Pope Francis is still heading to Iraq despite a missile attack against U.S. troops.
Governor Andrew Cuomo publicly addresses the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying he will not resign.
We’ll introduce you to the Catholic woman who was named CEO of Elmhurst Hospital.
By Paula Katinas and Jessica Easthope
Facing mounting pressure from public officials calling on him to step down amid sexual harassment allegations leveled at him by three different women, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has no intention of quitting his job.
“I’m not going to resign. I’m going to do the job the people elected me to do,” Cuomo said at a COVID-19 briefing on March 3.
Cuomo was asked about calls for his resignation that have been made in recent days by elected officials.
“Some politicians will always play politics. I was not elected by politicians. I was elected by the people of the state of New York,” he said.
Cuomo said he was cooperating with an investigation launched by Attorney General Letitia James into the sexual harassment allegations and asked that New Yorkers wait until the results of that probe before judging him.
Cuomo has also been under fire after a report came out from Attorney General Letitia James revealed that his administration undercounted the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
The Democratic governor, who had been facing the possibility of being stripped of the COVID-19 emergency powers granted to him by the State Legislature in 2020, said he worked out a deal with legislative leaders.
The deal would enable him to hold onto his emergency powers — but with a caveat.
“We have an agreement on a bill where the legislature can repeal any executive order that I issue with 50 percent,” he said, meaning that a simple majority vote in the State Senate and Assembly would be able to repeal an executive order.
On March 2, a day before Cuomo held his COVID-19 briefing, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced that they had reached an agreement on a bill to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers.
Under the emergency powers, the governor had the ability to unilaterally order non-essential businesses and institutions to shut down, shift resources from one hospital to another and implement new policies at nursing homes.
The emergency powers were set to expire on April 30. The agreement Cuomo reached with legislative leaders would allow the powers to continue past that date and continue until the federal government declared that the pandemic emergency was over.
Republicans charged that the deal meant that Cuomo wasn’t being stripped of his powers at all.
Councilman Joseph Borelli, a Republican representing parts of Staten Island, tweeted that Democratic leaders in the legislature “are extending the powers of the scandal-plagued governor, but got a full media cycle on how they are repealing them.”
Cuomo spent several minutes answering questions about the sexual harassment allegations against him.
Two of the accusers who charged that he made unwanted advances toward them, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, worked for him. The third accuser, Anna Ruch, did not work in the state government. She told The New York Times she met Cuomo for the first time at a 2019 wedding and that he touched her back and asked if he could kiss her. She said she felt confused, shocked, and embarrassed by his behavior.
“You can find hundreds of pictures of me making the same gesture,” Cuomo said at the briefing. “It is my usual and customary way of greeting,” he said.
“But I also understand, it doesn’t matter. What matters is, was anyone offended by it? If they were offended by it, then it was wrong,” he said.
“If they felt pain from it, I apologize,” the governor said.
By Jessica Easthope
Once a week Billy and Colleen go for a counseling walk. These days, they talk a lot about the pandemic.
“When COVID-19 goes away I can go back to the bowling alley, going away, hotels, going out to eat, restaurants,” said Billy Chapnick, a resident at one of On Your Mark’s group homes.
The ongoing health crisis has uniquely affected people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At On Your Mark, a non-profit serving adults in that community, the days are built around routines that keeps life enjoyable and stable, but thanks to the pandemic – they were quickly abandoned.
“We’re seeing a lot of increased anxiety, increased depression, increased isolation, especially because of the weather,” said Colleen McKeever, the Behavioral Health Coordinator at On Your Mark.
With an end to the pandemic in sight, Colleen has kept moving toward the finish line.
“We come into work and we just think, let’s advocate for them and let’s make their day good and it goes both ways, I come into work and when I see the guys they make me feel better,” she said.
The rest of the staff at On Your Mark has had to stay optimistic too. Even when there were massive cuts to crucial funding and its businesses closed.
“We have to find ways to make cuts in other services to keep the lights on and pay the mortgage and keep our staff working,” said Jennifer Larsen, the Senior Director of Quality Improvement.
Luckily with the help of private donations and virtual fundraising, On Your Mark is keeping its pace for now, but the threat of COVID-19 continued to creep up. Billy was one of the nearly 50 residents who contracted the virus.
“It’s no fun, I can’t even leave my room, I was feeling sick but I didn’t have a fever, I just had COVID-19,” Billy said.
The city’s vaccine rollout has seen eligible New Yorkers waiting for hours only to be turned away, for some getting an appointment has proved near impossible.
“We can’t take some of our individuals who have other conditions that prevent them from standing on line for hours,” said Ellen Murray the Director of Clinical Services.
When it comes to keeping its residents safe, On Your Mark took a shot at doing things on its own – vaccinating almost all of its residents and finding ways to jump other hurdles.
“We don’t just say it is what it is, medical visits, some of our doctors won’t see individuals because they don’t wear masks, we’ve had to switch doctors, find alternatives to masks, we never take no for an answer here,” Murray said.
Lives have upended, but Billy has so much to look forward to.
“I really want to go to Applebee’s for my 36th birthday and eat inside,” he said.
The pandemic has done everything to hold this community back, but On Your Mark is giving them a head start.
By Currents News Staff and Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On the same day that 10 rockets hit an air base in Iraq, Pope Francis said he had to travel to the country because he could not disappoint them.
“The Iraqi people are waiting for us; they awaited St. John Paul II, who was not permitted to go” in 1999, Pope Francis said March 3. “One cannot disappoint a people for the second time. Let us pray that this journey will be a good one.”
[Related: Historic Trip to Iraq Comes as Many Question Safety of Pope]
The Holy Father spoke about the trip at the end of his weekly general audience, telling viewers, “The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage.” The trip is scheduled for March 5-8.
“For a long time, I have wanted to meet those people who have suffered so much; to meet that martyred church in the land of Abraham,” he said.
“Together with the other religious leaders, we also will take another step forward in fraternity among believers,” the Holy Father said before traveling to the country where most people are Muslim but coexisted for centuries with Christian and other minority communities.
“I ask you to accompany this apostolic visit with your prayers, so that it may unfold in the best possible way and bear the hoped-for fruits,” Pope Francis said.
Several hours earlier, 10 rockets landed in and near a military base about 100 miles west of Baghdad. The Ain al-Asad airbase hosts Iraqi, U.S. and other coalition troops. No casualties were reported.
The Associated Press reported that it was the first attack since the U.S. struck Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border Feb. 26, creating fears of a series of alternating retaliatory attacks.
A look at businesses in Chinatown as they continue to struggle one year into the pandemic.
New developments on the Capitol riots investigation.
How the Middle East and Christian community are coping a decade after the Arab Spring.
Why customs and border protection are calling in reinforcements.
By Emily Drooby
A steady stream of customers come into Chinatown’s Kam Hing Bakery. The busy sight is a relief to owner Liz Yee, especially when she reflects on what it was like this time last year.
“All of Chinatown was closing down. You saw everybody close their gates and then a couple months after, you saw ‘for rent’ signs, ‘for sale’ signs.”
Kam Hing Bakery has been in Liz’s family for three generations. They shut down for eight months during the pandemic, and focused on their other spot, Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle.
It’s been rough. But a year later, things are finally starting to look up.
“We’re making enough to cover us right now, so for me that’s a win right now,” Liz said, adding, “Chinatown slowly is getting back to where it is, but not completely.”
This has become the norm for Chinatown. Before the pandemic there were about 312 eateries in Chinatown. That number dropped to 29 by April.
Take a quick walk down the sidewalk and it’s clear that things are getting better, but it’s still far from normal.
A recent survey done by the ground group Chinatown Partnership showed that only about 55 percent of ground floor stores in the area are back open.
The one bright spot? An outpouring of support for the community. From donations to words of encouragement, people all across the globe have gotten involved.
“The good sign is so many people wanted to help, so many supporters,” Wellington Chen, the executive director of Chinatown Partnership and Chinatown BID, told Currents News.
“It’s almost like this community came together and it’s not just people in Manhattan, Chinatown or New York City,” added Gabi Tran, who works with Welcome to Chinatown, a nonprofit started in 2020 to help the area though the pandemic.
“We receive a lot of assistance and help and donations from individuals all around the world,” she said.
However, now another ugly virus has reared its head: racism. Attacks against people of Asian descent are on the rise.
“We’ve definitely seen a lot more fear, especially within the workers,” Gabi explained.
While Wellington says Asian-Americans make up about 14 percent of New York City, he said it’s up to the rest of the city to help.
“I need the other 86 percent to speak up, to intervene safely, to distract, to de-escalate, to document.”
Another way to help the area in their journey to recovery? Tourism.
“But still you don’t have the kind of foot traffic,” explained New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents the Chinatown district. “I think a lot of the restaurants are now relying on take-out and delivery which is helpful, but it’s not enough.”
By Jessica Easthope
The days leading up to Easter, the most holy day of the year, are a time of preparation and reflection. Since last Easter, our faith has endured some unprecedented changes. But this Lent, the Diocese of Brooklyn is adapting to the pandemic age.
“For everyone that’s still at home and as we’re still dealing with the pandemic, we wanted to make it the best Lent yet for people in ways that we could,” said Caitlin Sakdalan, the social media community manager for DeSales Media Group, the communication and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NET-TV.
DeSales created a Lent 2021 website, dioceseofbrooklyn.
“There are different practices going on whether it’s the Archdiocese or our Diocese, church to church and so we’re really encouraging people to come to the website for information,” Caitlin said.
When we think about Lent we often see it as a time to give something up, but the website offers an explanation of fasting from a different perspective.
“Why do we fast? Because even though we have many great things, we have a God that is greater,” says Father Chris Bethge in one of the website reflection videos.
These days, one of those good things has been the devices we use to communicate when we can’t see each other. The website has Facebook filters and wallpapers to keep the day centered around faith.
“We’re all on our phones and our computers all the time now, even more so because of the pandemic. So how can we give people these daily meaningful reminders as a way to actually engage in their faith,” Caitlin asked.
Whether you’re looking for information or to get a deeper understanding, the Lent 2021 website has it and maybe even something you didn’t know you needed.
Currents News Staff
Ten years after the Arab Spring, the uprisings that inspired so much promise have fallen short of expectations. But the fight for freedom in the Arab world continues. As Pope Francis embarks on his trip to Iraq, a message of hope still resonates with the faithful there.
It’s been a decade since a humble Tunisian street vendor gave birth to a revolution – lighting himself on fire in protest of government corruption, poverty and a lack of basic human rights.
His sacrifice sparked demonstrations that quickly spread across the Arab world: toppling governments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen, and triggering deadly civil wars that led to a global humanitarian crisis that’s still playing out today.
“They called for bread, freedom and social justice,” said Steven Cook, an expert on the region and senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
“If you think about those three things, what people were asking for was for dignity,” Steven said. “And living in these societies where there is corruption, crony capitalism, an arrogance of power, police brutality… these are things people essentially wanted to throw off and build a more just and open society.”
Widespread unemployment, especially among young people, pushed activists to rally in the streets and to use social media to spread the word of their discontent.
“It was interesting to see how activists and protesters used social media,” Steven said.
He also went on to say that “It’s important to recognize social media was not the beginning and the end of it: these governments had the ability to shut down the internet. Activists then subsequently organized in some old fashioned ways through the mosque, through word of mouth, through neighborhoods and continued to turn out big crowds in what are now very famous public squares.
But 10 years in, unfulfilled promises and voids in leadership have taken their toll.
“None of them, save perhaps Tunisia, really did make a transition to a more open and democratic society,” Steven explained. “The results have been either civil wars or authoritarianism.”
And the rise of terrorist groups, like ISIS, who brutally seized power in parts of Iraq, Libya and Syria, where Edward Clancy with Aid to the Church in Need says the aftermath has been devastating.
“Syria has had essentially 10 years of civil war that has come from the Arab Spring, so it’s hard to say that many good things have come,” he told Currents News, “And the same could be said of Yemen —Yemen is really a disaster. It’s an economic and political disaster..people are starving. There’s a lot of problems, and a lot of violence.”
In Iraq, violent extremists smashed centuries of priceless artifacts that bear witness to a history of cohesion among Muslims and Christians. It was all in an attempt to destroy Iraq’s Christian identity.
“Islam and Christianity have existed side by side in Iraq and in the region for many generations. One of the terrible things that ISIS did or does is try to remove or expunge all remnants of history or cultural significance of people or their opponents,” said Edward.
But the faithful of Qaraqosh in the Nineveh Plains – the heart of Iraq’s dwindling Christian community – could not be extinguished. Their beloved cathedral was restored after it was nearly wiped out by ISIS, with help from Aid to the Church in Need.
“The cathedral was rebuilt. and now, it’s the pride and joy of the Nineveh Plains,” said Edward. “It stands as a point of particular contact in the community but also as a source of pride and resistance that the people say when there’s a church, they know they can remain.”
As Pope Francis spreads his message of unity, hope and tolerance in Iraq, the significance of his visit has the world watching.
“You can’t help but think that the pope’s visit will shine a light on the tenets of christianity,” said Edward.
“It’s extraordinary that the pontiff is going to Iraq,” added Steven. “It’s an important visit not just for Iraqi christians, but for all Iraqis of good will who would like to pull their country back from the brink of collapse.”
Currents News Staff
Continuing our coverage of Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq: this upcoming historic visit holds a lot of meaning to Christians in the region who have faced persecution.
Steven Cook is a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on the region. He joined Currents News to discuss the impact and message that the Holy Father’s visit will bring during a tumultuous time.
By Emily Drooby
Every day after school, Danny Mantia is on the basketball court. Passing, shooting and perfecting his craft, he has a natural talent that runs in the family: His dad was his coach for years.
“I started playing basketball when I was probably six years old at my dad’s games,” he told Currents News.
Basketball, for the last 11 years it has been Danny’s passion.
“I play after school and then go home and watch basketball on TV, so a pretty big part of my life,” he explained.
To Danny, it’s not just a game. The court is where he faces off not only against opponents, but life.
“That’s been Danny all along, he just figures it out,” explained his mother, Mary Beth.
Life has thrown a lot his way, and he’s taken it in stride.
“Before his birth, while he was in utero, they noticed that something was wrong,” said Mary Beth.
Danny’s mom says doctors discovered he had what at the time they called “Proximal Focal Femoral Dysplasia,” a rare disease that affects the growth of the thigh bone. Doctors suggested removing his leg.
“And my husband and I were like, what? I mean this is a perfectly normal leg, it just needed some fixing,” said Mary Beth.
They chose to fight — Danny’s first face-off.
Four surgeries and more to come: straightening the bone, making an ACL, removing hardware and two lengthening surgeries, leading to three painful months of slowly stretching the bone.
“Just the whole having to rehab aspect of it,” is a challenge for Danny, “because I’ll be playing and I’ll have to take eight months off to rehab my leg and that can be difficult sometimes.”
It’s eight months to recover, nine more to regain his strength.
“He’s actually a pretty amazing kid. Just going through the surgeries that he’s gone through he has never complained. And this kid, you know this kid wakes up in pain almost every day, and the pain to him is just normal,” Mary Beth explained.
His leg has been stretched five inches, and he has two inches left.
It would be easy for the 17-year-old to lace up his shoes, to stop playing, to give up — but he doesn’t.
“God picked the right child,” said Mary Beth
Instead the point guard works harder and uses a lifted shoe, refusing to lose a step.
His coach, Bill Haskell, knows what it’s like to work hard for the love of the game. Born without a right hand, he played high school and college basketball.
“You know I just followed the game and studied it, and worked so hard at it,” he told Currents News.
After retiring from a long college coaching career, Bill decided to come to Saratoga Central Catholic School.
“When I retired I had in mind that I would love to become a high school basketball coach, where I could maybe inspire some kids,” he said.
Little did he know he would be inspired too. “It’s very encouraging that somebody would love the game that much to work that hard to be able to play,” he said.