The family of a fallen officer is breaking three decades of silence to defend New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is under scrutiny, partly over a comment he made in a Turn to Tara special last year on gun violence.
"You know, I carry around a picture of Robert Venable, my close friend that was shot several years ago, when during my early days of policing. And I always have Robert's picture. The pain never dissipates," he had told Rosenblum during the 2022 interview. Now, the New York Times is reporting that his claims may be untrue.
Following the interview, the Turn To Tara team made a request to the mayor's press team to send News 12 the picture of his fallen comrade. The picture that was sent has now become the target of intense scrutiny.
The New York Times article questions whether that picture spent decades in his wallet or landed there after News 12's interview.
Unnamed sources in the report allege City Hall workers were directed to fake an old picture by printing it out in black and white and splashing coffee on it.
In response, Adams team admitted to making a photocopy of an old picture from a police bulletin but said that the article depicted a "fabricated narrative."
A spokesman also alleged the Times was initially working on a story suggesting Adams and Venable were never friends.
A relative of the fallen officer says this claim is false, and decided to speak out for the first time publicly.
"They were going to take a trip together before he died," says Meredith Benson, the niece of Venable.
Meredith Benson was only 14 when she lost her favorite uncle.
"He served as my dad growing up. So, he was my uncle-father," says Benson. "He was supposed to be here to watch me get married and to go to college. He never got to see me do any of those things. And so, I have a son who is now 25 and my son is named after him." Benson told News 12 her entire family struggled after Venable's death, too.
She says that Adams was there to support them long after the cameras stopped rolling.
"The reporter who contacted our family, I told her specifically, 'Is Eric helping to decrease crime in New York City?' 'Yes' Then that's what this is about. He used my uncle's story, his relationship with my uncle to highlight gun violence. And that's what he should be highlighting. And for you to try to use my uncle's legacy to discredit him is ridiculous," she says.
The mayor's office says Adams remains focused on the heavy toll gun violence continues to take on the city.
"All I can do is commit myself to prevent it, either eradicate or alleviate the level of violence that we're witnessing in our city," he says.
The mayor's office released a response that said, in part, "While yesterday’s initial inquiry mentioned a photo, the crux of this request and all initial questions in writing focused on the Times’ claim that there was no real relationship between the two former officers...After this allegation was disproven, the Times refocused its piece on when a photo was printed. To be clear, Mayor Adams made a photocopy of a photograph of Officer Venable that was printed in an NYPD Transit News Bulletin from November 1987, which Mayor Adams still has possession of to this day and which the Times saw."
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ and Ayana Morris, co-director of the documentary 'Why Is We Americans?,' join Cheddar News to discuss the new documentary highlighting the impact of the Baraka family.
Former New York City mayor and lawyer to Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani made his singing debut on a taping of Fox’s The Masked Singer. However, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, two judges on the competition show, reportedly left in protest when Giuliani was unmasked upon being eliminated.
All Hands celebrates Black History Month by highlighting achievements in inclusivity and paying homage to those who have fought for equal rights. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) joins Cheddar News to discuss voter suppression; Damali Peterman, CEO of Breakthrough ADR, elaborates on the biggest barriers for Black professionals; Andre Perry, senior fellow of Brookings Institution, dives into student loans and the racial wealth divide; and lastly, BET CEO Scott Mills discusses the company's initiatives for 2022.
All month long Cheddar News is celebrating Black History Month.
In our nation’s capital, Black history is being made right now.
cheddar's own Arielle Hixon puts the spotlight on three lawmakers making that happen, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif. 43rd District) joined Cheddar News to talk about the current political climate in America, including efforts to roll back voting rights in multiple states in light of Black History Month. "Why do we have to deal with those who still believe that somehow this country only belongs to the whites of the country and that somehow they have to do everything that they can to undermine our voting and do voters suppression to keep us from being influential and at the table by which to solve problems?" she asked. Waters chided "two Democrats" who she said were stymying attempts to rectify the issue and also spoke on President Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Wall Street saw another volatile day after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged for now, with plans to raise rates in March at its next meeting in order to ease inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed has not made decisions on the size of rate increases, adding that the Fed is not trying to get inflation below two-percent. Ken Johnson, CFA and Investment Strategy Analyst explains why Powell thinks that high inflation is a significant threat to the labor market.
Anu Gaggar, global investment strategist for Commonwealth Financial Network, joined Cheddar News to discuss how global supply chains could be disrupted even further by an armed conflict in Ukraine.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
