New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday rolled out a proposed $127 billion budget, warning state leaders that if they refuse to approve higher taxes on wealthy residents, he will move forward with a significant increase in city property taxes.
The self-described democratic socialist characterized the spending plan as a fallback option to close projected gaps if Gov. Kathy Hochul declines to support raising taxes on high earners. His blueprint would also tap into the city’s $10 billion reserve fund.
“I do not want to raise property taxes,” Mamdani said of his preliminary budget plan, which would hike property taxes 9.5% to raise an additional $3.7 billion in the next fiscal year.
“When faced with this crisis, the question is who should pay these taxes? I believe that it should be the wealthiest New Yorkers, the most profitable corporations. I believe that they can afford to pay a little bit more,” Mamdani said.
The announcement begins what is expected to be months of budget talks with key city officials, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who quickly rejected the idea of higher property taxes.
“At a time when New Yorkers are already grappling with an affordability crisis, dipping into rainy day reserves and proposing significant property tax increases should not be on the table whatsoever,” Menin wrote in a statement.
Hochul, who is up for reelection this year and whose approval would be needed for changes to state income tax rates, likewise indicated she does not back a property tax increase, though the mayor would not require Albany’s consent to enact one.
“I’m not supportive of a property tax increase, I don’t know that that’s necessary,” Hochul told reporters Tuesday during an unrelated event.
Additional officials at City Hall also criticized the proposal.
“This is insanity,” one insider told The Post. “Property taxes haven’t been raised since 9/11.”
The same source warned that drawing heavily from city reserves could damage New York’s bond rating, calling the move a “major red flag” that might weaken the city’s ability to borrow.
If adopted, Mamdani’s plan would increase overall spending by roughly $11 billion compared to the current fiscal year, allocating new money for expanded legal services, homeless assistance programs and other initiatives.
The proposal follows Hochul’s announcement a day earlier that the state would provide an additional $1.5 billion in aid to the city, amid Mamdani’s repeated appeals to raise income taxes on affluent New Yorkers.
The mayor is seeking a 2% income tax increase targeting approximately 33,000 residents earning more than $1 million annually.
In recent weeks, Mamdani has repeatedly highlighted what he describes as looming fiscal trouble, using those warnings to press Albany to embrace his push to increase taxes on top earners.
Just three weeks ago, he estimated the city’s deficit at $12 billion. That figure shifted after updated revenue projections showed tax collections — largely fueled by Wall Street bonuses — coming in 24% higher than the previous year.
Last week, Mamdani said his budget team had reduced the shortfall to $7 billion. Then, in a post on X Tuesday morning, he announced the projected gap had fallen further to $5.4 billion.
{Matzav.com}
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may not take Kilmar Abrego Garcia back into custody, finding that the legally permitted 90-day detention window has lapsed and that the government lacks a realistic path to deport him.
Abrego Garcia, a citizen of El Salvador, has drawn national attention in the ongoing immigration debate after he was erroneously deported to his native country last year. Following his return to the United States, he has been contesting renewed efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to remove him, this time to several African nations.
In her order issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland sharply criticized the government’s handling of the case. The government “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success,” she wrote. “From this, the Court easily concludes that there is no ‘good reason to believe’ removal is likely in the reasonably foreseeable future.”
Abrego Garcia, who is married to an American citizen and has a child, has lived in Maryland for many years. He entered the United States unlawfully as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge determined that he could not be returned to El Salvador due to credible threats from a gang that had targeted his family. Despite that ruling, he was mistakenly deported there last year.
Amid mounting public scrutiny and under court direction, President Donald Trump’s administration arranged for his return in June. His reentry, however, followed a federal indictment in Tennessee accusing him of human smuggling. Abrego Garcia has entered a plea of not guilty. At the same time, administration officials have maintained that he will not be allowed to remain in the United States, stating in court filings that they have sought to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, or Liberia.
A total of 85 countries have endorsed a Palestinian-initiated declaration criticizing recent decisions by Israel’s security cabinet designed to strengthen Israeli control in the West Bank.
The declaration, coordinated by the Palestinian Mission to the United Nations, states: “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank.”
It continues, “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation,” the countries add.
The Israeli security cabinet’s approved steps include policies intended to simplify the process for Israeli settlers to acquire land in the West Bank, alongside measures allowing for the expropriation of property from Palestinians who assert legal ownership.
Support for the statement comes from a broad coalition of nations across multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that discussions between the United States and Iran have been productive so far, though he made clear that Tehran has yet to agree to all of President Donald Trump’s core demands regarding its nuclear ambitions.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance emphasized that the current negotiations over Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons efforts differ sharply from the diplomacy that produced the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. That agreement drew widespread criticism for failing to block Iran’s path to a bomb and for provisions that critics argued effectively normalized elements of Tehran’s nuclear program through sunset clauses.
President Trump “has shown very clearly that he is not Barack Obama,” Vance stated. “He takes a much different approach to America’s national security, and he’s much more willing to act aggressively to defend America’s national security.”
Vance stressed that the administration’s priority remains preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon, whether through negotiations or other means.
“The President of the United States is very much trying to find a solution here, whether it’s through diplomatic options or through another option, that means that the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapon. That has always been the main focus,” he said.
The vice president also underscored what he described as the dangers posed by the Iranian government, warning that its leadership cannot be trusted with such destructive capability.
The Iranian regime “is one of the most hostile and also one of the most irrational regimes in the world. You can’t have people like that have the most dangerous weapon known to man. It would be awful for our security. It would be awful for the future of our children. That is the goal of the President of the United States and he’s got a lot of options and a lot of tools to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly called on officials in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., to take swift action in response to a major sewage leak that has polluted the Potomac River, as cleanup operations continue and health concerns mount.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump insisted that state and local authorities “must get to work, IMMEDIATELY” and added that if they “can’t do the job,” they should “call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed.”
Trump emphasized that the federal government did not play a role in the incident, stating that “the Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it.” He described the spill as a “Radical Left caused Environmental Hazard” and cautioned that conditions would “only get worse” if immediate steps are not taken.
The environmental crisis began on Jan. 19, when a 72-inch sewer pipe known as the Potomac Interceptor gave way near the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Maryland. The collapse released hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River, an event that environmental advocates have characterized as among the most severe of its kind in the nation’s history.
Officials estimate that approximately 243 million gallons of wastewater have flowed into the river since the rupture. Authorities have indicated that repairing the damaged infrastructure could take several months.
In his remarks, Trump directly faulted “Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., who are responsible for the massive sewage spill,” urging the governors of the two states and the mayor of the nation’s capital to move without delay.
He also alluded to the ongoing federal funding standoff, arguing that even if assistance from Washington were requested, the effort would depend on “true Patriots … because many are not working right now.”
Meanwhile, public health agencies and environmental officials have advised residents and pet owners to stay away from affected portions of the river. Activities including swimming, fishing, and boating have been limited in impacted areas due to elevated bacteria levels in the water.
Following the recent unrest in Bnei Brak, the Shevet HaLevi Rebbe addressed his yeshiva bochurim, instructing them that they may only participate in demonstrations explicitly organized or endorsed by leading Torah authorities.
The Rebbe delivered his remarks at the conclusion of his daily halacha shiur after Shacharis, responding to the disturbances that took place in the city on Sunday.
In his comments, he referred to the serious events that unfolded and stressed that every bochur must know a clear and unwavering rule: one may attend protests only when Gedolei Yisroel explicitly direct that participation is warranted, specifically protests initiated by Gedolei Yisroel and no others. He emphasized that no bochur has permission to act based on personal emotions. Even if an incident in the city appears stirring and seems to be a matter of mitzvah, each individual must carefully verify whether it is being conducted under the guidance of Gedolei Yisroel. If it is not, he said, one must distance himself from the area completely.
The Rebbe also warned that such gatherings can pose real physical danger. As was evident this past Sunday, he noted, innocent bystanders and passersby were arrested and injured. These situations constitute a place of danger, and therefore there is certainly no obligation of mesirus nefesh in circumstances of this nature. He added that acts of vandalism are unquestionably forbidden, stating that such behavior has never been the way of Bnei Yisroel.
Concluding his remarks, the Rebbe said that what is truly incumbent upon us is to fulfill the teaching of the Gemara: “If someone rises against you, rise early to the beis medrash and they will fall on their own.” The strength of Klal Yisroel, he said, lies not in force but in tefillah and Torah, for the power of Yisroel is only through the mouth.
{Matzav.com}
A milestone has been reached in Poland with the completion and inauguration of a magnificent, mehudar mikveh at the hachnasas orchim complex adjacent to the tziyun of the Maggid of Kozhnitz zt”l. After intense halachic deliberations and close supervision by leading experts from Eretz Yisroel, the beautifully constructed mikveh has now been finalized, a tremendous besurah to the thousands who travel throughout the year to daven at the kever.
The project was initiated at the personal directive and vision of the Kozhnitzer Rebbe, who recognized in recent years the pressing need for a properly built mikveh at the rapidly expanding hachnasas orchim complex. The site has become a central hub for the many Yidden journeying to kivrei tzaddikim across Poland. Although the mikveh is part of a private compound designated for admorim, it will currently serve the broader public, allowing visitors to prepare in taharah and comfort. Plans are already underway, b’ezras Hashem, to construct an additional large public mikveh in response to the remarkable growth in visitors.
To ensure the highest standards of kashrus and halachic precision, Rav Nosson Winkler, one of the senior members of the renowned kashrus system of the rabbonim of Bnei Brak and son-in-law of Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib Landau zt”l, traveled to the site. Rav Winkler, who is presently in Poland heading a team of shochtim, went out of his way to personally inspect every detail of the mikveh structure and its water systems.
During his thorough visit, Rav Winkler engaged in in-depth and serious halachic discussions regarding the filling of the otzaros with snow, a complex sugya, especially under European winter conditions. For final clarification, he remained in ongoing consultation with Rav Yechiel Yehuda Neustadt, a rov affiliated with Merkaz HaTahara. Rav Neustadt is widely regarded as the foremost authority on mikvaos, continuing the mesorah from the days of Rav Landau, who placed full trust in him regarding the kashrus of Bnei Brak’s mikvaos.
Rav Winkler directed mehudar halachic solutions, provided precise instructions for completing the hamshacha channel, and oversaw the preparation of the otzaros to properly receive rainwater and melted snow. Every detail was arranged so that the mikveh would be kosher lechatchilah according to all opinions.
A particularly uplifting moment took place when Rav Tzvi Yehuda Lau, rov of Kehillas Kahal Chassidim in Kfar Ganim, Petach Tikva, arrived with a group of approximately 150 bochurim on a Torah journey. Under Rav Winkler’s guidance, the bochurim undertook the task of filling the otzaros. Using specially perforated shovels — punctured to avoid the halachic status of a kli kibbul — and sacks with holes, they carefully gathered the pure snow and transported it to the mikveh roof.
Special heating elements, installed in accordance with the psak of the rabbonim overseeing the project, melted the snow so that it flowed into the otzaros in complete taharah. In a remarkable display of hashgachah pratis, the day the otzaros were filled coincided exactly with the yahrtzeit of Rav Shabsai Korech Seforim zt”l, the father of the Maggid of Kozhnitz, a powerful historical closing of the circle between father and son.
The hachnasas orchim complex in Kozhnitz is now preparing with great anticipation for the coming weeks, particularly ahead of the 21st of Adar, the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk. Thousands of Yidden traveling to Lizhensk customarily stop in Kozhnitz to pour out their hearts at the tziyun and to benefit from the exceptional hospitality provided there.
Askanim note that the inauguration of the mikveh is only the beginning. A broad construction plan is now moving forward, including the building of a magnificent beis medrash, a tish hall, guest rooms, and a professional kitchen designed with meticulous architectural care, in addition to the planned large public mikveh. All of this is intended to accommodate the many requests from across the world by those seeking to bask in the unique hod hakadmonim that envelops the city of Kozhnitz.
{Matzav.com}
