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."
Big Apple workers who deliver for food apps like Doordash and Grubhub will now receive a number of legal protections provided through a package of new regulations that have started going into effect. These updated rules include more control over their deliveries, pay and tip transparency, a higher minimum pay rate, and access to restaurant bathrooms during the workday. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander joined Cheddar to elaborate on the regulations and how the platform holders reacted. "I have to say it's a mixed bag," he said. "Grubhub actually welcomed the legislation and said they recognize they need to do better by their deliveristas, but DoorDash, unfortunately, has actually been pushing back against the legislation."
Thomas Hoenig, Former CEO of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and currently Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Mercatus Center, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the Fed's decision was no surprise, but believes the Fed is behind the curve on raising rates.
Legal cannabis businesses are having a hard time surviving in California with the high cost of doing business and a still-thriving illicit market. In response, nonprofit Supernova Women, founded by women of color, is advocating on behalf of Black and brown shareholders in the cannabis industry. Amber Senter, co-founder, executive director, and chairman of the organization, spoke with Cheddar News about calling for changes in the Golden State's taxation system for legal marijuana. "We're really leaning on the legislators now to support the industry and make sure that this industry, in particular craft cannabis, can survive," said Senter.
After being among the hardest-hit industries by the pandemic, restaurants are still having a hard time staying afloat, with owners claiming that business is worse now due to closures from staff shortages and customer decline than it was three months ago. Mike Whatley, vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the National Restaurant Association, spoke to Cheddar News about how the sector is reaching out to lawmakers for help. "Working with Senators Wicker, Sinema, and a whole host of bipartisan leaders, we're trying to get the Restaurant Revitalization Fund replenished," Whatley said.
Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change and continuously feel the impacts. Mark Magaña, founding president and CEO of Green Latinos joined All Hands to discuss.
The memoir, "COMPROMISED: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump", tells a familiar story from a bit of a different source: Peter Strzok himself, former FBI Counterintelligence Agents and Agency Veteran who spent most of his very long career investigating some of the most controversial inquiries, most notably in recent American history. Those inquiries were Hillary Clinton's email to even Trump Russia investigations. Former FBI Agent and Author of "Compromised" Peter Strzok, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
President Biden's first year did not come to the close that he had hoped after last night's Senate vote blocked the voting rights bill, a priority that Biden has promoted since his inauguration. Joining us to discuss the voting rights bill, and many others passing through congress is congresswoman Lori Trahan, representing Massachusett's 3rd district.
