

The FBI New Orleans field office, alongside the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, has opened an investigation into the department.

In Memphis, Tennessee, the local police department’s SCORPION unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, was disbanded following a January incident involving 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who was the victim of a brutal beating by members of the SCORPION unit.

SCORPION unit officers pulled over Nichols for alleged “reckless driving,” according to Memphis police reports. Officers could be seen beating him in body camera footage. Nichols was transported to a hospital, where he died three days later.

According to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by the family, Nichols suffered “extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”

The Memphis Police Association, the union representing the city’s police officers, told ABC News following the release of the incident’s body camera footage that it is “committed to the administration of justice and never condones the mistreatment of any citizen nor any abuse of power.”

The unit was dedicated to patrolling “high crime hotspots” — focusing on auto thefts, as well as gang-related and drug-related crimes.

The department declined ABC News’ request for comment. Five officers were criminally charged in Nichols’ death. One has entered a guilty plea to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of Justice. Four others have each pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges.

The New York Police Department’s anti-crime unit became known for its stop-and-frisk practices, and was found to disproportionately target Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

In 1998, the street crime unit filed more than 27,000 stop-and-frisk reports — which was the greatest number generated by any NYPD unit, according to research from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

NYPD data at the time suggested “that racial profiling plays some role in the stop-and-frisk practices of the overall department,” particularly in the street crime unit, the commission research showed.

Anthony Rivera, a correction officer with the New York City Department of Correction at the time, told the commission about his encounter with the unit.

“I was also stopped by a fellow officer while picking up my daughter one day at school, by the Street Crimes Unit,” he said. “They just came out of their vehicles, about three vehicles, like cowboys from the wild, wild west, with their guns drawn. Luckily I had a shield, and my friend, my fellow officer, had his shield. But if it was a regular Latino out there, we might have been a statistic that you talk about today, our brothers being shot without probable cause, or for any reason.”

The NYPD disbanded the anti-crime unit in August 2020 in the wake of social justice protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, and was resurrected in 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams.

The department continues to operate under a court-appointed watchdog “to ensure that the NYPD engages in constitutional stops, frisks, and searches,” according to the independent monitor’s website.

“Since the time a decade ago when hundreds of thousands of stops were made a year, today stops have been reduced by 97%,” said Matthew Pontillo, the NYPD’s Chief of Risk Management in a 2022 statement about the monitor’s reports.

The statement continued, “At the same time, through intelligence led, data-driven, precision policing, the NYPD continues to make gun arrests at the highest rate in over two decades.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which has sued the NYPD several times for its practices, told ABC News that inadequate “supervisory review and discipline” are at the core of why anti-crime units often face such controversies.

“Anti-crime units are often given broad discretion and encouraged to be overly inclusive in stops in an effort to combat crime, but in reality these actions lead to unconstitutional behavior, including racial profiling,” Samah Mcgona Sisay, who is a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told ABC News.

Why street crime units remain active

Street crime units continue to be found in police departments across the country.

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told ABC News that street crime units can be helpful for tackling gang activity and drug cases if officers know a community well.

“I knew everybody and most of the people in the precinct knew me … You worked for a community, you understood it,” said Boyce of his time on a street crime unit. “If you want a citywide unit, it’s a mistake because they’re not plugged in.”

“It’s important to convey to your officers exactly what they’re going to do – robberies, guns, violence, street crime,” said Boyce. “You shouldn’t be pulling over cars, although sometimes you need to … and sometimes you have no choice.”

The Pittsfield Police Department in Massachusetts has a much smaller street crime unit than those in New York, Baton Rouge and Memphis. Pittsfield Lt. Jacob Barbour told ABC News that having a street crime unit that’s well known in their community has helped police address crime.

“We just had a homicide that was solved within 40 hours. They had the suspect arrested. We helped out a lot on that one as far as surveillance on particular houses; the guys have informants,” he told ABC News. “So frequently, that information is so valuable when we have these major cases.”

His unit has made hundreds of arrests on public offenses, including shoplifting, possession of illegal firearms, drug possession with intent to distribute, and more.

He continued, “We’re out there so often … A lot of the people that we deal with frequently we know very well, mostly on a first name basis.”

Boyce added that, in light of the potential for abuses of power, street crime units need to be heavily trained and heavily supervised to be effective.

“Unless you have a really strong supervision on this, you’re gonna have some problems,” said Boyce.

Jewish man killed in altercation at dueling protests over Israel-Hamas war in California, sheriff and local organizations say

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — A 69-year-old Jewish man died after a blunt-force head injury following an altercation at an Israel-Hamas war protest in California, Ventura County officials and local organizations said Monday.

The death followed a confrontation with a counter-protester as simultaneous pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held at the same location over the weekend, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said it determined Paul Kessler’s death was a homicide. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility the incident was a hate crime, officials said Monday. Kessler was Jewish, according to two faith-based organizations in Los Angeles.

On Sunday afternoon in Thousand Oaks, California, multiple people called the Ventura County Sheriff’s Communication Center to report an incident of battery at the corner of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, authorities said. The intersection was where pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations were taking place.

Authorities arriving on the scene located Kessler and noted he was suffering from a head injury, the sheriff’s office said.

Witnesses told deputies that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with a counter-protester or protesters, officials said Monday night. Kessler fell backward during the altercation, authorities said, hitting his head on the ground.

He was transported to a local hospital for what authorities said was “advanced medical treatment,” but he died from his injuries Monday, officials said.

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said in a Monday statement that it was “devastated to learn of the tragic death of an elderly Jewish man.”

“Violence against our people has no place in civilized society. We demand safety. We will not tolerate violence against our community. We will do everything in our power to prevent it,” the federation said.

Executive Director Hussam Ayloush of the Greater LA office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also issued a statement following the news of the man’s death.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic and shocking loss. We join local Jewish leaders in calling on all individuals to refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumors that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at an all-time high,” he said.

The public should wait until the sheriff’s office completes its investigation before “drawing any conclusions,” he said.

“While we strongly support the right of political debate, CAIR-LA and the Muslim community stand with the Jewish community in rejecting any and all violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, or incitement of hatred,” he added.

Why women, children are disproportionately impacted by the conflict in Gaza: Experts

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Women and children in Gaza are bearing the brunt of the Israel-Hamas war, according to United Nations agencies and experts.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began Oct. 7, and more than 25,000 others injured, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Monday. Since Hamas launched its surprise terror attack on Israel, at least 1,400 people have been killed and more than 6,900 others injured in Israel, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Monday.

As of Friday, 67% of all deaths in Gaza were made up of women and children while thousands more have been injured, according to several U.N. agencies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

In war zones, men often take combatant roles while non-combatants are overwhelmingly women and children — as well as the elderly, experts said.

“What it does is limit access to health care for them for many reasons, it may be the health care facility is destroyed or there’s no access to the facility or there’s no equipment, things like that,” Dr. Harry Johnson, an OB-GYN at the University of Maryland Medical Center who has experience practicing in war zones, told ABC News.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant has said the Israeli military is doing everything possible to prevent civilian loss of life. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza amid Israel’s total siege.

Air raids and bombardments have damaged several facilities, including hospitals, limiting access to care, particularly for pregnant people and children.

As of Friday, an estimated 50,000 women are pregnant in Gaza with 5,500 due to give birth in the next 30 days, according to the UNFPA. About 15% may experience pregnancy-related or birth-related complications requiring medical care, the health agency said.

Johnson said in traditional prenatal care, common conditions like diabetes and hypertension would be taken care of. But with a conflict, that care may be lost, which could have a negative outcome on the pregnancy, the health of the mother and the health of the baby.

Dr. Dabney Evans, an associate professor of global health in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said blockades might be preventing people from accessing care and, additionally, medical centers might be so overwhelmed with those who have been physically injured that it’s hard to provide services to those needing medical care in other areas.

Doctors in Gaza have said health care facilities are overcrowded, with workers dealing with a lack of supplies to treat patients.

Humanitarian organizations, including the World Health Organization and agencies that are part of the United Nations, are calling for an immediate cease-fire to allow aid such as food, medicine and fuel supplies to enter Gaza. Some people in Gaza were given clearance to leave for the first time on Nov. 1 via Egypt’s Rafah border crossing since the Oct. 7 attack, with limited aid flowing into Gaza.

“Being able to provide the medicines and the services that are essential for folks,” Evans said. “We know with the conflict that’s been going on, there have been limitations on fuel, water, and that’s creating a crisis in and of itself. Hospitals and health facilities require fuel, for example, to keep incubators running.”

However, Israeli officials have resisted allowing fuel shipments into Gaza, noting that Hamas militants have stored fuel.

The WHO says there are currently 130 premature babies in neonatal intensive care units in Gaza who might be affected if fuel runs out and incubators and other medical equipment no longer work.

Not being able to get to a hospital may force some women to give birth in shelters or in their homes without a medical professional present, which can increase the risk of perinatal death.

It’s not just pregnant women whose care is disrupted, but also those who need other reproductive services.

“After your reproductive years, women can have quite a bit of medical problems,” Johnson said. “Some of them maybe resulted from their childbirth or menopause. A lot of different things that are specific to women that oftentimes are not cared for during time of conflict because the facility or the physicians or nurse midwives or nurse practitioners are not available to the patient.”

He said women who were on hormone therapy or scheduled to have fibroids treated or to end urinary incontinence also see their care disrupted and, in many cases, cut off.

In addition, women and children who are left behind in cities and towns may not have access to clean water, increasing their risk of diarrheal diseases, or access to food, which increases the risk of malnutrition, the U.N. agencies warned.

Women and children stuck in conflict areas are also at increased risk of mental health struggles.

“This is true for, both carers and mothers — whoever may be doing the caregiving — as well as children, which is that there’s a lot of traumas happening,” Evans said. “Whether they are experiencing direct physical injury or not, they are seeing and witnessing a lot of things which are very, very troubling and so those are going to have both short- and long-term effects on mental health.”

She added, “I think it’s really important for individuals and for state governments to take note that multiple U.N. agencies are coming together in this moment and what they are telling us is that a better response is needed. It’s a really important signal … that this is a moment, this is a crisis in which we are being called to pay attention, and we must respond.”

Supreme Court reviews federal ban on guns for domestic abusers

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments over a 30-year-old federal ban on firearms for people under domestic violence restraining orders.

The case, U.S. v. Rahimi, is a blockbuster test of a widely popular gun safety regulation and the Second Amendment at a time when firearms are a leading factor in intimate partner violence nationwide.

An estimated 12 million American adults are victims of domestic abuse every year; on average, 70 die every month from being shot by an intimate partner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A woman is five times more likely to die from a domestic abuse situation if a gun is involved, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

The justices are taking up the issue one year after a landmark decision made it more difficult for governments to restrict individual gun rights. The high court’s ruling said only laws “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation” can be allowed.

“This is an opportunity for the justices to clarify the test, particularly as it applies to domestic abusers, and to a whole host of incredibly effective gun violence prevention laws,” said Kelly Roskam, director of law and policy at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

The 1994 federal statute at the center of the case requires thousands of domestic violence restraining orders issued each year by federal and state judges to be reported to the national background check system. In turn, they serve as a basis to deny a firearm sale.

More than 77,000 attempted firearm purchases by alleged domestic abusers have been blocked since 1998, according to the FBI.

“We know that it’s not just intimate partners murdering their partners. We know that they’re doing it with firearms and that these laws are preventing them from doing that,” said Roskam.

The gun ban is being challenged by Zackey Rahimi, a Texas drug dealer with a history of violence, who was indicted on charges of illegal gun possession while under a protective order secured by his girlfriend.

He argues in court documents the law is not supported by American history and tradition. Earlier this year, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, calling the measure an “outlier…that our ancestors would never have accepted.”

“This statute actually ends up disarming a bunch of law-abiding or otherwise good people that you might not expect when you first look at it,” said Aidan Johnston, a lobbyist with Gun Owners of America, which is backing Rahimi. “We’re fighting for the victims here who are disarmed by mutual restraining orders.”

The Biden administration, which is defending the law, insists the nation has a broad history and tradition of disarming people who are not “responsible, law-abiding citizens” — even if there is no exact historical replica of a law targeting domestic abusers.

“American legislatures have long disarmed individuals whom they have found to be dangerous, irresponsible, or otherwise unfit to possess arms,” the government says in court documents.

While the Supreme Court’s six-justice conservative majority has been generally advanced an expansive view of the Second Amendment — and closely scrutinized gun safety regulations, at least two justices have made clear they are wary of going too far.

“Properly interpreted, the Second Amendment allows a ‘variety’ of gun regulations,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh pointedly noted in a concurring opinion to last year’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett has also voiced clear support for gun restrictions on “dangerous people,” writing as an appeals court judge that some limits are entirely constitutional.

A decision in the Rahimi case is expected by the end of June 2024.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear hopes to show Democrats can win even if Biden is unpopular

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(CAMPBELL COUNTY, Ky.) — Republicans are hoping to sink Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection bid on Tuesday by tying him to the widely unpopular President Joe Biden.

But in this ruby red state that Biden lost by more than 25 points three years ago, Beshear appears to be offering Democrats hope of local success amid party-wide handwringing: voters supporting both Beshear and his Republican challenger, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, told ABC News that the governor’s brand was strong enough to blunt any ties to the White House.

“Andy Beshear is a more liberal Democrat than the average Kentucky Democrat. Kentucky Democrats are pretty conservative. Now, is he the clone of Joe Biden? No,” said Steve Megerle, an attorney and lifelong Republican in Fort Thomas, who said he is debating between voting for Beshear and leaving the governor’s line blank on Tuesday.

“I probably don’t see Beshear as bad as Biden,” Carol Taylor told ABC News at a Cameron campaign event in Richmond. “I don’t think I can say anything good about [Biden].”

To be sure, Beshear’s reelection is no sure thing. A former state attorney general and son of a former governor, he narrowly won his first term in 2019 against an unpopular incumbent Republican and, given how the state usually votes, he’ll have to win over a large swath of conservatives to stay in office, with recent polling previewing a neck-and-neck race.

But interviews with more than 20 operatives and voters of both parties revealed a lack of the kind of vitriol about Beshear that is usually evident when a governor is about to be unseated.

The trend could prove notable for other down-ballot Democrats in 2024 as they try to persuade voters to view them separately from Biden while sharing a ticket with him.

The governor’s race could also show some signs of how Democrats will fare next year both in House seats the party holds where Donald Trump also won and in Senate races in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia, which like Kentucky often vote for Republicans.

Beshear has some big advantages, strategists and experts said: He holds the edge in fundraising, helping him lap Cameron in advertising, and he has been credited for his handling of floods and tornadoes that struck Kentucky during his term, including repeated travel to the disaster sites and other locations to tout economic development projects.

And while many Republicans continue to criticize closures during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, voters who spoke with ABC News also spontaneously cited Beshear’s daily press conferences to update Kentuckians.

“Oh gosh, what’s not to love? He really was a super calming effect during the pandemic,” said Laura Taylor, a stay-at-home mom in Fort Thomas.

Adele Gormley, another Beshear backer, put it even more bluntly: “He kept us alive during COVID.”

That’s not how the GOP sees it.

“Joe Biden was endorsed by Andy Beshear, and I can’t think of a bigger slap in the face to Kentuckians,” Cameron, his rival, said in an interview after a stop in Georgetown.

The attacks have caught on with some.

“I think his values are the total opposite, and he doesn’t align with the values of Kentuckians. I want to see him removed. He’s just a puppet for Joe Biden,” said Karson Carrier, a 22-year-old Eastern Kentucky University student.

However, most voters who spoke with ABC News said they view Beshear as not just another Democrat, with Megerle dubbing him “Andy dad jeans.”

Beshear’s disaster and pandemic response “put him in a light of someone that’s the healer in chief, with great compassion, and has kind of set him apart from a typical partisan politician,” said T.J. Litafik, a Kentucky GOP strategist.

The governor, who said he hasn’t spoken with Biden since last year’s flooding, swatted away Cameron’s attacks.

“He knows that if it’s me versus him, he can’t win. He’s trying to nationalize this race and trick people,” Beshear told ABC News at a stop in Newport.

So far, among other issues, he and Cameron have sparred over abortion access and school choice vouchers.

Some Republicans in the state complained that Beshear’s bipartisan popularity is undeserved, particularly over his promotion of tax cuts — which were pushed by the state Legislature’s GOP supermajority — and updates to the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Kentucky and Cincinnati, which some pointed out was arguably really accomplished by the White House and Congress authorizing new infrastructure money.

“It’s disturbing to me to see him take credit for that,” Republican state Rep. Kim Moser said of the tax cuts. “Unfortunately, not everyone studies the policy and the legislation that passes as much as, certainly, I do and my colleagues, because we work there.”

Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, strategists in both parties suggested Kentucky’s election could be something of a tea leaf for 2024. The state’s previous six gubernatorial races foreshadowed the results of the following year’s presidential election results, with the winning party in Kentucky matching the winning party in the White House.

“I think there are going to be things to learn here no matter whether it’s Cameron or Beshear,” said GOP strategist Scott Jennings, who has worked with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

Other experts didn’t go that far, noting that it’s an off-year race for state rather than a federal office. And, they said, Beshear has the flexibility to make typical Democratic arguments on issues like abortion and transgender rights because he knows his views on such hot-button issues aren’t likely to be enacted and affect voters given that Republicans run the Legislature.

“Andy Beshear’s a terrible example for national Democrats of what to do, because he’s not by any means taking positions that make him a moderate,” said Jake Cox, a Kentucky GOP strategist who worked for Ryan Quarles’ gubernatorial primary campaign.

Still, Democrats are likely to take notes from Beshear’s tactics, including over his ability to use his massive fundraising advantage to try to win over detractors.

When meeting ABC News at a local bar, Megerle brought two pieces of pro-Cameron mail advertisements that he said he’s received. He then handed over eight mailers from Beshear’s campaign — saying those were just the ones he had kept.

While “it takes a lot for me to vote for a Democrat,” he said, he wasn’t ruling it out.

“I think I’ll figure it out when I walk into the booth on Election Day.”

Gov. Youngkin makes final pitch to Virginia voters with education as top issue

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LEESBURG, Va.) — On Election Day eve, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin made his final pitch to voters at a rally, telling the crowd, “We have to stand up for our kids.”

The Monday night event, hosted by Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia political action committee in a stadium in Leesburg, Virginia, put education and “parents’ rights” front and center as the top issue for Republican voters ahead of Tuesday’s election.

“We’re gonna put [parents] at the head of the table in charge of our children’s lives,” said Youngkin.

At the last GOP rally in the state, before voters head to the polls Tuesday, Youngkin took aim at social media companies, linking them to issues of bullying and youth mental health struggles. He also said Democrats and social media giants are not prioritizing children’s safety.

“[Democrats] really believe that children belong to the state and not to families,” Youngkin said.

The rally, which was part of Youngkin’s “Secure Your Vote” campaign, aimed at encouraging Republicans to vote early, featured several top state Republicans, including Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

“When you are talking about my child, all bets are off,” Earls-Sears said.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” Mitarres echoed. “Parents matter.”

Loudoun County, where the event was held, became the epicenter of the “parents’ rights” conservative moment in 2021 over school pandemic learning policies and Republicans’ criticisms of the schools’ focus on racial equity.

Voters in the fast-growing suburb will select a new school board on Tuesday with all nine seats on the ballot.

“We gotta get this done,” Youngkin told the crowd. “The parents matter movement we started right here in Loudoun County and spread across the entire county … we’ve got to reinforce it again tomorrow.”

In 2021, Youngkin ran on education — advocating for parents to have more control over their children’s schooling after pandemic-era restrictions that required remote classes.

If Republicans hold their state House majority and win back the state Senate, Youngkin could advance more education legislation.

On education, Virginia Democrats say that they want to boost public school funding to address learning loss during the pandemic and other issues.

The rally also comes a few days after Youngkin issued an executive order directing the Department of Education to issue guidance ensuring school divisions notify parents of school-connected overdoses within 24 hours.

Five takeaways from Trump’s fraud trial testimony

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In a tense New York courtroom that saw emotions run high, a defiant Donald Trump testified for roughly four hours Monday in the New York attorney general’s $250 million civil fraud case, which accuses the former president, his sons and his namesake company of improperly inflating assets in order to secure favorable loan terms.

At times Trump punctuated his responses with sudden outbursts targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom he called a “political hack,” and the trial judge overseeing the case, Judge Arthur Engoron, who shouted in exasperation during several exchanges.

Regarding Trump’s statements of financial condition, the documents at the center of the case that the New York AG alleges contained fraudulent valuations, Trump testified that he had a role in crafting the documents but said he mostly tasked their preparation to then-Trump Organization executives Jeffrey McConney and Allen Weisselberg, and that they were vetted by accountants.

The state will call its last witness, Ivanka Trump, on Wednesday, after which the defense is scheduled to present its case over the next four weeks.

Here are five takeaways from Trump’s testimony on Monday:

Trump aired his grievances with the judge and others

“Political hack.” “Election interference.” “Trump-haters.” Those are common refrains on Trump’s social media channels — but never before had they been heard in court.

Until now.

The former president grew animated at times as he laid into the Judge Engoron and state attorneys who brought the case, often motioning with his hands as he aired his grievances.

“Everyone is trying to figure out why you’re doing this. I understand it — it’s called politics,” Trump said at one point.

Later, he went further.

“I think this case is a disgrace,” Trump said. “It’s election interference because you want to keep me in this courthouse all day long.”

Engoron threatened Trump to try to keep him focused

Early in his testimony, as Trump interspersed his answers with political interjections, Judge Engoron grew more agitated.

“You and every other Democratic district attorney, AG, U.S. Attorney were coming after me from 15 different sides. All Democrats, all Trump haters,” Trump said, unprompted, at one point.

Engoron repeatedly and sternly instructed Trump to avoid lengthy “narrative” responses, regularly interrupting Trump’s testimony to strike certain comments and keep the questions moving along.

The judge directed most of his frustration toward Trump attorney Chris Kise, and at one point threatened to excuse Trump from the stand and “draw every negative inference I can.”

“Mr. Kise, can you control your client? This is not a political rally. This is a courtroom,” Engoron said. “I beseech you to control him, if you can. If you can’t, I will.”

When Trump attorney Alina Habba attempted to push back, Engoron shouted, “Sit down already! Sit down.”

After a moment’s pause, Trump weighed in.

“This is a very unfair trial,” he said. “I hope the public is watching.”

Trump acknowledged undervaluing two properties

As the volatility of the morning gave way to a more measured back-and-forth, Trump acknowledged that he overvalued at least two properties in his statements of financial condition, though he broadly represented that the statements underestimated his total net worth.

“Did you ever think that the values were off in your statement of financial condition?” state attorney Kevin Wallace asked about the document at the center of the case.

“Yes, on occasion. Both high and low,” Trump said.

Regarding his penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, he said, “I thought the apartment was overvalued when I looked at it,” appearing to refer to a $200 million correction applied to his statement after Forbes magazine reported that he falsely stated the apartment was three times its actual size.

Asked about the change in the statement, Trump acknowledged the square footage mistake, which he blamed on a broker, while also claiming that the number was “not far off” from reality when you consider the square footage of Trump Tower’s roof.

“It’s a mistake … [but] there’s a disclaimer clause so you don’t have to get sued by the attorney general of New York,” Trump said.

Trump made a similar admission about the $291 million valuation of his Seven Springs property in New York’s Westchester County.

“I thought it was too high and we lowered it,” Trump said, though he could not provide specifics about the changed valuation.

Trump stood by his statements but said others mostly prepared them

Although Trump said he had a role in crafting his statements of financial condition, he said he largely tasked their preparation to then-Trump Organization executives Jeffrey McConney and Allen Weisselberg.

The pair worked with lawyers and a “very highly paid accounting firm” to compile the statements, Trump testified.

“All I did was authorize for people to give what was necessary so they could do the statement,” he said.

“The bank would check the work that these people did,” Trump said later. “I have people. I pay them a lot of money. They’re accountants. I assume they keep good records.”

Trump didn’t rule out changes following the trial

At the end of the day, as Trump’s testimony was winding down, Wallace asked Trump about what he might have learned as a result of the court case.

“Do you think anything needs to change at the Trump Organization because of what you learned from this lawsuit?” the state attorney asked.

“I don’t think so,” Trump said — but suggested that he would defer to his new accounting firm.

“We will see if anything will come of it,” the former president said.

Arizona man arrested, hit with federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill rabbi

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — An Arizona man was arrested and hit with federal charges over the weekend for allegedly threatening to execute a Scottsdale rabbi and “every other JEW” he could find, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Jeffrey Mindock, a 47-year-old Tempe resident, allegedly sent an email last Friday morning to the rabbi asking him to convince a judge in Utah to drop charges against him in a separate case there.

“If you do not use your influence to right this wrong I will execute you and every other JEW [sic] I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath,” Mindock allegedly wrote. “If you wish to communicate with me further, I will only meet in person.”

The subject of the email read: “HITLER WAS RIGHT RABBI,” according to the criminal complaint, and referenced the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

“As I have watched the atrocities unfolding in Palestine, I have come to the realization that YOU people are to blame for everything evil in this world,” Mindock allegedly wrote. “Zionist Jews control everything from the courts to the banks to the media. We both know that you are in control.”

Prosecutors say Mindock has a history of threatening behavior, alleging he sent an email previously to a judge that threatened to “hang” them and that in a prior court appearance, he threatened to “execute” people in 2021, saying he knew “how to make bombs.”

He further stated at that time, he was a sovereign citizen and that Ted Kaczynski was “his hero,” prosecutors say.

Mindock made his initial appearance Monday morning and was appointed a public defender. He has not entered a plea and is being held prior to a detention hearing at a yet-to-be-determined date. ABC News has reached out to the public defender in the case.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorses DeSantis, giving him a needed boost

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Ron DeSantis Monday night at a rally in downtown Des Moines, injecting the Florida governor’s presidential campaign with a boost he hopes will narrow a poll deficit in a state on which he has banked his campaign.

“I am so proud to stand here tonight and give him my full support and endorsement for president of the United States of America,” Reynolds said on stage before introducing DeSantis, whom she praised for his kindness and his leadership, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

The endorsement — rare for an Iowa governor — had been suspected, as DeSantis and Reynolds are friends and have spoken glowingly of each other in public, but even Reynolds acknowledged Monday the decision was difficult.

“I thought long and hard about making this decision, about telling Iowans and telling you where I stand,” she said, saying she enjoyed welcoming and speaking with all the presidential candidates who have visited Iowa.

“We owe each of them a debt of gratitude,” she said.

“But I also believe that as a mom and as a grandma and as an American, I could not and cannot sit on the sidelines any longer,” she added. “We are living in unprecedented times. There is just too much at stake. Our country is in trouble. The world is a powder keg. And I’m here to tell you, without a doubt, that Ron DeSantis is the person that we need leading this country.”

DeSantis, who greeted Reynolds with a hug when he took the stage, praised the Iowa governor as “one of the greatest governors in the United States” with “a great head on her shoulders.”

“When I was going through a lot, when we were going through it with COVID, I think Kim and I are the only governors in America that forced all our schools to be open for classroom instruction,” he said.

The timing of the endorsement — news of which broke Sunday morning with reports that it would happen the next night — is opportune for DeSantis, who endured a week of rough news: An NBC/Des Moines Register Iowa poll showed him slipping to a tie for second with Nikki Haley, and he endured a flurry of defections to former President Donald Trump by lawmakers in his home state.

The endorsement also gives DeSantis something new to tout on the Republican debate stage Wednesday night in Miami.

In Iowa, there are indications that Reynolds’ backing could boost DeSantis.

Norman Uchida, 73, a retired utility worker who attended Monday’s rally, said it could “have a big impact” and added the governor is “very popular” among Republicans in Iowa.

Meanwhile, Phil Cronin, a 68-year-old realtor from Johnston who attended a recent DeSantis event but told ABC News there that he was undecided, said in a text message Monday, “I think a lot of [Reynolds] and the endorsement.”

“It does maybe help me narrow the field a bit,” Cronin said.

Cody Hoefert, a former co-chair of the Iowa Republican Party who has endorsed DeSantis, called Reynolds’ endorsement “a big deal” and called their alignment “a natural fit.”

Yet if polls are any indication, winning Iowa will be a massive undertaking for DeSantis, who trails Trump in the state by nearly 30 points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average.

DeSantis has dismissed the polls as he methodically hop-scotches across Iowa, hoping the frequent stops at small-town diners build a bevy of support that won’t reveal itself until the results trickle in on caucus night.

Reynolds’ endorsement has caught the attention of Trump, whose relationship with the Iowa governor severed earlier this year as he accused her of being disloyal.

“Why would anybody endorse Ron DeSanctimonious, who is like a wounded bird falling from the sky?” Trump wrote on his Truth Social, using a nickname he coined for the Florida governor, adding, “What’s that all about?”

On stage Monday night, Reynolds said a personal touch from Casey DeSantis helped her decide to endorse: Florida’s first lady, who battled breast cancer two years ago, visited Reynolds and her husband, Kevin, after he was diagnosed with cancer himself this fall.

“Casey, I want you to know how much that meant to both of us,” she said.

ABC’s Muir presses Netanyahu on whether he takes responsibility for Oct. 7 intelligence failures

November 7, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ World News Tonight anchor David Muir, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged he bears some responsibility for the intelligence failures that resulted in his country being caught by surprise by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that his office said killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

Netanyahu had previously blamed his military and security chiefs in a social media post but deleted it after backlash and apologized in a subsequent post.

Muir pressed him on the point in the interview that aired on World News Tonight Monday night.

“I know Israel prides itself with its intelligence capabilities. We now know the Hamas attack had been planned for months. We saw the training videos. Of course we saw the thousands of Hamas terrorists swarming into Israel. How did your government miss this?” Muir asked.

“It’s a very good question, because the first task of government is to protect the people and, clearly, we didn’t live up to that. We had a big, big setback,” Netanyahu responded.

“As prime — as prime minister, do you personally bear any responsibility here?” Muir pressed.

“I’ve said that they’re going to be very tough questions the, the — that are going to be asked and I’m going to be among the first to answer them,” Netanyahu answered. “We’re not going to evade — the responsibility of the government is to protect the people and, clearly, that responsibility wasn’t met.”

Muir continued, “But you know, what I’m asking here, because so many Israeli officials, including the defense minister, the military intelligence chief, the military chief of staff, they’ve all taken some responsibility for Israel being caught off guard — — they didn’t say we have to wait for an investigation here. Do you believe that you should take any responsibility?”

Netanyahu responded, “Of course, that’s not a question. It’s going to be resolved after the war. I think there’ll be time to allocate that.”

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