The Associated Press

The younger brother of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff - the loyal No. 2 at an investment firm that fronted a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme - pleaded guilty Friday, agreeing to serve 10 years in prison and saying he was "in total shock" when he learned of the fraud.

The House has approved a historic resolution to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress — the first time a sitting Cabinet member has been held in contempt.

The brother of Ponzi scheme king Bernard Madoff is scheduled to plead guilty in New York this week in the criminal case resulting from the multibillion-dollar fraud.

New Jersey had the fourth-best beach water quality in the nation last year, and New York ranked No 24 out of coastal states — while the number of closures or advisories doubled in the Empire State, according to a report.

A city lawyer told a federal appeals panel Tuesday that a judge who called New York City's Fire Department "a stubborn bastion of white male privilege" went way beyond his authority by effectively taking over the department's hiring process.

Composer and lyricist Richard Adler, who won Tony Awards for co-writing the songs for such hit musicals as "The Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees," has died. He was 90.

Police are looking for a man who stole a $150,000 Salvador Dali painting from a New York art gallery.

Andrew Sarris, a leading movie critic during a golden age for reviewers who popularized the French reverence for directors and inspired debate about countless films and filmmakers, died Wednesday. He was 83.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers have agreed on legislation to strengthen the way the state treats New Yorkers with special needs and disabilities, a system marred by decades of abuse and death.

A New Yorker accused of trying to start what prosecutors called "a mini al-Qaida cell" pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of conspiracy and providing material support to a terrorist organization.

New York City Comptroller John Liu says the city's income tax system is unfair and top earners should pay more. He released a plan on Thursday that would cut taxes for 99 percent of the city's residents, while boosting tax rates for joint filers who earn more than $500,000 a year.

Henry Hill, who went from small-time gangster to big-time celebrity when his life as a mobster-turned-FBI informant became the basis for the Martin Scorsese film "Goodfellas," died Tuesday. He was 69.

Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly have reached agreement among themselves on a framework for next year's state budget.

Gov. Chris Christie is asking his cabinet members to prepare contingency plans in case he needs to shut down New Jersey's government if he can't reach an agreement on a new budget.

The Coast Guard says two hoax calls reporting an explosion on a motor yacht off central New Jersey came from land and the rescue effort cost the agency tens of thousands of dollars.

New York City is considering privatizing its parking meters.

Federal officials say a health program for first responders and New Yorkers stricken by toxic dust unleashed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center should be expanded to include 50 types of cancer.

A New York judge is letting a lawsuit proceed against city police officers in the arrest of 700 "Occupy Wall Street" protesters last year as they marched across the the Brooklyn Bridge.

Suicides are surging among America's troops, averaging nearly one a day this year - the fastest pace in the nation's decade of war.

Gov. Chris Christie is calling Assembly Democrats "skunks at the garden party" for thwarting his income tax cut plan, but they say the GOP governor is only interested in lining the pockets of the rich.