An adviser to embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner reportedly wanted to use photos of his own penis in a puberty book for boys as young as 10 years old.
Morris Katz, who has also worked for New York City&#8217;s Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, published the 112-page book titled &#8220;Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Puberty ― and Shouldn’t Be Googling: For Curious Boys&#8221; in 2020.
As <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/04/us-news/mamdani-guru-wanted-to-use-images-of-his-penis-in-creepy-puberty-guide-for-10-year-olds/">the New York Post</a> reported, Katz made the revelation in a footnote below a series of images using snakes and butterflies, among other things, to depict physical changes to male genitalia during puberty: &#8220;At first, we were going to use images of my penis to get this point across but the publisher said it was inappropriate so here we are, with some fruit and animal metaphors.&#8221;
Billed as a &#8220;puberty book written by the cool older brother,&#8221; the Amazon description says that it provides &#8220;facts about developmental changes to tween and teen boys&#8217; bodies and brains are spelled out in fun, familiar, boy-speak and illustrated in edgy graphic novel format.&#8221;
The Platner fixer made headlines earlier in the week when the Bangor Daily News first reported that he&#8217;d been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/platner-campaign-threatened-female-staffer-who-exposed-sexual-deviancy">behind threats</a> aimed at a former staffer who contributed to reports exposing Platner&#8217;s explicit text messages sent to multiple women while he was married.
The message, sent through a third party, was directed at former state Rep. Genevieve McDonald, a Democrat, over her cooperation with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
&#8220;Just want to be clear on where we are right now,” he wrote, adding that Katz warned her that she would face a smear campaign if she assisted with the story. “If the story goes in its current iteration we’ll communicate directly on the record, and by name, that Genevieve violated the personal trust of Amy and Graham and shared explicit falsehoods to sabotage the campaign.&#8221;
He also appeared to lash out at her in an X post, although he did not mention her by name, once the story went public: &#8220;It’s no one’s f*cking business what happened in Graham &amp; Amy’s marriage before he was ever a candidate for office. There should be no place in our politics for incompetent, opportunistic operatives who violate privacy, betray trust, and prioritize vengeance over decency.&#8221;

Mamdani Takes Reins Of New York City After Historic Election Win

Platner Adviser Wanted D*ck Pic In ‘Puberty Guide’ For 10-Year-Old Boys

Platner Fixer Linked To Mamdani Wanted To Send D*ck Pic To Millions Of 10-Year-Old Boys

graham platner

Politics

Zohran Mamdani

New York City converted the city council chambers to a drag runway and stage to kick off Pride Month.
Good Shepherd Services, an organization that <a href="https://goodshepherds.org">claims</a> to be &#8220;guided by social and racial justice,&#8221; shared video of staff members voguing — a kind of dance that originated in LGBTQ circles — during the council&#8217;s first &#8220;Pride Ball.&#8217;
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The LGBTQIA+ Caucus hosted the event, dubbed the city&#8217;s first Pride Ball, with Councilmembers Chi Ossé of Brooklyn and Justin Sanchez of the Bronx presiding over the raucous celebrations. 
Performers in drag sauntered and sashayed around the chambers to applause, cheers, and loud catcalls.
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Meanwhile, at NYC City Hall <a href="https://t.co/XJVQEjnd8G">pic.twitter.com/XJVQEjnd8G</a>
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) <a href="https://x.com/KarluskaP/status/2062489337715925470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The City Council also released several official photos from the event.
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TENS ACROSS THE BOARD at last night’s Council Pride celebration!
The Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus hosted the Council’s first ever Pride Ball, turning the people’s chambers into a runway.
Thanks to all of the fierce performers and proud New Yorkers who joined us in strutting into… <a href="https://t.co/0PX5HqCgsE">pic.twitter.com/0PX5HqCgsE</a>
— New York City Council (@NYCCouncil) <a href="https://x.com/NYCCouncil/status/2062213939367125460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The members of New York City&#8217;s Council appear to be picking up where Democratic socialist Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdani-says-one-month-isnt-long-enough-to-celebrate-queer-and-trans-new-yorkers">Zohran Mamdani</a> left off when he claimed that one month was not long enough to celebrate all of the queer and trans-identifying people of New York.
&#8220;It would take far more than a month to honor the contributions of queer and transgender New Yorkers. From the Cercle Hermaphroditos in 1895, the first trans advocacy group in the United States, to the drag balls of the Harlem Renaissance, to the Stonewall uprising, to the Lesbian Herstory Archives, to ACT UP!, founded in 1987 as queer people fought for their lives while the Reagan administration looked away, New York City&#8217;s history has long been shaped by queer and trans New Yorkers,&#8221; Mamdani said in an X post on June 1. &#8220;To all our queer and trans neighbors: you deserve a City where you can afford to live safely, openly, and joyfully.&#8221;

Zohran Mamdani who is likely to become next mayor of the

SEE IT: New York City Council Turns Chamber Into Drag Runway For ‘Pride Ball’

New York City Council Turns Chamber Into Drag Runway For PRIDE

LGBTQ

New York City

Pride Month

President Donald Trump could be courtside for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
The New York native describes himself as a lifelong Knicks fan, and Trump secured an invite from team owner James Dolan to the Finals last week, though he never specified which game.
But now the plans appear to be taking shape. The New York Post reported that Trump plans to attend the June 8 matchup between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at MSG. Venue officials have already conducted security walk-throughs in preparation for a potential presidential visit.
&#8220;I was going to go on Wednesday [Game 5 of Eastern Conference Finals], but they closed it out very quickly,&#8221; Trump told <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/sports/president-trump-plans-to-attend-game-3-at-msg-as-knicks-host-first-nba-finals-contest-in-27-years/">The Post</a>. &#8220;They&#8221;re great, and Jim Dolan&#8217;s a great guy. He’s, as you know, owns and in charge of Madison Square Garden. He&#8217;s having a good year.&#8221;
The White House has yet to confirm any plans for Trump to attend the game.
New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani said last week that he would not attend the game with Trump if the president makes the trip. The Knicks are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, when they also faced the Spurs.
&#8220;If the president went to a game, I’d let him, that’s his decision to make. If I go to the game, I’ll be doing so separately,&#8221; Mamdani told <a href="https://x.com/TMZ/status/2060047324328378734?s=20">TMZ</a>.
Mamdani attended Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, purchasing his own ticket and sitting in the upper level of MSG.
Despite their political differences, Mamdani said Thursday that one thing he and Trump have in common is wanting the Knicks to win the NBA championship.
The Finals would be the latest major sporting event attended by Trump. He attended Super Bowl LIX, the 2026 College Football Playoff championship in Miami, and several regular-season college football games. Before his return to the White House, Trump made time for the primetime NFL matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.
The highly anticipated NBA Finals tip off Wednesday in San Antonio, where the Spurs host the first two matchups. The Knicks enter the championship series on an 11-game win streak, while the Spurs are coming off a battle in the Western Conference Finals, where San Antonio took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 to advance.

Credit: Roberto Schmid/Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Trump Is Headed To New York’s Hottest Ticket

Knicks

New York

News

Sports

Trump

Celebrating Pride Month, New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared an article claiming there has been an uptick in &#8220;violent killings&#8221; of people who identify as transgender. However, a review by The Daily Wire found that none of the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYNjI44HDlJ/?img_index=7">deaths</a> cited in the article have been classified as anti-trans hate crimes by law enforcement agencies investigating the cases.
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Discrimination based on gender identity or expression is illegal in New York City.
Trans New Yorkers are protected by law. Our City will protect your rights, defend your humanity and stand beside you without hesitation. <a href="https://t.co/Ptoy3nAKz4">https://t.co/Ptoy3nAKz4</a>
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2061540194260558171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
The article was published by Them, which describes itself as &#8220;the award-winning authority on what LGBTQ+ means today — and tomorrow.&#8221; It claims to cite seven transgender-identifying victims killed this year, but both the report and its underlying source identify only six individuals.
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<div id="attachment_1106345" style="width: 550px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1106345" class="wp-image-1106345" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-6.55.04-PM.png" alt="" width="540" height="221" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-6.55.04-PM.png 1416w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-6.55.04-PM-300x123.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-6.55.04-PM-1024x419.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-6.55.04-PM-768x315.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px" />Them</div>
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  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0; height: auto;" title="DW Player" src="https://public.dailywire.com/preroll-player/embed.html?playback-id=003LuSww202r6TjErbOEa9JtcWGMlxYwVG&amp;ad-tag-url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubads.g.doubleclick.net%2Fgampad%2Fads%3Fiu%3D%2F61914415%2Fdw.video.article%26description_url%3Ddailywire.com%26url%3D%26tfcd%3D0%26npa%3D0%26sz%3D640x480%26min_ad_duration%3D5000%26max_ad_duration%3D60000%26gdfp_req%3D1%26unviewed_position_start%3D1%26vpos%3Dpreroll%26output%3Dvast%26plcmt%3D1%26env%3Dvp%26vpa%3Dclick%26vpmute%3D0%26impl%3Ds%26correlator%3D%5Bcachebuster%5D" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Several of the cases cited involved domestic violence or personal disputes rather than alleged anti-trans attacks.
The first victim named is Eryka Caldwell. According to the outlet&#8217;s own previous reporting, Caldwell was allegedly stabbed to death by his boyfriend, 38-year-old Jonathan Fernandez. Caldwell&#8217;s sister said he had previously sought refuge from Fernandez in domestic violence shelters.
Even organizers of a vigil for Caldwell acknowledged the case was not viewed as anti-trans violence. The activist who spoke at the vigil said, “When we were organizing for tonight’s vigil, a few people asked me why the trans community would rally for Eryka, since she was a victim of domestic violence, not anti-trans violence.” 
Davonta Curtis was allegedly beaten to death by his boyfriend. Prosecutors say the suspect later stole Curtis&#8217;s car, phone, and money. Court records reportedly show the suspect searched phrases including &#8220;how to kill someone with a hammer&#8221; and &#8220;if a person gets hit in the head with a hammer while sleeping, what happens.&#8221;
Other cases were investigated as homicides without hate-crime designations.
Aleanna Royal Belcher was found dead in a homeless shelter stairwell with a stab wound to his abdomen. After completing their investigation, police said they did not believe the killing was a hate crime. 
Lucas Redbeard Knapp was shot after reportedly intervening in a confrontation between two parties. Law enforcement investigated the death as a homicide, not a hate crime.
Another individual cited in the article, Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, was <a href="https://www.12onyourside.com/2026/03/26/justice-shyyell-loved-ones-popular-drag-performer-speak-out-petersburg-police-investigate-murder/">found</a> shot to death inside a home. Public reporting contains conflicting descriptions regarding whether Sanchez-McCray even identified as transgender or was a gay man who performed in drag. Authorities have not announced a motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. 
Dannielle Spillman died in a hit-and-run incident after a dispute involving a vehicle. Authorities have also not classified the case as a hate crime, just like the other five killings in the article.

New York City Pride March Winds Through Manhattan

Mamdani Pushes One Of The Left’s Favorite Hoaxes

LGBT

Transgender

Less than a day into &#8220;Pride Month,&#8221; Mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed 29 more days won’t be enough to celebrate queer and trans-identifying New Yorkers.
“It would take far more than a month to honor the contributions of queer and transgender New Yorkers,” Mamdani wrote Monday in an X post, and listed four related examples including the drag balls of the Harlem Renaissance, a <a href="https://www.history.com/articles/drag-balls-house-ballroom-voguing">drag beauty pageant</a>, to celebrate.
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It would take far more than a month to honor the contributions of queer and transgender New Yorkers.
From the Cercle Hermaphroditos in 1895, the first trans advocacy group in the United States, to the drag balls of the Harlem Renaissance, to the Stonewall uprising, to the…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2061434503264895375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
Even before &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; started, the Mamdani administration had already made LGBTQ efforts a focal point of the mayor&#8217;s term. 
In March, Mamdani created the Mayor&#8217;s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs and appointed a trans-identifying man who goes by Taylor Brown to oversee the department’s leadership. 
The mayor’s office declined to tell The Daily Wire the city’s budget for the new office. Last year, the New York City Council <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I689DsoiPB0">revealed</a> it had secured the highest funding yet to support “transgender and expansive New Yorkers.” 
In April, Mamdani took on the Trump administration after it removed the Pride flag on Stonewall National Monument&#8217;s federal flagpole. 
Mamdani immediately condemned the action, saying, “I am outraged by the removal of the Rainbow Pride Flag from Stonewall National Monument. New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.”
A coalition of LGBTQ organizations sued the Trump administration. Both parties ended up <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-mamdani-clash-over-stonewall-monument-reaches-final-decision">settling</a>, and the Trump administration agreed to restore the Pride flag to Stonewall National Monument within seven days. 
<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0; height: auto;" title="DW Player" src="https://public.dailywire.com/preroll-player/embed.html?playback-id=NJImACtyd8qr901jiXzUj00P9jus01iozN02&amp;ad-tag-url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubads.g.doubleclick.net%2Fgampad%2Fads%3Fiu%3D%2F61914415%2Fdw.video.article%26description_url%3Ddailywire.com%26url%3D%26tfcd%3D0%26npa%3D0%26sz%3D640x480%26min_ad_duration%3D5000%26max_ad_duration%3D60000%26gdfp_req%3D1%26unviewed_position_start%3D1%26vpos%3Dpreroll%26output%3Dvast%26plcmt%3D1%26env%3Dvp%26vpa%3Dclick%26vpmute%3D0%26impl%3Ds%26correlator%3D%5Bcachebuster%5D" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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On the campaign trail and in his preliminary budget, Mamdani pledged $65 million for trans medical programs after the Trump Administration <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-administration-seeks-to-cut-off-access-to-transgender-health-care-for-u-s-children">blocked</a> hospitals and providers from performing transition-related medical treatments for minors from participating in Medicaid programs. 
The Mamdani administration has not yet revealed whether the city will produce funds for the promised $65 million for trans healthcare. 
New York City is expected to remain one of the nation&#8217;s most prominent hubs for &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; celebrations, even as LGBTQ organizations report a significant decline in corporate sponsorships compared with previous years.
Jordan Braxton, co-president of the United States Association of Prides, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/30/nx-s1-5805854/pride-parade-struggle-corporate-sponsorships">said</a> most pride celebrations have reported declines in funding.
This year is quickly shaping up to be an even less celebrated pride month than 2025 and looks completely different from the Biden era, when pride flags were hung from the White House balcony. Since returning to office, the Trump administration states that the government now recognizes only two genders — male and female — and has pressured the states to follow suit, especially in men and women&#8217;s sports.

Mamdani Says One Month Isn’t Long Enough To Celebrate Queer And Trans New Yorkers

Zohran Mamdani has found a new way to play Santa Claus with other people&#8217;s money.
Last week, New York City&#8217;s socialist mayor proudly announced a deal that will allow 1,000 New York City residents to purchase World Cup tickets for just $50 each, complete with free transportation to the games. The announcement was framed as a victory for affordability and access, proof that government can step in and help ordinary people enjoy one of the world&#8217;s biggest sporting events.
But there&#8217;s one problem: the games aren&#8217;t being played in New York City. They&#8217;re being played in New Jersey.
While Mamdani enjoys the headlines and takes credit for making the World Cup more &#8220;affordable,&#8221; New Jersey residents will be dealing with the traffic, security costs, transit disruptions, and logistical burdens that come with hosting one of the largest sporting events on the planet. New Jersey taxpayers are helping shoulder those costs, yet New York politicians are the ones claiming the political victories.
The arrangement is a perfect illustration of a broader problem in progressive politics. Time and again, politicians create highly visible benefits for a select group of people while pushing the costs onto someone else. The formula is simple: generate a headline, distribute a perk, celebrate the winners, and avoid talking about who ultimately pays for it.
Mamdani&#8217;s supporters will argue that he is simply making good on his promise to make New York more affordable. But affordable for whom? The World Cup has become a luxury event, with many tickets costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A giveaway of 1,000 discounted tickets doesn&#8217;t solve that problem. It simply creates a handful of lucky winners while leaving the overwhelming majority of families priced out of the event.
That&#8217;s the dirty little secret behind many modern political &#8220;solutions.&#8221; They&#8217;re often designed to create the appearance of action rather than address the underlying issue. If housing is unaffordable, create a subsidy. If college costs are too high, forgive selected loans. If World Cup tickets are out of reach, give away a limited number of discounted seats. The politician gets a favorable news cycle while the larger problem remains unsolved.
What makes this case especially frustrating is that New Jersey is doing much of the heavy lifting. The state&#8217;s infrastructure, public safety resources, and transportation systems will all be put under enormous strain during the tournament. Yet when an opportunity arises to provide a meaningful benefit to residents, New York City negotiates a special arrangement for its own constituents and then celebrates it as an achievement.
If the games are being played in New Jersey, why aren&#8217;t New Jersey families receiving the same opportunity?
The answer is obvious. This was never primarily about soccer. It was about politics. Mamdani understands that voters remember benefits far more than they remember costs. The benefits are visible, immediate, and easy to market. The costs are spread out, buried in budgets, and often paid by people who aren&#8217;t standing behind the politician at a press conference.
The World Cup should be an event that brings the region together. Instead, it has become a case study in how politicians increasingly operate: concentrate benefits, disperse costs, and claim credit for both. Mamdani may view this ticket giveaway as a political win, but for many taxpayers watching from across the Hudson, it looks like a familiar story — one group gets the perks while another gets the bill.
That&#8217;s not affordability. It&#8217;s political theater.
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Rosemary Becchi is a tax attorney, taxpayer advocate, and founder of Jersey 1st.

Mayor Mamdani And Governor Hochul Make FIFA World Cup Announcement

Mamdani’s World Cup Giveaway Is A Grifter’s Game

DW Opinion

Subsidies

World Cup

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is drawing renewed attention online after appearing at an Eid al-Adha celebration in New York City wearing a hijab alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Video from the Wednesday event in the Bronx — portions of which fall within Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional district — showed the congresswoman speaking onstage while wearing the Islamic head covering as Mamdani stood behind her in a kurta styled after an Arsenal soccer jersey.
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The appearance quickly circulated online given Ocasio-Cortez’s status as one of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken leftist figures and self-described feminists in Congress.
Eid al-Adha is one of Islam’s holiest observances and commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. The holiday began this week and is being celebrated by Muslims worldwide through Friday.
Ocasio-Cortez has <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-abortion-ban-alabama-woman-sexuality-feminism-1426902">spent years warning</a> that women’s rights and personal freedoms are under threat in America, frequently attacking conservatives over what she characterizes as patriarchal politics and authoritarian social policies.
Mamdani, the country’s highest-profile Muslim politician, has continued generating controversy recently over his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-latest-slap-in-the-face-to-jewish-voters?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Mamdani%E2%80%99s+Latest+Slap+In+The+Face+To+Jewish+Voters">anti-Israel</a> activism and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdani-wants-to-decide-who-deserves-to-keep-their-property?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Mamdani+Wants+To+Decide+Who+Deserves+To+Keep+Their+Property">socialist</a> political positions.
The event itself was aimed at outreach toward Muslim voters and communities in New York City, where both Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez maintain strong support among activists.
The clip of the two politicians at the Bronx celebration rapidly gained traction across social media platforms Wednesday evening, becoming the latest flashpoint in ongoing cultural and political fights surrounding identity, religion, and Democratic politics.

SEE IT: Feminist AOC Wears Symbol That Oppresses Women

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Feminism

Muslims

On May 20, New York City experienced a summer storm, causing Brooklyn and Queens to flood, with streets turning into knee-deep rivers, cars submerged, and subway stations flooded. This happens whenever there is heavy rain; subway service has been disrupted due to flooded stations more than 75 times since 2020.
This happens with some frequency because New York City’s infrastructure is ancient, poorly maintained, and falling apart. The city relies on catch basins — the grates in the street — to capture rainwater runoff, and this decades-old network floods any time rainfall exceeds 1.75 inches per hour — a not-uncommon event. Even when rainfall is within the sewer system&#8217;s capacity, the catch basins often back up because they are clogged with trash and other debris, and city crews don’t keep them all clear.
In most areas of the city, stormwater drains into the same sewer that carries toilet waste to treatment plants, so when those grates back up, they flood the street with urine and feces.
New York’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, says that this is happening because the city doesn’t have enough money and city agencies are “underfunded.” His solution is to “tax the rich,” with a new tax on incomes over $1 million, as well as increases in corporate tax rates. He believes these proposals would raise about $10 billion per year in new revenues. New York City residents already pay the highest tax rates in the country.
But New York City’s municipal government is not “underfunded.” The city’s municipal spending is dramatically higher than that of other large cities, spending about $125 billion per year. Los Angeles, by comparison, has an annual budget of $14 billion, and Chicago’s budget is $18 billion. New York is spending about $23,000 per year per resident, while Chicago spends $9,100 and LA spends $5,400.
New Yorkers might be forgiven for wondering where all that money is going as they watch rats fighting over garbage while they wait for delayed subway trains in dilapidated stations.
For starters, New York pays about 10 times as much to build, update, and maintain things like sewers and subways as other global cities like Paris and Tokyo do for similar projects. Some of that cost is attributable to the complexity and age of New York’s underground infrastructure, but most of the expense comes from corrupt contracting, ridiculous labor rules that require excessive staffing at ridiculous wages, and complex and arcane environmental and regulatory requirements that employ armies of highly paid bureaucrats and consultants who fulfill the important task of producing reports that nobody reads at great public expense.
New York also has to pay high salaries; NYC has about twice the population of Los Angeles, but has seven times as many public workers. The city’s department of social services has 12,000 employees, doing outreach and providing resources to drug addicts and the mentally ill. But despite the best efforts of so many city workers, it is routine to see homeless people sprawled unconscious on the sidewalk in Manhattan’s trendiest neighborhoods.
Further, New York spends more per student than any other school system in the world, yet New York’s public school students lag behind those in other U.S. cities. Despite spending $35,000 per student per year, only 23% of NYC eighth graders achieved a score of proficient on the National Assessment of Education Progress test for math; 29% were proficient in reading. The school system is hiring more teachers and administrators even though it serves fewer and fewer students each year. Families are skipping vacations, wearing old clothes, and stretching their budgets to the limits to send their kids to private schools because Mamdani’s lavishly-funded public schools are so catastrophically inadequate.
And, of course, New York taxpayers fund lavish benefits for illegal aliens. New York City has spent about $9 billion on this since 2023. The city allocates $350 per day to each migrant household to cover food, shelter, and security. The city is paying for over 21,000 hotel rooms each night to host these important guests.
Zohran Mamdani thinks government is great and New York needs more of it. More city workers paid six-figure salaries to prompt ChatGPT to write emails that other city workers will then prompt ChatGPT to read. More money for NGOs. More money for more teachers and school administrators for fewer students. More money for migrants. And maybe, if New Yorkers can just dig a little deeper and pay just a little more, Mamdani’s underfunded government just might send somebody to clear out the storm drain.
***
Daniel Friedman is the Edgar Award-nominated author of “Don’t Ever Get Old.”

Bill Tompkins NYC sewers Archive

Mamdani’s Sewer Budget Blowout Gives New Yorkers The Flush

Budget

New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to seize neglected properties from landlords and transfer them to new ownership groups. 
“For buildings that have suffered chronic neglect, we will work to transfer ownership to responsible stewards. Stewards that include community land trusts, non-profits, or even the tenants themselves,” Mamdani said. “When necessary we will take aggressive legal action to remove negligent owners and property managers.” 
&nbsp;
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1101969 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-1.05.08-PM-477x576.png" alt="" width="477" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-1.05.08-PM-477x576.png 477w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-1.05.08-PM-248x300.png 248w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-1.05.08-PM-768x927.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-26-at-1.05.08-PM.png 1204w" sizes=" (max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px" /></div>
Mamdani did not detail how the city would legally seize or transfer ownership of privately held properties. One possible mechanism is New York City’s controversial <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/property-in-rem-forclosure.page">Third Party Transfer (TPT)</a> program, which allowed the city to foreclose on distressed buildings whose owners owed back property taxes or water charges and had accumulated significant housing code violations before transferring them to nonprofit housing groups or tenant organizations. 
Under the program, landlords who failed to resolve violations or pay city debts could face foreclosure proceedings initiated by the city. Once the city gained control of a property, ownership could then be transferred to nonprofits, community land trusts, or tenant groups.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
NOW: Mamdani says his admin will transfer ownership from bad landlords to non-profits.
“For buildings that have suffered chronic neglect, we will work to transfer ownership to responsible stewards.
Stewards that include community land trusts, non-profits, or even the tenants… <a href="https://t.co/YHhzGWPgWh">pic.twitter.com/YHhzGWPgWh</a>
— Brecca Stoll (@breccastoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/breccastoll/status/2059289647688106237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Critics argued the policy enabled the government to strip owners of valuable equity through aggressive code enforcement and foreclosure actions.
The TPT program was paused in 2019 after backlash from property-rights advocates and elected officials. The New York City Council is currently considering legislation that could <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/09/third-party-transfer-reform-city-council-landlords-property/">restart</a> the program. 
Mamdani said his “rental rip-off” hearings were instrumental in shaping his housing agenda. The Daily Wire attended the first hearing in Brooklyn and spoke with tenants paying well below-market rents in stabilized apartments who urged Mamdani to freeze rents while also demanding repairs and building improvements from landlords.
Mamdani’s latest housing proposal appears aimed at balancing those competing pressures.
On Tuesday, Mamdani also appeared to backtrack on his campaign promise to impose a blanket rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. Under his revised proposal, some exempted landlords would still be allowed to impose a one-time rent increase on vacant units even if a rent freeze is enacted. 
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/mamdani-says-these-nyc-landlords-will-be-exempt-from-his-rent-freeze-ee53180c?mod=hp_lead_pos5">reported</a> that dozens of landlords could qualify for the exemption. Rent-stabilized apartments are currently subject to a 3% cap on annual rent increases for one-year lease renewals.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Interview

Mamdani Wants To Decide Who Deserves To Keep Their Property

Housing

Property Rights

Renters

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos blasted New York City’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, saying that if the corporate giant operated like the Big Apple’s broken public school system, customers wouldn&#8217;t see their packages for well over a month.
In a scathing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/20/cnbc-exclusive-transcript-jeff-bezos-speaks-with-cnbcs-andrew-ross-sorkin-on-squawk-box-today-.html">televised sit-down</a> on CNBC, the high-flying billionaire unloaded on Mamdani over a record-breaking $44 billion education budget that has yielded nothing but abysmal returns. Bezos slammed the city for blowing an astronomical $44,000 annually per student — outspending rivals like Los Angeles and Chicago by roughly 30% — even as student numbers plunge and exam performance craters.
&#8220;If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system &#8230; your packages would take six weeks to arrive,&#8221; the e-commerce kingpin told anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin from a Blue Origin factory floor. &#8220;We’d have to charge you a $100 delivery fee. And then when the package did finally arrive, it’d have the wrong item in it anyway.&#8221;
The tech titan, boasting a jaw-dropping $269 billion net worth, hit back hard at Mamdani&#8217;s obsession with soaking the rich. Bezos insisted that doubling his own hefty tax bill would do absolutely nothing to support frontline educators, because the massive mountain of cash is swallowed whole by a bloated, management-heavy bureaucracy.
&#8220;None of this money is getting to the teachers, I promise you,&#8221; Bezos said, targeting the army of middle managers choking the system.
Mamdani couldn&#8217;t wait to clap back, taking to X to snap: &#8220;I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.&#8221;
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I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ. <a href="https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII">https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII</a>
&mdash; Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2057137240904511564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The fiery clash erupted shortly after the Bezos Family Foundation <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/20/us-news/jeff-bezos-torches-mamdani-for-pouring-43b-into-mismanaged-nyc-schools/">pledged</a> up to $150 million toward early childhood programs across Gotham via a massive anti-poverty endowment. Meanwhile, the struggling mayor has managed to scrape together a pitiful $3.5 million toward his own heavily hyped $20 million childcare fund.
The 62-year-old mogul, who was raised by a teenage mother and a young Cuban immigrant, argued that clueless politicians constantly look to manufacture wealthy villains instead of fixing real operational messes. Rather than finger-pointing, Bezos urged leaders to look at systemic tax reform. His pitch? Wipe out the tax bills entirely for lower-income working-class families, including struggling local nurses.
&#8220;When people are starting out and they’re struggling, stop taxing them. We don’t need it,&#8221; Bezos concluded. &#8220;I don’t want to reduce it; I want to eliminate it.&#8221;

2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci – Arrivals

Jeff Bezos Humiliates NYC’s Socialist Mayor

Amazon

Jeff Bezos

Schools

Taxes

When Zohran Mamdani served in the New York State Assembly, he voted for a plan to hire more teachers and build more classrooms in New York City to keep class sizes small.
As mayor, Mamdani has other priorities.
Mamdani&#8217;s 2027 budget, which he unveiled last week, includes $122 million for new teachers and $1.5 billion for classroom construction. That may seem like a sizable investment — but according to New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, this budget puts the city more than <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/letter-from-nyc-comptroller-lander-re-2025-class-size-plan-certification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$13.01 billion</a> behind its goal to keep class sizes small.
If Mamdani wanted to find the money, he could re-evaluate the billions of dollars the city spends on its <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2024/12/following-asylum-seeker-odyssey/382850/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migrant population</a>. New York City spent $1.41 billion for asylum seeker cash, rent, and food assistance and services 2023, $3.70 billion in 2024, and <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services/for-the-public/accounting-for-asylum-seeker-services/fiscal-impacts/">$3.02</a> billion in 2025. New York&#8217;s sanctuary city status proved so costly that Mamdani&#8217;s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, warned the Biden administration that unless it got the southern border under control, New York would have to cut back on social services for migrants.
Mamdani, who signed an executive order reaffirming New York&#8217;s sanctuary city status shortly after taking office, plans to pursue “a new path of defiance through compassion&#8221; where New York cares for everyone regardless of whether they pay taxes or not.
During his budget unveiling, Mamdani said he “refuses to kick structural challenges down the road for someone else to solve later.” For that reason, Mamdani has declared an &#8220;extension&#8221; for the class size plan — an extension that does not appear to have an end date. In the meantime, Mamdani is framing his refusal to deliver on the education improvement plan he himself voted for as a good thing for students.
“Our administration believes deeply in the state law capping class sizes and I am proud to have voted for this mandate during my time in the state assembly,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This extension will generate approximately $500 million in savings in the upcoming fiscal year, but more importantly it will allow us to implement an achievable plan that better serves our students and our teachers.&#8221;
New York City Council Member Vickie Palladino disagrees.
&#8220;Smaller class sizes mean more classrooms and more teachers, which he doesn&#8217;t have the money to do,&#8221; Palladino told The Daily Wire. Mamdani is &#8220;operating a budget by bailout,&#8221; she added, &#8220;hoping that down in the road, in 2028, he&#8217;ll get a Democratic president to give us a $10 billion, $20 billion, or maybe more. But by that time, the middle class will be gone.&#8221;
New York public schools are already suffering. The State Education Department&#8217;s annual report shows that only <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/05/us-news/nearly-half-of-students-across-ny-state-fail-to-make-the-grade-on-math-english-tests-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">22%</a> of fourth graders were proficient in reading and only 29% in math.
A report from the comptroller&#8217;s office also showed that bullying and drug-related incidents have increased this year. New York also <a href="https://www.news10.com/capitol/comptroller-drugs-and-bullying-up-but-serious-violence-near-zero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changed</a> how it collects data, now only reporting assaults or possession of weapons if the school refers the student to the police, the act would count as a felony, and the offender is at least ten years old.
The extension isn&#8217;t Mamdani&#8217;s only proposed public education shakeup. The mayor is planning to phase out New York City&#8217;s gifted student program over concerns that some children might be receiving a better education than others.
&#8220;I will return to the previous policy,&#8221; Mamdani <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/nyregion/mamdani-schools-gifted-and-talented-program.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said,</a> referencing former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to end the gifted program. &#8220;Ultimately, my administration would aim to make sure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning.”

TOPSHOT-US-MAMDANI-FISCAL-BUDGET

Mamdani Says He Can’t Pay For School Improvements, But Spends Billions On Migrants

Education

Sanctuary Cities

Leave it to New York rookie socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani to lecture Americans on hardship while taking aim at one of the most popular and economically successful presidents in history.
During a press conference on Monday, Mamdani mockingly referenced former President Ronald Reagan’s iconic 1986 quip: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
Mamdani, thinking himself a master of rhetoric, countered: “I think nine more terrifying words are actually ‘I worked all day and can’t feed my family.’”
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MAMDANI: “Ronald Reagan…famously said ‘The nine most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the government and I’m here to help’…I DISAGREE.” <a href="https://t.co/cAXqjRz9iI">pic.twitter.com/cAXqjRz9iI</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2056392177652023429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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It’s a cute line, but it’s completely untethered from historical reality. Mamdani is attacking a man whose conservative policies actually rescued the American worker, all while Mamdani practices a brand of fiscal theft today that guarantees future generations will pay the price tomorrow.
Let’s look at the facts. When Reagan took office in 1981, the American economy was being suffocated by Carter-era &#8220;stagflation&#8221; — a toxic mix of double-digit inflation and high unemployment. Reagan didn&#8217;t use big-government handouts; he crushed inflation from 13.5% down to 4.1%. He slashed the astronomical 21.5% prime interest rate in half, sparked a 92-month peacetime economic expansion, and oversaw the creation of over 16 million new jobs.
Reagan’s supply-side miracle didn&#8217;t just help the wealthy; it lifted everyone. Real median family income rose by 12.6%, and poverty rates plummeted. Minority communities thrived, with black unemployment at a near all-time low and black-owned businesses expanding by nearly 38%.
Reagan knew that the American taxpayer didn&#8217;t exist to fund bureaucratic overreach. As he noted in his 1980 GOP acceptance speech, any program representing a &#8220;theft from their pocketbooks&#8221; had to go.
Contrast that economic boom with Mamdani’s <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/mamdani-closes-12-billion-new-york-city-budget-gap">current high-wire balancing act</a> in New York City. Mamdani recently took a rooftop victory lap, boasting that he magically closed a $12 billion budget deficit without resorting to &#8220;austerity.&#8221; But a look under the hood reveals that Mamdani’s &#8220;solution&#8221; is just a massive shell game of short-term gimmicks and fiscal procrastination.
To patch the hole for fiscal year 2027, Mamdani relies on roughly $2.8 billion in one-time measures. He is implementing a punitive &#8220;pied-à-terre&#8221; tax and clawing back unincorporated business tax credits that hit self-employed New Yorkers making as little as $142,000 — giving productive citizens an explicit incentive to flee the city. Worse yet, he is extending the amortization period for unfunded pension liabilities, pushing hundreds of millions in city obligations well into the 2030s.
By kicking the pension can down the road and relying on temporary state aid infusions from Albany, Mamdani isn&#8217;t saving New York; he’s merely loading up a fiscal time bomb. Fiscal experts note that these gimmicks leave the city dangerously exposed to massive multi-billion-dollar deficits in the years ahead — topping out at an estimated $9.8 billion by 2030.
Mamdani wants to pretend he’s the champion of the working class. In reality, Reagan&#8217;s free-market policies allowed families to feed themselves through dignity and work. Mamdani’s progressive playbook simply steals financial stability from the future to fund big-government hubris today.

MixCollage-18-May-2026-01-22-PM-8378

Mamdani Tries Dunking On Reagan, Ends Up Soaking Wet

Ronald Reagan

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