Friday Briefing: Mayor’s Adams’s arraignment

Plus, control behind K-pop goes public.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 27, 2024 By Justin Porter Good morning. We're covering the arraignment of New York City's mayor and a rejected cease-fire deal. Plus, control behind K-pop goes public. Mayor Adams speaking yesterday. Karsten Moran for The New York Times Mayor of New York was ordered to appear in court today Mayor Eric Adams was defiant yesterday in the face of five federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. Numerous elected officials have called for him to quit, including several Democrats running against him in next year's primary. He insisted he would stay in office and fight the charges. The judge in the case ordered Adams to appear in court today for an arraignment, but a lawyer for Adams asked the hearing be moved to early next week. When the arraignment takes place, Adams will be formally informed of his rights and will enter a plea. Details: Prosecutors said the scheme began in 2014 when Adams was a top elected official in Brooklyn and continued after he became mayor. The investigation focused on whether Adams had "accepted improper valuable benefits," and illegal campaign donations from the Turkish government to act on its behalf. Adams is said to have pressured Fire Department officials to permit a new Turkish consulate building to open despite safety problems. The benefits included luxury travel — free and discounted Turkish Airlines tickets and free meals and hotel rooms. Adams tried to hide the gifts or make it appear as if he had paid for them, according to the indictment. Their value exceeded $100,000, prosecutors said. A closer look: Here's an annotated look at the charges the mayor is facing. What's next: If he is convicted of all five counts, the maximum penalty under law would be 45 years in prison. But under the federal sentencing guidelines, he would most likely receive a much shorter prison term. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who can remove the mayor, said that she was reviewing the charges and weighing the decision before her. A building destroyed by an Israeli attack in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times Israeli officials dismissed a cease-fire proposal As Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived in New York yesterday to speak to the U.N. General Assembly, he gave no indication that he was inclined to accept a new cease-fire proposal. "We continue to hit Hezbollah with all our might," Netanyahu said in a statement released as he arrived in New York City. "This is the policy." Several key members of Netanyahu's government have already dismissed the proposal, which was put forward yesterday by the U.S., its European allies and several Arab nations. Hezbollah has not responded to the proposal. Israel's military carried out new strikes while Netanyahu was en route, including one in Beirut that targeted the commander of Hezbollah's drone unit. Analysis: It would be hard for Israel or Hezbollah to accept the proposal because it falls short of each side's conditions, some experts say. Gaza: The Israeli military said it had bombed a school compound being used as a temporary shelter in northern Gaza, claiming it housed a Hamas command-and-control center. Palestinian officials said 15 people, including women and children, were killed. Moscow. Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times U.S. officials warned about foreign interference ahead of the election Federal officials battling foreign interference in the 2024 election say they are entering what may be the most perilous period of the campaign: October, when the prospect for mischief runs high. Russia is making little attempt to hide its support for Donald Trump. China, which seems uncertain which candidate it detests more, is conducting influence operations on local races. And groups in Iran, which desperately wants to stop Trump, are busy hacking into his campaign and dumping whatever they find, as well as plotting to assassinate him. The Justice Department is expected to announce, possibly as soon as tomorrow, the indictment of an Iranian group closely associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the hacking of the Trump campaign, along with efforts to attack the accounts of Washington journalists and others. More on the U.S. election Americans head to the polls in less than six weeks. Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, a sign that President Biden is positioning her to take over a politically fraught diplomatic relationship. A study found that Trump's economic plans could cause inflation to peak as high as 9.3 percent. In a rare interview, Melania Trump blamed Democrats and the mainstream news media for the assassination attempts on her husband. Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we'll find the answers. Stay up to date: See our poll tracker. Listen to "The Run-Up" podcast. Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. MORE TOP NEWS From left, the mother and wife of Shah Nawaz, a Pakistani doctor killed by the police. Allah Bux/Associated Press Pakistan: The police killed two men accused of blasphemy in the course of a week. Sudan: The country's military launched an operation to retake Khartoum, the capital. Japan: Iwao Hakamada, believed to be the world's longest-serving inmate given a death sentence, was exonerated after 44 years on death row. Hong Kong: Two journalists convicted in August of conspiracy to publish seditious articles were sentenced in a landmark case. India: At least 46 people, including 37 children and seven women, died in Bihar State in a ceremony that involves bathing in rivers and streams. Weather: The Category 4 storm made landfall in Florida, bringing risks of extreme flooding and widespread damage to the power grid. Switzerland: Officials said they were investigating a reported assisted suicide that used a coffin-sized, airtight pod that replaced oxygen with lethal nitrogen gas. U.S.: More than 700 children and teenagers have been arrested and accused of making threats against schools in the three weeks since a school shooting in Georgia. SPORTS NEWS Liam Lawson, left, and Daniel Ricciardo. Clive Mason/Formula 1, via Getty Images Formula 1: Red Bull confirmed that Liam Lawson would replace Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season. Bundesliga: St. Pauli, European soccer's pre-eminent left-wing club, will start selling a majority stake in its stadium to its own supporters. MORNING READ The Qatar National Library. Andreas Meichsner for The New York Times With the look of a jagged-edge spaceship and the Gulf sunshine illuminating almost every angle, the Qatar National Library stands out among the growing number of libraries designed by celebrity architects. With more than a million books and thousands of centuries-old manuscripts, maps and globes, it also fits into the country's goal of becoming a major museum hub. CONVERSATION STARTERS Long time, no see: A new Siri feature leaves iPhone users wondering why their phone keeps asking them to check in with their exes and other seemingly random contacts. From damsel to hero: It's been a long road, but Princess Zelda is no longer helpless nor simply an assistant. Bequest request: A museum director's heirs are laying claim to 25 Rembrandt paintings meant to be on permanent display at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. ARTS AND IDEAS Min Hee-jin, NewJeans' executive producer. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images The control behind K-pop goes public K-pop idols rarely break character. The genre's commitment to top-down control has made exactitude into an artistic virtue. So it was striking when, a couple of weeks ago, members of a group called NewJeans spoke in a live YouTube broadcast about their dissatisfaction with their parent company, Hybe. The performers put their external image at risk to argue for their creative lives. Now Hybe's micromanaging methods are central to a new Netflix series directed with nervy patience by Nadia Hallgren: "Pop Star Academy: Katseye," about the making of an English-language global girl group. Part behind-the-scenes documentary, part elimination competition, the show is in thrall far more to the labor behind the art than to the art itself. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Bryan Gardner for The New York Times Cook: Braising chicken and greens together in a skillet makes for a crispy bird and flavorful vegetables. Train: New to the weight room? This 25-minute strength workout is for you. Ease: Our Tech Tip columnist shares the shortcuts, external keyboards and dictation software that can make typing on your phone easier. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. Thanks for spending your week with us. See you on Monday. — Justin Reach Justin and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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