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Mamdani’s ‘Balanced Budget’ Is an Accounting Atrocity

In mid-May, after extending the executive deadline, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his $124.7 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Executive Budget. 

After warning that NYC faces a budget crisis of “historic magnitude” in late April, Mamdani now assures the 8.5 million residents of the Big Apple that the city is on “firm financial footing” after he “balanced the budget” “without raising property taxes” or “slashing services.”

While it is certainly true that Mamdani did not slash services or raise property taxes even higher than they already are, it is ludicrous for him to declare that NYC’s budget is sound and sustainable.

Aside from Mamdani’s smoke-and-mirrors budget summary, the harsh reality is that the Big Apple is bankrupt. 

According to NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, the “$2.2 billion budget shortfall for FY2026 and projected $10.4 billion gap for FY2027… is the first time since the Great Recession that the City faces a budget shortfall of this magnitude.”

Based on Mamdani’s “balanced budget,” the FY 2026 and FY 2027 deficits are no longer a concern. 

Much of the gap has been taken care of by what Mamdani calls a “partnership with Albany.” New Yorkers outside of the Big Apple call it a bailout.

“Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the City secured an additional $4 billion in state support and actions to help stabilize the budget,” Mamdani bluntly put it.

However, Albany could not supply enough money to make the short-term math work.

Thus, Mamdani’s balanced budget relies upon accounting gimmicks and “new tax revenue.”

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She’s Running Again: Kamala Harris’s 2026 Memorial Day Message is a Lot Different Than Her Previous Posts

She’s running again.

Failed presidential hopeful Kamala Harris’s 2026 Memorial Day message is a lot different than her previous posts.

“Today, we pause to remember the Americans who laid down their lives in service to our nation,” Kamala Harris said in a caption with a photo of Arlington National Cemetery.

“May we always honor their legacy and support the loved ones they left behind,” Harris said.

In 2021, Kamala Harris caused a firestorm after she posted a callous Memorial Day message.

“Enjoy the long weekend,” Harris said.

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Caucus That Claims Congress Is Silencing Black Voices Silences Black Voices

The Congressional Black Caucus, which frequently complains that Congress is silencing black voices, has denied the application of four congressional black voices.

The four black members of Congress include Reps. Burgess Owens, R-Utah; Wesley Hunt, R-Texas; Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; and John James, R-Mich.

“Unfortunately, for the Left, their priorities are power and profit” Owens told the Daily Signal.

Owens and Donalds pushed to rename the Capitol’s press gallery after civil rights icon Frederick Douglass, a Republican, but caucus members refused to co-sponsor the resolution.

“Democrats know Douglass was a Republican,” Owens said. “They don’t stand up for the things that really should make a difference. They stand up for everything the Democratic Party wants, which means the black community is not always in a good place.”

Owens, who sits on the House’s Education and Workforce Committee, said the Congressional Black Caucus will advocate against the things that could strengthen the black community, such as education.

“That means they are going to vote against school choice,” he said. “Our kids are going down so fast, so far because they’re not getting the right education. … The Black Caucus doesn’t want [school choice] to happen because the Democratic Party doesn’t want that to happen.”

Owens said he grew up in the 1960s deep South, where his community “was doing well” and people believed in faith, family, and the free market. However, he added, the Left doesn’t value those ideals today.

“Marxists and socialists hate faith, family, and free market education because that sense of independence takes away their power and ability to make profit,” he said. “When they make profit on people’s misery, that’s a big business.”

Owens added, “They allow people not to feel good about themselves, feel hopeless, feel desperate, then they depend on you. … And when people have that kind of mindset, and they have no concept of what it is to believe in God or have empathy, they’ll do everything selfishly.”

The Congressional Black Caucus is pushing legislation asking young black athletes to avoid playing college sports for universities in the South, as a method of retaliating against states that redrew congressional maps. Owens, who was the third black athlete to receive a football scholarship from the University of Miami, criticized the effort, saying it’s a move by “black elitists” who want to “take the dreams of young black people away so that they can keep theirs.”

The caucus has received criticism for other decisions, including denying membership to Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., a white congressman who nevertheless represents the largest black community in Tennessee.

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Over 20 People Hospitalized After Man Sprays Mystery Substance in Luxury Tokyo Mall

Shopping became a dangerous activity.

The Japanese capital was hit with a mystery attack after an unidentified person sprayed an unknown substance in a luxury mall.

The incident led to over 20 people being taken to hospital.

Sky News reported:

“The Tokyo fire department said 26 people suddenly developed sore throats and felt unwell near the city’s luxury Ginza Six shopping complex. All but one of them were taken to hospital.

Their symptoms were believed to be mild, according to officials.”

Emergency workers wearing hazmat suits and face masks were seen helping people at the scene. Japanese authorities have not specified what substance was sprayed, but Japanese newspaper Yomiuri reported that police found traces of pepper spray.

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How Gavin Newsom Subsidized the Migrant Invasion

Former President Joe Biden’s administration oversaw an unprecedented wave of migration across the southwestern border of the United States. Migrants convoyed in “caravans” in hopes of overwhelming border authorities. Cartels trafficked drugs and people in droves. At some points, American authorities estimated that more than 130,000 people were crossing into the U.S. each month; arrivals came not just from Latin America but every corner of the earth.

At the height of this drama, some border states sought to stop the wave of illegal immigration on their own. Texas dispatched thousands of National Guard soldiers and spun razor-wire barriers across the desert. Arizona sent construction cranes to stack hundreds of shipping containers into a makeshift border wall near Yuma. Then-Arizona Governor Doug Ducey called it a “border crisis.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott called it an “invasion.”

California, on the other hand, welcomed the flood. In this City Journal investigation, we have traced the money and can reveal that Governor Gavin Newsom has granted approximately $1 billion to an army of nonprofits that has encouraged unchecked numbers of migrants to enter the country, fought deportation orders in the courts, and led street protests against ICE. These groups often operate under the guise of “humanitarianism” or “immigration justice,” but many, as we have uncovered, are in fact left-wing activist groups that use propaganda, lawfare, and street protests to transform America’s demographics and build political power for California Democrats—all on the public dime.

This is the story of how Gavin Newsom subsidized the illegal invasion and turned a wave of desperate people into pawns in his political game.

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AOC Taking Major Steps Toward 2028 Presidential Bid, According to New Report

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is actively positioning herself for a potential run for president in 2028, according to a new report.

The New York congresswoman has begun a “de facto national tour,” visited key early primary states, held meetings with Democratic insiders, and continues to build the kind of infrastructure that could fuel a White House campaign.

While AOC has not formally announced any decision, her recent moves, combined with strong early polling and a history of hiring veterans from Bernie Sanders’ presidential bids, have led many to speculate that she has something up her sleeve.

In a new report from Axios, reporters Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein detailed how Ocasio-Cortez is making concrete steps toward a presidential campaign.

The report described her as “one of the biggest X factors in the 2028 Democratic primary,” noting that Democratic operatives believe she could “easily raise $100 million just from small-dollar donors, mobilize many supporters of Sanders’ past campaigns, and command attention as few other candidates could.”

The report points out that just this month, AOC has:

  • Rallied voters in Philadelphia for a left-wing congressional candidate in a competitive primary.
  • Spoken at a rally in Montgomery, Ala., about voting rights.
  • Addressed the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. (Democrats note that Warnock, the church’s senior pastor, doesn’t always allow visiting politicians to speak at this church. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg didn’t speak when he visited in March.)
  • Met with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter at the King Center in Atlanta to talk about data centers and voting rights.
  • Visited Morehouse School of Medicine, also in Atlanta, to discuss Black maternal health.
  • Rolled out several endorsements in races across the country.

Speaking at an event at the University of Chicago with former Obama adviser David Axelrod earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez responded to questions about 2028 by saying, “They assume that my ambition is positional… They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.”

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Wired for war: The Israeli spy-tech machine strikes again

French authorities are investigating an alleged election meddling plot by an Israeli “information warfare” company targeting candidates critical of the Jewish state. The scheme – involving fake profiles and AI nudes – follows a familiar pattern.

Multiple intelligence agencies in France are investigating the work of BlackCore, an Israeli firm that allegedly carried out an interference campaign against three left-wing mayoral candidates in Marseille, Toulouse, and Roubaix in March, Reuters reported last on May 13.

All three candidates are members of France Unbowed (LFI), the party of left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. In Marseille, Sebastien Delogu was accused of rape by a pseudonymous blogger named ‘Sophie’, while bogus Facebook profiles and QR code stickers plastered around the city boosted the story. AI-generated ‘nudes’ of Delogu were also circulated online, along with captions mocking his support for Palestine.

Bot-boosted profiles posted disparaging stories about Francois Piquemal in Toulouse and David Guiraud in Roubaix. One page accused Piquemal of pedophilia, while another site portrayed LFI as the party of “Sharia law” and “a more Muslim France.” Presented as a “voting guide” for Muslims compiled by an Islamist group, the site was aimed at turning non-Muslim voters against the party, Le Monde reported.

An investigation by France’s Liberation newspaper and Israel’s Haaretz revealed on May 18 that BlackCore was behind the influence operation. According to Reuters, French authorities are now trying to establish who hired the company to intervene in the elections.

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69-Year-Old Army Veteran and Owner of ‘Trump House’ in Southern California Dies After Being Brutally Beaten

Kerry Sheron, the 69-year-old owner of the ‘Trump house’ in Southern California, has died after being brutally beaten by a Navy veteran.

Sheron, an Army veteran, was violently assaulted by 32-year-old Thomas Caleb Butler in an unprovoked attack on May 20 outside of Sheron’s home.

Kerry Sheron decorated his Escondido home with Trump banners and American flags.

The Trump-supporting Army veteran died Sunday night just days after he was hospitalized in critical condition.

Butler was previously charged with attempted murder, elder abuse, making criminal threats and battery. His charges will be upgraded after Sheron died from his injuries.

Deputy District Attorney Ross Garcia said Sheron was violently attacked by Butler.

“It was a single punch to the jaw,” Ross Garcia said, NBC San Diego. “The victim then falls to the floor, and there are subsequent hits to the victim’s head area.”

The New York Post reported:

The owner of a heavily decorated pro-Trump home in Southern California has died days after he was beaten to a pulp allegedly by a Navy veteran.

Kerry Sheron, a 69-year-old Army veteran known locally for covering his residence with MAGA banners and American flags, died Sunday night after nearly a week hospitalized in critical condition.

The attack happened May 20 outside Sheron’s home in Escondido, police said.

Prosecutors allege 32-year-old Thomas Caleb Butler attacked Sheron in what officials described as an unprovoked assault.

Butler, who has been described in local reports as a Navy veteran, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted murder, elder abuse, criminal threats and battery.

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NATO-made mines found on gas tanker arriving in Russia from Belgium – investigators

A tanker ship that arrived in Russia’s Leningrad Region from the Belgian port of Antwerp had NATO-made magnetic mines attached to its hull, the Russian Investigative Committee has said.

A criminal case has been opened over an attempted terrorist attack on the gas tanker, the Arrhenius, the agency said in a statement on Monday.

Divers discovered “factory-produced naval magnetic mines manufactured in one of the NATO countries” on the hull when they inspected the vessel upon its arrival in the port of Ust-Luga, the statement read.

The explosive devices were neutralized by Federal Security Service officers, working together with servicemen from the Defense Ministry and the National Guard, it added.

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FBI-Assisted Operation Rescues Kidnapped U.S. Citizen in Jalisco

Coordinated efforts between Mexican authorities and the FBI led to the safe recovery of an American citizen abducted in a remote mountainous region of Jalisco, Mexico.

A joint security operation involving Mexican federal and state authorities, supported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), resulted in the rescue of a kidnapped U.S. citizen in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The victim was located alive in a rugged mountainous area between the municipalities of Ixtlahuacán del Río and Cuquío after intelligence-sharing and emergency coordination between both countries.

According to officials from the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office, the rescue mission began after the FBI submitted a formal alert and request for assistance to Mexican authorities regarding the disappearance and suspected kidnapping of the American citizen. Mexican security agencies quickly launched an operation involving ground units, aerial surveillance, and specialized tactical teams.

Authorities said the operation took place on the morning of May 22, 2026, in a difficult-to-access mountainous corridor in central Jalisco. Helicopters, including Black Hawk aircraft, were reportedly used to reach remote sections of the terrain where investigators believed the victim was being held.

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