NY Mayor Mamdani defends scrapping executive orders his predecessor issued

NEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday defended his revocation of executive orders that his predecessor Eric Adams issued after being ​indicted in 2024 on federal charges of accepting illegal campaign contributions.

The dozen orders Adams ‌issued since his indictment included a directive to allow federal agents, including immigration officers, to use an office on ‌Rikers Island, the city's main jail. That order was later struck down by a court.

The new mayor also struck down executive orders that Adams had portrayed as addressing antisemitism. Mamdani, a Muslim who some have accused of antisemitism over his support of Palestinians in Gaza, told reporters on ⁠Friday that he would fund measures ‌to prevent hate crimes, and would make protection of Jewish New Yorkers a focus of his administration.

Mamdani recalled September 26, 2024, the day ‍when Adams was charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel from Turkish nationals seeking to influence him, as "a moment when many New Yorkers lost even more faith in New York City politics and ​the ability of city government to actually prioritize the needs of the public, as ‌opposed to the needs of the person."

In April, a U.S. judge dismissed the charges against Adams, a Democrat, at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, which had argued that the case was distracting the mayor from helping Republican President Donald Trump step up deportations.

Mamdani, from the left wing of the Democratic Party, has clashed with Trump over the immigration crackdown.

On ⁠Thursday, Mamdani revoked orders by Adams that had prevented ​city institutions from divesting from Israel and that defined ​antisemitism in a way recognized by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organization of 35 countries that promotes Holocaust education.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations ‍is among groups that ⁠argue the IHRA definition has been used to try to silence advocates for Palestinian rights.

While Islamic organizations praised Mamdani's moves, Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X on ⁠Friday that Mamdani "shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. ‌This isn't leadership. It's antisemitic gasoline on an open fire."

(reporting by Maria ‌Tsvetkova; editing by Donna Bryson and David Gregorio)

byAlpha World

in

January 02, 2026

NY Mayor Mamdani defends scrapping executive orders his predecessor issued

NEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday defended his revocation of executive orders that his ...

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D.C. pipe bomb suspect must stay in pre-trial custody, judge rules

WASHINGTON — A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered that the Virginia man accused ofplanting pipe bombs in the nation's capital on Jan. 5, 2021,remains detained ahead of his trial, determining that he posed a "potential danger" to the public.

Federal prosecutors allegethat Brian Cole, 30,planted explosive devices at the Republican and Democratic parties' headquarters nearly five years ago. He's been in custody since his Dec. 4 arrest, when he was charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.

"Although home incarceration and a GPS monitor would provide some check against Mr. Cole's ability to carry out any menacing or dangerous conduct in the community, the Court is simply not satisfied these conditions rise to the necessary level," Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh wrote in his ruling.

"This is particularly true based on the severity of the potential danger Mr. Cole is alleged to pose, given his alleged persistent acquisition and retention of so-called 'bombmaking parts,' and given his reported penchant and capacity to create explosive devices and deploy them in public settings."

"If the plan had succeeded, the results could have been devastating: creating a greater sense of terror on the eve of a high-security Congressional proceeding, causing serious property damage in the heart of Washington, D.C., grievously injuring DNC or RNC staff and other innocent bystanders, or worse," Sharbaugh wrote.

Cole has not yet entered a plea in the case.

Cole's attorneys wanted him to be released into the custody of his grandmother. The government objected to his release, describing him as showing a pattern of "comprehensive deception" and saying it did not trust him to keep to the conditions of his release.

In a federal court filing on Tuesday, Cole's attorneys said he has beendiagnosed with autismspectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The filing described his diagnosis as a mild form of autism.

Defense attorney Mario Williams told the judge on Tuesday that Cole has spent the last five years following the same routine as he typically does and has kept the same job with his family's bail bonds business over several years with no attempt to flee. Cole's autism and OCD disorder is partially why he follows the same routines every day, Williams said.

Cole's attorneys argued that the government has not presented any evidence that suggests evasive conduct or resistance to law enforcement.

But in a motion filed Sunday, the government alleged that Cole wore a face mask and gloves the night he planted the bombs, as well as wiping down the bombs with disinfectant. The government said Cole also performed a factory reset of his phone more than 900 times between December 2020 and the day he was arrested.

Federal prosecutors urged the judge to keep Cole in detention, alleging that Cole felt "extreme acts of violence" were justified because of hisdislike of both political parties. The motion said that the man told FBI agents that "something just snapped" after he had watched "everything getting worse."

He directed his ire at the Democratic and Republican parties because "they were in charge," Cole told agents, according to the government filing.

Prosecutors confirmed in the filing Sunday that Cole told agents he thought it looked like "something was wrong" with the election and that he followed the situation on platforms such as YouTube and Reddit. According to prosecutors, Cole said that Trump supporters who believed the election was being "tampered with" shouldn't be called "conspiracy theorists," "bad people," "Nazis," or "fascists."

He is alleged to have told agents that he didn't align politically with his family members and that he didn't tell them he was "going to a protest in support of [then President] Trump."

Cole was allegedly inspired to use pipe bombs by his interest inThe Troubles in Northern Ireland, the sectarian war between Catholics and Protestants that escalated into violence in the 1970s. The violence, which included bombing attacks, went on for three decades.

According to the government's filing, Cole did not test the devices before planting them and they failed to go off as planned.

"Ultimately, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices and that no one was killed or maimed due to his actions," the government filing said. "Indeed, the defendant admitted that he set both devices to detonate 60 minutes after he placed them."

Gary Grumbach reported from Washington, D.C. Doha Madani reported from New York City.

byAlpha World

in

January 02, 2026

D.C. pipe bomb suspect must stay in pre-trial custody, judge rules

WASHINGTON — A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered that the Virginia man accused ofplanting pipe bombs in the nati...

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Oregon Woman Claims Fertility Clinic Inseminated Her Mom with Wrong Man's Sperm in $17 Million Lawsuit

NEED TO KNOW

• An Oregon woman is alleging that her mother was mistakenly inseminated with another man's sperm

• The now 44-year-old woman and her parents are suing the clinic after discovering two years ago that her father is not her biological dad

• They are requesting $17 million in damages

An Oregon woman is alleging that her mother was mistakenly inseminated with another man's sperm.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the now 44-year-old woman — identified in the lawsuit as A.P. — is joined by her biological mother, known as C.W., and her father by marriage and birth, known as K.W., in suing Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Providence Health & Services of Oregon for $17 million.

The threesome claims that C.W. and K.W. sought out fertility care and family planning at OHSU after being referred by their physician. However, they claim that during the process, the clinic mixed up K.W.'s sperm with another man's – known as R.W. in the lawsuit — and mistakenly gave her the wrong person's sperm.The Oregonianwas first to report the news.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

C.W. and K.W. welcomed their daughter A.P. in December 1981 and raised her as their biological child, never thinking that something had happened at the hospital. R.W. and his partner also became pregnant and welcomed their child in November 1981.

A.P. did not discover that her father is not K.W. until two years ago, when she underwent genetic testing. According to the lawsuit, more genetic testing revealed that her biological father is R.W.

Now, the family claims that K.W. was "stripped entirely" of his biological fatherhood of his firstborn baby with his wife, C.W., and says he is permanently reminded of the violation against his family.

C.W. claims she was also stripped of the bond of creating a shared life with her husband, and had to "bear the humiliation, discomfort, and physical distress" of carrying a pregnancy to term with another man's semen specimen. She says she suffered a "severe invasion of her personhood."

The family claims that A.P. is the "product of nonconsensual birth" and will endure doubt, frustration and confusion for the rest of her life. They also allege that the hospital knew of the mistake and "concealed the use of R.W.'s genetic material" and has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing.

Now, they are requesting $17 million in damages from the hospital. OSHU declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Read the original article onPeople

byAlpha World

in

January 02, 2026

Oregon Woman Claims Fertility Clinic Inseminated Her Mom with Wrong Man's Sperm in $17 Million Lawsuit

NEED TO KNOW An Oregon woman is alleging that her mother was mistakenly inseminated with another man's sperm The now 44-year-old woman...

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Report: ACC allowing Miami to keep $14M CFP payout

The Atlantic Coast Conference is giving Miami the entirety of the College Football Playoff prize money it earned so far, according to Front Office Sports.

While the conference is entitled to keep a portion of the winnings, the ACC is electing not to do so due to its success initiatives model which went into effect for the 2024-25 academic year.

That allows Miami to keep its entire prize pool, which currently sits at $14 million after the 10th-seeded Hurricanes beat No. 2 Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.

The Hurricanes didn't make the ACC championship game due to two conference losses and a tiebreaker they lost to Duke, but made the CFP as an at-large team.

To date, Miami (12-2) has made $4 million for making the 12-team CFP, $4 more million for winning its first-round game and $6 million for winning its quarterfinal.

With a win over No. 6 seed Ole Miss (13-1) in the CFP semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 8, the Hurricanes would earn $6 million in additional money, bringing their potential haul to $20 million in addition to $3 million in travel expenses for each round they play in.

--Field Level Media

byAlpha World

in

January 02, 2026

Report: ACC allowing Miami to keep $14M CFP payout

The Atlantic Coast Conference is giving Miami the entirety of the College Football Playoff prize money it earned so fa...

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NFL Week 18 scenarios: Who can clinch what? How can they do it? And who's playing starters?

There's alotleft to be decided in Week 18 of the NFL regular season, including:

• Four division titles (AFC North, AFC South, NFC South and NFC West)

• No. 1 seed in the AFC

• No. 1 seed in the NFC

• No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft

• Numerous playoff seedings

Here's your rundown of what's at stake each game, and how seriously each team is taking it.

Panthers at Buccaneers|Seahawks at 49ers|Colts at Texans|Titans at Jaguars|Cowboys at Giants|Browns at Bengals|Packers at Vikings|Saints at Falcons|Dolphins at Patriots|Chargers at Broncos|Commanders at Eagles|Lions at Bears|Jets at Bills|Cardinals at Rams|Chiefs at Raiders|Ravens at Steelers

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What's at stake for Panthers:If the Panthers win or tie, the NFC South and the No. 4 seed are theirs no matter what. If they lose, then they need help detailed below.

What's at stake for Buccaneers:If the Buccaneers win, they still need the Falcons to lose or tie Sunday against the Saints to clinch the NFC South and the No. 4 seed. If the Bucs and Falcons both win, then there's a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9, and the tiebreaker goes to the Panthers.

Are both teams going for it?You better believe it.

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

What's at stake for Seahawks:If the Seahawks win or tie, they clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.

What's at stake for 49ers:If the 49ers win, they clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.

Are both teams going for it?Thesetwo teams vs. each other? With allthison the line? Book it.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

What's at stake for Colts:Nothing except the chance to ruin a rival's shot at the division title. Even Indianapolis' first-round draft pick, which is currently 18th, goes to the Jets next spring thanks to the Sauce Gardner trade.

What's at stake for Texans:If the Texans win and the Jaguars lose, the Texans win the AFC South.

Are both teams going for it?The Texans sure will. As for the Colts, the biggest player news isrookie sixth-round quarterback Riley Leonard will startover Philip Rivers, while several othersincluding Sauce Gardnerwon't play. But otherwise the Colts will have their full complement.

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

What's at stake for Titans:Just the chance to play spoiler, and alsopotentially clinch the No. 2 pick in the draftwith a loss and wins by the Giants, Jets and Cardinals.

What's at stake for Jaguars:A lot. If the Jaguars win or tie, they'll win the AFC South no matter what. They can also win it with a Texans loss or tie. Jacksonville also has a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which would require a win plus losses by the Broncos and Patriots.

Are both teams going for it?The Jaguars definitely are. The Titans haven't indicated they'll sit anyone yet.

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

What's at stake for Cowboys:Draft positioning in the mid-first round and the chance to springboard into a more hopeful 2026.

What's at stake for Giants:There's still achance the Giants can get the No. 1 overall pickin the draft. They would have to lose, the Raiders would have to win, and at least two of the following teams would also have to win: Seahawks, Falcons, Browns and Bears. It's also one last chance for interim head coach Mike Kafka to make his case to be the permanent head coach.

Are both teams going for it?Dallas is going to play its starters including Dak Prescott, butJerry Jones hinted Tuesdaythat Prescott might not play much. TheCowboys also just released cornerback Trevon Diggs, so they seem to be getting a head start on offseason moves. TheGiants, meanwhile, plan to play their starterstoo.

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

What's at stake for Browns:TheBrowns can get the No. 2 pick in the draftwith a loss plus wins by the Giants, Jets, Titans and Cardinals. They currently hold the No. 6 pick. Myles Garrett is also aiming for the single-season sack record. He's a half-sack away from the record books.

What's at stake for Bengals:Cincinnati will pick either in the back half of the top 10 or early in the teens no matter what.

Are both teams going for it?So far, both the Bengals and Browns have indicated their starters will play Week 18 if healthy, including one last look at Shedeur Sanders.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

What's at stake for Packers:Nothing. The Packers are locked into the NFC's seventh seed and a wild-card trip to either Chicago or Philadelphia.

What's at stake for Vikings:Mid-first round draft positioning. The Vikings will be picking in the teens or early 20s.

Are both teams going for it?The Packers might play some starters, though quarterback Jordan Love won't be one of them. Head coach Matt LaFleur said he'd sit out despite being out of concussion protocol and rest up for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Vikings haven't indicated their plans yet.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

What's at stake for Saints:Tyler Shough's Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign and some optimism heading into 2026. Shough has been pretty good since becoming the starter, and the Saints are on a four-game win streak to close Kellen Moore's first season in charge. They're locked into a late top 10 or early teens first-round draft pick.

What's at stake for Falcons:For the Falcons themselves? Very little, with their first-round draft pick this year going to the Rams thanks to the James Pearce Jr. trade last spring. But for the NFC South? That's where things go full sicko mode.

If the Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday, then the fate of the NFC South rests in the Falcons' hands. If they win, the Panthers are division champions anyway, since the top three teams would be tied at 8-9 and the Panthers own the tiebreaker. If the Falcons lose, the Buccaneers would win the division.Yes ... ha ha ha ...YES!

Are both teams going for it?TheSaints will be without star wideout Chris Olave, whileseveral others starters didn't practiceWednesday or Thursday. The Falcons, meanwhile, appear set to play their starters.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

What's at stake for Dolphins:The chance to deny the Patriots the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a win. Mike McDaniel's last chance to state his case to be head coach in 2026. Draft positioning too, since the pick could fall anywhere in the late top 10 to the teens.

What's at stake for Patriots:There are two scenarios that would land the Patriots the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Either they win and the Broncos lose or tie, or they tie and the Broncos lose.

Are both teams going for it?Expect the Patriots to, with the Broncos playing at the same time Sunday. Meanwhile the Dolphins haven't indicated they're going to sit anybody, and likely want one more look at rookie seventh-round QB Quinn Ewers.

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos

What's at stake for Chargers:Strap in. Out of64 possible AFC playoff seeding scenarios, 18 end with the Chargers in the fifth seed (28%), 30 end with the Chargers in the sixth seed (47%), and 16 end with the Chargers in the seventh seed (25%). Fun!

What's at stake for Broncos:Win and they're the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Beyond that, they can still clinch the No. 1 seed with a tie and a Patriots loss or tie. They can also get it with a loss, as long as the Patriots lose and the Jaguars lose or tie.

Are both teams going for it?The Broncos almost certainly will, withhead coach Sean Paytondescribing Sunday as "like a playoff game" and stressing the importance of the No. 1 seed historically. TheChargers, meanwhile, are resting quarterback Justin Herbert, who fractured his non-throwing hand in Week 13. A number of starters have beenlimited in practice, too, so the plan may be to rest them.

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles

What's at stake for Commanders:There's still asmall chance the Commanders secure the No. 2 overall pickin the draft. They'd need to lose, and they'd need the Giants, Jets, Titans, Cardinals and Browns to all win. Unlikely. But maybe!

What's at stake for Eagles:TheEagles get the No. 2 seed in 25% (16 out of 64)of the Week 18 NFC scenarios. All of them require an Eagles win and a Bears loss. Otherwise they're the No. 3 seed, since the Bears own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Are both teams going for it?QB Tanner McKee will start, giving Jalen Hurts rest before wild-card weekend.Head coach Nick Siriannihinted that he'd rest some starters Monday. The Commanders will start Josh Johnson at QB and are expected to play their starters, withhead coach Dan Quinn hintinginjuries are the only thing that would keep players out.

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

What's at stake for Lions:Only the chance to help deny the Bears and their former offensive coordinator the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Lions will pick in the teens in the first round of the NFL Draft.

What's at stake for Bears:If the Bears win, they're theNo. 2 seed in the NFC no matter whatby virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Eagles. If the Bears lose, they can still clinch the No. 2 seed with an Eagles loss to the Commanders.

Are both teams going for it?Lions head coach Dan Campbell has indicatedhis starters will play,including Amon-Ra St. Brown but not Penei Sewell, as long as they're not risking long-term injury, plus it fits the franchise's ethos to do so.Bears head coach Ben Johnson, meanwhile, said Monday "we're playing to win this week." So it sounds like Chicago will be going for the No. 2 seed.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

What's at stake for Jets:TheJets can get the No. 2 pickwith a loss and a Giants win. It also might not hurt head coach Aaron Glenn to finish the season with a good performance after some ugly losses this season, despite team ownership indicating he'll be back.

What's at stake for Bills:The Bills can move up to the fifth or sixth seed in37.5% of the remaining scenarios, so they'll have to win and let the other results fall where they may.

Are both teams going for it?Head coach Sean McDermott saidJosh Allen should be "good to go"for Sunday despite being limited in practice, though it remains to be seen if Allen or other starters will play. As for the Jets, well, they're in full-blown find-out-who-wants-to-be-here-next-season mode, so in some sense, you could say they're "going for it."

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams

What's at stake for Cardinals:TheCardinals can still get the No. 2 pickwith a loss and wins by the Giants, Jets and Titans.

What's at stake for Rams:The Rams need to win (and need the Seahawks to win) to have any shot at the No. 5 seed, which they'd get in25% of the remaining NFC scenarios.Otherwise they'll be the sixth seed.

Are both teams going for it?Rams head coach Sean McVay saidhe won't rest starters in Week 18, which makes sense given how messy his team has looked in recent weeks. However, if the 49ers win Saturday and the Rams are locked into the sixth seed, it's a good bet the Rams' starters won't play the full game. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have given no indication they'll sit anyone yet.

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders

What's at stake for Chiefs:The Chiefs can lock up a top-10 pick with a loss. It might be Travis Kelce's last career game, and he'll want to go out with a win. Otherwise, not much else in a rare lost season for Kansas City.

What's at stake for Raiders:If the Raiders lose, they'll clinch the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. If they win it gets dicier, but there are stillseveral scenarios that land them the top pick.

Are both teams going for it?Andy Reid has indicatedhis starters will play. As for the Raiders, well, it's trickier. Pete Carroll hasn't directly said starters won't play this weekend. Then again,Maxx Crosby seems a little defiantover being shut down due to a knee injury, whileBrock Bowers was placed on injured reservewith a knee injury he's battled all season. So at the very least, the Raiders are giving the outward appearance of being ready to close up shop on this campaign. Which, of course, would be good for their draft status.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

What's at stake for Ravens:If the Ravens win, they're the AFC North champion and the No. 4 seed. If they lose or tie, they're out of the playoff race.

What's at stake for Steelers:If the Steelers win or tie, they're the AFC North champion and the No. 4 seed. If they lose, they're out of the playoff hunt.

Are both teams going for it?Hell, yes. There's a reason this is Game 272. AndLamar Jackson says he'll be back from injury.

byAlpha World

in

January 02, 2026

NFL Week 18 scenarios: Who can clinch what? How can they do it? And who's playing starters?

There's alotleft to be decided in Week 18 of the NFL regular season, including: Four division titles (AFC No...

Read More