Happening Today

Happening Today: Cuomo Meets Trump, Michael Valva, Weinstein Closing Arguments, Galentine's

Here's what to know for Thursday, February 13

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Cuomo to Meet Trump, Offer Changes to Get Global Entry Back for New Yorkers

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo will meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday to discuss the impasse over New Yorkers' access to the Global Entry program for travelers, and indicated New York will give federal officials access to a key database to restore access to the program. A spokeswoman for Cuomo later clarified, via tweet, that the access would only be to verify applicants to the Trusted Traveler Program -- and presumably not, as some have feared, for immigration enforcement. Earlier this week, New York officials filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's move to block New York residents from Global Entry and other programs that allow travelers to avoid long security lines at airports and borders.

NYPD Officer, Girlfriend Indicted in Son's Freezing Garage Murder to Appear in Court

An NYPD officer and his fiancee indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury in the death of the cop's 8-year-old son, who was allegedly left to freeze to death in a cold garage, will appear in court on Thursday. Michael Valva, 40, and his fiancee, Angela Pollina, are due in the county's family court for a hearing on allegations they also abused five other children living in their Center Moriches home. The couple were indicted last week in Thomas Valva's death. Detectives say the two forced Thomas to sleep in a cold garage at their home. By the time the little boy got to a hospital, his body temperature was only 76 degrees, possibly indicating an earlier time of death.

Closings Next as Weinstein Declines to Testify at Rape Trial

The defense has rested its case in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial. Now the stage is set for closing arguments beginning Thursday and deliberations starting early next week. The jury heard on Tuesday from the last of three key defense witnesses called to try to cast doubt on testimony by women who accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The 67-year-old Weinstein is charged with raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex in 2006 on a different woman. He's maintained any sexual encounters were consensual.

Women Celebrate Female Friendships on Galentine's Day

On Feb. 13, women will celebrate Galentine’s Day, a holiday trumpeting the joys of female friendships. The holiday can trace its origins to a 2010 episode of “Parks and Rec,” in which the main character, Leslie Knope, decides that the day before Valentine’s Day should be an opportunity to celebrate the platonic love among women, ideally with booze and breakfast food. In the years since the episode aired, the fictional holiday has caught on in the real world.

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