From New York, the greatest city in the world, it's The Update with Brandon Julien! Today's road stop takes us across the water to Staten Island and the site of their 9/11 Memorial.
Some stories talked about on today's show were:
1. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sounded his most dire warning yet about the coronavirus pandemic, with the numbers reaching nearly 31,000 positive cases in the state, and nearly 18,000 in New York City. He said Tuesday the infection rate in New York is accelerating and the state could be two to three weeks away from a crisis that sees 40,000 people in intensive care. Such a surge would swamp hospitals, which now have just 3,000 intensive care unit beds in the entire state.
2. The former personal lawyer for President Donald Trump has been denied early release from a three-year prison sentence for campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Michael Cohen's request for release after serving 10 months in prison appears to be just another effort to inject himself into the news cycle. The judge noted that Cohen raised the danger of getting coronavirus in prison as the latest reason why he believed he was entitled to a reduced sentence.
3. The U.S. Justice Department is getting involved in a federal civil rights lawsuit that seeks to block transgender athletes in Connecticut from competing as girls in interscholastic sports. Attorney General William Barr argues in a filing signed Tuesday that a state policy that allows athletes to compete as the gender with which they identify violates Title IX the federal law that allows girls equal educational opportunities, including in athletics.
