Evening Briefing: Calls grow for Cuomo’s resignation

March 12, 2021

Your Friday Evening Briefing

By Whet Moser, Amelia Nierenberg and Jeremiah M. Bogert, Jr.

Good evening. Here's the latest.

Pool photo by Seth Wenig

1. The drumbeat for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation gets louder.

Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and 13 of 19 Democrats in New York's congressional delegation, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerrold Nadler, said Mr. Cuomo should step down amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

"Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York," the senators said in a joint statement. "Governor Cuomo should resign."

Mr. Cuomo denied the allegations and told reporters he would not leave office or bow to "cancel culture."

As outside lawyers overseen by the state attorney general investigate the claims, which are also the subject of an impeachment inquiry, The Times spoke with more than 35 people who described the governor's office as unprofessional and toxic — especially for young women.

Here's what to know about Kathy Hochul, New York's lieutenant governor and Mr. Cuomo's possible successor.

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Doug Mills/The New York Times

2. The U.S., Japan, India and Australia partnered to expand the global vaccine supply.

As part of the deal, President Biden pledged financial support to a major Indian manufacturer, which would expand global manufacturing capacity by at least one billion doses in 2022.

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The move follows weeks of sustained pressure from global health advocates. The United States has fallen far behind China, Russia and India in the race to marshal coronavirus vaccines as an instrument of diplomacy, and tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines are sitting idly in American manufacturing facilities, awaiting results from a U.S. clinical trial.

Separately, the World Health Organization granted emergency authorization to Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine.

Octavio Jones for The New York Times

3. George Floyd's family settled a lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis for $27 million.

The family of Mr. Floyd, whose death set off a wave of protests after a video showed a white police officer kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, sued the city, contending it violated his rights and failed to properly train its officers or fire those who violated department policies.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the settlement, among the largest ever in a case of police misconduct. Derek Chauvin, the former officer who knelt on Mr. Floyd's neck, was less than a mile away in a courtroom where jurors were being chosen for his trial on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Cooper Neill for The New York Times

4. The pressure to reopen restaurants is mounting, but many people who work in them don't always have access to coronavirus vaccines.

At least 17 states have made restaurant workers eligible for the vaccines, compared with about 26 that have made them available to grocery workers. Texas, for instance, allowed all businesses to fully reopen but has not made restaurant workers eligible. Restaurants in New York and New Jersey will soon be able to reopen indoor dining at 50 percent capacity.

For many food service workers, it's an impossible bind. Reopening restaurants restores a crucial source of income, but working unvaccinated presents the risk of infection. Many restaurant workers across the country have signed petitions calling for priority access to vaccines.

Party of One Studio

5. 2020 was a doozy. Your taxes could be too.

Three giant legislative packages are distributing different types of coronavirus-related relief, including stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits and a series of tax breaks. Can you qualify for a larger refund? Are your unemployment benefits taxable? We have answers.

The coronavirus disrupted the work lives of many Americans, pushing people into work-from-home status, freelance work and unemployment. Each status has its own tax considerations. If you've been working from home, each state has its own rules. For gig workers and business owners, 2020 taxes are especially murky. And if you lost your job or income, new rules and options about the earned-income tax credit and health insurance are designed to help.

Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

6. Two years ago, nine Yazidi women made an impossible choice. After five years as sexual slaves under ISIS, they were freed to return to their families in Iraq. But they had to leave behind the children they had borne with their captors.

Last week, the mothers reunited with their children, in a secret operation at the Syrian-Iraqi border witnessed by The Times. "I was so happy, but it was a shock for both of us," said one mother, who said she had been dreaming of seeing her daughter again for nearly two years. "She is not used to me yet."

The path forward for the women and the children is still uncertain: To reclaim their children, the women had to cut ties with their parents, siblings and the villages they called home.

David Becker/Associated Press

7. March Madness is coming back. Mostly.

On Thursday, Duke dropped out of postseason basketball after a player tested positive. On Friday, the University of Kansas and the University of Virginia, the 2019 national champion, followed suit.

Eager bracketologists should prepare for some wonky bets this year. For one, the entire N.C.A.A. Division I men's basketball tournament will be played in Indiana, to minimize travel exposure. For another, the typical distribution of seeds will be changed to the so-called S-curve. Our college sports reporter breaks down the new system here.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

8. This weekend brings the Grammys. But not the Weeknd.

The Canadian pop star, above center, who played the Super Bowl halftime show this year, wasn't nominated and is boycotting Sunday's awards.

The controversy put a spotlight on the anonymous expert committees that get songs and artists on the ballot in the first place. The opaque system has led to longstanding accusations of bias against women and Black artists. The last Black artist to win album of the year was Herbie Hancock in 2008 for a tribute to Joni Mitchell.

One of this year's candidates is Taylor Swift's "Folklore," an album that earned her five of her six nominations. In our critic's notebook, Lindsay Zoladz looks at its themes. And in a special "Diary of a Song" episode, Times critics break down the nominees for record of the year.

Landon Nordeman

9. Sometimes art needs a stunt double.

To prepare for an exhibit of Alexander Calder's large-scale sculptures, MoMA constructed seven full-scale wood maquettes — unpainted models — of the artist's legendarily complex works. Take a look behind the scenes.

Cara Manes, the exhibit's curator, requested that the carpentry team leave the models unpainted so too much detail didn't prevent her from taking "the first important step toward understanding these objects as volumes in space" before maneuvering the real Calders into the gallery.

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

10. And finally, plan a national park visit.

It was a big year for the outdoors: With many indoor spots closed or limited in capacity, 15 national parks, like Yosemite, above, set visitor records in 2020. As the weather warms up, the competition for amenities and day passes could be fierce.

Get ready: If you don't book this month at Royale National Park, an island in Lake Superior reachable only by boat or plane, you may not be able to visit at all.

Get informed: Rangers are still deciding which of their facilities to open to visitors and at what capacity.

Get help: Private guide services know to secure campsites and book lodging as soon as they become available and often have openings on their trips long after the public sites fill up.

And don't forget, daylight saving time begins Sunday, giving you an extra hour of daylight to enjoy the outdoors.

Have a timely night.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

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