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Nation/World

gun control complete coverage

WHAT IT'S ABOUT The new movie "The Fallout" tells the story of the aftermath of a high school shooting, focusing on the experiences of four survivors. 
The protagonist is Vada Cavell (Jenna Ortega), who hides in a bathroom stall during the shooting with classmates Mia Reed (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton Hasland (Niles Fitch). 
While they were not more than acquaintances, at best, before this awful moment, Vada and Mia find themselves drawn together in its wake. They share a sense of loss so overpowering they've become numbed to the rest of the world. 
Quinton must learn how to adapt to a new normal without his brother, a victim of the shooting. The fourth major character, Vada's best friend Nick Feinstein (Will Ropp), becomes motivated by the experience to fight for stricter gun control laws. 
Written and directed by Megan Park in her directorial debut, the movie also features Park's "Secret Life of the American Teenager" co-star Shailene Woodley as a therapist, as well as the excellent actors John Ortiz and Julie Bowen as Vada's parents. 
It's streaming now on HBO Max. 
MY SAY "The Fallout" tells its story in the moments that pass in between the notes — in the close-ups, the silence, the dread. 
It conveys the magnitude of the tragedy at its center through images like a montage of funeral programs piling high in a wooden box, showing us the reverberations of what's happened through a personalized lens. 
It takes a confident filmmaking touch to pull this off in a way that's based in what's tangible and real, foregoing sensationalism to get at something approaching truth. 
The writer-director achieves it first by placing trust in her stars and their ability to keep things engaging, even when they're doing little more than spending time together and trying, if only for a moment, to forget what they've been through. 
Ortega ("You") and Ziegler ("Music") layer Vada and Mia with complications without sacrificing the naturalism that's central to drawing the audience into the story. 
Isolated in their homes — Vada, surrounded by parents and a sister who can't possibly understand what she's been through; Mia left perpetually alone, with parents who are always out of town — they become close. Their relationship develops as a mechanism for processing what's happened, and because they grow to love one another, even beyond the parameters of their shared trauma. 
Similarly, "The Fallout" works as well as it does because Park is attuned to larger ideas — sharply evoking the way in which the stages of grief materialize simultaneously and, often, unexpectedly — without neglecting the importance of conveying those ideas through characters worth caring about. 
The filmmaker takes on a wrenching subject and shapes it into a movie that never looks away, even as it remains painstakingly focused on communicating the impact of those horrors in moments that might otherwise seem ordinary. 
BOTTOM LINE This is an auspicious feature filmmaking debut for Megan Park, a movie that surveys difficult emotional terrain without stepping wrong.

Entertainment

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'The Fallout': Wrenching subject, sensitively told

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<h2>Gun control laws harm lawful owners </h2> 
While some readers’ letters on guns have credence, a key point is missed ["Gun control laws have little meaning," Letters, Jan. 26]. 
By adding laws, you hurt the law-abiding gun owner. The criminal element couldn’t care less about gun laws. They steal guns and use them without regard. Yes, some state laws are relaxed. That is one reason why federal firearms laws were enacted. But they need to be enforced at all levels with state laws guided by these federal laws. Stop the revolving door for criminals. 
If you get caught doing a crime with a gun, add 10 years of non-negotiable prison time. A stiff penalty for carrying an unlicensed gun may also be an answer. 
Also, we need to reopen mental health hospitals. People are asking for help, but no one seems to listen. 
— Charles F. Gyss, Dix Hills 
<h2>Helmets could save police officers’ lives </h2> 
It’s terrible what happened with the recent deaths of two NYPD officers ["Mourners crowd cathedral for Rivera," News, Jan. 28]. Both received fatal head wounds. They might have been saved if they were wearing a Kevlar helmet. 
This item should be required for police called to a family dispute and other potentially dangerous assignments. A bulletproof vest can protect your torso, but your head needs protection. 
— Stuart H. Cooper, Kew Gardens 
The writer retired from a 53-year career in law enforcement that included the NYPD, FBI and state division of parole. 
<h2>No kids in school? Adjust the tax bite </h2> 
Once again, it’s time in Nassau and Suffolk counties for residents to pay taxes ["Assessments frozen again," News, Jan. 24]. 
I am a retired senior citizen on a fixed income living in the city of Long Beach. We have city, county and school taxes to pay. The largest sum is school taxes. 
Why hasn’t a government official come up with a formula to make the school tax fairly apportioned for families that have no children in the school system, such as myself, and those families that have at least two children in school? 
Especially with our current inflation, I feel it’s time school taxes were adjusted accordingly. 
— Michael Sarracco, Long Beach 
Just because the value of my house increased, why should my taxes increase? My taxes pay for services that I receive as a resident of Nassau County. 
If my taxes go up 25%, will my garbage get picked up 25% more often? Will the police or fire departments respond 25% more quickly? 
It is bad enough that we get charged higher taxes if we improve our house while neighbors do nothing to their homes and pay lower taxes while receiving the exact same services we do. Grievance companies, meanwhile, are making big money by fighting to reduce our taxes every year. 
— Rick Jordan, Levittown 
Why is Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman paying an apparent novice acting assessor $140,000 instead of hiring a knowledgeable, qualified, experienced and professional assessor to correct the inaccuracies, inequities and inconsistencies in the county’s assessment rolls? I found three inaccuracies in less than a minute on the roll released Jan. 3. 
— Dave Beldner, East Rockaway 
<h2>Taking issue with voting contentions </h2> 
I am surprised how short a memory readers have when it comes to accusations of voter fraud ["Only voting fraud try was by GOP," Letters, Jan. 25]. 
One reader said it was the Republicans who last cried that the election was rigged. I guess that reader forgot what the Democrats did in 2016 with their Russian collusion debacle. Their cries of fraud even brought us the infamous Mueller report. The end result of the media and Democrats’ obsession was no crime by former President Donald Trump and a waste of tax dollars. 
As for the reader who said he can do many things online, so why not vote: How many times does he have to verify his identity? Giving a state- or federal-issued voter ID card in person should be as acceptable as what he now does in our online world. 
— Bruce Poulos, Massapequa 
<h2>Young’s Spotify exit is right on the mark </h2> 
Allowing Joe Rogan to spread lies and misinformation on his podcasts about the current public health crisis is tantamount to someone yelling "Fire!" in a theater ["Spotify OKs Young’s request to remove music," Flash!, Jan. 27]. 
You’ll have injuries and deaths due to a stampede just as you will have illness and deaths due to Rogan’s misinformation. 
Spotify encourages this behavior with a huge contract under the guise of free speech. I agree with Neil Young and will no longer listen to Spotify. There are plenty of other apps. 
— Brad Cohen, Lynbrook

Opinion

Letters

OPLTR220131

Gun control laws, helmets for cops, taxes and voting

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<h2>Gun control laws have little meaning </h2> 
Here we go again. Thoughts and prayers for the families and friends of the deceased police officer and his critically wounded partner ["Ground shifts on NYC crime," Editorial, Jan. 25]. 
Outrage is expressed by elected officials for days on end. There are respectful and disbelieving mentions of the 1-year-old and the napping cop hit by stray bullets within the past few weeks in New York. These reactions are all reasonable and, presumably, sincere. 
But shouldn’t there be a serious conversation about the gun used by the criminal responsible for this carnage? 
New York has relatively strict gun control laws. They are somewhat meaningless as long as the National Rifle Association makes contributions to politicians’ campaigns as routinely as those same politicians shed tears for the victims of gun violence. 
— Chris Marzuk, Greenlawn 
These past few weeks have seen a disturbing uptick in terrible crimes in New York City: a woman pushed in front of a subway train; an infant shot in the face during a street gun battle; police officers shot in the line of duty; and then a 22-year-old officer shot and killed after responding to a "domestic" dispute, and his young partner severely wounded. 
Can we not finally admit that the soft-on-crime politicians and district attorneys have emboldened criminals to commit these acts? Do they not realize that their job is to protect the safety of citizens they represent? 
First, you must remove dangerous criminals from the streets to keep people safe. After that, work on rehabilitating that criminal, and if rehabilitation doesn’t work, then just continue to keep that criminal away from the public. The solution is simple. Just do it. 
— Ted Kiladitis, St. James 
Sorry to see that there is not much difference between the new mayor and the old boss. Putting plainclothes officers in "high crime areas" sounds tantamount to racial profiling, which led to stop and frisk and so much bad press. 
We need to build more incarceration facilities to keep repeat offenders off the street and move away from magical thinking about no cash bail and stop and frisk. 
Otherwise, it’s ludicrous to think that things will get better for residents and law enforcement officers who are sacrificing their lives to try to keep a lid on violent crime. 
— John Poulos, Freeport 
We are living in dangerous times, whether it is political discord, racial issues, antisemitism, lawless actions of those who kill innocent people and, even worse, the police officers who are charged with helping them. 
It is time to consider broader options against gangs and violent criminals. We have to severely punish criminals who are released back into society with revolving-door justice, and it is time again for stop and frisk. Stern actions including home raids of gang members, and tougher sentences. 
Revamp parole practices. And help mentally ill people get off the streets and get the help they need. 
— Joel Moskowitz, Plainview 
The latest shooting death of an NYPD officer is a tragedy. It may have been preventable because the gun used was stolen out of state and could have been traced. Liberal gun laws in some states lead to deaths in other states. For every shooting death with an illegal gun, the gun manufacturer and the gun shop that sold the gun should be disclosed. 
Regardless of one’s stance on gun control, it must be admitted that the flow of illegal guns is killing people and, in this instance, it killed one of New York’s bravest. Something must be done. 
— Jim Baumert, West Islip 
<h2>Grandma scammer shouldn’t be free </h2> 
Congratulations to the Seaford grandmother with 911 experience for turning the tables on telephone scam predators in her re-creation of "The Sting" ["Don’t mess with grandma," News, Jan. 22]. 
The only problem with the story is that the captured suspect charged with a felony was released with a desk appearance ticket and is now free to start dialing for dollars again. 
— Glenn Tyranski, Huntington 
<h2>Pot opt-out: Same as drink, betting issues?</h2> 
Newsday’s editorial enthusiastically endorsing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to reinstate the "drinks to go" law, coupled a day later with your tepid editorial regarding mobile online gambling, are puzzling ["Don’t lose all of your bets," Editorial, Jan. 14]. Surely, the aforementioned activities have no positive civic or social merit. 
Yet Newsday’s editorial board failed to vigorously support the regulated retail sale of marijuana or publicly excoriate those members of the various town and local municipal boards in Nassau and Suffolk counties who voted to ban marijuana. 
Hypocrisy is hypocrisy. The editorial board should advocate for a local opt-out provision for drinks to go and mobile online gambling. Our marijuana naysayers both in government and community positions of leadership need to be forced to take a public position on these matters. 
— Eric Jurist, Wantagh

OPLTR220126

Gun control laws, senior scams, marijuana

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An NYPD officer was "fighting for his life" following an ambush in which he was wounded, and a fellow cop shot dead, while responding to a mother-son dispute in Harlem, Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday. 
Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, was the survivor; the other officer, Jason Rivera, 22, was killed. Both were struck early Friday evening by bullets fired by a man whose mother had called 911 seeking help dealing with him, according to the NYPD. 
Adams, a retired NYPD captain, visited the Mora family at least twice at Harlem Hospital. 
"We’re praying for their son to get through this moment. He’s fighting. He’s fighting hard. He’s holding on. And we want to be there for this family," Adams said Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, hours after his latest visit. 
Mora was unconscious, according to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, who also visited with Mora’s mother. 
The man who police said shot the cops, Lashawn McNeil, 47, also was hospitalized, according to the NYPD. He was shot and critically wounded by a third officer who had responded to the original call, on West 135th Street near Malcolm X Boulevard. 
Friday night's police shooting was the latest to occur in since Adams, who campaigned on a law-and-order platform, took office on New Year's Day. Hours after Adams was sworn in, a stray bullet struck an officer napping between shifts in a precinct parking lot. As for the shooting of Rivera and Mora, the two were the third and fourth cops shot in the city over the prior week. 
Friday's shooting happened as the officers walked down a narrow hall toward a bedroom, from which McNeil opened fire, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Friday night. 
Adams said police initially went to the home after being summoned by the mother, who did not mention any weapons when calling 911. 
"The mother was not really specific. She just stated that she was ill. Her son was coming up to take care of her, and he became problematic. She didn’t drill into the specificity of being problematic, on the 911 tapes," he said.
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The NYPD said that both officers lived in Manhattan. 
Rivera joined the department on Nov. 2, 2020, and was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in May 2021. Mora joined on Oct. 24, 2018, and also was assigned to the precinct in November 2019. 
Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, Rivera and Mora’s labor union, said Saturday that officers from precincts elsewhere in the city are covering for the 32nd Precinct, so those cops can observe vigil at the hospital. 
"We're gonna need help for a family that's in the hospital for a long recovery. We hope there's a long recovery. We want a long recovery," Lynch said.
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On Friday, there were conflicting press reports in the immediate aftermath of the shooting on the number of officers killed and McNeil's condition, including that the shooting had killed two cops and a civilian suspect. 
<h3>Gun recovered at scene</h3> 
Chief of Detectives James Essig said Friday night that police recovered a handgun at the scene with a high-capacity illegal magazine that had been stolen in 2017 from Baltimore. 
A police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gun had been reported stolen by a woman, but it was unclear how it got to McNeil. 
The spent shell casings from Friday night are to be analyzed through a special federal program called "brass catcher" to determine whether the gun was used at any other crime scene, said the official. The shooting was captured on body-worn cameras, and the videos will likely be disclosed to the public at some point. 
Essig said McNeil has one prior conviction in the city, in 2003 for narcotics, for which he was sentenced to probation. There also were four out-of-state arrests, including in 1998 in South Carolina for unlawful possession of a weapon, and in 2002 for assaulting a police officer. The dispositions of those cases were not immediately available. 
In an interview Saturday, McNeil’s brother Ronnie said he hadn’t spoken to his brother for about a year and did not know about the shooting until a reporter's call. 
He said he did not know why his brother was in New York; the last he had heard, his brother was in Baltimore. 
"It’s heartbreaking," Ronnie McNeil said. "That’s my brother." 
McNeil said his brother is the unmarried father of five in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Ronnie McNeil said his brother often moved from city to city and had trouble with drug charges but never had a violent background. 
"My thoughts and prayers are with the officers’ families and I definitely have sympathy for them," Ronnie McNeil said. 
Gov. Kathy Hochul, speaking at an event in Buffalo on Saturday morning, invoked the shooting in calling for stricter gun control. She noted that her recently introduced budget proposal would triple spending on gun interdiction efforts. 
Speaking of the shooting, she said: "It’s also a resounding call to action. … We have to do more to fight the scourge of illegal guns on our streets, and we need Washington teaming up with us, teaming up with locals, to get it done."
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Dolan said both of the officers are Roman Catholic, and he recounted what he told Mora’s mother. 
"I said to Wilbur's mother, ‘You're like Mary at the foot of the cross, there when her son Jesus was dying, and we hope, we trust, that he [Mora] will not die, but if he does, he's part of the Resurrection,’" he said, adding: "And she's a woman of faith, and everybody was saying that to her, do not be afraid, do not give up hope." 
Across the street from Harlem Hospital was a rally sponsored by the activist Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network group. Among those who spoke was Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, who was killed during an arrest by an NYPD officer in 2014. 
"This should not have been. Those police officers should not have been shot. One upstairs fighting for his life, the other one has lost his life … [he] was a baby," she said. "That's someone's child, that's someone's brother, someone's nephew. The violence in this city, this has to stop, all violence, not just police violence, it's killing our society." 
Later, about 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil outside the precinct, among them firefighters and cops, as well as Adams and the state attorney general, Letitia James. 
The mayor along with other community and religious leaders joined together in prayer while making a heartfelt plea to stop violence and vowing to support police officers. 
Two other NYPD officers were shot in separate incidents in the Bronx and on Staten Island earlier in the week. Both survived, police said.

New York

NYCOPSHOT220123

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Wounded cop 'fighting for his life,' mayor says, after fellow NYPD officer shot dead

Wounded cop 'fighting for his life' after fellow NYPD officer shot dead

New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke about the NYPD officer fighting for his life Saturday after Friday's ambush in Harlem while police were responding to a mother-son dispute that left another officer dead.


Mayor Adams speaks on wounded cop and fellow NYPD officer shot dead

Newsday

NYCOPSHOT220123_video

Randi F. Marshall

Patchogue resident Cait Corrigan, 24, who plans to run in CD2’s Republican primary against Rep. Andrew Garbarino, has strong views on a number of issues — but the word she kept coming back to in a recent conversation with The Point was "freedom." 
"Right now, in the time we’re living in, our freedoms are being stripped away," Corrigan said. "My opponent joined with the Democrats in … the destruction of our freedoms." 
Perhaps Corrigan’s signature issue is what she calls "medical freedom." She opposes COVID-19-related "lockdowns" and mask and vaccine mandates, noting a need for widespread religious exemptions on vaccination. But while Corrigan, who runs workshops to help people write their own religious exemptions, has become known in anti-vaccine circles, she said she’s not opposed to vaccination. 
"I’m not anti-vaccine. I’m against mandates," Corrigan said repeatedly, noting that she has a religious exemption to vaccines. "There’s a variety of religious reasonings against vaccination. People from across a variety of faiths can explain their beliefs … I believe … in religious freedom. God made our bodies perfectly." 
Corrigan’s Students Against Mandates website suggests that those seeking a religious exemption should outline their personal religious beliefs and experiences and, in particular, focus on how human blood is sacred, noting that "vaccination … is injected into one’s bloodstream," that vaccines contain blood, and that "vaccines alter our sacred human blood." (The COVID-19 vaccine does not contain blood products.) 
Beyond the vaccine issue, Corrigan said she opposes gun control measures, including the background checks bill Garbarino supported. And she criticized Garbarino for his support of the federal infrastructure bill, which, she said, "created mass amnesty and socialism," although she didn’t specify which part of the bill she was concerned about. 
"The infrastructure bill is supporting illegals through social programs … and is encouraging them to come to our country illegally," she said. "And the big concern is our national debt and the financial burden on American citizens." 
Infrastructure, Corrigan said, should be supported at the local level — not with federal dollars. 
Corrigan said she sees high gas prices as a significant district issue and emphasizes her desire for "energy independence," with a focus on "prioritizing our own American oil and natural gas industry." And she said she hopes to focus on small businesses and veterans’ needs. 
How will the newcomer, who has never run for office, beat incumbent Garbarino? She says she plans to "reach out to the constituents in the second congressional district to learn more about the issues."

OPTCORR220121

The Point: Running free

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<h2>Daily Point</h2> 
<h3>Campaign info twisted in tech translation</h3> 
Obvious errors in the way campaign finance information came to be posted on the New York State Board of Elections website led this week to two unrelated instances where small donors looked briefly like huge benefactors. 
The roots of these twin anomalies, and possibly others yet to be discovered, have been under review by board officials. They appear to involve how and why the data technology used by the campaigns of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James ended up creating jumbled and distorted public postings. 
In one, Hochul’s campaign committee attributed a literally incredible $9.4 million in 1,944 donations to a single individual named Emma DeVito, who is neither a known philanthropist nor a political honcho — a sighting reported by the website City &amp; State. Election experts said that pattern was not only far above campaign contribution limits from individuals but logistically hard to comprehend. 
On Friday, election board spokesman John Conklin told The Point: "We were aware Tuesday night of the Hochul situation. They used a third-party vendor (to whom) we gave suggestions what to do about it." He said the information was taken offline and then resubmitted on Wednesday morning. "The problem was corrected," he said. 
Changes made last year to a new campaign finance reporting system led to exchanges between the board’s information technology staff and third-party vendors. Difficulties have been reported with the new system and how it interfaces with users. 
One Hochul campaign official, who noted DeVito actually contributed less than $250, said: "The campaign filed the accurate and appropriate information, but in the translation, to the board website, an error occurred outside the campaign’s control." 
Fault for the problem between the vendor and the board was still a murky matter on Friday, and there were other errors as well involving donor DeVito, who was wrongly shown to be receiving expenditures as well as refunds — in other words, a mess. 
A parallel problem developed with James’ filing, first indicated to The Point by an amazed election professional in Nassau County. An Alison McKinney was listed as donating $1.86 million. James’ aide said Thursday that this was erroneous and that this person actually contributed less than $100. There, too, multiple contributions were noted that differed from what was supposed to be filed. 
When it comes to the campaigns that are filing, Conklin said, "Our systems have to talk to each other." 
By all appearances, something got lost in translation. 
— Dan Janison <a href="https://twitter.com/danjanison">@Danjanison</a> 
<h2>Talking Point</h2> 
<h3>Running free</h3> 
Patchogue resident Cait Corrigan, 24, who plans to run in CD2’s Republican primary against Rep. Andrew Garbarino, has strong views on a number of issues — but the word she kept coming back to in a recent conversation with The Point was "freedom." 
"Right now, in the time we’re living in, our freedoms are being stripped away," Corrigan said. "My opponent joined with the Democrats in … the destruction of our freedoms." 
Perhaps Corrigan’s signature issue is what she calls "medical freedom." She opposes COVID-19-related "lockdowns" and mask and vaccine mandates, noting a need for widespread religious exemptions on vaccination. But while Corrigan, who runs workshops to help people write their own religious exemptions, has become known in anti-vaccine circles, she said she’s not opposed to vaccination. 
"I’m not anti-vaccine. I’m against mandates," Corrigan said repeatedly, noting that she has a religious exemption to vaccines. "There’s a variety of religious reasonings against vaccination. People from across a variety of faiths can explain their beliefs … I believe … in religious freedom. God made our bodies perfectly." 
Corrigan’s Students Against Mandates website suggests that those seeking a religious exemption should outline their personal religious beliefs and experiences and, in particular, focus on how human blood is sacred, noting that "vaccination … is injected into one’s bloodstream," that vaccines contain blood, and that "vaccines alter our sacred human blood." (The COVID-19 vaccine does not contain blood products.) 
Beyond the vaccine issue, Corrigan said she opposes gun control measures, including the background checks bill Garbarino supported. And she criticized Garbarino for his support of the federal infrastructure bill, which, she said, "created mass amnesty and socialism," although she didn’t specify which part of the bill she was concerned about. 
"The infrastructure bill is supporting illegals through social programs … and is encouraging them to come to our country illegally," she said. "And the big concern is our national debt and the financial burden on American citizens." 
Infrastructure, Corrigan said, should be supported at the local level — not with federal dollars. 
Corrigan said she sees high gas prices as a significant district issue and emphasizes her desire for "energy independence," with a focus on "prioritizing our own American oil and natural gas industry." And she said she hopes to focus on small businesses and veterans’ needs. 
How will the newcomer, who has never run for office, beat incumbent Garbarino? She says she plans to "reach out to the constituents in the second congressional district to learn more about the issues." 
— Randi F. Marshall <a href="https://twitter.com/randimarshall">@RandiMarshall</a> 
<h2>Pencil Point</h2> 
<h3>Back in the USSR</h3>

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For more cartoons, visit <a href="http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons" target="_blank">www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons</a> 
<h2>Puzzle Point</h2> 
<h3>In the news</h3> 
Welcome to this week’s news quiz, based on events that took place this week. As usual, provide the answer for each clue, one letter per blank. The first letter of each answer, taken in order, spells the name of the United States senator who said this about the troubling state of the chamber’s debate over voting rights legislation: "You’re either a racist or a hypocrite. Really, really? Is that where we are?" 
A link to the answers appears below. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ Law enforcement official who filed papers seeking to force three Trump family members to comply with subpoenas. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ A survey team off the coast of Long Beach and Lido Beach is looking for the best route for an electric cable to connect the offshore Empire Wind farm with a power plant in this Long Island community. 
_ _ _ _ _ Number of Long Island high school students who reached the finals of the Regeneron science competition. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ Corporate behemoth sued by the family of a delivery driver killed when a December tornado hit an Illinois warehouse. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tech giant seeking to buy the maker of the Candy Crush and Call to Duty video games. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin would pay a "dear price" if he invades this country. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Long Island town that approved four drag-racing events to be held in 2022. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ State elected official who announced raising $21.6 million in campaign contributions since August. 
_ _ _ Quasi-government agency in Suffolk County that shook up its leadership in a postelection shuffle. 
_ _ _ _ One of the two beverages movie theaters can now sell after a unanimous ruling by the State Liquor Authority. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Venerable film festival that decided to go virtual again this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ Brooklyn Nets player fined $25,000 after exchanging barbs, including an obscenity, with fans in Cleveland. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ Trump family member asked to voluntarily cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. 
Click <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/news-quiz-answers-1.50484033">here</a> for the answers to the clued words and to the identity of the mystery senator. 
— Michael Dobie <a href="https://twitter.com/mwdobie">@mwdobie</a> 
<h3>Did you miss an issue of The Point? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/the-point-1.13955009" target="_blank">Browse past newsletters here.</a></h3>

OPTPOINT220121

OPTOON220121

Elections board does a number on Hochul, James

Election board does a number on Hochul, James

Lane Filler

When Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder held a news conference Monday to highlight county gun confiscations, part of Blakeman’s purpose seemed to be setting up his Tuesday visit to Albany. The Republican headed north to demand repeal of the bail reform law. 
But "ghost guns," untraceable weapons built from kits and sold without background checks or serial numbers, also played a role. 
Nassau seized 117 illegal weapons last year, up from 91 one year earlier. Eight of the firearms were stolen and 12 were taken from people who had been released without bail after their arrest. 
And 10 of the weapons seized were "ghost guns," which are of particular interest right now. 
In late October, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law prohibitions sponsored by Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) and Assemb. Chuck Lavine (D-Glen Cove) on the sale of ghost guns and the sale of any gun by New York gunsmiths that they’ve manufactured or assembled without a serial number. 
But there is no such federal prohibition, nor is there one in most states. As long as ghost guns are legal anywhere, gun control advocates argue, they’ll be here. And the weapons Hochul banned could become a significant issue in her reelection bid. 
Rep. Lee Zeldin, who opposes gun restrictions and is running for New York governor, disagrees with the state law, and any federal version. Zeldin wrote to The Point: "The bills signed into law by Governor Hochul last year provide increased scrutiny on firearms that are largely made by hobbyists and will do little to address violent crime in New York." 
Considering they had their weapons confiscated by Nassau officers and displayed to augment an argument against bail reform, these 10 ghost gun owners might not be described well by Zeldin’s "hobbyist" argument.

OPTGUNS220111

The Point: 'Ghost Guns' haunt some more than others

liGUNS220111_photos

<h2>Daily Point</h2> 
<h3>New York sports betting proves a sure thing</h3> 
The first day of legal mobile sports betting in New York Saturday produced eye-popping numbers, hot deals, technological snafus and some reassuring news for the bargain-shopping gambler. 
Even though the 51% tax on sports profits paid to New York by its legal bookmakers ranks among the nation’s highest, the four betting sites that launched here this weekend did not push the price of wagers up compared with other states, as some industry analysts predicted. 
The rush of new-age bookmaking is tracked by a thoroughly modern method. 
To open an account or place a bet, the phones of mobile gamblers need to be "pinged" to prove to bookmakers that the customer is physically in a state where gambling is legal. In New York there were 5.8 million pings in the first 12 hours of legality Saturday, according to GeoComply, which processes such requests. A map the company put up shows in graphic detail just how furious the "pinging" was, with GeoComply reporting New York City and Long Island in particular, plus gambling-heavy areas like Buffalo and Rochester, providing the bulk of the traffic. 
GeoComply said that one-day total of pings, and the 17.2 million total weekend pings, for the final week of the NFL regular season, far outstrip any other state’s kickoff. 
As for the tax revenue, for the 2 ½ years sports betting has been legal in New York, in-person only, at several upstate casinos, the total state take from gaming taxes was $3.7 million. Several gaming experts say that multiyear total was likely exceeded by the state’s take just from last weekend. 
Although the margin for profit is so small for bookmakers here, operators were offering big promotions. Caesars offered a match of up to $3,000 on new deposits and $300 in free wagers for new customers and it seems to have worked out. The company, one of the four online franchises operating, says this weekend it processed nearly a million New York wagers on sports across the nation, and world. 
And that’s even with a three-hour crash of the Caesars site Sunday night, as volume spikes also caused a number of smaller snafus for DraftKings, FanDuel and BetRivers. 
It’s as if downstate New Yorkers had developed a taste for, and knowledge of, sports gambling, even before it was legalized! 
— Lane Filler <a href="https://twitter.com/lanefiller">@lanefiller</a> 
<h2>Talking Point</h2> 
<h3>Schumer’s hurdles, high and low</h3> 
Pushing national legislation past big obstacles and clinging to a one-vote margin remain Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s clearest challenges. 
By comparison, getting reelected looks for the moment like a smooth road for him, as the powerful Democrat strives for a fifth term this fall. 
As New York turned deeper blue in recent years, some thought or perhaps wished that Schumer would be vulnerable to a challenge from the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx), who in a world of social media and meme politics attracts outside attention as a relatively new Congress member. But at this point, the second week of the election year, there are no signs of a primary challenge building despite the predictions of ex-President Donald Trump. 
He said in an October statement: "The Progressives gain far more power with the legislation being currently talked about by failing than if it passes. It makes them a true powerhouse. Next up, AOC running against Chuck Schumer for his US Senate Seat." 
While AOC hasn’t endorsed Schumer for November, she hasn’t been commenting at all on the potential for a run. The other New York Senate seat, held by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, comes open in 2024, and it is not yet known whether she will seek reelection, so the hunting ground for progressives may lay with the junior seat, not the senior one. 
For historical perspective: New York Senators Daniel P. Moynihan and Jacob Javits won four terms, and Schumer stopped Al D’Amato in 1998 from having more than three. But in the U.S. Senate, which rewards seniority, a fifth term for Schumer wouldn’t even come close to a national record; none of the top 25 for longevity come from New York, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is approaching the end of his eighth term. President Joe Biden, number 18 on the list, was a six-termer when Barack Obama tapped him for vice president. 
The NYS Democrats’ nominating convention will be in February, with designating petitions to be distributed, signed and submitted between early March and early April. Election officials have yet to release the official political calendar for the year, but federal and state primaries are due to take place together in June, so the timeline for organizing statewide primary campaigns is growing short. 
On the Republican side, Schumer’s potential November opponents are relatively unheard of. Joe Pinion, a regular Newsmax commentator, identifies himself on his Twitter account as an advocate of "progressive conservatism," and lost a race for a Yonkers state Assembly seat in 2018. Lawyer Aleksandr Mici, a Bronx lawyer and Albanian immigrant, is also looking for the GOP nomination to challenge Schumer. Mici has run unsuccessfully for state Senate and City Council. 
By way of understatement, state Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs told The Point on Tuesday of Schumer’s chances: "You wouldn’t mind being in his position." 
Sometimes political intel is about what doesn’t materialize, and the long-rumored once-in-a-lifetime stop-Schumer drive from the left seems so far to fit that mold. 
— Dan Janison <a href="https://twitter.com/danjanison">@Danjanison</a> 
<h2>Pencil Point</h2> 
<h3>Reading them their rights</h3>

<figure class="image2 image" data-attr-f="default" data-attr-img-credits="" data-attr-img-height="" data-attr-img-width="" data-attr-show-caption="true" data-href="#/content/contentid/image.1.50474252" data-onecms-id="contentid/image.1.50474252" data-onecms-type="image">
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For more cartoons, visit <a href="http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons" target="_blank">www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons</a> 
<h2>Final Point</h2> 
<h3>'Ghost Guns' haunt some more than others</h3> 
When Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder held a news conference Monday to highlight county gun confiscations, part of Blakeman’s purpose seemed to be setting up his Tuesday visit to Albany. The Republican headed north to demand repeal of the bail reform law. 
But "ghost guns," untraceable weapons built from kits and sold without background checks or serial numbers, also played a role. 
Nassau seized 117 illegal weapons last year, up from 91 one year earlier. Eight of the firearms were stolen and 12 were taken from people who had been released without bail after their arrest. 
And 10 of the weapons seized were "ghost guns," which are of particular interest right now. 
In late October, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law prohibitions sponsored by Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) and Assemb. Chuck Lavine (D-Glen Cove) on the sale of ghost guns and the sale of any gun by New York gunsmiths that they’ve manufactured or assembled without a serial number. 
But there is no such federal prohibition, nor is there one in most states. As long as ghost guns are legal anywhere, gun control advocates argue, they’ll be here. And the weapons Hochul banned could become a significant issue in her reelection bid. 
Rep. Lee Zeldin, who opposes gun restrictions and is running for New York governor, disagrees with the state law, and any federal version. Zeldin wrote to The Point: "The bills signed into law by Governor Hochul last year provide increased scrutiny on firearms that are largely made by hobbyists and will do little to address violent crime in New York." 
Considering they had their weapons confiscated by Nassau officers and displayed to augment an argument against bail reform, these 10 ghost gun owners might not be described well by Zeldin’s "hobbyist" argument. 
— Lane Filler <a href="https://twitter.com/lanefiller">@lanefiller</a> 
<h3>Did you miss an issue of The Point? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/the-point-1.13955009" target="_blank">Browse past newsletters here.</a></h3>

OPTPOINT220111

OPTOON220111

Mobile sports gambling captures NY? You bet

There are two problems with the conventional wisdom about polarization in American society. The first is that it mistakes widespread conflict with one master battle between conservatives and liberals. The second is that it overlooks a large percentage of Americans who do not identify with either the Democrats or the Republicans. 
The result of these two mistakes is the ongoing, misleading narrative that the people of the United States are engaged in a red vs. blue war, a division that is roughly parallel to the division between the North and the South prior to the Civil War. 
Consider the first mistake. There is no doubt that there is an enormous amount of conflict in the United States. After all, we have 330 million people, making us the third largest country by population in the world. We are, moreover, a very diverse country, with an increasingly large nonwhite population. 
Experts say that by 2050 we will be a majority-minority country, where Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans and other non-Caucasian Americans will be the majority of the population. We also have considerable diversity from the standpoint of religion and class. We are the furthest thing from a homogeneous society. 
With so much diversity there is bound to be a lot of conflict. But it does not follow from the fact that we have a lot of conflict that the conflict is divided into two groups of people who are divided along party lines. 
For example, we have a great deal of conflict over issues of gender, which involves males in conflict with females, and both males and females in conflict with those who are transgender or nonbinary. 
The conflict between males and females may arise within individual families, where we still have a divorce rate in the range of 40%. But the conflicts within families hardly line up with political conflicts, as couples frequently belong to the same party: Couples in ghettos have conflicts, just as couples in the working class, middle class and upper class have conflicts. 
Likewise, we have Americans who favor abortion rights but are strong Second Amendment advocates. Admittedly, you are more likely to find Republicans being pro-life and pro-gun and Democrats being pro-choice and pro-gun control, but many people do not fit neatly into either party. 
The second mistake overlooks the 40% of Americans who identify as independents, according to a recent Gallup poll. They definitely do not line up with either party on all of the issues. They may be 50-50 or they may have views that are not clearly embraced by either party. Someone may support a family policy that offers child care subsidies or a tax credit for a stay-at-home parent, but since neither party supports this policy the person in question doesn't side clearly with either party. 
Pew has also reported since 2014 that the two parties have become more partisan but there is a group in the middle (as much as 40% of the public) that has "mixed views." 
If you review the mountains of data available from Gallup, Pew and other organizations that do polls and surveys, you will see that there is a massive amount of conflict in the country on policies, but there is also a large group of citizens who don't fit neatly on either side of many of the major conflicts. The parties are clearly very polarized, but the evidence shows that about 40% of the public is not polarized. 
What is eminently clear is that there is a clear two-sided conflict in our national politics, where we have a 50-50 Senate and a near even split in the House of Representatives. Washington has little room for a middle position. Legislating, or not legislating, does require that you be on the red side or the blue side, recognizing that each side has its own factions. 
The picture that emerges is one where everyone feels conflicted about many policy issues, but only about 60% of the country fits nicely on the red side or the blue side. Our conflicts therefore do not add up to a polarized country; they add up to a conflicted country in which well more than a third of the people do not have representation in Washington, which is extremely polarized. Surveys report that these Americans are less politically engaged, which is probably a result of having no one who will listen to them. 
The upshot is that the media and the politicians tell us that we have a divided society — they keep each other in business — and those who identify with the Democrats or the Republicans believe what they hear. The 40% of Americans who do not identify with either of the two major parties, however, know that this national narrative is seriously mistaken. 
There has been a great deal of necessary discussion about how our democratic institutions, especially the electoral process itself, are under threat. A problem that pre-dates this threat to our democracy is the decadeslong deception about how polarized we are. 
We're not. There just isn't much motivation for either the media or the politicians, their staff and their consultants to speak to the 40% who are not a part of a red vs. blue war.

Commentary

WEBOP2211227

The truth is that our citizens are not polarized

USCONG211202

Michael Gormley

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul has publicly invoked her Catholic faith — frequently and deeply — since taking office in August, at times quoting the Old Testament and occasionally letting loose with shouts of "Amen!" 
In doing so, she has defied a rule held by many Democrats to avoid this double-edged political sword. 
"The Bible tells us there’s a time for every purpose under heaven," Hochul said in her first public address as governor on Aug. 24 in the state Capitol. "I believe that with every fiber of my body, that this is our time, our time to escape the oppression of a deadly virus and make our schools and workplaces safe to return." 
Two weeks earlier, three-term Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he would resign effective Aug. 24 because of sexual harassment allegations which he denies. 
"As I dropped to my knees when I found out if I would be governor," Hochul recalled, "I said, ‘God, please grant me wisdom and grant me strength.’"
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The governor has proclaimed her faith even as she champions progressive causes such as gay and transgender rights, gun control and protecting abortion rights. The latter puts her in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic Church. 
Hochul's references to the importance of religion in her life have surprised many political analysts. They say her faith message may make inroads with Black and Latino voters and in the suburbs, including Long Island, and she will need that support to be elected next year. But her proclamations are not without risk. 
Public talk of God, the Bible and faith could alienate progressives leery of Democrats who mix religion and politics the way the national Republican Party has, the analysts said. 
"It is surprising to hear someone really dig into it," said Mark Brockway, a professor and researcher in religion and political science at Syracuse University. "It’s definitely more intensive than I’ve heard lately … she’s leaning into it." 
Hochul didn't respond to requests for comment on this story. 
The stakes for Hochul are high. First, she must beat a potential field of progressive candidates in a Democratic primary next year. If she wins the nomination, Hochul will face a general election in which Republicans see their best chance of winning the governor’s office in two decades. 
In addition, November’s "red wave" in the off-year election that crushed some Democrats and their statewide ballot proposals has energized the GOP against what they brand as the liberal and socialist agenda of Democrats. 
Hochul, a 63-year-old Buffalo native, spoke about her faith in six public speeches over the first two months of her term. Her belief has deep roots. She is Irish Catholic and told the Irish Echo weekly newspaper that she grew up with portraits of the Pope and President John F. Kennedy, the first Irish-American president, in her home. 
Hochul’s reflections on her faith has come at venues that have ranged from a purely secular setting such as the Capitol’s historic Blue Room on Aug. 24 to news events with Black and Latino leaders. The topics included introducing her lieutenant governor, former Sen. Brian Benjamin — "He’s a very religious individual" — and urging New Yorkers to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus who say they object on religious grounds. 
"I prayed, I prayed to God, God deliver us from this," Hochul said of the pandemic in her Sept. 12 speech at The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. "And then he did … So how can you say no to that? How can you believe that God would give a vaccine that would cause you harm? That is not the truth." 
"I need you to be my apostles," Hochul told the Black pastors at the historic church. "I feel that God has tapped me on the shoulder as well because everything I have done in life has been because of the grace of God leading me to that place and now God has asked me to serve humbly as your servant, as your governor." 
She punctuated some statements with, "This is indeed the day the Lord has made. Amen? Amen" and even turned deep into the Old Testament. She bypassed Moses — "the big name" — to focus on his more obscure successor, Joshua, who is held in high esteem in Hebrew and Muslim teachings. 
"Joshua … didn’t have the staff to part the Jordan River when they needed to get across," Hochul said. "So, what did he use? He used the promise of God … just like Joshua … my lieutenant governor and I are going to keep leading the people. We’re going to keep moving forward." 
Hochul drew praise from Black leaders in Harlem during a lively, rally-like event in August. Hazel Dukes, 89, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, called the governor "Sister Kathy." On Oct. 18, Dukes endorsed Hochul in an important signal to Black voters in Dukes' Manhattan base. 
But Hochul's remarks also could make her vulnerable. 
"I think there is a backlash in the evangelical community," said the Rev. Jason J. McGuire, executive director of the New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation and an evangelical leader who lobbies state government. "I’m hearing from people who aren’t regular church attenders about the hypocrisy of her position." 
Particularly galling, McGuire said, was Hochul’s use of faith against New Yorkers who feel refusing a COVID-19 vaccination as part of their personal religious convictions, while she "totally ignores her faith lessons" by supporting abortion rights. 
"They see a governor who is pretty desperate right now grasping at any strings she can," McGuire said. 
That risk, however, is nuanced, the researchers said. 
"There’s definitely going to be a backlash," said Brockway of Syracuse University. "But the question is, will the backlash be from people who weren’t going to vote for her anyway?" 
"I think the biggest risk for them is in the primary against a more liberal, more left, more secular candidate, especially if that candidate really leans into a secular or anti-religious identity and paints her as sort of a more established religious candidate," Brockway said. "I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this language is strategic … but it does create a primary problem." 
Statewide, 32% of residents identify as Catholic, the most common religious affiliation by far in New York state, according to the national Public Religion Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group on religion and public policy. While the white Catholic population has fallen, the Latino Catholic population has been stable at 10% of the state population. 
Hochul’s faith-based language may also turn off young progressives, who are a growing part of the Democratic Party and the party’s primary vote. But her religious references could also potentially attract more conservative Latino Catholics who had backed Republican President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and others, the political scientists said. 
"Secular progressives, especially younger ones, now have a pretty allergic reaction to religious rhetoric of any kind," said Philip Gorski, professor of sociology and religious studies and sociology department chairman at Yale University. "But that reaction is strongest vis-à-vis evangelicals. It does not extend to Black Christians, for example." 
"It is true that many Democratic Party activists are pretty secular people; this is not true of African American Democrats — who have great and increasing influence within the party — and it is even less true of many Democratic voters," Gorski said. 
"While the evangelical label has become increasingly indistinguishable from GOP identification, Catholics remain much more evenly split between the two parties," he said, noting President Biden made his Catholic faith part of his campaign last year. I don’t think being Catholic hurt Joe Biden. I doubt it will hurt Hochul, either." 
"Of course," Gorski cautioned, "the 800-pound gorilla is abortion rights. On that, there is little daylight between the various currents within evangelicalism. And that will make it hard for any Democrat to win over many of these folks." 
Polls suggest Hochul’s discussion of faith also could tap into the critical suburban vote, said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion and a political-science professor. 
"There remains a sizable group of Catholic voters, especially in New York City and its suburbs, who she may appeal to with her religious grounding," Miringoff said. "She is in a unique position of having the resources of being an incumbent, while still able to define herself politically … she will appeal to some progressive voters, as the first woman governor, while having the middle lane mostly to herself." 
"If she gets past the primary intact," Miringoff said, "this approach may bode well statewide, especially with the major Democratic Party registration advantages that this very blue state offers Democrats." 
She will have to go through the suburbs to do it. 
"Governor Hochul’s best chance to win election in her own right, as well as gain support for her policy proposals, is to strengthen her support among relatively conservative upstaters and moderate suburbanites," said Lawrence Levy, executive dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies. "To show moderate sensibilities … that resonate with suburban voters." 
"But it can also backfire if a candidate comes across as insincere and patronizing and somehow choosing one religion over another," Levy said. "So far, the governor seems to have struck the right balance and avoided any gaffes. Her relatively strong suburban numbers reflect that." 
Hochul has said she knows a line must be drawn between faith and governing and has done so in her effort to persuade New Yorkers who refused COVID-19 vaccines based on their personal religious views. 
"Sometimes you have to do a calculation of what is important to your personal beliefs and where it interferes with lives," she said in answer to a Newsday question at an Oct. 13 news conference. "We also have a public health objective." 
In October, for example, she made it clear her Catholicism doesn’t dictate her political views. She made impassioned speeches at the Seneca Falls Women’s March and Rally for Reproductive Rights in Albany in defense of abortion rights. 
"I will protect those rights, I will make that torch grow even brighter," she said. 
The governor developed her faith early growing up outside Buffalo near a Bethlehem Steel plant in a small trailer home. She is the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, earned her law degree at Catholic University, worked for Irish Catholic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and once was on the board of trustees of Immaculata Academy, a Catholic girls high school in a Buffalo suburb that closed in 2016. She carries her own Bible to Mass most Sundays. 
"Governor Hochul in the time I’ve known here has always made comments here and there that, ‘I have to uphold my faith,’" said former Gov. David Paterson, who Hochul said is a trusted adviser. 
"I think that many politicians refrain from talking about their faith because they don’t want to be proselytizing or in any way implicating the higher power has imputed on them the capacity the rest of us don’t," said Paterson. "She doesn’t do that." 
He said there is a personal urge and a political need to let New Yorkers know who you are when, as Hochul and Paterson did, you rise suddenly from a little-known lieutenant governor upon a governor’s resignation. 
"When I first became governor I said things that I wished that I hadn’t in retrospect — I didn’t have to go that far," Paterson said. "But I was really trying to let people know who I was. I was trying to be as honest a possible and let people hear it. And I think that is what she is doing as well." 
As for Hochul, she has made a quick record of religious commitment. 
"Here is my promise to you, my friends," Hochul said Sept. 26 at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, "I will use the inspiration of God in my life and fight for you every single day as your governor and beyond … I believe there is a strong intersection between the teachings of the New and Old testaments and what we have been told to do," she said. "It’s calling all of us, but particularly those who’ve been called to serve as public servants, positions like governor."

stHOCHUL211128

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Gov. Hochul frequently invokes her Catholic faith in public addresses

Gov. Hochul frequently invokes her faith in public addresses

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