Latest news with #VickiePaladino
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC official warns businesses will flee 'in droves' if democratic socialist candidate wins mayoral race
New York City democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing harsh criticism from business owners and local officials in the Big Apple, some of whom warn his progressive platform could drive companies and the middle class out of the city. Councilwoman Vickie Paladino sounded the alarm during an appearance on "America Reports" Friday, claiming Mamdani's proposals would cripple the city's economy and send businesses packing. "We will lose businesses in droves," Paladino argued. "You got NASDAQ, you got Wall Street. They could work anywhere. They could work in Jersey, they could work in Connecticut. They don't need to be in Lower Manhattan." Paladino, a Republican representing parts of Queens, argued that Mamdani's democratic socialist agenda would send businesses fleeing to states with lower costs, such as neighboring New Jersey. Mamdani's Failure To Walk Back These Positions Could Cause Reckoning In Democratic Party: 'Five-alarm Warning' One of Mamdani's most controversial proposals is a plan to launch government-run grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods. The 33-year-old state assemblyman, also from Queens, says the program would aim to combat food insecurity and bring down grocery prices. Read On The Fox News App "As mayor, Zohran will create a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit," his campaign website states. "Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers." Liz Peek: New York's Socialist Nightmare Is Just Beginning But There's Still A Way Out Supporters of Mamdani's proposal, often younger, more progressive Democrats, have pointed to the rising cost of groceries in the city. A study by SmartAsset, a financial advisory website, found that grocery prices in the New York metropolitan area increased by 3.3% between March 2024 and March 2025. This rise was among the highest in the nation, surpassed only by cities such as Honolulu, parts of Florida, and areas near San Diego, California. But not everyone is convinced this type of program could work in the nation's largest city. Gristedes Supermarkets CEO John Catsimatidis compared the plan to failed systems in communist regimes and threatened to close stores if Mamdani is elected. "You're going to end up like Havana," Catsimatidis told "America Reports" on Thursday. "I was there in Havana with Fidel Castro. The shelves were empty. He promised the world to the people. He says, 'Get rid of Batista, and things will be great.' Well, it was all one big lie." Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment on both criticisms. City-run Grocery Stores, Defunding Police, Safe Injection Sites: What To Know About Nyc's Next Potential Mayor Paladino had similar concerns. She noted that New York has long been a refuge for immigrants fleeing communism and warned that Mamdani's platform could potentially hurt the Middle Class, especially if small businesses are pushed out. "We lose small business, we lose it all," she said. "We're [going to] lose middle-class people." The concerns over Mamdani's views are something Paladino argues has been brewing in the Democratic Party for some time, starting in schools. "They have been training and indoctrinating," she said. "Now the chickens have come home to roost, and guess what? The Democratic Party cannot control them." David Marcus: Democrat Bus Heading Off The Cliff, As Nyc Socialists Hit Gas Pedal Mamdani's broader platform includes eliminating subway fares, offering free municipal housing and childcare, and ending all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the city. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month in a stunning primary victory and secured the Democratic nomination. In November's general election, Mamdani could face Republican Curtis Sliwa, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and Cuomo, who remains on the ballot as an article source: NYC official warns businesses will flee 'in droves' if democratic socialist candidate wins mayoral race Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mamdani faces barrage of Islamophobic attacks after New York primary success
'Hamas terrorist sympathizer', 'jihadist terrorist', calls for deportation and predictions of another 9/11 – these are among the torrent of Islamophobic attacks that have erupted across social media and conservative political circles following Zohran Mamdani's success in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. The 33-year-old state assembly member, a democratic socialist who would become the first Muslim mayor of America's largest city, has been subjected to a barrage of death threats and xenophobic rhetoric from prominent Republican figures and online activists since his primary win became apparent. Related: Mamdani says leftwing populist victory can be replicated across US The coordinated nature of the attacks, spanning grassroots activists and senior political figures, reflects how anti-Muslim sentiment intersects with broader political divisions. Those targeting him have seized on Mamdani's immigrant background and Muslim faith alongside his hyper-progressive positions to frame his potential mayoralty as a civilizational threat. Far-right activist and White House whisperer Laura Loomer posted on X that 'there will be another 9/11 in NYC' under Mamdani's leadership, while the New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino described him as a 'known jihadist terrorist' and 'communist' in a radio interview, calling for his deportation despite his American citizenship. Senior Trump administration figures have joined the pile-on, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and architect of mass deportations claiming: 'NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration.' The New York representative Elise Stefanik, Trump's one-time pick for UN ambassador, sent fundraising emails branding Mamdani a 'Hamas terrorist sympathizer' before the race was even called. Donald Trump Jr amplified a post reading, 'I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it,' adding: 'New York City has fallen.' Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty draped in a burqa, while conservative commentator Matt Walsh lamented on how the famously immigrant New York isn't 'an American city anymore' because of its population being 40% foreign-born. For longtime observers of American politics, the ferocity of the attacks may be shocking but their themes are depressingly familiar, especially after the 9/11 attacks. The playbook targeting Mamdani – questioning loyalty, invoking terrorism and weaponizing faith – has been deployed against Middle Eastern and Muslim candidates and officials for nearly two decades – such as with former Minnesota congressman and the state's current attorney general, Keith Ellison, in 2006 – with predictable regularity. 'Many of the trends we are seeing mirror common Islamophobic content- Muslims as other and as a threat,' Council on American-Islamic Relation (Cair) research and advocacy director Corey Saylor told the Guardian. Saylor warned this could become a 'larger issue, much like the Park 51 project did back in 2010', referencing the controversy over the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero that sparked nationwide Islamophobic sentiment. Cair said it doesn't track Islamophobic incidents online, but that the volume of xenophobic posts on Mamdani's primary is 'noteworthy'. At a time when political violence on the whole is on the rise, Mamdani has reported multiple death threats, including voicemails threatening to blow up his car in the final stretch of his campaign. The NYPD's hate crimes taskforce is investigating the incidents, one of which referenced the explosive pagers used in Israel's recent attack on Hezbollah members in Lebanon. His campaign had upped his security detail over the last few weeks in response to the threats, and the scale of hatred has also taken a deeply personal toll on Mamdani. 'I get messages that say the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life, on the people that I love,' Mamdani said last week while holding back tears. 'My focus has always been on making this a city that's affordable, on making the city that every New Yorker sees themselves in.' Trump also weighed in on Wednesday, calling Mamdani a '100% Communist Lunatic' while criticizing his appearance and voice. And despite notably steering clear of overt language about Mamdani's religion and ethnic background, he again called Senator Chuck Schumer a 'Palestinian' as a slur. The attacks represent a broader pattern of Islamophobic targeting throughout the primary campaign. Interviewers repeatedly pressed Mamdani on Israel-Palestine issues while giving other candidates more latitude – including demanding his stance on Israel's right to exist when candidates were asked which foreign country they'd first visit. Mamdani said he would remain in New York and that Israel should be a state of equal rights for all. Speaking on MSNBC about the attacks, Mamdani reflected on their broader impact: 'I've spoken to many Muslims across this city who have shared that their fear of having to be essentially branded a terrorist just by living in public life is one that keeps them preferring life in the shadows, life outside of that specter. And this is not the way that we can have our city be. It's not the way that we can have our country be.'
The Guardian
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mamdani faces barrage of Islamophobic attacks after New York primary success
'Hamas terrorist sympathizer,' 'jihadist terrorist,' calls for deportation and predictions of another 9/11 – these are among the torrent of Islamophobic attacks that have erupted across social media and conservative political circles following Zohran Mamdani's success in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. The 33-year-old state assembly member, a democratic socialist who would become the first Muslim mayor of America's largest city, has been subjected to a barrage of death threats and xenophobic rhetoric from prominent Republican figures and online activists since his primary win became apparent. The coordinated nature of the attacks, spanning grassroots activists and senior political figures, reflects how anti-Muslim sentiment intersects with broader political divisions. Those targeting him have seized on Mamdani's immigrant background and Muslim faith alongside his hyper-progressive positions to frame his potential mayoralty as a civilizational threat. Far-right activist and White House whisperer Laura Loomer posted on X that 'there will be another 9/11 in NYC' under Mamdani's leadership, while the New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino described him as a 'known jihadist terrorist' and 'communist' in a radio interview, calling for his deportation despite his American citizenship. Senior Trump administration figures have joined the pile-on, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and architect of mass deportations claiming 'NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration.' The New York representative Elise Stefanik, Trump's one-time pick for UN ambassador, sent fundraising emails branding Mamdani a 'Hamas terrorist sympathizer' before the race was even called. Donald Trump Jr amplified a post reading 'I'm old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it,' adding 'New York City has fallen.' Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty draped in a burqa, while conservative commentator Matt Walsh lamented on how the famously immigrant New York isn't 'an American city anymore' because of its population being 40% foreign born. For longtime observers of American politics, the ferocity of the attacks may be shocking but their themes are depressingly familiar, especially after the 9/11 attacks. The playbook targeting Mamdani – questioning loyalty, invoking terrorism, and weaponizing faith – has been deployed against Middle Eastern and Muslim candidates and officials for nearly two decades – such as with Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison in 2006 – with predictable regularity. 'Many of the trends we are seeing mirror common Islamophobic content- Muslims as other and as a threat,' Council on American-Islamic Relation (Cair) research and advocacy director Corey Saylor told the Guardian. Saylor warned this could become a 'larger issue, much like the Park 51 project did back in 2010,' referencing the controversy over the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero that sparked nationwide Islamophobic sentiment. Cair said they don't track Islamophobic incidents online, but that the volume of xenophobic posts on Mamdani's primary is 'noteworthy'. At a time when political violence on the whole is on the rise, Mamdani has reported multiple death threats, including voicemails threatening to blow up his car in the final stretch of his campaign. The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incidents, one of which referenced the explosive pagers used in Israel's recent attack on Hezbollah members in Lebanon. His campaign had upped their security detail over the last few weeks in response to the threats, and the scale of hatred has also taken a deeply personal toll on Mamdani. 'I get messages that say the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life, on the people that I love,' Mamdani said last week while holding back tears. 'My focus has always been on making this a city that's affordable, on making the city that every New Yorker sees themselves in.' Trump also weighed in on Wednesday, calling Mamdani a '100% Communist Lunatic' while criticizing his appearance and voice. And despite notably steering clear of overt language about Mamdani's religion and ethnic background, he again called Senator Chuck Schumer a 'Palestinian' as a slur. The attacks represent a broader pattern of Islamophobic targeting throughout the primary campaign. Interviewers repeatedly pressed Mamdani on Israel-Palestine issues while giving other candidates more latitude – including demanding his stance on Israel's right to exist when candidates were asked which foreign country they'd first visit. Mamdani said he would remain in New York and that Israel should be a state of equal rights for all. Speaking on MSNBC about the attacks, Mamdani reflected on their broader impact: 'I've spoken to many Muslims across this city who have shared that their fear of having to be essentially branded a terrorist just by living in public life is one that keeps them preferring life in the shadows, life outside of that specter. And this is not the way that we can have our city be. It's not the way that we can have our country be.'
NDTV
12-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
New York Politician Says She'll Help People Get Firearms Permit. Here's Why
A Queens city lawmaker is urging her constituents to take up firearms and exercise their "constitutional right to defend themselves" after a home invasion left a local family tied up and robbed by suspects posing as Amazon delivery workers. "I want to remind my constituents that New Yorkers do indeed have a constitutional right to defend themselves," Vickie Paladino, Republican City Council member representing the Whitestone district, said in a statement. "I urge my constituents to avail themselves of their rights under the second amendment." She added her office was "always available to assist constituents with obtaining firearm permits for premises or concealed carry." "Better to be safe than sorry," she added. Her remarks came following a Monday morning break-in, where two masked men, one of whom carried an Amazon box, the other in a yellow vest, forced their way into a home and threatened residents with a gun. The robbers tied up the family, including three children, and duct-taped their mouths. They then stole cash and jewellery before fleeing the scene. Surveillance footage released Wednesday shows the suspects calmly walking down the street just before the invasion. While the police believe the family was specifically targeted and there is no ongoing threat to the neighbourhood, Ms Paladino warned the incident was part of a troubling trend of home invasions in Northeast Queens. "The fact remains that several home invasions have struck this district recently, and a pattern is forming," she said. "I've been in touch with local precincts and Queens North command, and we will be increasing patrols and taking other measures." She urged residents to stay alert, "Call authorities if you see suspicious individuals in your neighbourhood or anything that seems out of place... and vigilance pays off." "The safety of our neighbourhoods is my top priority and I will not sit quietly while violence threatens our neighbourhoods," she wrote. The Second Amendment of the US Constitution provides a nationwide right to bear arms. Gun laws in the US are set by both the federal government and individual states. At the national level, anyone buying a gun from a licensed dealer must pass an FBI background check. Private sales often don't require checks, unless a state has stricter rules. State laws vary widely. Some states require permits to carry guns while others allow "constitutional carry," meaning no permit is needed. States like California and New York have strict laws, including bans on large magazines. Others, like Texas, have fewer restrictions.
New York Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC councilmember urges residents to take up arms after robbers tied up Queens family in shocking home invasion
A City Council member from Queens is urging her constituents to arm themselves following a terrifying home invasion in which robbers posing as Amazon drivers tied up a family and snatched thousands of dollars in cash, according to cops. Republican Vickie Paladino offered to help residents in her district — which covers Whitestone, where the ordeal took place — obtain gun permits in light of the break-in Monday morning. 'I want to remind my constituents that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to protect themselves,' Paladino said in a statement. Advertisement 'I urge my constituents to avail themselves of their rights under the Second Amendment; my office is always available to assist constituents with obtaining firearm permits for premises or concealed carry,' she said Tuesday. The conservative pol's call to arms came as the NYPD on Wednesday released surveillance footage of the pair of wanted perps wearing baseball caps, with one of them carrying an Amazon box and the other wearing a bright-yellow vest, walking on the quiet residential block. The masked thieves pushed their way into the home at around 9 a.m., tying up the family living there, including three children, duct-taping their mouths — and then making off with the cash and jewelry, cops said. Advertisement Council Member Vickie Paladino said she would help constituents get gun permits in a post on Facebook. Vickie Palladino / Facebook 'The NYPD has indicated that this was a targeted incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community,' Paladino said. 'Let me be absolutely clear – violence has no place in Whitestone or anywhere in our district.' Neighbors said home invasions were not uncommon in the area — with at least two telling The Post they had recently been robbed. Advertisement A 37-year-old Whitestone resident who declined to give her name said money and jewelry were taken from her house six months ago, but luckily no one was home at the time. 'I don't think it was random. I think people are scoping out the area,' she said. 'This neighborhood has been a little crazy. The same thing that happened to them happened to us.' Another neighbor, a 25-year-old man, said his house had been broken into about six months ago as well. Advertisement Police are still investigating the crime, the suspects have not yet been apprehended. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 'When that happened, we got prepared. You gotta protect yourself. All that matters is your life. The bad people, they never get caught,' he told the Post. The 109th precinct, which encompasses Whitestone, has reported 99 robberies so far in 2025. The NYPD is still searching for the suspects in the latest heist. 'The safety of our neighborhoods is my top priority – and I will not sit quietly while violence threatens our neighborhoods,' Paladino said.
