Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist assemblyman-turned-mayoral candidate, is betting big on a radical economic overhaul that critics say would send New York’s already shrinking tax base into full-blown collapse, a New York Post report warns. His $10 billion blueprint for taxpayer-funded giveaways — including free public buses, universal childcare, a citywide rent freeze, and even government-run grocery stores — relies on a punishing series of tax hikes targeting corporations and the wealthy. And business leaders are sounding the alarm. “This is being proposed at a time when people and their income are leaving New York State and New York City in particular,” a spokesperson for the Business Council of New York State warned Thursday.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a direct attack on former First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday, accusing her of actively covering up former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and calling for her to face questioning over what she knew and when. The bombshell moment came in response to a pointed question from Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, who noted that some Biden aides are now in discussions with congressional Republicans to provide transcribed interviews about how they managed concerns over the president’s health. Doocy asked if the president believed such interviews were sufficient — or whether former First Lady Jill Biden should also testify. Leavitt didn’t hold back.

Federal authorities are investigating a sophisticated impersonation scheme targeting White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. An unidentified individual or group accessed Wiles’ personal cellphone contacts and used that information to impersonate her, reaching out to high-profile officials and business leaders. The impersonator contacted senators, governors, and top executives via text messages and phone calls, some of which featured a voice resembling Wiles. Officials suspect that artificial intelligence was employed to mimic her voice. Recipients reported that the messages originated from unfamiliar numbers and included requests to continue conversations on alternative platforms like Telegram.

The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. Kennedy’s wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but a closer look by the news organization NOTUS found that some of those studies did not actually exist. Asked about the report’s problems, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the report will be updated. “I understand there was some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and the report will be updated.” Leavitt told reporters during her briefing.

In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a factory making cannons for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II. More than 80 years later, the municipality could once again be a target for sabotage and is preparing for war. The local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces in case of conflict. “The lesson we learned from Ukraine is that everybody pitched in,” said Odd John Resser, Kongsberg’s Emergency Planning Officer, noting breweries that pivoted to making Molotov cocktails, local authorities that built schools in shelters and weapons factories which ramped up production.

The Trump administration is dropping plans to terminate leases for 34 offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws, the Department of Labor said Thursday. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, had targeted federal agencies for spending cuts, including terminating leases for three dozen MSHA offices. Seven of those offices were in Kentucky alone. Ending the MSHA leases had been projected to save $18 million. Musk said this week that he’s leaving his job as a senior adviser.

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By Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber
In the grand tapestry of life, there are threads woven with such precision that they can only be described as min haShamayim. Just days before Shavuos, as the Jewish world braced itself to reaccept the Torah with awe and reverence, one father experienced a moment that is her personal mesoras hatorah.

Bernard Kerik, once lauded for his leadership in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and a longtime fixture in New York law enforcement, has passed away at the age of 69.
The news of his passing was shared Thursday evening by FBI Director Kash Patel, who revealed that Kerik had been quietly battling illness. “Rest easy, Commissioner. Your watch has ended, but your impact will never fade,” Patel wrote.
Kerik first came to national attention in the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks, standing shoulder to shoulder with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani as they led the city through its darkest hours.