Northeast
GOP candidate vying for Santos House seat slams Democratic opponent's 'disrespectful' jabs: 'Shame on him'
The Republican candidate vying to fill ousted Rep. George Santos’s House seat is firing back following attacks from her Democratic opponent ahead of Tuesday’s special election.
GOP hopeful Mazi Pilip, a former IDF soldier, and former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi are locked in a close race with potential national implications as Republicans look to hold on to a key suburban New York City district amid a trend of Democratic gains.
The pair have traded jabs over key issues ranging from immigration to abortion on the campaign trail, with Suozzi most recently calling Pilip “George Santos 2.0” and accusing her of being “unvetted” and “untruthful” about her record.
NEW YORK SPECIAL ELECTION CANDIDATES CLASH OVER BORDER CRISIS, ABORTION: ‘YOU CREATED THIS ISSUE’
“The bottom line is that my opponent, Mazi Pilip, is George Santos 2.0, utterly unvetted, lying about her record, covering up her extreme positions, being untruthful about her finances, and thumbing her nose at democracy by hiding in the basement and spewing this tired old same talking points and resorting to extremist my-way-or-the-highway type of politics that will mean nothing gets done,” Suozzi said at a campaign event on Sunday.
Pilip responded to the accusations during “America’s Newsroom” on Monday, calling her opponent’s rhetoric “disrespectful.”
“It’s very disrespectful. He’s trying to run away from his record,” Pilip told Dana Perino. “Run away [from] the fact that he opened the southern border, the fact that he was supporting defunding the police movement, the fact is this was increasing taxes as a county executive and in Congress supporting Biden 100% of the time, supporting the Squad 90% of the time.”
“So he trying to run away and picturing me as a person unvetted. I am very much vetted. I’m very proud of who I am, the things I said I did, as was proven. Newsday’s, New York Post, they all came to see my degrees, they all come to see my military service. So he’s trying to link me to something to distract people so – to vote. Shame on him,” she continued.
DEMOCRAT SUOZZI RUNNING FOR GEORGE SANTOS SEAT TAKES HEAT FOR 2019 POST ON ICE AMID NEW YORK’S MIGRANT CRISIS
According to a Newsday/Siena College poll released last week, data showed Suozzi with a 4-point lead over Pilip, within the poll’s margin of error.
Data also indicated 49% of voters trusted Pilip to handle the influx of migrants, in comparison to only 40% in favor of Suozzi. On the other hand, 55% of voters trusted Souzzi to tackle abortion policy in comparison to 32% who preferred Pilip.
Regardless, Pilip insisted it is the migrant crisis that Long Island voters are most worried about as they head to the polls.
Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Pilip met face to face in the first and only debate, which aired Thursday night, in the special election for New York’s 3rd Congressional District. (Getty Images)
“The migrant crisis… it’s a big issue for the third congressional district. Unvetted migrants coming to our country, and the person responsible is Tom Suozzi, my opponent. He was in a majority in Congress when he decided to open the southern border, and he was also was funding sanctuary cities,” Pilip said.
“The issues we are seeing right now, the border crisis, unvetted migrants coming here, attacking our police officers on the streets. This is exactly the formula. When you are weak on crime, when you don’t support law enforcement, and then you have wide open borders, you are bringing unvetted immigrants. This is a formula that we are seeing, a perfect formula for all these issues that we are seeing that Thomas was responsible,” she continued.
Meanwhile, a winter storm is brewing in the Northeast and could hit hard right before voters head to the polls, threatening up to a foot of snow in the region.
Fox News’ Michael Lee and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
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Boston, MA
Florida-based breakfast chain makes Boston debut with newest location
Boston just got a new breakfast spot that’s serving up freshly made juices and dishes from morning until the afternoon.
Florida-based chain First Watch opened its first Boston location at 777 Boylston St. on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
The opening marks the second First Watch location in Massachusetts, joining its Hanover restaurant that opened in January 2025.
First Watch was founded in Pacific Grove, California in 1983. The company later moved its headquarters to Bradenton, Florida in 1986 and is now headquartered in Sarasota.
Before breaking into New England, First Watch was recognized in other markets for its modern take on breakfast, brunch and lunch food. All dishes are made to order using fresh ingredients in a kitchen without heat lamps, microwaves or deep fryers.
Staples include the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes — a mid-stack of whipped ricotta pancakes topped with lemon curd, strawberries and powdered cinnamon sugar — and Million Dollar Bacon — four slices of hardwood smoked bacon baked with brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne and a maple syrup drizzle.
First Watch also offers seasonal items that rotate roughly five times a year. Sample offerings during the winter include the fan-favorite B.E.C. Sandwich — a bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich served on griddled artisan sourdough bread — and the Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast that’s made with challah bread and topped with strawberries, dulce de leche, whipped cream and spiced gingerbread cookie crumbles.
First Watch’s fresh juice program is a company staple as well. The juices are made in-house every morning and change based on the season. Examples include the “Morning Meditation,” “Kale Tonic,” and “Purple Haze.”
First Watch also serves Project Sunrise coffee, which is made from coffee beans sourced by women coffee farmers in South America.
First Watch Boston is open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Pittsburg, PA
Commanders sign athletic former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback
The Washington Commanders have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Rush to a reserve/future contract, the team announced.
Rush joined Washington in August after he was released by the Cleveland Browns, and spent the entire season with the team. Now, he will get a chance to showcase what he can do in the offseason and make a roster push.
Rush was also previously with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was waived/injured at the beginning of training camp.
The Steelers released Rush in last October, freeing him up to become a member of the Chiefs. He initially made the active roster, but after a rough preseason, the team went in another direction to locate some help, which they found in James Pierre.
Rush, a 2023 fourth-round pick out of South Carolina by the Indianapolis Colts, was cut by the Colts out of training camp. The Chiefs proceeded to claim Rush off waivers following his release, before the Steelers then signed him weeks later in 2023.
With Pittsburgh, Rush took on the role of dimebacker against the Tennessee Titans a season ago, playing 21 snaps in his NFL regular-season debut. He would win a starting gunner role to start the year in Pittsburgh, but not hold onto it after pressure from Pierre.
Connecticut
New businesses heading to West Haven’s shoreline
New businesses are soon set to replace old, rundown buildings in West Haven.
By the end of the summer, the former Savin Rock conference center is slated to become the Kelsey, a restaurant and banquet facility.
Crews are currently working on the inside, according to Mayor Dorinda Borer.
Next door, Jimmies of Savin Rock sits empty after it closed last month. It was open for a hundred years and is now for sale.
Borer said it’s another opportunity to draw people to the city.
“When there are new developers in town, and they’re making things all bright and shiny, that makes people attracted to our city,” Borer said. “It just seems like everything’s starting to bust loose at once. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and then it all starts to come to fruition.”
Thirty new luxury apartments are set to replace the Debonair Beach Motel that fell into disrepair after its last day open more than a decade ago. Demolition began last fall, and it’s expected to continue in March.
Down the street, new condos were built by the same owner of the restaurant and bar Riva. They opened their doors last summer, welcoming eager crowds.
“The turnout’s been unbelievable,” Riva’s owner, Michael Delvecchio, said. “People traveling from other states, New York, Rhode Island, all over Connecticut. It’s something that West Haven been dying for.”
Riva replaced Chick’s Drive-In, a West Haven hot-dog and seafood staple that closed in 2015 after its owner passed away.
Delvecchio doesn’t ignore that history. A sign that says “The Lodge at Riva” will be removed and replaced with “Chick’s” during the summer, with accompanying pictures of Savin Rock amusement park on the walls.
“Everybody in town has been, with all this shoreline and all this beach, waiting for something to happen,” he said. “Riva’s a little bit of everything.”
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