Northeast
NY Gov. Hochul says she’s considering a mask ban to reduce hate crimes, triggers COVID fearful X users
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., said she was considering bringing back a ban on masks in her state to reduce crime, a proposal that was rejected by some social media accounts still fearful of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hochul spoke to CNN anchor Laura Coates on Wednesday night about potential measures she may take to reduce rampant crime in New York City, including reinstituting a previous mask ban. Jewish leaders have stated that the masks have made violent offenders less afraid to commit antisemitic hate crimes.
“But I absolutely will go back and take a look at this and see whether it can be restored because it is frightening to people,” Hochul said of the mask ban.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., told CNN Wednesday she was considering a mask ban in New York City to prevent crime. (Screenshot/CNN)
Coates brought Hochul on to talk about a 4% rise in antisemitic incidents throughout New York City. The anchor noted that the “tone” and the “aggressiveness” of the antisemitic crimes and vandalism “seem to have truly escalated and they are where commuters are and beyond.”
The governor described these acts as “textbook antisemitism” and that they “constitute hate crimes,” and touted her administration for reforming the bail laws so that suspects accused of committing hate crimes could be held on bail.
She added that her team listed “28 more offenses to our hate crime list,” “beefed up security at vulnerable places, particularly places of worship,” and worked to protect college campuses during commencement season.
Coates then brought up the potential mask ban, stating, “There‘s also a call some have talked about – some Jewish leaders actually in New York are calling tonight for a mask ban, saying that covering faces allows protesters to have some level of anonymity to be more aggressive, to be more entitled to say what they want because they don‘t fear repercussion the same way.”
“Would you support that endeavor?” the anchor asked.
The governor began by noting that there used to be a mask ban “before the pandemic, that you couldn’t have a face covering that didn’t serve a purpose… The pandemic removed that from our state law.”
She continued, noting she “absolutely will go back and take a look at this.”
“You‘re sitting on a subway train and someone puts on a mask like this… you don‘t know if they‘re going to be committing a crime, they‘re going to have a gun or whether they‘re just going to be threatening, intimidating you because you are Jewish, which is exactly what happened the other day. Absolutely unacceptable in the state of New York,” Hochul said.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul presents her 2025 executive state budget in the Red Room at the state Capitol on Jan. 16, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Multiple accounts on social media apprehensive about COVID-19 voiced their displeasure with a potential mask ban.
Public health commentator Dr. Lucky Tran posted, “UPDATE: NY Governor Kathy Hochul said on CNN last night that she is considering a ban on masks. @GovKathyHochul this is absolutely shameful! New York has suffered so much from COVID, and COVID is not over. We should be normalize[sic] and depoliticizing masks, not banning them.”
The account “COVID Advocacy NY” posted, “NY ACTION ALERT: @GovKathyHochul said on CNN that she is considering banning masks in NY. We need to all speak out against this!”
The account also provided details for how to contact the governor or her team.
Health policy activist Myra Batchelder commented, “I just called and spoke with Gov Hochul’s staff. I urge New Yorkers to call and message her office today and urge her not to ban masks in NY! A mask ban will endanger people’s lives and health. We cannot ban masks in NY.”
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Two offensive picks bookend a linebacker and a safety on Day 3 as the Texans selected WR Lewis Bond out of Boston College with pick No. 204 in the 6th round of the draft.
At just over 5-10 and 190 pounds, Bond hauled in 213 receptions during his time at BC.
In 2025 he was fourth in the nation with 7.3 receptions per game and finished with 993 yards.
Former BC QB Thomas Castellanos called Bond an unbelievable receiver who can do it all. Castellanos described Bond as a very physical receiver who can make plays in space and break tackles, adding that he was open a lot and could have been targeted even more.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Our staff weighs in with their thoughts on the pick.
Ryland Bickley: Here’s your TE3/FB for Mike McCarthy. Nowakowski probably would’ve been a “my guy” in this draft class if I had been able to watch him more. He’s an extremely high-effort run blocker with solid mobility who should be able to find a role on offense right away. Nowakowski is a bit undersized for a tight end and his testing is just OK, but as a fullback I like the pick. We can quibble a bit with taking a returner and fullback with the team’s latest two picks, but in the fifth round you can’t complain about good football players. Grade: B+
Mike Nicastro: Nowakowski is a perfect replacement for Connor Heyward because of his versatility. He’ll play tight end, fullback, and can contribute on special teams. He played a pivotal role on Indiana’s National Championship run – the guy just feels like a winner. Although it still feels like a pick based more on need opposed to value, I like this one much better than Wetjen. Grade: B+
Alex Hanczar: Pittsburgh adds yet another big school player in the form of 2026 National Champion Riley Nowakowski. The departures of Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward led many to believe the Steelers would add depth at the position and here it is. Aside from solely playing TE, Nowakowksi will likely fill the Heyward role at the FB position. At 6-foot-two 250 pounds, I would not be surprised to see the former Hoosier lineup under center for the ‘tush push’ for the black and gold. Grade: B
Joey Bray: Welcome back Connor Heyward. In all seriousness, Riley Nowakowski is an interesting pick for the Steelers. They needed to take another tight end, but Nowakowski is more of a fullback type. He played a blocking role for Indiana last year when he did line up a tight end, although he’s 32 catches last season were more than he had in his previous four collegiate seasons combined. Nowakowski isn’t particularly fast or dynamic and doesn’t have the size to be a legit receiving threat. He is a good football player and it makes sense that Mike McCarthy would take a fullback, but taking a return man and fullback back-to-back in the mid rounds is an curious use of resources. Grade: C-
Ryan Parish: As harsh as I was on using a 4th rounder on a kick returner-only player, I’m to the moon for this selection. I highlighted Nowakowski in my Tight End draft gems list as a perfect fit for the John Kuhn/Hunter Luepke FB role in Mike McCarthy’s offense. Nowakowski is short for a tight end but perfect for a blocker for a power run scheme. He’s also gotta decent hands and tackle-breaking ability for underneath routes that should make Aaron Rodgers happy. This was a meat and potatoes pick, and yet another sign that the Steelers are veering into a gap/power running scheme. Phenomenal fit. Grade: A++
Jarrett Bailey: The Steelers were always going to take a tight end, being that they released Jonnu Smith and didn’t bring back Connor Heyward. Nowakowski will play that Heyward role. Special teams and No. 3 tight end/fullback. Not great. Not abysmal. Fine. Grade: C
Temperatures will warm into the 50s for much of the state unless you’re at the shoreline or near the New York border.
Rain showers will begin in southwest Connecticut this afternoon before slowly spreading to the east through the evening
Much of the state will see rain tonight unless you’re in the far northeast corner of Connecticut.
A few showers could linger in southern and southeastern Connecticut tomorrow morning.
Clouds will linger through much of Sunday with temperatures in the 50s for more of the state.
Monday and Tuesday will be sunnier and seasonal with temperatures well into the 60s.
Cloud cover and rain chances return by the middle of the week.
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