Politics

Who ruined the Nassau County assessment system? It's a debate that apparently will never die.

2:27

Gov. Cuomo announced a requirement for affordable internet for qualifying low-income families, as proposed in the 2021 State of the State.

2:27

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who signed the measure into law Friday, said it's the first of its kind in the nation.

But New York still reports a higher infection level over a seven-day span than other larger states in the country, according to federal data, as the push to vaccinate residents continues.

The state chairman says they are pushing the party too far left, while they say he's out of touch.

Russia responded in kind to a barrage of new U.S. sanctions, saying it would expel the U.S. diplomats and take other retaliatory moves in a tense showdown with Washington.

A Kremlin official vowed "retaliatory" action as the U.S. imposed "proportionate" sanctions for Russian interference and cyberattacks. Biden said he told Putin the U.S. "could have gone further."

Some Republicans on the national stage aren't ready to give up spurious assertions amid new federal reports on Russian interference in U.S. elections.

The makers of the two other COVID-19 shots authorized in the United States — Johnson & Johnson and Moderna — have made similar predictions

Biden says he won't be talked into sacrificing more U.S. troops' lives to a war of nearly 20 years that hasn't secured the region from extremist insurgents.

McConnell's attempt to label Biden comes as the Senate GOP leader seeks to unite his party against the specter of a threat.

As Biden plans to explain the new timeline to Americans, there's a sense of both relief and concern in Congress about drawing down the longest U.S. war.

Biden's promise of an U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 works politically, and symbolically, for the moment.

President Biden has decided to leave American troops there beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, and has set the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as the new goal, officials said.

Suozzi, Nadler and others say they will "reserve the right to oppose any tax legislation" that does not repeal the cap.

As Biden offers empathy for another Black man killed by police, Daunte Wright, the White House juggles the president's policing and justice agenda in Congress.

Biden cites the rivalry with Beijing's government while urging massive U.S. taxpayer investment in newly defined infrastructure.

The trip to comes as the U.S. has seen a major uptick in migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors, illegally entering the country during the first few months of the Biden administration.

In pushing for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, the Biden administration says New York has more than 7,000 "miles of highway in poor condition."

U.S. District Judge Sandra J. Feuerstein's sons said their mother was in Boca Raton, Florida, visiting friends when police said she was killed on a sidewalk by a hit-and-run driver. They remembered her as "everything a child could want from a mother."

Biden's infrastructure plan faces a challenge more immediate than gaining Republican support: keeping Democrats together and focused on getting the bill passed.

Still early in his term, Biden's public statements reveal an effort to manage expectations from the public and from within his party.

Congressional Republicans and Biden administration officials remained largely entrenched in their positions on what the size and scope of the final plan should look like, but both sides said there was room for negotiation.

2:32

The $2.1 billion fund, which would primarily benefit undocumented workers, was controversial during state budget talks, causing public spats on Twitter among progressive and moderate Democrats.

Trump and his acolytes face new tests of how much longer the defeated president can play boss of his own brand of the Grand Old Party.

Lawmakers won significant victories on school aid and recreational marijuana, but also bickered among themselves.

Long Island officials already are dealing with issues including how to determine when drivers are impaired by marijuana.

New York-based Pfizer and BioNTech SE of Germany have asked the FDA to expand emergency use authorization for their vaccine to include adolescents ages 12 through 15.

2:06

The county has already awarded $500,000 in federal grant money to 67 restaurants and other small businesses.

Gaetz has retained two prominent New York attorneys as he faces a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls.

The president ordered a review of adding seats to the court, creating a bipartisan commission that will spend the next six months examining that and also the issue of term limits for justices.

Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg is seeking a deal that could turn him into a cooperating witness in federal investigations into the Florida congressman.

2:46

The 2021-22 budget provides an 11% increase in funding to school districts overall and 13% for Long Island. And it reflects priorities of a Democrat-dominated Legislature's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve Langford reports.

2:35

A defender of former President Donald Trump over the past four years, Zeldin did not mention Trump in his announcement. Cecilia Dowd gets reactions from LIers.

1:34

Brock Pierce, the former child actor and cryptocurrency mogul who ran for president last year on the New York Independence Party line, joined Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) Thursday to kick off fundraising.

2:35

The four-term congressman launched his bid with a blistering attack on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Gov. Cuomo will nominate one of them by May 8 to replace retiring Judge Leslie Stein. The nominee must be confirmed by the State Senate.

1:50

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing a package of bills that she said would lower prescription medication costs by pegging prices to those in other countries and enable the federal government to negotiate better deals.

2:46

The budget calls for an $18 billion spending increase fueled by generous federal aid and new taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Biden said he's open to debate and expects compromise on his massive economic plan, but he ruled out "doing nothing" about infrastructure and taxes.

1:49

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday signed the State Legislature's repeal of the "emergency disaster treatment protection act," which banned malpractice claims against health care providers. Newsday's Cecilia Dowd has the story.

On his plan to increase the U.S. corporate tax rate to fund his infrastructure package, Biden says, "Debate is welcome. Compromise is inevitable."

2:24

Companies interested in being operators would have to submit proposals to the state. Operators would have to partner with a New York casino to host the computer servers to take bets.

Curran said the public hospital could serve as an "important satellite" to the Northport VA Medical Center, allowing veterans access to more comprehensive care. 

1:49

The bill is effective beginning today, but doesn't apply retroactively to cases.

2:24

New York lawmakers gave the green light to mobile sports betting as a way to raise revenues. Newsday's Steve Langford has the story.

The budget would raise taxes for the wealthy, increase school spending by $3B, freeze public college tuition and green light mobile sports betting.

As Biden urged states to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all U.S. adults, he emphasized why pandemic protocols are still important: "We aren't at the finish line."

2:12

Newsday's Albany bureau chief, Yancey Roy, breaks down the $212.2 billion state budget legislators began passing Tuesday, reflecting an $18 billion increase driven by tax hikes for the wealthy and corporations, and federal aid to speed economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Leslie A. Brun, the lead independent director of Lake Success-based Broadridge Financial Solutions, said in an interview that access to the ballot box is a "fundamental right." 

McConnell warns of "serious consequences" for businesses that denounce MAGA-inspired Republican legislation many say would impede Black voter turnout.

Corporations' role in public affairs has become a salient topic in national politics, largely shaped by the change in White House administrations.

Elected officials from both parties are filling residents' mailboxes with political mailers designed to sway voter opinions about Nassau's property reassessment.

President Joe Biden proposed paying for the eight-year, $2 trillion spending plan by raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, but Republicans have pushed back.

The lawsuit, backed by the Suffolk County Republican Party, argues Browning is ineligible for the 3rd District seat because she already held it for 12 years.

The new law covers possession and sales, oversight, taxes, licenses, revenue allocation, expunging criminal records, impaired driving and more.

While he tacked on "Happy Easter," Trump's weekend was just another opportunity to spout grievances about himself and draw new lines in culture clashes.

As Russia escalates hostile actions in Ukraine, a key question arises over whether Putin is "testing" the Biden administration.

Sources say the budget also will create a new property-tax credit for households earning less than $250,000 annually and freeze public university tuition.

Biden said in the "CBS Sunday Morning" interview he is "100% certain" that he will be cleared of any wrongdoing by a federal probe of his tax dealings.

1:13

Of the 155 jobs for public safety dispatchers and emergency complaint operators at the Suffolk County Police Department, only 136 were filled as of March 1, a 12% vacancy rate.

He will have to navigate the complicated politics of both an entrenched bureaucracy at the Transportation Department and the fraught politics of a bitterly divided Washington.

Community activists continue to push for outside oversight of complaints about police conduct.

1:04

Speaking in Port Washington on Wednesday, Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said that he will only support the White House's infrastructure package if it also restores the SALT deduction.

With McConnell and corporate groups opposing Biden's infrastructure plan, its best hope for passage may be Democratic senators as Biden rallies public support.

Lurid scandals of member of Congress come and go, but the storm around Rep. Matt Gaetz has timely implications for the national Republican Party.

The massive $2T, 8-year plan is aimed at modernizing the nation's roads, bridges and major transportation hubs.

Democrat Kate Browning, who had held the seat until she was term-limited in 2017, and Republican James Mazzarella, a union official, are vying for the job to represent south-central Brookhaven Town.

Biden mapped out an infrastructure plan that, if approved by Congress, would launch an ambitious overhaul of U.S. roadways, transit, water systems and broadband capabilities.

Discussion on tax fairness should include boosting IRS enforcement, not just the planned rate hikes on top corporations and top earners.

1:44

New Yorkers can now possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis under a legalization bill signed today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

1:44

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday signed into law a marijuana legalization bill, paving the way to expunge untold numbers of criminal records, allow limited home growth of cannabis and open one of the largest pot markets in the nation. Newsday's Cecilia Dowd spoke with two happy business owners who are looking forward to the expected increase in profits.

1:04

The White House has signaled that it willing to talk with the representatives about the issue.

Reports allege Gaetz faces DOJ inquiry into whether he had sex with a girl, 17, and paid for her travel. The congressman speaks of "generosity to ex-girlfriends" and denies any were underage.

It's an extraordinary moment when an ex-president's advisers suggest American lives were squandered by the chaos and inaction of the administration they served.

The Biden administration asks Americans to stick with COVID-19 protocols as it cites hopeful numbers on vaccine goals and a worrisome rise in infection and death rates.

Both parties have good reason to stay active months before the 2022 midterm campaigns that could swing the majority in the House and Senate.

3:09

Sherry Vill, from Rochester, says the incident happened when New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo visited her home after flooding near Lake Ontario in 2017.

3:09

Sherry Vill becomes the latest to accuse the governor of inappropriate behavior, saying the incident happened during a 2017 visit to her Rochester-area home after flooding. 

But he also urged states to "maintain and reinstate" mask mandates because of concerns over a possible fourth surge in the virus.

As Biden prepares to unveil his infrastructure bill, a major challenge is to get Republican senators on board with the rebuilding plans in a hyperpartisan climate.

Biden gave the expected answer when asked about seeking reelection in 2024. Anything else would have eclipsed other news.

Political friendship aside, Biden has said that if an investigation confirms sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, the governor should resign.

A vote could come as early as Tuesday on the bill, which includes provisions to establish license, sales and tax regulations and creates a new regulator for cannabis products.

Karine Jean-Pierre, Maju Varghese and Jonathan Black recall growing up on the Island.

3:43

Nassau County politics reporter Scott Eidler took a look back at how County Executive Laura Curran handled the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in the county, from the most terrifying moments to the most inspiring and even comical ones.

The U.S. hopes the event will help shape, speed up and deepen global efforts to cut climate-wrecking fossil fuel pollution, administration officials said.

The Nassau County executive found herself searching for refrigerated trucks for temporary morgue space, and making nightly condolence calls to families who had lost loved ones.

Based on his track record, Trump's hold on the GOP threatens to boost the Democrats' narrow majority in the next Senate elections.

Biden is keeping an "open mind" on Senate filibuster rules, but what's testing his patience is Republican lawmakers' push to make it tougher for Americans to vote.

He also wants to pursue gun background checks and didn't rule out defanging the filibuster.

2:30

Long Islanders react to New York State lawmakers agreeing on a bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Newsday's Steve Langfrod has more.

Tierney, an executive assistant district attorney in the Kings County district attorney's office, is a former federal and Suffolk County prosecutor.

A report said that his relatives and other associates were given special access in getting tested for COVID-19 during the early days of the pandemic.

3:43

The Nassau County executive found herself searching for refrigerated trucks for temporary morgue space, and making nightly condolence calls to families who had lost loved ones.

Schumer and McConnell fired partisan volleys as the Senate began taking up the sweeping voting rights bill, which Democrats likely can't pass on their own.

3:25

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran held her "State of the County" address Wednesday night, at Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, focusing on the most pressing issues: COVID-19 vaccine distribution, post-pandemic economic recovery, union contracts, property taxes and police reform.

3:25

In a "State of the County" speech, the Nassau County executive addressed issues including coronavirus vaccine distribution and post-pandemic economic recovery.

The measure would end immunity going forward; it wouldn't apply retroactively to past cases during the pandemic.