NYPD officers save unresponsive newborn in Astoria; Long Island stroke survivor regains movement

From Fox 5 New York, this is Good Day Weekend. Good morning and welcome to Good Day Weekend. It's Saturday, October 17th. I'm Richard Giacovas here in the Fox 5 Newsroom. Thanks for joining us here live on the Fox Local app. We begin with weather whiplash. We're going to take a look outside now. And if you were out early this morning, you probably felt it. And you see the wind blowing on the flag there. That chill, it comes just days after summer-like temperatures took hold of our area. And here's a look at your weekend weather, because today we're going to stay in the 50s. We're not getting out of it. And the wind makes it feel even colder, like it's in the upper 40s. Tonight, we're dropping below 40. And tomorrow, we're going to look at similar cooler temperatures, but less wind. Average temps will return by next week. And breaking news now here at this hour. Pope Leo will be released from the hospital today, four days following lung cancer surgery. The Vatican is also saying the Holy Father will deliver his traditional noon blessing tomorrow from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square. The Vatican yesterday releasing these first images of the Pope since his surgery. It shows him at the altar celebrating mass at the hospital. Both the personal physician and surgeon for the 71-year-old pontiff say he is doing well enough to be discharged to continue his recovery. And more developing news now. President Trump signs an executive order that puts on hold sweeping new sanctions targeting the Russian economy. He says this is being done in the national interest of the country, but did not elaborate. The legislation which the president signed just last month was named for late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. The bill had bipartisan support and was intended to target Russia's revenue streams during its ongoing war with Ukraine. In our area, the queen's mother charged with murdering her young daughter facing a judge. Prosecutors say Francis Cabello admitted to killing her five-year-old on a 911 call on Wednesday night. They accused Cabello of strangling her daughter inside their Richmond Hill home. The 32-year-old did not enter a plea. The judge ordering her held pending the next court date on Tuesday. And with election day getting closer, we're putting a spotlight on some of the local races that could ultimately impact the balance of power in Washington. Among them, the race for New York's 17th district, where Congressman Mike Lawler is being challenged by Democrat Kate Connolly. Fox 5's Kendall Green takes a look at each candidate's position on some critical issues. New York's 17th congressional district is shaping up to be one of the most competitive House races in the nation. Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is facing a tough challenge from Democrat and former Army Special Ops combat veteran Kate Connolly. It's one of those districts that, if flipped from red to blue, could determine the overall balance of power in Congress. And in this race, political analysts say the outcome lies in the hands of those undecided voters. Brian Maloney is the strategic director of Real America Votes. If Lawler hangs on, it will be by a thread. I mean, let's face it, it will be by less than one point. It's definitely one of those few real battlegrounds that we still have across the country where most of these are settled. We don't have that many swing districts anymore, but this one's top in the list. In their second debate, the candidates sparred over issues that will likely influence voters at the polls, including the affordability crisis, which Connolly blames on Trump tariffs and the war in Iraq. Over the last two years, the average Hudson Valley household is paying nearly $4,200 more for the same goods. now than before the tariffs. And we see that in groceries. Part of the solution there is actually increasing domestic production of oil and gas. We should never be reliant on foreign sources of energy. Following the shooting of Dominican immigrant Oscar Vagala in Marble Hill, Lawler takes aim at sanctuary policies. Connolly points the blame on ICE enforcement procedures. The same things that we expect of our local law enforcement, we should expect of our federal law enforcement. That means wearing body cameras, not wearing masks, wearing identifying uniforms so people know who you are. It is fundamentally wrong. Yes, ICE needs reforms. I've said repeatedly, body cameras, no masks, identifiable uniforms. But you know what? Sanctuary policies need to go. Kate Connolly supports it. They both differ in their approach to regulating artificial intelligence. My opponent, Mike Lawler, in his vote last year for the one big ugly bill actually voted for a version that would prohibit states from regulating AI for 10 years Congress doesn't want to solve this problem we introduced the Stop Rogue AI Act to stop these rogue agents and bots that are hacking into systems and set federal standards through NIST we also introduced legislation that would require mandatory testing for frontier models Brian Baloni predicts undecided voters could be swayed most by the candidate's willingness to work across the aisle and part ways with either the establishments within their own parties, which both suggest they will when necessary. Lifting the cap on salt, including extending Haitian TPS, including passing an extension for the ACA enhanced premium tax credit, despite his objections. I believe in the importance of law enforcement and investing in our law enforcement and supporting them. As a former military police officer, I believe in border security as being part of national security. All I predict is neck and neck. This is going to look like the horse race of the year. Kendall Green, Fox 5 News. It was the Jetson family who first showed the world how a family could hop into a flying car as their primary mode of transportation. And now you could finally feel like George and Jane. Tesla revealing its first ever flying car this week, showing it climbing up a steep ramp and hanging upside down before spitting off. And then it uses air jets to go up and down. another demonstration showing the roadster using those jets to leap over another line of Tesla vehicles. Tesla's flying car is set to debut as soon as the year 2028. A stroke survivor who was left partially paralyzed has regained some movement, all thanks to an implanted device. Our Jody Goldberg introduces us to Bobby Burstein and shows how he's now doing things he never thought he could do. For 62-year-old Bobby Burstein, this simple action marks a major medical breakthrough. Those same fingers once played his guitar until a blood clot triggered a stroke last September. The stroke left the Deer Park man paralyzed on his left side, his dominant side. He could not stand. His legs kept collapsing. His wife, Michelle, immediately called 9-1-1, a decision Bobby credits with saving his life. I remember the surgeon telling my wife, I don't know if he'll make it. Amazing. Bobby made it, but recovery meant extensive therapy. And when his progress plateaued, doctors introduced him to Vivastem, an approved implant that rewires neural pathways. It's an implantable device that implanted around the left vagus nerve, and it sends stimulation back to the brainstem and then through the cortex. Surgeons place the device under the skin and wrap a thin wire around the nerve in the neck. During rehabilitation sessions, mild electrical pulses retrain the brain to command impaired muscles, essentially teaching it to do what the stroke took away. The first six weeks is the most crucial part when the patients start to show the signs of improvement. And after that, patients start to work on their own disabilities by themselves at home. While some devices require ongoing stimulation to maintain benefits, Vivastem helps the brain reestablish functions. So if a person learns how to pick up a cup, that skill stays with them even if the device is removed or turned off. This has improved since I saw you a week ago, man. For Bobby, every milestone counts as a major triumph. I couldn't walk up and down the stairs. I could do that now. I couldn't drive. Now I'm driving. I could write my name now. He was very motivated to get better, and he worked very hard at it. Now Bobby is targeting his ultimate personal goal, playing his guitar again, proving that the human spirit always finds its rhythm. On Long Island, Jodi Goldberg, Fox 5 News. It sure does. And two of New York's finest speaking out today after saving a newborn's life. This dramatic incident earlier this month caught on Officer Bodycam As they rushed into an apartment in Astoria, a one-month-old boy was unresponsive and not breathing inside. The officers immediately performed chest compressions on the baby, and that's when they finally heard the cry. Seconds matter when it comes to working with a child like that at that age. And not much was going through my mind other than getting that baby back in conscious and breathing. And we just saw the rise and fall of his chest, and I just remember saying, he's breathing he's breathing you know like it was it was kind of like reassured the mom but it was also like a sense of relief because the baby had life again. That child is back home and doing well thanks to the heroic actions of those officers they are heroes. Chilly today but you can expect this winter to be warmer and wetter according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA El Nino is likely to trigger more moisture this winter but with higher temperatures. Forecasters say much of the northern parts of the country including the northeast could expect to see below average snowfall. Ha! More snow may actually fall across swaths of the south this year. Hopefully we see some of it though. Don't go away. We'll be right back but first here's the seven-day forecast for the weekend.