NEWS RSS Streams

1. G7 nations will release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel fuel after prices soar  BNN Bloomberg
2. Europe to release reserve oil and diesel after threats from Trump  Global News
3. World in Brief: G7 to release oil reserves; Russia targets Kyiv’s bridges  The Economist
4. G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ban threat  Yahoo News Canada
5. ‘Blackmail’: Europe fumes against White House demand for more diesel  Politico

1. G7 nations will release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel fuel after prices soar  BNN Bloomberg
2. Europe to release reserve oil and diesel after threats from Trump  Global News
3. G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ban threat  Yahoo News Canada
4. ‘Blackmail’: Europe fumes against White House demand for more diesel  Politico
5. Canada and other G7 nations agree to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel to curb price spikes  Financial Post

The brigade is among 20 organisations the police have compiled evidence against since 2017.

Russian strikes on Kyiv, the flydubai plane incident, student protests in Paris and Mount Etna erupts – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing

Continue reading...

1. Flu, COVID-19 vaccines available as of Oct. 13  CHCO TV26
2. Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are underway. Here’s each province’s approach  Global News
3. Updated COVID-19, flu vaccines available in N.B. on Oct. 13  CBC
4. Flu and COVID vaccine rollout announced  Thunder Bay News - TBNewsWatch.com
5. COVID-19, flu shots available to New Brunswickers later this month  CTV News

Far-left streamer Hasan Piker is getting dragged online after calling for Texas Senate nominee James Talarico to "play ball" by governing as a leftist if elected in this year's midterms.

Talarico, running to be the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas in more than three decades, has publicly realigned on some of his more radical stances and tried to campaign on a more moderate platform despite his previous comments.

But Piker, who has gained prominence through his relationship with socialist-aligned Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, appears to want Talarico to pull a bait-and-switch if he wins in November.

"Hopefully, after James Talarico wins, we’ve got to hold him to account," Piker said during a campus event at the University of Texas at Austin. "We've got to make sure that he doesn’t become another, ‘do nothing Democrat’ ‘business as usual,’ and we've got to keep up that pressure.

HASAN PIKER SPEAKS TO UT AUSTIN STUDENTS AFTER BACKLASH FROM TEXAS LAWMAKERS

As his campaign has progressed, Talarico has rolled back on some of his controversial statements like his claim that "God is non-binary." But he continues to back progressive policies like universal healthcare, arguing his beliefs stem from "biblical grounds."

Piker's recent remarks quickly became ammunition for Republicans. Talarico’s opponent, GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pounced, claiming that Piker is saying the quiet part out loud and showing the pressure Talarico could face from the party's left flank if he were to ascend to the U.S. Senate representing the Lone Star State.

"James Talarico is bought and paid for by the Democratic Socialists," Paxton posted in response to Piker’s comments on Talarico. "And if he wins, they'll cash in at YOUR expense: raising your taxes and making life more expensive to pay for their radical agenda. Texas can't afford Talarico."

Ted Cruz said on X: "When they tell you who they are…believe them."

EL-SAYED TRIES TO PUT THE HASAN PIKER DEBATE BEHIND HIM AS MIDTERMS APPROACH

"James Talarico will be nothing more than a puppet of the radical left," Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas posted.

Piker erupted in the left-wing party over the past couple years, most notably campaigning with El-Sayed. Democrats, including El-Sayed, are now distancing themselves from Piker after many of his controversial statements caught heat — like his claim that "America deserved 9/11."

"Hasan ‘America Deserved 9/11’ Piker expects James Talarico would support his extreme agenda & be beholden to his base," Fox News Political Analyst Guy Benson warned.

"He think he’s a mafia boss, and with the psychotic state of today’s Democrat party, he’s kinda right…" Dave Rubin posted.

New York City Council member Vickie Paladino said, "Hasan Piker says he’s the one actually in charge of the Democrat party."

Piker’s comments, mixed with Talarico’s back-and-forth from progressive to moderate rhetoric, have sparked skepticism about the direction the Texas Democrat would take in governing if elected.

"Here we have Hasan Piker—an outspoken socialist, hater of Israel and opponent of capitalism — telling us exactly what he expects from James Talarico if elected," one user posted. "He says, ‘We gotta remind [James] that we are the force that backed him…’ and got him elected and that we expect him to remember that and fall in line. Every Republican, Independent and even common-sense Democrat even thinking about voting for Talarico needs to see this and think deeply about it."

"A huge reason not to vote for Talarico he has to answer to the Fascist wing of his party," another posted. "No thanks."

TALARICO SAYS HE 'MISSED THE MARK' AS HE BACKTRACKS ON CONTROVERSIAL WOKE STATEMENTS

Other users on social media argued Piker’s comments are irrelevant to Talarico’s campaign, and would not impact the agenda he would bring to the Senate if elected.

"Hasan needs to shut the hell up," a X user named Adam Cochran posted. "He has nothing to do with Talarico’s campaign. Talarico’s campaign is the success of Talarico’s morals, policies and his hard working team’s outreach to the people of Texas."

"What is Hasan even talking about," another user posted. "Talarico isn’t DSA and doesn’t owe DSA anything. He will be a senator that represents Texans, not California Socialists like Hasan."

Talarico’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way Canadians live, work, and connect. The speed, scale, and intensity of this transformation present both opportunities and challenges. Canada’s government has a pragmatic, ambitious, and informed plan to ensure all Canadians are empowered to use AI in a safe and sovereign way.

AI for All is the government’s new national strategy to ensure that AI is adopted responsibly, in a way that truly serves all Canadians – building trust, expanding opportunities, and reinforcing our sovereignty. With investments, programs, and new measures underway, the strategy will help position Canada as a global leader in this field.

As AI becomes all-encompassing, spanning sectors, industries, and geography, an increasingly wide range of expertise and experience is required to understand and effectively harness this technology. To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced the launch of a new council to provide independent, practical advice on Canada’s AI transformation.

The Prime Minister’s National Council on Artificial Intelligence will bring together public and private stakeholders and advise on the evolution of the government’s AI for All strategy, including accelerating adoption, fostering national champions, and building sovereign AI infrastructure. Its members will advise on making AI safer, protecting our democracy, and ensuring that all Canadians prosper from AI.

The Council will convene Canada’s leading thinkers, builders, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, public servants, and international experts to advise on current challenges associated with AI, while helping to generate new ideas, partnerships, AI-focused missions, and initiatives. This includes world-leading experts on AI safety, governance, and oversight.

The Prime Minister is pleased to announce the following members:

• Ajay Agrawal
• Yoshua Bengio
• Sanja Fidler
• John Graham
• Gillian Hadfield
• Jordan Jacobs
• Eric Lamarre
• Valérie Pisano
• Senator Thomas Pitfield
• Jody Thomas
• Louis Vachon
• Michelle Zatlyn
• Patrick Pichette (ex officio)

Canada’s AI strategy is built around three clear objectives: building trust in AI, expanding opportunity for Canadians, and strengthening Canada’s sovereign control over critical AI capabilities. With the advice of the new National Council on Artificial Intelligence, the government will focus on turning Canadian innovation into stronger companies, better public services, good jobs, and greater economic security.

Quote

“Prosperity and sovereignty in the age of AI belong to nations that can build, adopt, and govern AI on their own terms. This is Canada’s mission and it will require expertise and leadership from across the field. The new National Council on Artificial Intelligence will inform and advise the government on how to most effectively deploy AI in Canada – how to manage the risks, seize the opportunities, and ensure AI is used to improve the lives of all Canadians.”

The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick facts

• The Prime Minister’s National Council on Artificial Intelligence will provide independent, practical, and timely expert advice on Canada’s AI transformation. It will help connect public and private stakeholders, and identify opportunities for coordinated action in support of AI for All.
  • Its work will help support Canada’s prosperity, opportunity, and sovereignty, including economic competitiveness, AI adoption, government transformation, talent, research, and sovereign infrastructure.
  • The Council will advise on cross-cutting issues affecting the implementation and evolution of Canada’s AI for All strategy.
  • The Council will be supported by a small team within the Privy Council Office, while responsible ministers and departments will remain accountable for policy decisions and implementation.
• In June, Canada launched AI for All, its new national AI strategy. Over the next five years, this strategy will ensure AI is adopted responsibly, in a way that truly serves all Canadians – building trust, expanding opportunities, and reinforcing control of our sovereignty.
  • As we deliver this strategy, we must build responsibly and be guided by leaders who understand this technology and can shape it to create benefits for Canadian families, workers, and businesses.
• At its core, AI for All is grounded in the principle that the benefits of AI must be shared widely, ensuring that workers, businesses, and all Canadians can access and benefit from this transformation.
• The AI for All strategy targets an additional $200 billion of economic growth to create 250,000 new AI-related jobs over the next five years and to increase AI adoption from just over 12% to 60% by 2034. The strategy will provide up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians and make our industries more competitive in the global economy.
• Last month, the Prime Minister launched Digital Transformation Canada, a new federal organisation to modernise government service delivery and use the government’s purchasing power to help Canadian digital and AI companies scale and commercialise new technologies.
• AI is already being used across Canada to improve health care diagnostics and patient care, help farmers increase crop yields and reduce costs through precision agriculture, and strengthen transportation networks through smarter traffic management, logistics, and infrastructure maintenance.

Diesel has now hit an average of £2 a litre in the UK, the RAC motoring group says, with petrol prices also rising.

Diesel has now hit an average of £2 a litre in the UK, the RAC motoring group says, with petrol prices also rising.

Ahead of a live performance in the Royal Albert Hall, the writer Mark Herman explains why he’s not surprised it’s one of the new Prime Minister’s favourites and a why film like this wouldn’t get made now

It is one of the prime minister’s all-time favourite films and has endured in the hearts of the British public since it was released in 1996. Ostensibly a story about a small town colliery band’s journey to the finals of Britain’s biggest brass band competition at the Royal Albert Hall, Brassed Off is unashamedly political.

“I think the people who went expecting a political film got the bonus of a bit of a comedy,” says its writer, Mark Herman, three decades on. “And the people who went expecting comedy got the bonus of the political message. I think anybody who went got a sort of bonus they might not have expected.

Continue reading...

Kemi Badenoch has a lot to say about Labour and Reform UK but none of it amounts to a coherent alternative programme for government

The Conservative party is far from the margin of British politics, but it has yet to recover the relevance to which it feels historically entitled. The Tories are flattered by their status as the official opposition in parliament. In the wider country, Reform UK has set the agenda on the right, overtaking Kemi Badenoch’s party in opinion polls and poaching MPs from her benches.

But Nigel Farage’s progress has stalled. Scrutiny of Reform’s finances has made its leader look shifty. Competition from Restore Britain, an extreme nationalist party, has denied Mr Farage the luxury of taking far-right votes for granted. Pandering to a hardcore audience makes it difficult for Reform to affect the moderation required to capture more Tory and Labour votes.

Continue reading...

From Oprah Winfrey to Dua Lipa, there is no shortage of celebrity literary champions. But the former US leader is in a class of his own

At the Labour party conference Andy Burnham revealed that Hamlet, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Tony Harrison’s poem V are his favourite works of literature. The UK’s first prime minister with an English literature degree was not the only political figure sharing his book choices last week. Barack Obama, the US’s most literary president since Abraham Lincoln, launched a new podcast in which he discusses six books that shaped him with writer friends.

First up was the actor – and recently turned short story writer – Tom Hanks on Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, a meditation on faith, fatherhood and forgiveness in the form of a letter written by a 76-year-old pastor to his son. It was an unabashedly highbrow start. With the exception of John le Carré’s cold war classic Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Mr Obama’s selections are American: Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, James Baldwin’s essays The Fire Next Time and Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men. Questions of democracy, race, power and violence are all here.

Continue reading...

American is joining other carriers that allow customers to book with a combination of points and miles.

1. Europe to release reserve oil and diesel after threats from Trump  Global News
2. G7 nations agree to release 100 million barrels of oil, including diesel, amid energy crunch  CBC
3. President Donald Trump Is "Very Seriously" Thinking About Curbing Diesel Exports, but the Repercussions Could Be Disastrous  The Globe and Mail
4. Trump Says US to Hold Off on Diesel Export Ban After G7 Release  Bloomberg.com
5. World in Brief: G7 to release oil reserves; Russia targets Kyiv’s bridges  The Economist

The Group of Seven industrial nations said Friday that they plan to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products in the coming weeks.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump are seen in this combination of pictures created on Dec. 2, 2025. —Pablo Porciuncula, Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is following the upcoming Brazilian election “very closely,” referring to Brazil as a “very important" country. "The people of Brazil are fantastic people,” he told reporters outside the White House. “It’s a very important election.”

The U.S. State Department later announced the suspension of its consular services in Brazil ahead of the election taking place on Sunday, citing unspecified security concerns. “U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance during this time should not come to the Embassy, the Consulates, or other U.S. diplomatic facilities,” the security alert advised.

Brazilians are heading to the polls for a set of federal elections spanning congressional and gubernatorial races, alongside the first round of the presidential election votes. It’s set to be a decisive moment for Latin America’s largest nation, as the region has seen a shift toward the right in recent years. An Oct. 25 runoff is expected, as polls show a tight contest between leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted last year for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump led the conservative voices denouncing the conviction, referring to the trial as a “witch hunt.”

While Trump has acknowledged his active interest as Brazil votes on its political future, there are concerns he could be too involved. Trump and his Administration have been accused of attempting to interfere with the high-stakes overseas election.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in late September, Democratic lawmakers expressed “grave concern” over what they referred to as “the Administration’s coordinated effort to threaten our strategic alliance with Brazil and undermine the Western Hemisphere’s second-largest democracy ahead of its upcoming presidential election.”

“Over the course of President Trump’s second term, we have seen U.S. officials engage in a sustained, multifaceted campaign of interference and destabilization in Brazil,” the lawmakers said in the Sept. 24 letter, signed by 30 House Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democratic Party.

In another letter sent to Rubio on Monday, three Democratic Senators voiced similar concerns about potential U.S. interference.

“This effort first escalated sharply during the summer of 2025, with the [U.S.] Administration deploying tariffs and targeted sanctions to attempt to shape the Brazilian Supreme Court’s verdict in the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges of attempting to foment a military coup to stay in power,” said the Senators, noting that the tariff pressure escalated in July this year when the Trump Administration moved to impose a new 25% tariff on many imports from Brazil—a decision labeled a “lamentable milestone” by Lula’s office.

The Senators argued that the “campaign directed at Brazil’s authorities resumed with the appointment of Darren Beattie as a senior advisor on Brazil issues in the State Department.” Beattie served as a White House speech writer in Trump’s first term, but was axed for attending a gathering of white supremacists. He returned to the fold early on in Trump’s second term. When serving as undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs last year, he called one of Brazil’s Supreme Court Judges a “key architect of the censorship and persecution complex directed against Bolsonaro and his supporters.” 

Accusing the Trump Administration of using “diplomatic, economic, and political pressure in ways that risk weakening [Brazil’s] democratic institutions [and] undermining confidence in Brazil's electoral process,” the Senators closed the letter by asking the Administration to “commit to recognizing the certified outcome of Brazil's 2026 democratic elections.”

The White House has staunchly rejected claims of interference in Brazil’s elections.

“Conservative leaders are winning elections across the Western Hemisphere on their own merit because everyone sees the success of President Trump’s policies,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement to TIME. “These claims are nonsense.”

President Lula has also expressed concern over Trump’s interest in his country’s election. “I have already told President Trump it is very important that the U.S. do not interfere in Brazil’s elections,” he said in a Sept. 22 interview. “Brazilian elections are the concern of the Brazilian people. American elections are the concern of the American people.”

Lula added that he is “very worried about Marco Rubio,” claiming that the U.S. Secretary of State “is very closely connected to Bolsonaro’s people,” though he stressed that this was only “suspicion.” TIME has reached out to the State Department for comment.

How the Trump Administration has been accused of meddling in Brazil’s affairs

Trump has not formally endorsed either candidate in Brazil’s presidential race, but his defense of former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who was last year sentenced to 27 years in prison, is well documented.

After Trump criticized the trial proceedings as a “terrible thing” in July 2025, the Trump Administration increased pressure on Brazil’s government by imposing punishing 50% tariffs— extended in part due to Bolsonaro’s treatment in the courts—and directing the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate trade relations with the country.

The State Department added to the pressure later that same month, when Rubio called Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ actions a “political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro” and announced visa restrictions on Moraes, unspecified judicial allies, and their immediate families.

Feliciano de Sá Guimarães, an associate professor at the Institute of International Relations at the University of São Paulo, says Lula was able to turn the economic pressure into a political argument of his own.

“Lula realized that he could play [these threats] in his favor for electoral purposes,” he says, explaining that Lula used the concept of “rally round the flag,” meaning that once a country is targeted by another, “the incumbent President can rally the people and say, ‘look our sovereignty is under attack.’”

The theme of sovereignty has featured prominently in Lula’s 2026 government manifesto, which points to Trump’s tariffs as damaging the Brazilian economy.

Guimarães says the U.S. Administration has since slightly altered its strategy, favoring an approach that could instead benefit Lula’s opposition.

Flávio Bolsonaro met with Trump, Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House in May. Trump later described the Brazilian lawmaker as a “smart young man, who loves his country very much.” Shortly after that meeting, the U.S. Administration on May 28 designated Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho—two Brazilian gangs—as terrorist organizations, with Bolsonaro appearing to take credit for the move in the media.

Guimarães says the issue may have resonated in Brazil due to public concerns about crime.

“Brazilians are so desperate with the situation of crime in the country that they are resorting to support any initiative, whether it's coming from the federal government or a foreign power to fix the problem,” Guimarães explains, so the move could be seen to strengthen Bolsonaro’s chances with the electorate.

Economic pressure has continued as well. After ordering the USTR to investigate Brazil’s trade practices last year, the office imposed 25% tariffs on the country in July under Section 301, for what it described as unfair trade practices.

Other disputes have further heightened diplomatic tensions. At the end of July, Brazil denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials, accusing them of trying to interfere in the upcoming election. Shortly afterward, Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti had her U.S. visa revoked.

Is the Trump Administration influencing Latin America’s rightward-turn?

Since returning to office, Trump has sought to exert U.S. influence more directly across Latin America.

In November 2025, the Trump Administration released its National Security Strategy, which highlighted a return to U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere and the beginning of the implementation of the "Donroe Doctrine," an informal term for Trump’s reinterpretation of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.

“The corollary of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is trying to stop the influence of extra regional powers in Latin America, mainly China,” says Guimarães.

Trump has also showcased his support for right-wing candidates across the region.

In 2025, he endorsed close ally Javier Milei in Argentina’s midterm elections and supported Tito Asfura to become the next President of Honduras.

In June, he gave his “complete and total endorsement” to right-wing challenger Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia's June presidential election. (The Trump-backed populist went on to win the race.)

In response to Trump’s endorsement, House Democrats had sent a letter to Rubio expressing concern over what they said was “the brazen interference of senior U.S. officials, including President Trump” in Colombia’s election. “This interference involves the full-throated endorsement of Abelardo de la Espriella, a candidate with a profoundly troubling record that appears to run counter to U.S. interests and potentially to U.S. laws,” the lawmakers said.

But perhaps one of the most significant displays of American power came when the U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife during an overnight operation in January and brought them to New York to face narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president, has since adopted a friendlier posture toward the U.S. Administration, enabling access to the country’s oil. In an interview with TIME conducted in late September, Trump heralded the operation in Venezuela as an “incredible” feat and one of the “great things” he’s achieved in his presidency.

“The main reason the [U.S. Administration] will always prefer a right-winger more aligned with the United States, is so they can sell to domestic audiences that, at least in Latin America, Trump's policy is to some extent an effective foreign policy,” Guimarães says.

The State Department under Rubio’s direction has been key in the Trump Administration’s approach to Brazil, Guimarães says.

He cites the creation of the Shield of Americas, a U.S.-led security and political coalition launched in March to fight drug cartels and transnational crime across the Western Hemisphere, as an example. Brazil has not joined the initiative.

Guimarães calls it an “initiative launched by Rubio who wants to bring all Latin American countries under the yoke of the United States to fight organized crime,” and argues that Lula’s resistance could fuel Rubio’s interest in seeing a right-wing government take power, as Bolsonaro has promised to integrate Brazil into the security initiative if he wins the presidential election.

This article originally appeared on Time at https://time.com/article/2026/10/01/trump-brazil-election-interference-accusations-lula-bolsonaro-tensions/

Police said the probe began in June when a 15-year-old girl was reportedly lured through telecommunications.

New York's attorney general will investigate the rape allegation.

A sexual assault lawsuit involving a Cornell University fraternity has thrust an often-overlooked part of New York's rape law into the spotlight, prompting renewed calls to change how the state handles cases involving intoxicated victims.

The issue gained new attention after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to file criminal charges stemming from allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has since appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the criminal investigation while also calling for lawmakers to revisit the state's consent laws.

MAMDANI ROASTED OVER ASSERTION THAT HIGHER NYC RAPES COME FROM 'EXPANDED DEFINITION'

The Associated Press reported the renewed focus centers on what critics have dubbed the "voluntary intoxication loophole," a provision in New York law that can make it more difficult to prosecute certain sexual assault cases involving voluntarily intoxicated victims.

New York criminal defense attorney and former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Bederow said the debate largely turns on one legal concept: mental incapacity.

Under New York law, a person who is mentally incapacitated cannot legally consent to sexual activity. But Bederow said the statute draws an important distinction between someone who unknowingly became intoxicated and someone who voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs.

"If somebody slipped you something like a date rape drug and it somehow severely impacted your mental capacity, but you didn't voluntarily take that, that very well would support a theory of lack of consent," Bederow told Fox News Digital. "But if you drink yourself into an oblivion, that theory of lack of consent as a matter of law would not apply."

Instead, prosecutors must rely on other legal theories, including forcible compulsion, physical helplessness or evidence the person clearly refused consent, he said.

That distinction has become one of the central issues in the Cornell case.

‘LOOKSMAXXING’ INFLUENCER ‘CLAVICULAR’ CHARGED AFTER TEEN ALLEGES ATTACK AT FAMILY’S CAPE COD HOME

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in a civil lawsuit, alleges she was sexually assaulted at the university's Chi Phi fraternity house after being pressured into consuming ketamine, marijuana and alcohol before becoming incapacitated.

Van Houten said his office initially declined to pursue criminal charges because the woman's original statement to police did not indicate she became intoxicated against her will, was physically forced into sex or was unconscious during the alleged assault. He has since reopened the investigation.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Critics argue the law can leave prosecutors unable to pursue some sexual assault cases involving victims who voluntarily became intoxicated before the alleged assault.

Bederow said changing the law could force courts to grapple with whether someone truly lacked the capacity to consent or instead consented at the time and later regretted the encounter.

CONVICTED PREDATORS FACE LIFETIME BARRIER UNDER GOP LAWMAKER’S SWEEPING VICTIM PROTECTION BILL

"If you change this law, you're going to have situations where people are later asked to determine whether someone truly lacked the capacity to consent or whether they consented in the moment and later regretted it," he said.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

"It’s very messy. It's tricky. There's a lot of nuance here. People need to understand how this works in real life," Bederow said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB

The Cornell allegations have also renewed efforts to change the law in Albany.

SEND US A TIP

Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz has been pushing legislation since 2019 that would eliminate the distinction between voluntary and involuntary intoxication when determining whether someone could legally consent to sex. Although the proposal has received support from prosecutors and victim advocates, it has repeatedly stalled.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Hochul has now thrown her support behind changing the law.

"Choosing to have a drink is not consent, and it's never a license for sexual assault," Hochul wrote on X. "New York law should reflect that.

"I support closing the voluntary intoxication loophole and will work with the Legislature to get it done," the governor added.

New York isn't alone. It's one of 19 states whose sexual assault laws generally treat someone as legally unable to consent because of intoxication only if they were drugged or became intoxicated without their knowledge or consent.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Some states have started changing those laws. Minnesota did so in 2021 after its Supreme Court threw out a sexual assault conviction involving a voluntarily intoxicated victim. Michigan followed in 2023, and Texas made similar changes in 2025.

New York lawmakers have tried for years to change the law, but the Cornell case has renewed momentum behind those efforts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Halle Berry's lawyer denied the allegations and referred to Olivier Martinez's court filing as 'entirely meritless and deliberately misleading.'