Republicans rip Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as a bribe to ‘make NYers like her’
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first initiative of her 2025 State of the State plan: up to $500 in “inflation refunds” for New Yorkers dealing with spiking costs-of-living in the Empire State. The proposal would take $3 billion in “excess” sales tax revenue that had been “driven by inflation” and return the money to nearly half of the state’s population. Families making less than $300,000 would be eligible for $500, and individual taxpayers making less than $150,000 would receive $300 under the plan. The governor’s office said the announcement is one of several proposals aimed at lessening the burden on New Yorkers’ cost-of-living. “Because of inflation, New York has generated unprecedented revenues through the sales tax — now, we’re returning that cash back to middle class families,” Hochul said in a statement Monday. HOCHUL SPARKS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER CONGESTION PRICING REBOOT AS DEMS WORRIED TRUMP WOULD BLOCK IT “My agenda for the coming year will be laser-focused on putting money back in your pockets, and that starts with proposing Inflation Refund checks of up to $500 to help millions of hard-working New Yorkers. “It’s simple: the cost of living is still too damn high, and New Yorkers deserve a break,” said Hochul, offering a sentiment similar to that repeated by perennial candidate and Rent is Too Damn High Party founder Jimmy McMillan. However, New York Republicans were not as receptive to Hochul’s plan, as NYSGOP Executive Director David Laska told Fox News Digital the governor appeared simply out to make friends rather than bring about long-term relief. “With her approval rating deep underwater, Kathy Hochul is resorting to bribing New Yorkers to like her,” Laska said. HOMAN SCOFFS AT HOCHUL’S SUDDEN OUTRAGE OVER VIOLENT MIGRANTS “Handing out one-time checks won’t stop the crushing inflation Democrats’ policies have fueled – it will only add to it. New York needs real, permanent solutions: relief from our highest-in-the-nation tax burden and a rollback of job-killing regulations.” New York City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli claimed that the $300 offered to middle- and low-income residents would still be less than what is spent on each migrant daily. “[That] is not that backslapping win the governor thinks it is,” said Borelli, R-Staten Island. Borelli added that the plan “looks increasingly silly” in the face of Hochul’s successful push for congestion pricing and her borrowing “costly energy cues from the Greta Thunberg School of Energy Policy.” “Newsflash for Kathy Hochul,” added Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., “Taking thousands of dollars out of New Yorkers’ left pocket and then putting $500 in their right pocket isn’t a tax cut, it’s an insult.” State Sen. Rob Ortt, R-Niagara Falls, said that Democrats like Hochul continue to make New York State more expensive despite pleas for relief. “The governor’s mindset is promising, however words are words,” said Ortt, the top Republican in the chamber. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ortt claimed that it is his caucus that is the true voice for hardworking New Yorkers seeking “real affordability… not just one-shot gimmicks.” Meanwhile, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said Albany needs to “stop treating New Yorkers like bottomless ATM machines” with their new tolls and tax hikes. Malliotakis’ constituents now face an extra $9 “congestion” toll to enter Lower Manhattan, on top of an approximate $20 round-trip cost to commute on the state-owned Verrazzano Bridge. “If she’d allow her constituents to keep more of their hard-earned money from the start, there would be no need for these ‘inflation refund’ checks to begin with.” Hochul’s office estimated 8.6 million out of 19.5 million New Yorkers would benefit from the planned “refunds.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul for further comment on the criticisms.
New York voters want state to support Trump deportations, poll finds
Most voters in New York want the state to support President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plans, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The Siena College New York State Poll found that 54% of respondents say the state should support any Trump administration efforts to deport migrants living illegally in the state, compared to 35% of respondents who oppose the plans. Strong support for the president-elect’s deportation plan was found throughout the state, including New York City. “A majority of voters from the City, 51%, upstate, 54%, and the downstate suburbs, 58%, want the State to support the Feds’ efforts,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said of Trump’s effort to deport illegal immigrants living in the state. “Supporting the Feds also has majority support from white and Black voters, and a plurality of Latino voters, 47-36%.” RACHEL MORIN’S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY The poll found that 51% of Democrats in the state opposed deportations, while 38% supported any such plans. Meanwhile, 87% of Republicans overwhelmingly supported Trump’s plans, compared with 8% who opposed. Independent voters broke down with 54% in support and 30% who opposed., The New York Post earlier last month obtained data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that showed 58,626 of the 759,218 illegal immigrants living in New York City had previously been convicted of a crime or had criminal charges pending, or 7.7% of the city’s illegal migrant population. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that 11 million illegal immigrants were living in the U.S. as of 2022, the latest statistics available. TRUMP CLAIMS GOP ‘VERY OPEN’ TO KEEPING ‘DREAMERS’ IN US, TAKES SHOT AT ‘VERY DIFFICULT’ DEMS Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign when he enters office in January, where he will also have a Republican House and Senate. Ahead of that, some Democrats have been calling on President Biden to extend existing protections for some illegal immigrants – including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Trump, however, said on Sunday that he wants to work with Democrats on a “plan” to help illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under the Obama-era DACA order. “I will work with the Democrats on a plan, and if we can come up with a plan, but the Democrats have made it very, very difficult to do anything. Republicans are very open to the Dreamers,” Trump said. “The Dreamers, we’re talking many years ago. They were brought into this country many years ago, some of them are no longer young people, and in many cases, they become successful. They have great jobs. In some cases, they have small businesses. In some cases, they might have large businesses, and we’re going to have to do something with them.” Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Webb County’s top elected official switches to Republican Party
Tano Tijerina was elected as a Democrat to lead Webb County, which includes Laredo. It is among many border counties that Trump won in November.
Rachel Morin’s mom pleads senators ‘hear our cries for help’ in mass deportations hearing testimony
FIRST ON FOX: The mother of a woman allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant pleaded with Judiciary Committee senators to secure the border in her written testimony for a hearing led by committee Democrats titled, “How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy.” “I live 1,800 miles from the southern border in a small town in northern Maryland. Yet a man who was wanted for murder in El Salvador made his way to my community… and ambushed my daughter on a quaint walking trail in broad daylight,” wrote Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin who died in 2023. GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL Rachel Morin was a mother of five. Following her death, a grand jury in Maryland voted to formally charge the suspect, illegal immigrant Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, with two counts of murder, two counts of rape and one count each of sex offense and kidnapping. “We felt relieved when the suspect was finally caught. But that relief quickly turned to horror and outrage when we learned that the suspect was an illegal immigrant. This man was wanted for killing a woman in his home country when he walked into ours,” Patty wrote in her planned testimony. JOHN CORNYN ‘INCLINED’ TO BACK TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL AFTER SENATE MEETING Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recently previewed the Tuesday hearing, saying it “will examine the consequences of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations, as well as stress the need to shift our focus toward sensible solutions that would bring order to the border and provide a path to citizenship to longtime residents with no serious criminal convictions.” Patty will be one of five witnesses at the hearing. DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS APPOINT INCOMING CALIFORNIA, NEW JERSEY SENATORS 3 WEEKS EARLY “I really want you to hear my words and take to heart what I and other families across America are saying. Please hear our cries for help! You each have taken an oath…an oath to serve our nation and the citizens who make it great. Protect Americans by securing our borders,” she said in her testimony. LARA TRUMP ANNOUNCES SHE IS STEPPING DOWN AS RNC CO-CHAIR AMIDST TALK SHE MAY BE UP FOR FLORIDA SENATE SEAT The hearing and Patty Morin’s testimony come as both parties prepare for the mass deportations of illegal immigrants that have been promised by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. He has also said he will further fortify the southern border and continue building his wall. Rachel Morin’s death was one of several high-profile deaths of women in the U.S. allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants during the Biden administration. Some of the other cases that garnered national media attention and outrage were those of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas and Laken Riley in Georgia.
Himachal plans to launch ‘People Empowerment Platform’ with Sundar Pichai’s Google; know all about it
The chief minister said that advanced technology has the potential to revolutionise agriculture and disaster preparedness. The accurate weather forecasting could minimize loss of life and property by enabling better planning and response from local administrations.
UP: Portion of 185-year-old Noori mosque in Fatehpur demolished for ‘encroachment’
Local authorities claimed it was illegal and obstructing the widening of the Banda-Bahraich Highway.
Black Panther 6.0: A Spectacular Evening of Glitz, Glamour, and Entertainment
The sixth edition of the much-anticipated Black Panther 6.0 event lived up to its legacy, delivering a night of unforgettable performances, thrilling announcements, and star-studded appearances.
SM Krishna passes away: Karnataka govt declares 3-day state mourning, holiday on…
SM Krishna died at his residence early on Tuesday morning following a prolonged illness, his family said.
Mother of Hunter Biden’s daughter defends pardon, says he’s ‘targeted because of who his dad is’
Lunden Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden’s child, Navy Joan Roberts, is backing President Biden’s decision to issue a sweeping pardon for his son. “I think what Joe did is what the love of any parent would do and not everybody will understand that,” Roberts said in a statement provided by her publisher, Skyhorse, to the DailyMail. “I’d like to see more of that love towards Navy Joan and hope that Biden will take the steps to become a grandparent for my daughter.” Roberts went on to say that she believes that Hunter was “targeted because of who his dad is.” “I don’t know what it’s like to be president, so I can’t say what choices I would make if I was in Biden’s shoes, but I am a mother,” she said. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my child. No barrier I wouldn’t break for Navy Joan.” BIDEN TEAM REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR FAUCI, SCHIFF, OTHER TRUMP ‘TARGETS’ “Many people have done what he’s done and have never gotten in trouble,” Roberts added. “But because his dad is president, he’s being held to a different set of circumstances.” Despite repeatedly stating that he would not pardon Hunter, President Biden reversed course and granted clemency to his son for all offenses against the United States he committed or may have committed from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. The sweeping pardon, therefore, covers, but is not limited to, Hunter’s conviction on federal gun charges in Delaware and his guilty plea on federal tax charges in California. He was due to be sentenced in both cases this month. Roberts penned a book published in August titled, “Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden.” The Arkansas native details how she met Hunter while she was in Washington, D.C., for school and while Hunter was at the height of his addiction to crack cocaine. WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING? She said she moved back home after becoming pregnant, and Hunter, already a father to three daughters with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle at the time, had grown distant. Roberts gave birth to their daughter, Navy, in August 2018. Hunter was also briefly involved with the widow of his late brother Beau Biden, and not long afterward, he married his current wife, Melissa Cohen Biden. The couple welcomed a son in March 2020 named Beau Biden Jr. The White House Christmas stocking display has included just six grandchildren for years, excluding Navy. President Biden had refused to acknowledge Navy as his grandchild until July 2023. A court-ordered paternity test confirmed Hunter as Navy’s father in 2020. Earlier this year, Roberts agreed to reduced child support payments in exchange for Hunter trying to build a relationship with his daughter. Roberts said Hunter has spoken with his daughter over Zoom. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Skyhorse for additional comment.
Nobel laureates criticize RFK Jr. HHS nomination over ‘lack of credentials,’ vaccine stance
Seventy-seven Nobel Prize winners have come out against the nomination of environmental and health activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. In a letter first reported by the New York Times, the Nobel Laureates urge members of the United States Senate to reject RFK Jr.’s nomination, raising concerns about his “lack of credentials” in health science or administration, opposition to vaccines and promotion of “conspiracy theories” about mainstream medical treatments. “Placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences,” the letter cautions. Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, is an environmental lawyer and activist who founded the Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit group accused of spreading misinformation on vaccines, including debunked claims that vaccination causes autism. President-elect Trump declared his intention to nominate Kennedy to lead HHS in November after Kennedy, who ran for president as an independent, endorsed Trump for president. RFK JR. WANTS TO CLEAR OUT ‘ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS’ IN THE FDA: ‘THEY HAVE TO GO’ The letter cites Kennedy’s opposition to widely-accepted public health interventions, including vaccination and the fluoridation of drinking water, to suggest his confirmation could lead to public harm. The Nobel Laureates also allude to his rejection of scientific evidence that shows H.I.V. causes AIDS. Additionally, the Nobel Laureates call Kennedy a “belligerent critic” of the agencies he would oversee as Health Secretary, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. Kennedy has accused the FDA of “corruption” and called for “entire departments” at the agency to be cleared out. He has also called the CDC’s vaccine division a “fascist enterprise” and accused health agencies of being captured by the pharmaceutical industry, according to NBC News. The Nobel Laureates insist the next health secretary “should continue to nurture and improve — not to threaten — these important and highly respected institutions and their employees.” TRUMP TAPS RFK JR. TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee a vast health policy bureaucracy that includes 13 agencies, operates with a $2 trillion budget and administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and other crucial federal health programs. RFK JR. CALLS FOR REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE FROM DRINKING WATER, SPARKING DEBATE The Department of Health and Human Services guides public health policy for disease treatment and prevention; provides grants for medical research and community health programs; assists with child welfare programs, including adoption, foster care, child care and child abuse; develops bioterrorism defense strategies; resettles refugees who seek asylum in the United States and much more. “President Trump has asked me to do three things: 1. Clean up the corruption in our government health agencies. 2. Return those agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. 3. Make America Healthy Again by ending the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy posted on X after his nomination. Kennedy is not the only recent HHS nominee to face public scrutiny over his apparent lack of health credentials. Conservative groups opposed President Biden’s 2020 nomination of then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the department on grounds that Becerra, a former congressman and lawyer, had no related health experience. The Senate confirmed Becerra 50-49, with the support of all Democrats and just one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.