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New York, also called New York State, is a state located in the northeastern United States. Bordering New England to its east, Canada to its north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to its south, it extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. New York is the fourth-most populous state in the United States, with over 20 million residents, and the 27th-largest state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2). New York has a varied geography. The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate, encompasses New York City, the most populous city in the United States; Long Island, with approximately 40% of the state's population, the nation's most populous island; and the cities, suburbs, and wealthy enclaves of the lower Hudson Valley. These areas are the center of the expansive New York metropolitan area and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects the more mountainous regions of Upstate and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany. Western New York, which is sometimes considered to be a separate region from the Upstate, is home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, and is part of the Great Lakes region, bordering Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse; between the central and western parts of the state, the Finger Lakes are a prominent landmark and tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, representing some of the northernmost reaches of Appalachia. New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and the Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York. Upstate New York was fought over between the British and the French during the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763. During the American Revolutionary War, a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and the state ratified the then new United States Constitution in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal, gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the "Empire State". Although deindustrialization eroded a portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance, and environmental sustainability. The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls, and Grand Central Terminal. New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities, including Ivy League members Columbia University and Cornell University, and the expansive State University of New York, which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City is home to the headquarters of the United Nations, and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural, financial, and media epicenter, and the capital of the world.
How do President Trump’s actions fit into what Jesus Christ teaches us?
On Friday, Aug. 28, a woman from the Helderberg Hilltowns, whose identity is known to me, came to our door at dinnertime, unannounced previously, to share an advertisement about the Mario Murillo Ministries coming to the Altamont fairgrounds on Sept. 13 to 16. I was already aware of the evangelist Mario Murillo coming to Altamont because of the reporting by the Altamont Enterprise earlier [“Christian tent revival coming to Altamont fairgrounds,” The Altamont Enterprise, July 13, 2026]. When I attended the Altamont Fair this year, which I thoroughly enjoy every year, I was given an information booklet about the daily events of the fair at the entrance. I noticed that Mario Murillo Ministries was one of the four highest ranking exclusive and corporate sponsors for the Altamont Fair, and that it had also taken out a full-page ad declaring “Living Proof Albany with Mario Murillo Sept. 13th-16th, 6:30PM Altamont Fairgrounds 146 Arlington Street Altamont, NY 12009” with a large photo of Mario Murillo and followers at a tent revival. (Altamont Enterprise 9.12.26)READMORE>>>>>>
On Friday, Aug. 28, a woman from the Helderberg Hilltowns, whose identity is known to me, came to our door at dinnertime, unannounced previously, to share an advertisement about the Mario Murillo Ministries coming to the Altamont fairgrounds on Sept. 13 to 16. I was already aware of the evangelist Mario Murillo coming to Altamont because of the reporting by the Altamont Enterprise earlier [“Christian tent revival coming to Altamont fairgrounds,” The Altamont Enterprise, July 13, 2026]. When I attended the Altamont Fair this year, which I thoroughly enjoy every year, I was given an information booklet about the daily events of the fair at the entrance. I noticed that Mario Murillo Ministries was one of the four highest ranking exclusive and corporate sponsors for the Altamont Fair, and that it had also taken out a full-page ad declaring “Living Proof Albany with Mario Murillo Sept. 13th-16th, 6:30PM Altamont Fairgrounds 146 Arlington Street Altamont, NY 12009” with a large photo of Mario Murillo and followers at a tent revival. (Altamont Enterprise 9.12.26)READMORE>>>>>>
Rochester Bishop calls for compassion, prayer as assisted-suicide law takes effect
A week before New York state’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act was to take effect, Bishop John S. Bonnici penned a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Rochester, encouraging them to continue to uphold human dignity while remaining rooted in their Catholic faith and embracing a culture of life. In his July 29 letter , Bishop Bonnici said New York’s Aug. 5 legalization of physician-assisted suicide represents “a deeply sorrowful moment in our state’s history. “Together with my brother bishops of New York, I have opposed this law because it fails to uphold the dignity of every human person, especially those who are the most vulnerable,” Bishop Bonnici wrote. “As your bishop, I write not only to express my concern, but also to encourage you to remain rooted in the hope of the Gospel.”
(Catholics Courier 7.29.26)READMORE>>>>>
A week before New York state’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act was to take effect, Bishop John S. Bonnici penned a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Rochester, encouraging them to continue to uphold human dignity while remaining rooted in their Catholic faith and embracing a culture of life. In his July 29 letter , Bishop Bonnici said New York’s Aug. 5 legalization of physician-assisted suicide represents “a deeply sorrowful moment in our state’s history. “Together with my brother bishops of New York, I have opposed this law because it fails to uphold the dignity of every human person, especially those who are the most vulnerable,” Bishop Bonnici wrote. “As your bishop, I write not only to express my concern, but also to encourage you to remain rooted in the hope of the Gospel.”
(Catholics Courier 7.29.26)READMORE>>>>>
July 16, 2026:
RANDOM NOTES & BYTES FROM MY PITCHFORK
Zorek
A statue of the late right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk is coming to Times Square, according to an artist. Italian artist Sergio Furnari, who created the artwork, plans to unveil the statue on September 10, according to an Instagram post. I can't help but wonder: Does new York City know this??
“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” ― Muhammad Ali
Prominent Christian Zionist Group Is Lobbying U.S. Lawmakers on Israel—Without Revealing It's Funded by Israel
This evening in Manhattan, “The Great Israeli Real Estate Event” will be advertising land available for sale in Gush Etzion, a cluster of illegal West Bank settlements, while also making legal, tax, and banking services available for those who want to become settlers, according to the event’s publicly listed information. Despite the commercial and internationally illegal nature of the event, it is being hosted at a religious institution, Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side. Previous events have drawn protesters and counter-protesters, leading to charges of antisemitism leveled at the protesters for demonstrating near a synagogue. The protesters have countered that it is inappropriate to use a religious institution to shield such a contentious practice. A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to comment on the Israeli real estate expo. In the wake of previous protests, the New York City Council, with a veto-proof majority, in March passed legislation restricting such demonstrations. (Drop Site 5.6.26)READMORE>>>>>
This evening in Manhattan, “The Great Israeli Real Estate Event” will be advertising land available for sale in Gush Etzion, a cluster of illegal West Bank settlements, while also making legal, tax, and banking services available for those who want to become settlers, according to the event’s publicly listed information. Despite the commercial and internationally illegal nature of the event, it is being hosted at a religious institution, Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side. Previous events have drawn protesters and counter-protesters, leading to charges of antisemitism leveled at the protesters for demonstrating near a synagogue. The protesters have countered that it is inappropriate to use a religious institution to shield such a contentious practice. A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to comment on the Israeli real estate expo. In the wake of previous protests, the New York City Council, with a veto-proof majority, in March passed legislation restricting such demonstrations. (Drop Site 5.6.26)READMORE>>>>>
N.Y. governor wants to keep ICE agent who killed Renee Good out of state
Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing to keep the immigration agent who killed a Minneapolis woman out of New York. The governor whipped off a letter to border czar Tom Homan demanding information about the reported “reassignment” of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who has been named as the killer of unarmed mom Renee Nicole Good as she tried to drive away from the scene of an immigration raid in January. “Reassigning Jonathan Ross is not accountability,” Hochul tweeted. “If he’s in New York, he must be removed immediately.”In a two-page letter, Hochul called on the feds to permit an independent investigation into Ross’ role in Good’s shooting death. (The Spokesman-Review; 5.2.26)READMORE>>>>>>
Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing to keep the immigration agent who killed a Minneapolis woman out of New York. The governor whipped off a letter to border czar Tom Homan demanding information about the reported “reassignment” of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who has been named as the killer of unarmed mom Renee Nicole Good as she tried to drive away from the scene of an immigration raid in January. “Reassigning Jonathan Ross is not accountability,” Hochul tweeted. “If he’s in New York, he must be removed immediately.”In a two-page letter, Hochul called on the feds to permit an independent investigation into Ross’ role in Good’s shooting death. (The Spokesman-Review; 5.2.26)READMORE>>>>>>
Evangelicals backed Trump. Now pastors denounce his ICE crackdown hitting their churches.
Pastor Erick Salgado used to preach to his Brooklyn congregation that they shouldn’t fear immigration officers because “they are after criminals.” Then ICE started arresting members of the church. Then the agency detained Sebastián Renoj Ordoñez, a deacon who had also served as the church’s secretary for 18 years. “Seeing him be apprehended by immigration the way he was, it’s like taking hope away from other members,” said Salgado, who’s led the Iglesia Jóvenes Cristianos church for the past 28 years. “Now, we just have to let people know that there’s always a possibility for them to be apprehended — they have to just pray before they go to work and hope for the best.” (Yahoo 4.3.26) READ MORE>>>>>>
Pastor Erick Salgado used to preach to his Brooklyn congregation that they shouldn’t fear immigration officers because “they are after criminals.” Then ICE started arresting members of the church. Then the agency detained Sebastián Renoj Ordoñez, a deacon who had also served as the church’s secretary for 18 years. “Seeing him be apprehended by immigration the way he was, it’s like taking hope away from other members,” said Salgado, who’s led the Iglesia Jóvenes Cristianos church for the past 28 years. “Now, we just have to let people know that there’s always a possibility for them to be apprehended — they have to just pray before they go to work and hope for the best.” (Yahoo 4.3.26) READ MORE>>>>>>
Episcopalians ‘protest faithfully’ against authoritarian abuses, bearing Christian witness.
“For a lot of folks, this is a turning point and hopefully a wake-up call, just in terms of how violent and cruel these practices are and how much faith communities really need to step up to protect each other and be a voice of moral courage,” the Rev. Anne Marie Witchger of the Diocese of New York told ENS. Witchger chairs the diocese’s Task Force for Public Witness and serves as rector of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. Her church hosted a vigil for Good and other victims of ICE on Jan. 12 in partnership with three other churches in their Manhattan neighborhood. Attendees filled St. Mark’s nearly to capacity, and after the vigil they all processed out carrying candles in remembrance of people killed by federal immigration authorities or who died in detention. (ENS; 1.20.26) READMORE>>>>>
“For a lot of folks, this is a turning point and hopefully a wake-up call, just in terms of how violent and cruel these practices are and how much faith communities really need to step up to protect each other and be a voice of moral courage,” the Rev. Anne Marie Witchger of the Diocese of New York told ENS. Witchger chairs the diocese’s Task Force for Public Witness and serves as rector of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery. Her church hosted a vigil for Good and other victims of ICE on Jan. 12 in partnership with three other churches in their Manhattan neighborhood. Attendees filled St. Mark’s nearly to capacity, and after the vigil they all processed out carrying candles in remembrance of people killed by federal immigration authorities or who died in detention. (ENS; 1.20.26) READMORE>>>>>
How a Reactionary Peruvian Movement Went Multinational
Last spring, the Mayday USA tour—a traveling road show of Christian parents’-rights activists campaigning against gender and sexual expression in children—brought its message to five American cities. Each of its appearances, in highly visible public arenas such as Times Square in New York City and Discovery Green in Houston, was something between a political rally, a Christian tent revival, and a college-football tailgate party. Music pulsated from the sound system, hands were held aloft in praise, and speakers assured the crowd that they were a righteous silent majority, fed up and ready to roar. Invoking Jesus’s love, activist influencers and charismatic pastors unleashed a barrage of alarmist rhetoric aiming to channel parental anxiety into a broader Christian-supremacist project. (The Nation; 1.13.26) READMORE>>>>>
Last spring, the Mayday USA tour—a traveling road show of Christian parents’-rights activists campaigning against gender and sexual expression in children—brought its message to five American cities. Each of its appearances, in highly visible public arenas such as Times Square in New York City and Discovery Green in Houston, was something between a political rally, a Christian tent revival, and a college-football tailgate party. Music pulsated from the sound system, hands were held aloft in praise, and speakers assured the crowd that they were a righteous silent majority, fed up and ready to roar. Invoking Jesus’s love, activist influencers and charismatic pastors unleashed a barrage of alarmist rhetoric aiming to channel parental anxiety into a broader Christian-supremacist project. (The Nation; 1.13.26) READMORE>>>>>
October 27, 2025: Kuwait Times reported: New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani was boosted by prominent US leftists at a get-out-the-vote rally Sunday, as the Democratic socialist and Donald Trump foe closed in on the city’s top job. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke ahead of Mamdani, who has gone from an outsider to the unpredictable race’s frontrunner — and a standard bearer with them on the Democratic Party’s left. Sunday’s rally at a Queens stadium came after early voting in the city of 8.5 million began the day before, with Election Day scheduled for Nov 4 and the new mayor taking office in the New Year. Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district contains portions of Queens, said that on election day “we will send a loud message to President Donald Trump that his authoritarianism is no good here,” sparking chants of “AOC”. Sanders, of Vermont, said “people all over the world are paying attention to what will happen here on Tuesday”. “These are not normal times... this election takes place at a time when we have a president who has given a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top one percent,” he said. “Donald Trump is paying attention to this election.” “She’s there for working people,” Mamdani said of AOC, after struggling with a defective teleprompter. The senator (Sanders) dared to stand alone for so long. I speak the language of Democratic socialism only because he spoke it first.”
November 12, 2025: SBC7NY reported: Police in Queens are searching for the vandal who targeted three churches in Queens with anti-Christian messages. The vandalism all took place on Sunday, October 5 during the early morning hours. And in one case, the suspect also broke two statues. The vandal was spotted on video painting anti-Christian statements on the facade of The Refuge Church of Christ on Mott Avenue at 1:40 a.m. The next target for the vandal was The City of Oasis Church of Deliverance also on Mott Avenue at 1:44 a.m. The last known vandalism happened at 2 a.m. at St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church on New Haven Avenue.
April 17, 2024: Life News reported: A diverse coalition of religious groups was at the New York Court of Appeals yesterday to continue their fight against the state’s abortion mandate. In Diocese of Albany v. Harris, a group of Anglican and Catholic nuns, Catholic dioceses, Christian churches, and faith-based social ministries sued New York after it mandated that they cover abortion in their employee health insurance plans in violation of their religious beliefs. After state courts left the mandate in place, Becket, Jones Day and Tobin and Dempf, LLP, asked the Supreme Court to step in. In 2021, the Justices reversed the lower courts’ rulings and told them to reconsider the case. When the New York State Department of Financial Services initially proposed the abortion mandate, it promised to exempt employers with religious objections. However, after facing pressure from abortion activists, New York radically narrowed the exemption to cover only religious groups that both primarily teach religion and
primarily serve and hire those who share their faith. This exception does not apply to most religious ministries that seek to serve all people, regardless of faith. For example, the exemption doesn’t extend to the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and their Teresian Nursing Home because they serve the elderly and dying regardless of religious affiliation.
primarily serve and hire those who share their faith. This exception does not apply to most religious ministries that seek to serve all people, regardless of faith. For example, the exemption doesn’t extend to the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and their Teresian Nursing Home because they serve the elderly and dying regardless of religious affiliation.
April 28, 2024: CBS News reported: Christians all over the world marked Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan blessed cases of free food and the New Yorkers receiving it. "It's a day, for me, to celebrate the fact that the teaching and work of Jesus continues," Dolan said. "This is a time to kind of affirm and celebrate the great works of charity, assistance, community involvement."
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan blessed cases of free food and the New Yorkers receiving it. "It's a day, for me, to celebrate the fact that the teaching and work of Jesus continues," Dolan said. "This is a time to kind of affirm and celebrate the great works of charity, assistance, community involvement."
December 25, 2024: Audacity reported: Westchester County Department of Correction (DOC) Commissioner Joseph K. Spano announced that His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan of the New York Archdiocese held mass at the Westchester County Department of Correction. The mass was attended by a group of 60 residents, Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, WDOC personnel, Correction Advisory Board members, New York State Commission of Correction personnel and clergy representing diverse faiths, and touched on unity and redemption in this coming holiday season.Spano said, “We are mindful that being incarcerated during the holiday season presents additional challenges for our residents and their families. To have his Eminence Cardinal Dolan say Mass for our residents leading up to the Christmas Holiday is truly a gift and one that is sure to have a positive impact on their lives.”
December 25, 2024: Hudson Valley Press reported: As he has done for years, Cardinal Timothy Dolan welcomed thousands to St. Patrick’s Cathedral for midnight mass, marking the beginning of Christmas with a message of hope and light. Let there be light as God’s recreation starts with that midnight dazzle,” he said. The traditional midnight mass was held at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, requiring tickets for attendance. This nearly 150-year-old tradition dates back to 1879, when the cathedral on Fifth Avenue first opened its doors. The cardinal spoke about the significance of the day with some humor. “God so loved the world, he did not send us a drone,” Dolan said, adding, “God so loved the world that he sent us His only Son.” His remarks were met with laughter and applause. The cathedral was filled with New Yorkers and tourists from around the world. Many gathered to find peace and reflect on the meaning of the holy day.
Feb 28, 2023: HuffPost reported: Despite his vow to uphold the U.S. Constitution, Eric Adams said he “can’t separate” his Christian beliefs from his public duties.
March 9, 2023: Baptist Press reported: In some ways, New York City’s Maranatha Baptist Church wasn’t much different from thousands of other churches throughout North America struggling to engage its community.
Planted 25 years ago to reach the growing Romanian population in the surrounding Ridgewood neighborhood, Maranatha initially reached their Romanian neighbors faithfully, growing steadily along the way.
Planted 25 years ago to reach the growing Romanian population in the surrounding Ridgewood neighborhood, Maranatha initially reached their Romanian neighbors faithfully, growing steadily along the way.
March 10, 2023: Axios reported: Case study: Rabbi Joshua Franklin, of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons in East Hampton, New York, delivered what he warned his flock was a "plagiarized" sermon about the theme of vulnerability in a story from Genesis — and was shocked when congregants guessed that it had been written by his father or a famous rabbi rather than AI.
- "The more I was able to prompt [ChatGPT] and tell it what I was looking for and describe the style of how I wanted it to write, the better it got," Franklin said.
- One notable missing piece: the rabbi's own perspective and anecdotes. Had he written the sermon himself, "I would have told a story — something about me that modeled my own vulnerability and showed how it was a strength," he said.
March 12, 2023: Daily Mail reported: New York City's notorious 'bling pastor' Lamor Whitehead, the founder of Brooklyn's Leaders of Tomorrow International Church, was charged in December 2022 with scamming his parishioners out of more than $100,000 and lying to the FBI.
Whitehead, who made headlines for preaching prosperity, was robbed at gunpoint by two men while he was giving a live-streamed sermon.
It was later revealed that he had previously served two years in a state prison on multiple counts of identity fraud and grand larceny before he was released early for good behavior.
According to the indictment, Whitehead scammed one of his parishioners out of $90,000 from her retirement savings.
It says he had promised to buy the woman a home, but instead spent the money on luxury goods and clothing.
Separately, federal authorities allege Whitehead extorted an unnamed businessman out of $5,000 in April and May of 2022 and asked the man to lend him $50,000, promising he could make them both 'millions'.
The pastor also made a name for himself negotiating the surrender of a subway shooting suspect who was wanted for killing a Goldman Sachs employee.
In May 2022, Whitehead rolled up to the NYPD's Fifth Police Precinct on behalf of the shooting suspect in his $350,000 Rolls-Royce, wearing a Fendi blazer.
Whitehead, who denies the fraud allegations, was later hit with further fraud charges for fabricating bank records in an attempt to finance his million-dollar New Jersey mansion, federal prosecutors said.
The pastor allegedly created a fake bank account to get a mortgage loan in 2019 and altered bank records to make it appear that the LLC had an average balance of more than $2 million, when it actually had less than $10.
Whitehead, who made headlines for preaching prosperity, was robbed at gunpoint by two men while he was giving a live-streamed sermon.
It was later revealed that he had previously served two years in a state prison on multiple counts of identity fraud and grand larceny before he was released early for good behavior.
According to the indictment, Whitehead scammed one of his parishioners out of $90,000 from her retirement savings.
It says he had promised to buy the woman a home, but instead spent the money on luxury goods and clothing.
Separately, federal authorities allege Whitehead extorted an unnamed businessman out of $5,000 in April and May of 2022 and asked the man to lend him $50,000, promising he could make them both 'millions'.
The pastor also made a name for himself negotiating the surrender of a subway shooting suspect who was wanted for killing a Goldman Sachs employee.
In May 2022, Whitehead rolled up to the NYPD's Fifth Police Precinct on behalf of the shooting suspect in his $350,000 Rolls-Royce, wearing a Fendi blazer.
Whitehead, who denies the fraud allegations, was later hit with further fraud charges for fabricating bank records in an attempt to finance his million-dollar New Jersey mansion, federal prosecutors said.
The pastor allegedly created a fake bank account to get a mortgage loan in 2019 and altered bank records to make it appear that the LLC had an average balance of more than $2 million, when it actually had less than $10.
Mar 7, 2022: Church Leaders reported: Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, appeared at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sunday where he defended himself against allegations that he had sexually harassed multiple women. In his first public appearance since his resignation, Cuomo claimed he had been canceled and said that God and “the Good Book” had been guiding him.
May 20, 2022: The Christian Beat reported: Hezekiah Walker’s music is part of the soundtrack of the African American church, and it is in the most challenging times that communities look to the church for comfort.
In the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, New York, Hezekiah Walker received a call from city officials to help their community heal.
In the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, New York, Hezekiah Walker received a call from city officials to help their community heal.