Tag: politics

Hochul running mate Adrienne Adams funneled $435K to migrant shelter tied to federal probe

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s running mate – former NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams – dished out $435,000 in taxpayer-funded political pork to a shady migrant-shelter provider at the center of a federal corruption probe, The Post has learned.

The Democratic lieutenant governor candidate gave Brooklyn-based nonprofit BHRAGS Home Care Inc. $375,000 in discretionary funds through her speaker’s pot from 2022 to 2025, Council records show. The taxpayer’s dough was earmarked for the group’s senior and youth after-school programs.

The Queens-based pol also directly tacked on another $60,000 to help it assist the mentally ill, the records show.

In all, the Council under her leadership doled out $544,900 to BHRAGS since 2021, according to the records.

Councilwoman Farah Louis kicked in another $72,000, and other council members chipped in the remaining $37,900, records show.

The feds are looking into whether Louis; her sister, Deborah Louis, who serves as Hochul’s assistant secretary for NYC intergovernmental affairs; Edu Hermelyn, husband of state Assemblywoman and Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn; and others accepted bribes or kickbacks to boost BHRAGS.

The Flatbush-based nonprofit has received $185.4 million in no-bid city contracts since 2022 to provide emergency shelters for migrants and other homeless people, according to NYC Comptroller’s Office records. 

The nonprofit’s executive director, Roberto Samedy, its former board chairman, Jean Ronald Tirelus, and two others connected to BHRAGS were arrested Tuesday as part of the corruption probe for allegedly pocketing more than $1 million in kickbacks linked to city-run migrant shelters.

BHRAGS reps have said it’s “fully cooperating with law enforcement” and that Samedy was placed on administrative leave.

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Poland: Pedophilia, Bestiality Scandal Hits Tusk’s Party

The Kłodzko scandal could bring down the Civic Coalition (KO). 

This is the view of PiS candidate for prime minister, Przemysław Czarnek, despite the localized nature of the crime.

“This is a group of people who really have a lot on their minds,” the politician says.

A pedophilia and zoophilia scandal in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship has shocked Poland. Przemysław L., 45, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexual offenses committed against underage girls, bestiality, and recording these acts on film and in photographs. 

According to Do Rzeczy, his ex-wife, Kamila L., a former Civic Platform activist, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for failing to provide assistance to her minor daughter from a previous relationship, who was a victim of rape, and for complicity in animal abuse.

Przemysław Czarnek, the PiS candidate for prime minister, commented on the shocking case and its possible political consequences on Telewizja Republika on Wednesday.

“This is a very serious scandal that will, in my opinion, sink the Civic Platform. I spoke about the Civic Platform and their absolutely scandalous behavior three years ago, when there was a debate on the vote of no confidence in me. And I shouted from the parliamentary podium that these people should be feared, because these people from the Civic Platform, the mayors of cities from the Civic Platform, finance associations and organizations with enormous public funds—over a billion złoty a year—that simply deal with dramatic issues,” said the former Minister of Education and Science. 

“I mentioned programs that were simply perverted by their very name,” he added.

As Czarnek pointed out, “this is a community of people who really have a lot going for them, financing these kinds of communities that commit these kinds of shameless, dramatic, criminal, anti-human actions against children, and against animals as well, because we are dealing with zoophilia there as well.”

Politicians from the Civic Coalition also commented on the situation.

“It’s difficult to hold someone accountable; it’s a situation that can happen to anyone. Anyone can have a neighbor like that whom they know nothing about until the police and prosecutors get involved,” one Civic Coalition MP told Wirtualna Polska.

The interviewees emphasize that the case involves a former Civic Coalition (KO) activist and a very low-level figure. The police and prosecutors acted, and the perpetrators were brought to justice, so it’s difficult to speak of the scandal’s political context. “It’s a local issue, perhaps also highlighted by local disputes between the mayor and the Civic Coalition,” notes the Civic Coalition politician.

Word has surfaced that Prime Minister Tusk is offering clarification.

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Eric Swalwell Threatens FBI Agents Amid Fang Fang Drama After Bondi’s Firing

Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell on Friday threatened FBI agents during an appearance on CNN on Friday.

Swalwell ran to CNN to discuss Trump’s decision to fire Pam Bondi as Attorney General.

The Democrat lawmaker who is currently running for governor of California claimed FBI agents are being asked to break the law every single day.

“To the FBI agents who are being asked to break the law every single day. What we want to make clear, and I know this comes from Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia, who will have the subpoena power next Congress,” Swalwell said without offering any proof whatsoever.

He continued, “You will be protected if you come forward right now.”

“If you do not come forward right now and you enable more corruption on Epstein or the weaponization, you will be before Congress, and it will all come out,” Swalwell said.

Even CNN was skeptical.

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Newsom spends $20M on consultants in struggling DOGE-inspired plan to cut waste

Gov. Gavin Newsom has paid upwards of $20 million to a consulting firm that employs his former cabinet secretary to eliminate wasteful spending — but the effort has come up well short of the goal as state lawmakers blasted the move.

Newsom — who signed an executive order to cut spending in the state, à la Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficienc is hitting roadblocks with the plan amid a multibillion-dollar state budget deficit.

California contracted with one of the world’s largest consulting firms, Boston Consulting Group, for up to $20 million in an effort to cut $2 billion in spending from the departments of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Social Services, and Health Care Services by the 2028-’29 fiscal year.

But the group — which hired former Newsom cabinet Secretary and Department of Finance Director Ana J. Matosantos — is now expected to only find $810 million in savings, according to legislative analysts.

That number may even go down later in May, analysts added, as indicated by the Newsom administration.

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While Federal Workers Go Without Pay, 30 Members of Congress Spotted Vacationing at Scottish Castle on Taxpayer Dime

  • While hard-working federal employees at the Department of Homeland Security are scraping by without full paychecks amid this partial government shutdown, dozens of out-of-touch members of Congress decided it was the perfect time for a lavish, taxpayer-funded vacation overseas.

Left-wing TMZ continued to flip the script and has gone international with their investigation into congressional junkets, and what they uncovered is pure DC swamp corruption at its finest.

Approximately 30 members of Congress were caught red-handed touring Edinburgh Castle in Scotland while the rest of America deals with the chaos they created by failing to fund critical agencies.

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Eric Swalwell raids retirement, delays tax payments as he runs for California governor

Eric Swalwell has been dipping into his retirement savings and postponing his tax payments as he campaigns to become California’s next governor.

The Democratic congressman, 45, who is polling as high as 17 percent in a crowded field, has also tapped more than $200,000 in campaign funds to cover childcare costs.

Tax returns from 2021 to 2024 show Swalwell dramatically reduced how much he paid in federal taxes, from $32,000 in 2021 to just $2,580 in 2022, before withholding nothing in 2023 to maximize his take-home pay.

The filings also reveal that roughly $145,000 of the family’s income came from withdrawals from retirement accounts, showing the extent to which he’s been forced to rely on savings as he gears up for his run for governor.

Swalwell’s financial maneuvering comes despite a comfortable income. He earned a congressional salary of about $184,000 in 2024 and, with his wife Brittany Watts, reports a combined annual income of about $444,000.

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NY assembly to get million-dollar lounge —while demanding huge tax hikes on hardworking New Yorkers

State assembly members are set to personally enjoy a million-dollar renovation for their lounge space just off the chamber floor — even as they push to hike taxes on businesses while driving up spending, The Post has learned.

The Office of General Services, a division of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration which handles much of the capitol complex, is moving forward with plans to renovate the space with the price tag potentially exceeding $1 million, according to bidding documents reviewed by The Post.

The move comes as the same pols who exclusively get to recline on the couches in the antechamber and chomp down on treats prepared in the lounge’s kitchenette demand Hochul hike taxes on businesses amid next year’s proposed $263 billion state budget.

“Albany Democrats always find money for themselves while asking New Yorkers to pay more. They are completely out of touch,” upstate Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), a former assembly woman, told The Post.

Ex-Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-Chautaqua) added, “The assembly members should work harder rather than ‘lounge’ around.”

A source confirmed to The Post that OGS had received a request from the Assembly for the project.

Lawmakers ran for the hills Wednesday for Passover break after failing to come to an agreement with Hochul on her proposed $263 billion state budget proposal.

Despite being on a scheduled two-week recess, lawmakers will likely have to gather to vote Tuesday on another stopgap spending bill to keep state workers paid.

At least some will likely skip the tally in person, Goodell said.

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The Flailing GOP’s Biggest Advantage This November Is Democrats Are Still Obviously Crazy

BETTER TO BE INCOMPETENT, THAN OBVIOUSLY CRAZY

Things aren’t going well for Trump among the electorate. He’s slipping in nearly every metric. He just hit his highest national disapproval rating yet.

Functionally speaking, the midterms look bad. I’m not sure why Trump doesn’t appear more urgent other than his striking penchant for inexhaustible confidence. Losing the House would be sad but predictable, while losing the Senate would be catastrophic.

The House of Trump is teetering. The brothers have been doing all sorts of … deals. It hasn’t escaped the notice of other Republicans even. It won’t escape the notice of new Senate leadership. Impeachments are the least of it.

Imagine Biden’s foreign grift but 1000x worse.

And what’s the upshot of all this? What’s propelling Trump’s confidence?

In part, despite the cascade of disappointments, it has to be that the electorate still has a dimmer opinion of Democrats. Dim is a bit understated.

As conservative economist Stephen Moore put it, “Voters may not love Republicans, but increasingly, they fear Democrats.”

Machiavelli coined the term, “better to be feared than loved.” He elucidated further by saying that constant fear would eventually lead to instability, but you get the point.

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Alberta Surpasses 177,000 Signatures, Officially Triggering Its Independence Referendum for October 19th

Alberta has entered a historic chapter.
This week, organizers confirmed that the movement for an Alberta independence referendum has officially passed the required threshold of 177,000 verified signatures, clearing the final legal barrier for a vote set to take place on October 19th.

According to the organizers behind the petition, signatures continue to pour in even after the requirement was met — a sign of the momentum and frustration that have been building across the province.

For many Albertans, this referendum is the result of years of tension with Ottawa, fueled by policies that have targeted the province’s energy sector, restricted development, and undermined the economic backbone of Western Canada. Residents and local leaders argue that Alberta has carried the financial weight of the federation while receiving little more than political pushback in return.

The announcement marks a dramatic turning point in Canada’s national landscape.
Independence movements have existed before, but none had crossed the official threshold required to trigger a formal vote — until now. This makes Alberta the first province to force a federal showdown over sovereignty in the modern era.

Political analysts say the development could reshape the country’s balance of power, testing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s already strained relationship with Western regions. The federal government, por su parte, has avoided making strong public comments, aware that any misstep could inflate separatist sentiment even further.

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The Seder That Turned on Mamdani

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani walked into the “Downtown Seder” at City Winery in Manhattan ready to set a tone. He spoke first, leaned into unity, and tried to present himself as a mayor who moves easily across lines that divide the city.

Unfortunately for the mayor, the room didn’t follow his lead.

Zohran Mamdani is clearly aiming to convince the world that he isn’t anti-Semitic in the most lefty-coded theater-kid way possible. It didn’t quite go as he planned.

The New York mayor attended what The New York Times called a “hip” Passover Seder on Monday.

The event was also attended by former CNN host Don Lemon, who is in a bit of legal trouble at the moment, and a whole host of other characters, including a drag-queen rabbi who phoned in from Jerusalem and George Floyd’s brother, who spoke about “racism,” according to the Times.

Michael Dorf, founder of City Winery and longtime host of the event, has run the gathering for over 30 years. Mamdani took a seat alongside Don Lemon and Amichai Lau-Lavie.

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie will appear at the Seder by video from Israel. The rabbi and human rights activist is best known as the subject of the documentary film Sabbath Queen (2024), which followed Lau-Lavie’s “epic journey” as a “drag-queen rebel” who “challenge[s] patriarchy and supremacy.” It is not known if the rabbi will appear as himself or as his drag alter ego, Hadassah Gross. Other guests will include Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, and Matthew Broussard, the actor and comedian who played “Comic 2 at Stage Deli” in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Mamdani addressed antisemitism and told the audience he stands with Jewish New Yorkers, framing himself as a bridge builder, even while promoting a political agenda rooted in democratic socialism and expanded government authority.

That contrast didn’t sit well.

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