Peter Sterne

Jim Owles tells Hochul not to pick gay conservative judge to replace DiFiore

If Governor Hochul picks Anthony Cannataro to replace retired Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, he would make history as the first openly gay chief judge of New York State. Allen Roskoff wants to make sure that doesn’t happen. The gay rights activist and…

Progressive groups tell Hochul next chief judge must not be former prosecutor

The surprise resignation of Chief Judge Janet DiFiore has set up a tense nomination battle to select her successor. Although the actual nomination will not happen until this fall, a coalition of left-wing groups has begun mobilizing to pressure Gov.…

Critics say New York’s new gun control law will fuel mass incarceration

On June 23, the day that the Supreme Court struck down New York state’s strict gun control laws, a coalition of public defender organizations released a joint statement calling on the Legislature to craft new gun laws that would avoid the mistakes of…

Here’s how the DSA keeps its lawmakers in line

“To be an unorganized socialist is a contradiction in terms,” Zohran Mamdani told City & State, explaining his decision to join the Socialists in Office committee soon after winning a Democratic primary for an Assembly seat in 2020. Mamdani, who…

Ballot selfies are still out this election season

On June 18, the first day of early voting, Christopher Leon Johnson went to his local polling place and filled out his Democratic primary ballot. Then he snapped a photo of the ballot and posted it on Twitter. “I decided to post it because I wanted…

Charges Filed Against Andrew Cuomo for Forcible Touching

The Albany Criminal Court issued a criminal summons for former governor Andrew Cuomo in connection with charges of “forcible touching,” a Class A misdemeanor, New York Focus first reported on Thursday. A court clerk said that the local sheriff’s…

Why Did First Look Let Go of Laura Poitras?

When Laura Poitras co-founded First Look Media with Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill in 2013, the venture had immediate prestige: Poitras and Greenwald shared a Pulitzer Prize for their work at the Guardian on Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, and…

Inside Glenn Greenwald’s Blowup With The Intercept

On Thursday, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Glenn Greenwald denounced The Intercept, the news outlet he co-founded six years ago, and announced his immediate resignation. Best known for his reporting on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, Greenwald…

New York Post Insiders Slag ‘Very Flimsy’ Hunter Biden Stories

The New York Post’s own journalists say they are skeptical of the paper’s stories about Hunter Biden, including the man who wrote most of the “smoking gun” story and would not put his name on it, four newsroom sources told Intelligencer. On Wednesday…

What’s the Difference Between Kyle Rittenhouse and the Police?

“We appreciate you guys, we really do.”That’s what a law enforcement officer said over a loudspeaker as another officer tossed water bottles to a group of armed white men in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday.One of the young men was Kyle Rittenhouse, a…

Journalists subpoenaed in criminal case involving intimidation, blackmail of the news organizations

The Montgomery County Chronicle is one of two Kansas publications subpoenaed to testify in a criminal case against a community college football coach charged with blackmail, identity theft after allegedly sending false cease-and-desist…

San Francisco police seize multiple phone records of independent journalist Bryan Carmody

In March and April 2019, San Francisco police seized phone records for freelance journalist Bryan Carmody as part of an investigation into one of Carmody’s confidential sources. On May 31, the San Francisco Police Department formally notified Carmody…

San Francisco police use search warrant to raid home, office of independent journalist

On May 10, 2019, San Francisco police officers raided the home and office of freelance journalist Bryan Carmody as part of an investigation into one of Carmody’s confidential sources. Carmody told the Los Angeles Times that he awoke to 10 or so…

The Markup ousts editor in chief Julia Angwin, prompting resignations

On Monday night, The Markup, a nonprofit journalism startup focused on data-driven investigations of the effects of technology on society, fired its editor in chief and co-founder Julia Angwin. Jeff Larson, The Markup’s managing editor, has been…

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested and charged with conspiracy

On April 11, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, charging him with one count of conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a WikiLeaks source, to violate a federal anti-hacking law. The charge was unsealed just…

Judge orders ProPublica Illinois, other media, not to publish details of juvenile court case

On March 14, a Cook County Juvenile Court judge ordered ProPublica Illinois and other news organizations not to publish certain details about an ongoing child welfare case in the Chicago-based juvenile court. In the course of reporting on child…

N.D. legislature considers bill shielding pipeline projects from public records requests

On Jan. 22, the North Dakota state senate passed a bill that would amend its open records law to limit the release of information around protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The North Dakota state assembly is expected to vote on the bill,…

Journalists trying to interview senators shoved by Capitol Police

A U.S. Capitol Police officer patrols the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In February, Capitol Police were involved in an altercation with journalists in the basement of the Senate building. On Feb. 14, U.S. Capitol Police officers pushed and shoved…

Man threatens to blow up Dallas magazine for publishing controversial columnist

On Nov. 13, 2018, the Facebook account “Wesley Taylor Jr.” posted a bomb threat on the Facebook page of D Magazine, a magazine based in Dallas, Texas. The Facebook post warned that the magazine’s offices could be blown up if the magazine continued to…

Cameraman, other reporters attacked at Trump rally

A man wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat attacked a group of reporters, including BBC News cameraman Don Skeans, during a Trump rally in El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 11, 2019. Video of the altercation shows the man, whose identity has not been…