Big Apple's rotten core: NYC Mayor Adams' case echoes previous scandals

Indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed that the Justice Department went after him because he criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. The White House rejected the accusations.

Adams was indicted on September 25 on five federal charges of alleged bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations.

US prosecutors say the charges date back to 2014. Adams has denied wrongdoing and insisted he will not resign.
While Adams is the first sitting NYC mayor charged with a federal crime, the US has seen many city government corruption scandals in its history.

✅ At least eight US mayors have have been convicted of corruption over the past 20-plus years, including Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

✅ Abraham Oakey Hall, the Big Apple's Democratic mayor from 1869 to 1872, was tried three times on grift charges but acquitted. Mayor James Walker, another Democrat who ruled the city between 1926 and 1932 and was forced to resign over corruption allegations. Democratic Mayor Edward Koch (1978-1989) was criticized for allowing cronyism and corruption in the city's agencies, but was never charged personally.

✅ More recently, Democrat Bill de Blasio was ordered in 2023 to pay $475,000 by a city ethics board for misusing public funds while serving as NYC mayor. He faced several fundraising scandals during his tenure.

De Blasio's NGO Campaign for One New York came under federal investigation for possible campaign finance violations in 2016. Between 2019 and 2021, the $1.25-billion mental health program ThriveNYC founded by De Blasio and his wife came under scrutiny over spending, effectiveness and lack of goals.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

An airstrike has been reported in the southern Laylaki area of the Lebanese capital Beirut, near the city's international airport.

A video circulating online shows a column of smoke rising into the sky, with an airplane in the background approaching the airport for landing, almost simultaneously with the attack.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Nasrallah’s death a ‘devastating blow’ that will trigger further violence – Beirut-based scholar

The assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah delivered “a devastating blow to Hezbollah” and the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance alliance which will inevitably escalate tensions and violence in the region, veteran Lebanese Middle East affairs observer Dr. Imad Salamey told Sputnik, commenting on the implications of the Shia militia leader’s death in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

“Nasrallah was not only the face of Hezbollah, but also a figure of immense symbolic and strategic importance within the broader Iranian-led regional alliance. He has been instrumental in Hezbollah’s military and political successes against Israel, its support of the Syrian regime, and its backing of the Houthis in Yemen. His death represents a major moral and leadership setback, leaving a vacuum that’s difficult to fill,” Salamay, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University, said.

Nasrallah’s death also comes against the background of the “substantial” damage done to Hezbollah in the wake of last week’s pager attacks, the professor recalled, noting these attacks “disrupted Hezbollah’s command and control capabilities, creating significant challenges for the group to regroup and reestablish its operational structure.”

Accordingly, while Hezbollah “remains a potent force, it will take some time for it to recover from these setbacks, both materially and strategically.”

In the short term, Dr. Salamay expects Nasrallah’s assassination to result in a sharp spike in attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and its allies to try to exact revenge, and more broadly, to potential “shifts in regional alliances, a recalibration of Iran’s strategies in Lebanon, and possibly more aggressive Israeli policies aimed at capitalizing on Hezbollah’s weakened position.”

The IDF’s dubbing the attack on Nasrallah “New Order” is also a likely reference to Israel’s ultimate goal of reshaping “the political and security dynamics in Lebanon and the broader region,” according to the academic.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Israel's attacks on Lebanon inhumane, adding that the killing of Palestinian civilians with US weapons should be immediately stopped.

Lavrov stated that Russia believes Washington was at the very least aware of Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The US and the UK are preparing Europe for a suicidal adventure against Russia, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his speech at the UN General Assembly.

Lavrov also emphasized the futility of "suicidal attempts" to fight for victory against a nuclear power like Russia.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russia urges countries proposing peace initiatives on Ukraine to consider the necessity of addressing the root causes of the conflict, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his speech at the UN General Assembly.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇮🇱 The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted another "precision strike" in the Dahiyeh area of Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday, according to the IDF press service.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇺🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his speech at the UNGA called Israel's attacks on Lebanon inhumane, adding that the killing of Palestinian civilians with US weapons should be immediately stopped.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russia urges countries proposing peace initiatives on Ukraine to consider the necessity of addressing the root causes of the conflict, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his speech at the UN General Assembly.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US President Joe Biden on Saturday called the killing of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah by Israel a "measure of justice," claiming the movement's leader was responsible for killing hundreds of Americans.

"Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Biden added that the United States supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Palestinian movement Hamas, the Houthis and "any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups."

Earlier, during his speech at the UNGA, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov called Israel's attack on Lebanon a political assassination and inhumane, noting that, in Moscow's view, Washington was at least aware of the preparation for the terrorist act.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s speech to the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly:

◻️ Lavrov condemned Israel's attack on Lebanon as inhumane, stating that Moscow believes Washington was at least aware of preparations for the terrorist act.

◻️ Russia urges countries proposing peace initiatives on Ukraine to address the root causes of the conflict.

◻️ From the UN podium, Lavrov emphasized the futility of "suicidal attempts" to fight for victory against a nuclear power like Russia.

◻️ Russia is not closing itself off from dialogue with the West and has proposed the idea of an architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.

◻️ The "Pact for the Future," prepared under the UN's auspices, is merely a well-worded declaration developed under Western control without the involvement of all member states.

◻️ It is not too late to breathe new life into the UN, but this can only be achieved by rebuilding trust based on equality – not through out-of-touch summits and declarations.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Zelensky’s ‘pie in the sky’ long-range missile hopes slow-walked by Washington - Ex-DoD Analyst

“I think Zelensky had a ‘pie in the sky’ goal of trying to get the US to give committed support, militarily, financially to get long-range missiles approved. I don’t think he fared very well,” ex-senior DoD security policy analyst Michael Maloof told Sputnik.

That's how Maloof summed up Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington this week, and his departure without a US go-ahead for long-range strikes at targets deep inside Russia using NATO missiles – which President Putin recently warned would put NATO and Russia into a state of war.

Zelensky’s hosts in Washington “were polite and listened to him, but there’s too much at stake at this point,” Maloof said, stressing that granting the self-proclaimed Ukrainian president’s request would require direct US intelligence and other support, something the DoD is likely wary of providing.

A big part of the problem for Zelensky is that the US is now so deep into the 2024 presidential campaign “that everybody is distracted by it,” according to Maloof, with the Biden-Harris White House likely seeking to avoid making “any decisions that will have long-term impact,” or prove unpopular among voters as support for further Ukraine aid fades.

“Clearly, Trump has an entirely different idea and approach than Harris and Biden have toward support for Ukraine. And I think that if he were to win, it would have a dramatic impact on…any future decision-making toward what arms Ukraine does have,” Maloof said. “Trump agreed to meet with [Zelensky], but he made it clear that he would be talking to President Putin. And he has a relationship there.”

On the other hand, a Trump-proposed peace plan is murky at this stage, the ex-DoD insider said. “I think he’s not clear on what his goals are to achieve this peace that he keeps talking about. It’s not going to be solved ‘in 24 hours.’ And it’s going to be much more complicated than he envisions at this point.”

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Israel preparing for limited ground operation in Lebanon, US media reports citing US official

Israel is reportedly gearing up for a limited ground incursion into Lebanon, despite having eliminated around 30 top Hezbollah leaders in recent weeks.

According to a senior US official, Israel has turned down ceasefire proposals, including temporary ones, and continues to target sites believed to house long-range missiles. Despite repeated calls from the Biden administration for a diplomatic solution, Israel remains firm in its stance, opting to intensify its military efforts.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russia is not increasing its strategic offensive weapons arsenal, at least as long as the New START Treaty remains in effect, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Yemen’s Houthi-led armed forces claimed they targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Israel with a ballistic missile as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was arriving from the US.

"In response to the injustice of the Palestinian people and the crimes of the Zionist enemy in Gaza and Lebanon, the missile force in the Yemeni Armed Forces launched an operation targeting Jaffa Airport, called Ben Gurion by Israel, during the arrival of the criminal Benjamin Netanyahu,” Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman General Yahya Saree said. “The operation was carried out with a C-type Palestine II missile."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The Israeli Defense Minister is holding a meeting with military officials regarding the expansion of military operations in Lebanon, the Israeli ministry reported.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Netanyahu: Hezbollah leader's assassination was necessary for Israeli success

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a necessary step to achieving Israel's current objectives.

Commenting on the killing, Netanyahu stated that earlier this week he had concluded that previous strikes on Lebanon would not be sufficient.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

◻️ Nasrallah’s death a ‘devastating blow’ that will trigger further violence – Beirut-based scholar

◻️ Zelensky’s ‘pie in the sky’ long-range missile hopes slow-walked by Washington - Ex-DoD Analyst

◻️ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s speech to the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly

◻️ Why is voter ID controversial in the US?

◻️ Big Apple's rotten core: NYC Mayor Adams' case echoes previous scandals

◻️ UK PM Starmer’s freebies row: gift that keeps on giving

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

What is Hezbollah and how is it organized?

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 27. Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah's executive council, has been named as Nasrallah’s most likely successor.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims that it has decapitated Hezbollah's chain of command, including Chief of Staff Fuad Shurk, Radwan Force commanders Ibrahim Aqil, Jawad al-Tawil and Abu-Hassan Samir, Southern Front commander Ali Karaki and his subordinates Sami Taleb Abdullar (Netzer Unit), Mohammed Nasser (Aziz Unit) and Abu Ali Reda (Badr Unit).

What is Hezbollah's structure?

◻️ Hezbollah, a Shiite Lebanese movement, has both military and political wings. The group has a significant presence in the Lebanese parliament and government.

◻️ The organization is ruled by the secretary general, who oversees the seven-member Shura Council – the movement's central decision-making authority with five sub-councils responsible for Hezbollah's major activities.

➖ Judicial Council, a court, is headed by Mohammad Yazbek

➖ Political Council, responsible for political advice to Shura, is headed by Ibrahim al-Amine al-Sayyid

➖ Executive Council, which coordinates Hezbollah's civilian activities including communications, education, health, economics and trade unions, is headed by Hashem Safieddine

➖ Parliamentary Council, which oversees the group's parliamentary and political activities, is headed by Mohammad Raad

➖ Jihad Council, which coordinates Hezbollah's military activities

◻️ Reports say that Hezbollah’s guerillas number between 40,000 and 100,000. The group's military wing includes missile, naval, logistics, intelligence and counterintelligence units, air defense, missile defense and special forces:

➖ the elite al-Hajj Radwan Force is a special operation forces unit

➖ the External Security Organisation (ESO), widely known as Unit 910, is said to be the organization's clandestine intelligence wing

◻️ Since the 1980s, Hezbollah has created a network of 15 charitable and social institutions. The main institutions are:

➖ The Martyrs' Fund (Mu'assasat al-Shahid), which provides social support to the families of killed militants

➖ "Civil defense centers", responsible for dealing with accidents and emergencies

➖ "Jihad al-Bina" responsible for restoration of destroyed housing and infrastructure, as well as social housing and road repair

➖ "Al-Imdad" — a social services charity

◻️ Hezbollah is active in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. Some reports claim there is evidence of Hezbollah operations in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

◻️ Hezbollah emerged in 1975, during Lebanon’s civil war. It has fought against Israel over decades and provided support to the Palestinian resistance.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt