Case 1:21-cr-00245-AJT Document 1 Filed 11/03/21 Page 1 of ...
page 3 11-10-21
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The Elwood Call-Leader Wednesday, November 10, 2021 PAGE 3 By DAVID R. MARTIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As I climbed the narrow metal steps on the edge of the sky- scraper, the safety harness that kept me attached to the building — nearly 1,300 feet up — kept clicking, like a roller-coaster heading toward its first drop. Looking around on a recent fall day, I could see New York City spread out below me in the early morning light. To the south, One World Trade Center appeared at eye level in the distance. To the east, the needle spire of the Empire State Building. To the west, as our guide, Anissa Barbato, pointed out, even New Jersey looked good. This was City Climb, an attraction opening Tuesday at 30 Hudson Yards, one of the city's tallest buildings. It gives thrill-seekers a unique perspective on New York that no observation deck could hope to match: No walls, no glass windows, no railings. Just skyline. The $185-per-person experience starts with climb- ing groups of up to eight taken through a series of safety protocols, including a Breathalyzer test. They’re then outfitted in bright blue full body suits meant to ensure that nothing can fall off their person to the streets below. Climbers are equipped with specially designed safety harnesses that let them ascend an outdoor staircase, from the first lookout known as the Cliff, to the top platform called the Apex, located 1,271 feet above 10th Avenue. There, they can lean out over the edge and look down at the Empire State Building. City Climb will operate rain, snow or shine, but will close if the temperature drops below 23 degrees Fahrenheit or if there is dangerous weather in the area. Setting off on our climb, my stomach tightened as soon as the gate saying “Restricted Area” opened onto the Cliff. My hands, tin- gling with nervous anticipa- tion the night before, were numb in the cold as I walked the 161 steps on the exterior edge of the building’s distinc- tive triangle top. I looked down on the Hudson Yards plaza and the streets next to it, where the cars looked like ants. When I got to the Apex, Barbato, the attraction’s man- ager, welcomed me: “We are at the top of the world.” Then, she leaned back, arms stretched out, hanging over the city as a tether kept her from falling to the streets below. “Put your heels on the edge, bend your knees, and push out,” one of the guides said, when it was my turn. I did as instructed. And then, it was time to hold my arms out. I wasn’t sure I wanted to let go, but everyone’s eyes were on me. My mind jumped back to a time I went bungee jump- ing in college nearly 20 years ago. I hesitated then, and always kind of regretted it. So, I let go. It wasn’t that bad, as long as I didn’t think about the fact that nearly 1,300 feet below — a nine- second fall — was 30th Street and certain death. Barbato said they expect a mix of thrill-seekers and peo- ple trying to prove to them- selves that they can over- come their fear of heights. “We’re going to have those urban explorers who are real- ly just looking for something wonderful to do in New York City,” said Barbato. “We’re also then going to have those people who really want to prove to themselves that they can overcome not only their fears but their hurdles. This is going to be a magnificent, life changing experience for some people.” After what seemed like minutes — 30 or 40 seconds, in reality — I grabbed the har- ness and pulled myself back in. I’m not afraid of heights, but I respect them: Once I was back firmly on the plat- form, it did feel like a bit of an accomplishment. Do look down: Scaling one of NYC's tallest skyscrapers NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. says that it's inviting the global community to visit now that the government has ended the ban on travelers from 33 countries. In reality, however, it will still be difficult — if not impossi- ble — for much of the globe to enter the country and experts say it will take years for travel to fully recover. For starters, half the world isn't vaccinated and therefore doesn't meet the U.S. requirement for visiting for- eigners. So while many Europeans may now be able to come in, people from poor- er countries where vaccines are scarce remain cut off, with limited exceptions. For some public health experts, that raises ethical questions about the policy. “The concern is not limiting access based on vaccination status,” said Nancy Kass, deputy director of public health in the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. “It is that it’s systemically making it impossible for people, gener- ally from poor countries, whose governments have been unable to secure any- thing near the supply they need, to be able to come and see their loved ones.” Even if you've gotten the jab, that might not be good enough. Non-immigrant adults need to have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administra- tion or which received an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, otherwise they, too, are prohibited from entering the U.S. That side- lines anyone who's received Russia's Sputnik V or the China-produced CanSino jab. Then there are the months- long delays in some places to get a visa. The U.S. Travel Association says that, on average, there’s a six-month visitor visa appointment backlog as many U.S. con- sulates and embassies have yet to resume normal opera- tions. Meanwhile, other countries have their own strict rules, which compli- cates foreign travel. Experts do expect a wave of travelers at U.S. airports, which will go a long way to boost the overall industry. The 28 European countries that up until Monday were barred under the U.S. policy made up 37% of overseas visitors in 2019, the U.S. Travel Association says. Travelport, which analyzes airline bookings data, says that by region, the greatest number of international trav- elers to the U.S. since mid- 2020 has come from Latin America, but new travelers booking flights since late September, when the Biden administration said it would end the travel bans, are mainly European. The reopening of the land borders with Canada and Mexico should also help restore trav- el, since they are typically the top two sources of interna- tional visitors to the U.S. But the U.S. Travel Association predicted in June that international travel would not return to 2019 levels of nearly 80 million visitors until 2024. Foreign travelers dropped to 19 million in 2020 and is expected to rise a bit this year, to more than 26 mil- lion; it will more than double, to about 57 million, in 2022 but still fall far short of its pre- pandemic heights. The U.S. isn’t alone in try- ing to jump-start travel as more people get vaccinated. Some countries that closed their borders have begun easing back, like Australia, India and Thailand; Europe opened its doors to Americans months ago. Others, like China and Japan, remain essentially closed, which makes it diffi- cult for their own citizens to leave and come back because of mandatory quar- antines. In 2019, the two countries were among the top five biggest sources of overseas visitors to the U.S., along with the U.K., South Korea and Brazil, according to U.S. government data. Sylvia Li, who is from China and lives in the U.S., just married her partner in a small ceremony in New York a few weeks ago without her family there because she had no idea when they’d be able to come or when she’d be able to go to China. “I was able to convince them, it’s really nothing, it’s just a party,” Li said. But her mom didn’t fall for it. “I think my mom felt she was missing out. She felt like she was actually missing something big.” Despite reopening, the U.S. is still closed to many in world that Neumann stood at the front of a police barricade wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat as support- ers of President Donald Trump tried to force past offi- cers. Prosecutors say Neumann taunted and screamed at the police before putting a gas mask over his face and threatened one officer, saying police would be “overrun” by the crowd. “I’m willing to die, are you?” prosecutors quoted Neu- mann saying to the officer. Police body camera footage shows Neumann and others shoving a metal barri- cade into a line of officers who were trying to push the crowd back before he punched two officers with his fist and then hit them with the barricade, according to court papers. Neumann was identified by investigators after someone who said they were a family friend called an FBI tip line with Neumann’s name and hometown. He was charged in a U.S. federal criminal complaint, meaning a judge agreed that investigators pre- sented sufficient probable cause that Neumann had committed the crimes. Neumann is one of more than 650 people who have been charged for their actions on Jan. 6, when pro- Trump rioters attacked the Capitol building and delayed Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College vic- tory. Neumann told Belarus 1 that his photo had been added to the FBI's most wanted list, after which he left the country under the pre- tense of a business trip. Neuman, who owns a hand- bag manufacturing business, traveled to Italy in March, and then through Switzerland, Germany and Poland before arriving in Ukraine and spent several months there. He said he decided to ille- gally cross into neighboring Belarus after he noticed sur- veillance by Ukraine's securi- ty forces. “It is awful. It is polit- ical persecution,” Neumann told the TV channel. Riot continued from page 1 Recycling Center The Recycling Center, 1033 S. H St., has new hours of operation. The Recycle Center is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Center is closed on Friday and open Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For further information or for anyone wanting to sign up for curb- side recycling, call 552-7080. When coming to the Recycle Center, individuals must stay in their vehicles and are encouraged to have items in their trunk or hatch.
Transcript of page 3 11-10-21
The Elwood Call-Leader Wednesday, November 10, 2021 PAGE 3
By DAVID R. MARTINAssociated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — As Iclimbed the narrow metalsteps on the edge of the sky-scraper, the safety harnessthat kept me attached to thebuilding — nearly 1,300 feetup — kept clicking, like aroller-coaster heading towardits first drop.
Looking around on a recentfall day, I could see New YorkCity spread out below me inthe early morning light. To thesouth, One World TradeCenter appeared at eye levelin the distance. To the east,the needle spire of theEmpire State Building. To thewest, as our guide, AnissaBarbato, pointed out, evenNew Jersey looked good.
This was City Climb, anattraction opening Tuesdayat 30 Hudson Yards, one ofthe city's tallest buildings. Itgives thrill-seekers a uniqueperspective on New York thatno observation deck couldhope to match: No walls, noglass windows, no railings.Just skyline.
The $185-per-personexperience starts with climb-ing groups of up to eighttaken through a series ofsafety protocols, including aBreathalyzer test. They’rethen outfitted in bright blue fullbody suits meant to ensurethat nothing can fall off theirperson to the streets below.
Climbers are equipped with
specially designed safetyharnesses that let themascend an outdoor staircase,from the first lookout knownas the Cliff, to the top platformcalled the Apex, located1,271 feet above 10thAvenue.
There, they can lean outover the edge and look downat the Empire State Building.City Climb will operate rain,snow or shine, but will close ifthe temperature drops below23 degrees Fahrenheit or ifthere is dangerous weatherin the area.
Setting off on our climb, mystomach tightened as soonas the gate saying“Restricted Area” openedonto the Cliff. My hands, tin-gling with nervous anticipa-tion the night before, werenumb in the cold as I walkedthe 161 steps on the exterioredge of the building’s distinc-tive triangle top.
I looked down on theHudson Yards plaza and thestreets next to it, where thecars looked like ants.
When I got to the Apex,Barbato, the attraction’s man-ager, welcomed me: “We areat the top of the world.”
Then, she leaned back,arms stretched out, hangingover the city as a tether kepther from falling to the streetsbelow.
“Put your heels on theedge, bend your knees, andpush out,” one of the guides
said, when it was my turn.I did as instructed. And
then, it was time to hold myarms out.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to letgo, but everyone’s eyes wereon me. My mind jumped backto a time I went bungee jump-ing in college nearly 20 yearsago. I hesitated then, andalways kind of regretted it.
So, I let go. It wasn’t thatbad, as long as I didn’t thinkabout the fact that nearly1,300 feet below — a nine-second fall — was 30thStreet and certain death.
Barbato said they expect amix of thrill-seekers and peo-ple trying to prove to them-selves that they can over-come their fear of heights.
“We’re going to have thoseurban explorers who are real-ly just looking for somethingwonderful to do in New YorkCity,” said Barbato. “We’realso then going to have thosepeople who really want toprove to themselves that theycan overcome not only theirfears but their hurdles. This isgoing to be a magnificent, lifechanging experience forsome people.”
After what seemed likeminutes — 30 or 40 seconds,in reality — I grabbed the har-ness and pulled myself backin. I’m not afraid of heights,but I respect them: Once Iwas back firmly on the plat-form, it did feel like a bit of anaccomplishment.
Do look down: Scaling one ofNYC's tallest skyscrapers
NEW YORK (AP) — TheU.S. says that it's inviting theglobal community to visit nowthat the government hasended the ban on travelersfrom 33 countries.
In reality, however, it will stillbe difficult — if not impossi-ble — for much of the globeto enter the country andexperts say it will take yearsfor travel to fully recover.
For starters, half the worldisn't vaccinated and thereforedoesn't meet the U.S.requirement for visiting for-eigners. So while manyEuropeans may now be ableto come in, people from poor-er countries where vaccinesare scarce remain cut off,with limited exceptions.
For some public healthexperts, that raises ethicalquestions about the policy.
“The concern is not limitingaccess based on vaccinationstatus,” said Nancy Kass,deputy director of publichealth in the Berman Instituteof Bioethics at JohnsHopkins University. “It is thatit’s systemically making itimpossible for people, gener-ally from poor countries,whose governments havebeen unable to secure any-thing near the supply theyneed, to be able to come andsee their loved ones.”
Even if you've gotten thejab, that might not be goodenough. Non-immigrantadults need to have receivedvaccines authorized by theFood and Drug Administra-tion or which received anemergency use listing fromthe World HealthOrganization, otherwise they,
too, are prohibited fromentering the U.S. That side-lines anyone who's receivedRussia's Sputnik V or theChina-produced CanSinojab.
Then there are the months-long delays in some placesto get a visa. The U.S. TravelAssociation says that, onaverage, there’s a six-monthvisitor visa appointmentbacklog as many U.S. con-sulates and embassies haveyet to resume normal opera-tions. Meanwhile, othercountries have their ownstrict rules, which compli-cates foreign travel.
Experts do expect a waveof travelers at U.S. airports,which will go a long way toboost the overall industry.The 28 European countriesthat up until Monday werebarred under the U.S. policymade up 37% of overseasvisitors in 2019, the U.S.Travel Association says.
Travelport, which analyzesairline bookings data, saysthat by region, the greatestnumber of international trav-elers to the U.S. since mid-2020 has come from LatinAmerica, but new travelersbooking flights since lateSeptember, when the Bidenadministration said it wouldend the travel bans, aremainly European. Thereopening of the land borderswith Canada and Mexicoshould also help restore trav-el, since they are typically thetop two sources of interna-tional visitors to the U.S.
But the U.S. TravelAssociation predicted in Junethat international travel would
not return to 2019 levels ofnearly 80 million visitors until2024. Foreign travelersdropped to 19 million in 2020and is expected to rise a bitthis year, to more than 26 mil-lion; it will more than double,to about 57 million, in 2022but still fall far short of its pre-pandemic heights.
The U.S. isn’t alone in try-ing to jump-start travel asmore people get vaccinated.Some countries that closedtheir borders have beguneasing back, like Australia,India and Thailand; Europeopened its doors toAmericans months ago.
Others, like China andJapan, remain essentiallyclosed, which makes it diffi-cult for their own citizens toleave and come backbecause of mandatory quar-antines. In 2019, the twocountries were among thetop five biggest sources ofoverseas visitors to the U.S.,along with the U.K., SouthKorea and Brazil, accordingto U.S. government data.
Sylvia Li, who is from Chinaand lives in the U.S., justmarried her partner in a smallceremony in New York a fewweeks ago without her familythere because she had noidea when they’d be able tocome or when she’d be ableto go to China.
“I was able to convincethem, it’s really nothing, it’sjust a party,” Li said. But hermom didn’t fall for it. “I thinkmy mom felt she was missingout. She felt like she wasactually missing somethingbig.”
Despite reopening, the U.S.is still closed to many in world
that Neumann stood at thefront of a police barricadewearing a red “Make AmericaGreat Again” hat as support-ers of President DonaldTrump tried to force past offi-cers. Prosecutors sayNeumann taunted andscreamed at the policebefore putting a gas maskover his face and threatenedone officer, saying policewould be “overrun” by thecrowd.
“I’m willing to die, are you?”prosecutors quoted Neu-mann saying to the officer.
Police body camerafootage shows Neumann andothers shoving a metal barri-
cade into a line of officerswho were trying to push thecrowd back before hepunched two officers with hisfist and then hit them with thebarricade, according to courtpapers.
Neumann was identified byinvestigators after someonewho said they were a familyfriend called an FBI tip linewith Neumann’s name andhometown. He was chargedin a U.S. federal criminalcomplaint, meaning a judgeagreed that investigators pre-sented sufficient probablecause that Neumann hadcommitted the crimes.
Neumann is one of morethan 650 people who havebeen charged for theiractions on Jan. 6, when pro-Trump rioters attacked theCapitol building and delayed
Congress’ certification of JoeBiden’s Electoral College vic-tory.
Neumann told Belarus 1that his photo had beenadded to the FBI's mostwanted list, after which he leftthe country under the pre-tense of a business trip.Neuman, who owns a hand-bag manufacturing business,traveled to Italy in March, andthen through Switzerland,Germany and Poland beforearriving in Ukraine and spentseveral months there.
He said he decided to ille-gally cross into neighboringBelarus after he noticed sur-veillance by Ukraine's securi-ty forces. “It is awful. It is polit-ical persecution,” Neumanntold the TV channel.
Riotcontinued from page 1
Recycling CenterThe Recycling Center,
1033 S. H St., has newhours of operation. TheRecycle Center is openWednesday and Thursdayfrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. TheCenter is closed on Fridayand open Saturday from 9a.m. to noon. For furtherinformation or for anyonewanting to sign up for curb-side recycling, call 552-7080.When coming to the RecycleCenter, individuals must stayin their vehicles and areencouraged to have items intheir trunk or hatch.
