Tag: new york

TRUMP DOJ Sues New York, Connecticut, and Vermont for Giving Illegal Aliens In-State Tuition and Financial Aid While Americans Pay More

The Justice Department has now filed 17 lawsuits challenging state tuition benefits for illegal aliens, and says it will continue until American citizens are no longer treated as second-class students.

The Trump Justice Department is turning up the heat on three more Democrat-run states accused of placing illegal aliens ahead of American citizens.

On Monday, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, challenging state laws that provide qualifying illegal aliens with in-state tuition rates, financial assistance, and scholarships unavailable on the same terms to American citizens living outside those states.

The DOJ alleges that the blue-state programs violate federal law, encourage illegal immigration, and force American students to compete under a system tilted against them.

Let that sink in: An American citizen living across the state line may be charged the full out-of-state tuition rate while someone unlawfully present in the country can qualify for taxpayer-supported benefits based on state residency.

In New York, the average in-state tuition and fees run about $8,300 while out-of-state students pay more than double. Connecticut and Vermont have long maintained similar two-tier systems that favor those who broke federal immigration law over American families from neighboring states.

According to the Justice Department, that arrangement directly conflicts with 8 U.S.C. § 1623. The federal statute generally prohibits states from awarding residence-based higher-education benefits to aliens who are not lawfully present unless the same benefits are available to U.S. citizens regardless of where they live.

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Judge Blocks Mamdani’s Pied-à-Terre Tax After Homeowners File Lawsuit

A New York judge on Monday temporarily blocked NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax, which hits New Yorkers who own a valuable second home.

Last month, Mamdani implemented a so-called luxury property tax on second homes valued at $5 million or more. The property tax also affected certain co-ops valued over $1 million.

Mamdani doxxed the homeowners after his Department of Finance published a database listing the names and addresses of the 960,000 properties.

“As per State law, a property roll was released for public inspection. From this list, DOF will identify properties that may be subject to the new non-primary residence property surcharge,” a Mamdani spox previously told Fox News.

Affluent homeowners said the database and doxxing could lead to harassment and violence.

Homeowners filed a lawsuit in New York’s Supreme Court to stop Mamdani’s property tax

The lawsuit argues that New York City bungled the execution of the new tax by “arbitrarily and capriciously” forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to prove they do not owe the tax.

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NANNY STATE: Zohran Mamdani Launching City Government Babysitting Service so Parents Can Have a Date Night

Conservatives used to joke that the left was trying to turn the government into a nanny state. Now, Zohran Mamdani is taking it literally.

The New York City mayor is launching a service where people in the city can drop their kids off at the park to be looked after by government officials while the parents can have a date night. What could possibly go wrong?

Would you be comfortable dropping your kids off at a New York City park and then going out to dinner?

ABC News in New York reports:

Date night, anyone? NYC launching free babysitting program for parents

New York City is giving parents a chance for a night off through a new pilot program that will provide free child care for hundreds of families next month.

Mayor Mamdani announced the launch of “Parents’ Night Out,” a city-sponsored program that will offer free babysitting for up to 500 children on Aug. 16 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. Monday and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Every parent knows that a few hours to yourself can feel like a luxury,” said Mayor Mamdani in prepared remarks. “It shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re launching New York City’s first-ever Parents’ Night Out, so that parents can get a little time on their own to catch a movie, run errands or go on a date without worrying about who will take care of the kids – or how much it will cost.”

The program is open to families with children ages 6 to 13 and will provide free child care at designated city recreation centers.

City officials say the initiative is designed to give parents and caregivers a break while children participate in supervised activities.

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REPORT: More Than HALF of New York Students Grades 3-5 Failed Basic Reading Tests This Year

More than half of students in grades 3-5 in New York state failed basic reading tests this year. It’s an absolute disgrace.

In New York City, they spend upwards of $40,000 on each student per school year. What is the money going to> Lessons on critical race theory and gender studies topics? Social justice activism?

Reading is one of the most basic and necessary skills that schools are expected to teach children. People who cannot read are absolutely doomed in adult life.

Part of this can be blamed on draconian school shutdowns during Covid but not all of it.

The New York Post reports:

NY 3rd-5th graders fail basic reading tests with more than half not even proficient: data

More than half of 3rd- to 5th-grade students in the Empire State failed their reading proficiency state exams this year, according to shocking new data.

Preliminary results released this week by the state Education Department that 57% of 3rd graders, 52% of 4th graders and 57% of 5th graders failed to make the grade on their 2025-26 English Language Arts tests.

City kids in grades 3-8 saw a 6% drop in their ELA scores from last year, with just about half overall rating proficient.

Overall, just 48% of students in the testing grades, 4th-8th, rated proficient on the ELA — a “significant” 5% plunge from the previous year, the department said.

Fifth graders saw the largest drop of any grade level, with those students’ reading proficiency declining by an incredible 14 points, according to the results.

In New York City — where about 40% of the state’s public school students are enrolled — the decline was even more concerning.

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Reality Bites: Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani Turns To Capitalist Bankers For Help

After socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani went after Citadel’s Ken Griffin, created a property database of wealthy homeowners that makes the list easily accessible to “Luigi-worshipping leftist thugs,” and endlessly bashed America and capitalism, all while his friend, Democratic Socialists of America’s unofficial spokesperson Hasan Piker, called on his followers to “kill capitalists in the streets” and other DSA members called for the destruction of America from within, the far-left NYC mayor, who is running into roadblocks, has called on capitalist bankers for help.

Piker in his own words: “KiII those motherf**kers and murder those motherf**kers in the streets. Let the streets soak in their f**king red capitalist blood.” 

Bloomberg reports that Mamdani is seeking top capitalist bankers for a new business advisory council as he attempts to mend relations with Wall Street after spewing dangerous rhetoric against the very people who make the city go ’round.

Those invited include former UBS Americas Chief Executive Officer Robert Wolf, former Lazard investment-banking chief Antonio Weiss, and Bank of America’s New York City President Jose Tavarez, according to people familiar with the discussions.

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Communist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Given a New Nickname as Details Emerge Regarding His Remarkably ‘Thin-Skinned’ Behavior Behind Closed Doors

It turns out that Marxist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who presents himself as a smiling, smooth-talking salesman, is quite a different person behind the scenes. And it has spawned a new nickname which he won’t like.

The New York Post dropped a remarkable story on Thursday night, which extensively describes a mayor who becomes a nasty bully when things do not go his way.

The paper notes that Mamdani is easily angered not only by press criticism but also by people who dare to utter unflattering words toward him in public.

Mamdani even places personal phone calls to politicians he thinks will back off their attacks and eventually bow to him.

From the Post:

Social media-savvy Mayor Zohran Mamdani is developing a reputation IRL as “thin-skinned” and hyper-sensitive to public criticism, despite hyping himself online as a smiling and unflappable politician, scores of insiders spilled to The Post.

Behind the scenes, Hizzoner huffily badgers critics who dare question him publicly, harbors petty grudges against prominent pols, and often only responds to texts when he’s miffed about bad press, according to interviews with more than a dozen elected officials, consultants, and other politicos.

“I see more and more he cannot handle criticism, but mainly from elected officials who he thinks he can push around,” one political consultant said.

“The mayor personally reaches out when electeds criticizes him publicly. If they speak, then he cares. He cares because he doesn’t want bad press. It shows a sensitivity.”

A major sore spot for the narcissistic mayor is when he hears Jewish New Yorkers taking issue with his attacks on Israel. As we all know, Mamdani despises the Jewish State and has threatened to have Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrested.

Sources said the mayor personally called at least one elected official who attended the news conference, complaining about being told to tone down his rhetoric — and upset that their exhortation was connected to his video branding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” which was posted days before the attack.

NYC Democrat operatives and politicians went on to describe Mamdani as someone who uses his phone as “a security blanket” while obsessing over how many lies he gets on an X post.

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Feds Arrest Suspect in Juneteenth Arson of 173-Year-Old Brooklyn Church

The feds on Wednesday arrested a suspect in the arson of a historic Brooklyn church.

A historic church built around 1860 on Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, was engulfed in flames on June 19 – also known as ‘Juneteenth.’

The community was devastated after the landmark South Bushwick Church was destroyed by a three-alarm fire.

The steeple collapsed as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

24-year-old John Jones was taken into custody as he tried to steal a sandwich and donuts from a store on Broadway, according to The New York Post.

Jones was caught on video on the side of the church using a lighter to ignite the blaze.

According to The Post, Jones was arrested in late June on criminal mischief charges for smashing a tv at a restaurant and causing $900 in damages.

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Mamdani Reverses Policy Requiring Govt. ID to Buy His Food

Communist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani abruptly reversed his policy of requiring government ID to purchase food in his government-run supermarkets.

Even funnier is that, although we have it all on video, he’s now pretending that was never his policy. Remember, communists will tell any lie necessary to further the agenda. Communists have no ethics other than doing whatever is necessary to bring about the revolution. So, Mamdani is perfectly comfortable lying, knowing he will have the help of corrupt, far-left media outlets like the Associated Press, who publish lying fact checks, like this one, that brazenly and happily lie on his behalf.

Here is what  Jeanny Pak, the Interim President & CEO of NYC Economic Development Corporation, told the world during a Monday press conference with the Mayor standing a few feet away…

Yes, if you look at our RFP [Request for Proposals] for the operator, we are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be [through] a sort of a library card-esque [system], and also, we manage who’s buying and that it’s focused on everyday New Yorkers. So, we are mindful of that, and we’re going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen.

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Momma’s boy gangbanger who was driven to NYC shooting by cop mom, ex-con dad plotted hit while in court: DA

Chase Lackard, 20, faced a judge on a 2024 gun rap just 20 minutes before the alleged June 29 drive-by gang shooting – with help from his mom, disgraced Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard, and drug-dealing dad James Lackard, according to prosecutors.

“He’s captured on cameras running into this courthouse,” Bronx Assistant District Attorney Keturah Ladd told the judge. “He had a court date and a court appearance on the third floor of this building.”

Momma’s boy Chase Lackard, a reputed member of the “Slutty Gang,” was ordered held without bail.

Jennifer Lackard, 49, a former member of Bronx Community Board 9, was hired in 2020 to run the suburban department’s Wellness Unit, and was fired from the job after her arrest.

Also named in the Bronx indictment is her drug-dealing ex, James Lackard, who served 10 years in federal prison for peddling heroin in North Carolina — but remains on the lam.

According to sources and news reports, Jennifer Lackard co-founded and ran a North Carolina nonprofit with her ex-con hubby, which was shut down after James Lackard’s conviction.

Jennifer Lackard moved north and joined the Bronx community board and started a new nonprofit in the borough, Re-Entry Link LLC, before she was hired to the newly created position by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard.

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Mamdani: Nah, No IDs at City Grocery Stores — Illegals Welcome to Shop on the Taxpayer Dime

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is now promising that his taxpayer-funded, socialist grocery stores will require zero identification — meaning non-New Yorkers, including illegals and tourists, can stroll right in and load up on discounted food while actual residents foot the bill.

This comes after one of his own officials floated a “library-card-esque” system to make sure only city residents could take advantage of the 30 percent markdowns, sparking immediate outrage.

While critics may portray this as a ‘damned if you do’ trap for Mamdani, it’s not. The criticism yesterday was in the irony of requiring ID, which leftists, in opposition to the vast majority of Americans, believe is racist.

The reality, however, is worse.

“We’re talking about a city-run grocery store, one in each borough, which, by the way, you do not need an ID to shop at, no matter what you’ve just heard in the news of today,” the mayor told Joy Reid.

The implication is clear here. The outrage was a construct of the right. A fiction. And of course, Mediaite helped spread that idiotic narrative, with their angle that Mamdani “laugh(ed) off” the “MAGA uproar.”

The “uproar” was over the hypocrisy. And the concerns were not made up. 

Jeanny Pak, the interim president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said: “We are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that it is focused on everyday New Yorkers.”

Pretty clear-cut statement there.

Now that the mayor has pivoted and done a 180, it’s safe to assume they are not, in fact, “focused on everyday New Yorkers.”

Non-New Yorkers, including illegal aliens and out-of-towners, will be able to shop at the taxpayer-funded stores.

“NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone. There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop,” a City Hall representative told the New York Post.

Funded on the backs of New Yorkers. But anybody can reap the benefits. This move continues the trend of Mamdani being a weapons-grade economic illiterate. He likes to discuss fairness for all but implements a government program that is inarguably unfair to actual residents of the city.

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