Date created : 16/05/2019 - 03:47 New York (AFP) US media have panned him as a potential presidential hopeful and polls suggest an uphill battle, but New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was nonetheless expected Thursday to jump into the crowded 2020 race.As the Democratic mayor of the nation's largest city for the past five years, the 58-year-old who first ran as an unapologetic leftist in 2013 coasted to re-election that November.Despite the old truism that the job of New York mayor is the second toughest in America after that of president, de Blasio -- sometimes nicknamed "Big Bird" for his lanky, 6-foot, 5-inch (1.97-meter) frame -- is one of the few people openly confident of his chances.While he has been testing the waters for months, travelling to early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina despite a packed mayoral schedule, his campaign has been met with widespread derision. Democratic polling has been particularly humbling back home for de Blasio, who is up against 22 other … [Read more...] about New York mayor de Blasio expected to join 2020 race
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New York City Mayor de Blasio to announce US presidential bid
Date created : 16/05/2019 - 03:58 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will enter the 2020 presidential race on Thursday, according to a source close to the mayor. A liberal Democrat, the 57-year-old de Blasio is serving his second four-year term as mayor of the country's biggest city and will be prevented by term limits from running again in 2021.He is scheduled to appear on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday after launching his campaign with a video, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss the rollout ahead of time.De Blasio's entry will swell the ranks of Democratic hopefuls to two dozen, all aiming to take on U.S. President Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee next year.Even after six years overseeing a city of more than 8 million people, de Blasio faces an uphill battle to stand out among the Democratic contenders, who include former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and liberal icons like U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth … [Read more...] about New York City Mayor de Blasio to announce US presidential bid
Dispute erupts over New York fur ban proposal
A proposal to ban the sale of fur in New York has pitted animal rights advocates against an unexpected alliance of local industry figures and minority groups who say wearing fur is an important cultural marker. Separated by police, hundreds of protesters on both sides of the debate squared off outside City Hall on Wednesday as the city council debated the bill, which would impose fines starting at $500 for people who sold new fur products but would permit the sale of second-hand gear. "For me, this is really an argument about how we treat animals and how we act as a humane society," Corey Johnson, a city council member backing the bill, said last week. "I think it's unnecessary to kill animals just to wear them." Opponents of the ban say it would endanger 150 small businesses and 7,000 jobs, while others have pointed out that wearing fur hats is a religious practice for Hasidic Jews, who have a large community in New York. Black Americans also regard wearing fur as a time-honored … [Read more...] about Dispute erupts over New York fur ban proposal
New York’s Met says no to Sackler money amid opioid scandal
New York's Metropolitan Museum announced on Wednesday that it will cease accepting gifts from the billionaire Sackler family, amid allegations that it profited off the sale of the opioid OxyContin that is blamed for tens of thousands of deaths. The move came after similar rejections by the Guggenheim museum in New York and the Tate in London as legal troubles mount for the Sacklers and their company Purdue Pharma, which manufactures the drug. "The Sackler family has graciously supported The Met for 50 years and has not proposed any new contributions," the Met's president and CEO Daniel Weiss said in a statement. "Nonetheless, in consideration of the ongoing litigation, the prudent course of action at this time is to suspend acceptance of gifts from individuals associated with this public health crisis." The announcement came the same day that the American Museum of Natural History in New York said it had made a similar decision, without giving details. The Centers for Disease Control … [Read more...] about New York’s Met says no to Sackler money amid opioid scandal
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce presidential run
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce that he is running for president Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. The long-anticipated declaration makes de Blasio the 24th person and third mayor angling for the job in 2020. He plans to head to Iowa Thursday night and South Carolina over the weekend to campaign.De Blasio represents more people — 8.6 million in New York City — than several of the governors running. But only 36 percent of New Yorkers say they favorable opinion of him, according to a recent poll from Quinnipiac University. The mayor, who was elected to a second term in 2017, has stumbled and faced political defeats as he has flirted with a presidential run. A press conference resembling a campaign event on the "NYC Green New Deal" that the mayor held in Trump Tower turned to chaos as supporters of President Trump heckled him, CBS New York reported. And earlier this year, the mayor faced criticism after Amazon … [Read more...] about New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce presidential run