title: Bryan Ferry

text: Frustrated by the lukewarm response to "The Bride Stripped Bare", Ferry reformed Roxy Music at the end of 1978 to record tracks for what would become their sixth studio album "Manifesto", which was released in early 1979 and reached no. 7 in the UK album charts. By now, Roxy Music's studio albums featured a wider array of studio musicians drawn from both Ferry's solo output as well as previous Roxy Music albums. The follow-up was 1980's "Flesh + Blood", which reached no. 1 in the UK album charts, two years before the group's final studio release "Avalon" in 1982, which also reached no. 1 in the UK album charts. The band also achieved their first and only UK no. 1 single, "Jealous Guy", released in 1981 as a posthumous tribute to its author John Lennon, who had been murdered two months earlier. It was the only one of their singles not to be written or co-written by Ferry. After lengthy tours to promote the "Avalon" album, Ferry disbanded Roxy Music in 1983 and continue as a solo artist.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Resuming his solo career, Ferry's sixth solo album, "Boys and Girls", reached no. 1 in the UK in June 1985, and was his first and only solo studio album to top the chart. "Boys and Girls" remained in the UK chart for 44 weeks and its lead single, "Slave to Love", reached the UK top ten. "Boys and Girls" also became his biggest selling album in the US. In July 1985, Ferry performed at the London Live Aid show, accompanied by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: After the "Avalon" promotional tours, Ferry was rather reluctant to return to live touring on the road; however, a change of management persuaded him to resume touring in 1988 to promote the previous year's "Bête Noire". Following the tour, Ferry teamed again with Brian Eno for "Mamouna" (collaborating with Robin Trower on guitar and as producer). The album took more than five years to produce, and was created under the working title "Horoscope". During production, Ferry simultaneously recorded and released "Taxi" in 1993, his eighth solo studio album, which peaked at no. 2 on the UK charts. "Mamouna" (Ferry's ninth solo studio album) was released in 1994, peaking at no. 11 on the UK charts. In 1996, Ferry performed the song "Dance with Life" for the "Phenomenon" soundtrack, written by Bernie Taupin and Martin Page.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 1999, Ferry released his tenth solo studio album "As Time Goes By", consisting of cover versions of 1930s songs. The album peaked at no. 16 in the UK charts and was nominated for a Grammy Award.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay and Thompson re-reformed Roxy Music in 2001 and toured extensively for a couple of years, though the band did not record any new material. In 2002, Ferry released a new studio album, "Frantic", which featured several tracks written with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, Manzanera and Thompson. The album was a mix of new original material and covers – something that Ferry had not attempted on a solo album since "The Bride Stripped Bare" in 1978.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2005, it was confirmed that Roxy Music (Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson) would perform shows at that year's Isle of Wight Festival and that they would record an album of new and original songs, with no indication of when such a project would reach completion. Brian Eno confirmed that he had worked in the studio with Roxy Music once more and had co-written songs for the new album. However, Ferry later stated that some of the material from these sessions would most likely be released as part of his next solo album. In October 2006, he signed a contract with the British retailer Marks & Spencer to model its "Autograph" men's clothing range.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In March 2007, Ferry released the album "Dylanesque", an album of Bob Dylan songs with backing vocals from Tara McDonald and Anna McDonald. The album charted in the UK top 10, and Ferry undertook a UK tour. On 7 October 2008, Ferry was honoured as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI London Awards.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2009, Ferry provided vocals on DJ Hell's record "U Can Dance". The original version of the track was recorded for Ferry's new studio album "Olympia", released in October 2010. The album included some of the material he recorded with his former Roxy Music band members, and featured musicians such as Nile Rodgers, David A. Stewart, Scissor Sisters, Groove Armada, Flea, Jonny Greenwood and David Gilmour. The model Kate Moss was featured on the album cover.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry also provided vocals for the song "Shameless" on Groove Armada's 2010 album "Black Light". The album received a nomination for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in the category Best Dance/Electronic Album.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2011, Roxy Music performed together for the last time before going on indefinite hiatus as Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay, and Thompson embarked on a world tour to celebrate the group's 40th anniversary.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In June 2011, Ferry was made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his contribution to the British music industry, and in 2012 he was awarded the French national honour of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2014, Ferry was made an honorary Doctor of Music by Newcastle University.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: On 26 November 2012, he released a new album entitled "The Jazz Age" with the Bryan Ferry Orchestra. The album features 1920s period jazz renditions of some of Ferry's songs (from both his solo discography and with Roxy Music). Film director Baz Luhrmann asked to use Ferry's song "Love Is the Drug" from "The Jazz Age" album for the 2013 film "The Great Gatsby". This resulted in a collaboration with the Bryan Ferry Orchestra to create several jazz pieces throughout the movie, released as a separate album titled "The Great Gatsby – The Jazz Recordings (A Selection of Yellow Cocktail Music)". Ferry began touring with the Bryan Ferry Orchestra in 2013, including a performance at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival which was opened by Luhrmann's "Great Gatsby" film.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2014, Ferry toured extensively, with notable performances including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as an appearance at the Chicago Theatre, which was preceded by a talk with author Michael Bracewell at the Museum of Contemporary Art on the subjects of fame and his creative inspiration. Also in 2014, Ferry collaborated with the Norwegian DJ/producer Todd Terje, providing vocals on a cover version of "Johnny and Mary" (originally recorded by Robert Palmer). The track was released as a single and appeared on Terje's album "It's Album Time". In June 2014, Ferry appeared at the Glastonbury Festival, and in 2015 he returned to Coachella to perform as a guest artist with Terje.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In November 2014, Ferry released a new album entitled "Avonmore", featuring original material and two cover songs (including the aforementioned "Johnny and Mary" with Todd Terje). To support the album, Ferry launched a 20-date tour across the UK and released his first-ever solo live album, "Live 2015". Ferry has continued to tour Europe and North America in the three years since the album's release, consistently playing no fewer than 30 shows each year. In 2017, Ferry gave his debut performance at the Hollywood Bowl, backed by the venue's full orchestra. Music industry critic Bob Lefsetz reviewed the performance, and noted Ferry's orchestral performance of "The Main Thing" as a highlight. In November and December 2018, Ferry made his second appearance with the long-running concert series Night of the Proms in Germany, along with the Pointer Sisters, Milow, and Tim Bendzko.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: While furthering his solo career in recent years, Ferry has continued to collaborate with previous members of Roxy Music, including backing singer Fonzi Thornton and guitarist Neil Hubbard. Both Thornton and Hubbard toured with Ferry extensively during his promotion of the "Avonmore" album in 2015 and 2016. In February 2018, a 45th anniversary deluxe edition of Roxy Music's eponymous debut album was released, including numerous demos, outtakes, and unseen photographs curated over the years by Ferry. During his promotional tour to support the deluxe re-issue, Ferry said he was open to collaborating once again with Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Bryan Ferry and His Orchestra announced the new album "Bitter-Sweet" in November 2018. The Bryan Ferry World Tour 2019 set off across four continents in February, playing one British date at the 5,200-seater Royal Albert Hall in June, also adding 18 dates in North America through August and September. A separate date was slated for the BST Hyde Park festival in July 2019.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry continued touring with a UK run in March 2020, finishing the tour shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down touring in the United Kingdom.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: "Royal Albert Hall 2020", an album recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in March, was released in April 2021 with the proceeds going to support Ferry's touring band and crew members.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In May 2022, Ferry released a cover EP called "Love Letters". Shortly after the announcement of the EP, it was confirmed that Ferry would be participating in a Roxy Music 50th anniversary reunion tour with Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry's vocal style is regarded as unique and highly influential. When asked for examples of singers she studied, Kate Bush remarked "I thought [Ferry] was the most exciting singer that I'd heard ... For me it covered the whole emotional spectrum, and I just couldn't get enough of it." In reviewing a 1975 Roxy Music concert, "The Village Voice" described Ferry's voice as "a second tenor which lacks vocal antecedent", going further to note, "his voice operates on the same principle as hotel room service. Studied effects appear with hazy origins, use themselves up, and are removed without explanation."


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Inducting Roxy Music into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon described Ferry's lyric writing as "open-heart surgery".


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In addition to his contributions to music, Ferry has also come to be known for his distinctive style and artistic sensibilities as well as a "synonym for cool". In 2005, "GQ" presented Ferry with its Lifetime Achievement Award, deeming him "pop's original art-school bobby-dazzler" and noting his solo career spent as the "world's best-dressed and most languidly mannered deluxe chanteur". "Esquire" has noted Ferry's lifelong obsession with clothing and describing any in-person interaction with him as a "bespoke event, a louche ensemble of elegant affectations". In 2007, Belgian fashion designer Dries van Noten created a Fall 2007 collection inspired by outfits Ferry wore during his solo career and tenure with Roxy Music.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In his 1976 essay "Them", cultural critic Peter York described Ferry as "the best possible example of the ultimate art-directed existence" and suggested he was the most important pasticheur in Britain at the time. Ferry has credited numerous art and film influences throughout his career, among them Richard Hamilton, Marcel Duchamp, and Humphrey Bogart. Hamilton is credited by Ferry as an inspiration to him both as an artist and as a person, and is also responsible for introducing Ferry as an art student to Duchamp's work. The title of Ferry's 1978 solo album "The Bride Stripped Bare" is taken from Duchamp's classic work "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even". For Bogart, Ferry penned the song "2HB" ("2HB" = "To Humphrey Bogart"), leading the band Madness to record "4BF" ("for Bryan Ferry"), on their 1988 album "The Madness". Phil Manzanera – who would become Roxy Music's guitarist – recalls, during his audition to join the band, that Ferry and he discussed Humphrey Bogart and classic films from the golden age of Hollywood.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 1975, Ferry began a relationship with model Jerry Hall: they first met when she appeared on the album cover for "Siren" (1975), which was photographed in Wales during the summer of 1975. According to "Harper's Bazaar", the photo shoot boosted Hall's status as an international celebrity. Her stay at Ferry's Holland Park (London) home, following the album photo shoot, marked the start of their relationship. Hall and Ferry lived together, sharing homes in London and in the Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles, and Hall also appeared in some of Ferry's solo music videos, including "Let's Stick Together" and "The Price of Love" (both 1976). Their relationship ended when she left him for Mick Jagger in late 1977.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry rarely talks about Hall, but fans have often speculated his song "Kiss and Tell" from his album "Bête Noire" (1987) was his response to Hall's tell-all book about their relationship, published a couple of years earlier. Additionally, Ferry's 1978 solo album "The Bride Stripped Bare" is widely believed to contain allusions to his break-up with Hall – particularly the song "When She Walks in the Room".


title: Bryan Ferry

text: On 26 June 1982, Ferry married London socialite Lucy Helmore, who had become pregnant with their child Otis (b. 1 November 1982). Though her face is not seen, Helmore was the model on the front cover of Roxy Music's album "Avalon" (1982), released a month before their wedding. The couple had three more sons, Isaac, Tara, and Merlin. After 21 years of marriage the couple divorced in 2003. Helmore died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2018, while on holiday in County Clare, Ireland, after what her brother described as "a long battle with depression". Ferry said he was "saddened and shocked" by her death.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2000, the whole Ferry family were on British Airways Flight 2069 to Nairobi when a passenger forced his way into the cockpit, attacked the pilot and caused the plane to lurch downwards. The assailant eventually was overcome, and the pilot recovered from a descent of 12,000 feet in 25 seconds – the fastest rate of descent from which any civil aircraft has ever recovered.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry's son, Otis, has become known in the British media for his pro-hunting political activities. He has been arrested and charged several times for activities relating to hunting, only one of which led to a conviction. In 2004 he was among pro-hunt campaigners who stormed into the chambers of the House of Commons during a debate on the banning of hunting. He was charged with disorderly conduct. Otis was also a joint master of the South Shropshire hunt.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: By 2008, Ferry's son Tara was performing in a rock band called Rubber Kiss Goodbye. By 2008, Merlin was studying for "A" Levels at Marlborough College, and then played guitar in a band called Voltorb. Ferry's children have also contributed to his albums "Olympia" and "Avonmore". On "Olympia", Tara played drums on several tracks, Merlin played guitar on one track, and Isaac was the producer of the album's artwork. Tara also toured with Ferry (and Roxy Music) on the band's 2011 For Your Pleasure tour, performing additional drums.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry's youngest son, Merlin, was seriously injured in a head-on car crash in Shropshire in December 2014.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry and Helmore split in the early 2000s after she had an affair, and they divorced in 2003. After their separation, British newspapers photographed Ferry with Katie Turner, 35 years his junior, naming her as his new girlfriend. Ferry and Turner met while she worked as one of the dancers on Roxy Music's concert tour in 2001 (and is featured on the DVD of the 2001 Hammersmith Odeon show). She appeared with Ferry on several TV shows to promote the "Frantic" album, and performed on the "Frantic" tour in 2002. After their break-up, Ferry had a relationship with British socialite Lady Emily Compton. In 2006, he resumed his relationship with Katie Turner for some time.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2009, Ferry began a relationship with Amanda Sheppard, an acquaintance of one of his sons, and on 4 January 2012, they married in a private ceremony on the Turks and Caicos Islands. In August 2013, it was reported that the couple were to separate after 19 months of marriage, and they divorced in 2014.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 1988, Ferry referred to himself as "sort of conservative" in his beliefs in an interview with the "Chicago Tribune". He also expressed support for having a strong work ethic, stating "most of my life is spent working hard. I come from the kind of working-class background where you have to work very hard and if you don't, you feel guilty."


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2007, controversy arose when Ferry praised the imagery and iconography of Nazi Germany in an interview with the German newspaper "Welt am Sonntag", citing in particular "Leni Riefenstahl's movies and Albert Speer's buildings and the mass parades and the flags". In the same interview Ferry was reported to have referred to his West London recording studio as "The Führerbunker" (Adolf Hitler's bunker during World War II). Ferry later issued a public apology for any offence caused by the comments. At the time of the controversy, Ferry was contracted to the British retailer Marks & Spencer, one of whose co-founders Michael Marks was Jewish, to model its "Autograph" menswear line. Despite Ferry's public apology for his comments, Marks & Spencer opted to sever its ties with him.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2008, Ferry indicated that he supported the Conservative Party, referring to himself as "conservative by nature" but essentially apolitical, preferring not to mix art with politics. Without elaborating, he stated he was "proud" of his son Otis and described the then Labour Government's ban on fox hunting as "futile". He also expressed an opposition to "left-wing bitterness" and political correctness, arguing both were stifling to individual liberty and freedom of expression. The model of free speech he cited was the 1970s. In a 2009 interview, Ferry stated: I would support a Cameron government. I have met him, and he's a bright guy. I hope they do well. I don't like the way the present Government has done things, most of all putting my son in prison for four and a half months, totally unlawfully ... and that's not just my opinion: judges, all sorts, have said it was a stitch-up. It was politically motivated. The poor lad just wants to live the traditional country life.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2012, Ferry was a guest at the Conservative Party's black-and-white ball. In 2020, he described incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson as "bright" but expressed a reluctance to discuss politics.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In August 2014, Ferry was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to "The Guardian" expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 1985, Ferry contributed the song "Is Your Love Strong Enough?" to the Ridley Scott film "Legend". The song, featuring guitar work by David Gilmour, plays during the end credits of the US theatrical release, and was released with the Tangerine Dream version of the soundtrack on CD (although this is out of print and rare). A promotional music video was created, integrating Ferry and Gilmour into scenes from the film; this is included as a bonus in Ferry's 2002 "Ultimate Edition" DVD release. The song was later covered by How to Destroy Angels for the soundtrack to the 2011 US version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". A heavily fictionalised version of Ferry featured in the last episode of the first series of "The Mighty Boosh". In it, he lived in the forest and raised the character Vince Noir alongside multiple animals.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: Ferry had a cameo role in the fourth episode of the French television miniseries "Petit déjeuner compris," which first aired in 1980. In 2004, he starred in the short film "The Porter," and in 2005 he appeared in Neil Jordan's film "Breakfast on Pluto" as the character Mr. Silky String.


title: Bryan Ferry

text: In 2017 Ferry appeared as a cabaret singer in the 2017 television series "Babylon Berlin". In addition, he contributed six songs to the series and its soundtrack, including "Dance Away" from the 1979 album "Manifesto", and "Bitter-Sweet", with its original German verses, from the 1974 album "Country Life".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: Antoine Fuqua (born January 19, 1966) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with "The Replacement Killers". His critical breakthrough was the award-winning 2001 crime thriller "Training Day".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: His subsequent films include "Tears of the Sun" (2003), "King Arthur" (2004), "Shooter" (2007), "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009), "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013), "The Equalizer" (2014) and its 2018 sequel, "Southpaw" (2015), the 2016 remake of "The Magnificent Seven," and "Infinite" (2021). He often collaborates with actors Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. He also directed the critically-acclaimed documentaries "American Dream/American Knightmare" (2018) and "" (2019), and the 2022 Hulu documentary series "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: Fuqua was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Carlos and Mary Fuqua. He is the nephew of record producer and executive Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows. Fuqua pays tribute to screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, a frequent collaborator of Akira Kurosawa's, saying his writing "affected a boy from Pittsburgh living in the ghetto."


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: Fuqua explained how his experience of violence shaped his adolescence, and played a role in his eventual choice of career.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: Before turning to filmmaking and music videos, Fuqua studied electrical engineering, with the hope of going on to fly jets in the military.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: Fuqua began his career directing music videos for popular artists such as Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. He directed Michelle Pfeiffer in the video "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio which was used to promote Jerry Bruckheimer's successful film "Dangerous Minds".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: From 1998 onwards, Fuqua began working primarily as a feature film director. In a tribute article for "Time" magazine, Fuqua expressed his early respect for Kurosawa as a filmmaker and how Kurosawa influenced his own perspective on filmmaking stating: "[screen writer Hashimoto's] ... working with Akira Kurosawa and Hideo Oguni, was so beautiful and poetic and powerful and heartbreaking. It was all about justice, it was all about sacrifice, and it made me want to be one of those guys".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: His first feature films were the John Woo-produced action film "The Replacement Killers" (1998), starring Chow Yun Fat and the action comedy "Bait" (2000) starring Jamie Foxx. He then directed the crime thriller "Training Day" (2001), for which star Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor. His next films were the action war drama "Tears of the Sun" (2003), the Arthurian legend film "King Arthur" (2004), the conspiracy action thriller "Shooter" (2007), the crime film "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009), and the action thrillers "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013) and "The Equalizer" (2014), the latter of which again pairs Fuqua with Denzel Washington. In 2011, he directed CIA procedural Fox pilot "Exit Strategy" starring Ethan Hawke. He co-created the comic-book miniseries "After Dark" with Wesley Snipes, which was written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Jeff Nentrup. He was slated to direct Tupac Shakur's official biopic but the project was postponed to allow Fuqua to direct rapper Eminem's second feature film, "Southpaw" (2015). Eminem later left "Southpaw" to focus on his music, and was replaced with Jake Gyllenhaal.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: His 2016 film was a remake of the 1960 Western "The Magnificent Seven" which itself was an American remake of Kurosawa's 1954 film "Seven Samurai". Denzel Washington plays the lead role of Sam Chisolm.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: In early 2018, Fuqua worked as one of the executive producers on the Fox medical drama series "The Resident". In the summer of 2018, his thriller sequel "The Equalizer 2" (2018) was released with Denzel Washington returning in the main role. In June 2021, Fuqua's sci-fi film "Infinite", starring Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor was released.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: In 2021, Fuqua and actor Will Smith announced that their upcoming film, "Emancipation", will not be filmed in Georgia because of the recent passage of Georgia's restrictive voting law. Smith and Fuqua released the joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access".


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: More recently, on December 3, 2021, he inked a first look deal with Netflix. Also that day, he renamed his production company from Fuqua Films to Hill District Media. He later signed an overall television deal with Paramount Television Studios and MTV Entertainment Studios.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: In 1998, actress Lela Rochon and Fuqua were engaged, and they married on April 9, 1999. Daughter Asia Rochon Fuqua was born on July 28, 2002, and son Brando in May 2004. Fuqua has a son, Zachary, from a previous relationship. He also has two granddaughters.


title: Antoine Fuqua

text: When asked by the BBC in September 2014 whether he believes in God, Fuqua said: "Absolutely. I believe in God, absolutely."


title: Sofia Pernas

text: Sofia Pernas (born July 31, 1989) is an American actress of Moroccan-Spanish descent who currently resides in Los Angeles. She starred in the NBC series "The Brave" and currently stars in the Paramount+ action adventure series "Blood & Treasure".


title: Sofia Pernas

text: Pernas moved to the United States when she was five years old and grew up in Orange County, California. Her mother is from Morocco, while her father is from Spain; both are multilingual. As a result, she speaks four languages: Arabic, English, Spanish and German. Although she initially planned a career in journalism, she was redirected to a career in modeling and acting after being scouted.


title: Sofia Pernas

text: Pernas played Marisa Sierras on "The Young and the Restless" from 2015 to 2017, and appeared on the telenovela "Jane the Virgin" from 2016 to 2017. She starred as Hannah Rivera in the NBC series "The Brave" from 2017 to 2018, and since 2019 has played Lexi Vaziri on the CBS series "Blood & Treasure".


title: Sofia Pernas

text: Pernas began dating her former "The Young and the Restless" co-star Justin Hartley in May 2020. They married in March 2021.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men (pronounced "boys to men"), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, including bass Michael McCary, who left the group in 2003 due to health issues which were eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis.


title: Boyz II Men

text: During the 1990s, Boyz II Men gained international success, beginning with the release of top 5 singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" in 1991. Their number one single "End of the Road" in was released in 1992, and reached the top of charts worldwide. "End of the Road" set a new record for longevity, holding the number one spot on "Billboard" Hot 100 for thirteen weeks. Boyz II Men broke this record with the subsequent releases of "I'll Make Love to You" and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), which, at fourteen and sixteen weeks, respectively, each set new records for the total number of weeks at number one. "I'll Make Love to You" topped the charts in Australia (for four weeks) and garnered international success.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Consequently, Boyz II Men is among the music industry's elite with regard to time spent at number one in "Billboard" history with 50 cumulative weeks. They rank sixth behind Drake, the Beatles, Rihanna, Elvis Presley and Carey. Furthermore, when "On Bended Knee" took the number one spot away from "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men became only the third artists ever (after the Beatles and Presley) to replace themselves at the top of the "Billboard" Hot 100. These achievements were enough to earn Boyz II Men recognition as "Billboard" magazine's biggest boy band during the period of 1987 to 2012. Boyz II Men has received four Grammy Awards.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men continue to perform worldwide, as a trio. Their most recent studio album, "Under the Streetlight", was released in 2017.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In June 2017, a section of Broad Street (from Christian to Carpenter Streets) in Philadelphia was renamed "Boyz II Men Boulevard". This section of the street is near the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where the members once attended.


title: Boyz II Men

text: The group, originally named Unique Attraction, was formed in 1985 by Michael Grimaldi, Nathan Morris, and Marc Nelson at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) along with fellow schoolmates George Baldi, Jon Shoats, and Marguerite Walker. In 1987, Wanya Morris, who sang in the school's choir along with the members of Unique Attraction, joined the group and became a permanent member as a freshman. In 1988, Baldi, Shoats and Walker all left the group due to graduation. They then recruited Shawn Stockman after seeing him perform a solo in the school's choir. After an encounter in a school bathroom, Michael McCary started singing along with the group and eventually became the group's new bass singer. With a permanent lineup of members, the group rehearsed in the high school's bathrooms, on the corners of their schools, and in other local areas. At CAPA, they were mentored by LaDeva Davis.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Finding inspiration in New Edition's harmonies and routines, they eventually renamed the group "Boyz II Men", after New Edition's "Boys to Men", from the 1988 album "Heart Break". After performing at a Valentine's Day party at school in 1989, they snuck into a concert put on by local radio station Power 99 at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Their plan was to find Will Smith backstage and perform for him. However, while looking for Smith, they happened to cross paths with New Edition member Michael Bivins, who along with fellow band mates Ricky Bell and Ronnie DeVoe, just announced they were forming a New Edition spin-off trio Bell Biv DeVoe. After they sang New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" for him, Bivins and everyone in attendance, including other celebrities, were impressed. He then gave the group his number and told them to give him a call. Nate eventually called him, and he agreed to manage and helped produce the group.


title: Boyz II Men

text: The delay before recording their own material and reported personality conflicts led founding member Marc Nelson to leave the group, making Boyz II Men into the quartet that found international fame: Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men's first album, "Cooleyhighharmony", was released on Motown in 1991 and was produced by Michael Bivins. "Cooleyhighharmony"s drum-heavy new jack swing sound and multi-layered sampled backdrops were similar to that of Bell Biv DeVoe's own work, but featured classic-soul styled vocals in place of BBD's rapping and brassier singing. This style was dubbed "hip hop doo-wop" by the group and Bivins, who presented Boyz II Men and adolescent R&B group Another Bad Creation to the public as BBD's protégés.


title: Boyz II Men

text: From the beginning, Boyz II Men featured all four members as leads, avoiding the usual R&B group arrangement of one or two lead singers and a team of background singers. The multiple-lead arrangement became a Boyz II Men trademark, and it became typical to hear Wanya Morris' vibrato-heavy tenor, Shawn Stockman's tenor voice, Nathan Morris' baritone, and Michael McCary's bass (often used in spoken-word sections of many Boyz II Men hits) trading bars in each song.


title: Boyz II Men

text: The album's liner notes identified unique nicknames for each member of the group. These nicknames were devised in collaboration with Bivins in an attempt at marketing. Wanya was "Squirt", Shawn was "Slim", Michael was simply "Bass", and Nathan assumed the name "Alex Vanderpool", after a soap opera character who brandished a nerdy style.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men's first single, the Dallas Austin-produced "Motownphilly" featured a rap cameo by Michael Bivins that gives the story of how he met Boyz II Men. The single's release was accompanied with a music video that presented the group in hip hop style. (The video also included cameos from fellow Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts alumni Black Thought and Questlove of The Roots.) "Cooleyhighharmony"s second single was an a cappella cover of a classic Motown tune, G.C. Cameron's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" from the 1975 film "Cooley High", while "Uhh Ahh" served as the third single.


title: Boyz II Men

text: "Cooleyhighharmony" achieved major success, eventually selling over nine million copies and winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 1992 Grammy Awards. Boyz II Men were also nominated for Best New Artist, along with British singer-songwriter Seal, fellow R&B group Color Me Badd, as well as dance group C+C Music Factory, but the Grammy was awarded to singer-songwriter Marc Cohn. "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were number 1 R&B hits and top five U.S. pop hits.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 1992, Boyz II Men joined MC Hammer's high-profile 2 Legit 2 Quit Tour as an opening act. While traveling the country, their tour manager Khalil Rountree was murdered in Chicago, and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song helped advance their success.


title: Boyz II Men

text: While touring during 1992, Boyz II Men returned briefly to the studio to record the single "End of the Road", co-written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, for the soundtrack to Eddie Murphy's film "Boomerang". This song, released as a single on June 30, 1992, became Boyz II Men's biggest hit. It reached the number one position on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on August 15, remaining there for a record-setting 13 weeks, until November 14, 1992. The success of "End of the Road" instantly transformed Boyz II Men from up-and-coming R&B stars into mainstream music celebrities.


title: Boyz II Men

text: A revamped "Cooleyhighharmony" was reissued during 1993, with "End of the Road" added as a special bonus track, but "End of the Road" initially appeared only on the "Boomerang" soundtrack. Later, the track was included on a collection of singles produced by Michael Bivins called "East Coast Family, Vol. 1". Shortly after the release of this compilation, Boyz II Men and Michael Bivins parted ways professionally. Boyz II Men continued to work with Babyface and other high-profile record producers over the next several years.


title: Boyz II Men

text: After releasing a Christmas compilation, "Christmas Interpretations" in 1993, Boyz II Men returned to the studio for their highly anticipated sophomore effort. In 1994, "II" was released. "II" sold more than copies in the United States alone, becoming one of the best-selling albums ever released by an R&B group act, and one of the biggest albums of the decade. "II" later won two awards at the 1995 Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Most of the tracks on "II" were written and produced by Tim & Bob—Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson (5), Babyface (2) and the successful team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (2). Several of "II"s tracks became major singles, among them Jam & Lewis's "On Bended Knee", and Babyface's "I'll Make Love to You" and "Water Runs Dry".


title: Boyz II Men

text: "I'll Make Love to You" broke "End of the Road's" 13-week record at number 1, by spending 14 weeks at the top of the chart (a feat equaled earlier that year by Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You"). "On Bended Knee" replaced "I'll Make Love to You" at number 1, making Boyz II Men only the third act ever to replace itself at number 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, after Elvis Presley and the Beatles.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 1995, the group appeared as backing vocalists on "HIStory" from Michael Jackson's Grammy-nominated ninth .


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 1995, Motown issued "The Remix Collection", a compilation of remixes of various Boyz II Men songs from "Cooleyhighharmony" and "II". The group itself had opposed the release of the collection because they felt the compilation did not represent Boyz II Men's best work. After the label released the album without their permission, there was a dispute between the company and the group. Boyz II Men initiated their own recording company Stonecreek (which released material by artists such as Uncle Sam), and they arranged for Stonecreek's distribution by Epic Records, not Motown.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men's third studio album, "Evolution", was released during 1997 to mixed reviews and sold three million copies, far below the stratospheric success of "II"s ( copies) and "Cooleyhighharmony" (). Only one of "Evolution"s singles, the Jam/Lewis-penned "Four Seasons of Loneliness", reached number 1 on the Hot 100 chart. The second single, the Babyface-helmed "A Song for Mama" (the theme song to the Babyface-produced film "Soul Food,") was a Top 10 success, but the follow-up "Can't Let Her Go" underperformed.


title: Boyz II Men

text: The global tour began in 1997 to promote "Evolution" was successful in terms of ticket sales, but behind the scenes, Boyz II Men was wracked by conflicts, with their record label and internal conflicts among the members of the group. Making matters worse, health problems began to take their toll on the group. While on tour to support the "Evolution" album, Wanya Morris developed a polyp on his vocal cords, and the group was forced to postpone part of the tour until he recovered. McCary's multiple sclerosis meant that he was unable to participate in most of the group's dance routines.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men were nominated for 2 Grammys in 1998: Best R&B Album for "Evolution" and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "A Song for Mama".


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 1999, Motown's parent company, PolyGram, was bought by Universal Music Group. Amidst the major corporate restructure, Motown was merged with UMG's Universal Records, where Boyz II Men found themselves reassigned.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Their only studio LP album for Universal, 2000's "Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya", was chiefly written and produced by the group itself, in an attempt to update their sound and ward off critics who questioned the group's reliance on Babyface's hit-making songcraft. While the critics were more receptive to "Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya" than they had been to its predecessor, the LP sold only 500,000 copies in the US, copies worldwide, and although its two singles, "Pass You By" and "Thank You in Advance," received media attention, neither became hits.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men departed from Universal in 2001, ending their relationship with the company that brought them to international stardom in 1991. The label released a very successful greatest hits compilation, "", to close out their contract.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Signing a new deal with Arista Records in 2002, Boyz II Men began recording the "Full Circle" album, and recruited Babyface for a new single, "The Color of Love". In an attempt to recapture the massive success the group had enjoyed a decade earlier, the album received a significant promotional budget. Arista commissioned a high-budget music video, shot in four different locales by four different directors: supervising director Little X filmed scenes featuring Michael McCary in India, Hype Williams filmed Shawn Stockman in Tokyo, Benny Boom filmed Nathan Morris in Ghana, and Chris Robinson filmed Wanya Morris in Puerto Rico and finally all were filmed in New York. The resulting music video had a debut on BET, but failed to have a great effect, and "Full Circle", like "Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya" before it, sold slightly more than 500,000 copies in the US and copies worldwide.


title: Boyz II Men

text: "Full Circle" became Boyz II Men's final album as a quartet, and their last effort to receive extensive promotion from a major record company. On , 2003, Michael McCary left Boyz II Men due to chronic back problems resulting from multiple sclerosis (MS) and personal problems. Arista terminated Boyz II Men's contract on , and the remaining three members took a temporary hiatus from the music industry.


title: Boyz II Men

text: After a year out of the spotlight, Boyz II Men created the independent label MSM Music Group (distributed through Koch Records), and released the "Throwback, Vol. 1" LP in 2004. The album is a collection of covers of classic R&B and soul songs such as The Dazz Band's "Let It Whip", Michael Jackson's "Human Nature", and, as the single, Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do for Love". For this record, Nathan took on the bass lines as well as the baritone vocals that he sang when Boyz II Men was a quartet. "Throwback, Vol. 1" reached number 59 on the Billboard 200. The group launched an independent tour of North America and Asia in support of the "Throwback" series. The album sold over 200,000 copies with little to no promotion aside from the group's independent tour.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 2005 Boyz II Men recorded a CD with Anderson Cameau called "Apocalypse", a project meant to benefit Haiti.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 2006, Boyz II Men's seventh studio album, "The Remedy", was released exclusively in Japan, where they found a thriving fan base. In other regions, "The Remedy" was made available online through the group's website on , 2007.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In mid-2007, the group re-signed with Universal Records and released the LP "" through the Decca Records label. The LP is a cover album featuring songs from the Motown Records catalog, co-produced by Randy Jackson of "American Idol" fame. The "Motown" album includes covers of songs by The Temptations ("Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"), Marvin Gaye ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", "Mercy Mercy Me"), Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ("The Tracks of My Tears"), and even Boyz II Men themselves (an a cappella version of "End of the Road").


title: Boyz II Men

text: Commercially, "Motown" found some success. It peaked at number 6 on the US R&B chart and was certified Gold in the UK. The album was also a critical success. For the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, Boyz II Men received two nominations for the album "Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA" (Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Ribbon in the Sky").


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 2008, Boyz II Men's three members appeared on Celebrity "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and created a sensation with their performance. They earned $500,000 for their two nominated charities; the appearance also generated interest in their next release.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In 2009, Boyz II Men announced plans for a new cover album that covers "artists I don't think people would expect us to cover!" according to Shawn Stockman. Entitled "Love", the album was released on , 2009. The album contains remakes of love songs from outside the R&B genre.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men headlined a "Love Cruise" in honor of their 20th anniversary and in observance of Valentine's Day. The cruise took place –14, 2011, and traveled from Miami, Florida, to Nassau, Bahamas. Cruise passengers received a Boyz II Men welcome cocktail party, a concert performance by Boyz II Men, an additional fan appreciation concert by Boyz II Men, a photo session with Boyz II Men (in small groups), a formal prom night, a poker tournament, a deck party with Boyz II Men and a guest DJ, a singles mixer, a gift bag, and onboard drawings for other Boyz II Men events. Couples were able to renew their wedding vows in a special ceremony with Boyz II Men.


title: Boyz II Men

text: "Twenty", named in recognition of Boyz II Men's twenty years in the music business, is a double CD album with thirteen original songs and eight rerecorded Boyz II Men classics. It was released on October 25, 2011. "Twenty" is the group's fourth release through MSM Music Group. It was released in Japan 13 days before its official US release date with the help of Avex Group, the biggest Japanese independent record label.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Originally, Boyz II Men announced a reunion with original member Michael McCary for the "Twenty" album. On September 6, 2009, at a concert in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Stockman announced that their upcoming 20th anniversary album would "include all 4 members", sparking a tremendous applause.


title: Boyz II Men

text: As a trio, Boyz II Men performed as special guests on VH1's highly rated "VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul" concert.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men contributed a cover of Japanese rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel's song "Snow Drop" to their 2012 tribute album.


title: Boyz II Men

text: On January 22, 2013, the group appeared on "The View" along with New Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees to announce their joint tour that took place in summer 2013. As of February 20, 2013, Boyz II Men announced that beginning March 1, 2013, they will stop touring and begin performing shows at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.


title: Boyz II Men

text: On January 13, 2014, the trio appeared at the end of an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" titled "", performing an a cappella version of the show's song "You Just Got Slapped". Their eleventh album, titled "Collide", was released on October 21, 2014.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Wanya placed 4th for the 22nd season of the ABC reality competition series "Dancing With The Stars". They also did music for an animated adaptation of "The Snowy Day".


title: Boyz II Men

text: On June 24, 2017, a section of Broad Street in Philadelphia, from Christian to Carpenter Streets, was renamed “Boyz II Men Boulevard” by the city council. Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where the members of Boyz II Men were once students, is on this section of Broad Street.


title: Boyz II Men

text: In August 2017, it was announced they were releasing a new album titled "Under the Streetlight" in the Fall. It was released on October 20, 2017.


title: Boyz II Men

text: On January 4, 2018, the group was featured in a new track released by Charlie Puth, titled "If You Leave Me Now", created for Charlie Puth's album "Voicenotes".


title: Boyz II Men

text: On September 6, 2018, the group performed at the NFL 2018–2019 season kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.


title: Boyz II Men

text: On October 2, 2018, the group performed "Ladies Man" on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars". DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold danced a quickstep to the song.


title: Boyz II Men

text: The group is featured on a re-imagined version of Take That's song "Love Ain't Here Anymore" from their number one selling album Odyssey. Howard Donald revealed during an interview with Magic Radio that "he fulfilled a dream when they recorded this song".


title: Boyz II Men

text: On December 15, 2018, the group staged a concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with Filipino girl group DIVAS—a group composed of Kyla, Yeng Constantino, KZ Tandingan and Angeline Quinto titled Boyz II Men with DIVAS.


title: Boyz II Men

text: On September 18, 2019, it was reported that the group would play themselves on the ABC comedy series "Schooled".


title: Boyz II Men

text: On September 30, 2019, Boyz II Men announced their Asia Tour, which is slated to take place after returning from their US tour and residency in Las Vegas. They will be visiting cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok (December 7), Singapore (December 9) and Manila.


title: Boyz II Men

text: Boyz II Men is among the biggest names in a cappella and R&B. With what was called "crossover appeal", Boyz II Men found themselves at the vanguard of the 1990s movement to take R&B back into the mainstream, where it had been back in the 1970s. Their use of hip-hop beats in combination with R&B was not unique, but it was Boyz II Men's enormous success with mainstream audiences in "putting harmony over the hip-hop tracks" that helped usher in the near-total dominance of the R&B genre on the pop charts in the 2000s and 2010s. On January 5, 2012, Boyz II Men were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were featured on the first episode of the 2021 Netflix series "This Is Pop", called "The Boyz II Men Effect", about their impact on the boy band scene in the 1990s.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuomo, held for three terms (52nd governor). In 2021, Cuomo resigned from office amidst numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. At the time of his resignation, he was the longest-serving governor in the United States still in position.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Born in Queens, New York City, Cuomo is a graduate of Fordham University and Albany Law School. He began his career working as the campaign manager for his father in the 1982 New York gubernatorial election. Later, Cuomo worked as an assistant district attorney in New York City, entered the private practice of law, founded a housing non-profit, and chaired the New York City Homeless Commission from 1990 to 1993. Cuomo served as assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2001, he served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the 11th United States secretary of housing and urban development. After failing to win the Democratic primary in the 2002 New York gubernatorial election, Cuomo was elected New York attorney general in 2006.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo won the 2010 New York gubernatorial election to become governor of New York. He was re-elected in 2014 and 2018 after winning primaries against progressive challengers. During his governorship, Cuomo signed the Marriage Equality Act in 2011 to legalize same-sex marriage, the Compassionate Care Act in 2014 to legalize the medical use of cannabis, and the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in 2021 to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. Cuomo's administration oversaw the construction of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Second Avenue Subway, the Moynihan Train Hall, and a reconstruction of LaGuardia Airport. In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2012 Webster shooting, Cuomo signed the NY SAFE Act of 2013, the strictest gun control law in the United States. He also delivered Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act; a 2011 tax code that raised taxes for the wealthy and lowered taxes for the middle class; 12-week paid family leave; and a gradual increase of the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour. Cuomo received national attention for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. Although he was initially lauded for his response efforts, he faced renewed criticism and federal investigation after it was discovered that his administration covered up information pertaining to COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Beginning in late 2020, Cuomo faced allegations of sexual harassment. An investigation commissioned by New York attorney general Letitia James reported in August 2021 that Cuomo sexually harassed at least eleven women during his time in office, and Cuomo faces criminal investigations for these allegations. Following the release of the attorney general's report, President Joe Biden called for Cuomo's resignation. On August 10, 2021, Cuomo announced that he would step down in two weeks. On August 23, Cuomo officially resigned from office. On December 28, the Westchester County district attorney declined to issue criminal charges from the credible allegations, citing "statutory requirements" of New York's laws. On January 7, 2022, a judge dismissed a criminal complaint which was filed against Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Andrew Mark Cuomo was born on December 6, 1957, in the New York City borough of Queens to lawyer and later governor of New York Mario Cuomo and Matilda ("née" Raffa). His parents were both of Italian descent; his paternal grandparents were from Nocera Inferiore and Tramonti in the Campania region of southern Italy, while his maternal grandparents were from Sicily (his grandfather from Messina). He has four siblings; his younger brother, Chris Cuomo, was a CNN journalist, and his elder sister is noted radiologist Margaret Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo graduated from St. Gerard Majella's School in 1971 and Archbishop Molloy High School in 1975. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from Albany Law School in 1982.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: During his father's successful 1982 campaign for governor, Cuomo served as campaign manager. He then joined the governor's staff as a policy advisor and sometime Albany roommate, earning $1 a year. As a member of his father's administration, Cuomo was known as the "enforcer" where his father was known as the "nice guy" in a good cop/bad cop dynamic to further advance his father's legislative agenda.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: From 1984 to 1985, Cuomo was a New York assistant district attorney and briefly worked at the law firm of Blutrich, Falcone & Miller. He founded Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP) in 1986 and left his law firm to run HELP full time in 1988. From 1990 to 1993, during the administration of New York City mayor David Dinkins, Cuomo was chair of the New York City Homeless Commission, which was responsible for developing policies to address homelessness in the city and providing more housing options.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo was appointed Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1993, a member of President Bill Clinton's administration. After the departure of Secretary Henry Cisneros at the end of Clinton's first term under the cloud of an FBI investigation, Cuomo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to succeed him as Secretary of HUD. Cuomo served as Secretary from January 1997 until the Clinton administration ended in 2001.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2000, Cuomo led HUD efforts to negotiate an agreement with United States handgun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. This agreement required Smith & Wesson to change the design, distribution, and marketing of guns to make them safer and to help keep them out of the hands of children and criminals. Budgets enacted during Cuomo's term contained initiatives to increase the supply of affordable housing and home ownership and to create jobs and economic development. These included new rental assistance subsidies, reforms to integrate public housing, higher limits on mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, a crackdown on housing discrimination, expanded programs to help homeless people get housing and jobs, and creation of new empowerment zones.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: During Cuomo's tenure as HUD Secretary, he called for an increase in home ownership. He also pushed government-sponsored lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy more home loans issued to poor homeowners in an attempt to end discrimination against minorities. Some believe that this helped lead to the 2007–2010 subprime mortgage crisis. Edward J. Pinto, former chief credit officer at Fannie Mae, said: "They should have known the risks were large." Pinto said, "Cuomo was pushing mortgage bankers to make loans and basically saying you have to offer a loan to everybody." But others disagree with the assessment that Cuomo caused the crisis. Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said Cuomo "was a contributor in terms of him being a cheerleader, but I don't think we can pin too much blame on him".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: According to libertarian author and critic James Bovard, Cuomo was obsessed with changing HUD's image, as Cuomo declared, "The PR is the important thing I do... Eighty percent of the battle is communications." He championed a new program called Community Builders, created without appropriation by Congress, for 800 new HUD employees with computers to be paid as much as $100,000. In a June 16, 1999, speech, Cuomo declared that one purpose of the program was to fight against HUD's abolition. In August 1999, Community Builders distributed a letter to community groups to fight against proposed tax cuts. One HUD official declared that Community Builders was seen as "Democratic ward heelers who act as a pipeline between Democratic city officials, party leaders, and the administration and the Democratic National Committee."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 1998, Clinton-appointed HUD inspector general Susan Gaffney testified to a Senate committee that she was the victim of escalating' attacks on her office by Cuomo and 'his key aides,' including cooked-up charges of racism, insubordination, malfeasance, and general dirty-dealing". In 1999, Gaffney's office concluded that "most (15 out of 19) Community Builders' goals were activities rather than actual accomplishments" and that Cuomo's initiatives "had a crippling effect on many of HUD's ongoing operations". Gaffney retired in May 2001, shortly after the department reached a $490,000 settlement with a black employee who had accused her of racial discrimination in passing him over for a promotion.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Prior to Cuomo's tenure, HUD was routinely included on the General Accounting Office's biannual watch list of government programs whose poor management made them prone to fraud. During his time in office, two of HUD's four main departments were removed from the GAO list. In addition, the department cut 15 percent of its staff as part of a Cuomo initiative to streamline its operations.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: From 2001 to 2006, Cuomo was not in government. He worked at the Fried Frank law firm from 2001 to 2004 and later the Island Capital real estate firm.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo first ran for the Democratic nomination for the New York governor seat in 2002. He was initially the favorite for the nomination and led in fundraising and polls, but his campaign took serious damage after a gaffe. Speaking about the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Cuomo said, "Pataki stood behind the leader. He held the leader's coat. He was a great assistant to the leader. But he was not a leader. Cream rises to the top, and Rudy Giuliani rose to the top." His remarks were widely derided; even his father, former governor Mario Cuomo, later admitted it was a blunder.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On the eve of the state convention, Cuomo withdrew from consideration after concluding that he had little chance of support against the favored party candidate, State Comptroller Carl McCall. McCall went on to lose the general election to incumbent George Pataki.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for New York State attorney general in 2006 and on May 30, 2006, captured the Democratic Party's endorsement, receiving 65% of the delegates. Though Cuomo won the endorsement, former New York City public advocate Mark J. Green and two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor Charlie King also earned places on the Democratic ballot. King dropped out of the race before the primary and endorsed Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo won the primary with a majority of the vote, defeating his nearest opponent by over 20%. Clinching the Democratic party nomination was considered a significant rebound following his unsuccessful and unpopular 2002 gubernatorial campaign, and at the nominating convention June O'Neill, the Democratic chairwoman of St. Lawrence County, called him "New York's own Comeback Kid". In the general election on November 7, 2006, he defeated the Republican nominee, former Westchester district attorney Jeanine Pirro, winning 58% of the vote.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On July 23, 2007, Cuomo's office admonished the Spitzer administration for ordering the New York State Police to keep special records of then Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno's whereabouts when he traveled with police escorts in New York City. At the discretion of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno. Spitzer responded by accepting responsibility and issuing an apology to Bruno.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2007, Cuomo was active in a high-profile investigation into lending practices and anti-competitive relationships between student lenders and universities. Specifically, many universities steered student borrowers to a "preferred lender", which resulted in the borrowers' incurring higher interest rates. This led to changes in lending policy at many major American universities. Many universities also rebated millions of dollars in fees to affected borrowers.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On June 10, 2008, Cuomo announced that three major Internet service providers (Verizon Communications, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint) would "shut down major sources of online child pornography" by no longer hosting many Usenet groups. Time Warner Cable ceased offering Usenet altogether, Sprint ended access to the 18,408 newsgroups in the alt.* hierarchy, and Verizon limited its Usenet offerings to the approximately 3,000 Big 8 newsgroups. The move came after Cuomo's office located 88 different newsgroups to which child pornography had been posted.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2008, Cuomo said of the Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama, who was running against Hillary Clinton, the candidate Cuomo supported: "You can't shuck and jive at a press conference." Cuomo received criticism from some for his use of the phrase. Roland Martin of CNN said that "'Shucking and jiving' have long been words used as a negative assessment of African Americans, along the lines of a 'foot shufflin' Negro'. In fact, I don't recall ever hearing the phrase used in reference to anyone white."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo investigated a corruption scandal, a "fraudulent scheme to extract kickbacks", which involved New York investigators, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and attorneys general in dozens of states.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Also in 2009, Cuomo launched a suit against the United Homeless Organization, a New York charity. He charged that the majority of the group's income was not used to provide services to the homeless but was diverted to the founders for unrelated personal expenses. In 2010, Judge Barbara R. Kapnick granted the judgement and forced the group to disband.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: After Hillary Clinton became President Obama's choice for U.S. Secretary of State in December 2008, then–New York governor David Paterson was charged with appointing a temporary replacement until a special election. Cuomo was seen as a leading contender for this appointment. Caroline Kennedy (who is a first cousin of Cuomo's ex-wife) was another leading contender, but withdrew for personal reasons two days before Paterson was set to announce his choice, leaving Cuomo and U.S. representative Kirsten Gillibrand as the most likely appointees. On January 23, Paterson announced he would appoint Gillibrand to the U.S. Senate.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On September 18, 2009, advisors to President Barack Obama informed Governor David Paterson that the president believed he should withdraw his 2010 gubernatorial candidacy, stepping aside for "popular Attorney General Andrew Cuomo". On January 23, 2010, the New York "Daily News" reported that Cuomo would announce plans for a gubernatorial campaign at the end of March. Later reports indicated Cuomo would announce his gubernatorial campaign coinciding with the state Democratic Convention in late May. On May 22, 2010, Cuomo announced his run for governor in a video posted to his campaign website. Cuomo announced his choice for lieutenant governor on May 26, 2010: Robert Duffy, Mayor of Rochester.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In the November 2, 2010, general election, Cuomo faced Republican Carl Paladino, a Buffalo-based businessman who had been heavily supported by the Tea Party movement. Cuomo won the election for governor by a landslide, winning 62.6% of the vote. Paladino performed strongly in his native Buffalo area, while Cuomo performed well in the eastern part of the state as well as downstate.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In addition to the parties fielding candidates, New York's electoral fusion laws allow parties to cross-endorse candidates. The Independence Party and Working Families Party cross-endorsed Andrew Cuomo, while the Conservative Party and Taxpayers Party cross-endorsed Carl Paladino. The Independence Party line received 146,648 votes (5.0% of Cuomo's total, and 3.2% of the statewide total) and the Working Families line received 154,853 votes (5.3% and 3.4%), with the Democratic line receiving the remaining 2,610,220 votes (89.6% and 56.5%). The Conservative line received 232,281 votes (15.0% of Paladino's total, and 5.0% of the statewide total) and the Taxpayers line received 25,821 votes (1.5% and 0.6%), with the Republican line receiving the remaining 1,290,082 votes (83.3% and 27.1%).


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo sought reelection in 2014, with former U.S. Representative Kathy Hochul as his new running mate. On March 5, 2014, Westchester County executive Rob Astorino announced that he would run on the Republican ticket against Cuomo for governor. Law professors Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu challenged the Cuomo–Hochul ticket in the Democratic primary electioncapturing 34% of the vote on the gubernatorial line (Wu drew 40.1% as lieutenant governor). On November 4, 2014, Cuomo was reelected for a second term with 54% of the vote, while Astorino received 40.6% of the vote.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Despite low voter turnout, Cuomo won the general election by a comfortable margin; however, his margin of victory was smaller than it had been in his 2010 victory. Astorino won most of upstate New York but was overwhelmed in New York City. Cuomo was sworn in for his second term as governor.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo was challenged in the primary from the left by actress and activist Cynthia Nixon. She criticized him for having failed to fix the New York City Subway following his declaration of the 2017 New York City transit crisis as well as for not protecting undocumented immigrants, not legalizing recreational marijuana, and not creating a single-payer healthcare system. When debating Nixon, Cuomo countered her argument on the subways by pointing out that the system is owned by New York City, though past administrations agree it is the governor's role. An analysis conducted by New York City comptroller Scott Stringer revealed that New York City pays for 70 percent of subway repair costs.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On November 6, 2018, the Cuomo-Hochul ticket defeated the Molinaro-Killian ticket by a margin of 59.6% to 36.2%.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 19, 2021, "The New York Times", in an episode of their podcast "The Daily", leaked audio of Cuomo threatening Bill Lipton, head of the Working Families Party, which had endorsed primary opponent Nixon, that "[i]f you ever say, 'Well he's better than a Republican' again, then I'm gonna say, 'You're better than a child rapist.'"


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In May 2019, Governor Cuomo announced he would run for a fourth term. In August 2021, after a report released by the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, detailed accusations of sexual assault by Governor Cuomo and his attempts to silence victims, the New York State Legislature's leaders indicated that they would seek to remove Cuomo from office. In the face of almost certain removal from office, he announced his resignation as Governor, effective August 24, 2021. Although there was no formal withdrawal, individuals close to Cuomo indicated he would likely not seek his party's nomination following his resignation.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo took the gubernatorial oath of office at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2011, succeeding David Paterson. During his first year as governor, Cuomo worked to pass an on-time budget that cut spending without raising taxes, made a new deal with a large state-employee union, signed ethics reform legislation, passed a property tax cap, worked to enact a same-sex marriage bill with bipartisan support, and restructured New York's tax code.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2014, "Politico" reported that Cuomo had been actively involved in the formation of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) three years earlier, which gave control of the state senate to Republicans. He has been accused of failing to bridge the rift between the IDC and the Democratic caucus in the Senate.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: There was media speculation about a possible presidential run, either in 2016 or 2020. Several reports indicated that Cuomo supported the Independent Democratic Conference until its dissolution and defeat in 2018 in part to appear more moderate for an eventual presidential bid.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: For his 2018 re-election bid, Cuomo accepted being on top of the ballot line for the Independence Party, a list that featured numerous Republicans, including ardent Trump supporters.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In an August 15, 2018, anti-sex trafficking bill-signing event, Cuomo said: "We're not gonna make America great again. It was never that great. We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged." The assembled audience of Cuomo's supporters booed.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In a February 2019 opinion poll, Cuomo's approval rating dropped to 43 percent, the lowest of his tenure as governor, and a full 50% said they disapproved. The poll showed an eight-percent drop from January 2019; it was taken after Cuomo signed several pieces of progressive legislation, including an expansion of abortion rights and access and stricter gun laws, suggesting that the legislation may have upset certain voters and contributed to the drop; however, the majority of voters agreed with his position on both issues. By early 2020, Cuomo's favorability rating was up to 77 percent, a record high.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On his first day in office, Cuomo renewed an executive order signed by Eliot Spitzer which prohibited Governors of New York from receiving donations from gubernatorial appointees. A February 2018 investigation by "The New York Times", however, revealed that the Cuomo administration had quietly reinterpreted the order, and that Cuomo had collected $890,000 from 24 of his appointees, as well as $1.3 million from the spouses, children and businesses of appointees. Some donations were made to Cuomo just days after the donor was appointed.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In March 2018, "The New York Times" reported that Cuomo had rewritten the disclaimer language on his campaign website for the executive order barring donations from appointees. The website added two caveats whereby some gubernatorial appointees are allowed to donate to the governor, which "The Times" said could potentially lead to more donations from appointees to the governor. The Cuomo campaign returned a $2,500 donation from one appointee who was in violation of the new disclaimer, but retained approximately $890,000 raised from other appointees.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: From the time of Utah governor Gary Herbert's retirement on January 4, 2021, until his resignation on August 23, 2021, Cuomo was the longest-serving governor in the United States still in position, with 3,887 days in office.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo has supported providing tax and other incentives to attract business to locate in New York State. He even joked in 2018 that he would be willing to change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" if Amazon located their "Amazon HQ2" in the state. His strong support for New York City's bid to become the home of Amazon's HQ2 faced criticism based on arguments that the costs to the state outweighed the possible benefits. Amazon decided on two "major corporate outposts", in New York City and Arlington, Virginia, instead of a single second headquarters, before bowing out of the former under local pressure.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 1, 2020, Cuomo issued a statement regarding novel coronavirus in New York wherein he mentioned the first positive case of novel coronavirus in New York State. On March 2, 2020, Cuomo said that community transmission of the new coronavirus is "inevitable". He also mentioned New York City's plans to aggressively ramp up diagnostic testing for the new virus and said that he would like to see New York City conducting "1,000 tests per day". He announced the "world-renowned" Wadsworth Center was partnering with hospitals to expand surge testing capacity to "1,000 tests per day statewide" for the novel coronavirus. On March 3, 2020, Cuomo signed a $40 million emergency management authorization for coronavirus response and claimed that "New York's overall risk remained low". He also announced the institution of a new cleaning protocol at schools and in the public transportation system "to help stop any potential spread of the virus". On March 4, 2020, Cuomo confirmed nine new cases in the state and said that it was "literally like trying to stop air" and that it was inevitable that it would continue to spread.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 6, 2020, Cuomo criticized the federal government's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, calling it "absurd and nonsensical".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Early in the coronavirus response efforts, Cuomo received widespread praise from epidemiologists for his handling of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, including a statewide lockdown and a shutdown of nonessential businesses in an effort to help flatten the curve of the virus. At the same time, however, Cuomo also received criticism for failing to grasp the gravity of the pandemic before its risks were fully visible to the American public.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 28, 2020, Cuomo threatened Rhode Island with a lawsuit over a state quarantine policy enforcing quarantine on arriving New Yorkers.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In the spring of 2020, social media posters and television hosts such as Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and Ellen DeGeneres came up with the term "Cuomosexuals" to express admiration and love for the governor and his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, related to their leadership roles during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In June 2021, Cuomo lifted COVID-19 restrictions, following the news that 70% of adults had one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Between July and August 2020 Cuomo utilize state resources and property, including assigning work by Executive Chamber government staffers to compile materials and perform frequent work on the drafting of his book on a non-voluntary basis. Cuomo was paid more than $5 million to write the book. In October 2020, Cuomo published book, "American Crisis", proclaiming victory against the pandemic due to his leadership. He wrote that New York "confronted and defeated" the virus. By February 2021, New York had the highest per capita hospitalization rate in the country. Cuomo was paid more than $5 million to write the book.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In November 2020, Cuomo received the International Emmy Founders Award from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his coronavirus briefings. On August 24, 2021, the morning after his departure, the academy rescinded the Emmy award due to the New York Attorney General's report on sexual harassment allegations against him.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On December 14, 2021, Cuomo was ordered by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics to pay New York state $5.1 million in book profits he made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission rejected the prior approval after complaints that Cuomo used state resources, including personnel used to edit, write, prepare, and gather data to write "American Crisis". Cuomo is ordered to return proceeds from the book by January 13, 2022.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in his state, nine state health officials resigned, reportedly in response to Cuomo's policies. In a press conference on January 29, 2021, Cuomo stated that he did not trust the expertise of health officials.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In August 2017, the Cuomo administration awarded more than $7 million, financed with money from large bank settlements, in grants to New York colleges to offer courses to New York prisoners. In January 2018, Cuomo proposed reforms that would "reduce delays during trials, ban asset seizures in cases where there has been no conviction and make it easier for former convicts to get a job after leaving prison". He also called for an end to cash bail for minor crimes.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Under Cuomo's tenure, he granted commutations to fewer prisoners than many previous Republican and Democratic New York governors. Cuomo commuted a total of nine sentences. Cuomo pardoned 140 adults who were convicted of nonviolent felonies as 16- and 17-year-olds, but had served their sentences. He pardoned 18 others who had served their sentences for nonviolent felonies but were exposed to deportation due to their criminal record.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2017, Cuomo announced that the Indian Point nuclear plant, which produced one quarter of New York City's power, would be phased out. As a result of the phaseout, the carbon-free power generated by the plant was replaced by power generated by carbon-generating fossil fuels. As a consequence, New York was estimated to struggle to meet its climate goals.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On January 15, 2013, Cuomo signed into law the first state gun control bill to pass after the December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in neighboring Connecticut. The NY SAFE Act was described as the toughest gun control law in the United States. The act came under criticism, and the National Rifle Association called it draconian. The New York State Sheriffs' Association issued a statement supporting tougher penalties for illegal use of firearms but criticizing several aspects of the legislation, including a magazine limit of seven rounds and a "too broad" definition of assault weapons.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On July 5, 2013, Cuomo signed an amendment to the NY SAFE Act that exempts retired police officers from some of the act's ownership restrictions.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On July 7, 2021, Cuomo declared the first 'disaster emergency' in the United States on gun crime for New York.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: After Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Cuomo allowed New York voters, via a specific provision aimed at accommodating those displaced, to cast provisional ballots for the 2012 election anywhere in the state. He also appointed a commission to examine the responses of New York utilities to damage caused by the storm.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Controversy ensued when the Cuomo administration used $140 million, including $40 million of federal disaster relief funds, to pay for the broadcast of national TV ads promoting "New New York" slogans outside New York in an attempt to attract new business investment to the state. Many have been critical of the effort, including former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who called the ads "fluff" and "a waste of taxpayer money".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In June 2012, the Cuomo administration said it was considering lifting a state ban on the practice of hydraulic fracturing (also known as "fracking") to stimulate the economy in upstate New York. But critics said that fracking upstate could contaminate the water supply of New York City, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. Following a long-awaited study started years earlier, New York State health officials cited "significant public health risks" associated with fracking, and on December 17, 2014, the Cuomo administration announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing in New York State.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In solidarity with Israel, Cuomo announced an executive order against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Cuomo tweeted: "If you boycott Israel, New York State will boycott you."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In January 2014, Cuomo announced an executive order to allow the limited use of medical marijuana in New York. Later that year, a comprehensive bill to legalize medical cannabis was passed by the state legislature, containing some restrictions at Cuomo's insistence such as a ban on consumption by smoking. On July 5, 2014, the Compassionate Care Act was signed into law by Governor Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In December 2018, Cuomo announced his support for legalizing the recreational use of cannabis, after previously stating his opposition and calling it a "gateway drug" as recently as February 2017. On March 31, 2021, recreational use of cannabis was officially legalized with the signing into law of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act by Governor Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In June 2017, after a series of subway disasters, Cuomo declared a "state of emergency" for the New York City Subway system. According to "The New York Times", a series of New York City mayors and New York governors, including Cuomo, were partly at fault for the worsening quality of the subway system and inflated construction costs. Under the Cuomo administration, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority repeatedly diverted tax revenues earmarked for the subways, paid for services that there was no need for and spent on subway projects that did not boost service or reliability. As a result, the MTA was saddled with debt and could not undertake investments into overhauling outdated and inefficient subway infrastructure. Cuomo also directed the MTA to spend on projects that the heads of the MTA did not consider to be priorities. One reason why the New York City subway system is so expensive is due to exorbitant labor costs; according to several M.T.A. officials who were involved in negotiating labor contracts, Cuomo pressured the MTA to accept labor union contracts that were extremely favorable to workers. "The New York Times" noted that Cuomo was closely aligned with the union in question and had received $165,000 in campaign contributions from it.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: "The New York Times" reported, "Cuomo had steered clear of the M.T.A. during his first years in office, but in his second term he took an intense interest. He placed aides within the organization and, in an unusual move, made some report directly to him. He badgered transit leaders about the construction of the Second Avenue subway on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. And over the objections of some board members, he canceled several M.T.A. capital projects to make room for his own priorities. According to high-ranking current and former M.T.A. officials, the moves interfered with the authority's plans to address the rising delays."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On April 18, 2017, Cuomo signed the New York State 2018 fiscal year budget. It included the Excelsior Scholarship, a provision that families making less than $125,000 in 2019 could have free tuition at all SUNY and CUNY universities, though some education experts including Sara Goldrick-Rab say it won't help the poorest students and that the requirement that recipients live and work in New York after graduating is counter-productive.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On July 16, 2011, Cuomo finalized a five-year deal with the Public Employees Federation to end pay raises, implement furlough days, and require additional contributions to health insurance accounts. In an interview with "The New York Times", he stated his top goal in 2012 is the reduction of public employee pensions.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In the winter of 2018, Cuomo responded to a class-action lawsuit brought against the New York City Housing Authority by attorney Jim Walden on behalf of a group of public housing tenants. The suit was the first of its kind and called upon NYCHA to immediately address decrepit and unhealthy conditions in public housing units across New York City. At the invitation of Walden, Cuomo toured a public housing project in March. By early April, Cuomo appointed an independent monitor to oversee NYCHA on an emergency basis. The move broadened the ever-widening rift between NYC mayor Bill de Blasio and Cuomo.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In a January 17, 2014, interview with Susan Arbetter on WCNY's "The Capital Pressroom", Cuomo stated:


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: This remark received a major reaction in the conservative media. Radio host Glenn Beck wrote a letter to the governor regarding the remarks from the interview. Fox News contributor and radio/TV show host Sean Hannity threatened to move out of the state with all of his assets if Cuomo did not apologize for his remarks. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said during a radio broadcast that Cuomo's remarks were "most unfortunate at best. Are there pro-lifers who are extremist? Yes, there are. But I think they are a distinct minority."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: The New York State Democratic Committee, which is headed by Cuomo, supported his remarks and reiterated them in a May 2014 statement responding to a speech by Rob Astorino, who was running against him in the 2014 gubernatorial election: "Tea Party Republicans have done enough damage in Washington, today's speech made it abundantly clear that we don't need them here in New York."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In keeping with a campaign promise, Cuomo signed the "Marriage Equality Act", introducing same-sex marriage, on June 24, 2011, following an "intense public and private lobbying campaign", and later called for all states to do the same. Cuomo was lauded for his efforts to pass same-sex marriage legislation. One prominent advocate stated that for gay Americans, Cuomo was "the only national politician with hero status". Following the passage of the Act, Cuomo was criticized for describing the viewpoints of opponents as "anti-American". On July 25, 2011, a lawsuit was filed in the New York Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the Act, alleging corruption and violations of the law in the process of passing the bill. The trial court initially held that the plaintiffs' case could proceed, but the decision was reversed on appeal.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In July 2016, the Empire State Development Corporation, a state agency, released a report indicating that the state's flagship business tax incentive program, called Start-Up NY, had generated 408 jobs since its inception in 2014. Ads promoting the program had cost at least $53 million. The Start-Up NY annual report was delayed three months in 2016, leading some lawmakers, such as Assemblyman Schimminger, to call the delays "curious".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: Cuomo was praised for his 2011 restructuring of the New York State tax code. He was also criticized for including tax increases for high earners, and for allegedly requesting a unanimous Assembly vote in favor of the proposal and threatening to campaign against Assembly members who voted "no" – a charge he denied. Cuomo also received criticism from voices on the left who felt that the tax reform was insufficient.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In April 2018, Cuomo announced that he would restore the voting rights of parolees through an executive order. He said that he would consider restoring the voting rights of all parolees (more than 35,000), and would also enfranchise new parolees throughout his term.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In 2013, Cuomo called for the passage of a Women's Equality Act. The Women's Equality Act included 10 component bills affecting issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking, and pregnancy discrimination. The tenth bill of the Women's Equality Act was the Reproductive Health Act, which would have "enshrine[d] in state law existing federal protections for abortion rights", "shift[ed] the state's abortion law from the criminal code to the health care laws", and "[made] it clearer that licensed health care practitioners as well as physicians could perform abortions". During his 2013 State of the State address, Cuomo said, "Enact a Reproductive Health Act because it is her body, it is her choice. Because it's her body, it's her choice. Because it's her body, it's her choice." The New York State Assembly passed the Women's Equality Act on June 20, 2013. The Republican leadership of the New York State Senate expressed support for the nine non-abortion-related planks of the Women's Equality Act, but objected to the Reproductive Health Act and expressed unwillingness to allow a vote on it.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On the final day of the 2013 legislative session, following the Senate Republican Conference's continued refusal to vote on the full Women's Equality Act, Senator Jeff Klein, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), offered the abortion plank of the Act as a hostile amendment to another bill. The amendment was defeated by a narrow margin of 32–31; all 30 Senate Republicans voted against the abortion amendment, as did Democratic Sens. Ruben Diaz and Simcha Felder. The Senate proceeded to pass the nine non-abortion-related planks of the Women's Equality Act as separate bills, and the 2013 legislative session came to an end without any portion of the WEA becoming law.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: "[After] the 2014 election season was over, with Cuomo victorious, the governor and his lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul both declared the abortion plank of the act officially dormant, if not dead." In 2015, the non-abortion-related Women's Equality Act bills passed both houses of the State Legislature. In October 2015, Cuomo signed eight of the 10 Women's Equality Act bills into law; the abortion rights bill was not among them.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On January 22, 2019, Cuomo signed the 2019 version of the Reproductive Health Act, which passed days after Democrats took control of the state Senate. Cuomo ordered One World Trade Center and other landmarks to be lit in pink to celebrate the bill's passage. Cuomo's signing and the lighting of the World Trade Center building sparked intense criticism from conservatives. The Catholic cardinal Timothy Dolan criticized Cuomo over the Reproductive Health Act.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In July 2014, it was reported that the Moreland Commission, a committee established by Cuomo to root out corruption in politics, was directed away from investigations that could be politically damaging. Cuomo later disbanded the commission. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan launched an inquiry into Cuomo's dealings with the anti-corruption panel and concluded that "after a thorough investigation", there was "insufficient evidence to prove a federal crime".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In September 2016, Joseph Percoco, a close friend and former top aide to Cuomo, was indicted as part of a bribery investigation into the Buffalo Billion. He had worked for Cuomo in both Washington and Albany and had managed his 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial campaigns and has been described as "the governor's enforcer and a member of his inner circle". Cuomo had previously referred to him as a brother, and as Mario Cuomo's "third son". Todd Howe, a lobbyist and former Cuomo aide, was also indicted, along with several developers who were major donors to Cuomo and other state politicians. Cuomo was not accused of wrongdoing.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In March 2018, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted Percoco on felony charges of solicitation of bribes and honest services fraud for over $315,000 in bribes he took from two people seeking official favors on behalf of an energy company, Competitive Power Ventures Inc. Prosecutors described him as Cuomo's "right-hand man". Following Percoco's conviction, Cuomo released a statement declaring that he would respect the jury's verdict and that "there is no tolerance for any violation of the public trust". In September 2018, Judge Valerie Caproni sentenced Percoco to 6 years in prison saying "I hope that this sentence will be heard in Albany. I hope it will serve as a warning to others in public service."


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In March 2021, allegations came out that Cuomo prioritized COVID-19 tests for his family and other associates during the early stages of the pandemic when tests were limited. Particular scrutiny went to the positive test of his brother Chris in March 2020 amid other conflicts of interest that commentators saw in their relationship. These reports were investigated during his impeachment probe.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 25, 2020, Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health issued an advisory requiring the admission of patients to nursing homes who test positive for the coronavirus and barred testing prospective nursing home patients. This order was revoked on May 10 after widespread criticism from medical experts. By then, as many as 4,500 COVID-19 infected patients had been sent to nursing homes in NY state. Over 6,000 New York state nursing home residents had died of COVID-19 as of June 2020.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In July 2020, the New York State Department of Health released a report that found: "Peak nursing home admissions occurred a week after peak nursing home mortality, therefore illustrating that nursing home admissions from hospitals were not a driver of nursing home infections or fatalities"; instead the department concluded that asymptomatic nursing home staff drove the infections. Cuomo reacted to this report by stating that attribution of nursing home deaths to his March 2020 policy had "no basis in fact".


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On January 28, 2021, an investigation conducted by state attorney general Letitia James concluded that the Cuomo administration undercounted COVID-19-related deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%. On February 12, 2021, Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to Cuomo, said in a call with state Democratic leaders that the Cuomo administration intentionally delayed the release of data pertaining to deaths from COVID-19 within nursing homes in fear it would've triggered a potential federal investigation by the Department of Justice and given an advantage to political opponents. Calls to rescind Cuomo's emergency powers granted amidst the pandemic were launched within the New York State Senate immediately following this report, with 14 Democrats joining the Republican minority in the effort.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On February 17, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn announced they were investigating the incident.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On March 19, 2021, the FBI reported that an investigation was underway on Governor Andrew Cuomo for improperly using the power of his office to shield nursing home executive political donors from COVID-19 lawsuits.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On November 22, 2021, the New York State Assembly released an Impeachment Investigation Report disclosing Cuomo directed his staff to inappropriately withhold or misrepresent information regarding the effects of COVID-19 on nursing home dealths including the exclusion of out-of-facility COVID-19 deaths in his report to the Department of Health.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On December 13, 2020, Lindsey Boylan, a former aide for Cuomo who was a Democratic candidate for Manhattan Borough president in 2021, alleged "[Cuomo] sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched." Boylan further alleged that Cuomo "exists without ethics", "takes advantage of people, including me" and ran a "toxic team environment". A spokesperson for the Cuomo administration denied the accusation. Boylan further elaborated on her accusations in February 2021, claiming Cuomo goaded her to play strip poker with him while on a flight in 2017 and forcibly kissed her on the mouth in his Manhattan office. The governor's office said Boylan's claims were false.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: On February 27, 2021, Charlotte Bennett, an executive assistant and health policy advisor of Cuomo, also accused him of sexual harassment, saying that he asked her about her sex life on several occasions in late Spring 2020 and if she had been in sexual relationships with older men. She also suggested that Cuomo was open to relationships with women "above the age of 22". In a statement on February 27, Cuomo denied making advances to Bennett and acting inappropriately towards her.


title: Andrew Cuomo

text: In a February 28 statement, Cuomo said: "I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended." He apologized and acknowledged "some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation." He also said, "At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."