UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, left, and Conor McGregor face off at a UFC 229 news conference at Radio City Music Hall. Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Conor McGregor will challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for his UFC lightweight title at UFC 229 on Oct. 6, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It already is being called the biggest fight in UFC history. That’s a moniker we’ve heard plenty of times in the past. But this time, it’s probably not just hyperbole. McGregor, from Ireland, is the sport’s biggest star. Nurmagomedov, from Russia, is the unbeaten champion.
Here’s a look at how we have arrived at Conor vs. Khabib.
April 1
Tony Ferguson, the UFC’s interim lightweight champion, pulls out of his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 in Brooklyn on April 7 with a knee injury. Nurmagomedov uses this opportunity to call out the reigning lightweight champion Conor McGregor. His tweet is met with no response from McGregor.
A video surfaces of a verbal confrontation between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Artem Lobov, a friend and teammate of Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov and Lobov exchange words at the hotel in Brooklyn as both were in the hallway during fight week. It is unclear what was said or what caused the confrontation.
At the pre-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White says McGregor will be stripped of his lightweight title after never defending since he won it on Nov. 12, 2016.
April 5
Well, Conor McGregor is in Brooklyn for #UFC223. Here’s some shaky video of a bunch of people running after him. pic.twitter.com/AhhLDzguQP
After the UFC 223 media day concluded, Conor McGregor and a group of his people, including Artem Lobov, storm into Barclays Center and run into an elevator. Shortly thereafter, McGregor and friends run out of Barclays Center and into a waiting SUV. In between, however, McGregor is captured on video (Watch here. Warning: strong language used) attacking a bus full of UFC fighters. On that bus is Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor throws a hand truck at the bus and shatters a window, with parts of that broken glass injuring Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg and preventing them from fighting that Saturday. Lobov is removed from his fight that weekend. Just before midnight, McGregor turns himself into police custody.
“This is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company,” UFC president Dana White says.
April 6
Conor McGregor is arraigned in a Brooklyn criminal court, along with teammate Cian Cowley, for his actions in the melee at Barclays Center.
At the UFC 223 press conference after the ceremonial weigh-ins, Khabib Nurmagomedov has to answer questions about the incident as well as his new opponent, Wantagh’s Al Iaquinta. “Send me location,” Nurmagomedov says about wanting to face McGregor. It becomes something of a tagline for Nurmagomedov fans and headline writers.
April 7
Khabib Nurmagomedov wins a unanimous decision over Al Iaquinta to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. After the fight, UFC president Dana White confirms that Nurmagomedov is the promotion’s sole champion at 155 pounds.
June 14
Conor McGregor appears in a Brooklyn court for a hearing. The appearance lasts around a minute and the next court date is set.
July 15
Conor McGregor, along with Artem Lobov, attends the FIFA World Cup final in Moscow as a guest of Russian president Vladimir Putin. “This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honoured to attend such a landmark event alongside him,” McGregor wrote on his Instagram account.
Khabib Nurmagomedov also attends the World Cup final and posts this photo on his Instagram account.
Conor McGregor accepts a plea deal that dismissed felony and misdemeanor counts stemming from the April melee at Barclays Center. McGregor pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct violations and must perform community service, attend anger management classes and pay damages for the bus. The plea keeps McGregor out of jail and maintains his ability to fight in the United States.
July 28
Speaking to media at UFC on Fox 30 in Calgary, Khabib Nurmagomedov said of fighting Conor McGregor: “I want to change his face.”
At the UFC seasonal press conference in Los Angeles, the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov fight officially was announced in dramatic fashion to close out the event. Ticket pre-sales begin Wednesday, Aug. 15.
Sept. 20
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov faced off (without a bus in between them) for the first time at a news conference at Radio City Music Hall. The scene was chaotic, even without any fans allowed in the building. McGregor was his usual boisterous self, with targeted personal attacks that showed he did his homework mixed in amid the insults he hurled at Nurmagomedov. Was the champion from Dagestan rattled? If so, he didn’t show it. Oh, and McGregor used much of the news conference to promote his new whiskey.
Oct. 4
In the least shocking bit of news of fight week, Conor McGregor showed up late to the pre-fight press conference. Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t care. “I have a schedule,” Nurmagomedov said. “I have to make weight. I have to worry about myself. If someone is late, it’s not my problem.” He answered questions and left the stage before McGregor showed up. UFC president Dana White later called the move “brilliant.”
After all the back-and-forth comments about “mauling” and “devastating KO” and the like, and amid thousands of amped-up fans, things got a little chippy at the ceremonial weigh-ins between McGregor and Nurmagomedov.
Oct. 6
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov finally entered the octagon to face each other in the “biggest fight in UFC history.” Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round. Then things got interesting. Months of insults turned into a melee as Nurmagomedov scaled the cage and jumped to the arena floor to go after Dillon Danis, a close friend and cornerman of McGregor who was yelling at the lightweight champion. Two members of Nurmagomedov’s entourage then climbed into the octagon and started throwing punches at McGregor.
Conor McGregor wants a rematch. He begins the next round of verbal sparring on Monday on social media. The “battle” reference also may indirectly relate to the fact that McGregor received his full purse from the Nevada State Athletic Commission while Nurmagomedov has his purse on hold pending NSAC’s investigation and potential charges.
Rusorán was born in Budapest[1] and began swimming and playing water polo at the age of nine by Fáklya Opera. In 1952 he switched to Vörös Meteor, and in 1961 to Csepel Autó. In 1969 he moved to Vasas SC, where he finished his playing career in 1972. On club level his biggest achievement is a Hungarian Cup title from 1971.[2]
Rusorán played 103 times for the Hungarian water polo team between 1959–1968,[2] and won the bronze medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He played two matches in the tournament and scored six goals. Four years later he was a member of the Hungarian team which won the gold medal in the 1964 Olympics.[1] Rusorán contributed with eight goals in six matches to the success, and became the best Hungarian scorer of the championship.[3] In 1965 he also won the Universiade held in his hometown Budapest.
Rusorán was born in Budapest[1] and began swimming and playing water polo at the age of nine by Fáklya Opera. In 1952 he switched to Vörös Meteor, and in 1961 to Csepel Autó. In 1969 he moved to Vasas SC, where he finished his playing career in 1972. On club level his biggest achievement is a Hungarian Cup title from 1971.[2]
Rusorán played 103 times for the Hungarian water polo team between 1959–1968,[2] and won the bronze medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He played two matches in the tournament and scored six goals. Four years later he was a member of the Hungarian team which won the gold medal in the 1964 Olympics.[1] Rusorán contributed with eight goals in six matches to the success, and became the best Hungarian scorer of the championship.[3] In 1965 he also won the Universiade held in his hometown Budapest.
Retired special education teacher Diane Sherman of Riverhead has spent much of her life going to diners. She grew up in Centereach, where back in the ’50s, the sleepy town only had a diner and a gas station. “It was a treat for us,” she said. “We’d always celebrate birthdays at the diner.”
When she was old enough to venture out on her own, it was almost always to a diner. As a young woman, Sherman sang in a wedding band, Sweet Ecstasy, and “if we were playing the South Shore, we’d always wind up at the [old] Oconee in Bay Shore at 2 in the morning for eggs and coffee.”
Now Sherman, 63, finds herself at Sunny’s Riverhead Diner & Grill four or five mornings a week, where she always takes the same seat at the end of the counter. “They see me walk in and they pour my coffee,” she said. “Look, I can make breakfast at home — I’m a pretty good cook. But I like connecting with my community, and that’s why I go to Sunny’s. Every town needs a diner.”
Once, pretty much every town on Long Island had a diner, but now, as they grapple with changing tastes, increased costs and competition from other restaurants, the question becomes: Are diners in danger of going the way of the soda fountain and the automat?
There are still about 100 diners in Nassau and Suffolk counties, one of the largest concentrations in the country according to diner expert Richard J.S. Gutman, but that’s about 40 fewer than there were in 1990, according to Newsday data. The two oldest (Sunny’s in Riverhead, built in 1932, and the Cutchogue Diner, 1941) retain the modest “dining car” style that characterized the prewar era, but most Long Island diners are sprawling structures built from the 1960s to the 1980s. The Island’s newest, the double-decker Landmark in Roslyn, opened in 2009, replacing the old Landmark built in 1964. While some have been renovated, not one new diner has been built on Long Island in the last 10 years, as far as Lou Tiglias, a partner at the Landmark, knows. The recent shuttering of such long-standing establishments as the Golden Dolphin in Huntington, Empress in East Meadow and the Corinthian in Central Islip, along with the teardowns of others to make room for banks and drugstores raises the specter of an industry in decline.
“We are in trouble,” Tiglias said, enumerating three major challenges diners are facing: Competition from trendy fast-casual restaurants, a labor shortage and increasing property values.
The classic diner
Whether clad in stainless steel, flagstone or stucco, diners hold a special place in the hearts of Long Islanders. More than places to eat, this is where toddlers get buckled into their first booster seats, teens congregate after sports practice, college kids on break return on their first night home and seniors on a budget rely on the early-bird special. And more than a few post-burial luncheons are held in the side dining room.
Long Islanders instinctively know what distinguishes diners from other restaurants, but defining them is a little trickier. Gutman, the author of “American Diner Then and Now” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000), says a “true” diner is one that was prefabricated in a factory and moved to its location as a free-standing building. Luncheonettes and coffee shops were consciously copying the style of diners when they established themselves in locations that could not accommodate a diner — the middle of a village block, for example, or a strip mall.
For the diner customer and owners, though, its meaning comes from the experience it provides.
“Good food, good service — and they have everything,” is how Cynthia Compierchio of Medford summed up the diner experience. She grew up eating at the Peter Pan Diner, the fieldstone-clad diner tucked into the complicated interchange where Howells Road meets Sunrise Highway in Bay Shore, first with her parents and then while dating her future husband, Anthony. Now she and her 16-year-old son, Anthony, frequent the Metropolis Diner, a gleaming structure set among modest strip malls on Route 112 in Medford.
“Everything” is indeed what diner owners strive for. “You can get everything from an English muffin to a sirloin steak at any time of the day,” is how Peter Georgatos, co-owner of the Premier Diner in Commack, put it.
Covering all the bases at all hours requires an encyclopedic menu. Laminated and spiral bound, a typical diner menu clocks in at more than 200 items, including eggs, pancakes, waffles, hot and cold cereal, burgers, sandwiches (hot and cold, open-faced and closed), pasta and Parms, souvlaki and moussaka, steaks and chops and fish, ice cream and fountain drinks plus a colorful array of prominently displayed cakes and pastries. Portions are large, prices reasonable. The dining rooms are brightly lit with a variety of seating options — counter, tables and booths. Service is quick, servers wear uniforms and no one will give you a hard time if all you want is a cup of coffee.
Diners: A history
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Gutman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Eventually, the wagons evolved into semi-permanent structures that were produced by about a score of companies all over the country. Most of them have gone out of business, but not DeRaffele Manufacturing Co. in New Rochelle. Phil DeRaffele, the 91-year-old son of founder Angelo, estimates that his company has built more than 70 diners on Long Island.
Diner owners, often lacking the funds to buy real estate, would lease a piece of vacant land, dig a foundation, and then the manufacturer would slide the diner into position. (Over the years, many diner owners were able to purchase their properties; others continue to own the buildings but not the land they stand on.)
Originally manufacturers adapted the sleek look of railroad dining cars to their single-unit designs. Rockville Centre’s first Pantry Diner, a shiny stainless-steel box, was slid into position at the corner of Merrick and Long Beach Roads in 1949. In 1958, the original 40-seat unit was dragged away and owner Teddy Pagonis replaced it with a 90-seat unit. His daughter Jean Mavroudis recalled, “on the canopy it said ‘Good Food. Fine Service. Ladies invited.’ and I do remember women in mink stoles coming into the diner.”
Clockwise: Pantry Diner in Rockville Centre; George Tsotsos (griddleman), Jeannie Coco (waitress) and Pete K. (soda fountain area) at Pantry Diner in 1968; Pantry Diner in 1973. It came in 7 sections which were then assembled on location; The ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the 1973 Pantry Diner; The original Pantry Diner; Teddy Pagonis, the original owner of Pantry Diner. Credit: Pantry Diner
In 1973, the 90-seater was hauled upstate and in its place DeRaffele erected a brick-and-stone structure that had been manufactured, in seven pieces, in New Rochelle. “It took about three months for them to assemble it,” Jean recalled.
Diner aficionados can date a diner from its style. After the war, DeRaffele pioneered the look of the new suburban diner. The Peter Pan in Bay Shore was an icon of this style: a multiunit structure accommodating 150 patrons that still had a stainless-steel exterior but much larger windows. (It has since been remodeled.) DeRaffele’s chief designer, Tom Ravo, said that as diners began to proliferate, some local governments objected to their flashy look. “They wanted diners whose style blended in more with the town.” Diner manufacturers responded with the “Mediterranean” style (red-tiled roofs, big arched windows, stone walls) and the “Colonial” style, whose brick walls, whites column and trim and coach lights suited small-town America.
Diner manufacturers helped many owners to finance their ventures. When the loan was paid, the owner could trade it in for a new model. Or he could expand, adding more units to the original one to form the huge diner with a big kitchen and multiple dining rooms. The diner manufacturers provided stylistic updates and so, with a little exterior work, the diner could evolve from stainless splendor to Colonial charm to Mediterranean magnificence to postmodern pizzazz.
The Greek connection
On Long Island, almost all diners are owned by Greek-Americans. Experts have debated the outsize role Greeks play in the local diner business. Author Richard Gutman, who lives in Boston and approaches his subject with a national perspective, said that in other parts of the country, Greeks are well represented among diner owners, but do not dominate. He also acknowledged that the New York metropolitan area is the country’s diner epicenter and one in which the Greeks are the major players. But there is no hard data on the phenomenon.
Modern challenges
Competition comes from all sides. “These new breakfast places — Maureen’s, Toast, Hatch — they are going after what’s most profitable in our business: Breakfast,” Tiglias said. At lunch and dinner, the diner must contend with any number of-the-moment fast-casual chains.
One arena in which diners used to be unchallenged was late-night/early morning food service. But this business has drastically decreased. “In the old days,” he said, “there was a ‘movie break’ around 11:30 p.m. and then another one, a ‘bar break’ after the bars closed, anywhere from 2 to 5 in the morning.” But Tiglias theorizes that DUI laws have curtailed Long Islanders’ desire to cruise around in the wee hours, and with the internet providing entertainment for the couch-bound, going out is no longer a necessity. These days, only a handful of Long Island’s diners remain open 24 hours.
Darren Tristano, CEO of CHD-Expert North America, a data-analysis firm that specializes in the food service industry, said that millennials and Generation Z are looking for contemporary experiences and are willing to pay more for them. Enter gastropubs and Instagram-worthy dessert bars.
Tiffany Salazar, a 28-year-old nurse from Lake Grove, and Raj Kumar, 30, a medical student from New Hyde Park, are frequent patrons of the Lake Grove Diner, but Salazar conceded that they’re in the minority among their peers when it comes to diners. Her friends think diners “are for old people,” she said, and prefer the food and the experience at a place like Chipotle.
Not only are fast-casual chains currently “cooler,” they are far less expensive to operate than diners. Food is often prepared in central commissaries so there’s no need for trained cooks on site, observed Tiglias. “It’s order-at-the-counter so they don’t have to pay waiters, it’s all served on paper plates so they don’t have to pay dishwashers,” he said.
These labor costs are at the heart of the diner’s struggle to survive.
“Our biggest challenge is we can’t find help,” said Georgatos, who has been working in diners since 1971. “The second generation–our children–don’t want to go into the business. And many of the young people find the work too hard. In the old days, someone would stop in once a week and ask if I have a job for them. That hasn’t happened in five years.”
Eleven miles due south of the Landmark, Tommy Mavroudis is preparing his Pantry Diner in Rockville Centre for the future. He is the grandson of the Pantry’s original owner, Teddy Pagonis, and is determined to continue the family’s legacy.
“I grew up here,” he said. “It was my grandparents’ and then my parents’ business. For the last 25 years I always thought about what I would do differently if I could.”
In 2011, he got his chance when the diner was destroyed in a fire. “My initial thought was to get the place open ASAP before my customers went somewhere else,” he said. But there were new building codes and other regulations and that slowed the process down. I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to build what I had been dreaming about.”
Mavroudis rethought the menu, the design and the service. It took seven years, but in 2018, the Pantry Diner reopened with a smaller menu and with a policy of no tips. (Customers rebelled, he said, and tips were reinstated after a few months.) The sleek décor features dark wood floors and tables, Edison light bulbs and instead of a counter, a bar.
”We don’t care whether they call it a diner or a restaurant,” said Patricia Francis, a frequent patron. “We still love it.”
In a changing real estate market, diners are caught on the horns of yet another dilemma: The land might bring in more money if it housed another type of business. “The footprint of the diner, it fits a more lucrative businesses,” said John Golfidis, a real estate agent for Realty Connect in Woodbury. The classic diner, he explained, is a free-standing building in a high-traffic area — the kind of location that also suits banks, drugstores and restaurant chains. Diner operators who lease their land (about 70 percent, according to Golfidis), may find themselves out of luck after their leases expire and their landlords seek to replace them with a large-chain or bank tenant.
For operators who own their land, an offer from that chain or bank can be tempting. That’s why the Jericho Diner is now a CVS, the Liberty Diner in Farmingdale is a TD Bank, the Merrick Townhouse is an HSBC, the Syosset House is a Panera and the East Bay Diner moved to Seaford from Bellmore, where it was replaced by a Red Robin.
The Lake Diner in Ronkonoma is now a Dunkin’ Donuts. Photo credit: Jim Mooney, Thomas A Ferrara
Evolving to survive
In the end, each diner must find its own way to face the future. While diners such as the Landmark and the Pantry are trying major innovations, others are reworking the formula. Sheryl Morson and her husband, John Drakopoulos, sold the original Mitchell’s Diner in 2015 to a real estate developer who turned it into a Bank of America. But earlier this year they opened another Mitchell’s Diner, a block north of the old location. No longer a free-standing stainless-and-neon palace, it occupies the first floor of a modest office building and accommodates 58 patrons, as opposed to the old 168. But walk inside and it is unmistakably a diner.
Some diners are expanding service beyond their walls as home delivery apps such as GrubHub and DoorDash mean they can deliver food. All a diner needs to fulfill such orders are takeout containers, plasticware and plastic bags. Ronkonkoma-based Marathon Foodservice supplies most of the diners on Long Island, said Alex Kekatos, chief financial officer of the business his father founded. And he has seen a big increase in the amount of such paper products he is delivering to them. “In today’s market,” he said, “if you’re not delivering or you don’t have some type of to-go business, you’re missing out.”
In the last decade, the Landmark has upped its healthy-food game. “This diner has really healthy stuff,” said customer Jeanine Addario of Roslyn. “Huge salads, almond milk, soups that aren’t salty. They make French toast with egg whites and have a gluten-free menu.” That has made her a lunch regular.
At the Premier Diner in Commack, Georgatos and his wife, Helen, have made quality food their calling card. “We make our own gravies from our own stock,” he said, plus bread and pancake batter. A veteran of the Hunts Point produce market, he is bullish on vegetables, opting for super select cucumbers and Sunkist 140 lemons. Still, Georgatos has long-term doubts. “I don’t give diners too long — maybe 20 years,” he said.
Left: Waitress Brittney Lynch serves diners at the Premier Diner in Commack on Nov. 14, 2018. (Photo credit: Thomas A. Ferrara) Top: Greek salad with chicken is served at the Premier Diner in Commack. (Photo credit: Thomas A. Ferrara) Bottom: Pumpkin-pecan pancakes topped with powdered sugar and a side of cinnamon dusted whipped cream at the Premier Diner. (Photo credit: Daniel Brennan)
It’s a sobering vision of the future and, for many Long Islanders, an inconceivable one. Who wants breakfast choices dictated by fast food chains? Who wants to drive along Sunrise Highway in the wee hours, searching in vain for a stack of pancakes?
Riverhead’s Diane Sherman had a hard time imagining how she’d start her day if Sunny’s weren’t there. “I suppose I could stop at the local bagel shop,” she said, “but it’s not the same. It’s just not that feeling of family.”
Diner expert Gutman is not worried. “I’ve been hearing for 50 years that the diner is in decline,” he said, “but it’s the nature of the business that individual diners come and go. The institution of the diner has been here for well over a century and it has changed to keep up with what people like to eat. There is no way the diner will disappear.”
Credits
Reporters: Erica Marcus, Tory N. Parrish, Lisa Irizarry | Editors: Alison Bernicker, Jessica Damiano, Marjorie Robins, Shawna VanNess, Jeffrey Williams | Photo editor: Hillary Raskin | Research: Dorothy Levin | Design: Anthony Carrozzo, Seth Mates
Charges: Conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right; conspiracy to commit honest services fraud; extortion under color of official right; solicitation of bribes and gratuities
Dean Skelos, former Republican State Senate majority leader, was first convicted in December 2015 of using his power to help his son, Adam, get jobs and payments from businesses. Federal prosecutors said the senator pressured three companies to give jobs, fees and benefits worth $300,000 to Adam, doing favors in Albany for the companies in return. He also intervened with Nassau County to help one of them on a contract, prosecutors said. His son was indicted on the same charges. In May 2016, Skelos was sentenced to 5 years, and his son was sentenced to 6½. In September 2017, an appeals court overturned the convictions. They were retried in the summer of 2018, and a federal jury convicted them on eight counts of conspiracy, extortion and bribery. In October 2018, a judge sentenced Dean Skelos to four years, three months in prison, while Adam was sentenced to four years. Dean Skelos reported to prison on Jan. 8, 2019, rather than seeking bail pending his appeal. He was released to home confinement on April 28 after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Headline Headline
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Contrary to common belief, diners did not get their start as retired railroad dining cars. Richard J.S. Guttman, author of “American Diner Then and Now,” who has spent a career dispelling this myth, explained that the original diners were simple lunch wagons pulled by horses. “They were the food trucks of the 19th century,” he said.
Long Island isn’t close to America’s barbecue belt, but there are some serious pitmasters here. To see where our favorites are smokin’, follow this trail map and make sure you’re hungry before you go!
Illustration by Neville Harvey
Backyard Barbecue
The salty breeze of the Nautical Mile mingles with pit smoke from this new barbecue spot.
Pick up a barbecue picnic on the way to wine country, or eat in Maple Tree’s dining room, backyard or at a picnic table across Route 25, with a fine view of the Peconic River.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether President Donald Trump and his campaign coordinated with Russia to help him win the 2016 presidential election — and also whether Trump tried to obstruct that investigation.
Over the past year and a half, the complex investigation has led to charges, guilty pleas, cooperation deals and prison sentences. The developments have dominated political headlines worldwide through the 2018 midterm elections and into the new Democratic control of the House of Representatives.
Here’s what you need to know about major moments in the Mueller investigation.
With The Associated Press
Mueller investigation timeline Key dates in the special counsel's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
01January 2006
Getty Images
Manafort and Gates begin work for a pro-Russian political party
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates begin work as consultants for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine led by former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
07February 2010
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Yanukovych elected president of Ukraine
Viktor Yanukovych is elected president of Ukraine.
01February 2014
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Yanukovych flees Ukraine
After violent clashes between protesters and police, Yanukovych flees Ukraine and enters exile in Russia. The U.S. government later opens an investigation into Manafort’s foreign lobbying and political work.
16June 2015
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Trump announces candidacy
Donald Trump announces his candidacy for president as a Republican.
01September 2015
FBI warns DNC about Russian hackers
The FBI contacts the Democratic National Committee’s IT help desk, cautioning that at least one computer has been compromised by Russian hackers. A technician scans the system but fails to find evidence of the intrusion.
01March 2016
Papadopoulos meets with associates of Russian government
Manafort joins Trump campaign as a volunteer consultant. George Papadopoulos is named one of five foreign policy advisers to the campaign and meets with people associated with the Russia government amid discussions to set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
01April 2016
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Papadopoulos meets with Russian national offering 'dirt' on Clinton
Papadopoulos meets with Russian national who he says offered “dirt” on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, including thousands of emails. Papadopoulos emails other members of Trump campaign about Russian offer of dirt on Clinton and offer for Trump to meet with Putin. The Democratic National Committee becomes aware of the scope of the monthslong intrusion into its email systems by hackers U.S. intelligence agencies later linked to the Russian government.
01May 2016
Manafort promoted
Manafort is promoted to campaign chairman and chief strategist.
01June 2016
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Meeting at Trump Tower with Russian lawyer
Manafort attends a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan with a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya, who promised to provide the Trump campaign damaging information about Clinton. Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner are also in the meeting. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says his website will publish a batch of Clinton emails.
01July 2016
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Trump gets GOP nomination
Trump becomes the Republican nominee for president. In a speech the following week, Trump encourages Russians to release hacked Clinton emails. The FBI opens an investigation into the Russian government’s attempt to influence the election, including whether members of Trump’s campaign are involved.
01August 2016
NYT reports that Manafort’s name is on secret list
The New York Times reports that Manafort’s name appears on a secret list of payments made by the Yanukovych regime. Manafort resigns from the Trump campaign the day after The Associated Press reports he failed to register as a foreign agent after arranging a covert lobbying campaign in the United States on behalf of the Ukrainian party.
01November 2016
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Trump elected president
Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
06January 2017
Comey briefs Trump on dossier
FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, briefs Trump on contents of unverified dossier that contains salacious allegations about him and his campaign.
13January 2017
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Senate launches probe
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence launches an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and possible links between Russia and political campaigns.
20January 2017
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Trump's inauguration
Trump is inaugurated as 45th President of the United States.
25January 2017
House announces its investigation
The House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announces its own investigation.
27January 2017
Papadopoulos interviewed by FBI
Papadopoulos is interviewed by the FBI about his contacts with Russians.
01May 2017
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Comey out, Mueller in
Trump fires Comey. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is appointed as special counsel to take over the probe.
01June 2017
Manafort files paperwork with DOJ
Manafort files paperwork with the Justice Department retroactively disclosing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act that his firm received more than $17 million working for the government of Ukraine between 2012 and 2014. The Washington Post reports that Mueller is investigating Trump for obstruction of justice.
01July 2017
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FBI conducts raid at Manafort’s home
FBI agents conduct a raid at former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. Papadopoulos is arrested by the FBI at Dulles International Airport.
01August 2017
Mueller impanels grand jury
Mueller impanels a criminal grand jury in Washington, D.C.
01October 2017
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Papadopoulos pleads guilty
Papadopoulos pleads guilty to making false statements to the FBI, as part of apparent agreement to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation. Mueller files 12-count criminal indictments against Manafort and Gates.
30October 2017
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Manafort, Gates charged
Manafort and Gates plead not guilty after their arrest on charges related to conspiracy against the United States and other felonies. The charges are the first from the special counsel investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
01December 2017
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Flynn pleads guilty
Michael Flynn, the retired general who vigorously campaigned at Trump's side and then served as his first national security adviser, pleads guilty to lying to the FBI about reaching out to the Russians on Trump's behalf and says members of the president's inner circle were intimately involved with — and at times directing — his contacts. He agrees to cooperate with the special counsel's office.
20February 2018
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Prominent attorney pleads guilty
Mueller charges a prominent attorney, Alex van der Zwaan, with lying to authorities about his work with two of Trump's former campaign aides. Van der Zwaan, 33, a Dutch national, pleads guilty in federal court to charges that he lied to investigators about his conversations with Gates.
23February 2018
Gates pleads guilty
Gates pleads guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges. With his cooperation, Gates gives Mueller a witness willing to provide information on Manafort's finances and political consulting work in Ukraine — and someone who had access at the highest levels of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
03April 2018
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First punishment handed down
Alex van der Zwaan is sentenced to 30 days in prison in the first punishment handed down in the investigation. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
13July 2018
12 Russian officers charged with hacking
A Mueller indictment charges twelve Russian military intelligence officers with hacking into the Clinton presidential campaign and the Democratic Party and releasing tens of thousands of private communications in a sweeping conspiracy by the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 election. The indictment represents Mueller's first charges against Russian government officials.
16July 2018
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Trump meets with Putin
Trump meets with Putin in Helsinki, Finland. Trump says Putin made an "incredible offer" to help American investigators in their prosecution of the 12 Russian intelligence officers.
21August 2018
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Manafort found guilty
Manafort is found guilty of eight financial crimes in the first trial victory of the special counsel investigation into the president's associates. A judge declares a mistrial on 10 other counts the jury could not agree on.
14September 2018
Manafort agrees to cooperate
Manafort agrees to cooperate with Mueller's investigation as he pleads guilty to federal crimes and avoids a second trial that could have exposed him to more time in prison. Manafort pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy in relation to his lobbying work with pro-Russian groups in Ukraine.
10October 2018
California man sentenced to prison
Richard Pinedo, a California man who pleaded guilty in February 2018 to unwittingly helping the Russian election disruption efforts by trading in stolen identifications and bank account numbers, is sentenced to 6 months in prison.
06November 2018
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Democrats retake the House
Democrats retake the U.S. House of Representatives in midterm elections, gaining control of key investigatory committees.
07November 2018
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Sessions resigns
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns as the country's chief law enforcement officer at Trump's request. Sessions announced his plan to resign in a letter to the White House, the day after the midterm election. Trump announces in a tweet that Sessions' chief of staff Matt Whitaker would become the new acting attorney general with authority to oversee the remainder of Mueller's investigation.
16November 2018
Trump cooperates with the investigation
Trump says he has finished his answers to questions posed by Mueller. He says four days later that he has provided them to the special counsel, the first time he has directly cooperated.
23November 2018
Corsi reportedly in plea talks with Mueller's team
Jerome Corsi, a conservative writer and associate of Trump confidant Roger Stone, tells The Associated Press that he is in plea talks with Mueller’s team. Mueller’s team questioned Corsi as part of an investigation into Stone’s connections with WikiLeaks.
26November 2018
Mueller accuses Manafort of violating plea agreement
Mueller accuses Manafort of violating his plea agreement by repeatedly lying to federal investigators, an extraordinary allegation that could expose him to a lengthier prison sentence and potentially more criminal charges. Papadopoulos begins serving his two-week prison sentence after a judge rejects his last-minute bid to remain free.
29November 2018
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Cohen confesses
Cohen confesses in an unexpected guilty plea that he lied to Congress in 2017 out of “loyalty” to Trump about a project his company tried to develop in Moscow in 2016 as he ran for president. Cohen says he falsely claimed that talks about the project ended in January 2016, when they in fact continued until that June.
03December 2018
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Trump weighs in on Cohen
Trump calls for a "full and complete" sentence for Cohen.
04December 2018
Prosecutors speak out on Flynn's cooperation
Prosecutors say Flynn provided so much information to the investigation that he shouldn't do any prison time.
07December 2018
Court filings reveal contact between Trump associates, Russian intermediaries
Federal prosecutors urge a "substantial" prison term for Cohen. Court filings from New York prosecutors and Mueller’s office reveal for the first time contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries, with Cohen described as being in touch with a Russian offering "political synergy" as far back as 2015. In describing how Manafort breached a plea agreement, Mueller says Manafort told "multiple discernible lies" to prosecutors about his contacts with the Trump administration and an associate with alleged ties to Russian intelligence. Papadopolous is released from jail after serving a two-week sentence.
12December 2018
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Cohen sentenced to prison
Cohen is sentenced to 3 years in prison in federal court in Manhattan for crimes that included efforts to hide the president's Russia business dealings and alleged extramarital affairs with a porn star and a model. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III's sentence dashed Cohen's bid to avoid prison by aiding federal prosecutors and Mueller. Cohen accused Trump of directing hush-money payments to the two women that violated election laws. Cohen also pleaded guilty to tax and bank fraud charges and lying to Congress.
"While Mr. Cohen has taken steps to mitigate his criminal conduct ... that does not wipe the slate clean," said Pauley, blasting Cohen's "greed and ambition" and the "insidious harm" he inflicted on democratic institutions. The judge also ordered a $100,000 fine and a March 6 surrender.
Cohen, in an emotional statement before the judge sentenced him, apologized to his family and denounced Trump for inspiring "blind loyalty" that led down a "path of darkness over light."
18December 2018
Flynn's sentencing delayed
A federal judge sharply rebukes Flynn and unexpectedly delays sentencing him after warning he could go to prison for lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Prosecutors from Mueller's team had recommended leniency.
20December 2018
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AP: Whitaker chose not to recuse himself from probe
A senior official tells The Associated Press that Whitaker chose not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an "abundance of caution."
04January 2019
Grand jury's term extended
The chief federal judge in Washington extends the term of the grand jury used by Mueller, a sign that the probe will continue for at least several months.
08January 2019
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Filing reveals Manafort shared polling data
A defense filing inadvertently reveals that Manafort shared polling data during the 2016 presidential campaign with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian-Ukrainian business associate accused of having ties to Russian intelligence, and prosecutors say he lied to them about it. It is the first time that prosecutors with Mueller’s office have accused Trump’s chief campaign aide of sharing election-related information with his Russian contacts.
09January 2019
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AP: Rosenstein expected to leave
A person familiar with the plans tells The Associated Press that Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave his position soon after William Barr, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, is confirmed.
10January 2019
Cohen says he will testify before House committee
Cohen says he will testify publicly before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, newly led by Democrats, on Feb. 7.
11January 2019
NYT reports FBI began investigating Trump
The New York Times reports that FBI officials began investigating whether Trump "had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests" after he fired Comey. Mueller took over the investigation, and it is unclear whether Mueller is still investigating that, The Times reported.
12January 2019
Washington Post: Trump concealed details of Putin talks
The Washington Post reports that Trump concealed details of his conversations with Putin, including taking the notes of an interpreter.
15January 2019
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Barr's confirmation hearing
Barr appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing. He says he doesn’t believe Mueller "would be involved in a witch hunt."
18January 2019
Mueller’s office responds to BuzzFeed News report
Mueller’s office issues a rare public statement disputing the accuracy of a BuzzFeed News report that said Cohen told Mueller that the president directed him to lie to Congress.
BuzzFeed, citing two unidentified law enforcement officials, reported that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress about a Moscow real estate project and that Cohen told Mueller the president personally instructed him to lie about the timing of the deal. The report said Mueller’s investigators learned about Trump’s directive “through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents.”
Mueller's office does not cite specific errors, but the special counsel’s spokesman, Peter Carr, says, “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the special counsel’s office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony are not accurate.”
23January 2019
Cohen postpones testimony to Congress
Cohen postpones his testimony to Congress, citing threats Trump made against his family "due to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Giuliani," Cohen's spokesman says.
25January 2019
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FBI arrests Roger Stone
Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser, is arrested by the FBI in a predawn raid at his Florida home on several criminal charges stemming from Mueller's investigation. Stone is charged in a seven-count indictment with witness tampering, obstruction and false statements about his interactions related to the release by WikiLeaks of hacked emails during the 2016 presidential election. Some of those false statements were made to the House intelligence committee, according to the indictment. Stone had said for months that he was prepared to be charged, though he denied any wrongdoing.
28January 2019
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The investigation is 'close to being completed'
Whitaker says of Mueller's probe, "The investigation is, I think, close to being completed," at an unrelated news conference. He says he has been "fully briefed," but does not elaborate or give any timetable.
Cohen agrees to talk to the House Intelligence Committee on Feb. 8 in closed-door testimony.
04February 2019
Subpoena for documents from Trump’s inaugural committee
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan issues a subpoena seeking documents from Trump’s inaugural committee.
05February 2019
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Trump's State of the Union
In his State of the Union address, Trump takes aim at Mueller's Russia probe and a series of other investigations House Democrats have promised, labeling them "ridiculous partisan investigations."
08February 2019
National Enquirer secretly assisted Trump’s campaign
Two people tell The Associated Press that federal prosecutors are looking into the National Enquirer's handling of a story about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' extramarital affair to see if the tabloid's publisher violated a cooperation agreement with prosecutors. The tabloid acknowledged secretly assisting Trump’s White House campaign by paying $150,000 to Playboy centerfold Karen McDougal for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then buried the story until after the 2016 election. Cohen pleaded guilty to charges that included helping to broker that transaction.
11February 2019
Cohen delays testimony
Cohen again delays his testimony.
13February 2019
Judge rules Manafort intentionally lied
A district judge rules that Manafort intentionally lied to investigators and a federal grand jury in the Mueller investigation. The four-page ruling hurts Manafort’s chance of receiving a reduced sentence. The ruling was largely a rejection of Manafort’s attorneys’ argument that he hadn’t intentionally misled investigators about his interactions with Kilimnik but rather forgot some details until his memory was refreshed.