New York City Mayor Charged in Fraud Scheme
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing charges of bribery, fraud, and abusing his political power in a multi-year corruption scheme whilst serving in America’s most populated city.The five-count charges involve wire fraud, accepting illegal campaign contributions from Turkish foreign nationals, and setting up a Turkish Consulate in the city without proper fire regulations, in exchange for luxury holidays in Turkey.
Adams maintains his innocence and refuses to resign, saying the charges against him are politically motivated.
A former captain in the New York Police Department, Adams is the first among the city’s 110 mayors in its 400-year history to receive criminal charges while in office. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
President Joe Biden Gives UN Speech
President Joe Biden gave his keynote speech at the annual U.N. conference on Sept. 24, highlighting tensions in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, and China’s aggression.In his farewell speech as president, Biden advocated for a stronger U.N. and the need to end the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, where the environment starkly contrasts from the previous year’s address which occurred before the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel by Hamas that claimed more than 1,200 lives.
Biden also talked about the “remarkable sweep of history” he had seen since his political career began as a senator at 29, during the U.S.–Vietnam conflict.
US Government Approves Funding Bill to Prevent Shutdown
The United States government passed an emergency federal funding bill days before the Oct. 1 deadline, preventing a government shutdown before the upcoming elections.President Joe Biden signed the bill on Sept. 26 after it had been voted on and passed through the House and Senate the day before.
The stopgap funding bill, as it is otherwise known, is a temporary funding agreement for the following year’s federal spending, averting a shutdown until a full budget can be ratified by the Dec. 20 deadline.
Nearly 750,000 Names Removed From North Carolina’s Voter Lists
More than 747,000 illegible names have been removed from North Carolina’s voting rolls since the beginning of 2023, the state’s election board announced on Sept. 26, following a 20-month investigation.Reasons for ineligibility can include death, relocation, continued inactivity, criminal convictions, duplicates, lack of citizenship, by request, and a successful challenge to ineligibility from another voter.
North Carolina is considered a swing state, meaning that it doesn’t act as a historical stronghold for any political party, making it an important deciding factor for the upcoming election results.
North Carolina currently has 7.7 million registered voters.
In August, Republicans sued the North Carolina election board saying it had failed to authenticate more than 225,000 voter registrants.
Historic Worker Strikes Threaten Productivity on US Shipping Ports
Historic worker strikes on East and Gulf coast shipping ports are threatening U.S. productivity to catastrophic proportions if demands aren’t met by Oct. 1 deadline.In a scale that hasn’t occurred since 1977, a threatened walk-out on 36 ports could affect half of all container goods that come in and out of the United States, jamming supply chains and reigniting inflation concerns, weeks ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
The International Longshoremen’s Association union representing the dock workers are arguing for a 77 percent wage hike over six-year contract, in line with workers West Coast counterparts.
This comes amidst an existing strike at Boeing by 30,000 machinists, which could affect the U.S. job market next month.
