Free Republic

Remember when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hopped on a jet and took off to Germany right when the city was in mourning over the assassination of yet another police officer? To say that this was a political misstep is the definition of an understatement, but the fallout of that stunt isn’t quite over yet. Some people are raising the awkward question of precisely who paid for that little public relations disaster. As you could probably have guessed without my telling you, it was the taxpayers of New York City. But fear not, citizens! The New York City...

Is Jesus a hate crime? Police on Long Island ponder this question in the aftermath of an anonymous donor placing a picture of the crucifixion on a fence outside a mosque in New Hyde Park, New York. The cops reportedly regard the gift as a “bias incident” against Muslims. But the tacky turquoise picture featuring squiggly lines and a silhouette Christ seems more of an offense against aesthetics than the law. A worker at the Hillside Islamic Center found the artwork at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday. He immediately phoned the police. Surveillance video captured a frame-by-frame account of the alleged criminal...

The Obama-holdover chosen by DHS Secretary John Kelly to direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the Trump Administration helped author Obama’s controversial immigration priorities and executive orders, and he also publicly praised them. ... Trump’s campaign largely centered around opposing former resident Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration and the release of criminal illegal aliens into U.S. communities. Acting ICE Director Homan was the Enforcement and Removal Director (ERO) for resident Obama and even received an elite award from the former resident for his efforts on immigration. Homan has come under fire from the ICE Council for being Obama’s...

Mayor de Blasio made a surprise departure from New York City yesterday—just one day after the assassination of NYPD officer Miosotis Familia while she guarded a violence-plagued Bronx corner—in order to attend anti-capitalist protests in Hamburg, site of the G-20 summit. A few hours after de Blasio’s plane departed, a train derailed in Penn Station, where extensive track work is scheduled to begin this weekend. It was the third derailment at Penn since March; the incidents have become so commonplace that New Jersey Transit commuters reportedly showed little surprise when their train car slid off the track. The mayor has...

The New York Post remains unrelenting in its campaign to call its lunatic left-wing mayor to account. First the Post alerts us to the news inside with this irate cover.

Warren Wilhelm, aka Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, apparently identifies more with anti-Trump/anti-capitalistic protestors than he does those who heroically die preserving the peace. To prove his true affections lie with those who embrace government-controlled wealth sharing, one day after a New York City police officer was gunned down as she ended her shift, Bill saw fit to leave town and head to a “peaceful” protest at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. For security purposes, the mayor’s press secretary, Eric Phillips, would not provide details about how much of the mayor’s trip would be at taxpayers'...

A 14-year-old girl who was riding with her father, a pastor, when they were hit allegedly by a drunk illegal immigrant with a previous deportation record, has died from her injuries, various media outlets reported this week. And her death comes just as House Speaker Paul Ryan made comments on the “O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News that he didn’t want to “clog” the U.S. jail system with illegals facing DUI charges, sparking more fiery debates about the best way to control the border.

In 2013, one storyline of the raucous and unpredictable Democratic mayoral primary was Christine Quinn’s bid to become the first woman elected Mayor of New York City. Then the City Council Speaker and the early frontrunner in the race, Quinn largely avoided talking about that history-making potential. Running as the continuity-with-change candidate based on her close working relationship with outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Quinn finished third in a crowded primary field behind the eventual winner of the election, Bill de Blasio. As de Blasio seeks reelection this year, he appears set to face Republican Nicole Malliotakis in the general election...

In 2013, one storyline of the raucous and unpredictable Democratic mayoral primary was Christine Quinn’s bid to become the first woman elected Mayor of New York City. Then the City Council Speaker and the early frontrunner in the race, Quinn largely avoided talking about that history-making potential. Running as the continuity-with-change candidate based on her close working relationship with outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Quinn finished third in a crowded primary field behind the eventual winner of the election, Bill de Blasio. As de Blasio seeks reelection this year, he appears set to face Republican Nicole Malliotakis in the general election...

On Thursday, July 5, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, with no advance notice to the public he serves, jetted off to Hamburg, Germany, to attend the G-20 Summit, where heads of state and leaders or representatives from worldwide organizations and entities meet to discuss global imperatives. The mayor is not there to participate in the open dialogue between more than 20 participating countries and scores of international organizations and invited guests. He is to be the keynote speaker for an event called Hamburg Shows Attitude, which is described as a protest really for “democracy and human rights.” He...

With its belated posting of the grim results of this year’s street homelessness census, City Hall just exposed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s real homelessness policy: Hide the bad news. The count was done back in February, but didn’t get posted until Wednesday — after Politico had published it. It’s obvious why Team de Blasio didn’t want you to see the numbers: They show 3,892 people living on the streets, up 40 percent from last year and the highest rate since 2005.

Above: Miosotis Familia: Credit New York Police Department On a corner in the Bronx strained by steady rancor over unsolved crimes, and distrust of the police, Officer Miosotis Familia was a balm. She had earned a reputation as “a good policewoman” in the short time she was assigned to an R.V.-style police command post at East 183rd Street and Morris Avenue, two miles north of Yankee Stadium, a longtime resident, Roma Martinez, said. She waved hello; she spoke Spanish. But long before she arrived, a hostility toward law enforcement personnel was building in Alexander Bonds, who had been in and...

Ahead of what is projected to be one of the worst summers for tick-borne diseases in years in Westchester and Rockland Counties, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today urged, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to double-down on efforts to fully implement new laws, passed by Congress last year, that will significantly increase research, vaccine development and treatment strategies to help stamp out tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease. Schumer said any delay in federal action will allow newly emerging disease like Powassan, which is even deadlier than Lyme disease, to impact already highly vulnerable areas...

Police say an NYPD officer who was shot in the Bronx has died of her injuries. She’s been identified as Miosotis Familia, a 12-year veteran of the force. The NYPD said the officer was shot while in a patrol vehicle with her partner in the Bronx early Wednesday.

A Brooklyn cop-killer is on the brink of being released from parole without any supervision, leaving his victim’s daughter outraged — and fearful that he could hurt her family. “He killed my father,” Helaine Guttenberg-Ginsberg said of Pablo “Paul” Costello, 61. “It makes me nervous that he may be free to go wherever he wants and that he might have a vendetta,’’ said the woman, who successfully lobbied to keep Costello behind bars for five extra years.

Police say five people have been taken into custody after trying to disrupt the annual Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest in New York. About midway through the men's competition, some people amid the crowd of spectators at the contest on the Coney Island boardwalk appeared to be trying to unfold a black banner. Police stationed at the event rushed into the crowd, handcuffed the demonstrators and took them away.

Ryan Mauro and Martin Mawyer at Clarion have an interesting report linked to Islamberg. A long-time associate of a U.S.-based Islamist terrorist organization, Muslims of America (MOA), has been arrested in Johnson City, NY. Authorities discovered that he had a large cache of weapons inside a storage locker. A source inside MOA says the weapons were intended for the group’s “Islamberg” headquarters in Hancock, NY. On May 31, Abdullah was arrested after trying to steal four boxes of ammunition from a local Gander Mountain store. When police questioned him about the purpose of the ammo, his answers made them suspicious,...

New York City may be a cradle of gay rights, but for many in the gay community it is still not an easy place to grow old. Mary Ellen Green can attest to that. Her only refuge is a senior center in Manhattan that serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She can sit down to a hot meal or settle in with a book without worrying about being harassed by her neighbors. But when the center closes at night and on weekends, Ms. Green, 61, a freelance writer who is homeless, is on her own again. Ms. Green...

It's weigh in time for competitors ready to stuff their faces Tuesday at the famous Nathan's hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Eaters to watch this year include reigning hot dog champ Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. He's taken home the mustard yellow belt nine of the last 10 years. Chestnut will try to chew his way to the top against rival Matt Stonie, who briefly took the title two years ago. Chestnut bit back last year, redeeming the frankfurter crown, out chomping Stonie during a nail biter at the beach. He ended up scarfing down a record 70 dogs in...

Police are searching for two men they say assaulted a Bronx deli employee with fruit from the store where he works.Police say the men threw avocados and bananas at the 21-year-old man after a dispute over a food order.It happened inside the Stadium Gourmet Deli on East 161st Street around 4:45 a.m. on May 29.The victim suffered a broken jaw, cuts and fractures to his face.Both suspects are described as 25 to 30 years old.Police say they drove away in a dark-colored sedan in an unknown direction.Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS,...