Tag: new york

New York Movie Theaters Could Sell Marijuana And Allow Consumption During Films Under Forthcoming Licenses, Official Says

A New York official says there are plans in the works to expand permitting and licensing rules that could allow adults to buy and consume marijuana at movie theaters.

While many theaters across the country currently let moviegoers purchase and drink alcohol, that’s not the case for cannabis—even in states where marijuana has been legalized.

“At this time, cannabis can only be sold at legal, licensed adult-use dispensaries or legal, licensed adult-use microbusinesses,” New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Press Secretary Taylor Randi Lee told Variety.

“For theaters to serve recreational marijuana at their establishments, they would need either an events permit or consumption lounge license,” she was quoted as saying in a story the trade publication ran about ways that theaters can appeal to audiences to buy tickets. “New York State does not have either yet but plans to in the future.”

The idea of potentially expanding permitting to authorize sales of cannabis products at movie theaters would set New York apart as it continues to build upon the state’s legalization law.

OCM’s comments come days after Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a pair of companion bills into law that are meant to expand New York’s marijuana farmers market program, allowing for more partnerships between licensed cannabis businesses and standalone “pop-up” events.

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The Letitia Files: Did Letitia James Illegally Hire a Nonprofit for Her 2013 Campaign?

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ multi-family apartment building in Brooklyn has begun to resemble a crime scene. Last week, I revealed two major incidences of potential mortgage fraud by James.

I detailed Letitia’s misrepresentations in her government HAMP Loan application whereby she falsified the number of apartment units in her building to obtain a loan at 2.7% on the back of the American taxpayer.

I also revealed that James once obtained a home loan by claiming she had married her father. By borrowing with her father, Robert James, as “husband and wife,” she was able to secure a home loan when she was 24 years old.

Now the spotlight is shining on what could be considered illegal campaign activity by Letitia James in 2013 when she ran for New York City Public Advocate.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is an independent, nonpartisan agency that oversees the city’s campaign finance system.

Its main responsibilities include ensuring candidates comply with NYC’s campaign finance laws, including contribution limits, spending restrictions, and financial disclosure requirements.

Searching their records for Letitia James, it indicates her campaign hired New York Communities for Change (NYCC), a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization, to engage in political campaign activity on her behalf in September, October, and November of 2013.

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NYC teen raped more than 30 times by female shrink known as ‘Big Foot’ at juvie jail: lawsuit

A Staten Island teen was allegedly raped dozens of times by his female counselor — known as “Big Foot” — at an upstate juvenile detention facility, while staffers joked about it, he claimed in a lawsuit.

The victim, now 21, was just 17 in 2021 when he was sent to Brookwood Youth Facility, about 45 minutes south of Albany, and first encountered associate psychologist Maya Hayes, who held frequent counseling sessions with him in her private office, according to the litigation.

The sexual abuse began about three months after the accuser, whose name is being withheld by The Post, arrived, the suit claims. It didn’t end until he had been raped more than 30 times, he claimed.

Hayes, 47, allegedly “groomed and manipulated [the victim] into trusting that what she was doing had some basis in legitimate care and treatment. It did not,” he said in court papers.

Hayes “used and exploited her position of trust and authority . . . to her disgusting advantage and her own depraved benefit . . . to sexually abuse and exploit as many children as possible under the guise of performing routine and necessary counseling sessions,” the teen alleged.

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New York Court Strikes Down Law Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

In a landmark decision, the New York Court of Appeals has struck down a controversial law that would have allowed noncitizens and illegal immigrants to vote in municipal elections. 

The court ruled 6-1, declaring the law unconstitutional and reaffirming that only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in New York’s elections, effectively ending a contentious legal battle.

The law, passed in 2021 by the New York City Council during the final days of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, was automatically enacted in 2022 after neither de Blasio nor his successor, Mayor Eric Adams, vetoed it. Designed to extend voting rights to over 800,000 noncitizens, including legal immigrants, in municipal elections, the law quickly faced fierce legal opposition, according to Trending Politics. 

Critics, including Republican lawmakers, argued that it violated the state constitution, which explicitly limits voting rights to U.S. citizens.

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Mortgage Fraud Alert: Did Letitia James Marry Her Father?

My recent revelations in The Gateway Pundit demonstrated that New York Attorney General Letitia James obtained a federal government HAMP loan in 2011 to refinance her apartment building based on false unit information and a highly questionable hardship claim.

In her loan documents, James claimed her multi-family apartment building at Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn had only four units, even though the official Certificate of Occupancy indicates five apartments.

This may seem a minor point, but James’s false claim helped her obtain a 2.7% government-backed HAMP loan unavailable to landlords with more than four apartments in a given building. James also claimed financial hardship to qualify for the loan, despite an income of over $126,390 in 2011.

There seems to be a pattern of possible mortgage fraud in regard to Letitia James. New questions have now arisen about a home Letitia James purchased with her father, Robert James.

In the Spring of 1983, Letitia James was 24 and living in Brooklyn with her parents. She had graduated from CUNY’s Lehman College in 1981. She would not begin law school at Howard University in Washington, DC, until the fall of 1984.

According to New York City Department of Finance records, on May 20, 1983, Letitia James and her father, Robert James, took out a real estate loan from Kadilac Funding Ltd. for $30,300 as “husband and wife.” For the record, Letitia James’ mother is Nellie James.

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Big Development: Is Letitia James Guilty of Mortgage Fraud?

For over two decades, Letitia James repeatedly claimed her Brooklyn apartment building was a four-unit property on mortgage applications—despite official records proving it had five.

This may seem a minor discrepancy, but misrepresenting the unit count enabled her to secure more favorable loans, including a 2011 Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) loan that saved her tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Now, the same legal principles she used to prosecute others may be turning against her.

It all began in 2001 when Letitia James purchased a four-story multi-family apartment building with five apartments in Brooklyn for $550,000.

In 2005, James refinanced the building with an adjustable loan from Aegis that started at an interest rate of 7.2% with a ceiling of 10.2%.

For the next two decades, James took out refinancing mortgages and always listed the number of units as four.

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Amish children in NY face compulsory vaccination as court crushes religious freedom

In a chilling blow to religious freedom, Amish children in New York are now being forced to receive vaccinations against their families’ deeply held beliefs—under threat of massive fines and exclusion from their own private schools.

The ruling, handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on March 3, 2025, marks a dark milestone in government overreach, stripping one of America’s most peaceful religious communities of their constitutional rights.

The Amish, known for their steadfast commitment to faith and self-sufficiency, have long resisted government-mandated medical interventions. For centuries, they have lived apart from modern society, rejecting outside interference in their way of life.

But under New York’s repeal of religious exemptions—a law pushed through in the wake of a 2019 measles outbreak—the Amish were given an impossible choice: violate their conscience by vaccinating their children or face crippling financial penalties and educational exile.

And now, the state has made its position brutally clear. Reports indicate that Amish families and schools have already been hit with fines totaling $118,000 for refusing to comply.

The Second Circuit’s ruling dismissed Amish objections, arguing that the repeal of religious exemptions is “neutral” and applies to all children, regardless of whether they attend public, private, or parochial schools. The court insisted that the law serves a compelling public health interest—despite carving out medical exemptions for those with a doctor’s note while denying the same protection to those with religious objections.

This double standard is glaring. The Amish aren’t asking for special treatment—they’re simply asking to be left alone to live by their faith, a right the First Amendment is supposed to protect.

Reaction to the ruling has been swift and furious. Social media has erupted with outrage, with posts on X calling it a “horrific violation of basic freedoms.” One user warned, “If they can force this on the Amish, no one’s rights are safe.” Another pointed out the hypocrisy: “New York claims it’s about safety, but they’ll let unvaccinated kids in with a doctor’s note—just not a prayer.”

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New York Blocks ICE From Detaining Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Subway Murder

An illegal immigrant accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York subway station remains protected under the city’s sanctuary policies, sparking outrage from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She criticized New York officials for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, allowing dangerous individuals to remain in the country.

Noem visited the subway station where the brutal attack took place, blaming city leaders for policies that prioritize illegal immigrants over law-abiding residents. She pointed out that the suspect first crossed the border illegally in 2018, was deported under President Donald Trump, but later reentered the country and took advantage of New York’s lax immigration policies.

The suspect had been living in New York for over a year, receiving assistance from programs that provide shelter and food for illegal immigrants. Noem stated that these sanctuary protections make the city a safe haven for criminals, increasing risks for everyday citizens.

Despite a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain the suspect, the New York City Department of Corrections refused to comply, allowing him to remain in local custody. Noem called the decision a failure of leadership, saying both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are responsible for endangering public safety.

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Sanctuary city scandal: Migrant who set fire to woman as she slept on NYC subway avoids deportation

An illegal immigrant accused of burning a woman alive inside a New York subway car will remain in the US because of sanctuary city policies that prohibit him from being deported.  

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, is facing murder and arson charges relating to the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57. 

Prosecutors say Zapeta-Calil set the New Jersey woman on fire on a stopped train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station on December 22.

He then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on platform bench and watching as Kawam burned, they allege.

Under current policies enacted in the Big Apple, the city’s corrections department have refused to honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for Zapeta-Calil. 

That decision was slammed by Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who was in NYC this week to meet with law enforcement. 

In a clip of her taken on the platform of the Coney Island stop, she said: ‘ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody 

‘Because of current sanctuary city policy, the corrections department has indicated it will NOT honor the detainer.’

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New York FBI Field Office Head Forced Out Days After His Office Was Revealed to Have Been Hiding Thousands of Epstein Documents

There has been a significant shake-up within the FBI as one of its top officials has been forced out.

NBC News reported Monday that James Dennehy, the head of the FBI’s New York office, threw in the towel just days after his office was revealed to have been hiding thousands of Epstein documents.

“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” Dennehy wrote in an email obtained by NBC. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”

Two sources confirmed to NBC that Dennehy was given the choice between getting fired or resigning. He chose the latter.

She later announced that a key FBI official involved in withholding these critical documents “will not be working for us anymore.” Was it Dennehy?

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that the FBI was withholding thousands of Epstein files. She ordered the FBI to provide the complete Epstein files by Friday morning, February 28, and directed an immediate investigation into the oversight.

Last Thursday’s much-hyped release of “The Epstein Files: Phase One” fell flat for many Americans hungry for the truth. The 120-page dump, handed over to a select group of MAGA influencers, was a heavily redacted dud—mostly rehashed information previously seen.

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