Readers sound off on presidential pardons, speeding and criticism of Israel
Whitestone: Last week, I joked that Diddy should plead guilty so President Trump could pardon him. Now Trump is considering doing just that. I'm sure Trump will appoint him in charge of oil imports — baby oil, of course.
Todd and Julie Chrisley were convicted in 2022 of defrauding banks to obtain personal loans worth more than $36 million to fund a lavish lifestyle. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, and Julie was sentenced to seven. Of course, Trump just pardoned them. Paul Walczak is a Florida-based nursing home executive who failed to pay more than $10 million in taxes, instead using the withheld taxes to enrich himself, according to an April statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution. Last Wednesday, Trump pardoned him — just weeks after Walczak's mother, Elizabeth Fago, attended a $1 million-per-person fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
Who else? Larry Hoover. He was serving multiple life sentences in federal prison as leader of one of the largest and most violent drug syndicates in the U.S., operating in 35 states. He was convicted of state and federal charges, including murder and use of a firearm while trafficking drugs. He sold more than $100 million of drugs a year in Chicago alone. His gang was responsible for countless murders. They supported their drug territories with ruthless violence. Of course, Trump deems him an honorable member of society who should be released from prison.
There is no mystery. Pay Trump and you get a pardon. Robert LaRosa Sr.
East Meadow, L.I.: On May 31, Trump shared a post on his Truth Social account stating that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced by 'clones, doubles, & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities.' How many MAGA cultists will believe this? Will the usual Trump sycophants parrot this as the truth in their letters to Voice of the People? It is obvious from this and other recent bizarre statements and his bizarre behavior that Trump is in deep mental decline and should be removed from office. I doubt that his equally incompetent cabinet would invoke the 25th Amendment as long as they keep profiting off of their positions. Richard Skibins
Rockaway Beach: I'm an old white lady who would probably never get arrested, but these goons from ICE terrify me — not for me, but for everyone. It's too easy to blindside people and get away with it when you are masked and all in black. Treacherous times! Maureen McNelis
Brooklyn: June is Pride Month, and all people who believe that the LGBTQ community should have their rights and feel secure (both community members and allies) should be vocal about this. Sadly, of late there are more people in the U.S. and other countries who feel emboldened to be anti-LGBTQ. Those who threaten the pride community, search your souls and realize that no matter how much hate you show toward them, they will continue to be part of the global community. Ellen Levitt
Brooklyn: Mayor Adams states that he is creating more green spaces for New Yorkers to enjoy, yet he's set on destroying the Elizabeth Street Garden. Adams applauds New York City employees as true heroes, yet persists in suing the retirees in court in order to diminish their retirement health care benefits. He imposed strict composting rules on most residents in the city, yet closed many community composting sites that not only compost but educate the community. Jessica Balter
New City, N.Y.: This is a reminder to all New York City retirees that Adams is still trying to take away our health plan and replace it with a Medicare Advantage plan. Courts have consistently ruled against him but he doesn't give up. Vote for anyone who does not hurt retirees. Dolph Rotter
Brooklyn: I'm wondering if you can tell us what Citi Bike is doing. Many of the docking stations have fewer bikes than they used to (at least in Brooklyn, near where I live), sometimes only one or two, while I just saw at the First Ave. and 67th St. station dozens if not a couple of hundred Citi Bikes just standing stacked there together, not in docks, not available. For those of us who pay a subscription, it seems like a bait-and-switch. Stephen Barth
Bronx: Your May 24 editorial 'Slowing down the speeders' makes an excellent case for supporting state Sen. Andrew Gounardes' bill to require that a speed-limiting device be installed in the cars of chronic speeding offenders. But why should any vehicle that is not an emergency vehicle — for example, a police car, ambulance or fire truck — be able to travel at more than, perhaps, 40 miles per hour (more than fast enough since, as you note, half of struck pedestrians will die at that speed)? What is the hurry? To get home to watch television? To get to your non-emergency job on time? To sleep a little more? To spend more time at the neighborhood pub? Speeders are adult children whose childishness needs to be checked. Consider the lives saved, the diminution of noxious fumes and the simple sanity of a more quiet, manageable environment. Ed Beller
Bronx: It is absolutely appalling how Cardinal Timothy Dolan has abandoned ship when it comes to the Catholic education system in New York. For more than a decade, the faithful have watched as school after school closes down, citing financial difficulties. The Bronx, the poorest borough, of course, suffers the most. Why is it that charter schools are thriving and donors pour in? Yet, Catholic schools are expected to simply shutter. Why is it that the cardinal simply allows the mission of Catholic education in New York City to disintegrate? It has become an aborted mission. We have no meaningful statements, real explanations or help for the teachers and administrators put out of work. At what point will the Catholics of New York declare that enough is enough? The richest city should not have a financially failing Catholic school system. It is an embarrassment and an abomination. Christina Canty
Camden, N.J.: I realize that if it bleeds, it leads. That has always been the coverage angle for the Daily News, particularly as a cover-page lead. Perhaps that is even taught to journalism students at the Columbia University School of Journalism. I'm sad to mention that there was no article of Beyoncé's recent Cowboy Carter tour concert at MetLife Stadium. Quite a beat, and much to say about culture. Shame on you, Daily News! Wayne E. Williams
Pleasantville, N.Y.: Being a native of Israel, I feel appalled by some of the articles, editorials and even letters from Voicers about what has been going on in the Gaza Strip. I can never understand why Israel is held to such high standards when it comes to fighting terrorists when this is almost never the case when countries, including the United States, are doing the same. Also, I can never understand why they have to exchange so many arrested terrorists just to get back a few hostages when no other country has to deal with such proportions. More importantly, many tend to be wrong about who is the indigenous group. Jews have been living there since ancient times and always had a presence, hence an earlier name being Judea. Meanwhile, Arabs got their name from Arabia, which is the present day Arabian Peninsula, showing who is really indigenous to that land. Tal Barzilai
Bronx: To Voicer Stephanie Revander: One question concerning your response to my letter. We both agree that a man who brutally beats and chokes a woman unconscious before raping her should serve life without parole. You object to me differentiating between something so brutal and a rape that is simply forced sex. Do you believe that no rapist can be reformed, and should all rapists serve life without parole? Richard Warren
Bronx: Andrew Cuomo sent 13,000 seniors to their deaths. That will be 13,000 families, plus the woman he violated — and me — who will not vote for him. Mary Caggiano
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Trump's allies support his moves Conservative legal allies of the president also said Trump's actions are justified, and Vice President JD Vance predicted the administration would prevail in the court fight over tariff policy. 'We believe — and we're right — that we are in an emergency,' Vance said last week in an interview with Newsmax. 'You have seen foreign governments, sometimes our adversaries, threaten the American people with the loss of critical supplies,' Vance said. 'I'm not talking about toys, plastic toys. I'm talking about pharmaceutical ingredients. I'm talking about the critical pieces of the manufacturing supply chain.' Vance continued, 'These governments are threatening to cut us off from that stuff, that is by definition, a national emergency.' Republican and Democratic lawmakers have tried to rein in a president's emergency powers. 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