Lead report from PBS NewsHour
What happened
New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the investigation into a 2024 sexual assault allegation involving seven Cornell University fraternity members. The local district attorney had previously closed the case without charges, but the allegations recently resurfaced following a lawsuit and renewed public attention. Officials and university leaders have expressed deep concern over how the initial allegations were handled.
Outlets across the political spectrum agree that Governor Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to handle the Cornell University sexual assault investigation.
Left-leaning outlets like Vox and Mother Jones focus heavily on explaining the details of the case, the legal hurdles, and the broader societal conversation regarding sexual assault on college campuses. Center outlets like The Hill and BBC News provide neutral accounts of the political and administrative fallout, noting Governor Hochul's actions and statements. Right-leaning outlets such as The Last Refuge and Reason Magazine frame the appointment with skepticism, highlighting concerns from figures like Donald Trump that the special prosecutor has already implied guilt and that the defendants will not receive a fair trial.
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News Wrap: New York AG appointed as special prosecutor in Cornell rape case
In our news wrap Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed the state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the Cornell University rape case, the U.S. is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump weighs further action against Iran and this year's Kennedy Center Honors will take place at…
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Source context: In our news wrap Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed the state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the Cornell University rape case, the U.S. is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump weighs further ac…
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6 publishers
Kathy Hochul said she no longer has faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle the case, which has restarted a national conversation about sexual assault on college campusesSign up for the Breaking News US emailThe governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, has named New York attorney general Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate an…
“We have the right to demand safety from our university administrators,” said one student journalist.
“In what world,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asked on Friday, “would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang raped while she was intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?” Hochul was speaking about the case of a former Cornell student…
“She never says that she was drugged without her knowledge. She admits to taking drugs and alcohol voluntarily and with knowledge. She does not allege that she was forced to engage in any acts. She does not say that she was physically helpless or unconscious or incapacitated at any point during the time at the…
The controlled substance is approved as an anesthetic, but also has long been abused as a party and date rape drug.
President Trump weighed in on the case when asked about Ms. James, who has become a target of his second-term retribution campaign.
6 publishers
In our news wrap Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed the state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the Cornell University rape case, the U.S. is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump weighs further action against Iran and this year's Kennedy Center Honors will take place at…
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Friday stopped short of calling for the resignations of the president of Cornell University and the local prosecutor who handled allegations of gang rape there in 2024, though she called the school’s handling of the incident “a failure.” In response to questions about calls for the officials to…
The governor said she'd lost faith in prosecutors overseeing the case and handed it over to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The university relies on internal proceedings to handle sexual assault allegations. Some students say the system failed them.
The investigation had initially been closed without charges in 2024. Last month, the woman filed a lawsuit.
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said he was “deeply disturbed” by a student’s 2024 rape allegation that has drawn national outrage.
13 publishers
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said she was “deeply disturbed” by how Cornell University police and the Tompkins County district attorney’s office handled allegations of a 2024 sexual assault at the university. Hochul announced she was appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor for the case Thursday, just days after Tompkins…
On this full episode of LARRY with Larry O’Connor, we cover the BREAKING NEWS in New York where Governor Kathy Hochul announced NY AG Letitia James as a special prosecutor in the Cornell 7 case. PLUS, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joins Theo Von to explain socialism, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed gets EXPOSED as a hypocrite for trying…
On this full episode of LARRY with Larry O’Connor, we cover the BREAKING NEWS in New York where Governor Kathy Hochul announced NY AG Letitia James as a special prosecutor in the Cornell 7 case. PLUS, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joins Theo Von to explain socialism, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed gets EXPOSED as a hypocrite for trying…
Here we go again. I hope people have caught on by now. However, just in case, let me try to help: • In 2010 it was Sandra Fluke • In 2012 it was Romney’s “binders of women” • In 2014 it was the ‘Me Too” movement / Mattress Girl • In 2016 it was “Grab…
Donald Trump says seven Cornell fraternity brothers accused of rape won't get a fair shake under NY Attorney General Letitia James' probe.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed a special prosecutor who has already implied that she sides with Jane Doe.
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has taken the controversial “Cornell 7” case away from the local district attorney and handed it to Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor — even as both Hochul and James have already made public statements that raise questions about how dispassionately the new investigation will approach the ...
New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul has issued an executive order (EO) appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the alleged gang rape case of a former Cornell University student by seven fraternity members.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's graphic account of the Cornell sexual assault case differs from the civil complaint, prosecutors' statements and Cornell University's response.
Public outcry to punish the alleged perpetrators in the Cornell case misses the point - the only solution is political, legal and cultural equality of women
President Donald J. Trump has weighed in on the “Cornell 7,” a group of Ivy League fraternity brothers accused of drugging and gang raping a female student…
