Free Republic

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A Miami Beach political activist got an unexpected knock on her door Monday over a comment she made to and about Mayor Steven Meiner on Facebook. Raquel Pacheco, a local activist and veteran who once ran for city commission and as a Democratic state Senate candidate, said she was stunned when Miami Beach detectives knocked on her door Monday, asking about a comment she made on one of the mayor’s Facebook posts. “He said, ‘We are here to talk to you about a Facebook comment’ and I said - ‘What? Is this really happening?” Pacheco told...

Vocal Trump supporters are demonizing Renee Good, her partner and their allies, with some even using an acronym: AWFUL, or Affluent White Female Urban Liberal. In the days since a federal agent killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Republican officials and conservative commentators have called the 37-year-old white woman “very violent,” a “deranged lunatic woman” and a “domestic terrorist.” Some right-wing influencers have latched onto a different word — or rather an acronym: Ms. Good, they have said, was AWFUL. “An AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal) is dead after running her car into an ICE agent who opened fire on...

In a candid admission that’s turning heads, legendary New York sports radio host Mike Francesa conceded that red state cities are now more attractive to NFL coaches than New York City. Speaking on his show, amid reports that John Harbaugh is poised to become the next head coach of the New York Giants, Francesa argued that red-state, no- or low-tax cities offer a superior quality of life, safety, and financial incentives compared to New York. Francesa, long known as the “Sports Pope” for his passionate advocacy of all things New York sports, painted a stark picture of the city’s decline.

Earlier this month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced controversy for his appointment of advisor Cea Weaver to run the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Weaver, X users and the media soon discovered, had made several social-media posts asserting that homeownership was “racist” and “a weapon of white supremacy,” and calling for policies to “impoverish the white middle class.” I dislike the attitudes expressed in these posts. I even think they’re racist. But it’s easy to treat them as aberrant. In fact, at the time they were made—the late 2010s—those attitudes were culturally dominant.Such instinctual, casual anti-white statements reinforced the active institutional...

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji began moving into the official mayoral residence on Monday, leaving behind their leaky, one-bedroom apartment in Queens for a fully staffed mansion in Manhattan. For Mamdani, the historic house stands in particularly sharp contrast to his previous living quarters: a $2,300 per month one bedroom apartment that lacked a washer and dryer, and was prone to flooding from a busted pipe. The couple’s new digs, meanwhile, boast 11,000 square feet (1,021 square meters) of space, a private chef, ornate ballroom and a veranda overlooking the...

Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes. The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to the New York State Nurses Association ---SNIP--- NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases,

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and Steven Spielberg had a private meeting on Monday at the director’s Central Park West apartment, per The New York Times. The Times reported on the pair’s pre-dinner meeting on Thursday, which was confirmed by City Hall and Terry Press, Spielberg’s spokeswoman. Press additionally told the outlet Mamdani and Spielberg agreed to keep their meeting private, while Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for the mayor, declined to comment, aside from sharing that he returned to work after the events. Knowledgable sources tell The Hollywood Reporter the meeting was not initiated by Mamdani or Spielberg but...

When New York City’s 8.5 million residents elected a self-professed socialist to be their next leader, conservatives across the country warned that his tenure would be a disaster. But the first week of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s term has been even worse than most predicted. Like a true Marxist, one of Mamdani’s first acts was erecting a monument to himself. The 34-year-old Ugandan-born immigrant was officially sworn in as the Big Apple’s 111th (or 112th, depending on how you’re counting) mayor just after midnight on January 1. Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of the city, took his oath of office on...

The Democratic Socialists of America — for whom New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a vocal supporter — and a Chinese Communist Party-linked activist network are leading a two-front resistance effort against President Donald Trump, with street protests seeking to blend efforts opposing ICE with the arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The coordinated organizational effort by the DSA and affiliated protest groups is fueled in large part by funding from CCP-linked wealthy Marxist businessman Neville Singham. That network produced a new slogan over the past few days — “No Wars. No Kings. No ICE.” — which sought to...

The late Colin Powell, in an interview about the difference between governing and campaigning, invoked his long experience and humor to describe it this way: “I think any human being with an IQ over 40, who is a mammal, loves governing more than campaigning.” It’s a shame that Powell, a top military leader and a secretary of state who died in 2021, isn’t available to counsel Zohran Mamdani. If he were, perhaps he could get through to New York’s new mayor, who appears to be so in love with campaigning that he can’t kick the habit. How else to explain...

Freshly sworn in Council Speaker Julie Menin on Wednesday said she’ll push to restrict protests outside synagogues and other houses of worship — as one of her first official acts of office. It comes after growing worries from the Jewish community with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s day one move revoking or rescinding city policies aimed at combating antisemitism. Menin — who will serve as the first Jewish speaker of the legislative body — said she expressed to the mayor that there was “concern” among New York Jews over his decision to repeal or rework the executive orders issued by his predecessor...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday said support for terror groups has “no place in our city,” after a pro-Hamas protest in a Jewish neighborhood sparked outrage from other elected leaders. Anti-Zionist activists chanted “We support Hamas,” “Death to the IDF,” “Intifada people’s war,” and other violent and discriminatory slogans during a Thursday night protest against an Israeli real estate event held at a synagogue in the Kew Gardens Hill neighborhood in Queens.

Suddenly she’s Golda Meir. Lefty “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a strident anti-Israel critic – ripped a mob of pro-Palestine protestors who were caught on video chanting in support of Hamas terrorists while marching in Queens. “Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday. “Pretty basic!” The card-carrying Democratic Socialist of America member who reps parts of The Bronx and Queens was responded to a video posted on X showing protestors marching through Queens and chanting, “Say it...

New York inched toward socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s lofty promise of universal child care Thursday — as Gov. Kathy Hochul rolled out a multi-billion-dollar plan to vastly expand kids programs. The proposed “2-Care” program for all 2-year-olds in the Big Apple, along with a buildup of existing pre-K and early childcare in the rest of New York, will ultimately provide care for 100,000 more children across the state, Hochul said. Mamdani, standing alongside the governor for a back-slapping announcement in the Flatbush YMCA, crowed that the proposals will help families struggling with the cost of childcare in New York City....

They were bound by trust, loyalty and dough — until a betrayal blew a bagel hole in their $50 million a year business. A Queens-based empire that peddles 100 million bagels a year is being torn asunder by a succession fight between the children of founders George Menegatos and Nicholas Evangelinos. The bond between the families behind New Yorker Wholesale Bagels — once thicker than cream cheese — is now toast after Nicholas’ son Stefanos allegedly cut George’s kids out of the business, denying them their father’s company shares after his death, they said in a $25 million Brooklyn Federal...

Venezuela’s acting leader, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said there were “Zionist undertones” to the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez, a vice president under Maduro who is now the interim leader, has demanded the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, since they were captured by U.S. forces on Saturday. Maduro and Flores were flown to New York City, where they are expected to appear in federal court on drug-trafficking and other charges on Monday. “Governments around the world are simply shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim...

Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president of Venezuela who is now serving as acting president, accused Israel of orchestrating the U.S. operation that led to the capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro. Speaking in a televised address alongside senior figures from Maduro’s inner circle, Rodríguez blamed “the Zionists” for the events surrounding his arrest, echoing familiar rhetoric long used by Venezuela’s Chavista leadership to fault Israel and its allies for international pressure on the regime. “The attack on Venezuela has an undoubtedly Zionist character,” Rodríguez declared, offering no evidence to support the claim. She reiterated that Nicolás Maduro “is the only...

“Zionism must be destroyed, [I’m] grateful for all the resistance fighters" Dr. Ryan Rao saidA medical doctor in Hawaii has come under fire after posting dozens of shocking comments about wanting Zionists to die on Monday, as well as praising the deaths of Israelis on his public social media over the past week. Ryan Christopher Rao — a internal medicine specialist and hospitalist at the Queen’s Medical Center Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii — has posted numerous missives against Zionists on his public Facebook page, making statements such as “I Hope All The Zionists Are Deleted” on Monday, June 16.The doctor...

Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators assembled outside NYU Tisch Hospital on Monday, chanting slogans against Israel and holding signs with anti-Israel messages. The demonstration was organized by the Within Our Lifetime organization. The protesters called on Israel to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a hospital director in Gaza who was detained by the IDF over links to the Hamas terrorist organization. Videos from the protest posted to social media showed the protesters chanting slogans such as, "Gaza, you make us proud” and, “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here.” Demonstrators were also seen holding signs with messages...

One of the students who led Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment in the spring is suing the Ivy League school for suspending him over hateful video in which he declares, “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” Khymani James, 21, of Boston was denied due process and fair treatment when suspended — a violation of university policy, according to his Sept. 27 Manhattan Supreme Court filing. The decision to suspend James from campus in April was made mostly because of media pressure, and he also was unfairly targeted because his is black and pro-Palestine, the court document said.