Northeast
New York Democrats' new tax forces middle-class workers into lawless subway tunnels
As more workers return to offices after the coronavirus pandemic, New York Democrats are pushing them into the Big Apple’s subway system with policies like the new congestion fee on cars and trucks that enter busy parts of Manhattan.
The new fee, criticized as a driving tax on the middle class and businesses, is meant to encourage people to take the subway, cutting down on exhaust fumes and raising money for the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
It costs drivers $9 if they want to travel south of Central Park or enter downtown Manhattan from Brooklyn or New Jersey.
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Scott LoBaido, a Staten Island artist and frequent critic of New York’s Democratic leaders, protested the move this week with a demonstration at 61st Street and Broadway, the same intersection where supporters of the new fees celebrated when they went into effect earlier this week.
He said a passerby approached him and expressed support for the new fees because they would be good for the environment.
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“I just said, ‘Excuse me, son. I don’t feel like going on fire. I don’t feel like getting stabbed in the back of the head,” LoBaido told Fox News Digital Friday.
LoBaido was referring to a string of recent subway attacks.
In one, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala is accused of lighting a sleeping woman on fire, fanning the flames and watching her burn.
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Sebastian Zapeta was later arrested and allegedly told detectives he didn’t remember what happened because he routinely gets blackout drunk and rides the subway, according to court documents.
In another case, the NYPD arrested a man accused of knifing two strangers from behind within the subway system. On Christmas Eve, another man was arrested for an alleged unprovoked stabbing at the subway platform in Grand Central, a major hub for tourists and commuters.
“It’s insane. You listen to somebody like Gov. Hochul, who says the subways are safe. … The guy who runs the MTA says it’s all in our heads,” LoBaido said.
Mayor Eric Adams vowed this week to send more police officers to patrol the subway system, and Hochul sent in the National Guard last year.
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But while authorities insist crime is down, violence and the fear of violence continue to rise.
Felony assaults increased slightly in the transit system in 2024, and subway homicides doubled to 10 last year from the five that happened in 2023. Overall subway crime was down by 5.4%, according to the NYPD.
Janno Lieber, the MTA chairman, told Bloomberg News earlier this week the idea of crime has “gotten in people’s heads” but claimed the trains are safe.
“The overall stats are positive,” he told the outlet. “Last year, we were actually 12.5% less crime than 2019, the last year before COVID. But there’s no question that some of these high-profile incidents, you know, terrible attacks, have gotten in people’s heads and made the whole system feel less safe.”
On top of the arson murder and the random slashings, straphangers are still dealing with shoving attacks, many of which have been fatal as victims fall in front of moving trains, and the trial of Daniel Penny, who was arrested and charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide after he intervened in a man’s violent rant of death threats.
Penny was acquitted of the lesser charge, and prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the more serious one after jurors deadlocked.
“The Boston Tea Party started the greatest revolution in the history of civilization over a 2% tax,” LoBaido said. “And this, what is happening here is pure r—.”
Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
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Northeast
LA Mayor Karen Bass rejects assistance from FDNY; Newsom accepts help from Mexico crews
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was accused in a report of rejecting an offer from the New York Fire Department to help battle deadly wildfires scorching the Golden State, but her office said it welcomed any aid.
As of Friday morning, the California fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and buildings in the Los Angeles area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently agreed to pay for more firefighters after the state reported it was beyond capacity.
New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker extended the offer in “recent days,” according to the New York Post. JetBlue agreed to pay for the firefighters’ fares to the city.
LA FIRE SOUNDED ALARM ON BUDGET CUTS IMPACTING WILDFIRE RESPONSE: MEMO
Although the Post reported that the offer had been spurned, Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Communications Zach Seidl said the report was not true.
“This is false, we have never rejected resources – LA welcomes any and all help to fight fires,” Seidl said.
Mexico is sending crews to help contain the Eaton Fire, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday via X.
“California is deeply grateful for President @ClaudiaShein’s support as we work to suppress the Los Angeles wildfires,” Newsom wrote. “Our partnership and shared commitment to helping communities in need is greatly valued.”
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On a call with Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon, FDNY officials said they would prepare a statement.
However, minutes later, they responded with an email saying, “We are currently unable to confirm or comment on this.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with comment from an LA official denying the city had rejected help from the New York Fire Department.
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New York
Hochul’s State of the State Address Will Examine New York’s Future, and Her Own
As Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York prepares to deliver her State of the State address on Tuesday, her priorities seem firmly focused on the voter frustrations that fueled Donald J. Trump’s election to the presidency in November.
Over the last month, Ms. Hochul has announced proposals to cut taxes for parents, make school lunch free and give millions of New Yorkers rebates of up to $500 depending on their income. These ideas have all been packaged as part of an “affordability agenda.”
And on Tuesday, Ms. Hochul is expected to announce a new series of middle-class tax cuts, and devote a portion of her speech to efforts to combat crime and mental illness.
“You tell us you need help; we hear you need help,” Ms. Hochul said earlier this month when previewing some of the proposals that will be included in her speech and her executive budget, which will come out next week. “We’re going to continue delivering real solutions that make a difference.”
Ms. Hochul, a centrist Democrat, is also expected to reinforce the notion that New York will protect vulnerable groups from aggressive policies adopted by the incoming Trump administration, especially concerning recent immigrants, according to someone familiar with her planned speech.
The governor, however, has no plans to adopt the kind of “resistance” fervor that characterized responses to Mr. Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, the person said.
Ms. Hochul’s reticence may reflect the precariousness of her own political future. Her popularity has plummeted in recent years, and rivals from both parties appear to be preparing to challenge her in 2026.
One potential Republican candidate, U.S. Representative Mike Lawler, who represents parts of the Hudson Valley, will be in Albany on Tuesday to offer his party’s rebuttal to her remarks, alongside Republicans from the State Legislature.
Mr. Lawler has bashed the governor on congestion pricing, crime and a litany of other issues, and is certain to do the same on Tuesday.
Last month, Siena College released a poll that found that just 33 percent of voters wanted Ms. Hochul re-elected and about 39 percent had a favorable view of her. The poll also showed that about 43 percent of New York voters think lowering the cost of living should be the Legislature’s top priority this year. Creating more affordable housing was also high on the list of priorities.
Ms. Hochul has seemed to tailor some of her State of the State proposals to those voter concerns. Her proposed “inflation refund” program would route roughly $3 billion in excess sales tax revenue directly to New Yorkers.
And Ms. Hochul’s proposed expansion of the state’s child tax credit would more than double what some families currently receive. In recent years, New York’s poorest families have typically received up to $330 per child. If the plan were enacted, eligible families could get tax credits of up to $1,000 per child under the age of 4. Families with children ages 4 to 16 could get credits of up to $500 per child.
These proposed tax cuts and refunds come as the state contemplates how to plug a multibillion-dollar funding hole for infrastructure improvements to public transit. Last month, Carl E. Heastie, the Assembly speaker, and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate majority leader, rejected the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital proposal, citing in part the plan’s $33 billion deficit.
“Everything will have to be on the table,” Ms. Stewart-Cousins said when asked on Monday if new taxes to fund regional transit were under consideration.
Crime continues to be another pressing concern for New York voters, especially in the New York City subway, where a number of violent incidents have drawn attention to rider safety. Ms. Hochul is expected to use her speech to propose adding more lights and barriers on platforms, along with deploying more law enforcement officers on trains.
She is also expected to elaborate on her efforts to loosen the standards for involuntary commitment and expand laws relating to court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for people with mental illness. Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been a major proponent of these changes, saying they will go a long way toward addressing some of the perceived disorder on the trains and will help vulnerable people.
Brian Stettin, Mr. Adams’s senior adviser on severe mental illness, said in an interview that Ms. Hochul’s public comments had been encouraging and showed an urgency about the problems that outreach workers and others were confronting.
“Her comments have been consistent with what’s in our package,” he said. “But we are waiting to see the details.”
The governor will also propose spending $400 million to breathe new life into Albany’s struggling downtown, including $150 million for the aging New York State Museum. The proposed funds for the state’s capital were earlier reported by The Albany Times Union.
Jay Root contributed reporting.
Boston, MA
Frigid wind chill temperatures today
The wind is back. And no one is happy.
Well, at least it won’t be 10 days of it. Instead, you’ll have to settle for two, with occasional gusts to 35-40 mph. Not nearly as intense as the last go-round, but still enough to produce wind chills in the single digits and teens through Wednesday. Thursday the winds are much lighter, but even with a slight breeze, we may see wind chills near zero in the morning.
The pattern remains active, but we’ll have to wait a few days until our next batch of precipitation. And with temperatures warming, it looks like rain by Saturday afternoon. We’ll rise into the 40s through Sunday, then feel the full weight of the polar vortex early next week.
Yes, you read that right. The spin, the hype, and definitely the cold, are back. Much of the country will plunge into the deep freeze. The question remains whether we’ll spin up a storm early next week. Jury is still out on that, but we’re certain this will be the coldest airmass of the season.
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