A Civic Pulse publication
The accountability feed

News

Vetted coverage of Governor Hochul's administration, grouped by day. Every item names its publication and carries a source-credibility tier — Tier 1 primary/wire, Tier 2 established outlet, Tier 3 secondary. No spin; each story links to its original source.

17 items

Sep 12, 2026

2
Spectrum News NY1 (Bernadette Hogan)TIER 1

NY1 on the ceremony's politics: Hochul stood with Cuomo and de Blasio, Vance embraced Giuliani and Bloomberg, 9/11 widow Terry Strada used the podium to attack Saudi protection "administration after administration," and Blakeman attended to honor his nephew, court officer Thomas Jurgens

Speeches by politicians were barred, but the ceremony still turned political through family readers: Strada called out dignitaries for protecting Saudi Arabia and asked Vance to carry the message to Trump. NY1 reports the Mamdani–Giuliani meeting after weeks of Giuliani urging the mayor to stay away, and quotes Hochul's CNN line that animosity "seems to melt away" at the reflecting pools. Blakeman's campaign said he attended to honor Senior Court Officer Thomas Jurgans, who died evacuating people from the World Trade Center. No incident or protest involving Hochul or Mamdani was reported.

Governor's office (rush transcript, CNN Situation Room)TIER 1High

Hochul on CNN's Situation Room after the ceremony: "I just left the reading of the names," says New Yorkers "were let down" by EPA air-quality assurances, and describes the Giuliani–Mamdani handshake as animosity that "seems to melt away"

Hochul appeared live on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on the 25th anniversary, opening with "I just left the reading of the names of the victims." She said people "were let down" by post-9/11 air-quality assurances from the EPA, citing the records the city released this week; said the state put money toward roughly 2,000 untested responder samples; cited $70M in hate-crime security grants and a 50-foot buffer zone for houses of worship going into the High Holidays; and said the animosity over Giuliani's calls for Mamdani to stay away "seems to melt away" at the reflecting pool. Conservative and aggregator sites framed her departure during the name-reading as ditching the ceremony; no tier 1–2 outlet had reported that framing or the spokesperson's reported Vance comparison as of Sept 12 (see fact check).

Sep 11, 2026

5
La Voce di New York / The HillTIER 2High

The ceremony happened without incident: Mamdani attended Ground Zero as planned, shook hands with Giuliani on arrival, and no turned backs or protest were reported; Hochul, Vance, Bush, Clinton, Obama and Biden were in the elected-officials section

After a week in which Blakeman, Giuliani and Pataki urged Mamdani to stay away (Blakeman suggested attendees "turn their back on the mayor"), the 25th-anniversary reading of 2,753 names went ahead with the mayor and governor present. Footage shows Mamdani approaching Giuliani and the two shaking hands; Mamdani later said they exchanged pleasantries and kept the focus on families. No elected official spoke, consistent with the Memorial's post-2012 rule. Trump was at the Pentagon after reportedly being refused a speaking slot. Relevance to the governor's race: the walkout/protest Blakeman floated did not materialize, and Hochul's "voices of hatred should not prevail" line was not tested by any disruption. Secondary source: thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6084719-mamdani-and-giuliani-shake-hands-at-9-11-commemoration/

City & State (Sophie Krichevsky)TIER 2High

Three firefighter unions endorse Hochul on the anniversary: UFA, UFOA and the NYS Professional Fire Fighters Association cite the revived September 11th Worker Protection Task Force and Tier 3/Tier 6 pension reforms in this year's budget

The Uniformed Firefighters Association (Bobby Eustace), Uniformed Fire Officers Association (James Brosi) and NYSPFFA (Sam Fresina) issued a joint statement backing Hochul for reelection, released exclusively to City & State at 5am on Sept. 11. They point to the reconstituted 9/11 Worker Protection Task Force and the Tier 3 and Tier 6 retirement changes in the FY27 budget. Context from C&S: UFA and UFOA also endorsed Hochul in 2022, NYSPFFA's political arm spent on her then, and all three are affiliates of the state AFL-CIO, which endorsed her July 1 over TWU objections. Timing matters more than novelty: the endorsement lands the same day Blakeman had urged 9/11 families and first responders to shun the governor and mayor at Ground Zero.

Governor's officeTIER 1

Hochul puts $2.2M into the 9/11 Memorial Museum to make "New York First Sundays" every Sunday for a year starting October; also orders 17 landmarks lit red, white and blue and flags at half-staff, and releases a Steve Buscemi-narrated video

Two anniversary-morning releases. The $2.2M expands a Carnegie-funded program that gives New York residents and students free afternoon admission on the first Sunday of each month to every Sunday for one year beginning October 2026; museum CEO Beth Hillman credited Hochul. The second release lists 17 landmarks lit red, white and blue (One WTC, Cuomo Bridge, Niagara Falls, Moynihan, etc.), half-staff flags at the Capitol and Empire State Plaza, and notes 84 Port Authority and 40 Tax and Finance employees killed. Neither release mentions the ceremony itself, Blakeman, or Mamdani. Second URL: governor.ny.gov/news/25-years-later-we-will-never-forget-governor-hochul-honors-911-victims-survivors-and-first

Gothamist (Jimmy Vielkind)TIER 2High

On the morning of the 25th anniversary, Gothamist reports the Ground Zero ceremony has lost its apolitical footing: Giuliani, Pataki and Blakeman urged Mamdani to stay away, Hochul says "the voices of hatred should not prevail," and a Suffolk poll finds 74% of city voters think the mayor should attend

Gothamist's Sept. 11 morning piece frames the run-up to the commemoration as unusually political. Giuliani, Pataki and Blakeman all called on Mayor Mamdani not to attend; Mamdani is attending and seated in the elected-officials section near them. Hochul said this week it would be wrong for Mamdani to stay away: "This is a time when the voices of hatred should not prevail over the voices of those who say, 'Let us come together.'" The 9/11 Memorial and Museum says no elected official has spoken at the ceremony since 2012 and officials are invited "simply to bear witness." The story also notes the Democratic attack on Blakeman for appearing with congressional candidate Joel Anabilah-Azumah, who posted in 2024 that 9/11 was "an inside job"; Blakeman's representatives did not return a request for comment. A Suffolk University poll of NYC voters released this week found 74% said Mamdani should attend and 74% said the event should focus on victims and survivors. Trump is at the Pentagon; Vance is at the WTC site.

Governor's office (ICYMI, New York Post op-ed)TIER 1

Hochul's 9/11 op-ed in the New York Post: "never forget" means backing sick responders, "standing up for the police officers who protect our city when their resources are threatened," and "refusing to let this solemn anniversary become a source of division"

The governor's office reposted Hochul's New York Post op-ed on the morning of the 25th anniversary. The piece profiles four children of 9/11 victims who went into the NYPD, FDNY and nursing, and casts "never forget" as a standing obligation: health care and benefits for responders with 9/11-related illnesses, support for police "when their resources are threatened," and a refusal to let the anniversary "become a source of division." It does not name Blakeman, Mamdani or the headscarf fight, but the closing lines ("refuse to allow hatred, suspicion or division to diminish the spirit New Yorkers showed") track the language she has used against Blakeman's "Hijab Hochul" attack. Original: nypost.com/2026/09/10/opinion/new-york-must-never-forget-9-11-and-turn-sorrow-into-service/

Sep 10, 2026

2
Governor's officeTIER 1High

Ahead of the 25th anniversary, Hochul signs three 9/11 bills: WTC-12 filing and pension-documentation deadlines pushed to Sept. 11, 2030, National Guard WTC death/disability claims extended four years, and the 25-year presumptive retirement window stretched to 35 years; also confirms $2M for Einstein's responder cancer-genomics study

Signed Sept. 10: A.11531/S.10605 (extends to Sept. 11, 2030 the deadline to file Form WTC-12 and retirement-system participation documentation; requires the Workers' Comp Board to reconsider claims disallowed for the deadline where disability began Sept. 11, 2021–Sept. 11, 2025), A.11538/S.10650 (four-year extension, to Sept. 11, 2030, for National Guard WTC death and disability claims) and A.11213-A/S.10085-A (extends the 25-year presumptive eligibility period for WTC-related retirement benefits, allowing reclassification of retiree deaths up to 35 years after retirement). Public Employee Conference chair Meringolo says the original 2005 presumption law was set to expire Sept. 11, 2026. Separately, at FDNY Engine 16/Ladder 7 Hochul said the state's award to Albert Einstein College of Medicine for a responder cancer-genomics study now totals $2M ($1M added in the FY27 budget), covering roughly 2,000 already-collected samples whose analysis had run out of money.

amNewYork / City & StateTIER 2High

Blakeman filmed an endorsement of Brooklyn congressional candidate Joel Anabilah-Azumah, whose 2024 post calling 9/11 "an inside job" is still up; Nadler and Velázquez call it appalling two days before the 25th anniversary

City & State's First Read (Sept. 9, Rebecca C. Lewis) reported an unlisted YouTube video in which Blakeman records an endorsement of Anabilah-Azumah, the Republican and Conservative nominee against Rep. Yvette Clarke, saying he "is going to make a great member of Congress." Anabilah-Azumah's 2024 X post says "9/11 was an inside job" and "history is pretty clear on that." The same video shows endorsements of Asm. Michael Novakhov and Sen. Steve Chan. Blakeman previously filmed with Rochester GOP leader Marcus Williams, who had shared a video blaming "Zionists" for 9/11. On Sept. 10 amNY reported Reps. Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez condemning the endorsement; state Democratic spokesman Addison Dick called it "disqualifying." Neither the Blakeman nor the Anabilah-Azumah campaign responded to City & State. The story lands the same week Blakeman told 9/11 attendees to turn their backs on Mamdani. amNY article body could not be fetched; row built from the City & State text and search excerpts.

Sep 5, 2026

2
New York PostTIER 2

Hochul calls Blakeman's escalating "Hijab Hochul" attack "reprehensible"; Blakeman doubles down citing his nephew killed on 9/11 and ties her to Mamdani and "Global Intifada"

Sept. 3: The headscarf fight moved to a third round. After Blakeman's Sept. 1 post ("Hijab Hochul. Kathy's Latest Costume: Whatever the Audience Wants"), Hochul called the attack "reprehensible." Blakeman did not back off: in a statement invoking his nephew Tommy (state court officer Thomas Jurgens), killed on 9/11 while giving first aid to a burned woman, he said Hochul "has aligned yourself with Zohran Mamdani who won't speak against 'Global Intifada' which was the goal of his murderers." The Post noted Blakeman himself wore a head covering at a Sikh event last year. Hochul's office again cited the 2022 Ronkonkoma mosque visit and Officer Didarul Islam's funeral as precedent. This is the first time either side has used "reprehensible"; it follows Hochul's Sept. 2 on-camera answer ("says more about him") and her X reply to Trump. Logged Sept. 5 (missed Sept. 3-4 runs).

Matzav (reporting Newsmax "National Report" interview)TIER 3

Backfill: Blakeman on Newsmax tells Hochul and Mamdani to skip the 25th-anniversary Ground Zero ceremony: "Hopefully they won't go, but if they do, turn your back on them"

Aug. 31: In a Newsmax "National Report" interview, Blakeman said he sympathizes with the current and retired Port Authority officers who asked Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to stay away from the Sept. 11 Ground Zero commemoration, and that if they attend anyway, attendees should stage a peaceful protest: "Hopefully they won't go, but if they do, turn your back on them." He compared the ceremony to a wake ("If you're asked not to attend a wake, you shouldn't attend"). Blakeman was a Port Authority commissioner on 9/11 and lost his nephew, state court officer Thomas Jurgens, in the South Tower collapse; the interview extends to Hochul a "turn your back" call he had previously aimed only at Mamdani (Aug. 5). Hochul's office has said she will attend and that Muslim New Yorkers were among the first responders. Missed by prior runs; logged Sept. 5 with the Matzav write-up as the accessible source (Newsmax segment is the original).

Sep 3, 2026

1
ABC7 New YorkTIER 2High

Hochul answers Blakeman on the headscarf: "that says more about him than it does anybody else"; office cites 2022 Ronkonkoma mosque visit and Officer Islam's funeral as precedent

Hochul's first direct on-camera response to the headscarf pile-on: "I was invited as a guest, and I always wear the appropriate attire, whether I am going to a temple... an Orthodox community or... a catholic church in the Vatican." On Blakeman's Newsday remark that wearing a hijab and calling herself a feminist are incompatible: "I just love it when men lecture women on whether or not they are a feminist." Her office pointed to prior head coverings at a 2022 Ronkonkoma mosque that had been attacked and at the funeral of NYPD Officer Didarul Islam. Blakeman said his post was not an attack on Muslims and that he visits mosques regularly as county executive. CAIR-NY's Afaf Nasher said tying the visit to 9/11 is inappropriate. The visit was Friday Aug 28 at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York on the Upper East Side.

Sep 2, 2026

3
CBS New YorkTIER 2High

DHS fires back at Hochul: FEMA says New York is "manufacturing a funding crisis" while sitting on $300M+ in unspent homeland-security money

The federal response to the Sept. 1 Hochul-Mamdani demand for $87M in withheld counterterrorism funds arrived the same evening. The White House referred CBS New York to DHS, and a FEMA spokesperson said Hochul is "manufacturing a funding crisis despite New York sitting on more than $300 million in UNSPENT federal homeland security funding," adding that New York has historically received allocations "significantly ABOVE risk-based formulas." The statement did not dispute that $87M of the $187M Trump said he would restore in October 2025 has not been sent. The $300M unspent figure is a DHS/FEMA characterization; the state has not published a reconciliation and we have not independently verified it (see fact_checks). Separately, CBS pressed Hochul on whether an undocumented immigrant with a DWI conviction should be able to stay; she declined a yes/no, saying enforcement should prioritize assaults, murders, rapes and burglaries and that she would "look at the circumstances of an individual case."

MediaiteTIER 2High

Trump joins the headscarf pile-on: Truth Social post calls Hochul "the Worst Governor in the Country," says she wears "the hijab" to get "the Arab Vote"

On Sept. 1 President Trump posted the Aug. 28 photo of Hochul in a black headscarf at the Islamic Cultural Center School in the Bronx, wrote that Hochul, "considered the Worst Governor in the Country," was "working hard to get the Arab Vote," tied it to congestion pricing hurting her "especially [with] the people for whom she wears the hijab," and closed: "The whole thing is CRAZY!" It escalates the four-day-old controversy from conservative influencers and members of Congress to the president, three weeks after Trump boosted Blakeman at a law-enforcement rally. Hochul's office has said she wore the headscarf as a gesture of respect, consistent with past practice, and that she respects 9/11 victims while rejecting anti-Muslim hatred. Snopes rated the "wore a hijab" framing a Mixture because her hair was visible.

New York Jewish Week / JTATIER 2High

Blakeman posts the headscarf photo, calls it "political pandering" and "tone-deaf" before 9/11; Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO calls his post Islamophobia

Blakeman's first public entry into the headscarf story: a social-media post depicting Hochul in the head covering, accusing her of "political pandering" he called "especially tone-deaf" less than two weeks before the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, responded on X: "There are far too many political leaders exploiting the 9/11 anniversary to (re)normalize Islamophobia — and it's disgusting." Blakeman, who is Jewish, has campaigned heavily on antisemitism and public safety. The same JTA item notes Hochul's campaign has her at a MET Council Rosh Hashanah food-distribution event in Brooklyn on Sept. 2 with Comptroller Mark Levine and Council Member Lincoln Restler. Blakeman's post is documented only through JTA's account; the post itself was not retrieved for this entry.

Sep 1, 2026

2
Governor's officeTIER 1High

Hochul and Mamdani demand the $87M in federal counterterrorism funds still withheld; Hochul: Trump is "defunding the police"

At a Sept. 1 joint press conference with Mayor Mamdani, Hochul called on President Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release $87M in FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program money she says is still owed to New York. Her office's timeline: DHS cut New York's 2025 HSGP allocation by $187M (86%); Trump posted on Truth Social in October 2025 that he had reversed the cuts; New York has since received $100M, following a federal judge's order, leaving ~$87M outstanding. The state itemizes the gap as $63.3M in UASI cuts (NYC -$55.7M; Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Yonkers -$948K each; Port Authority -$3.8M) and $17.7M in SHSP cuts spread across every county. Hochul said the funding covers NYPD intelligence analysts, FDNY radiological response, Joint Task Force Empire Shield, 12 state bomb squads and county/sheriff equipment and training. She framed the withholding as "defunding the police" and "revenge on a blue state" ahead of the 9/11 25th anniversary; Democratic members of Congress (Jeffries, Gillibrand, Meng, Kennedy, Goldman, Latimer, Morelle, Manion) issued supporting statements. Fox News reported it had reached out to the White House and DHS; no federal response was published as of Sept. 1 afternoon. The $187M/86% cut figure and the "promise" are the governor's characterization, sourced to her release. Blakeman had not publicly responded as of this entry.

Fox NewsTIER 2High

Retired Port Authority officers ask Hochul to skip the 25th-anniversary Ground Zero ceremony; she says she will attend

The Retired Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, through president John McDevitt, sent letters on Aug. 14 asking Gov. Hochul and Mayor Mamdani not to attend the Sept. 11 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero, saying their presence would inflict "deep pain" on victims' families, survivors and first responders. The group's stated objection to Hochul is her decision to light One World Trade Center for Muslim American Heritage Month — it says it did not object to the proclamation itself, only to using the World Trade Center site for the observance. The letters surfaced publicly Aug. 29. Hochul rejected the demand and says she will attend; Mamdani also plans to attend. The dispute feeds directly into the separate backlash over the Aug. 28 headscarf clip, with both threads now tied to the Sept. 11 anniversary ten days out.