Month: March 2021

After reaching a “trigger point” with the White House over Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in the Cabinet, Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth is “very pleased” with the response to her concerns, she said on ABC News’ “Powerhouse Politics” podcast Wednesday.

She told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein that the “trigger point” that caused her to threaten to block Biden’s nominees was a White House representative bringing up Vice President Kamala Harris to convince her the Cabinet was diverse enough.

“I said ‘whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute, I love Kamala she’s my sister,'” she said. “‘She’s brilliant, and she and I came into the Senate together. And she is as Asian as I am, we’re both half Asian. But you would never say to the Black Caucus, you have Kamala, there’s no need to nominate any more members of the Black community to key Cabinet positions. I mean, you wouldn’t even say, hey, you’ve got a white male president, there’s no need to have any more white males in the Cabinet — right? So why would you say that to Asians?'”

“I think that is illustrative of the otherness (in how) AAPI’s have been treated in this country,” she added. “And I do talk about that in the book where I say, you know, you’re always sort of like the other. You’re always having to prove that you’re American enough, that you’re part of this country.”

The Illinois senator’s new memoir, “Every Day is a Gift,” came out March 30. The book shares stories from her life including her recovery after an RPG shot down her helicopter in Iraq and took both of her legs. She also discusses her experiences as a senator, including “Babygate,” when she fought to bring her newborn onto the floor of the Senate, and her experience as an Asian American woman in America.

Duckworth raised the issue of diversity in Biden’s Cabinet following an increase in incidents of anti-Asian hate since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

“And I will tell you that the White House heard me,” she said. “They responded within 24 hours, and they said ‘absolutely, and we’re starting by putting a very senior staffer in the West Wing who will have the ability to say to the president or have the ability to say to his key advisers, ‘wait a minute, you’ve overlooked this,’ and that person will be of AAPI descent.'”

Duckworth also discussed President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan on “Powerhouse Politics.” The proposal, which is expected to cost $2 trillion, includes funding for modernizing transportation infrastructure, eliminating lead pipes and expanding broadband access.

“This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime efforts that is going to really bring America back to the status of a global leader economically and creates just so many jobs in this country that are so badly needed right now,” she said.

Duckworth said parts of the plan will pay for themselves, like fixing leaking water pipelines. She added that the plan could be paid for through increasing the gas tax, although a gas tax increase is not in Biden’s proposal.

“It was actually the trucking industry that came to us and said ‘we’re spending more money stuck in road congestion and fixing and repairing our trucks because of the bad quality of the streets in this country,'” Duckworth said. “‘We would rather raise the gas tax, and pay that because that will save us money in the long run.'”

When Karl pressed Duckworth on the gas tax, noting that it would impact all Americans, including those with low incomes, she pointed to tax credits as a way of alleviating that pain.

“I don’t have a problem with going and revoking the tax cuts for the ultra-rich and for large corporations that the Republicans passed just a few years ago. That will not affect working families in this country,” Duckworth said. “So there are ways to do this. I’m happy to be bipartisan about it, but the key thing here is that if we don’t do this, it’s going to cost us more in the long run, in terms of losses to businesses, in terms of where the country will be, in terms of not having the jobs that we need.”

Duckworth also shared her experience during the Jan. 6 insurrection and connected it to the title of her book, which she called “a love letter to America.”

“Betrayal is the best that I can describe how I felt and how I still feel today,” she said. “But after all that, this democracy, this country, despite all of our divides and what happened then, is still worth it. We are– it’s still worth working towards that more perfect union.”

The alleged suspect who was caught on video repeatedly kicking a 65-year-old Asian American woman in New York City as witnesses seemingly stood by has been arrested, police said.

The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Brandon Elliot, faces several charges, including assault as a hate crime and attempted assault as a hate crime, according to the New York City Police Department.

The attack occurred on Monday at around 11:40 a.m. local time in front of an apartment building in Midtown Manhattan. Police released surveillance footage that showed a man approaching the woman on the sidewalk and kicking her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. The man then kicks the woman in the face multiple times while making “anti-Asian statements toward her” before casually walking away, police said.

The woman suffered “serious physical injury” and was hospitalized in stable condition, according to police.

Investigators learned that Elliot lives in a nearby hotel that serves as a homeless shelter. He was taken into custody before dawn Wednesday after police spent hours watching the hotel and the neighborhood.

Elliot served 17 years in New York state prison after he was convicted of fatally stabbing his mother in 2002. He was released on lifetime parole in 2019, police said.

The video of Monday’s attack also shows people inside of the building lobby who appear to stop what they are doing to watch the incident unfold. One of them then shuts the door as the suspect walks away and the woman is left on the ground.

The Brodsky Organization, the company that owns the building, said that two lobby staff members who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunction with their union. The company condemned racism and violence against the Asian American community.

“We are extremely distraught by the horrific attack that occurred outside our building, and our hearts go out to the victim. We have been working closely with the NYPD, elected officials, and civic leaders to provide any information and to seek justice,” the Brodsky Organization said in a statement Tuesday. “We take this situation very seriously, and are committed to strengthening internal training and working with our community to ensure the safety of our residents and neighbors.”

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “very disturbing” and “disgusting.”

“You try to make sense of it and you can’t,” Shea told NY1 in a recent interview. “I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that.”

Also on Monday, another individual was captured on cellphone video violently punching and choking an Asian American man on a subway train in Brooklyn. The New York City Police Department said it “is aware of this video and is investigating.”

Anyone with information regarding either incident was urged to call the New York City Police Department’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Since Friday, the New York City Police Department has ramped up patrols in predominately Asian communities, including the Queens neighborhood of Flushing and Chinatown, according to Shea.

“An attack on one group is an attack on all,” he told NY1.

It’s the latest in a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans in New York City and across the nation. The coronavirus pandemic and its suspected origins in the Chinese city of Wuhan is cited as having led to a fresh onslaught of anti-Asian discrimination in the United States that has waged on for over year.

From March 19, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, there were more than 3,795 hate incidents, including verbal harassment and physical assault, against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization that tracks such incidents.

On March 16, a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, in three separate shootings at spas in the Atlanta area. Rallies have been held in dozens of U.S. cities in recent weeks calling for an end to anti-Asian violence.

The United States has ordered some American diplomats and their loved ones to evacuate Myanmar amid escalating violence two months after the military junta seized power.

The U.S. Department of State announced in a brief statement Tuesday that it would require non-essential U.S. government employees and their family members to depart the conflict-torn Southeast Asian nation. That means only a skeleton crew, including the U.S. ambassador, will stay behind in Yangon, the country’s commercial capital and largest city.

The order is an upgrade of the State Department’s previous instructions from Feb. 14 that had allowed those individuals to leave voluntarily.

The State Department also repeated an earlier warning for Americans not to travel to Myanmar, referring to the country as Burma, its former name under British colonial rule.

“The Burmese military has detained and deposed elected government officials,” the department said in the statement Tuesday. “Protests and demonstrations against military rule have occurred and are expected to continue.”

Although the U.S. embassy in Yangon will remain open to the public and continue to provide consular services, the State Department said it “has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens” in select Burmese townships with heightened civil unrest and armed violence “as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel to these locations.”

Myanmar plunged into turmoil after the country’s military ousted the civilian-led government on Feb. 1, detaining the de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other members of her National League for Democracy party. Peaceful protests against the apparent coup have erupted nationwide, spreading from city to city, despite weeks of internet shutdowns, threats and mass arrests.

But the junta, which calls itself the State Administration Council, has become increasingly violent in its efforts to quell the opposition, with security forces at times firing live rounds into crowds of demonstrators. On Saturday, as the military celebrated the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade in the capital, authorities elsewhere killed scores of protesters in what’s believed to be the deadliest bloodletting since the Feb. 1 coup. The death toll was reported to have surpassed 100, according to The Associated Press.

“On Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day, security forces are murdering unarmed civilians, including children, the very people they swore to protect,” U.S. Ambassador Thomas Vajda said in a statement Saturday. “This bloodshed is horrifying. These are not the actions of a professional military or police force. Myanmar’s people have spoken clearly: They do not want to live under military rule. We call for an immediate end to the violence and the restoration of the democratically elected government.”

As of Tuesday, a total of 2,608 people were detained in Myanmar in relation to the Feb. 1 coup, and 521 others have been killed, though the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights organization based in Yangon.

A 26-year-old activist who is on the front lines of the anti-coup protest movement and spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity said she lives in a neighborhood where demonstrations take place every day. She said it’s safer nowadays to live in an area with protests because the military is raiding homes and shops with impunity in quieter areas and abusing residents.

Every few days, someone is shot in the arm or leg, she said. One of her fellow protesters recently was shot dead and their group had to fight to get the body back from authorities, who tried to remove it, she added.

Fleeing from gunfire every day once frightened her, but now she’s used to it, she said, and she knows that if they don’t protest the junta will win.

Since Saturday night, the military has also been conducting daily airstrikes in Myanmar’s southeastern Karen state, where an ethnic minority armed force is fighting for greater autonomy for the Karen minority. The Karen National Union, the leading political body representing the Karen people, said in a statement that many civilians, including children, have been injured or killed in the bombings and that its armed wing may have to respond. The attacks have forced thousands of Karen to go into hiding or flee into neighboring Thailand, according to Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian relief agency that provides medical assistance in the region.

The Karen National Union, which has battled government forces for more than 70 years, signed a ceasefire agreement with the central government in 2015 but tensions have surged since the Feb. 1 coup. The airstrikes are the most significant attacks the region has seen in years.

Meanwhile, the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization, another ethnic rebel group that has long fought for self-determination against the central government, has reportedly staged a series of attacks on government forces in northern Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup, signalling the deepening role of ethnic minority armed groups in support of the anti-coup movement.

The military previously ruled Myanmar for nearly 50 years before appearing to slowly transition to democratic rule a decade ago, holding its first general elections in years in 2015 — a landslide victory for the NLD. Suu Kyi had spent 15 years under house arrest while leading the struggle for democracy against the Burmese junta and was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her “nonviolent” efforts.

Suu Kyi is understood to have had a tentative shared power agreement with the military since she was named state counsellor in 2016, offering the government a veneer of democratic legitimacy as they embarked on a decade of reforms. The role of state counsellor, akin to a prime minister or a head of government, was created because Myanmar’s 2008 constitution barred Suu Kyi from becoming president because her late husband and children are foreign citizens.

The Nov. 8 general election was meant to be a referendum on Suu Kyi’s popular civilian government but her party expanded their seats in Parliament, securing a clear majority and threatening the military’s tight hold on power. The constitution guarantees the military 25% of seats in Parliament and control of several key ministries.

Suu Kyi’s newly elected government was supposed to convene for the first time on Feb. 1 but power was instead handed over to Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, who’s already under U.S. sanctions for his role in the military’s atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim minority. An order signed by the acting president granted full authority to Hlaing to run the country and declared a state of emergency that will last for at least one year, citing widespread voter fraud in the November election.

Hlaing’s office said in a statement that the military would hold a “free and fair general election” after the state of emergency ends. Voter rolls will be checked and the nation’s election commission, which last week rejected the military’s allegations of voter fraud, will be “re-established,” according to the statement.

Suu Kyi is still revered in Myanmar despite losing some of her international luster for her refusal to condemn the human rights abuses against the Rohingyas. She is believed to be under house arrest at her residence in the capital, Naypyidaw, and faces a slew of charges, including illegally importing walkie-talkie radios and inciting public unrest.

ABC News’ Sohel Uddin and Karson Yiu contributed to this report.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Tuesday denied that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl amid new reports that the Justice Department was investigating the alleged relationship — claiming the probe was part of an elaborate extortion scheme.

The investigation, first reported by The New York Times, began last summer and focuses on whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with an underage girl and paid for her to travel with him, and whether he violated federal sex trafficking laws, a source aware of the investigation confirmed to ABC News.

Gaetz told the Times that his lawyers were informed that he was the subject, not the target, of an investigation.

“I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false,” Gaetz told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in an interview Tuesday night. “That is false and records will bear that out to be false.”

The New York Times reported that the inquiry into Gaetz is part of a larger inquiry into Joel Greenberg, a former Florida official indicted last summer on charges that included sex trafficking of a child and financially supporting people in exchange for sex. Greenberg has pleaded not guilty.

On Fox News, Gaetz — who, according to an Axios report earlier on Tuesday, had been telling confidants he was considering retiring from Congress and possibly joining the right-wing media outlet Newsmax — appeared to confirm the investigation when he said he was approached by someone who claimed he could “make this investigation go away.”

“There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators,” Gaetz said, identifying the alleged extortionist as former DOJ official David McGee.

McGee did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment. In an interview with the Washington Post, McGee denied Gaetz’s claim that he was part of an extortion effort targeting the Florida congressman.

“It is completely false. It’s a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that he’s under investigation for sex trafficking of minors,” McGee told the Post. “I have no connection with that case at all, other than, one of a thousand people who have heard the rumors.”

“I do believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to smear me,” Gaetz said on Fox News.

In a statement from his office, Gaetz said he had been cooperating with authorities and that his father “has even been wearing a wire” at the FBI’s direction “to catch these criminals” seeking to extort him for $25 million.

Asked in the Fox News interview how long the investigation had been going on, Gaetz said “I don’t know,” and went on to suggest that someone is alleging there are “pictures of me with child prostitutes,” which he claimed was “obviously false.”

At one point during the interview, Gaetz claimed that two years ago he had dinner with Carlson and took along a “friend” who was “actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn’t cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme that she could face trouble.” But Carlson promptly denied knowing what Gaetz was talking about, responding: “I don’t remember the woman you’re speaking of or the context at all, honestly.”

After returning from a commercial break, Carlson called the segment “one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.”

U.S. President Joe Biden’s 3-year-old German shepherd, Major, is back in the doghouse for another biting incident that required medical attention.

Major “nipped” a National Park Service employee on the White House South Lawn on Monday afternoon, first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, Michael LaRosa, told ABC News in a statement Tuesday. “Out of an abundance of caution,” the employee went to the White House medical unit for treatment before returning to work “without injury,” LaRosa said.

“Major is still adjusting to his new surroundings,” he added.

The incident was first reported by CNN.

Major, who was adopted from the Delaware Humane Association by the Bidens in 2018, was involved in a separate biting incident on March 8 that caused a “minor injury” to an individual who also sought treatment from the White House medical unit, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the dog was “surprised by an unfamiliar person.” Psaki did not identify the individual or provide further details at the time, but CNN reported it was a Secret Service employee.

In a recent interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Biden defended his canine companion and said Major was receiving additional training at their family home in Delaware.

“Look, Major was a rescue pup,” the president said. “Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin.”

Biden suggested the dog overreacted because he wasn’t used to having strangers around. Major and the Bidens’ 12-year-old German shepherd, Champ, joined the first family at the White House in Washington, D.C. shortly after Inauguration Day.

“I guess what surprised me is the White House itself, living there. Every door you turn to, there’s a guy there in a black jacket,” Biden said. “You turn a corner and there’s two people you don’t know at all.”

“And he moves to protect,” the president said of Major. “But he’s a sweet dog. Eighty-five percent of the people there love him.”

Major was spotted on a walk with a White House staff member on the South Lawn on Monday evening, before Biden departed for his visit to the Vietnam War Memorial. The dog was leashed.

A large storm system is moving east across the U.S., with tornadoes and flash flooding expected in the South and a wintry blast to the north.

There were two reported tornadoes Tuesday in Mississippi and numerous damaging storm reports across the South from straight-line winds.

Flash flooding is ongoing in southern Tennessee Wednesday morning from heavy rain overnight. Local law enforcement is reporting that there were multiple water rescues.

Locally, more than 4 inches of rain fell in Tennessee overnight. A flash flood warning has been issued for the area.

There are several watches and warnings Wednesday as this storm moves through from the Plains and into the Northeast.

Severe weather is expected from Mississippi to North Carolina Wednesday, but the biggest threat for tornadoes will be in Alabama.

These severe storms could produce damaging straight-line winds from Georgia to North Carolina.

To the north, a winter-like air mass is moving in with snow expected for parts of the Northeast Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont. Locally, more than 10 inches of snow is possible by April 1.

Behind this storm system, it’s very cold for late March and early April.

Wind chills Wednesday morning are running in the teens and single digits in the northern Plains and the Great Lakes.

A freeze warning has been issued as far south as Arkansas and Kentucky.

This cold air mass will move east into the Northeast by Thursday night into Friday morning.

On Friday morning, wind chills will be in the teens and 20s for the I-95 corridor.

Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective against the virus in children ages 12 to 15, the companies announced in a press release Wednesday.

In a placebo-controlled trial of 2,260 adolescents, none of the participants who received the real vaccine developed COVID-19, the companies said.

Eighteen adolescents who received placebo, or fake, doses became infected with the virus, they said.

The COVID-19 vaccine was “well-tolerated” by the age group, the companies said, with participants experiencing a similar range of side effects as seen in older teens and young adults.

Experts say that ensuring vaccines are safe and effective in children will be crucial to ending the pandemic. Although children are less likely to die of COVID-19, it’s still possible for them to get sick and spread the virus.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement that he was “encouraged” by the clinical trial data, and that the company plans to submit the data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “in the coming weeks” to update its emergency use authorization to include children 12 and older.

The company hopes to start vaccinating children ages 12 to 15 “before the start of the next school year,” Bourla said.

Experts say it’s important to test vaccines in children to ensure they are safe and effective in the youngest members of society so that ultimately everyone is eligible to receive a potentially lifesaving vaccine.

Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech launched a global COVID-19 vaccine trial that will ultimately enroll 4,500 children between the ages of 6 months and 11 years old.

Their vaccine is currently authorized to be distributed in the U.S. for use in people ages 16 and up.

Other vaccine manufacturers have been moving to offer their vaccines to children. Moderna announced earlier this month that it would enroll 6,750 children ages 6 months to 12 years old in a clinical trial.

Johnson & Johnson also has said it intends to develop trials for children. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines have been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA for those ages 18 and older.

ABC News’ Eric Strauss contributed to this report.

The New York state legislature formally voted to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana for adults and expunge the records of people previously convicted of possession.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, the New York State Assembly voted 100-49 to pass the marijuana legalization bill.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has previously said he will sign the bill into law once it reaches his desk, and on Tuesday night, he reiterated that plan.

“Tonight, the New York State Legislature took the first step in a major leap forward for the Empire State by passing legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis,” he said in a statement. “For too long the prohibition of cannabis disproportionately targeted communities of color with harsh prison sentences and after years of hard work, this landmark legislation provides justice for long-marginalized communities, embraces a new industry that will grow the economy, and establishes substantial safety guards for the public.”

“New York has a storied history of being the progressive capital of the nation, and this important legislation will once again carry on that legacy,” he added. “I look forward to signing this legislation into law.”

Under the final legislation, 3 ounces of marijuana will be legal to possess for New Yorkers over 21 and the substance will have a 13% sales tax. The tax revenues will be broken up with 9% going to the state and 4% going to localities, according to the legislation.

Jawanza James Williams, the director of organizing at VOCAL-NY, said in a statement Tuesday night, “Today, the Assembly and the Senate modeled what democracy actually looks like when the legislature allows progressive movements to lead towards justice. Our movement did not fight simply for legalization’s sake, but worked for years to craft legislation rooted in racial and economic justice, in an effort to repair harms while also setting a new standard for anti-racist, class-conscious, and gender-expansive policymaking.”

“This is a massive success for all New Yorkers, especially the Black and brown survivors of racist prohibition,” Williams added.

The governor’s office said as many as 60,000 new jobs could be created and the state will generate $350 million in revenue annually, as a result of the new laws.

Residents will also be allowed to grow marijuana at home, with a limit of three mature plants for adults over 21 and six mature plants per household.

Anyone previously convicted of possessing an amount of marijuana now under the legal limit will automatically be subject to expungement and resentencing.

“We applaud the New York Legislature and the tireless work of advocates for their commitment to ending cannabis prohibition through a social justice-centered approach,” said Steve Hawkins, executive director at the Marijuana Policy Project. “We expect 2021 to be a record-breaking year for legislatures legalizing cannabis. More than two-thirds of Americans believe it’s time to end prohibition and this move represents the latest example of elected officials joining the chorus of support for legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults.”

Once the bill is signed, New York will be the 15th state to allow for recreational marijuana among adults. Voters chose to legalize marijuana in South Dakota last year, but the amendment is currently tied up in court.

The legislation will create the Office of Cannabis Management, which will regulate the sale and distribution of both recreational and medical marijuana, which was legalized in 2014.

A five-member board will lead the office with three members appointed by the governor and one appointed by each house of the legislature, according to the legislation.

Sales might not start until 2022, as the state will take time to establish its regulatory framework, legislative sources told ABC News.

“The legalization of marijuana is a racial and criminal justice imperative, and today’s vote is a critical step towards a fairer and more just system,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “For too long, people of color have been disproportionately impacted by an outdated and shortsighted marijuana prohibition, and it’s past time we right this wrong. We must also engineer an economy that will provide a much-needed boost to communities devastated by the war on drugs and COVID-19, and I am hopeful this will help to achieve that for New Yorkers.”

The Utah Jazz’s team charter was forced to return to the gate at Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday afternoon due to a bird strike.

A Utah Jazz spokesperson confirmed to ABC News the Jazz team charter “returned safely to the Salt Lake City airport today after a bird strike.”

Delta Fight 8944 departed Salt Lake City and on takeoff it was reported the plane hit a flock of birds. The engine was shut down as a precaution, the crew declared an emergency and then landed without incident. The plane taxied back to the gate.

The Jazz were leaving Salt Lake City to travel to Memphis. Utah is scheduled to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Utah has the best record in the NBA at 35-11, led by stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Several of the team’s players posted on social media following the scare, though none explicitly referred to the landing. Several players, including Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson simply posted prayer hands emojis.

Gobert posted, “It’s a beautiful day!”

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man who was caught on video repeatedly kicking a 65-year-old Asian American woman as witnesses seemingly stood by.

Police described the incident as a “hate crime assault.”

The attack occurred Monday at around 11:40 a.m. local time in front of an apartment building in Midtown Manhattan. Police released surveillance footage that shows the unidentified man approaching the woman on the sidewalk and kicking her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. The suspect then kicks the woman in the face multiple times while making “anti-Asian statements toward her” before casually walking away, police said.

The video also shows people inside of the building lobby who appear to stop what they are doing to watch the attack unfold. One of them then shuts the door as the suspect walks away and the woman is left on the ground.

The Brodsky Organization, the company that owns the building, announced in a statement Monday that the “staff who witnessed the attack have been suspended pending an investigation in conjunciton with their union.” The company said it “is also working to identify a third-party delivery vendor present during the incident so that appropriate action can be taken.”

“The Brodsky Organization condemns all forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia and violence against the Asian American community,” the company added.

The woman suffered “serious physical injury” and was hospitalized in stable condition, police said.

The New York City Police Department’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “very disturbing” and “disgusting.”

“You try to make sense of it and you can’t,” Shea told NY1 in a recent interview. “I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that.”

Also on Monday, another individual was captured on cellphone video violently punching and choking an Asian American man on a subway train in Brooklyn. The New York City Police Department said it “is aware of this video and is investigating.”

Anyone with information regarding either incidents is urged to call the New York City Police Department’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Since Friday, the New York City Police Department has ramped up patrols in predominately Asian communities, including the Queens neighborhood of Flushing and its Chinatown, according to Shea.

“An attack on one group is an attack on all,” he told NY1.

It’s the latest in a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans in New York City and across the nation. The coronavirus pandemic and its suspected origins in the Chinese city of Wuahn is cited as having led to a fresh onslaught of anti-Asian discrimination in the United States that has waged on for over year.

From March 19, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, there were more than 3,795 hate incidents, including verbal harassment and physical assault, against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization that tracks such incidents.

On March 16, a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, in three separate shootings at spas in the Atlanta area. Rallies have been held in dozens of U.S. cities in recent weeks calling for an end to anti-Asian violence.