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New York Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Stop the suicide bill dead in its tracks, senators!
Now that New York's Assembly has approved the assisted-suicide bill, the state Senate has a chance to stop the morally repellent madness. It's believed Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will set aside any personal doubts she may have to bring it up for passage if enough Democratic senators back it: We beg them all to err on the side of caution, and keep this horror off the floor. Look to the brave Democratic dissenters in the other chamber, figures like Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. They had the courage to stand up and say no. The measure is sold as simple mercy for the terminally ill, but it's no such thing. Just for starters: Why force doctors, sworn to protect life, into helping end it? And don't tell us this is about making suicide 'safe.' Such contradictions show what this is really about: Taking the first step down the 'mercy killing' road first on the way to outright state murder of the sick, then the old, then the weak. As the examples of Europe and Canada show us, it never stops where advocates claim it will. Canada's assisted-suicide program has already deployed against a mentally ill man who cited 'hearing loss' as the reason he wanted to die. In another case, a disabled veteran who had the gall to ask the government to install a wheelchair ramp at her house was instead given a hard sell on state-sponsored death (she refused and blew the whistle on the outrage). In the Netherlands, 'mercy' has progressed to euthanasia for autism and depression. And at least one US state-legislature bill would expand the circle of people allowed to give you death drugs to include naturopaths — 'doctors' with zero medical training. New York's bill doesn't even specify which drugs could legally go into these death cocktails — proving it's not about dignity or freedom or anything like that. It's about state endorsement of the certainty that some lives aren't worth living —which inevitably leads to the state action on that 'principle' to snuff out the lives of sick, crazy and emotionally vulnerable people. Just think how much money we could save! That's all it has ever been about, despite the pseudohumanitarian whining of the death lobby. This is vastly different from accepting that death is coming and refusing extraordinary measures: Hospice care is genuine mercy, far different from any 'helping hand.' Per the most recent reporting, there's real skepticism even among Senate Democrats around the bill — as there should be. Note, too, that the Labor supermajority in Britain's Parliament is having serious doubts as it considers final passage of a similar bill. The longer anyone considers this idea, the worse it seems; no wonder its supporters want to rush it through. Do the right thing, senators. Let this one die an utterly undignified death before it comes to the floor.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
GOP fights to flip NY Senate seat in Tuesday special election after Trump won big in blue territory
Republicans are looking to pick up a state Senate seat in a Tuesday special election in a southern Brooklyn district that President Trump carried last year with 77% of the vote. GOP candidate Nachman Caller and Democrat Sam Sutton are running for a vacant seat after former state Sen. Simcha Felder recently won a special election to fill a vacancy in the City Council. 4 GOP candidate Nachman Caller is running for the vacant seat. 4 Democrat Sam Sutton is looking to pick up Sen. Simcha Felder's vacant seat. Brooklyn Democratic Party The 22nd district encampases heavy Jewish neightborhoods including Midwood, Flatbush, Borough Park, Madison, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and Sheepshead Bay. Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans but many are moderate-to-conservative voters who will cross party lines. Felder, a conservative Democrat who once caucused with Republicans, has not endorsed in the race. Democrat Sutton has deep ties to the Sephardic community. He is a co-leader of the Sephardic Community Federation. 4 Sutton is a co-leader of the Sephardic Community Federation. Brooklyn Democratic Party Caller, a Republican district leader, is a real estate lawyer who previously ran for the state Assembly. Sutton has the support of the Democratic Party establishment, including Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, a staunch supporter of Israel who is eying a run for governor. Caller has the backing of upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican chairwoman, and Rep. Mike Lawyer, whose lower Hudson Valley district includes a large orthodox Jewish population. 4 President Trump carried the district last year with 77% of the vote. A former Felder campaign strategist, O'Brien 'O.B.' Murray, is working for Caller. Both sides said it's a competitive race and voter turnout will likely determine the outcome. Murray emphasized a Caller victory will leave Democrats two votes shy of a veto proof majority in the Senate. 'This is an opportunity for every voter in the district to say 'enough is enough' to the radical liberal agenda in Albany,' Murray said.
New York Post
27-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Jessica Ramos wants to oversee NYC's $112 billion budget — but defaults on $80K in student loans
Mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos wants to manage the city's $112 billion budget, but she's failed to get her own fiscal house in order — defaulting on nearly $80,000 in student loans, The Post has learned. Two filings in Queens state supreme court from 2019 show that Ramos, a state senator from the borough, defaulted on a pair of loans: one for $35,757.21 and the other for $42,550.25. 3 Ramos, 39, said her loan debt symbolizes the problems facing New Yorkers of modest means struggling to afford a college education and supporting a family. Brian Zak/NY Post Advertisement Six years later, she apparently still owes the $78,307.46 in combined loans — with her telling The Post, 'I'm part of the generation that is saddled with student debt.' The candidate's mother, Melfy Londono, is listed as a co-plaintiff on the default judgments, which were filed the year after Ramos became a state senator. In both cases, court papers filed by lawyers Forster & Garbus on behalf of the student-loan lender said, 'No part of said sum has been paid although duly demanded.' Advertisement Even some of Ramos's fellow Democrats said her financial debt is a problem for her campaign. 'It hurts her candidacy,' said Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party leader who is backing Andrew Cuomo for mayor. 'That's certainly an indication of her ability to manage costs and expenses of the city,' he said of her outstanding defaulted student loans. 'She can't manage her own debt. She's going to manage the city's?' Advertisement 3 Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, said Ramos's financial debt is a problem for her campaign. William C Lopez/New York Post Ramos's campaign has raised $232, 292 in private funds and spent $231,253. She has yet to qualify for public matching funds for the June 24 Democratic primary. Polling for the Democratic primary for mayor shows her with single-digit support. Ramos, 39, who attended Hofstra University and has two school-age sons, said her loan debt symbolizes the problems facing New Yorkers of modest means struggling to afford a college education and supporting a family. Advertisement 'Like millions in my generation, I faced the impossible choice between financial survival and student-loan payments,' Ramos told The Post. 'I prioritized building a safe, stable life for my family. This experience only deepens my commitment to fighting for a fairer economy where people aren't punished for seeking an education.' First elected to the state Senate in 2019, Ramos is chairwoman of its Labor Committee and previously served as a City Hall aide to former Mayor Bill de Blasio. She is the first-generation daughter of Hispanic immigrants. During a recent Post editorial board meeting, Ramos referenced her student-loan debt. 'I'm part of the generation that is saddled with student debt. That is my reality,' Ramos said. 3 Ramos attended Hofstra University and has two school-age sons. Newsday via Getty Images The US Department of Education announced last week that it will resume collections on student-loan debt next month, including by garnishing the wages of borrowers in default. Collections, which have been paused since March 2020, will resume May 5 and are expected to impact roughly 5.3 million borrowers currently in default on their federal student loans. Advertisement 'American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. The education secretary criticized former President Joe Biden's efforts to cancel billions of dollars in student-loan debt. Several of Biden's efforts were blocked by federal courts.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Cuomo's Campaign Strategy: Limit Appearances and Avoid Confrontation
He arrives at campaign events like a well-preserved relic of the political past, a little leaner and more gray, but spry enough to extract himself from behind the wheel of his muscle car of the moment, a sleek Dodge Charger. Questions? He'll take a few, perhaps, but only after the event — typically a Sunday visit to a Black church in New York City. Will he attend the next Democratic mayoral forum? Probably not, especially if the other candidates, who trail him in the polls, might be onstage with him. But if given a chance to speak alone, unencumbered by rivals who might draw attention to the scandals that led to his resignation as governor in 2021, Andrew M. Cuomo may well be interested. In his comeback run for mayor of New York City, Mr. Cuomo has fully embraced a so-called Rose Garden strategy, attending a small number of orchestrated events that allow him to avoid confrontational interactions with his opponents. As governor, Mr. Cuomo used the strategy in his re-election efforts. As a mayoral candidate, he is doing so again — even without the benefit of incumbency. That has drawn broad criticism from his rivals, including the actual incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams, who said Mr. Cuomo was hiding 'in the shadows' and not facing the scrutiny that all candidates should. 'He's in this bubble — you can't even get near him,' the mayor said at one of his weekly news conferences last month, adding: 'He controls walking in. He controls walking out. He's not answering questions from you.' On Wednesday evening, Mr. Cuomo will attend a major candidate forum held by the Brooklyn Democratic Party, whose leader recently endorsed him. The format of the event, which focuses on the 'Black agenda' in the city, will allow Mr. Cuomo and the other candidates to each appear individually. A Rose Garden strategy is typically deployed by American presidents and other officeholders as a way of controlling the campaign narrative and avoiding gaffes or criticism — both of which may be of concern to Mr. Cuomo. His opponents have criticized him in absentia, focusing on his handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic and the sexual harassment allegations by 11 women that forced him from office. Mr. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing. Zohran Mamdani, a state lawmaker who is in second place behind Mr. Cuomo in polls, said that Mr. Cuomo had 'no good answers' for making cuts to Medicaid and the transit system while governor, and for presiding over a culture of leadership where sexual harassment seemed prevalent. 'Andrew Cuomo knows that engaging New Yorkers in public and taking questions from the press is a huge risk to his campaign, as he'd actually have to answer for his dismal record,' Mr. Mamdani said. Mr. Cuomo has been busy trying to maintain his front-runner status. He has secured major endorsements and raised a large campaign war chest. A super PAC backing him has raised even more — roughly $5 million, including $250,000 from Bill Ackman, a hedge fund executive and supporter of President Trump. Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the Cuomo campaign, said in a statement that 'forums don't reach people' and that Mr. Cuomo preferred to talk directly with New Yorkers about their concerns. 'New Yorkers know the governor, his real record of results and that he's the only one with the experience and the skill to fix what's broken in this city,' he said. But even as he operates mostly away from public scrutiny, Mr. Cuomo has still experienced some campaign hiccups. He was criticized over the apparent use of artificial intelligence in his housing proposal, and his request for public matching funds was rejected because of what his campaign said were 'technical software' issues. On Monday, a Republican House committee chairman renewed a call for the Justice Department to prosecute Mr. Cuomo for allegedly making false statements to Congress about his actions during the pandemic. When Mr. Cuomo does make campaign appearances, it is often to receive endorsements or to speak at church services. He has given longer interviews to The Daily Beast and to the sports host Stephen A. Smith; he also spent two contentious hours with The New York Post editorial board. Mayoral candidates typically attend forums held by civic groups, take questions from local reporters and interact with New Yorkers in unscripted moments. Andrew Yang, the early front-runner in the 2021 mayoral race, and Mr. Adams regularly held news conferences on the campaign trail and attended candidate forums. Mr. Cuomo might not appear face-to-face with his rivals until the first of two televised debates is held on June 4, roughly three weeks before the June 24 primary. Basil Smikle, the former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, said that Mr. Cuomo had taken a similar approach as governor, when he did not frequently engage in retail politics or provide regular access to statehouse reporters. 'There is an intimacy that voters expect of their mayor that they don't necessarily expect from a governor,' Mr. Smikle said. 'He's going to have to connect more.' Mr. Adams, who has record-low approval ratings and is running for re-election as an independent in the general election in November, has also mostly avoided attending mayoral forums. He did attend, along with Mr. Cuomo, a forum held by the Rev. Al Sharpton earlier this month where the candidates appeared onstage individually for separate interviews. Mr. Sharpton praised Mr. Cuomo for coming to his forum and answering questions directly. 'Everybody has the right to their own strategy,' Mr. Sharpton said in an interview. 'The fact that he has a household name means it might not be as necessary for him as candidates who are not as well known.' Mr. Mamdani has attended 29 mayoral forums and committed to at least five more, his campaign said. He did not participate in a two-hour forum on Monday that focused on affordability, joining Mr. Cuomo on the sidelines after previously confirming that he would attend. Mr. Mamdani's campaign said that he was traveling to Albany on Monday and was focused on the state's stalled budget negotiations. Organizers of that event, at which the candidates appeared onstage together, said Mr. Cuomo had not responded to their invitations to join the forum. The structure of the forum on Wednesday in Brooklyn has also drawn attention, with the organizers being accused of changing the format to allow the candidates to appear one at a time, as reported by Politico. The organizers denied that they had changed the format of the event. But one person involved in the planning, as well as a staff member of one of the campaigns, said that the format was supposed to involve multiple candidates onstage at the same time. An email on April 6 from the organizers to one of the campaigns said that candidates would appear in two groups of four. A week later, the organizers said that the candidates would instead appear one at a time, according to the campaign staff member, who requested anonymity. Henry Butler, vice chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, insisted that the planners of the forum, at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, had decided that the best format to facilitate a 'substantive' discussion was to have the candidates onstage by themselves. 'We did not want a situation of candidates yelling and screaming, going back and forth at each other and not answering the specific questions,' Mr. Butler said. If all the candidates were onstage together, they could 'avoid answering the questions about what you plan to do and what you have done in the past for the Black community,' he added, citing Mr. Sharpton's forum as a model. Many of the candidates are frustrated that they cannot engage with Mr. Cuomo directly. One challenger, State Senator Jessica Ramos, said that the former governor 'thinks he is above questions from the public and the press.' 'It leaves us to wonder whether he doesn't want the public to see how his unscripted performance level has deteriorated,' she said. Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, said Mr. Cuomo was avoiding forums because he was scared to discuss 'his failed housing legacy.' Scott M. Stringer, the former city comptroller, said Mr. Cuomo had 'no plans of his own' and that his record had 'actively hurt the city.' Lupe Todd-Medina, a spokeswoman for Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the City Council who is running for mayor, said that voters wanted a leader who was not afraid to engage with opponents in public. 'If he's too afraid to share a stage with other candidates,' she said of Mr. Cuomo, 'how can we trust him to stand up to Trump?'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Adams weighs launching independent run for mayor should he lose Democratic primary
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams on Monday didn't rule out running as an independent in November's general election should he lose this summer's Democratic primary — and sources say such a move is indeed gaining serious traction inside the Adams camp. 'When I'm ready to roll out my official reannouncement and my plan, I will do so, and I'm going to make sure all of you are invited to it,' Adams told reporters at City Hall when asked at his weekly press conference if he is looking to mount an independent bid for reelection should he fall short in June's Democratic primary. 'You can stand in the back with me if you want and just be part of my support group, like others who support,' he continued, 'but when that comes I will do so.' The mayor's comments came as sources confirmed to the Daily News that he has seriously entertained the possibility of running as an independent in November as his prospects in the June 24 Democratic primary are looking increasingly bleak. The New York Post first reported last week that such conversations have taken place. It's hard to predict how the political chips would fall should Adams lose the primary and run in November as an independent. Asked at Monday's press conference whether he's concerned such a move could stand to boost a left-leaning mayoral candidate, Adams said, 'New Yorkers be careful what you ask for.' Polls have for months shown Adams reeling from record low approval ratings and trailing ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a significant margin in the mayoral primary. His most serious political obstacle is perhaps the dilemma President Trump's Department of Justice put him in by seeking to drop his indictment with the justification that a dismissal would enable him to help accommodate Trump's push to target undocumented New Yorkers for 'mass deportations.' The dismissal request, which is pending approval from a federal judge, has prompted accusations from both critics and allies of the mayor that he's beholden to Trump. The mayor has said there's no quid pro quo with the Trump administration. Amid the political headwinds, several of Adams' challengers now have more money in their campaign coffers than he does and the Campaign Finance Board has denied him public matching funds due to his federal corruption indictment. And some of his most loyal supporters have defected from his camp to back other candidates. Over the weekend, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party who has for years been one of Adams' strongest political allies, announced she's endorsing Cuomo's mayoral bid in a major blow to the incumbent. At Monday's press conference, Adams insisted he's not hurt by the Brooklyn Democratic Party boss' decision. 'None of this personal, she's one of my dearest friends, and she was extremely supportive of me for these last 15 months,' he said. 'I couldn't even tell you just how supportive she has been, reaching out to me, care about my well-being, asking how my son's doing. My relationship with Rodneyse is not political, it's personal, and she is among one of my dearest friends, and so when she makes decisions it doesn't bother me.'
