Trick or Treat: Congress faces ‘chamber of horrors’ as government funding deadline looms
It was mid-July. And the House of Representatives was already done for the summer. That’s right around the same time Halloween decorations like gigantic yard skeletons and Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate pumpkins began materializing in stores. Those weren’t phantasms. Halloween is the next big consumer holiday on the calendar. I mean, what would you buy to decorate for Labor Day? But there’s a spooky alignment between July and Halloween when it comes to Congress. If you begin to see Halloween paraphernalia in July, that’s practically October in Capitol Hill terms. The reason? Congress didn’t finish its annual spending bills before the annual August recess and that means it will be a sprint to finish them by October 1, the deadline to avoid a government shutdown. GRIDLOCK CRUMBLES AS SENATE ADVANCES SPENDING BILLS IN RACE AGAINST SHUTDOWN Right around the same time that the rest of the nation starts thinking about ghosts and goblins for Halloween. The funding deadline is enough to convert the U.S. Capitol into a chamber of horrors for the entire month of September. Congress is always dragging to complete spending measures in July. Then August comes and concerns about the spending bills vanish like a ghost. Then the appropriations bills rise like mummies out of their coffins when Congress comes back in September. The battle over averting a government shutdown is like a vampire. It sucks most other legislative activity out of Congress until there’s a deal. That’s because most Members want no part of a government shutdown. Lawmakers from both sides know that government funding is one of the most important inflection points on the political calendar. Let’s examine where we stand with government funding. Congress approved a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown in March. That interim spending package funded the government through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. The House approved the bill. But lawmakers worried about a potential government shutdown because breaking a filibuster on the measure required 60 votes. That entailed support of some Democrats since Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate. At the last minute, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he would help Republicans crack the filibuster. Schumer didn’t vote yes on the bill itself. But the New York Democrat argued that avoiding a shutdown at that point was better than enduring one under President Trump – and Elon Musk who was then fully empowered at DOGE. Some longtime Capitol Hill hands and Congressional observers feared the government might shutter for a lengthy period if it closed. Schumer and other Democrats asserted that the President and Musk would use that as justification for never re-opening some parts of the government since they lacked funding from Congress. Progressives excoriated Schumer for not extracting a major concession from President Trump and Congressional Republicans which reflected Democratic values and priorities. Liberals used Schumer’s decision as justification to demand new Democratic leadership in the Senate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared to seethe at Schumer’s maneuver, sidestepping questions from reporters about the break. White House Budget Director Russ Vought says he wants a less bipartisan appropriations process. That’s fine. But this is about the math. House Republicans must stick together to pass any spending package there. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose three votes and still pass a bill without Democratic assistance. Likewise, Senate Republicans can only lose three votes there, too. But the real hurdle is the filibuster. That’s where 60 votes are necessary. And that means the GOP must lean on Democrats – assuming they’re willing to help out. HILLARY RIPPED AS ‘MASSIVE LIAR’ AFTER SCATHING REACTION TO TRUMP’S PLAN TO FIX DC CRIME It’s really unclear if Republicans can stick together to approve a spending package. Keep in mind that it’s almost a certainty that any spending measure must simply renew all current funding on a temporary basis. A lot of Republicans are fed up with this appropriations rut – especially since Johnson promised to do things differently once he claimed the Speaker’s gavel in October 2023. Remember that some conservatives helped bounce former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., less than two years ago because he propounded an interim spending plan. Some Republicans are beginning to lose patience with Johnson on spending plans. But remember that most Republicans will support whatever appropriations plan the GOP brass concocts – as long as it has the blessing of President Trump. So Vought may advocate for a more partisan process. But that won’t result in policy achievements and GOP spending priorities unless Republicans convince Democrats to play ball. Here’s another dynamic: some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus are hinting they simply want to re-up the current levels of funding again. Yes, lawmakers approved those spending plans under President Biden and a Democratic Senate. Therefore, much of the federal government is still operating under Democratic spending blueprints. But Democrats would demand more money for the next spending round. The same with some Republicans. So voting to renew the old money – regardless of who pushed for it – is less than Congress could have spent. That’s why some Freedom Caucus members suggest this would serve as a de facto spending cut. They’re not wrong. Federal spending is almost always on an upward trajectory. This would level things off and bend the annual spending curve for the first time in decades. TRUMP FIRES BACK AT ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER WHO CALLED HIM A ‘PIECE OF S—‘ AT RALLY So, if your goal is to trim funding, this may be the most plausible option under the present political circumstances. Remember, it’s about the math. Moreover, Republicans have only approved a pittance of the funding cuts demanded by DOGE. Congress passed a bill to slash $9 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid. That’s not a lot. And Republicans could barely approve that bill. How they rescind other funding remains to be seen. However, Republicans could greenlight all the old money – and
Gov. Abbot still beat Newsom in disaster relief despite Texas Democrats stalling, hiding out
Despite Democratic lawmakers fleeing and holding up vital relief efforts, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s flood relief was faster than California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the L.A. wildfires. This weekend, Abbott helped to present more than 60 of the families most impacted by the catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country with $25,000 relief checks, which the governor called an initial “down payment” on the relief still incoming. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott explained the funds were a result of Texas partnering with country music legend George Strait and other private groups to ensure that funds raised by the star went straight to those who suffered the worst damage. Abbott said that both he and Strait agreed there is a “need for speed to help these people as quickly as possible.” ABBOTT VOWS INDEFINITE SPECIAL SESSIONS, SAYS FLEEING DEMS COULD FACE ARREST ‘FOR LITERALLY YEARS’ “We’ve seen in other states when there’s been travesties that occurred there, like the fires in California, and so much money was raised and never has gotten to the people who needed it, we want to make sure that did not happen in the state of Texas,” Abbott explained. “There has been an outpouring of support to Texas organizations to help the people of this state,” he added. “Now our job is to make sure it gets into the hands of the people who need it the most.” This comes just over a month after much of central Texas suffered a devastating flood that killed over 100 and decimated homes and businesses. In response to the suffering, Strait, a Texas native, held a concert on July 27 to raise funds for those most impacted. Just two weeks later, victims are already receiving relief checks from the concert. Abbott said that Strait was insistent that “he was doing this for one reason, because he was sick and tired of the people who’ve been damaged and harmed the most by the storm are not getting the money they need.” CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO ‘NULLIFY’ TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATS “So, what we did we set up an operation to make sure we were able to identify who sustained the worst damage, then make sure that they would be on the receiving end of these checks,” he explained. Strait’s concert closely resembles a similar star-studded benefit concert, titled “FireAid,” in California that raised more than $100 million for victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles. FireAid billed itself as “a benefit concert for wildfire victims.” Aside from music by the likes of Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo, the five-hour show featured multiple stories from victims of the Altadena and Palisades fire who had lost their homes. Fox News Digital reported in July that six months later, victims in the city’s most impacted neighborhoods still had not received any direct funds raised by the concert. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for FireAid told Fox News Digital that “to most effectively deliver aid to the community as quickly as possible, we partnered with vetted and trusted local nonprofits who had the capacity and infrastructure to directly reach the individuals in need.” The spokesperson said “this assistance provided food security, housing, resources for schools and more directly to individuals in the affected communities.” TRUMP AND NEWSOM FIGHT OVER NATIONAL GUARD HEADS TO TRIAL IN CALIFORNIA They said that to date, FireAid has “distributed two rounds of funding totaling close to $75 million to organizations helping people on the ground and expect to distribute the remaining $25 million by the end of the year.” “The funds address the urgent needs from individuals in our communities— from immediate financial assistance, to childcare, groceries, mental health and housing and rebuilding public spaces as well as fire prevention. The grants have been distributed to more than 160 frontline nonprofits, schools, and local organizations which were identified and selected by FireAid,” said the spokesperson. Abbott claimed that several factors have made Texas’ response to the flooding disaster very different from California’s. “It starts with generosity … but the second thing is we don’t let things slow us down. We are very empathetic with those who have lost their homes, who’ve had their lives turned upside down, who are trying to get back into their homes,” he said. “So, we were able to cut through all the red tape and make sure that the money got into the hands of those who needed it the most.” He went on to say that “now we’re working with the local governments to make sure these people are going to be able to take these dollars, these resources, and actually begin that construction process to get their homes rebuilt.” This comes despite the governor’s ongoing showdown with Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, who fled the state and brought the legislature’s efforts to pass new flood relief measures to a grinding halt. The Democrats fled the state in protest of redistricting plans that would potentially give Republicans five additional seats in Congress. GOV. GREG ABBOTT THREATENS TO REDISTRICT 8 SEATS FOR GOP IF DEM LAWMAKERS DON’T RETURN TO TEXAS The governor and other state leaders, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Leader Dustin Burrows, both Republicans, have filed legal action to arrest the rogue lawmakers and have threatened to remove them from their offices. Thus far, however, the Democrats have been able to evade Texas authorities and hold up any progress by denying the state House the necessary quorum to pass legislation. “We’re able to give that to the victims, even though we have Democrats who’ve fled the state and been dishonorable to our state,” said Abbott, adding, “One thing about Texans is we stand and fight if we have principles we want to fight on. And what these Democrats have done, they fled the state, and that’s very un-Texan on their part.” He went on to
Top Democrats ripped on social media over ‘bonkers’ reactions to Trump’s DC crime plan: ‘Massive liar’
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was slammed on social media Monday after she dismissed President Trump’s efforts to combat crime in Washington, D.C. as “unhinged” with other top Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, receiving similar pushback. “As you listen to an unhinged Trump try to justify deploying the National Guard in DC, here’s reality,” Clinton posted on X on Monday, along with a DOJ press release from early January of this year, in conjunction with Trump’s press conference announcing the federalization of the nation’s capital to combat crime. “Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low.” Clinton’s post immediately drew pushback from conservatives on social media, including from inside the White House, with many making the case that crime in Washington, D.C. has gotten out of control. “On top of being a big-time loser, you’re also a massive liar,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson posted on X along with an article headline about a D.C. police commander being suspended for allegedly altering crime data. PIRRO CALLS OUT DC LAWS LETTING ‘YOUNG PUNKS’ OFF THE HOOK FOR VIOLENT CRIMES “If Hillary Clinton thinks DC is safe, she should go move to Anacostia or Navy Yard,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X. Jeffries posted a similar reaction to Clinton on social media saying, “Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low. Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost.” Conservatives on social media ripped Jeffries as well. “A selection of headlines in our nation’s capital this month,” NRCC deputy executive director Jack Pandol posted on X along with several news headlines of recent violent crime in DC. “Why do Democrats always take up for thugs, violent criminals, and illegals over law abiding citizens?” “Democrats are lining up to oppose crime being lower in DC,” Outkick founder Clay Travis posted on X. “It’s bonkers.” TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS “Democrats like Jeffries would rather preserve dangerous cities than admit their policies fail,” GOP Congressman William Timmons posted on X. “IN FACT, murder is the most violent and accurately measured crime, and the D.C. murder rate in 2024 was 83% higher than in 2012,” the social media account for the nonprofit research institute Just Facts posted on X. “Jeffries’ stat is deceitful because it ignores the FBI’s warning against “making any direct comparison” of its crime data over time given that “changes in police procedures, shifting attitudes toward crime and police, and other societal changes can affect the extent to which people report and law enforcement agencies record crime.” Trump said in the Monday press conference that he is federalizing the D.C. police department to curb spiraling violence. “The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher,” Trump said Monday. “This is much higher. The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled. Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don’t know what that means because it just goes back 25 years can’t be worse.” Trump whipped out charts showing the media that the nation’s capital allegedly suffers worse crime trends than other cities worldwide, calling on them to “take a look at numbers” as he rattled off the data’s findings. “Look at these. Baghdad is… we doubled up on Baghdad. Panama City, Brasilia, San Jose, Costa Rica, Bogota, Colombia. Heavy drugs. Mexico City, I mentioned Lima, Peru, all double and triple what they are. So do you want to live in places like that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. And I think the people in this room, if you wrote correctly, you’d see. Look at the kind of numbers we have. D.C. 41 per 100,000 (for homicides in 2023). No. 1 that we can find anywhere in the world. Other cities are pretty bad, but they’re not as bad as that. That the way you want to live? The reporters of the world? Juvenile offenders and crimes against persons as they say, it’s getting worse, not getting better. It’s getting worse,” he continued. The nation’s capital in the following years has been rocked by shootings that have left innocent children shot and dead, a trend of juveniles committing carjackings that have turned deadly in some cases, shoplifting crimes and attacks on government employees, summer interns and others, including the fatal shooting of 21-year-old congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, in June. Trump’s opponents have cited crime statistics showing crime in Washington is on the decline. Violent crime is down 26% this year, in comparison to the same timeframe in 2024, according to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. Likewise, assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 20%, and homicides are down by 12%. “This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” he said. “We’re taking it back under the authority vested in me as the president of the United States. I’m officially invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. You know what that is. And placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. … In addition, I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC. And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.”
Inside the Washington, DC homeless hotspots Trump has vowed to clean up
Just a few years ago, travelers arriving by train in Washington, D.C., were met with a jarring juxtaposition: the Capitol building — home to the nation’s most powerful lawmakers — rising in the background and a homeless encampment outside Union Station in the foreground. While the city has removed many of the one-time sprawling encampments near its iconic landmarks and been forced to roll back several progressive policies in an effort to reduce crime, the Trump administration remains unsatisfied. Many Washingtonians still dodge mentally ill or drug-addicted individuals on their daily commutes. Last week, one of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers was assaulted — a “last straw” that prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and federalize the Metropolitan Police Department. Trump vowed to evict the homeless population, saying the government “will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capitol.” He said a process had begun over the weekend to remove homeless encampments in the district. TRUMP’S PLAN TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD IN DC SPARKS BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS—BUT SOME WELCOME IT A tour by Fox News Digital found that many former hotspots for the unhoused have been cleared, with only abandoned clothing and scattered food containers left behind as signs of recent life. In other parts of the city — including the heart of downtown — the unhoused population continued to stake out places to sleep and gather in parks or on busy street corners. At one park, about a dozen people were clustered together with their belongings and a few tents, seemingly unaware of the new crackdown. A dried red substance was splattered across the sidewalk outside their makeshift encampment. On another corner, a handful of individuals slept through the city’s lunchtime rush, undisturbed by the surrounding noise. TRUMP IS THREATENING TO ‘FEDERALIZE’ DC WITH NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE. HERE’S HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT While most interactions with the homeless are mundane and nonviolent, a broader sense of unease has taken hold in the city — driven by a series of high-profile, often random attacks. Some involve members of the unhoused population; others do not, but collectively they’ve contributed to the perception that D.C. has become less safe. Among them: A minor opened fire on a group of other teens in Navy Yard over the weekend; a 21-year-old congressional intern was fatally shot outside a Metro station during his commute home last month; and two Israeli embassy staffers were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in May. Even so, D.C. was far more dangerous in the past. The city hit a 30-year low for violent crime in 2024; down 35% from the previous year. And this year, it’s down 26% year to date from last year at this time. Homicides are down 12%, carjackings 37%, robbery 28% and 20% for assault with a dangerous weapon. Violent crime had reached a fever pitch in 2023 with 274 homicides. In 2024, there were 187. Trump called statistics showing a drop in crime “phony” and said his administration would “look into that.” “It’s becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness,” the president said. He added that the MPD and federal authorities would be supported by 800 D.C. National Guardsmen and potentially “much more.” Groups dedicated to helping the homeless have spoken out against the administration’s move. “Anyone can be at risk of experiencing homelessness,” the Georgetown Ministry Center — a privately funded agency focused on homeless services — said in a statement. “When our most vulnerable citizens are demonized and criminalized, we erode our shared humanity.” The D.C. City Council called Trump’s move a “manufactured intrusion on local authority.” “Federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency. Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard’s role does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission,” a statement read. “Public safety is built on trust, consistent enforcement, and community-based strategies. We must ensure that in our pursuit of safety, we do not create an atmosphere of surveillance, intimidation or unequal treatment under the law.”
DHS Secretary Noem says Rachel Morin’s killer ‘should have never been in our country’
EXCLUSIVE: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the sentencing of Rachel Morin’s killer on Monday. Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is being sentenced to life without parole for murdering, kidnapping, and raping the 37-year-old Maryland mother in August 2023. He was found guilty of the charges in April. Specifically, he’s facing two life sentences on top of an extra 40 years. “Today, Rachel Morin’s killer was sentenced to life without parole for her brutal murder. This criminal illegal alien should have never been in our country in the first place. Rachel should still be here watching her 5 children grow up,” Noem said in a statement first shared with Fox News Digital. RACHEL MORIN’S MOTHER EXPLAINS PAINSTAKING PROCESS OF WRITING STATEMENT TO READ AT KILLER’S SENTENCING “We hear far too much in the mainstream media about sob stories of gang members and criminal illegals and not enough about their victims. God bless Rachel and her family,” she added. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Martinez-Hernandez entered the United States in 2023 during the Biden-era border crisis. He was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024. Morin went missing on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, and her remains were found the next day in a nearby drain pipe, according to police at the time. He beat Morin’s head with rocks and then raped her corpse before trying to hide it in the pipe, according to DHS. DHS ARRESTS FIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF SERIOUS CRIMES, INCLUDING MURDER AND CHILD ABUSE Her family have been vocal advocates in the public sphere following her murder. “Unfortunately, Rachel’s story is not an isolated tragedy. She is one of many victims across our state and country who suffered at the hands of individuals who should never have been here because of the failures of the Biden administration,” Patty Morin, her mother, wrote in an opinon piece for Fox News on April 29. The sentencing comes as the Trump administration is pursuing mass deportations, with the agency highlighting arrests of illegal immigrants who have been charged or convicted of other crimes. DHS is also noting the reopening of the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office that was started during President Donald Trump’s first term. The office provides a hotline and services to victims and their families. “Rachel Morin’s presence was powerfully felt in the courtroom today as her children, siblings, and mother spoke from the heart,” the Morin family’s attorney, Randolph Rice, told Fox News Digital of the sentencing hearing on Monday. “They shared their deep love for her, the irreplaceable void her absence has left in their lives, and their unwavering commitment to honor her memory by seeking justice today and protecting others from suffering the same fate.”
California ignoring Congress’ EV rule rollbacks, committee claims, demanding documents
EXCLUSIVE: In a sharp rebuke, a Kentucky congressman is pressing California’s top environmental agency for answers after learning the state may be ignoring Congress’ reversal of three key electric vehicle standards. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote to Sacramento that it is “concerned about reports that California, and other jurisdictions who have adopted California standards for which waivers of preemption have been granted, are enforcing preempted vehicle emission regulations in violation of the Clean Air Act.” Earlier this year, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to nullify Biden-era waivers granted by the Biden EPA to California, allowing them to implement stricter standards than the federal government. Several states, including Pennsylvania and Delaware, along with the District of Columbia, have adopted California’s low-emissions standards as well. MAJOR BUSINESS GROUP INTERVENES TO BLUNT NEWSOM LAWSUIT ATTEMPTING TO REINSTATE EV MANDATES “The Committee has been made aware that CARB staff is denying auto manufacturers approval to bring vehicles to market unless the manufacturers agree to comply with the preempted regulations,” the committee continued. Rep. Brett Guthrie, chair of the House Energy Committee, a Republican, told Fox News Digital that the law is clear that the Golden State must end its “de-facto EV mandate.” “Enforcing a ban on the sale of gas-powered vehicles would have dire consequences for American families and businesses,” Guthrie said. “Forcing Americans to buy these vehicles would strain our electric grid, raise costs, and increase our reliance on China. Our investigation will look into whether California is continuing to enforce an EV mandate in violation of federal law.” Joining Guthrie on the letter were Reps. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., and John Joyce, R-Pa., chairmen of the environment and oversight subcommittees, respectively. CA DROPS ‘GREEN’ BIG-RIG MANDATES, ENDING LEGAL FIGHT WITH BILL BARR-LINKED GROUP The committee acknowledged a lawsuit against the recissions from California Attorney General Robert Bonta remains ongoing, but that the intermission does not allow the state to continue enforcing mandates under the nixed waivers. In a June statement announcing the lawsuit, Bonta called the situation “reckless, politically motivated and illegal.” The letter, addressed to Dr. Steven Cliff, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, said the committee had been purportedly made aware of CARB staff denying auto manufacturers’ approval to bring vehicles to market in the state “unless the manufacturers agree to comply with the preempted regulations.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “These efforts include CARB staff indicating that the agency would deny California Executive Orders (EO) for model year 2026 vehicles that meet all of CARB’s enforceable regulatory requirements and which California allowed for sale in model year 2025, on the basis that these vehicles do not meet the additional requirements in one set of the preempted regulations: ACC-II.” The committee further alleges that CARB’s online “repository” spreadsheet of model year 2026 vehicles showed the board has “exclusively approved” vehicles that would certify under the ACC-II green regulations. They closed by demanding documents showing whether CARB is continuing to enforce the car, truck or omnibus regulations Congress undid, and all records from the first of the year onward germane to the regulations and Biden-era waivers. Fox News Digital reached out to CARB and Gov. Gavin Newsom for comment on accusations that the board is discriminating against certain vehicles.
Cuomo proposes ‘Zohran’s law’ to protect rent-stabilized housing from the wealthy
As part of his renewed New York City mayoral campaign, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing “Zohran’s law” to prevent high-income individuals from occupying rent-stabilized apartments. The proposal is a pointed jab at his opponent, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who occupies a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria, Queens. “Rent-stabilized apartments when they’re vacant should only be rented to people who need affordable housing, not people like Zohran Mamdani,” Cuomo told reporters in a video posted on social media. Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York in 2021 in the face of multiple controversies, told Mamdani over the weekend that it’s “time to move out.” The former governor’s message, posted on X along with an edited video of Mamdani admitting he pays “$2,300 for my one bedroom in Astoria,” has amassed more than 33 million views. “You don’t need to be renting rent-stabilized units to wealthy people,” he continued. “Otherwise, what you are doing is you are abusing the system. I am going to propose not renting out [rent-stabilized] apartments, by law, except to a person who actually needs affordable housing. And, I’m going to call it ‘Zohran’s law’ because it’s an abuse of the system.” CUOMO CALLS OUT NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE MAMDANI OVER ALLEGED RENT-STABILIZED APARTMENT: ‘MOVE OUT IMMEDIATELY’ Chief among Mamdani’s now-infamous progressive policy proposals is his commitment to freezing rents. “As Mayor, Zohran will immediately freeze the rent for all stabilized tenants, and use every available resource to build the housing New Yorkers need and bring down the rent,” according to Mamdani’s campaign website. SOCIALIST’S NYC MAYORAL WIN SPARKS FIERCE DEBATE OVER FEASIBILITY OF RADICAL POLICY AGENDA Mamdani has accused incumbent Mayor Eric Adams of appointing Rent Guidelines Board members to raise rents on stabilized apartments. While landlords and advocates argue the freeze would be illegal, Mamdani can accomplish this goal by appointing members to the board who wouldn’t vote to increase the rent. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s board voted to freeze the rent three times during his tenure. Cuomo was the favorite to win the Democratic nomination in June. But since Mamdani’s political upset and Cuomo’s subsequent decision to remain in the race as an independent candidate, the former governor has ramped up his social media strategy, opting for snappy videos and punchy attack lines. Cuomo had previously called the democratic socialist’s plan to freeze rent a “politically convenient posture,” and said such a move would hurt landlords who would be “unable to maintain their buildings.” As Cuomo’s fiery social media posts about Mamdani’s rent-controlled apartment made the rounds, de Blasio – who has yet to endorse a candidate in the race to run the nation’s most populous city – fired back at his governor. “I did a rent freeze and almost 2 million hard-working New Yorkers benefited. @ZohranKMamdani wants to do a rent freeze. You know who doesn’t want to do a rent freeze? @andrewcuomo, and he thinks he can trick us into forgetting that,” de Blasio trolled on X. In a prior post, Cuomo told his now more than 100,000 followers that because of Mamdani, “Somewhere last night in New York City, a single mother and her children slept at a homeless shelter,” and called on him to “move out immediately and give your affordable housing back to an unhoused family who need it.” “No matter which way you cut it: Zohran Mamdani is a rich person. You are actually very rich. Yet you and your wife pay $2,300 a month, as you have bragged, for a nice apartment in Astoria. That should be housing for someone who needs it. We are in the middle of a historic affordability crisis. Millions of low income New Yorkers need this apartment and an apartment like it. Yet your apartment remains rented to rich people who don’t need it,” Cuomo continued. During a campaign event on Monday, Mamdani responded to Cuomo’s freshly proposed law “that will keep the rich out of New York’s affordable housing.” “What do we know about this policy proposal beyond the fact that it seeks to evict me from my apartment?” Mamdani questioned on Monday. “Like so much of Andrew Cuomo’s politics, it is characterized by a petty vindictiveness. It leaves far more questions than it has answers. How many New Yorkers would this apply to? How many New Yorkers would be evicted from their apartments? How many New Yorkers would have their lives upended by a former governor who is responding to the fact that he was handily beaten by a tenant of a rent-stabilized apartment?” Mamdani asked. “I live rent-free in his head,” Mamdani trolled Cuomo, arguing he had many years to implement such policies as governor but is now only focused on trying to reckon with a “political defeat.” Soon after Mamdani’s criticism, the Cuomo campaign unveiled his proposal to protect rent-stabilized apartments from being occupied by high-income individuals. “Under Cuomo’s proposal, when a rent-stabilized apartment becomes vacant, the incoming individual income would be capped so that the annual rent makes up at least 30 percent of that income. For example, if an apartment rents for $2,500 a month ($30,000 per year), the new tenant’s income could not exceed $100,000,” according to the plan. The Cuomo campaign also clarified that “Zohran’s law” would only apply to vacant apartments.
Trump lashes out at Crockett, renews call for cognitive test
President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to undergo a cognitive test. “‘Congresswoman’ Jasmine Crockett is a Low (Very!!!) I.Q. Individual, much in the mold of the AOC Plus Three Gang of Country Destroying Morons – Only slightly dumber,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social on Monday. “Each of these political hacks should be forced to take a Cognitive Exam, much like the one I recently took while getting my ‘physical’ at our GREAT Washington, D.C., Military Hospital (WR!),” Trump said. “As the doctors said, ‘President Trump ACED it, something that is rarely seen!’ These Radical Left Lunatics would all fail this test in a spectacular show of stupidity and incompetence. TAKE THE TEST!!! REP. JASMINE CROCKETT CALLS TRUMP A ‘PIECE OF S—‘ DURING LIBERAL RALLY Trump previously said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., should take a cognitive test in June when the progressive “Squad” leader demanded his impeachment over the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, as the White House pushes Republican states to redistrict mid-cycle ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Crockett has accused Trump of pushing a “white supremacy agenda” and “diluting the voices of people of color.” The Trump administration asserts that Democratic states have engaged in “gerrymandering” for years and encouraged illegal immigration to boost their congressional influence. In Texas, Democratic state lawmakers fled the state in an effort to stop the vote on a GOP redistricting plan that likely would have resulted in Republicans picking up five House seats. Crockett has accused Trump of hurling the low IQ insult as a racially-coded tactic to insult “people of color,” including “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God. TRUMP CHALLENGES AOC AND JASMINE CROCKETT TO INTELLIGENCE TEST AFTER CALLING THEM ‘VERY LOW IQ’ “Newsflash, Wannabe Dictator: I don’t care how many times you shake the Etch A Sketch trying to redraw these lines,” Crockett wrote on X last week. “I’m not disappearing. I’ll be back, still on your behind every step of the way. We’ve already been over this. I’ve got the degrees, the credentials, and the receipts. If you’re looking for ‘low IQ,’ try looking in the mirror – or at your own Cabinet.” Despite the president describing her as having a low IQ, Crockett said Trump has the “most incompetent Cabinet in the history of this country,” referring to the Signal-gate scandal earlier this year. Crockett has also dubbed Trump a “Temu dictator.” At a progressive rally in Phoenix, Arizona, earlier this month, the congresswoman said on stage, “Donald Trump is a piece of s—.” “This is a person who has a problem with people of color. Period,” she told CNN. “I don’t care how many Black MAGA [are] out there with [their] hats, I want to be clear, when we look at who it is that he’s kicking out of this country, it’s people of color.”
IAF releases new video on Operation Sindoor, shows air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan, WATCH here
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has shared a video on X revealing some portion of Operation Sindoor, which India launched in May to hit back Pakistan-based terror camps as an answer to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera to challenge U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales again in GOP primary
Herrera, who came within 400 votes of ousting Gonzales in a 2024 runoff, is once again positioning himself to the right of the incumbent.