Free Republic

Zohran Mamdani’s victory-lap speech Tuesday night reeked of Vladimir Lenin after Russia’s 1917 communist revolution. But instead of commanding a Red Army, the mayor-elect should be aware he will be facing lots of red ink. That’s on top of some very strict and sensible financial rules put in place some 50 years ago — just in case a deranged Marxist ended up running New York City. Yes, socialism can sound rousing when it’s pitched by a skilled orator.... But NYC — with plenty of welfare statism already on the books — will never go full-on Soviet ­Union. That’s because laws...

Top earners are swapping Wall Street for ‘Y’All Street’ as the Lone Star State takes on the Big AppleWhen New York governor Kathy Hochul spoke at a rally for Zohran Mamdani in the final days of his New York mayoral campaign, she was drowned out by an overwhelming chant from the crowd: “Tax the rich!” New York’s new socialist mayor-elect swept to victory this week on promises for universal free childcare, free buses and freezing rents on the city’s rent-controlled apartments. But paying for these measures will mean tax rises. Mamdani wants to increase corporation tax from 7.5pc to 11.5pc...

AN Indonesian district head on Tuesday released 100 snakes to help farmers fight rats which have wreaked havoc with the local rice harvest, a report said. Aided by two snake experts, Sleman District Chief Ibnu Subiyanto freed the snakes, averaging two metres long at 15 separate locations in rice fields in Cangkringan, near the central Java city of Yogyakarta, the state Antara news agency said. The released snakes included pythons, the report said. "These snakes that we have released are to protect the crop. Therefore, if farmers see these snakes, do not catch or kill them," Subiyanto told farmers watching...