WORLD WORLDWIDE USA NewYork NY NewYorkCity NYC #thecity News Journal Update - THE CITY Scoop: Trump Lawyer Joe Tacopina Has History of Clients Who Claimed He Betrayed Them

 

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Dear New Yorkers, Before he started showing up on TV at all hours defending Donald Trump, New York lawyer Joseph Tacopina faced unseemly accusations of malpractice from clients. THE CITY took a look at the records of the pugilistic lawyer who has been a longtime fixture in the city’s tabloids. Among his former clients: rapper Meek Mill, former Yankee Alex Rodridguez, ex-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik (who later sued Tacopina) and an unnamed attorney who hired him to bring a potential lawsuit against her Connecticut law firm … then discovered he'd negotiated to be hired by that same firm as co-counsel — while purporting to represent her interests.   Read more here. Are you ready for the day of Trump’s arraignment? Those who work around the criminal courthouse in Lower Manhattan are bracing for the media circus, they told THE CITY. One coffee cart operator said he won’t bother setting up shop today. But Braulio Cuenca, who has photographed weddings at the nearby Marriage Bureau for 14 years, still planned on setting up on the steps Tuesday.  “I’ll come early and if it’s too many reporters, protestors, I’ll go,” he said. Read more here. And in case you missed it, here’s our analysis on how gun-toting protestors could overlap with New York’s new gun-free zones. Some other items of note: New York’s cannabis regulators issued a flurry of new dispensary licenses Monday — including the first three in Brooklyn — after a federal court partially lifted a November injunction. THE CITY spoke with one of the lucky licensees, Misha Morse-Buch, currently a pet store owner on Nostrand Avenue: “It almost feels not real, I still can’t almost comprehend that it’s happened the way that it’s happened,” he said. Summer job alert for the young people in your life: The deadline has been extended to April 14 for the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which has 100,000 spots to be filled by lottery. Here’s a guide from our partner Chalkbeat New York on how to apply and what to know about the program. New Yorkers have until May 31 to submit the names of loved ones to MISSING THEM, THE CITY’s COVID-19 memorial project; send a note to memorial@thecity.nyc. May 31 is also the last day to see the MISSING THEM photo exhibit in The Bronx and Queens. See how New York City is doing with our newsroom’s economic recovery tracker. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather SPRING IS SPRINGING. High temps reach the low 70s (!) with lots of glorious sunshine early. A sea breeze and low clouds moving in later are the only things keeping today from perfection, but it’s pretty dang close. The vibes are good!! THE KICKER: Hold your nose to see this spring bloom. The rare and foul-smelling corpse flower at the New York Botanical Garden is about to blossom, a once-every-few-years event; the enormous flower last opened up in 2019. (And, yes, NYBG has a live cam set up so you can watch it unfold.) Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, or if you have a question let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.

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