Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

Mamdani doubles down on plan for ‘richer and whiter’ NYC neighborhoods, says billionaires shouldn’t exist

Mamdani doubles down on plan for ‘richer and whiter’ NYC neighborhoods, says billionaires shouldn’t exist

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his plan to tax “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” while also adding that he believes billionaires should not exist.  The democratic socialist claimed Sunday that his push to burden white taxpayers was not racist, despite his agenda explicitly targeting white-majority areas.  “That is just a description of what we see right now,” Mamdani told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “It’s not driven by race. It’s more of an assessment of what neighborhoods are being under taxed and overtaxed.” Mamdani’s policy proposal, “Stop the Sqeeze on NYC Homeowners,” outlines his plans to “shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods.”  NEW YORK MAYORAL HOPEFUL ZOHRAN MAMDANI SLAMS CAPITALISM ON CNN, CITES MLK TO DEFEND SOCIALISM The policy notes that homeowners in wealthy neighborhoods “pay less than their fair share,” and proposes adjusting tax rates and assessment percentages to address the supposed imbalance.  NEW YORK DEMOCRAT SAYS MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI ‘TOO EXTREME TO LEAD’ When asked whether he would change the language of the proposal, Mamdani deflected, saying that the proposal is meant to ensure a fair property tax system and that the wording simply reflects an observation. “The use of that language is just an assessment of the neighborhood.” Mamdani said. “I’m just naming things as they are,” he added. “The thing that motivates me in this is to create a system of fairness. It is not to work backwards from a racial assessment of neighborhoods or our city.” BERNIE SANDERS, AOC-BACKED MAYORAL CANDIDATE PLANNING MASSIVE SPENDING INCREASES IN NYC Mamdani also reiterated his belief that “we shouldn’t have billionaires,” despite campaigning in the city believed to have the most billionaires in the world at 123 people.  “I don’t think that we should have billionaires, frankly,” he said. “It is so much money in a moment of such inequality. And ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country.” 

Boxing: Jake Paul beats Chavez Jr by unanimous decision

Boxing: Jake Paul beats Chavez Jr by unanimous decision

‘I want tougher fighters, I want to be world champion,’ Paul said in his challenge to former and current WBC champions. Celebrity boxer Jake Paul has defeated former middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr by unanimous decision in a cruiserweight fight in California, United States. The 28-year-old YouTube influencer-turned-boxer overcame his opponent with a judges’ score of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92 in the 10-round fight at Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night. The win marks Paul’s triumphant return to the ring seven months after his blockbuster fight against 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Chavez Jr, 39, is a former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion who has not held a major boxing title in 13 years and has fought just once in the last three and a half years. He has also had some well-documented personal problems over the last few years. Paul, who gained fame as a social media star on YouTube and became a boxer, now has a six-fight winning streak and a 12-1 record with seven knockouts (KOs). Jake Paul celebrates at the end of the cruiserweight boxing bout against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr [Patrick T Fallon /AFP] ‘I want to be world champion’ Following the win, Paul challenged a number of current and former WBC champions to a fight. “I want tougher fighters, I want to be world champion,” he told streaming service DAZN in the ring. He called on Zurdo Ramirez, Badou Jack, Anthony Joshua, Gervonta Davis and Tommy Fury to “stop running”. However, Chavez Jr said his conqueror was a “good fighter” but was not ready to face the list of champions he had named. Advertisement “He is strong, [he is a] good boxer [but] I don’t think he’s ready for champions,” the Mexican said. Paul, who was set to face Canelo Alvarez until the latter signed a lucrative four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season, said Alvarez was “ducking” the fight. In a video posted to his social media account, Paul showed what he said was a contract signed by himself and Alvarez for a fight to be held in Las Vegas on May 3. “The truth is, you [ Alvarez ] could be bought,” Paul said at the time. “You’re a money-hungry squirrel chasing your next nut. The truth is, these sports-washing, shady characters are paying you hundreds of millions of dollars to stop our fight from happening because they couldn’t fathom the fact that they can’t create a bigger fight than me and you.” Alvarez, a Mexican boxing superstar, unified boxing’s super-middleweight world titles after a pedestrian but unanimous points win over IBF champion William Scull in Riyadh on May 3 . Paul celebrates his win [Patrick T Fallon/AFP] Paul vs Chavez Jr: Contrasting fortunes The 28-year-old is one of the sport’s top attractions despite not having a traditional fighting pedigree through a boxing association. Paul has made at least $60m since starting his boxing career, according to multiple sources. His fight last November with Tyson, which Paul won in an eight-round decision, peaked at a staggering 64 million concurrent streams on Netflix. Meanwhile, Chavez Jr – with a record of (54-7-1, 34 KOs) – last held a major boxing world title in 2012 and has had a difficult time inside and outside the ring in recent years. In November 2021, his shock defeat by a split decision to 46-year-old former UFC fighter Anderson Silva in a crossover boxing match was undoubtedly the lowest – and most embarrassing – point of his professional boxing career. Coincidentally, Paul beat Silva in a fight last year. The Mexican’s personal issues have included a lack of motivation, a repeated failure to make weight for fights, alcohol and drug addiction, an arrest for illegal possession of a firearm in his Los Angeles home and a failed drug test. At the launch of the Paul-Chavez fight in May at The Avalon in Hollywood, Paul mocked Chavez’s addiction problems as well as his “lack of mentality”. Reports say that Paul has a chance of entering the WBC’s rankings with the win. “The WBC ratings committee has been following Jake Paul’s career,” ESPN reported WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman as saying before the fight. “If he defeats Chavez, and depending on how the fight plays out, the committee will make the decision. It’s very likely [Paul will be ranked] if he wins convincingly.” Paul, right, punches Chavez Jr during their cruiserweight boxing match [Etienne Laurent/AP] Adblock test (Why?)

Topuria wins UFC lightweight title with stunning knockout of Oliveira

Topuria wins UFC lightweight title with stunning knockout of Oliveira

Topuria delivers on his promise to win via first-round knockout after moving up in weight to fight Oliveira. Spain’s Ilia Topuria scored a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317, with Alexandre Pantoja securing a third-round submission win over Kai Kara-France to retain the flyweight title in the co-main event. Former featherweight champ Topuria announced in February that he was going to step up to the 155-pound (70kg) division to fight for the belt vacated by former champ Islam Makhachev’s move up to the welterweight division. Standing between him and the title on Saturday evening was 35-year-old Brazilian former lightweight champ Oliveira, who briefly brought his vast experience to bear before being defeated. After a dominant run at featherweight, which saw him move to 16-0 as a professional, Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, looked small in the cage compared with Oliveira, but he defended well against the Brazilian’s grappling before showcasing his striking power. Oliveira, who was stripped of the lightweight belt in May 2022 when he missed weight for a defence against Justin Gaethje, looked good during a brief exchange on the mat, but Topuria disengaged to bring the fight back to the feet, and shortly afterwards, Oliveira’s evening ended. The 28-year-old stunned Oliveira with a crunching right hand and followed it up with a left hook that sent Oliveira crashing to the mat. His eyes glazed as his back hit the canvas and Topuria fulfilled his pre-fight prediction of a first-round knockout win. Topuria celebrates the victory as Oliveira congratulates him [Stephen R Sylvanie-Imagn Images via Reuters] “I already said it – I represent the new generation of the mixed martial arts – this is the next level of the game. This is the next thing, and this is what I represent,” Topuria said in a post-fight interview. Advertisement “I did exactly what we had planned: lot of jabs, right hand, left hook, and boom – his lights were out.” In the co-main event, Brazil’s Pantoja dominated New Zealander Kara-France before taking his back and locking in a rear naked choke 1 minute and 55 seconds into the third round to defend his flyweight crown. Elsewhere on the main card, Joshua Van beat Brandon Royval via unanimous decision at flyweight, while Beneil Dariush beat Renato Moicano via unanimous decision in their lightweight bout, and Payton Talbott defeated Felipe Lima via unanimous decision at bantamweight. Adblock test (Why?)

Irish band Kneecap shouts out to Palestine Action Group at Glastonbury

Irish band Kneecap shouts out to Palestine Action Group at Glastonbury

Thousands of fans chanted ‘free Palestine’ and waved Palestinian flags as the Irish trio performed in the UK. Irish-language rap group Kneecap has performed at the Glastonbury Festival in front of tens of thousands of fans chanting “Free Palestine”, defying United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer who said he did not think it was “appropriate” for the band to appear. The group’s Liam O’Hanna on Saturday also gave a “shout-out” to Palestine Action Group, which UK Interior Minister Yvette Cooper announced last week would become a banned group under the Terrorism Act of 2000. “The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer,” said O’Hanna, who appeared on stage wearing his trademark Palestinian keffiyeh in front of the capacity crowd, including many people waving Palestinian flags. “This situation can be quite stressful but it’s minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are [facing],” O’Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, added, referring to the backlash the band has faced for its outspoken support of Palestinians in Gaza. He is facing charges under the British Terrorism Act of supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a flag of Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group at a concert in London in November last year. O’Hanna has said he picked up a flag that was thrown onto the stage without knowing what it represented. The rapper is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. “Glastonbury, I’m a free man!” he shouted as the trio took to the stage at Glastonbury’s West Holts field, which holds about 30,000 people. Advertisement The trio also thanked festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis for resisting pressure to cancel their appearance, including from Starmer. Several Kneecap concerts have been cancelled since the band’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April, where they accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians, enabled by the United States government. At least 56,412 Palestinians have been killed and 133,054 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Ireland’s people and government have been some of the most outspoken critics of the war, as well as Israel’s deliberate starvation of Gaza’s population, which many people see as having parallels to the English occupation of Ireland. Festival-goers wave Palestinian flags during Kneecap’s Glastonbury set [Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP] The BBC, which broadcasts dozens of Glastonbury performances, did not show Kneecap’s set live, but said it planned to make it available online later. The broadcaster said it would not be re-airing the live performance of British rap punk duo Bob Vylan who appeared on stage before Kneecap and led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israeli army]”. A BBC spokesperson said the comments were “deeply offensive”, and that they would not be available to rewatch on BBC iPlayer. The BBC also reported that UK Culture Minister Lisa Nandy spoke to the BBC director general, Tim Davie, seeking an “urgent explanation” after the chants were aired live. According to the BBC, Avon and Somerset Police also said that they would be reviewing footage of both Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s sets to “determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation”. The bands were among about 4,000 performers across 120 stages to appear at this year’s festival, which also featured headliners including Neil Young, Charli XCX, Rod Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Olivia Rodrigo and Doechii, as well as a surprise appearance by Britpop band Pulp. Adblock test (Why?)