A ‘Mornings with Maria’ panel discusses the Iran strike intel leak following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s press conference on the matter.
WATCH:
A New York state assemblyman took aim at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday, mocking her for identifying as a “Bronx girl” while reminding the public of her suburban upbringing in Westchester County.
Assemblyman Matt Slater, a Republican from Yorktown, highlighted the congresswoman’s background by sharing a high school yearbook photo of her as a freshman at Yorktown High School, situated in a quiet suburb roughly 40 minutes north of the Bronx.
Slater’s response came after Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing portions of the Bronx and Queens, found herself in a heated exchange with President Trump. The clash began after she demanded his impeachment for carrying out airstrikes in Iran without first seeking congressional authorization.
In response to her call for impeachment, Trump fired back by branding her “one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress.” Ocasio-Cortez quickly hit back in a series of tweets.
“Also, I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,” she posted, referencing the president’s Queens upbringing.
But Slater wasn’t having it. Sharing the yearbook image, he noted her clear ties to Yorktown. “If you’re a BX girl then why are you in my Yorktown yearbook? Give it up already,” he wrote on social media.
Speaking to The Post, Slater dismissed the congresswoman’s Bronx identity as misleading. “The truth is AOC is Sandy Cortez who went to Yorktown High School and lived at the corner of Friends Road and Longvue Street,” he said, referring to her given name.
Slater added that the portrayal of Ocasio-Cortez as a hardened Bronx native is, in his words, a political performance. “She may think it makes her look tough or like some kind of champion for the radical left who voted for [mayoral candidate] Zohran Mamdani, but she really needs to come clean and drop the act.”
Since her unexpected 2018 victory over longtime incumbent Joe Crowley, the progressive congresswoman, now 35, has drawn criticism for emphasizing her Bronx roots while downplaying her years in the suburbs.
That same year, shortly after her election, she appeared on Late Night with Stephen Colbert and quipped about Trump: “I don’t think he knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.”
According to a New York Times profile, Ocasio-Cortez’s family moved to Yorktown when she was about five years old to gain access to better public schools. She graduated from Yorktown High School in 2007, and property records show the family home remained in her name until it was sold in 2016.
Ocasio-Cortez has previously addressed the criticism, saying that living in Yorktown gave her insight into the stark inequality that exists across zip codes. “It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people,” she tweeted in 2018. “My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here & I grew up seeing how the zip code one is born in determines much of their opportunity.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez reaffirmed her biographical roots, stating that she was born in the Bronx’s Parkchester neighborhood before moving to Westchester. “Throughout her childhood, Representative Ocasio-Cortez traveled regularly to The Bronx to spend time with her extended family,” the bio states.
{Matzav.com}
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is forecasting a dramatic spike in Palm Beach property prices following Zohran Mamdani’s surprising victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary—an outcome that DeSantis believes will drive residents to flee the city.
Mamdani, originally from Uganda and affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, emerged victorious Tuesday night in the Democratic mayoral primary, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had widely been considered the frontrunner. Mamdani ran on a platform of expansive government services and progressive reforms. His win has prompted strong reactions from both sides of the political aisle, with growing fears that his leadership could trigger an exodus from New York City.
“Just when you thought Palm Beach real estate couldn’t go any higher…” DeSantis remarked on X, alluding to South Florida’s ongoing trend as a preferred destination for former New Yorkers.
Speaking ahead of the primary results, DeSantis had warned, “if this socialist mayor candidate wins in New York City, you’re going to see real estate values skyrocket in Palm Beach because people are going to get out of that city.”
DeSantis didn’t hold back in comparing Mamdani to prior leadership. “As bad as De Blasio was,” he said, “this guy is going to be way, way worse.”
Critiquing Mamdani’s views on policing, DeSantis added, “He doesn’t think that we should have law enforcement in dangerous parts of the city, that you should send in social workers. See how that works out for you, it ain’t going to work out well. So, they’ve made a lot of dumb decisions, and we’ve benefited from it,” he said with a touch of sarcasm.
Florida’s Voice also quoted DeSantis as saying, “if this guy gets in, we may need to up our police recruitment bonuses” due to the expected surge in relocation from New York. He continued, “you’re going to see a flood of people.”
Emphasizing his concerns, DeSantis said, “when you have a candidate who wants to abolish the NYPD,” that “ain’t going to end well.”
A review of Mamdani’s proposals, published on his campaign site, reflects his socialist ideology and support from figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Among his pledges: an immediate rent freeze for more than two million residents in rent-stabilized housing, free public transportation, city-operated grocery stores focused on affordability rather than profits, and universal childcare for children aged six weeks to five years.
He also promises to create a new city agency called the Department of Community Safety, which would assign outreach workers to 100 subway stations, expand anti-gun violence programs, and boost funding for “hate violence prevention programs” by 800%.
Another ambitious item on his agenda is a plan to raise New York City’s minimum wage to $30 per hour by the year 2030.
To fund his sweeping proposals, Mamdani’s website outlines a series of tax initiatives: increasing the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, which he claims will generate $5 billion in revenue, and enacting a 2% flat tax on those earning over $1 million annually, which he estimates will bring in $4 billion more. Additional funds, he says, would come from hiring more tax auditors, eliminating no-bid contracts, and aggressively pursuing fines from what he calls “corrupt landlords,” which he says could yield another $1 billion.
Criticism of Mamdani has come from both Republicans and Democrats, including from President Trump, who slammed the Democratic Party’s choice in a post on Truth Social.
“This is a big moment in the History of our Country” and “the Democrats have crossed the line,” Trump said regarding Mamdani’s nomination.
“Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor,” Trump wrote. “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him.”
{Matzav.com}
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is raising alarms over the outcome of Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary, where Zohran Mamdani, known for his sharp criticism of Israel, emerged victorious. Adams warned that Mamdani’s positions should give the Jewish community reason for concern.
Speaking about Mamdani’s approach to Middle East issues, Adams remarked, “has been unwilling to just address some of the basic issues as just the acknowledgement of Israel and his real unwillingness to talk about some of the behavior that has played out on our streets.”
Adams criticized Mamdani’s silence during recent demonstrations, saying, “During some of the protests [it] was really disrespectful. In some cases, I think it is antisemitic rhetoric, and so I think that the Jewish community should be concerned,” in an interview with RUSA Radio, a Russian-language station.
Highlighting the broader implications, Adams noted, “If the Jewish community cannot feel safe in the city where it’s the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, then when can they feel safe? And I think it’s problematic when you have a socialist who is displaying antisemitic views to be able to run and be elected in New York City,” according to a transcript provided by his office.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman representing Queens and affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, is now the party’s presumed nominee for the general mayoral election in November. His chief rival, Andrew Cuomo, who previously served as governor of New York, officially conceded the race on Wednesday.
Adams, a consistent advocate for Israel and a longtime ally of Jewish neighborhoods across the city, has opted to run in the general election as an independent candidate.
{Matzav.com}
At a Thursday morning briefing alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized the press for latching onto an early intelligence report that appeared to cast doubt on the success of recent U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. He accused reporters of ignoring context and downplaying a mission that, according to the administration, achieved its goals.
Hegseth argued that the assessment, which suggested the damage from the strikes may have fallen short of expectations, had not been vetted across the intelligence community. He emphasized that other, more thorough evaluations presented a very different understanding of the impact from “Operation Midnight Hammer.”
He claimed the media had seized on the initial report in order to discredit President Trump. “President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success, resulting in a ceasefire agreement and the end of the 12-day war,” Hegseth stated. “Because of decisive military action, President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating, choose your word, obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”
Hegseth stressed that the controversial report was only a preliminary analysis and lacked coordination with other intelligence agencies. “It’s preliminary,” he said. “It points out that it’s not been coordinated with the intelligence community at all. There’s low confidence in this particular report.”
He said even the report itself acknowledged missing data points and admitted that its conclusion rested on one major assumption. “If you’re wrong, everything else is wrong, and still, this report acknowledges it’s likely severe damage,” Hegseth said.
According to Hegseth, the leak of this assessment was deliberate and politically motivated. “The DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency] that put that report out says this is a preliminary low-confidence report and will continue to be refined as additional intelligence becomes available,” he said. “The report was leaked because someone had an agenda to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn’t successful.”
He then questioned why more definitive statements supporting the operation’s success hadn’t been widely reported by outlets such as The New York Times or the Washington Post. “How about the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission: ‘The devastating U.S. strikes on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable?'” Hegseth asked. “How about this one? This is a new one from the U.N., the United Nations, no friend of the United States, or certainly Israel.”
Hegseth added, “Here’s the head of the U.N. Atomic Energy Agency this morning, Rafael Grossi: ‘U.S. and Israeli strikes caused enormous damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.’ Don’t take my word for it. How about the IDF’s chief of staff? ‘I can say here that the assessment is that we significantly damaged the nuclear program, setting it back by years.’”
He also cited confirmation from American intelligence leaders. “CIA Director John Ratcliff has also reported that the agency can confirm that a ‘body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s nuclear program has been severely damaged by recent targeted strikes.’”
In addition, he quoted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: “‘New intelligence confirms what POTUS has stated numerous times. Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed.’”
“I could list quote after quote,” Hegseth said, reiterating that the available information overwhelmingly supported the administration’s narrative of success.
He accused journalists of rooting against Trump rather than fairly covering the operation. “So let’s take half truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it,” he said. “Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the mind, the public mind, over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.”
Hegseth challenged reporters for failing to tell the story of the operation from the perspective of those who carried it out. He expressed frustration that few outlets had focused on “what our brave men and women did.”
He also mentioned Trump’s role at the NATO summit, highlighting what he described as a major breakthrough in European defense spending commitments. According to Hegseth, 32 NATO members had now agreed to dedicate 5% of their GDP to defense efforts.
“We’re here this morning because in hunting for scandals all the time in trying to find wedges and spin stories, this press corps and the press corps miss historic moments,” Hegseth concluded.
{Matzav.com}
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, made a rare public appearance Thursday, claiming an unsubstantiated triumph over Israel and boasting that his regime had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face.” This marked his first public speech since Israeli and U.S. forces devastated key elements of Iran’s nuclear program, an operation President Trump labeled “total obliteration.”
Despite Iran’s massive losses, including the deaths of more than a dozen senior nuclear scientists and the destruction of three major uranium enrichment facilities, Khamenei insisted on calling the 12-day conflict a victory.
“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” Khamenei declared, making claims that contradict the outcomes on the ground.
The Supreme Leader had remained hidden from the public eye since June 13, the day Israel initiated Operation Rising Lion, a campaign involving a barrage of missile strikes around Tehran and a successful sabotage mission that crippled both air defense and missile systems.
His appearance came nearly a week after President Trump ordered an aggressive U.S. offensive: seven B-2 bombers dropped powerful bunker-buster bombs on Fordow, an underground nuclear site, while U.S. submarines armed with nuclear capability targeted Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan facilities with cruise missiles.
“US hit nuclear sites but couldn’t achieve much,” Khamenei said in his televised remarks, before taking a swipe at the American president.
“US President Trump needed to do showmanship,” he said.
In a post on X, Khamenei painted a drastically different picture of the war’s outcome. “With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he wrote, describing events that never materialized on the battlefield.
Khamenei’s speech came just days after a cease-fire was reached between Iran and Israel. Trump had announced the agreement Monday night, mere hours before Israel said it was targeted by a missile salvo from Iran. That action led the 79-year-old president to sharply criticize both sides.
In response, Israel scrambled jets toward Iranian airspace but called off the mission.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters before heading to the NATO summit, Trump didn’t hold back in assigning blame for the truce’s shaky start.
“I think they both violated it,” Trump said, pointing to Israel’s vow to relaunch attacks and accusing Iran of a “blatant violation” of the cease-fire.
Despite the early turbulence, the cease-fire has largely held, while American and Qatari diplomats continue pushing for renewed talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
{Matzav.com}
