New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is laying out two stark options to close the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget gap: raise taxes on high earners and corporations or increase property taxes.

During his preliminary budget presentation, Mamdani framed the first option as “the most sustainable and the fairest path,” calling for “ending the drain on our city and raising taxes on the richest New Yorkers and the most profitable corporations.”

'There is no third option of failing to balance the budget'

But he warned that this path depends on cooperation from Albany and Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“If we do not go down the first path,” Mamdani said, “the city will be forced down a second, more harmful path. … We would have to raise property taxes.”

The mayor acknowledged that New York City’s property tax system is “broken,” but emphasized that it is currently the only tax that the city has the authority to raise on its own.

RELATED: 'F**king mess': Zohran Mamdani fails first major test as filth piles up on city streets

Photo by Stephani Spindel/VIEWpress via Getty Images

“What I am showcasing to New Yorkers is that there is one tax the city can raise,” he said. “It is a broken property tax system. We do not want to do so. … We want to work with Albany to ensure that we resolve this fiscal crisis by addressing the structural roots of it.”

Mamdani described a property tax increase as a “last resort,” stressing that the city is legally required to balance its budget — a mandate that dates back to the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, when New York City was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.

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Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

“There is no third option of failing to balance the budget,” he said.

“This is something that we do not want to do,” Mamdani said, “and this is something that we are going to utilize every single option to ensure does not come to pass.”

If Albany does not approve higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, Mamdani said the city could be forced to raise property taxes by a staggering 9.5%.

Hochul is opposed to raising property taxes.

"I'm not supportive of a property tax increase," she said at a press conference in Manhattan this week. "I don't know that that's necessary, but let's find out what is really necessary to close that gap."

The message is clear: If the state doesn’t act, homeowners and commercial property owners could pay the price.

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Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos claimed that Paramount Skydance has been "flooding the zone with misinformation" to derail the WB takeover.

The post Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos: Paramount ‘Flooding the Zone with Misinformation’ to Derail Warner Bros. Takeover appeared first on Breitbart.

Every year, cars become smarter, more connected, and more convenient. But that convenience comes with a hidden cost. Hackers are no longer focused only on computers and smartphones. Modern vehicles are rolling networks — gateways to your personal data, your finances, and in some cases, even physical control of the car itself. This threat is real, and most drivers are only beginning to understand how exposed they’ve become.

Today’s vehicles rely on complex software and constant connectivity. Features like remote start, navigation, hands-free driving, and vehicle tracking make life easier, but they also create new attack surfaces. A single weak link — a compromised app, outdated software, or a hacked key fob — can give criminals access to sensitive information, or worse.

The vehicle is tricked into believing a valid key fob is present, disabling the immobilizer and unlocking the doors in minutes.

This isn’t science fiction. In 2015, cybersecurity researchers demonstrated that hackers could remotely disable a Jeep while it was being driven on a highway. That incident triggered a nationwide recall and forced automakers to take vehicle cybersecurity seriously. Since then, attacks have grown more sophisticated, targeting not just vehicle controls but personal data, financial information, and location tracking.

Remote risk

At the center of every modern vehicle is the electronic control unit. Most cars contain multiple ECUs, controlling everything from braking and steering to door locks and infotainment systems. If a hacker gains access, the consequences can range from stolen data to direct manipulation of vehicle functions. While dramatic remote-control scenarios grab headlines, the most common real-world threats involve identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized tracking of a driver’s movements.

Hackers can gain access in several ways. Physical access is one method — such as plugging an infected USB device into a vehicle’s data port. Key fobs, especially older designs, can be cloned or exploited using devices that capture and replay their signals, allowing thieves to unlock and start a car without the original key.

Phoning it in

Smartphone apps introduce another layer of risk. A compromised phone can become a bridge into the vehicle and everything stored on the device. Telematics systems, which collect and transmit data about vehicle location and usage, can also be targeted by cybercriminals.

Law enforcement is seeing a rise in thefts using CAN bus injection attacks, particularly involving Toyota SUVs like the Land Cruiser and 4Runner. In these cases, criminals access wiring through headlights or taillights and connect a disguised electronic device. The vehicle is tricked into believing a valid key fob is present, disabling the immobilizer and unlocking the doors in minutes. These attacks bypass traditional security measures and show how vulnerable even modern “smart” key systems can be.

Automakers are responding with stronger cybersecurity tools, including encrypted communications, intrusion detection systems, and software updates. But drivers still play a critical role. Use only manufacturer-approved apps, keep your vehicle’s software up to date, and regularly review which devices and accounts have access to your car. Remove old devices and unnecessary permissions as soon as possible.

RELATED: How automakers are quietly locking you out of your own car

NurPhoto | Getty Images

Physical deterrents

There are also practical steps drivers can take to reduce risk. Using a virtual private network on devices that connect to your vehicle can help mask data traffic and limit exposure if a device is compromised. Physical deterrents still matter as well. Police often recommend visible tools like steering wheel locks, which can prevent theft even when electronic security is bypassed. Toyota, for example, offers a bright red steering wheel lock with four-point steel contact — an unmistakable signal that a vehicle isn’t an easy target.

Criminals increasingly use signal relay devices to capture and extend a key fob’s signal, tricking a car into thinking the key is nearby. Blocking that signal can stop the attack. Drivers can protect themselves by:

• Storing key fobs in Faraday bags, pouches, or boxes that block radio signals;
• Wrapping key fobs in aluminum foil as a temporary, low-cost solution;
• Keeping fobs in metal containers, such as tins or lockboxes, at home;
• Disabling the keyless entry signal when possible, according to the owner’s manual;
• Manually locking the vehicle with a physical key when available; and
• Avoiding third-party devices plugged into the OBD port, including insurance dongles, which can create security vulnerabilities.

The era of connected cars offers real convenience, but it also demands greater awareness. A hacked vehicle isn’t just a transportation problem — it’s a digital, financial, and safety issue. Staying informed, practicing basic cybersecurity habits, and taking simple protective steps can dramatically reduce risk. Cars may be smarter than ever, but keeping them secure still depends on the driver.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday.

The post Cuba Sends Top Diplomat to Russia, Seeking Support in Face of Trump-Led Oil Crackdown appeared first on Breitbart.

Michael Black told his wife to run then lunged for the transgender shooter's gun at Dennis M. Lynch arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Monday afternoon.

The post Hero Who Grabbed Trans Shooter’s Gun at Hockey Rink Recounts Deadly Last Moments appeared first on Breitbart.

Tax scams target Americans starting in January using personal data from brokers to create fake IRS emails and refund alerts that steal Social Security numbers.

House Republicans proposed an energy regulation bill requiring a five-year sunset window. Rep. Craig Goldman's legislation would expire many Biden-era regulations within one year.

From rom-com queen to second time Oscar nominee: Kate Hudson opens up about navigating awards season as a mother and how her perspective has evolved over decades.

Two three-letter agencies beginning with “I” show how differently Democrats view enforcement. When it comes to ICE, any enforcement is too much. When it comes to the IRS, no amount can be too much.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement administers U.S. immigration law. The Internal Revenue Service administers U.S. federal tax law. In neither case do these agencies make the law. Congress writes the laws, and the president signs them. The agencies simply enforce what has been enacted.

Democrats act as if illegal entry earns indefinite permission to stay. No one would tell tax evaders they can stop paying indefinitely.

Yet Democrats want to abolish ICE for enforcing immigration law and to bolster the IRS for enforcing tax law.

Consider the contrast. A growing chorus of Democrats now demands ICE be abolished, just as these Democrats called for defunding the police. Meanwhile, just months into his term, President Biden proposed doubling the size of the IRS, increasing its funding by $80 billion, and hiring 87,000 new IRS agents. Democrats delivered much of that in the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, with almost 60% of the nearly $80 billion aimed at audits.

ICE targets those breaking U.S. immigration law. Everyone with income is subject to IRS review, and many are audited. The first group is a subset of the population; the second is essentially the entire adult population. Democrats oppose scrutinizing noncitizens living here illegally, but they welcome more scrutiny of U.S. citizens.

The penalties differ just as sharply. The Department of Homeland Security currently offers to pay for a flight home and $2,600 for those in the country illegally who choose to self-deport. If they refuse and are found to be here illegally, ICE deports them. The duration of illegal presence does not add penalties. In fact, the longer someone has been here illegally, the more Democrats argue he should be allowed to stay.

The IRS treats duration very differently. Unpaid taxes accrue penalties and interest that multiply over time. The IRS can garnish wages and seize assets, including homes, cars, and businesses. It also has imprisonment in its arsenal.

Families factor in differently too. Democrats routinely argue that deportations are wrong because they hurt families. Yet IRS prosecution and punishment also hurt families, often severely, and that fact does not seem to trouble Democrats.

Intent is another difference. Many people here illegally know they are here illegally, and many fail to show for immigration hearings. By contrast, many tax problems begin as mistakes. Yet the money is still owed, and the IRS will move to collect when it discovers the error.

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Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Democrats also argue that illegal immigrants bolster the economy because they work and add value to GDP, even if they are not paying taxes. But the same is true of someone who evades taxes: He works, adds value, and withholds what he owes.

No one argues that tax evaders should be left alone. They broke the law. If they did so deliberately, they deserve little sympathy. Allowing tax dodging encourages more of it.

Yet Democrats say almost exactly the opposite about those who break immigration law, including those who break other U.S. laws as well. They have gone to great lengths to defend them, even traveling to El Salvador in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused gang member and human trafficker.

Democrats act as if illegal entry earns indefinite permission to stay. No one would tell tax evaders they can stop paying indefinitely.

Imagine sanctuary jurisdictions shielding taxpayers from the IRS. Imagine local authorities refusing to cooperate with federal tax collectors. Imagine Republicans storming federal prisons holding those convicted of tax fraud. Imagine conservatives building databases to track IRS agents. The backlash would be immediate and rightly so.

Tax evasion is not treated as a persuasive argument about tax policy. Illegal immigration, however, gets treated by Democrats and the establishment press as if lawbreaking itself settles the immigration debate.

On enforcement, Democrats apply two standards: one for immigration law and one for tax law. That is what hypocrisy looks like.

Back in January 2024, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock made a prediction that ESPN sports critic Stephen A. Smith was quietly laying the foundation for a 2028 presidential bid. Whitlock hypothesized that Smith’s 2023 book — “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes,” which he argued was uncannily similar to Barack Obama’s 1995 memoir “Dreams from My Father” — was the first step in his long-term plan to transition into the political arena.

Fast-forward three years after his book’s publication, and now Smith is openly teasing and seriously considering a potential run. Even though no formal declaration of candidacy has been made, multiple news outlets describe him as moving closer to a bid.

“Over the weekend, it became more crystal clear that I was right two years ago and that Stephen A. Smith is running for president,” said Whitlock on a recent episode of “Fearless.”

He warns that everyone who is rolling their eyes at the prospect of a President Smith, saying things like, “he’ll never win,” are having the wool pulled over their eyes yet again.

Smith, he argues, isn’t some organically grown would-be politician but rather the next “clown” being deliberately “installed” to push the left’s agenda. His recent CBS profile is proof, he says.

“I want to show you the cleverness and the sneakiness of what they're pulling off through Stephen A. Smith,” says Whitlock. “I keep saying this. People are into the position like … ‘Yeah, he may run, but he'll never win,’ and I say not so fast.”

“Why would you be so sure?” he asks. “They've been pulling off this scam and trick for a hundred years. They've been installing puppets and clowns in high positions for a hundred years.”

To hear Whitlock’s theory about how Stephen A. Smith is being covertly installed into D.C. politics right before our very eyes, check out the episode above.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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"It was bizarre. We’re now out of the country," says Carlson.

The "Devil in the Ozarks" gets 13 more years for Arkansas prison escape. Grant Hardin used makeshift uniform and black marker disguise to flee custody.

You cannot peacefully coexist with those who openly seek your destruction.

Polish army banned Chinese cars from entering military facilities hoping to prevent the collection of sensitive data.

The post Chinese-Made Cars Banned From Polish Army Bases Over Spying Fears appeared first on Breitbart.

CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell claimed people in the network were "fearful" over the changes caused by new leadership during a podcast interview.

NYPD officers rescued an injured bald eagle floating on ice in the Hudson River Tuesday, documenting the dramatic rescue operation on bodycam video.

Stephen Colbert slammed CBS after the network denied blocking his interview with James Talarico from airing, before crumpling up the statement and throwing it out during the show.

One of the thugs who attacked federal immigration agents last summer proved unable to outrun the whirlwind — and his time of reaping is at hand.

Amid efforts by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (Calif.), and other Democrats to demonize and delegitimize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, a mob of radicals swarmed a federal law enforcement command post in Paramount, California, on June 7.

Agents attempting to leave the site near a Home Depot east of the 710 freeway were savagely attacked.

Footage shows radicals pelting federal vehicles with various projectiles, including chunks of concrete. Another video taken inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle shows that on at least one occasion, one of the projectiles punched through the glass, injuring officers.

Following the attack, the FBI put one of the more prominent rock-throwers on its Most Wanted list and offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the masked man's "identification, arrest and conviction."

Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, vowed, "We will find him. We will charge him. Justice is coming."

Sure enough, the attacker was identified within days as Elpidio Reyna of Compton in Los Angeles County. Tracking him down, however, proved more difficult as he had managed to escape to Mexico. Federal law enforcement nevertheless got their man.

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on July 23 that Reyna was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border. As poetic justice would have it, Reyna was taken into custody by a U.S. Border Patrol officer who was inside one of the vehicles damaged in the June attack.

Reyna, 41, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one felony count of assault on a federal officer by deadly or dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury. The radical, who initially tried to dodge accountability, could face up to 20 years in federal prison for his crime.

The Department of Justice press release about his plea reiterated the Reyna assaulted an officer "by throwing chunks of concrete at passing government vehicles" during the Paramount riot last summer, shattering glass and resulting in a cut to the officer's forehead.

"This defendant could have easily killed a federal officer or innocent bystander," Essayli said in a statement. "As he found out the hard way, violence against law enforcement is not constitutionally protected and will be met with swift justice."

The DOJ indicated that in addition to injuring a CBP officer, Reyna lit objects on fire and impeded law enforcement activity on June 7.

Reyna's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 7.

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