Northeast
'You are culpable': Stefanik demands Cuomo apologize for COVID nursing home deaths in heated exchange
Lawmakers grilled former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding his handling of controversial COVID-era nursing home policies, demanding he apologize to families who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo testified before the House select committee investigating coronavirus on Tuesday regarding elderly deaths after patients were being admitted into nursing homes without COVID-19 testing.
On March 25, 2020, the New York State Department of Health issued an advisory under Cuomo’s leadership stating nursing homes “are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.”
Cuomo claimed during the hearing that it was ultimately up to the nursing homes to decide whether they could take care of the patients, but lawmakers counterclaimed that the advisory prevented nursing homes from denying COVID positive patient admission.
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 10: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura)
“After months of inquiry and investigation, we now know irrefutable what New Yorkers have known for years that Governor Cuomo himself and his most senior aides ordered, directed and executed this deadly executive order counter to CMS and CDC guidance,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said.
“You are culpable for this,” Stefanik told the former governor. “There are families sitting here. I want you to turn around, look them in the eye, and apologize, which you have failed to do. How do you do it?”
The former New York governor also testified during the hearing that he did not speak to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before or after the advisory was sent.
ANDREW CUOMO WILL FINALLY FACE QUESTIONS OVER COVID DEATHS. WILL MY FAMILY AND OTHERS LEARN THE TRUTH?
“And they never called me after. You would think if they had a problem with the directive, they would have called if it was so outrageous you didn’t even call it.” Cuomo told the committee, adding that the advisory was “in total compliance with federal guidelines.”
Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, grilled Cuomo during the hearing. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg)
Cuomo was blamed for thousands of COVID-related deaths that occurred in nursing homes, which a 2023 report from the NYS Department of Health calculated to be 826 in Suffolk County, 813 in Erie County – which includes Buffalo – and 623 in Queens County.
The former governor directed blame to former President Donald Trump during the hearing, saying that the investigation is part of “old diversions to blame New York and other states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice.”
Republican members on the committee railed Cuomo for shifting the blame on the issue.
“I was hoping that we would see a Governor Cuomo that was less defensive and that was remorseful over what happened in New York. But I see that that person has not shown up today,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, said.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 10: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is sworn in to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura)
In closing, Chairman Wenstrup added that he was “deeply skeptical of the abdication of responsibility on to others that we’ve witnessed, not only here, but publicly.”
“It appears there’s to be no soul-searching from you, governor. I’m sorry. No self- critique of what could have been done better and improved upon. Just doubling down, blaming others,” Wenstrup said.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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Boston, MA
Person of interest in Brown University shooting identified, sources say
Authorities have identified a person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
This comes after days of intense investigation and a manhunt for a gunman who opened fire inside the Barus and Holley engineering building on the Providence, Rhode Island, campus on Saturday. Two students were killed and nine other people injured.
Another person of interest was previously taken into custody, but that person was eventually released when investigators ruled them out as a suspect.
Michael Tabman, a retired FBI special agent in charge, joined NBC10 Boston on Thursday to discuss the possible connection being investigated between the shooting death of an MIT professor in Brookline, Massachusetts, and last weekend’s mass shooting on the Brown University campus.
Investigators released a series of surveillance videos and images of a person of interest, asking the public for help with the search.
The shooting has raised questions about safety and security on Brown’s campus and concerns about misinformation and AI-generated images circulated online due to the high-profile nature of the case.
Investigators are looking into whether the Brown shooting may be linked to the killing of an MIT professor at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home this week.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor move to Mt. Lebanon
Pittsburgh-area natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor are returning to their roots.
Manganiello, from Mt. Lebanon, and O’Connor, from Uniontown, have bought a home in the South Hills after getting engaged this summer.
On Pittsburgh Today Live on Thursday, O’Connor talked about the couple’s move from Hollywood to Mt. Lebanon.
“It’s so nice to be home,” she said.
While Manganiello and O’Connor are happy to be back in southwestern Pennsylvania, O’Connor said it’ll be a bigger adjustment for the beloved chihuahua Bubbles. From the Pittsburgh Steelers fashion show to the gala celebrating the new airport terminal, the tiny dog is seemingly always in Manganiello’s arms.
“Bubbles is a California girl. She really doesn’t like the cold. We wrap her in a blanket and she has many, many puffy coats. I bought her a Steelers puffy to put in her stocking, so we’re going to see how she does over the next few months. But it’s not that long. It’s not forever. Winter will come and go,” O’Connor said.
And they all got quite the Pittsburgh welcome. O’Connor said it snowed when they were moving in, and Manganiello was outside shoveling for over two hours. She said she’s getting him a snowblower for Christmas.
The couple won’t be braving the Pittsburgh winter for too long. O’Connor said they’ll soon be off to South Africa, where Manganiello will film “One Piece” for Netflix. He’ll star as the villain Crocodile in the popular Japanese manga series.
“Bubbles will be in a better state,” O’Connor joked, saying it’s currently summer in South Africa. “I just bring Bubbles to set and hang out. It’s really the best job.”
Connecticut
Lamont Seeks $168M From Emergency Reserve To Offset Federal Cuts To Health, Housing And Food Aid
CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont has submitted a plan to Connecticut legislative leaders to withdraw nearly $168 million from a newly created Emergency State Response Reserve to offset recent federal funding delays and reductions affecting health and human services programs.
The proposal, totaling $167.9 million, marks the first time Lamont has sought to access the reserve, which was established in November under Special Act 25-1. The fund contains $500 million in state surplus dollars and was created in anticipation of potential federal funding reductions.
According to the administration, the proposed expenditures would help reduce health insurance costs for more than 150,000 residents, provide food assistance to more than 35,000 people and help keep approximately 3,500 individuals housed.
The plan includes funding to bolster food banks and pantries affected by changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, replace expiring enhanced health insurance subsidies linked to the Affordable Care Act, and provide interim support for homelessness prevention programs facing federal grant delays. It also would cover lost federal reimbursements for services provided by Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and expand capacity at the state’s 2-1-1 information and referral system.
“We should be supporting programs that increase access to food, healthcare, and homelessness prevention and response,” Lamont said in a statement. “Here in Connecticut we will stand behind them and do what we can to ensure that this most basic assistance remains available.”
Office of Policy and Management Interim Secretary Joshua Wojcik said the funding would help close gaps created by federal actions while supporting vulnerable residents.
“This is a responsible use of taxpayer resources to support our most vulnerable residents,” Wojcik said, adding that the administration continues to assess additional needs.
Under the proposal, $24.6 million would go to community food banks and pantries through June 2027, while $64.1 million would replace expiring enhanced premium tax credits for residents enrolled in Covered Connecticut. Another $50.8 million would address the loss of enhanced federal health insurance subsidies for certain income groups.
Additional allocations include $6.9 million for expiring homelessness grants and supportive housing vouchers, $10.4 million to replace lost federal funding for Planned Parenthood services and Title X programs, $4.7 million to expand 2-1-1 call center capacity and community outreach, and $1.5 million for administrative costs at the Department of Social Services.
As required by law, bipartisan legislative leaders have 24 hours after receiving the plan to review it and, if they choose, disapprove the proposed expenditures before funds are transferred.
If approved, $332 million would remain in the Emergency State Response Reserve. The governor is authorized to make withdrawals from the fund through Feb. 4, 2026, the opening day of the next regular legislative session.
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