Author: Press Room

Gov. Kathy Hochul tried to avoid blame Friday for a spiraling “pay-to-play” scandal in which one of her top political donors scored no-bid contracts that overcharged taxpayers for $637 million in COVID-19 test kits. And she also brushed off the notion anyone in her administration should pay the price for it, telling The Post dismissively, “They did what they did.” Asked about the recently revealed deal with Digital Gadgets of New Jersey, whose owner, Charlie Tebeble, and his relatives have contributed about $330,000 to her campaign, Hochul at first repeated her team’s talking points on the simmering scandal. “My directive…

Did the Panthers tip their offensive plays, allowing the Giants’ defense to hold them to 16 points in Sunday’s 19-16 win for Brian Daboll’s crew? No, said Carolina head coach Matt Rhule, who instead of pointing to the 16 points highlighted the 146 yards the Panthers picked up on the ground. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky leveled the play-tipping allegation Thursday in a clip that has gone viral. On “NFL Live,” Orlovsky showed several instances in which Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey’s position in relation to QB Baker Mayfield, who was in a shotgun formation, may have…

John Travolta is a doting dad. The “Pulp Fiction” star has nothing but praise for his daughter Ella Bleu, who made her stylish New York Fashion Week debut. Ella, 22, appeared at the Karl Lagerfeld runway show for their Cara Loves Karl capsule collection on Sept. 12. (The capsule was a collaboration with actress-model Cara Delevingne.) The “Grease” alum, 68, shared a sweet belated tribute in honor of his daughter, posting a snap of her rocking a black lace look on Instagram. “So proud of Ella’s debut at fashion week in New York City!” he captioned the snap. Ella also…

CNN  —  A growing number of White House officials are publicly criticizing David Malpass, the Trump-appointed World Bank President, after he caught flak for dodging a question about climate change. Malpass has faced calls to resign after appearing on a panel during which he did not directly answer whether he accepted the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is fueling climate change, saying “I don’t even know – I’m not a scientist and that is not a question.” The comments have further motivated White House officials who have long pushed for his ouster and moved other, more circumspect…

For Ivan, a man who said he’s an officer in Russia’s reserves and left his country for Belarus on Thursday, the motivation was clear: “I don’t support what’s going on, so I just decided that I had to leave right away,” he told CNN.”I felt like the doors are closing and if I didn’t leave immediately, I might not be able to leave later,” Ivan said, adding he was thinking of a close friend back home with two little children who, unlike him, was unable to pack up and go. Alexey, a 29-year-old who arrived in Georgia from Russia via…

Tonight’s winning numbers were 14, 15, 22, 35, 48 and the Lucky Stars were 03 and 08One lucky Briton has scooped up the enormous £171million EuroMillions jackpot – making them richer than Harry Styles. Tonight’s winning numbers were 14, 15, 22, 35, 48 and the Lucky Stars were 03 and 08. While tonight’s EuroMillions prize is life-changing, it’s still short of the huge record-breaking £195m jackpot which was won by another UK ticket holder earlier this year. One lucky Brit walked away nearly £200million richer after landing the biggest National Lottery win of all time according to Camelot. Camelot’s Andy…

Fog shrouds the Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions Citigroup Inc., State Street Corp., Barclays Plc, HSBC Holdings Plc and the commercial office block No. 1 Canada Square, on the Isle of Dogs on November 05, 2020 in London, England.Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesInvestors should avoid allocating to Europe in the hunt for value stocks, as the continent’s energy crisis means the risk-reward is still not there, according to Willem Sels, global CIO at HSBC Private Banking and Wealth Management.The macroeconomic outlook in Europe is bleak as supply disruptions and the impact of Russia’s…

In explaining the ratings change, Cook Political Report Senate editor Jessica Taylor notes that Kelly has crushed Masters in fundraising — and that has translated into a massive edge in terms of TV ad spending. “Democratic groups and Kelly have spent or reserved nearly $65 million during the general election period, compared to almost $16.2 million for GOP groups and Masters,” she writes. (Taylor adds that Masters’ campaign isn’t running any ads at all this week.)”In conversations with several Republicans both in the state or watching the overall Senate battleground, Arizona has moved down their list of flippable states, with…

JAYUYA, Puerto Rico — When Hurricane Fiona completely knocked out power and water to the mountain town of Jayuya, in the heart of Puerto Rico, it quickly became a life-or-death matter for Luis De Jesús Ramos, who has throat cancer and a tracheostomy. De Jesús Ramos is one of many Puerto Ricans for whom electricity is essential to survival, and each day without it brings an increasing sense of urgency. He relies on life-saving electricity for everything: from using a blender to prepare his liquid meals, a refrigerator to keep his food, an adjustable bed that keeps him in the positions…

British pound drops 2.8% against dollar The British pound continued to fall into Friday afternoon, dropping as much as 2.8% against the dollar.It was trading at $1.0941 at 3:45 p.m. in London, as analysts said the prospect of reaching dollar parity was certainly on the table. Investors appear to have been “spooked” by the huge program of tax cuts announced by the British government coming at a time of much higher spending on an energy price support package and rising interest rates. — Jenni ReidShort-term German bond yields hit 14-year high The two-year yield on German government bonds hit 2.0009%,…