Joining today's show are Mike Barnicle, Katty Kay, John Heilemann, Kasie Hunt, Steve Rattner, Rev. Al Sharpton, Michael Steele, Hallie Jackson, Jane Sanders, James Rosebush, Adam Grant, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Dominic Chu, Lesley Stahl and more...Bernie Sanders Kicks off Star-Studded Massive Rally in NYC's Washington Square Park. Bernie Sanders descended upon Washington Square Park in Manhattan's Greenwich Village Wednesday night for one of his campaign's largest, outdoor rallies.
The Sanders campaign estimated that more than 27,000 people attended the rally, making the event the campaign's third-largest rally, behind Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles. The NYPD would not verify the number of attendees.
The crowd -- largely comprised of young people -- filled the park and crowded the adjacent streets. Many people -- visible from the windows -- also viewed the rally from apartments and New York University buildings surrounding the park.
Speakers included actress Rosario Dawson and filmmaker Spike Lee, both of whom are native New Yorkers.
"We have an opportunity with our vote on Tuesday to recognize the invisible," Dawson told the crowd of thousands, taking jabs at Sanders rival Hillary Clinton, as well. "Too many people have died for the right to vote, and too many people have died because of who is currently running."
Sanders was optimistic about a win, telling the crowd, "Two polls have us ahead of Hillary Clinton, and we are beating Trump by double digits."
He argued his campaign is the one with the momentum and that he is confident his campaign would win Tuesday's New York primary. Later in his speech, though, he hedged that prediction slightly. He said it will be a “tough race” due to the state's closed primary system, as well as Clinton’s history in the state. But he concluded that his large crowds would translate to “a surprise for the establishment."
“We have a system here in New York where independents can’t get involved in the democratic primary,” he said. He lamented the fact that New York voters had to switch party affiliations last October and new registrations had be to completed by the end of March. “Where young people who have not previously registered and want to register today just can’t do it. So this is going be a tough primary for us.”
A native New Yorker, Sanders talked about growing up in Brooklyn as the son of immigrants. He zeroed in on famous New York landmarks like the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on nearby Christopher Street, just blocks from the rally site, which is perceived as the location of the birth of the LGBT rights movement, following police raids in the 1960s.
Thousands of people packed into Washington Square Park Wednesday evening to hear Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speak.
And when he did, the Vermont senator drew loud cheers from the crowd with his message of unification.
"Understanding that when we stand together, black and white and Latino and Native American, when we do not allow the Donald Trumps of the world to divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish,” Sanders said during a speech that lasted about an hour.
Sanders' campaign, tweeting from his official handle, estimated the crowd at 27,000.
Verizon strikers, who were visited by Sanders in Brooklyn earlier Wednesday, lined the front of the stage, which was positioned under the arch on the north side of the park. Sanders had words for them that resonated with many supporters in attendance.
"They are standing up to a greedy corporation that wants to cut their healthcare benefits, send decent-paying jobs abroad and then provide $20 million a year to their CEO," Sanders said, as audience members yelled a collective "boo!" at the idea. "And Verizon is just the poster child for what so many of our corporations are doing today. And this campaign is sending a message to corporate America: 'You cannot have it all!'"
Sanders received cheers throughout the rally when addressing policy points including equal pay and increasing minimum wage to $15 per hour, expanding social security, improving the ciminal justice system and providing free higher education.
And the NYC-born Sanders noted that when he was growing up in Brooklyn, the American Dream was alive and well. "We will not allow that American Dream to die," he said.
Sanders ended his speech with an appeal to the voters in the crowd thinking of heading to the polls on April 19.
“When I look out at the thousands of people who are here tonight … I think we’ve got a surprise for the establishment. I think that if we have a large voter turnout on Tuesday, we’re gonna win this thing.”
Indie-rock band Vampire Weekend kicked off the festivities shortly after 7 p.m., warming up the crowd for a series of speakers that included actress Rosario Dawson and filmmaker Spike Lee.
Dawson urged New Yorkers to vote for Sanders in the upcoming primary.
"We have an opportunity with our vote this coming Tuesday to make sure we recognize the invisible," Dawson said, referring to those groups she feels are overlooked by other candidates.
Dawson spoke at a Sanders rally in the Bronx on March 31, as did filmmaker Spike Lee, who followed her at the Washington Square Park event.
"We got to show up and vote," Lee said. "Status quo gotta go."
The crowd spilled beyond the parameters of the park, with thousands showing up hours before the candidate spoke. Some held signs, sported Sanders T-shirts or held cutouts of the senator's face, and a few supporters clutched a large rendering of Sanders' glasses and eyebrows.
Sanders still trails behind his opponent Hillary Clinton in the delegate count, but he has seen tens of thousands of supporters at his recent rallies in New York City.
Many of the attendees at Washington Square Park had no doubts about whom they are voting for in the New York primary.
Dimitri Cilione, 62, said he took the day off and drove two hours from Orange County in upstate New York to attend the rally.
"I've been waiting for about 30 years or so for this kind of dialogue," Cilione said, speaking long before his candidate took the stage and referring to Sanders' strong stances on the economy and income inequality.
"The country and the world is very much out of balance," he added.
Another supporter, Mathania Toussaint, 18, said she supports Sanders over Clinton because Clinton has been known to change her position too often.
"I trust him," she said of Sanders.
Toussaint and her friend, 18-year-old Luxurie Allsop, both from Brooklyn, agreed that Sanders is the most trustworthy candidate.
"Obviously Trump is just out of the question," Allsop said.
Donald Trump shuffles struggling campaign team. Racing to regroup, the front-runner gives more power to his new strategist.
Wounded GOP front-runner Donald Trump is quietly setting up a parallel campaign structure, hiring known Republican fixers to professionalize his operation and sidelining his original team.
Under the guidance of his new strategist Paul Manafort, Trump on Wednesday brought aboard Rick Wiley, Scott Walker’s former campaign manager and a former senior party official well versed in the rule-making process that might decide the GOP nomination in a contested convention.
Wiley’s hiring demonstrates how quickly Manafort is consolidating his own power within Trump’s campaign, gaining influence with the candidate and exerting authority over those who had previously reported to campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the campaign.
Lewandowski is losing the tug-of-war, said a former adviser to the campaign, adding “Corey has been neutered.”
The resulting power struggle has led to a confusing situation for the staff in which there are essentially parallel organizational structures with separate, and often conflicting, chains of command, according to the sources.
“There are two campaigns being run in Trump world. And nothing is happening because no one is sure who they’re supposed to be listening to,” said one operative familiar with the campaign, who said staffers have reported receiving different instructions from Lewandowski and Manafort, or officials loyal to them.
Another indication of the growing factionalism within the campaign is the decision to limit access to a staff directory, so that employees can’t see who is being hired, according to an operative who has worked with some of the campaign staff.
A GOP fundraiser said Manafort is casting a wide net for prospective staff as he endeavors to build “an entire mirror organization.” But the fundraiser asserted it won’t be easy to attract many top-tier operatives, for whom Trump’s toxicity in GOP establishment circles remains a concern.
“The profile would be more that of someone who suffered a professional set-back or has been on the outs and needs redemption,” said the fundraiser, adding that joining the Manafort team could be a wise move for such operatives. “It’s kind of a no lose: if things go poorly, you can blame it on Corey and the other guys. But, if you somehow do save the campaign, you can take full credit. If someone pulls this off, they will be in the campaign history books.”
That profile fits Wiley to a tee.
A former Republican National Committee political director who oversaw the organization’s $178 million budget in 2012, Wiley is exceedingly familiar with the GOP's power structure and its nominating process. And he is among a rare breed of GOP operative who has worked inside the party’s establishment but is willing to risk his reputation by working for candidates and causes outside the Republican mainstream.
In 2008, Wiley helped create and run a little-noticed non-profit group called the Wellspring Committee, which was backed by Charles and David Koch and their allies, and represented their network’s first foray into building a broad electoral operation.
Walker’s presidential campaign, on the other hand, was celebrated by many in the GOP establishment, at least initially. But after the Wisconsin governor entered the race as a supposed front-runner, he saw his fundraising efforts and poll numbers crater over the summer after a number of missteps on the campaign trail and a campaign that was too big and expensive to sustain. Those mistakes were largely blamed on Wiley, who was ready to resign as campaign manager before Walker opted to drop out.
Walker, along with nearly the entire Republican establishment, is supporting Ted Cruz. And his biggest financial backers, the Ricketts family, are among the leading donors to the super PAC that is working to stop Trump.
Wiley himself seemed to harbor anti-Trump sentiments, although nearly all of his tweets from recent months that were critical of Trump appear to have been deleted. His hiring Wednesday is already ruffling establishment feathers.
“Wiley doesn’t want to wait for redemption,” one GOP operative said. “[He] doesn’t realize he is only hastening his departure from the list of credible operatives.”
Wiley will work out of the Trump campaign's soon-to-be opened Washington, DC office.
“Rick is a seasoned political expert with a very successful career in winning elections,” Trump said in a statement issued by the campaign. “He brings decades of experience, and his deep ties to political leaders and activists across the country will be a tremendous asset as we enter the final phase of securing the nomination.”
Manafort was brought in last month and given more control last week in response to the Trump campaign's struggles to amass delegates, a process mostly controlled by party insiders with knowledge of arcane, state-specific rules that has befuddled the GOP front-runner's operation.
Trump leads Cruz by nearly 200 delegates and is likely to come close to sweeping the 95 delegates up for grabs next Tuesday in his home state of New York, but he has almost no margin for error if he hopes to secure the 1,237 delegates required to win the nomination outright.
Charged with professionalizing Trump’s campaign, Manafort hired another California operative earlier in the week to run the campaign there ahead of the June 7 primary where the 172 delegates at stake could determine whether Trump or Cruz becomes the GOP nominee. Eli Stokols, Kenneth P. Vogel and Alex Isenstadt contributed.
Donald Trump Family Town Hall a Ratings Winner for CNN. CNN’s Trump family town hall, in which Donald Trump said the political system was “stacked against me,” was a ratings winner Tuesday night, with the network dominating the 9 o’clock hour in demos among the cable news channels and also leading in total viewers.
In early Nielsen numbers, the special town hall edition of “Anderson Cooper 360” averaged 570,000 adults 25-54 and 2.154 million total viewers during the 9-10 p.m. ET hour — more than double the numbers generated one night earlier when the host sat down with the family of John Kasich (250,000 in the demo and 861,000 total viewers).
In the demo for the hour last night, CNN beat runner-up Fox News Channel (348,000) by 64% and bested MSNBC (330,000) by 73%. In total viewers, CNN’s 2.154 million was followed by 1.992 for Fox News and 1.213 for MSNBC.
Overall on Tuesday, CNN led primetime in the demo with 438,000, followed by Fox News (366,000) and MSNBC (281,000). FNC led in total viewers (2.089 million), followed by CNN (1.531 million) and MSNBC (1.025 million).
Tuesday’s town hall in New York City, held one week before the state’s primary, featured Trump’s wife, Melania, and children Ivanka, Eric, Donald Jr. and Tiffany. The Republican front-runner used the opportunity to assail the party’s political process, saying “I know the rules very well, but I know it’s stacked against me by my establishment.”
He also continued to rip the party for rules that produced “unfair” results in Colorado, where rival Ted Cruz was awarded all 34 of the state’s delegates. “They changed the rules a number of months ago,” he told CNN’s Cooper. “You know why they changed the rules? Because they saw how I was doing and they didn’t like it.”
Tonight, the network’s Wolf Blitzer will moderate the latest Democratic presidential primary debate.
Ted Cruz CNN Town Hall Live Stream: How To Watch The GOP Candidate And Wife Heidi Ahead Of New York Primary. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas will be joined by his wife, Heidi, onstage Wednesday as part of a CNN town hall series highlighting the presidential candidates and their families.
Cruz and his family will take questions from the crowd as well as from CNN's Anderson Cooper, who will be moderating the discussion. The Cruz family's young daughters, Catherine and Caroline, are taking part in the event. The New York City town hall comes as the state’s key primary looms next week for both parties. The broadcast kicks off at 9 p.m. EDT and goes until 10 p.m. EDT on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and online via CNNgo.
The Cruz event follows similar town halls on CNN for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and his family on Monday and Republican front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday.
At his town hall Monday, business mogul Donald Trump blasted the Republican establishment and made accusation's that the party's primary rules are purposefully calibrated against him and in favor of Cruz. Trump called the results of the Colorado primary, which Cruz won, "unfair."
"They changed the rules a number of months ago," Trump told Cooper. "You know why they changed the rules? Because they saw how I was doing and they didn't like it."
On Tuesday night, in an interview with Fox News, Heidi Cruz spoke publicly for the first time since tabloid reports surfaced accusing her husband of having extramarital affairs. She blamed Trump for the stories, accusing the candidate of manufacturing the rumors.
“These silly barbs and made-up stories did not come out early in the campaign because [Trump] felt [Cruz] was doing OK,” she said.
Trump leads the Republican delegate count with 743 followed by Cruz with 545 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in a distant third with 143. The candidates need to secure 1,237 delegates to win the nomination outright. Ninety-five delegates are at stake in the New York Republican primary and Trump holds a comfortable lead in recent polling of the state.
Donald Trump Holds HUGE Rally in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steel and Joe Paterno: How Donald Trump plans to make Pennsylvania great again. Donald Trump catered to the Pennsylvania crowd during his two campaign stops in Pittsburgh Wednesday night.
"I know a lot about Pennsylvania, and it's great," he said.
He mentioned Penn State during a rally at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and said "steel is coming back to Pittsburgh." The most unexpected remark of the night came when, for unknown reasons, Trump referenced Joe Paterno.
The majority of his speech was a repeat of popular policies and attacks on other candidates. He brought up the wall—to loud cheers from the audience—and took down "Lyin' Ted" Cruz while calling the delegate process is a "rigged system."
The outspoken candidate was matched by vocal protesters at both events.
The opposition outside Trump's town hall meeting with FOX News' Sean Hannity was mostly peaceful. About 60 protesters showed up ahead of the taping, where chants included "Black Lives Matter" and "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA." At one point, a group approached the line of supporters waiting to get inside the event, but police kept the confrontation from becoming physical.
Once Trump fans entered the Hannity taping, the protesters turned their energy into a march down Fifth Avenue to the convention center. Authorities closed an intersection as a result of the protest, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
The convention center rally had a bit more activity.
Trump addressed his haters a couple times during the rally, saying he "loves" the protesters and taking time to mock one who dared interrupt: "He has a very weak voice ... Oh, he's leaving. He's going home to mommy."
Supporters and protesters confronted each other outside the convention center while Trump spoke. WPXI reports that a number of people were arrested, though it is unknown if charges will be filed.
Overall, it was a busy night in Pittsburgh. Trump's rally began just five minutes before a Pirates game and one hour before a Penguins game. The slew of events created a bit of a traffic mess in downtown Pittsburgh.
"I know a lot about Pennsylvania, and it's great," he said.
He mentioned Penn State during a rally at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and said "steel is coming back to Pittsburgh." The most unexpected remark of the night came when, for unknown reasons, Trump referenced Joe Paterno.
The majority of his speech was a repeat of popular policies and attacks on other candidates. He brought up the wall—to loud cheers from the audience—and took down "Lyin' Ted" Cruz while calling the delegate process is a "rigged system."
The outspoken candidate was matched by vocal protesters at both events.
The opposition outside Trump's town hall meeting with FOX News' Sean Hannity was mostly peaceful. About 60 protesters showed up ahead of the taping, where chants included "Black Lives Matter" and "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA." At one point, a group approached the line of supporters waiting to get inside the event, but police kept the confrontation from becoming physical.
Once Trump fans entered the Hannity taping, the protesters turned their energy into a march down Fifth Avenue to the convention center. Authorities closed an intersection as a result of the protest, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
The convention center rally had a bit more activity.
Trump addressed his haters a couple times during the rally, saying he "loves" the protesters and taking time to mock one who dared interrupt: "He has a very weak voice ... Oh, he's leaving. He's going home to mommy."
Supporters and protesters confronted each other outside the convention center while Trump spoke. WPXI reports that a number of people were arrested, though it is unknown if charges will be filed.
Overall, it was a busy night in Pittsburgh. Trump's rally began just five minutes before a Pirates game and one hour before a Penguins game. The slew of events created a bit of a traffic mess in downtown Pittsburgh.
The Republicans created Trump by opposing Obama by Steven Rattner. All these — and many more — were ignored by Congress. Even seemingly obvious steps, like continuing federal emergency benefits for the large number of long-term unemployed, have been blocked. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, 19 states — mostly with Republican governors — have declined Mr. Obama’s Medicaid expansion plan.
In its most recent budget, the White House put forth a robust plan for wage insurance, a concept with much support among economists. Under it, a worker who lost his or her job and was forced to take a lower-wage one that paid less than $50,000 per year would receive half of the lost wages for two years, up to $10,000.
Like many of Mr. Obama’s proposals, that wouldn’t be a game changer for working-class Americans, but it would have been a constructive piece of a more comprehensive solution.
In its most recent budget, the White House put forth a robust plan for wage insurance, a concept with much support among economists. Under it, a worker who lost his or her job and was forced to take a lower-wage one that paid less than $50,000 per year would receive half of the lost wages for two years, up to $10,000.
Like many of Mr. Obama’s proposals, that wouldn’t be a game changer for working-class Americans, but it would have been a constructive piece of a more comprehensive solution.
Regulators give failed grade to five US banks. JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America among five which have failed to meet requirements meant to protect wider economy.
Five major US banks have failed to live up to regulatory requirements laid out by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis.
The regulations are meant to protect the wider economy should one or more of them fail.
After giving the banks failing grades for the strategies they would deploy if they plunged into bankruptcy, regulators on Wednesday gave the banks six months to get their disaster plans in shape.
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bank of New York Mellon and State Street Bank were cited by the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for "living wills" that are "not credible" or are insufficient for an orderly restructuring if needed.
"It's not confidence-building," Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, a financial consultant, told Al Jazeera. "Although headquartered in the US, this would be a huge challenge for UK, Japan etc if they failed."
The banks were required to submit the plans outlining how they would reshape themselves in the event of failure.
The financial industry is the worst performing sector of the S&P 500 this year.
Profitability at risk
The US government exercise is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the taxpayer bailouts of "too-big-to-fail" banks during the 2008 financial crisis.
Having to earmark bigger capital reserves against unforeseen losses could eventually erode the banks' profitability.
They might try to compensate by charging consumers higher fees for services.
However, they will not face any government sanctions, such as new capital-building mandates or forced sales of assets, for at least six months.
US banks flourish five years after meltdown
The five banks, with a total of about $5.6 trillion in assets, were among eight Wall Street behemoths whose plans were evaluated.
The other three banks - Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley - got scarcely better grades from the regulators.
The big banks have been working on their plans for four years.
The regulators already put them on notice in mid-2014 that they had to correct serious deficiencies.
The regulators gave them an October 1 deadline to fix the problems or face the possibility of "more stringent" requirements.
That could include ordering the banks to strengthen their capital cushions against unforeseen losses.
"Some would argue that the findings of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation support the argument that these banks are 'too big to fail'", Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey, reporting from New York City, said.
"And therefore [they are] a liability to US taxpayers. The banks say they are adjusting their plans to meet requirements."
Market reaction
If the regulators still were not satisfied, banks could eventually be forced to sell off assets, but not before two years.
That helps explain why Wall Street seemed unaffected by news of the regulators' action, and stocks of major banks rose in US trading after the announcement by the agencies.
They closed moderately higher. JPMorgan Chase gained 4.5 percent to finish at $61.94. Bank of America picked up 3.7 percent to $13.76.
The big banks are in strong financial shape and are facing no threat of collapse.
They sit on strong bases of capital that the regulators ordered them to shore up in recent years.
The banking industry as a whole has recovered steadily since the financial crisis, regularly reporting profits.
At the same time, it has been a tough patch for big banks in recent months.
Profits and share prices have fallen as their loans to energy companies have soured and the Federal Reserve has indicated that it will slow the pace of interest rate increases, which hurts bank profits.
Five major US banks have failed to live up to regulatory requirements laid out by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis.
The regulations are meant to protect the wider economy should one or more of them fail.
After giving the banks failing grades for the strategies they would deploy if they plunged into bankruptcy, regulators on Wednesday gave the banks six months to get their disaster plans in shape.
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bank of New York Mellon and State Street Bank were cited by the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for "living wills" that are "not credible" or are insufficient for an orderly restructuring if needed.
"It's not confidence-building," Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, a financial consultant, told Al Jazeera. "Although headquartered in the US, this would be a huge challenge for UK, Japan etc if they failed."
The banks were required to submit the plans outlining how they would reshape themselves in the event of failure.
The financial industry is the worst performing sector of the S&P 500 this year.
Profitability at risk
The US government exercise is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the taxpayer bailouts of "too-big-to-fail" banks during the 2008 financial crisis.
Having to earmark bigger capital reserves against unforeseen losses could eventually erode the banks' profitability.
They might try to compensate by charging consumers higher fees for services.
However, they will not face any government sanctions, such as new capital-building mandates or forced sales of assets, for at least six months.
US banks flourish five years after meltdown
The five banks, with a total of about $5.6 trillion in assets, were among eight Wall Street behemoths whose plans were evaluated.
The other three banks - Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley - got scarcely better grades from the regulators.
The big banks have been working on their plans for four years.
The regulators already put them on notice in mid-2014 that they had to correct serious deficiencies.
The regulators gave them an October 1 deadline to fix the problems or face the possibility of "more stringent" requirements.
That could include ordering the banks to strengthen their capital cushions against unforeseen losses.
"Some would argue that the findings of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation support the argument that these banks are 'too big to fail'", Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey, reporting from New York City, said.
"And therefore [they are] a liability to US taxpayers. The banks say they are adjusting their plans to meet requirements."
Market reaction
If the regulators still were not satisfied, banks could eventually be forced to sell off assets, but not before two years.
That helps explain why Wall Street seemed unaffected by news of the regulators' action, and stocks of major banks rose in US trading after the announcement by the agencies.
They closed moderately higher. JPMorgan Chase gained 4.5 percent to finish at $61.94. Bank of America picked up 3.7 percent to $13.76.
The big banks are in strong financial shape and are facing no threat of collapse.
They sit on strong bases of capital that the regulators ordered them to shore up in recent years.
The banking industry as a whole has recovered steadily since the financial crisis, regularly reporting profits.
At the same time, it has been a tough patch for big banks in recent months.
Profits and share prices have fallen as their loans to energy companies have soured and the Federal Reserve has indicated that it will slow the pace of interest rate increases, which hurts bank profits.
Kobe calls it a career: 'You can't write something better than this'. Playing in the last game of his 20-year career, Kobe Bryant put on a show for a sold-out Staples Center crowd one final time, pouring in a season-high 60 points and steering his team to a 101-96 comeback win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
After outscoring the Jazz by himself 23-21 in the fourth quarter, Bryant checked out with 4.1 seconds left, serenaded by "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!'' chants.
Not with a whimper but a bang: Kobe lights up for 60 in finale
Kobe Bryant's final performance lit up Los Angeles once more, this time to the tune of 60 points.
We take a look back at Kobe Bryant's accomplishments and what made his time in the NBA special.
It's just like Kobe Bryant to upstage the big story
You shouldn't have been surprised by what happened on Wednesday. Kobe Bryant found ways to steal the spotlight throughout his career.
"I can't believe how fast 20 years went by. Man, this is crazy," Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, said while addressing the crowd after the game. "This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we've been on -- we've been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout."
Bryant spoke about growing up a "die-hard Laker fan" and the trade that led to him spending 20 years with the organization and winning five NBA championships.
"You can't write something better than this," he said.
Bryant went on to say that he took pride in the down years "because we didn't run. We played through all that stuff, and we got our championships, and we did it the right way."
Bryant attempted 50 shots Wednesday night, the most taken by anyone in an NBA game in the past 30 seasons, according to Stats LLC. It was the sixth 60-point game of his career and marked the most points scored by a player in his final regular-season game. No Hall of Famer reached 30 points in his final game, with John Havlicek's 29 in 1978 leading the way.
"What's funny -- the thing that had me cracking up all night long -- the fact that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball, and then the last night they're like, 'Don't pass it!'" Bryant said, laughing.
"All I can do here is thank you guys," he told the crowd. "Thank you guys for all the years of support. Thank you guys for all the motivation. Thank you for all the inspiration."
"What can I say? Mamba out," Bryant said with a smile in closing.
Bryant's teammates sprayed him with champagne upon entering the locker room, to which he responded: "They only do that for championships."
Hours before Wednesday's game, thousands of fans gathered outside Staples Center, creating a scene reminiscent of a championship celebration. Enormous photos of iconic moments from Bryant's 20-season NBA career graced the walls outside the arena with the hashtag #ThankYouKobe.
Inside the arena, a sold-out crowd showered Bryant with love and adoration as lengthy video tributes played before and during the game.
"He never cheated us as fans," Lakers icon Magic Johnson said as he addressed fans before the game. "He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it."
Johnson then introduced a moving tribute video that featured messages from Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Gregg Popovich, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, Phil Jackson and Jack Nicholson, a longtime Lakers fan.
"It's been great watching you, and I hope you've enjoyed it half as much as me and my family have," Nicholson said in the video. "You've been an inspiration to us all, and L.A. loves you."
O'Neal, Bryant's former Lakers teammate, called Bryant "the greatest Laker ever."
A smiling Bryant then walked to center court and waved to the fans, who were on their feet, cheering as loudly as they have all season.
Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced Bryant in the starting lineup, noting that it was for "the final time" as deafening cheers rained down from the crowd.
Wearing a black suit, black shirt and black tie and surrounded by more than a dozen video cameras, Bryant told dozens of reporters standing behind a barricade in a hallway before the game that his goal for the night was to "just have some fun."
Before the game, Bryant and his wife were presented with special retirement rings from Lakers president and governor Jeanie Buss.
Bryant gave each of his teammates commemorative shoes and jerseys.
"It's nuts," Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance said of the environment. "It feels like a concert."
Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played the national anthem Jimi Hendrix-style.
During a first-quarter timeout, another video tribute was played, featuring messages from several musicians, including Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Flea, John Legend, Ice Cube, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
Serena Williams congratulated Bryant via Twitter, writing, "You inspire every athlete for a lifetime."
During the game, the Lakers' official Twitter account disappeared for 35 minutes as the social media site experienced technical issues. Scheduled tweets failed to send, and some users experienced difficulties accessing the site and sending tweets.
The account was back up and running before long, though, and offered an explanation for the outage.
An estimated 450 to 500 media members were credentialed for the game. ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After outscoring the Jazz by himself 23-21 in the fourth quarter, Bryant checked out with 4.1 seconds left, serenaded by "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!'' chants.
Not with a whimper but a bang: Kobe lights up for 60 in finale
Kobe Bryant's final performance lit up Los Angeles once more, this time to the tune of 60 points.
We take a look back at Kobe Bryant's accomplishments and what made his time in the NBA special.
It's just like Kobe Bryant to upstage the big story
You shouldn't have been surprised by what happened on Wednesday. Kobe Bryant found ways to steal the spotlight throughout his career.
"I can't believe how fast 20 years went by. Man, this is crazy," Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, said while addressing the crowd after the game. "This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we've been on -- we've been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout."
Bryant spoke about growing up a "die-hard Laker fan" and the trade that led to him spending 20 years with the organization and winning five NBA championships.
"You can't write something better than this," he said.
Bryant went on to say that he took pride in the down years "because we didn't run. We played through all that stuff, and we got our championships, and we did it the right way."
Bryant attempted 50 shots Wednesday night, the most taken by anyone in an NBA game in the past 30 seasons, according to Stats LLC. It was the sixth 60-point game of his career and marked the most points scored by a player in his final regular-season game. No Hall of Famer reached 30 points in his final game, with John Havlicek's 29 in 1978 leading the way.
"What's funny -- the thing that had me cracking up all night long -- the fact that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball, and then the last night they're like, 'Don't pass it!'" Bryant said, laughing.
"All I can do here is thank you guys," he told the crowd. "Thank you guys for all the years of support. Thank you guys for all the motivation. Thank you for all the inspiration."
"What can I say? Mamba out," Bryant said with a smile in closing.
Bryant's teammates sprayed him with champagne upon entering the locker room, to which he responded: "They only do that for championships."
Hours before Wednesday's game, thousands of fans gathered outside Staples Center, creating a scene reminiscent of a championship celebration. Enormous photos of iconic moments from Bryant's 20-season NBA career graced the walls outside the arena with the hashtag #ThankYouKobe.
Inside the arena, a sold-out crowd showered Bryant with love and adoration as lengthy video tributes played before and during the game.
"He never cheated us as fans," Lakers icon Magic Johnson said as he addressed fans before the game. "He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it."
| PLAYER | PTS. | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| John Havlicek | 29 | April 9, 1978 |
| Julius Erving | 24 | April 19, 1987 |
| Gail Goodrich | 24 | April 6, 1979 |
| Dave Bing | 24 | April 9, 1978 |
| Maurice Stokes | 24 | March 12, 1958 |
| -- Elias Sports Bureau | ||
"It's been great watching you, and I hope you've enjoyed it half as much as me and my family have," Nicholson said in the video. "You've been an inspiration to us all, and L.A. loves you."
O'Neal, Bryant's former Lakers teammate, called Bryant "the greatest Laker ever."
A smiling Bryant then walked to center court and waved to the fans, who were on their feet, cheering as loudly as they have all season.
Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced Bryant in the starting lineup, noting that it was for "the final time" as deafening cheers rained down from the crowd.
Wearing a black suit, black shirt and black tie and surrounded by more than a dozen video cameras, Bryant told dozens of reporters standing behind a barricade in a hallway before the game that his goal for the night was to "just have some fun."
Before the game, Bryant and his wife were presented with special retirement rings from Lakers president and governor Jeanie Buss.
Los Angeles Lakers
Before his final game, @JeanieBuss presented Kobe & Vanessa w/ special retirement rings: http://on.nba.com/1XwBPFy
"It's nuts," Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance said of the environment. "It feels like a concert."
Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played the national anthem Jimi Hendrix-style.
During a first-quarter timeout, another video tribute was played, featuring messages from several musicians, including Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Flea, John Legend, Ice Cube, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
Serena Williams congratulated Bryant via Twitter, writing, "You inspire every athlete for a lifetime."
During the game, the Lakers' official Twitter account disappeared for 35 minutes as the social media site experienced technical issues. Scheduled tweets failed to send, and some users experienced difficulties accessing the site and sending tweets.
The account was back up and running before long, though, and offered an explanation for the outage.
Sorry about that, everybody.
Kobe got too hot for the Twitter servers.
Trump campaign manager will not be prosecuted, sources say. Reporter who accused Corey Lewandowski of battery may still pursue defamation case.
A Florida prosecutor has decided not to prosecute Donald Trump’s campaign manager for battery after a March run-in with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, sources with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO.
The decision not to press charges against Corey Lewandowski is scheduled to be announced on Thursday afternoon by Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg.
Fields may still pursue a defamation case against Lewandowski, a source said.
Fields filed a police report last month after Lewandowski grabbed her by the arm and moved her out of Trump’s way following a press conference at Trump National Gold Club in Jupiter. She said he left bruises on her arm. Police later charged Lewandowski with simple battery, releasing video from surveillance cameras that shows Lewandowski reaching for and grabbing Fields.
Aronberg would not comment, but in a POLITICO interview last week, he pointed out that Jupiter police had a low “probable cause” standard to cite Lewandowski for battery. But the responsibility for moving forward with a full-blown prosecution rested with Aronberg’s office, which had to consider whether a crime occurred and whether they believed a jury of Floridians would prosecute.
“We have a higher standard to go forward with a prosecution,” he said.
Fields would not comment on the record. Lewandowski could not immediately be reached for comment.
Many lawyers said they just didn’t think jurors would think of this case as a battery, even though it met the technical threshold for the crime under Florida law, which essentially defines battery as unwanted touching.
“If you asked people to describe a battery, this certainly wouldn't cut it. No injury, no damage, no nothing,” said veteran Miami criminal defense lawyer David Oscar Markus, who earlier this month successfully defended former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Delmon Young in a battery case involving a Miami valet.
“Not every minor interaction needs to go to court. Time for everyone to chill out,” he said. “Jeb Bush has a better claim for battery against Trump after those debates than this reporter does against Lewandowski.”
Despite the appearance of a small incident, the Lewandowski case had big ramifications.
Fields, along with at least six other colleagues, resigned from Breitbart after the incident, saying the conservative-website known for its pro-Trump slant was not properly supporting her. Fields was also forced to flee her home and at one point, Washington, D.C. because of death threats she received after several news organizations accidentally published Lewandowski’s full police report, which included Fields' personal contact information.
Initially, Trump, Lewandowski and his campaign questioned whether the incident even took place, saying Fields was attention-seeking and questioning her character. Following the charges filed by police, Trump began test-driving what was likely a factor in the prosecutor’s decision to not pursue the case: Claiming that Fields touched him first.
Trump also said she was where she shouldn’t have been by slipping inside the perimeter of Secret Service agents who were in charge of protecting him. An anonymous Secret Service agent told DailyMail.com that Fields was told to stay away from Trump.
In making those statements, Trump helped lay the foundation for Lewandowski to raise a “defense of others” argument, which allows someone to forcibly grab another person if he or she is somewhere prohibited and poses a potential threat.
Aronberg made clear to POLITICO that he had watched at least one Trump interview by FOX’s Sean Hannity where Trump had subtly raised this “defense of others” doctrine. In deciding whether to prosecute, Aronberg’s office would take into account the potential success of Trump raising this argument in court.
While Aronberg said every case is taken seriously and is handled fairly, the reality is that this simple misdemeanor battery case was only a high priority because of media attention. His office, one of the largest in Florida, oversees 125,000 criminal cases a year, including murders, rapes, robberies and police brutality incidents.
Trump has steadfastly stood behind his campaign manager. But behind the scenes, Lewandowski’s role in the campaign is shrinking as the campaign matures and as of the result of long-simmering concerns among some members of Trump’s inner circle about Lewandowski’s lack of national experience, his perceived unwillingness to challenge Trump and his brash temperament. The campaign recently brought on convention manager, Paul Manafort and on Wednesday, announced the hiring of former Scott Walker campaign manager Rick Wiley.
A Florida prosecutor has decided not to prosecute Donald Trump’s campaign manager for battery after a March run-in with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, sources with knowledge of the situation told POLITICO.
The decision not to press charges against Corey Lewandowski is scheduled to be announced on Thursday afternoon by Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg.
Fields may still pursue a defamation case against Lewandowski, a source said.
Fields filed a police report last month after Lewandowski grabbed her by the arm and moved her out of Trump’s way following a press conference at Trump National Gold Club in Jupiter. She said he left bruises on her arm. Police later charged Lewandowski with simple battery, releasing video from surveillance cameras that shows Lewandowski reaching for and grabbing Fields.
Aronberg would not comment, but in a POLITICO interview last week, he pointed out that Jupiter police had a low “probable cause” standard to cite Lewandowski for battery. But the responsibility for moving forward with a full-blown prosecution rested with Aronberg’s office, which had to consider whether a crime occurred and whether they believed a jury of Floridians would prosecute.
“We have a higher standard to go forward with a prosecution,” he said.
Fields would not comment on the record. Lewandowski could not immediately be reached for comment.
Many lawyers said they just didn’t think jurors would think of this case as a battery, even though it met the technical threshold for the crime under Florida law, which essentially defines battery as unwanted touching.
“If you asked people to describe a battery, this certainly wouldn't cut it. No injury, no damage, no nothing,” said veteran Miami criminal defense lawyer David Oscar Markus, who earlier this month successfully defended former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Delmon Young in a battery case involving a Miami valet.
“Not every minor interaction needs to go to court. Time for everyone to chill out,” he said. “Jeb Bush has a better claim for battery against Trump after those debates than this reporter does against Lewandowski.”
Despite the appearance of a small incident, the Lewandowski case had big ramifications.
Fields, along with at least six other colleagues, resigned from Breitbart after the incident, saying the conservative-website known for its pro-Trump slant was not properly supporting her. Fields was also forced to flee her home and at one point, Washington, D.C. because of death threats she received after several news organizations accidentally published Lewandowski’s full police report, which included Fields' personal contact information.
Initially, Trump, Lewandowski and his campaign questioned whether the incident even took place, saying Fields was attention-seeking and questioning her character. Following the charges filed by police, Trump began test-driving what was likely a factor in the prosecutor’s decision to not pursue the case: Claiming that Fields touched him first.
Trump also said she was where she shouldn’t have been by slipping inside the perimeter of Secret Service agents who were in charge of protecting him. An anonymous Secret Service agent told DailyMail.com that Fields was told to stay away from Trump.
In making those statements, Trump helped lay the foundation for Lewandowski to raise a “defense of others” argument, which allows someone to forcibly grab another person if he or she is somewhere prohibited and poses a potential threat.
Aronberg made clear to POLITICO that he had watched at least one Trump interview by FOX’s Sean Hannity where Trump had subtly raised this “defense of others” doctrine. In deciding whether to prosecute, Aronberg’s office would take into account the potential success of Trump raising this argument in court.
While Aronberg said every case is taken seriously and is handled fairly, the reality is that this simple misdemeanor battery case was only a high priority because of media attention. His office, one of the largest in Florida, oversees 125,000 criminal cases a year, including murders, rapes, robberies and police brutality incidents.
Trump has steadfastly stood behind his campaign manager. But behind the scenes, Lewandowski’s role in the campaign is shrinking as the campaign matures and as of the result of long-simmering concerns among some members of Trump’s inner circle about Lewandowski’s lack of national experience, his perceived unwillingness to challenge Trump and his brash temperament. The campaign recently brought on convention manager, Paul Manafort and on Wednesday, announced the hiring of former Scott Walker campaign manager Rick Wiley.
New Ted Cruz Ad: ‘When Cruz Is President, De Blasio Is Done’
Ted Cruz has rolled out a new radio ad blasting Bill de Blasio ahead of Tuesday’s New York primary.The Republican candidate for president has long criticized de Blasio’s policies, but the radio ad is his most pointed attack yet.
“De Blasio’s socialist policies are tearing this city apart,” the ad says. “Murder’s up nearly 10 percent. He treats cops like criminals and criminals like freedom fighters.”
You can listen to the ad entirely in the YouTube clip above.
The ad attacks de Blasio for making New York a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants and criticizes the decision to end the controversial stop and frisk policy.
“Now [de Blasio] is meddling in the Republican primary, campaigning against Cruz,” the ad says. “Because when Cruz is president, de Blasio is done.”
The ad alludes to the FBI investigation of two businessmen who have ties to de Blasio’s campaign. Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz both served on de Blasio’s inaugural committee and either donated or raised money for him, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported.
“Cruz will instruct the Justice Department to hold corrupt politicians accountable. Maybe that’s why de Blasio fears Ted Cruz,” the ad says.
“I hold myself and my administration to the highest standard of integrity,” de Blasio said Monday. “We are very, very careful about doing things in a legal and appropriate manner. We’re very, very careful about disclosing the support we get. We disclose everything, and we welcome questions about it.”
Less than a week before the New York primary, Cruz is currently third in the polls behind GOP front runner Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
“De Blasio’s socialist policies are tearing this city apart,” the ad says. “Murder’s up nearly 10 percent. He treats cops like criminals and criminals like freedom fighters.”
You can listen to the ad entirely in the YouTube clip above.
The ad attacks de Blasio for making New York a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants and criticizes the decision to end the controversial stop and frisk policy.
“Now [de Blasio] is meddling in the Republican primary, campaigning against Cruz,” the ad says. “Because when Cruz is president, de Blasio is done.”
The ad alludes to the FBI investigation of two businessmen who have ties to de Blasio’s campaign. Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz both served on de Blasio’s inaugural committee and either donated or raised money for him, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported.
“Cruz will instruct the Justice Department to hold corrupt politicians accountable. Maybe that’s why de Blasio fears Ted Cruz,” the ad says.
“I hold myself and my administration to the highest standard of integrity,” de Blasio said Monday. “We are very, very careful about doing things in a legal and appropriate manner. We’re very, very careful about disclosing the support we get. We disclose everything, and we welcome questions about it.”
Less than a week before the New York primary, Cruz is currently third in the polls behind GOP front runner Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Bratton: Ted Cruz is "wrong" about murder rate in NYC. NYPD Commissioner William Bratton posted on social media that Presidential candidate Ted Cruz's radio ad that claims the murder rate is up in New York City is "wrong."
The radio ad slams Mayor Bill de Blasio's "socialist policies" and claims that murders have increased by 10 percent.
"Shocking that Ted Cruz is wrong, again, in his radio ad. Murders are down 20% in NYC," Bratton posted on his Twitter account. "Stop & frisk never went away. Facts matter."
Bratton added in another post, "To say something so factually inaccurate is an insult to the men and women of the NYPD keeping our city safe."
The radio ad features de Blasio saying, "I think Ted Cruz is out of touch with New York State and New York City."
A male announcer then says, " He's got a lot of nerve, de Blasio's socialist policies are tearing this city apart. Murder is up nearly 10%. He treats cops like criminals and criminals like freedom fighters. De Blasio made New York a sanctuary city, rolling out the red carpet for illegals, and de Blasio ended stop and frisk even where terrorist suspects are known to congregate."
The radio ad slams Mayor Bill de Blasio's "socialist policies" and claims that murders have increased by 10 percent.
"Shocking that Ted Cruz is wrong, again, in his radio ad. Murders are down 20% in NYC," Bratton posted on his Twitter account. "Stop & frisk never went away. Facts matter."
Bratton added in another post, "To say something so factually inaccurate is an insult to the men and women of the NYPD keeping our city safe."
The radio ad features de Blasio saying, "I think Ted Cruz is out of touch with New York State and New York City."
A male announcer then says, " He's got a lot of nerve, de Blasio's socialist policies are tearing this city apart. Murder is up nearly 10%. He treats cops like criminals and criminals like freedom fighters. De Blasio made New York a sanctuary city, rolling out the red carpet for illegals, and de Blasio ended stop and frisk even where terrorist suspects are known to congregate."
Regardless of it all today, please stay in touch.
