Cuomo’s executive assistant accuses New York governor of groping her

Published

3 years ago

August 9, 2021

admin

An executive assistant to Andrew Cuomo has waived her right to anonymity, alleging the New York governor groped her under her shirt, hugged her and kissed her without consent.

Brittany Commisso was previously known as ‘Executive Assistant #1’ in an inquiry instigated by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

But the 32-year-old says she broke her anonymity because she wants Mr Cuomo to be held accountable for what she says are “crimes” committed against her.

Mr Cuomo, 63, denies any wrongdoing and has so far resisted calls to resign despite nearly 200 people complaining about his alleged sexual misconduct.

Brittany Commisso spoke to CBS and the Albany Times Union. She said Mr Cuomo’s behaviour towards her became progressively sexually suggestive after she started working with him and that it began with inappropriate hugging.

She said: “These are not hugs that he would give his mother or his brother. These were hugs with the intention of getting some personal sexual satisfaction out of.

“Then they started to be hugs and kisses on the cheek, and then there was at one point a hug and then when he went to go kiss me on the cheek he’d quickly turned his head and he kissed me on the lips.”

Commisso admitted that she did not say anything in response at the time.

She said: “People don’t understand that this is the governor of New York. There are troopers outside. They are not there to protect me, they are there to protect him.

“I felt as though if I did something to insult him, especially insult him in his own home, it wasn’t going to be him that’s going to get fired or in trouble.”

Ms Commisso also accused Mr Cuomo of touching her bottom while the pair were posing for a photograph together and claimed that on a separate occasion he put his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast.

She also identified herself as the complainant in a criminal investigation that has been opened against Mr Cuomo in Albany County, New York.

Governor Cuomo said in a statement last week that he had “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances”.

On Sunday, his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, announced her resignation after a report found he sexually harassed 11 women.

Last week, President Joe Biden called for Mr Cuomo to step down over the report’s findings.

US

Boxing legend Mike Tyson falls ill on American Airlines flight to Los Angeles

Published

53 mins ago

May 28, 2024

admin

Boxing legend Mike Tyson falls ill on American Airlines flight to Los Angeles

Mike Tyson has been recovering after falling ill during a flight, his representatives have said.

The 58-year-old former heavyweight champion “became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing” on Sunday, his publicist’s office said in a statement.

“Thankfully Mr Tyson is doing great,” the statement said.

“He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”

First responders were sent to American Airlines flight 1815 from Miami as it landed at LA International Airport “due to the medical needs of a customer”, an airline statement said.

Tyson is due to fight 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 20 July at the 80,000-seat home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Netflix will show the fight live, a first for the streaming platform.

Tyson was undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.

He retired in 2005, but most recently fought in an exhibition in 2020 against Roy Jones in California.

In August 2022, photos showed the boxing legend in a wheelchair while holding a walking stick at an airport terminal, with Tyson later revealing he suffered with sciatica.

US

Arizona teenager saved by brother after black bear attack

Published

53 mins ago

May 28, 2024

admin

Arizona teenager saved by brother after black bear attack

A teenage boy was saved by his brother after a black bear barged into his cabin and left him with scratches across his face and arm – with the animal having a sit down on a sofa on the family’s porch after the attack.

Brigham Hawkins, 15, was “just chilling” in one of two cabins on his family’s property in Alpine, Arizona, when the bear “walked in through the front door and swiped him across the head” on Thursday evening, his mother Carol said.

Ms Hawkins told Sky News’ US partner NBC News that Brigham has a “neurological disorder” and she believes he would have been killed if her other son Parker, 18, had not intervened.

The mother said: “The front door was open to let the cool night air in.

“Brigham was watching YouTube and didn’t realise what was happening.”

Ms Hawkin said her son “started screaming” during the attack, adding: “[The bear] got him on the nose and the cheek and then went ahead and got his forehead and the top of his head.”

Parker ran over from the other cabin in the family’s garden after hearing the screams, Ms Hawkins said.

She continued: “Parker at first thought it was a big dog of some kind.

“Then the bear saw Parker and began to chase him. That gave Brigham time to slam the door shut in his cabin.”

Ms Hawkins added that Parker then managed to make it back to the other cabin as the bear followed him.

She continued: “[The bear] was just pacing there for a while as we watched him through the window.

“Then he sat down on a couch on the porch and just looked around. It was insane.”

Ms Hawkins said that while she dialled 911 and called a neighbour for help, her husband Shane waited for the bear to look away before darting to the cabin where Brigham was holed-up.

“He slammed the door in the bear’s face,” she said.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), whose agents arrived at the scene, said at one stage during the family’s ordeal the bear entered Brigham’s cabin a second time before “swiping at the victim’s arm”.

However, the bear was no longer besieging the cabins by the time the AZGFD agents arrived.

“After arriving on scene, AZGFD wildlife officers were able to quickly locate and dispatch the bear,” the agency said in a statement.

The bear was a male estimated to be three years old and his carcass will be tested for diseases, the AZGFD said.

Ms Hawkins said her son is “doing better” and has already received a round of rabies shots as a precaution.

Reflecting on why the bear may have attacked, she said: “He may have just been hungry… but that’s just not a normal way for a bear to behave.”

Ms Hawkins continued: “[Brigham] has a neurological disorder and would not have been able to get away from the bear.

“It took a few miracles happening at the same time to save him.”

She added: “This really could have been a lot worse.

“We’re still in disbelief that this happened, but we’re also feeling very blessed.”

There have been 16 bear attacks on people in Arizona since 1990 – with two of them having been fatal, according to the AZGFD.

The most recent fatality occurred when a 66-year-old man was killed while drinking a cup of coffee in the woods in Prescott last year.

US

Former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor shot dead by thieves stealing from his car

Published

53 mins ago

May 28, 2024

admin

Former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor shot dead by thieves stealing from his car

Former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor has been shot dead by thieves who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car.

The shooting happened at about 3am on Saturday in downtown Los Angeles (11am on Saturday UK time) when Wactor approached three men by his car, according to police.

One of the three opened fire, and Wactor, 37, died later in hospital.

The suspects drove away, and no arrests have been made.

The actor had just left a rooftop bar nearby, said his mother, Scarlett Wactor. When he saw the three by his car, he thought it was being towed because he had parked it on the street, in an unfamiliar place, she told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, said the actor was “a real moral example to everyone who knew him”.

“In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be,” Mr Shaul said in a statement on Sunday.

“Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.”