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Politico
6 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Ding-Dong! Lawler's gov run is dead
With help from Amira McKee 'MILK-BONE' MIKE: Wake up, you sleepyhead, rub your eyes, get out of bed. Wake up, Mike Lawler's run for gov is dead! The Democrats' Wicked Witch of the Hudson Valley melted his own ambitions of running for governor this morning — and Dems are experiencing a moment of jubilation during an otherwise dreary year marked by President Donald Trump's ascension and his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Starting near the crack of dawn this morning, Lawler — through successive interviews with The New York Times, the New York Post, Fox & Friends and News 12 — declared he would not run for governor, after more than a year of hinting he wanted to take Gov. Kathy Hochul's job. Instead, he's running for reelection again in NY-17, a Hudson Valley district former Vice President Kamala Harris won by a hair last year, with an already crowded field of Democratic primary candidates. Lawler's announcement came after intense pressure from House GOP Speaker Mike Johnson and a private meeting with Trump. Lawler told News 12 today he met with Trump in the Oval Office last week 'for almost an hour' and that the president 'expressed his view to me about how important, obviously, maintaining the house majority is.' On his way out, the self-styled moderate Republican chided his fellow GOP foe Rep. Elise Stefanik — a devout MAGA loyalist who has similarly spent the last few months traveling the state and courting speculation of a statewide run. (Speculation remains that Republican Nassau County Bruce Blakeman could run for governor, too). Lawler's much anticipated reveal today inspired Democrats to get creative. They called him everything from an 'obedient lapdog' to a chicken who squawked his way out of the running for governor in the wake of the news. Gov. Kathy Hochul took the lead. She posted a picture on X of a box of 'Milk-Bone' dog treats with a post-it note on the box that read 'To: Mike Lawler.' 'A treat for Donald Trump's Good Boy,' the governor wrote, adding a dog bone emoji. Others remarked that Lawler's decision not to run wasn't one of obedience, but self-doubt. 'Lawler has always made one thing very clear: he would only run for governor if he thought Republicans had a path statewide,' the Democratic Governors Association said in a memo. 'By declining to run, Lawler has admitted that he doesn't think any Republican can win statewide — especially a Trump Republican like Elise Stefanik.' Stefanik, for her part, said she won't make a decision on running for governor until November. Blakeman declined to comment on Lawler's announcement. State Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar told Playbook he'll nudge the North Country Republican to speed up her decision. 'I'm going to urge her to move up that timetable,' he said. 'We've been leaning her way, and I would like to move the timetable up. But I'm going to have that conversation with her.' In a parting dig at Stefanik — or whoever takes on Hochul next year — Lawler said in a statement this morning that he fundamentally believes he's 'best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for Governor' (even though he's not going to run). Lawler also told News 12 that Stefanik's decision to wait until November 'does the party a disservice.' 'Elise owes it to the party, she owes it to the people of the state, to run,' Lawler said, as if to foist the game of chicken onto her. 'She says she'll make a decision in November. I don't, frankly, think she can wait that long. I think she needs to jump in and really start the race.' — Jason Beeferman, with Nick Reisman FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL PRIMARY INSIGHTS: Zohran Mamdani picked up more than 85,000 votes when Brad Lander was eliminated in the mayoral primary, while Andrew Cuomo gained over 31,000 — another sign of the impact of the city comptroller's cross-endorsement with the Democratic primary winner, Hit Strategies' Jake Rubinstein reported on X. The Board of Elections certified the results Tuesday and released a trove of data on the race. Election geeks jumped at the spreadsheets, analyzing the info and building maps and graphics. Here are some of the most interesting insights: Mamdani's wide appeal: Nearly 60 percent of voters included Mamdani's name somewhere on their mayoral ballot — the highest rate in the primary, according to Aaron Narraph Fernando, who crunched some of the numbers on X. Cuomo came in fourth in that category with 46 percent, behind Lander and Adrienne Adams — due in part to the relatively high number of people who appear to have followed the 'DREAM' campaign's advice and didn't rank the ex-governor at all. RCV uptake: Some 78 percent of mayoral primary voters ranked more than one candidate, according to Fair Vote, and Mamdani backers were far more likely to use RCV. About 37 percent of Cuomo supporters 'bullet voted' for him, meaning they didn't rank anybody else on the ballot, per political forcaster Jesse Richardson on X. Another 2 percent ranked Cuomo five times. While just 7 percent of Mamdani voters only ranked him. Overall, just 5 percent of voters' ballots weren't counted in the final round, since they didn't rank either Mamdani or Cuomo. District disagreements: Mamdani won House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' Brooklyn district with 46 percent of the vote in the first round and 56 percent in the final round, per Competitive Advantage Research. Jeffries still hasn't endorsed Mamdani and has been highly critical of the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani also won Rep. Dan Goldman's district 46-23, after Goldman backed Zellnor Myrie in the primary. How neighborly: Mamdani won his own election district in Astoria 76-10 over Cuomo, and Cuomo won his ED in Midtown East 62-16 over Mamdani. Mayor Eric Adams' Bed-Stuy ED backed Mamdani 72-17, but his neighbors in Gracie Mansion picked Cuomo 49-18. Lander got second in his own ED, with 24 percent to Mamdani's 66 percent. Eric Adams' opted out of running in the primary, but will be on the general election ballot. Lander's influence: More than 56 percent of voters who preferred Lander had their votes go to Mamdani when RCV played out, compared to just 21 percent going to Cuomo. Another 23 percent were exhausted, meaning they ranked neither Mamdani or Cuomo. That three-to-one advantage for Mamdani is a significant shift from the roughly three-to-two split that the Marist Poll found just before Lander cross-endorsed in June. — Jeff Coltin FROM CITY HALL 26 FED PLAZA: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams are demanding the city's fire and buildings departments inspect the shadowy immigrant holding site at 26 Federal Plaza. In a letter today, Lander and Williams urged those city agencies to 'use every tool available to ensure that New York City's zoning, building, and fire codes are complied with, in order to protect New Yorkers.' Two videos first reported by THE CITY yesterday offered a glimpse into the secretive 10th floor processing facility to which a handful of local, state, and federal elected officials — including the comptroller and public advocate — were denied access. The letter claims the site is serving as a 'de facto jail or detention facility,' allegations federal immigration authorities have adamantly denied. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Eric Adams, whose relationship with Trump has been the subject of controversy, said the reports of poor conditions inside 26 Federal Plaza were brought to his attention Tuesday. At an unrelated event that day, he shrugged off a reporter's question about the facility, asking: 'Do you realize that's a federal building?' Today, the mayor changed his tune, saying his administration had already contacted federal officials regarding the videos. 'We immediately reached out to find out exactly what is taking place there,' he said at a press conference. 'We are going to coordinate with our local electeds to look at what is happening there, including our federal electeds. And I'm happy to see that they are raising their voices at this time, but we're going to look into it.' Lander and Williams weren't convinced. The comptroller was quick to characterize the mayor's comments on the city's limited authority to inspect federal buildings as 'words of a patsy for Donald Trump and for Tom Homan and for Kristi Noem.' 'I have lost all faith and confidence in this administration,' Williams said. 'I am simply asking him to act like he cares about what's happening and what Donald Trump is doing to this city. And that is what's most disheartening … We do have limitations in what we can do, but the mayor can show the city of New York that he cares about making this happen.' — Amira McKee MEANWHILE IN NASSAU COUNTY…: New York state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Michaelle Solages were allowed brief access to an immigrant holding site at East Meadow Jail, after being initially blocked by facility staff. Nassau county executive Bruce Blakeman said the elected officials arrived at the jail unannounced this morning and that his team advised the facility to grant them access and sent personnel to escort the pair. The lawmakers' access was delayed, Blakeman told reporters, because they didn't coordinate with the facility ahead of their visit. Salazaar said the conditions of the facility were not egregious, but she remains concerned with a lack of transparency around the state's ICE detainment sites. 'Inside the jail, it was clear that Nassau County and ICE were detaining New Yorkers without due process, or access to their families and legal counsel,' Salazar wrote in a statement. 'We were only able to speak with a few individuals, as the facility officials and the Nassau Executive's team rushed us out, as if they had something to hide.' — Amira McKee IN OTHER NEWS — WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PROBES?: The federal investigations into former members of Adams' administration — like NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and aides Tim Pearson and Phil Banks — seem to have suddenly halted. (Gothamist) — ADAMS ON THE POD: The mayor said he would like to see cannabis use limited to certain city blocks and praised Trump's border security in a wide ranging interview on the 'Pod Force One' podcast. (New York Post) — DELGADO WADES INTO CDPAP: Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado visited the Capital Region to slam Hochul on her handling of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. (POLITICO Pro) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
New York Post
21-07-2025
- New York Post
Long Island ‘fight club' busted when gunfire breaks out — 13 arrested
A 'fight club'' was busted at a Long Island swim center Sunday night when gunfire broke out, leading to 13 arrests, cops said. Suffolk County cops responded to a reported gunshot around 6 p.m. near the Brookhaven Aquatic Center in Shirley and broke up the unauthorized underground fighting ring there, police told Newsday. One of the participants had pulled out a gun during a scuffle and fired blank shots, which injured two males, ages 17 and 19, cops said. Both were taken to a local hospital. Most of the people arrested were between the ages of 16 and 20. Thirteen people were arrested when Suffolk County Police broke up what they called an 'unauthorized fight club event' in Shirley, LI. News 12 Long Island Most of the participants were between 16 and 20, police said. News 12 Long Island One suspect, Devine Brown, 25, of Mastic Beach was charged with assault, menacing, prohibitive use of a weapon and unlawful assembly, police said. He was detained overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday. Suffolk County Police did not immediately respond to a Post request for additional information. The incident is the second time police have been called to break up a fight club in Suffolk County in the past few weeks, according to Newsday. Three men were charged in June after cops busted an unauthorized afternoon brawl, which was advertised on social media and drew about 70 people to Walt Whitman Park in Melville. Most of those in attendance were in their early 20s, cops said. The notion of illicit organized brawls was popularized by the 1996 novel 'Fight Club' by Chuck Palahniuk, which he based off of his own experiences participating in them. The book was later adapted into the Oscar-nominated film under the same title in 1999 starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.
Saudi Gazette
21-07-2025
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
Man dies after being pulled into an MRI by a metal chain he wore, police say
WASHINGTON — A man died last week after being pulled into an MRI machine by a 'large metallic chain' police said he was wearing around his neck – highlighting the importance of checking for any metallic objects before going near the powerful magnets used in the medical imaging machines. The 61-year-old died Thursday, a day after Nassau County police said he was pulled into the MRI machine at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. The victim was wearing 'a large metallic chain around his neck causing him to be drawn into the machine,' prompting an unspecified 'medical episode,' police said in a news release. The man's entry to the room 'while the scan was in progress' was not authorized, police said. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition before he was declared dead the following day. The investigation is ongoing, police said. Police have not identified the victim, but CNN affiliate News 12 Long Island reported his name was Keith McAllister, according to his wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister. She told the station she was the one undergoing the MRI. 'He went limp in my arms,' Jones-McAllister said through tears. A person who answered the phone at Nassau Open MRI on Sunday said it had no comment. Used often for disease detection and diagnosis, MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The technology relies in part on powerful magnets to stimulate protons within a patient, who is placed inside the machine, allowing doctors to capture detailed images of the patient's anatomy. That strong magnetic field, however, emanates beyond the MRI machine, posing a threat to those who might be wearing metallic objects or have them implanted. The magnets exert 'very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,' the scientific institute notes, with enough strength 'to fling a wheelchair across the room.' Jones-McAllister was getting an MRI on her knee, she told News 12, and needed help getting up afterwards. She said she asked the MRI technician to retrieve her husband for assistance. 'I yelled out Keith's name, 'Keith, Keith, come help me up,'' Jones-McAllister said. According to News 12, Jones-McAllister said her husband was wearing around his neck a 20-pound chain with a large lock he used for weight training. 'At that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in, and he hit the MRI,' Jones-McAllister said. She said she and the technician tried to pry her husband away from the machine. 'I'm saying, 'Could you turn off the machine? Call 911. Do something. Turn this damn thing off!'' Because of the risks posed by an MRI machine's magnetic field, patients are urged to notify their doctors about any medical implants prior to an MRI, in case they contain any metallic materials. Pacemakers, insulin pumps and cochlear implants are all examples of implants that the NIBIB says should under no circumstances enter an MRI machine. But items outside the machine pose risks as well, as last week's tragedy in Westbury demonstrated. Anything magnetic – from something as small as keys, to something as large (or larger) than an oxygen tank – can become a projectile, threatening the safety of anyone nearby. 'Metal in a room that has the magnet will fly across the room to the scanner, to this large magnet, and will really hit anything in its way,' Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a radiologist, told CNN in 2011. 'So within radiology training, one learns very early that that's not OK, that you can't have external metal in the room, and you can't have metal in the patient,' she said. 'That could lead to a problem.' These accidents have happened in the past: In 2001, a 6-year-old boy was killed during an MRI at a hospital in Valhalla, New York, after a metal oxygen tank flew across the room when the machine's electromagnet turned on. The magnetized tank struck the child, who died of blunt force trauma injuries. These events are rare, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. Still, '(c)areful screening of people and objects entering the MR environment is critical to ensure nothing enters the magnet area that may become a projectile,' the agency says. — CNN
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Man wearing 9kg weight-training chain dies after being pulled into MRI machine
The man (61) had entered an MRI room while a scan was under way on Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI. The machine's strong magnetic force drew him in by the metallic chain around his neck, according to a release from the Nassau County Police Department. He died on Thursday afternoon. Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 Long Island in a recorded interview that she was undergoing an MRI on her knee when she asked the technician to get her husband, Keith McAllister, to help her get off the table. She said she called out to him. She told News 12 that the technician summoned her husband into the room. He was was wearing a 20-pound (9kg) chain that he uses for weight training, an object they'd had a casual conversation about during a previous visit with comments like: 'Ooooooh, that's a big chain!' When he got close to her, she said, 'at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI.' 'I said: 'Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something, Turn this damn thing off!'' she recalled, as tears ran down her face. 'He went limp in my arms.' She said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible. 'He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp,' Jones-McAllister told the TV outlet. Jones-McAllister told News 12 that McAllister suffered heart attacks after he was freed from the MRI machine. It wasn't the first New York death to result from an MRI machine. In 2001, 6-year-old Michael Colombini of Croton-on-Hudson was killed at the Westchester Medical Center when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI's 10-ton electromagnet. In 2010, records filed in Westchester County revealed that the family settled a lawsuit for $2.9 million. Magnetic resonance imaging machines 'employ a strong magnetic field' that 'exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,' according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are 'strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room.'
The Hill
21-07-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Man dies after being pulled into MRI machine while wearing metal chain
WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) — A man who was pulled into an MRI machine in New York after he walked into the room wearing a large weight-training chain around his neck has died, according to police and his wife, who told a local television outlet that he waved goodbye before his body went limp. The man, 61, had entered an MRI room while a scan was underway Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI. The machine's strong magnetic force drew him in by the metallic chain around his neck, according to a release from the Nassau County Police Department. He died Thursday afternoon, but a police officer who answered the phone at the Nassau County police precinct where the MRI facility is located said the department had not yet been given permission to release the name Saturday. Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 Long Island in a recorded interview that she was undergoing an MRI on her knee when she asked the technician to get her husband, Keith McAllister, to help her get off the table. She said she called out to him. She told News 12 that the technician summoned into the room her husband, who was wearing a 20-pound chain that he uses for weight training, an object they'd had a casual conversation about during a previous visit with comments like: 'Ooooooh, that's a big chain!' When he got close to her, she said, 'at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI.' 'I said: 'Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something, Turn this damn thing off!'' she recalled, as tears ran down her face. 'He went limp in my arms.' She said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible. 'He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp,' Jones-McAllister told the TV outlet. Jones-McAllister told News 12 that McAllister suffered heart attacks after he was freed from the MRI machine. A person who answered the phone at Nassau Open MRI on Long Island declined to comment Friday. The phone number went unanswered on Saturday. It wasn't the first New York death to result from an MRI machine. In 2001, 6-year-old Michael Colombini of Croton-on-Hudson was killed at the Westchester Medical Center when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI's 10-ton electromagnet. In 2010, records filed in Westchester County revealed that the family settled a lawsuit for $2.9 million. MRI machines 'employ a strong magnetic field' that 'exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,' according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are 'strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room.'
