Yikes, things are getting spicy in New York as Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was attacked by a guy while giving a campaign speech in Monroe County near Rochester.  A bystander intervened and removed a weapon from the hand of the attacker.  Mr. Zeldin was unharmed.

New York – Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for New York governor, was attacked during a campaign stop near Rochester in upstate Monroe County on Thursday night.

Zeldin, also a sitting US congressman from Long Island, was giving a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Perinton when a man jumped on stage and lunged toward the lawmaker, according to witnesses and video of the incident.  “I saw that he [was] approaching the congressman, so I jumped up on the stage,” witness Joe Chenelly told The Post.

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No doubt it was only the public pressure and ridicule against this activist Manhattan District Attorney that caused him to reverse course.

Facing intense public scrutiny for his ideological efforts, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has dropped charges against the 61-year-old Latino bodega owner who defended himself against a violent attack by the black boyfriend of an angry customer.

The entire episode, including the ridiculous charges against Jose Alba, was fraught with racist undertones from the district attorney’s office.

NEW YORK – After intense backlash from local bodega workers and city tabloids, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday dropped all charges against bodega clerk Jose Alba, who was allegedly acting in self-defense when he fatally stabbed a man who was attacking him.

The liberal DA’s decision comes after weeks of criticism of Bragg’s decision to send the 61-year-old to Riker’s Island and charge him with second-degree murder in the death of 35-year-old Austin Simon. Bragg first requested Alba’s bail be set at $500,000 before it was lowered to $50,000 in response to criticism from the community. He was later released on a $5,000 bail bond.

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul called a special session of the state legislature after the Supreme Court knocked down their firearm restrictions.  The new law, which passed both chambers of democrat-controlled government, takes effect Sept 1st and is unlikely to hold up once challenged in court.  The new law is stunningly over the top.

Keep in mind, when writing the majority decision Justice Clarence Thomas concluded there was no historical requirement that law-abiding citizens show the kind of special need for self-defense required by the New York law to carry a gun in public. Indeed, as Thomas wrote, there is “no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.”

The latest effort from the New York assembly is outlined in an Associated Press report which includes:

(Via AP) […] Among other things, the state’s new rules will require people applying for a handgun license to turn over a list of their social media accounts so officials could verify their “character and conduct.”

Applicants will have to show they have “the essential character, temperament and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself and others.”  As part of that assessment, applicants have to turn over a list of social media accounts they’ve maintained in the past three years.

[…]  The bill approved by lawmakers doesn’t specify whether applicants will be required to provide licensing officers with access to private social media accounts not visible to the general public.

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New York state democrats attempted to mitigate the bloodbath coming their way in the 2022 elections by drawing a redistricting map that eliminated three republican congressional seats.   Today a New York State appeals court ruled the maps were unconstitutional efforts to gerrymander the districts and now the primary races will likely be delayed.

The 78-page ruling is available here.  The state appeals court ruled 4-3 against the democrats. The June 28, 2022, primary will likely be moved to August because the state now needs to redraw the congressional districts.

(Via MSM) – […] The New York State Court of Appeals said the three maps violated the state’s Constitution by creating political bias. The maps were “procedurally unconstitutional, and the congressional map is also substantively unconstitutional as drawn with impermissible partisan purpose,” the court said.

[…] With no more appeals and time running out, the court ordered the adoption of a neutral map by an outside expert. The court also recommended the state’s June 28 primary be moved to August.

“We are confident that, in consultation with the Board of Elections, Supreme Court can swiftly develop a schedule to facilitate an August primary election, allowing time for the adoption of new constitutional maps,” the court said.  (read more)

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Police have identified suspect Frank R James (62) as the man who opened fire on a Brooklyn subway train during the early morning rush Tuesday, injuring at least 29 people. According to authorities, ten people were shot when James set off a smoke grenade and opened fire in a subway car.

New York – A 62-year-old man who made bizarre threatening rants on YouTube has been identified as a person of interest in the savage Brooklyn subway attack that injured at least 29 people Tuesday morning, officials said.

Frank James — who warned last month that he was “entering the danger zone” — rented a U-Haul van tied to the N train attack in Sunset Park and is being sought for questioning, police said at an evening briefing.

“Mr. Mayor, I’m a victim of your mental health program,” James said in one lengthy video.

“I’m 63 now full of hate, full of anger, and full of bitterness.” James said he had a diagnosed mental illness and railed against what he called the “horror show” of the city’s mental health services. “What’s going on in that place is violence,” he said about a facility he claimed to receive care from. (read more)

During an evening press briefing (video below), NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said among the items recovered by cops at the scene were a 9 mm handgun, a hatchet, gasoline and “consumer-grade fireworks.”

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New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin (below right) was indicted on bribery, wire fraud, and falsification of records charges.  He turned himself in for arrest and resigned within hours.

NEW YORK – New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s second-in-command pleaded not guilty to bribery charges Tuesday after being indicted for allegedly funneling illicit donations to one of his past campaigns. Benjamin entered the plea in federal court in Manhattan before being released on a $250,000 bond. He surrendered to authorities early in the morning as the indictment was unsealed, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

“While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor,” Hochul said in an emailed statement. (link)

According to the Washington Post Benjamin was seeking political donations and public matching funds when he enlisted the help of a real estate developer to raise money and disguise its source. In exchange, Benjamin used his official authority to try to steer $50,000 to a charitable organization the developer controlled.  A typical quid-pro-quo.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams eviscerated the justification for the vaccination mandate because science demanded it – as he presented exemptions for NYC performers and athletes due to ‘fairness.’

As noted by MSM, “Ballplayers and other performers got the green light to apply their skills in New York City even if they haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19.” however, all other residents are still required to live under the mandate. “Covid is a battle, our economy is a battle,” he told reporters at Citi Field in Queens, home of the New York Mets. “We need to recover our city from crime, from economic devastation, from uncertainty.”

Hopefully, someone, anyone, will file a lawsuit to remove the mandates and cite this economically purposed policy change as the evidence.  This is nuts.  Two tiers of citizens based on profession?  Elite athletes and performers exempt, but ordinary citizens remain under the vaccination mandate?

The New York Post has a headline story asking how this elitist policy change could possibly be okay. [SEE HERE]  The city fired thousands of workers over the mandate, and now they change the rules for the professional entitled class?

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There comes a time in every performance of the United Nations production when the arch villain bombs the milk factories.  Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin takes his turn.

As we return to our seats from the lobby during commercial interlude, we discover the model U.N. interns have left the blue and yellow ribbons on our seats. We know exactly what segment of the melodrama comes next; the children are suffering.

The well attired gentlemen in the mezzanine know this is the moment when they must position their freshly pressed pocket kerchief for quick access.  Heart strings will be pulled, and silk gowns do not fare well as the tears begin to flow. Well educated chivalry, passed down from father to son, has prepared them for this moment.  It’s not quite time for the checkbooks yet; first they must feel the sound of the violins.

Surprisingly, Bono and Geldorf have not yet made their appearance.  However, with the speed of modern social media, and knowing the technology of our time means we cannot wait, the EU assembly must lay the groundwork for the great American oration that is center stage from the Capitol later tonight.

New York – Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky urged the EU to “prove you are with us” in a defiant speech on Tuesday.

Mr Zelenesky, who has become a symbol of defiance for his country, issued an impassioned speech via video link, where he called on the EU to stand with Ukraine as Russia continues its deadly advance on the country.

During his speech, Mr Zelensky described the missile strikes on Kharkiv, as an act of terror against the city, and indeed Ukraine.

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Sometimes things just fall on the side of the righteous.   The premise of the silly Manhattan case against Donald Trump was that he inflated the value of his real estate holdings in the city.  The DA was trying to make some kind of fraud case over it, but it always seemed ridiculous.

Consider the scenario, they are ultimately debating and trying to legally criminalize the subjective value of a physical asset.  Imagine the timing of such a case right now when the value of property is so high.

You tell a grand jury that Trump inflated the value, and then someone just asks what it’s worth, and the answer is, “well, right now, it’s worth a lot more than he claimed then,” and the silliness of the case gets worse.   I digress…

Splodey heads are happening today, because the two prosecutors in the case have quit, and the Manhattan district attorney says he doubts there’s any case here… and the salty tears of the far-left are crying, “curse you villain!”

(New York) – The two prosecutors leading the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump and his business practices abruptly resigned on Wednesday amid a monthlong pause in their presentation of evidence to a grand jury, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The stunning development comes not long after the high-stakes inquiry appeared to be gaining momentum and throws its future into serious doubt.

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This is a very good thing.  A New York State Supreme Court has blocked the unilateral state-wide mask mandate of Governor Kathy Hochul and state Health Commissioner Basset.  The legal reasoning is very important.   NY Supreme Court Ruling HERE.

The authority of the New York governor and health commissioner, provided by the declaration of a state emergency, has expired.  With that expiration any/all mandates from the office are invalid; all requirements for public health -such as the mask mandate- MUST come from the legislative body.

According to the ruling, Judge Thomas Rademaker said that neither the governor nor the state health commissioner had the authority to enact the mandate without the state legislature, since the governor no longer has emergency powers. [full pdf here]

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