Andrew Cuomo
New York state has legalized recreational marijuana for adults and will expunge thousands of former low-level marijuana convictions. The legislation, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed on Wednesday, could create up to 60,000 jobs and $350 million in tax revenue for the state.
"This is a historic day in New York -- one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State's economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits," Cuomo said in a statement.
An unidentified woman has accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her, the newspaper Times Union of Albany reports. Cuomo allegedly "reached under her blouse and began to fondle her". She is the sixth woman who came forward.
"As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this. The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general’s report," Cuomo responded. He has denied all allegations so far.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed the two allegations of sexual harassment against him for the first time on Sunday, saying he was "truly sorry" to those who might have "misinterpreted" his remarks "as an unwanted flirtation."
"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that," so Cuomo.
The ex-aide, Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that she was repeatedly made to feel uncomfortable by Andrew Cuomo after she was hired in 2019 in the governor's office. Bennett said the governor had asked her numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she believed that age made a difference in romantic relationships.
"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared and was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job," Bennett said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo declared Juneteenth a state holiday in New York State. He issued the executive order on Wednesday, making it a holiday for all state employees.
In a press release, Cuomo stated: "Friday is Juneteenth — a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States — and it's a day that is especially relevant in this moment in history," adding that "Although slavery ended over 150 years ago, there has still been rampant, systemic discrimination and injustice in this state and this nation, and we have been working to enact real reforms to address these inequalities."
On Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill that bans the controversial Police chokehold method. On the same day, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a similar bill which was passed unanimously by the Iowa Legislature. Californian Gov. Gavin Newsom also called for the ban of the chokehold, which he called "stranglehold", as it had "no place any longer in 21st-century practices and policing".