Kathy Hochul vows to change ‘toxic’ environment as New York’s next governor – live | US news

Kathy Hochul acknowledged that she was not pleased with the two-week transition period before Andrew Cuomo steps down and she becomes governor of New York.

“It’s not what I asked for,” the lieutenant governor said. “However, I’m looking forward to a smooth transition, which he promised.”

Hochul said Cuomo had told her that he believed the two-week transition was “necessary” to ensure continuity of government and allow her to meet with other senior officials in the state.

“I am prepared to take office, as any lieutenant governor is, from the very first hour you’re sworn in,” Hochul said. “However, I will take advantage of that time and to continue to engage with the people of the state of New York. I have a vision, but I’m going to continue to develop that.”

One reporter asked Kathy Hochul whether she would consider a pardon for Andrew Cuomo if he is facing criminal charges over the sexual harassment allegations against him.

“I’m going to tell you right now, I’m talking about my vision for the state of New York,” the lieutenant governor said. “It is far too premature to even have those conversations.”

Multiple district attorneys in New York have requested information about the investigation overseen by the state attorney general’s office as they weigh criminal charges against Cuomo.

Taking questions from reporters, Kathy Hochul promised to change the “toxic” work environment in the governor’s office, as documented in the report issued by New York attorney general Letitia James.

The lieutenant governor, who will become governor in two weeks, pledged that anyone named in the report as having engaged in unethical behavior would soon be looking for another job.

“There’ll be turnover,” Hochul said. “At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment.”

The lieutenant governor also noted that she has “not been close” with Andrew Cuomo, who is stepping down in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.

New York lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul delivered a prepared statement and is now taking reporters’ questions as she prepares to become governor after Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation yesterday.

Hochul said she spoke to Cuomo yesterday, and he “pledged his full support for a smooth transition”. Cuomo’s resignation is expected to go into effect in two weeks.

“While it was not expected, it’s a day for which I am prepared,” Hochul said of her new position. “People will soon learn that my style is to listen first and then take decisive action.”

Hochul said she will continue to travel across the state to meet New Yorkers as she builds out her staff in the governor’s mansion.

“Make no mistake: our work has already begun,” Hochul said. “The promise I make to all New Yorkers, right here and right now, I will fight like hell for you every single day, like I’ve always done and always will.”

Joe Biden has just wrapped up his remarks on his Build Back Better agenda, praising his administration for helping America’s recovery after the US economy suffered severe setbacks at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Jobs are up, and monthly price increases have come down. Economic growth is up, the fastest in 40 years, and unemployment is coming down,” Biden said.

The president’s remarks came hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report showing inflation slowed a bit last month, although prices still remained elevated.

The president promised his administration would keep “a careful eye on inflation” to ensure prices do not continue to rise at an unsustainable rate.

Biden added that his administration was taking action to address high gas prices, saying, “Today, gas prices are lower than they were early in this decade, but they’re still high enough to create a pinch on working families.”

The president emphasized that there would be no gas tax increases in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate yesterday.

“I made that absolutely clear that I would not raise gas taxes, and I’m glad that everyone in the Senate seemed to agree with that,” Biden said.

The president concluded his prepared remarks and left the event without answering any of reporters’ shouted questions.

During her daily briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the Biden administration sending hundreds of ventilators to Florida, as the state battles a surge in coronavirus cases.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has said that he was unaware of the delivery of the ventilators, as the Republican continues to fight against coronavirus-related precautions, including mask mandates in schools.

“As a policy, we don’t send ventilators to states without their interest in receiving the ventilators,” Psaki said. “I think the most important question here is, why would you oppose receiving ventilators when you clearly need those in your state given the percentage of hospitalizations that are occurring in Florida?”

According to data from the department of health and human services, 90% of Florida’s ICU beds are currently being used. Nearly half of the state’s ICU beds are being used for coronavirus patients.

Psaki was also asked about a recent New York Post headline, which read, “Team Biden’s war on DeSantis is all about kneecapping a successful GOP governor”.

“Our war is not on DeSantis, it’s on the virus, which we’re trying to kneecap,” Psaki said. “And he does not seem to want to participate in that effort to kneecap the virus, hence our concern.”

Joe Biden held a virtual meeting today with business, university and healthcare leaders to discuss strategies to get more Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.

The meeting included the CEOs of Kaiser Permanente, United Airlines and DESA, Inc., as well as the president of Howard University. All four have already announced vaccine requirements for their employees or students.

“During the meeting, the leaders shared how they arrived at their decision to require vaccinations and how they are working to implement their own requirements,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting.

“He expressed his optimism that additional employers would follow suit, and he noted that the federal government will continue to support employers as they require COVID-19 vaccinations.”

Here’s where the day stands so far:

• Senator Joe Manchin voiced “serious concerns” about Democrats’ $3.5tn spending package, after the Senate approved a blueprint for the bill in a 50-49 party-line vote. “Given the current state of the economic recovery, it is simply irresponsible to continue spending at levels more suited to respond to a Great Depression or Great Recession – not an economy that is on the verge of overheating,” Manchin said in a statement.
• Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged “the hardest work is yet to come” on the spending package. Schumer is attempting to pass the bill via reconciliation in an evenly divided Senate, which means he cannot afford a single defection in the Democratic caucus. Both Manchin and fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema have now expressed criticism of the bill’s price tag.
• Julian Assange lost a court battle to prevent the US from expanding the grounds for its appeal in his extradition case. The US government is attempting to overturn a previous ruling preventing the extradition of Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, to face charges of espionage and hacking government computers.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said his strategy to simultaneously advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Democrats’ $3.5tn spending package is “right on track”.

Speaking at a press conference a day after the Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill and hours after the chamber advanced the spending package, Schumer noted that all Democratic senators supported both measures.

“This was one of the most significant legislative days we’ve had in a long time here in the United States Senate, but we still have a long road to travel,” Schumer said.

The majority leader emphasized the unity of his caucus, but two Senate Democrats — Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — have voiced criticism of the $3.5tn price tag of the spending package.

If Schumer loses any members of his caucus on the spending package, he will not be able to pass it via reconciliation, which requires a simple majority to approve bills.

“What we’re doing here isn’t easy,” Schumer said. “We’ve labored for months and months to reach this point, and we have no illusions: maybe the hardest work is yet to come. But we are united in a desire to get it done. And so far, so good.”