Tag: new york

China’s ‘Magic Weapon’ Reaches Deep Into America and the West

In 2023, the FBI arrested two Chinese-Americans, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, for operating a Chinese police station in Manhattan. Chen pleaded guilty and faces up to five years in prison for acting as a Chinese agent, while Lu, who has connections to Chinese authorities, pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He faces 20 years for obstruction of justice.

According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), the police station was established to monitor and intimidate Chinese dissidents in the U.S. What is concerning, however, is that this is not an isolated case of serious infiltration. Nor is such activity limited to the U.S. alone. Safeguard Defenders, a Madrid-based NGO, has identified 102 Chinese police stations in 53 countries.

The audacity of operating police stations in other countries highlights how far China is willing to go to silence critics as it seeks global dominance in economic, military, and cultural fields. This ability was not built overnight. Its foundation was laid by Mao Zedong himself with the creation of the United Front Work Department (United Front), one of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “three magic weapons,” alongside armed struggle and party building. The front reports directly to the CCP’s central committee.

According to Cheryl Yu, a China expert and fellow of the Jamestown Foundation, Mao described the United Front’s work as “unifying our real friends to attack our real enemies.” Deng Xiaoping expanded that to a more aggressive approach: “unifying those who can be unified, neutralizing those who can be neutralized, and dividing those in the enemy camp who can be divided.” Current CCP supreme leader Xi Jinping has used it for the “Great Rejuvenation” of China.

Yu’s detailed report states that the first mention of the United Front working abroad appears in a 1985 document. Another document lists five overseas tasks: increasing people’s love for the motherland and the party; promoting Chinese culture; encouraging Chinese abroad to support their country’s development; promoting unification with Taiwan; and creating a positive international environment for the CCP.

Over decades of “assiduously cultivating” overseas Chinese groups, the CCP has turned those seemingly harmless goals into a global network of influence—groups and individuals it can mobilize to promote its interests. Yu’s report states there are over 2,000 such groups in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Germany; the worldwide number could reach “tens of thousands.”

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Mamdani Reverses Course On Homeless Policy After Multiple Deaths

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that his administration will resume clearing homeless encampments, reversing a decision made shortly after he took office to pause the practice.

Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, initially halted the city’s homeless encampment sweeps on Jan. 5, days into his term, stating the need to develop a revised policy. Under that pause, the city had stopped actively dismantling makeshift camps that house people experiencing homelessness.

“I made a decision with my team to put a pause on that prior administration’s policy as we started to develop our own policy that would deliver far better outcomes for the city,” Mamdani told reporters last week.

Due to the recent cold snap, Mamdani issued a Code Blue, requiring city shelters to accept anyone seeking refuge from the cold.

Reports noted that at least 20 homeless people froze to death in recent weeks, which critics linked to his earlier policy of allowing them to remain on the streets.

“We knew that that is a policy that we would only deliver on once the prolonged Code Blue came to an end, because, as we know, in a Code Blue, the focus should be on getting homeless New Yorkers inside, not on the question of how we respond to structures,” Mamdani added.

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Mamdani Twists Himself Into a Pretzel as He Defends Requiring ID to Shovel Snow in New York City 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani actually defended the ID requirement to shovel snow in New York City.

Mamdani came under fire after the last ‘Snowpocalypse’ in New York City left piles of dirty snow on the streets for weeks.

Another blizzard is expected to dump approximately two feet of snow in New York City and this time Mamdani urged New Yorkers to help shovel the snow.

However, they must show two forms of ID!

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a press conference on Saturday that the city is preparing for what could be its most significant snowfall in nearly a decade.

“For those who want to do more to help their neighbors and earn some extra cash, you too can become an emergency snow shoveler,” Mamdani said.

”Just show up at your local sanitation garage between 8 am and 1 pm tomorrow with your paperwork,” he added.

The Department of Sanitation said shovelers are paid $19.14 per hour, with overtime at $28.71 per hour after 40 hours – but multiple forms of ID must be presented in order to qualify to be a shoveler!

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NYC Socialist Mayor Eyes Activist Who Called CPS ‘Genocide for Black People’ to Lead Child Welfare Agency

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is considering Angela Burton, a 65-year-old activist known for her criticism of Child Protective Services (CPS), to lead the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

Burton has described CPS as a form of “slow extractive genocide for black people in America” in a 2023 X post and likened it to “child slavery” in another post from July 2023.

“Leave Black people alone. Your numbers and methods are treasure. Racist garbage in, racist garbage out. We don’t need CPS. CPS is Slow extractive Genocide for Black people in America. We know what you’re up to,” Burton wrote.

Currently, Burton serves on Children’s Rights’ New York Mandated Reporting Working Group, which seeks to narrow mandated reporting laws to reduce what it calls over-surveillance and family separations, particularly affecting Black, Latino, and low-income families.

Burton has also posted on X calling CPS a “grave and imminent threat” to children and families, accusing CPS employees of racism, and advocating for defunding police and the abolition of the “foster care industrial complex.”

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Beloved New York Teacher Placed on Leave for Helping Students Launch TPUSA Chapter

A beloved Spanish teacher in upstate New York has been placed on a paid leave of absence by school officials after helping students launch a Turning Point USA chapter.

Jennifer Fasulo is an educator at Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, a suburb of Syracuse.

A student-led petition demanding her reinstatement has garnered over 2,100 signatures as of February 20, declaring, “We believe no educator should be punished for their personal beliefs.”

The petition states:

Mrs. Fasulo is a Spanish teacher at Charles W. Baker High School located in Baldwinsville New York. She is currently facing discrimination for her spiritual and political beliefs. She has been put on administrative leave and is pending termination. We believe no educator should be punished for their personal beliefs. Please sign this petition to show support and help us get Mrs. Fasulo back where she rightfully belongs. #FreeFasulo

One student praised her as a mentor whose “wisdom and compassion… is unmatched,” while Club America President Jerry Dygert blasted the decision at a February 9 school board meeting, saying, “This teacher is being targeted not because of her performance, but for her political beliefs… Our club exists to promote political understanding through civil discourse, removing the one teacher who best embodies those values puts that mission in serious jeopardy.”

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Mayor Mamdani Urges New Yorkers to Help Shovel Snow — But They Must Show Two Forms of ID!

New York City officials are looking to hire 1,000 emergency snow shovelers as a major winter storm moves toward the region.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a press conference on Saturday that the city is preparing for what could be its most significant snowfall in nearly a decade.

“For those who want to do more to help their neighbors and earn some extra cash, you too can become an emergency snow shoveler,” Mamdani said.

”Just show up at your local sanitation garage between 8 am and 1 pm tomorrow with your paperwork,” he added.

Workers will be transported by vans and buses beginning Sunday night to clear bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants, and other public areas.

The Department of Sanitation said shovelers are paid $19.14 per hour, with overtime at $28.71 per hour after 40 hours.

However, netizens pointed out that applicants are required to present two forms of identification, despite Mamdani and the Democratic Party’s fervent opposition to Republican-backed voter ID mandates.

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Fake Immigration Law Firm Busted in Brooklyn Federal Indictment

A five-count indictment was partially unsealed in the Eastern District of New York that charged five defendants with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States.  

Three of the defendants, Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, 25 of Ibagué, Colombia and Green Brook, New Jersey, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, 29, of  Ibagué, Colombia and Green Brook, New Jersey, and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez, 38, of Ibagué, Colombia, were arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Colombia with one-way tickets.  

Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, 24, of Ibagué, Colombia and North Plainfield, New Jersey, was arrested at a restaurant in New Jersey. 

A fifth defendant is not in U.S. custody.  

Daniela and Jhoan Ramirez, and Marlyn Pineda are immigration parolees, and Alexandra Ramirez is in the U.S. on a tourist visa. Daniela, Jhoan, and Alexandra Ramirez are siblings.  The four defendants who were arrested will be arraigned tomorrow morning at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and Ryan Hill, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, New York Field Office, announced the arrests and charges.

“As alleged, the defendants undermined the integrity of our immigration system by impersonating judges, law enforcement officers, and lawyers, and targeting vulnerable members of our community who sought to hire attorneys to help them navigate sensitive legal issues,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “The defendants brazenly stole their victims’ money and deceived them by sending fictitious documents and holding sham court proceedings. I commend our Office’s prosecution team and the law enforcement agents whose hard work has disrupted this elaborate and outrageous scheme.”

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Mamdani Is Collapsing Faster Than We Thought

You can’t say we didn’t warn New York what was going to happen if it elected Zohran Mamdani, but I gotta say, I don’t think anyone predicted it would start collapsing so quickly. But, alas, it has. That socialist utopia that Mamdani was supposed to deliver has instead turned into a slow-motion fiscal catastrophe a mere two months in — and even the liberal media is starting to notice.

Mamdani unveiled a $127 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 this week — a staggering $5 billion increase over the prior year.

But what’s $5 billion between socialists, right?

To put that into perspective, Mamdani’s proposed budget is actually larger than the budgets of 47 U.S. states, including Florida, which has nearly twice the population. And somehow, it still isn’t enough. The city is staring down a $5.4 billion deficit, with the real gap potentially closer to $12 billion when you do the actual math.

So what was his plan? Tax someone else.

Mamdani went straight to Albany looking for a handout, demanding that Gov. Kathy Hochul raise taxes on the “ultra-wealthy” and the most profitable corporations. When Hochul told him to pound sand and cut spending instead, he obviously couldn’t do that, and now he is looking at saddling homeowners with a 9.5% property tax hike.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Raiding Retirement and Health Funds

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is already short of funds for his socialist dream for New York City. Like a true communist, his plan is to increase taxes on homeowners while raiding retirement and healthcare funds. Ironically, communists are supposed to support the working man, but in reality, they support the non-working man who needs more money from the working man to keep from having to work.

On February 17, 2026, Mayor Mamdani presented his first preliminary budget and framed the city’s finances as a choice between two paths. He delivered an ultimatum to Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature: approve higher taxes on the wealthy or he would use the limited tools under his direct control to close a projected $5.4 billion shortfall.

His preferred path calls on Albany to raise personal income taxes by 2 percent on New Yorkers earning over $1 million and to increase corporate taxes on the most profitable companies. If the state refuses, he says he will pursue what he describes as a last resort: a 9.5 percent property tax hike, the first major increase in more than 20 years, affecting roughly 3 million residential units, along with drawing down approximately $1.2 billion from the city’s reserves, including the Rainy Day Fund and retiree health benefit trusts.

The proposal to tap retirement-related funds has generated the strongest backlash. Mamdani’s plan includes taking $229 million from the Retiree Health Benefits Trust, which pays health insurance premiums for retired city workers such as teachers, police officers, and sanitation workers.

Using money set aside for future medical costs to cover today’s operating deficit shifts long-term obligations into the current budget cycle. Budget watchdogs, including the Citizens Budget Commission, warn this would leave the city less prepared to meet healthcare costs for an aging workforce.

Mamdani insists he does not want to touch these funds and describes this as a harmful path he hopes to avoid. He is using the threat to pressure Governor Hochul into approving higher taxes on the wealthy.

Mamdani has also pushed to shift city pension investments away from what he calls harmful industries, including certain fossil fuel companies and firms tied to the conflict in Gaza. Pension trustees and union leaders argue this amounts to political intrusion into retirement assets and conflicts with their fiduciary duty to maximize returns for retirees.

By law, trustees must focus solely on financial performance. Critics contend that divesting from high-performing sectors for ideological reasons narrows the investment pool and can reduce long-term returns. Analysts noted that the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange significantly outperformed the S&P 500 in 2025.

Avoiding such assets means forfeiting gains that help keep pension funds solvent. Even a one or two percent underperformance compounded over time could create substantial funding gaps.

The dispute has escalated into a showdown with New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, the legal custodian of the pension funds. Levine recently announced plans to resume investing in Israel Bonds, calling them a long-term, secure investment that has never missed a payment in 80 years. Mamdani opposes the move, arguing the city should not support a foreign government involved in the Gaza conflict.

However, the mayor does not control the pension boards outright. The comptroller and union representatives hold significant seats, limiting Mamdani’s ability to force divestment. Critics say he is attempting to pressure the boards into adopting his position.

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Bronx post office cannot safely deliver packages, USPS says, as customers wait “two and a half hours for a stamp!”

People in the Bronx are complaining about painfully long wait times at their local post office as lines sometimes go out the door. 

The United States Postal Service says delays at the Morrisania post office are due to “a significant number of packages” that could not safely be left at homes.

On Thursday, CBS News New York saw multiple people changing their minds and deciding not to even go inside once they saw the line.   

“Two and a half hours for a stamp!”

Residents said a trip to the East 167th Street post office is anything but a quick errand these days, with some complaining about waiting five hours for a package and only one or two clerks helping out. 

“I have to wait two and a half hours for a stamp! It’s ridiculous,” Raymond Cioffi said. 

“It’s probably the worst post office I have been in,” businessowner Frank Farrell said. “If this was in a different zip code, it wouldn’t be like this.”   

Video shows chaos there last week, when signs said packages could not be picked up until the afternoon and some people said their packages were lost. 

“Inside, it’s all messed up,” Alberto Virs said. 

“I don’t want to come back here ever again,” Andres Lopez said. 

Another resident shared a video of when police were called after frustrated customers got heated over the long wait.  

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