NYC NOW - May 16, 2024: Morning Headlines

Episode Date: May 16, 2024

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: Lawyers for New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez tell jurors they can explain the discovery of gold bars, $400,000, and a Mercedes Benz during the raid on his home. Meanwhile, the Palestinian-American Medical Association reports that approximately 20 American health workers are stranded at a Gaza hospital after Israel closed the Rafah border crossing. In other news, the New York City Fire Museum in Manhattan remains indefinitely closed after an emergency evacuation last weekend. Plus, as Election Day nears, WNYC is turning metro area laundromats into hubs of civic dialogue. WNYC's George Bodarky shares what he’s been hearing from people between wash cycles.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, May 16th. Here's the morning headlines from David First. Lawyers for New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez told the jury in his bribery and corruption trial, they can explain away the gold bars, $400,000 in cash and Mercedes-Benz. Prosecutors say were found in a raid of his home. WNYC's Nancy Scy's.

Solomon reports. Menendez attorney Avi Weitzman told the jury he knows he has to explain the green and gold elephant in the room. He says the Menendez defense will show that when Bob Menendez was first dating his soon-to-be wife, Nadine, she kept her financial trouble secret and didn't tell him that their friends were helping her out. He says the defense will also show that Bob Menendez thought Nadine had inherited the gold bars from her parents and the stacks of cash. Whitesman says Bob Menendez has kept his savings hidden around the house over the last 30 years because his parents lost almost everything when they escaped from Cuba. The Palestinian American Medical Association says approximately 20 American health workers

have been stuck at a Gaza hospital ever since Israel closed the Rafa border crossing to Egypt. Among them is Dr. Adam Hamawi of Princeton. He says it's been about a week since he and other medical workers learned they couldn't leave. While they wait for an update, the surgeon says they continue to treat patients. What else could we do? We're not going to help anything by just sitting and worrying and actually the days fly by. Amawi says he believes the U.S. government can work harder to get them out. I appreciate every effort they are making, but I know they can do more.

New Jersey congressional representatives say they're working with the State Department to get the medical personnel out of Rafa. The New York City Fire Museum in Manhattan is closed indefinitely after an emergency evacuation over the weekend. WNYC's Catalina Ginella reports. The Fire Museum's website says the decision to close the facility came after an incident involving a crane that led to concerns about the structural integrity of the building. Complaints filed to the Department of Buildings for the address on Spring Street claim a crane hit the building, causing it to shake. The museum collects and displays firefighting memorabilia and educates the public on fire prevention. It's unclear when it will reopen.

Attempts to reach the museum and the City Department of Buildings for further comment were unsuccessful. 59 degrees light rain, fog, and mist in New York City. This is WNYC. Stay close. There's more after the break. On WNYC, on WNYC, I'm Michael Hill. As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNMIC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue. We're calling the project SUDs and Civics.

George Bodarky, who heads our community partnerships desk, joins us now to share some of what he and his team have been hearing from people between loads about the candidates and the issues that matter most of them. You've been at this project for a few months now, George. Have issues and sentiments shifted in any way since you launched Suds and SIDS and Sivis? in February? Not really, Michael. What we've been hearing has stayed largely the same over the past few months. People have a lot to say about three things in particular, the cost of housing and food, safety, and migrants. Sandra Rodriguez was doing her wash at Star Launchermatt on Staten Island. I'm of Hispanic descent and all these migrant issues. You know, I was very welcoming in the beginning to give everyone an opportunity, but I just feel it's too much. I feel like there's too many people

coming in. There's not a lot of control. I don't want to not have people come here from other countries, but I think that Trump will control it a little bit better. 16-year-old Freedom Sarmiento grew up on Staten Island and was doing the wash with her mom at Star Laundromat. Of course, she's not old enough to vote, but says this is a big issue for her and her family. The whole thing with the migrants, with the jobs, and they come over and taking up, the jobs and everything, I feel like that is good, that they have this. chance and like to be able to come over, but I feel like there should be a limit because they're helping migrants, like people from other countries instead of the people that are already here.

Migrant issues were also top of mind for retired nurse Pam Ocasio at Bubbles Arras in Patterson, New Jersey. I would like them to close our borders because we have enough problems of our own in America. We have enough homeless people, you know. I need to go to check my machines now. Did she say she had to go check her machines, George? Indeed, she did. We are literally talking with people between washing and folding. But I followed Ocasio to her washers and asked her if she plans to vote in November, and she gave me a resounding no.

I just went this year and had my name removed from the voter rolls because I don't want to vote. It doesn't matter who you vote for. They're going to do what they want to do anyway. But at the same laundromat, November can't come quickly enough for, Melissa Matos. I can wait for election. I can wait. I want a particular president

to be in the seat. Matos didn't say who she wants in that seat in the White House, but she did share a message for anyone running for office. To sit down with the poor people, us, the middle people, and see what's going on. And what we really need

is not sit down and not do nothing and just do something about what's going on. Matos told me safety was number one concern. She wants to see more police officers on the streets of Patterson. She also wants to see a greater investment in education, Michael. How often do you went into someone who doesn't plan to go to the polls, George? Yeah, at least a couple of times every time we go to a laundromat, someone says they don't plan to go to the polls, someone like Pam Ocasio, who says she wants nothing to do with Election Day, but others say they're still committed to going to the polls,

even though they don't think their vote matters. Melissa Guerrero, who we met at Bubbles of Russ and Patterson. Honestly, I vote just because I want to do my due diligence, but honestly, I don't think my vote really counts for much. But we also run into people like Morgan Clark, who we met at 14th Laundry and Astoria Queens. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and is all about voting. Yes, I am a regular voter.

I'm one of the crazy people like, did you vote? Did you vote? And who did you vote for? Being that New York is blue, I'm coming from a state. that was red. So we did turn over to Blue during the last election, and that was because we got a lot of people out to vote, and I want to keep it that way. Back at Bubbles of Russ and Patterson, Carlos Sosa told me he typically doesn't vote, but plans to go to the polls this November. Sosa says he has to do something because, in his words, things are upside down, but he also says he's not

overly optimistic. Is there anybody to vote for? Really, like, look at the people that are running. We got one guy on trial running, which is crazy. And Biden, you know, he's just, old society. Just too soft. The rest of the world looks at it's crazy. That's far from an endorsement for either presidential candidate. So did Sosa say, George, who he wants to see in the White House? He told me he's still undecided, but I'll let him share more about where he's at in his thinking.

I'm going to wing it on this one because maybe toss up a coin because that's basically what you're doing. It doesn't matter what side. I wish I would say there was an independent somewhere and just popped up with some sense or something. I mean, I just throw my vote at them because at this point, it doesn't matter. I'm curious, George, what issues really matter most to Sosa? He talked about the cost of living where he lives in Patterson, New Jersey. Rents are expensive, he says, but he also expressed concerns about a lack of investment in youth programs and in infrastructure locally and across the country.

Rose, bridges, power system, everything that we got is old, everything, you know what I mean? It could be better. Our country just as a general is just not a country. It's just commercialized now. Money in politics needs to be taken out, so the politicians got to not sell out. How many laundromats are you spending time in for this project, George? We're visiting eight laundromats across the New York metro area once a month. We met Vicki Siegel at Jason's laundromat and Huntington Station on Long Island.

She's a single mom with two daughters in college. Economy-wise, day-to-day living, it's hard. You know, safety on campuses, obviously, I think general safety. I lean one way, but I do see there are issues along the other lines. The safety in this country is really a huge issue. So kind of liberal in one way, but not in another. Siegel didn't say who she plans to vote for in November, but she did indicate she does have a preference.

Anthony Ortiz was doing his wash at J&J laundromat in the South Bronx. He also didn't tell us who he wants to see in the White House but says he's not feeling great about the choices. With the choices that we have right now, I mean, Biden's doing great in regards to the student loan crisis, but there are other things that need to be worked on as well. The most important thing is how expensive everything is. Ortiz says the cost of housing is especially out of control. And I'll leave you with one more voice, Michael, and a call to action for the candidates. And it's from Am Unique Prince at Stye Wash and Dry in East New York, Brooklyn.

The officials should take part in making more community meetings. Be the local people don't hear about these things. You know, we don't see any flyers here. We're having a town hall meeting at this location on this day. So it's hard for us to put our voice out and say, hey, I want this change, or I need this change, or this isn't helping me. And George, tell us, how are you? Are you using information you're gleaning from the SUDs and Civics project? Beyond sharing diverse voices and perspectives like we're doing this morning, we're working to

distill what we're learning, and we want to use those insights to help inform WNYC's election coverage over the next several months. And we also hope that our chats and laundromats get even more people excited about taking part in the democratic process. And George, suppose folks don't go to the laundromat but still want to participate in the project. How can you do that? We're just an email away. Message me at suds and civics at WNYC.org. That's SUDS A&D Civics, Suds and Civics at WNYC.org. And I'll send you a link to a survey we put together with our partners at America Amplified.

There are some powerful themes running through this one, George. George Bodarki, is Community Partnerships Editor in the WNYC News from George, as always. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

See you this afternoon.