President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times and reporters Peter Baker, Michael Schmidt, Susanne Craig, and Russ Buettner, according to court documents filed on September 16th. The lawsuit stems from the news organization's reporting on the President. This development coincides with new polling data released this morning regarding the New York gubernatorial race. A hypothetical two-way contest shows Zohran Mamdani leading Andrew Cuomo with 49% of likely voters compared to Cuomo's 39%, according to Marist Poll. Another poll, conducted between September 8th and 11th and including multiple candidates, shows Mamdani with 45%, Cuomo with 24%, Curtis Sliwa with 17%, and Eric Adams with 9%, with 5% undecided. Favorable ratings for the candidates were also released, with Zohran Mamdani at 52% favorable and 40% unfavorable. Curtis Sliwa registered 51% favorable and 35% unfavorable. Eric Adams had 68% unfavorable and 28% favorable, while Andrew Cuomo had 59% unfavorable and 39% favorable. President Trump's favorable rating was 65% unfavorable and 33% favorable. In separate legal news, Governor Abbott's lawyers are reportedly committed to a metaphor involving a "robot chef" in their legal battle over redrawn congressional maps, according to court documents. Separately, online accounts shared a sentiment regarding political discourse, stating, "WE NEED TO DESTROY OUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS! OPEN CIVIL WAR!!!" followed by a statement indicating 95% of Americans respond to this with the depicted sentiment. Previous reports indicated that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook was cleared of tax violations in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This clearance came amidst an ouster attempt by President Trump, who had cited alleged mortgage fraud. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has prevented Trump from removing Cook before a Federal Open Market Committee meeting, a decision that followed Trump's earlier announcement to remove her. Additionally, Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated a distinction between free speech and hate speech, stating that there is "no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society" for hate speech and that those targeting others with it will be pursued.
