The mayor of New York City faced two major roadblocks for his far-left plan to hit certain rentals in the city with a pied-à-terre tax.

The tax scheme from Mayor Zohran Mamdani was temporarily blocked by a Staten Island judge on Monday who sided with a group of homeowners suing against the tax.

‘It is pure Amateur Hour, and it’s hard, as President of the United States of America, to sit back and watch it happen, especially to a place I once loved.’

Then President Donald Trump piled on and said he would seek to use the powers of the federal government to oppose the “dangerous” policy in his hometown.

“This dangerous political ‘experiment’ in New York will destroy what was once a great City and State,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “It is pure Amateur Hour, and it’s hard, as President of the United States of America, to sit back and watch it happen, especially to a place I once loved. Financial, and then Social, RUIN, is a 100% certainty.”

The tax would impose a penalty for non-primary residences rented out in the city and worth more than $5 million. Mamdani said it would hit larger landlords and help pay for his socialist schemes in the city.

The president went on to say he would seek to oppose the tax himself in order to save the city from certain ruin.

“I am looking to see if the Federal Government has any legal right to avert this disaster, before it is too late,” he added, “for the millions of people who cherish New York and want to see it thrive, as opposed to becoming a filthy, crime ridden, decrepit place of mockery and scorn.”

The Mamdani administration said i would file an appeal in order to allow the tax to continue.

“The City will continue with the pied-à-terre’s implementation,” said Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesperson for Mamdani.

“We disagree with today’s ruling, but we are confident in both the pied-à-terre surcharge and the City’s ability to implement it fairly and effectively,” he added.

RELATED: Prominent professor supported Mamdani’s socialist scheme — until he became a target

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit said he supported the tax but was shocked when he got a notice in the mail demanding he pay it. He says it was a mistake.

“Hopefully they can take a bit of time, take a step back, and say, well, let’s approach this in a more thoughtful way, do a little bit more diligence before we start sending out letters,” said Simon Hedley.

The tax would also apply to non-primary co-ops or condominiums worth over $1 million.

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​Zohran mamdani, Piedaterre tax, President donald trump, Socialism, Taxes, Politics 

The residents of a tiny Spanish province in Northern Africa mounted a mass protest to call for action against the tens of thousands of illegal aliens who tried to breach the border from Morocco.

The protesters gathered at the Plaza de la Constitución under the slogan, “Enough, Ceuta won’t give up!” and waved Spanish flags while singing their national anthem, according to Reuters.

‘One day it’s 500 people, the next, 70,000, and they cannot be sent back! What kind of law allows for rejection by land but not by sea …’

Dozens of migrants perished in the waters trying to swim into Ceuta from Morocco in order to try to gain entry into Spain.

The protest was reportedly organized in part by leaders in the four main religious communities in Ceuta: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu.

Samuel Levy, a member of Ceuta’s Jewish community, spoke about the protest to a local news outlet.

“There comes a point where the government’s inaction becomes overwhelming. We cannot live with this sword of Damocles hanging over us,” Levy said.

Some suspect the migrants were motivated to overrun Ceuta after a Spanish Supreme Court ruling saying migrants crossing into the country by sea deserved due process before being turned back, unlike those coming by land.

Levy referred to that suspicion directly.

“One day it’s 500 people, the next, 70,000, and they cannot be sent back! What kind of law allows for rejection by land but not by sea in a country surrounded by coastline?” he added.

“We need protection. We need the agreements that were reached to be honored,” said Mercedes Canca, a representative of the Catholic community.

“Morocco said that after the events of 2021, this would not happen again,” she added, referring to a previous migrant invasion. “Five years have passed, and it has happened again, only this time on an extreme scale. It is unsustainable.”

RELATED: Spain says 25,000 migrants have been expelled from tiny Ceuta territory — with 34 DEATHS

Levy went on to point out that the four communities lived in peace and harmony in Ceuta before the migrants overran the province.

“Ceuta is peace and concordance,” he said.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement condemning the circumstances that led to the invasion.

“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe,” the agency said in a statement. “We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options.”

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​Ceuta, Illegal immigration, Morocco, Spain, Europe, Nationalism, Politics 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the controversial case where a couple of California parents called for their hired surrogate to abort their intended baby after the child was found to have a heart defect.

The “Baby Gabriel” case has divided many along the pro-life and pro-abortion divide after the surrogate mother traveled to Texas in search of life-prolonging care for the baby.

‘Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care.’

The unborn child has a serious but treatable heart condition, and the California couple have threatened to transport the child out of Texas to avoid the extensive surgeries necessary to save the baby’s life.

On Tuesday Paxton released a statement announcing that he had officially notified UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas of their legal obligation to provide the baby with “medically necessary, lifesaving care upon birth.”

Paxton said he also asked a district court to issue an order preventing the removal of the baby from Texas.

“Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,” said Paxton in the press release. “My office will use every tool available to protect innocent lives and ensure that every child receives the care required under Texas law.”

The surrogate mother is a nurse and single mom of two from Alaska named McKenna West. Court documents said the biological parents triggered the “abortion on demand” clause of their agreement after learning about the heart defect diagnosis.

“Every life matters. No woman should be forced to end the life of the baby she is carrying — including me,” West told the New York Post.

“Baby Gabriel should receive a chance at life.”

The biological parents had demanded that West travel to Seattle, Washington, for the abortion procedure after Alaskan doctors refused.

West refused and tried to relieve the parents of financial responsibility for the child, but they refused and sued her for $250,000. She faces bankruptcy if they are successful, West says.

RELATED: Yet another bewildering anti-Christian statement from James Talarico has been unearthed

The couple, however, have accused West in court documents of refusing to undergo an amniocentesis test to identify genetic disorders in order to seek money from them.

Paxton is in the middle of a bruising campaign for the U.S. Senate, which may determine whether Democrats are able to seize control in Congress.

The Baby Gabriel case helps highlight the Republican’s pro-life beliefs in contrast to his far-left competitor, James Talarico. The Texas Democrat enthusiastically supports a woke church that has referred to abortion as a “blessing.”

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​Abortion, James talarico, Ken paxton, Prolife, Surrogacy, Politics 

In March this year, openly gay celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who built his cruel empire on crude photoshopped doodles on faces, relentless body-shaming, outing people, and gleeful pile-ons, had a dramatic public conversion to Christianity after a severe case of sepsis left him on death’s doorstep. Hilton claimed he encountered God in the hospital and vowed to change his wicked ways, including ceasing his mean-spirited tabloiding, reading the Bible, taking his three children to church, and being a more present father.

Tragically last week, Hilton was hospitalized after a TikTok livestream captured him naked and covered in blood while self-harming. Thousands of people witnessed the gruesome spectacle before TikTok shut down the live stream.

The questions immediately began pouring in. Was this the lingering fallout from his recent sepsis battle? Was he under spiritual attack? Is he suffering from mental illness?

On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie Beth Stuckey examines whether Perez Hilton’s disturbing live stream was a mental health crisis or a case of demonic possession.

Many Christians speculate that Hilton’s self-harming was due to demonic possession. Allie acknowledges this possibility — but only if Hilton’s conversion was not genuine. If he is truly indwelled by the Holy Spirit, then demonic possession is not in the cards, she argues.

But from what she’s seen of Hilton in the months since his public conversion, Allie isn’t certain he really understands the gospel.

She highlights his continued celebration of his gay identity, his comment from a recent post claiming that he “[doesn’t] believe in everything that the Bible says,” and his new line of spiritual-themed merchandise as “red flags.”

Further, self-harm, Allie admits, is a “hallmark” of true demonic possession in the Bible.

“I don’t think that this means that it is always demonic possession, but it seems that when a demon is possessing someone, there is violence done to their bodies,” she says, citing Mark 9, where Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy who kept throwing himself into fire and water, and Mark 5, where Jesus healed a man possessed by legions of demons who cut himself with stones.

While Allie acknowledges that no one knows for certain what really happened to Perez Hilton that horrible night, the circumstances do seem to fit the biblical description of demonic possession.

“The Perez Hilton live stream looks more like demonic possession. … As soon as I saw the description of it, it reminded me of the man walking among the tombs who was cutting himself with the stones every day who was possessed by Legion,” she says.

If it’s true that he was indeed possessed by a demon, then Allie believes Hilton was never saved to begin with.

“Scripture has repeated serious warnings about those who claim to have accepted Christ as their savior but persist in this kind of unrepentant sin. … That unrepentant attitude of stubbornness of ‘This is my identity. This is how I’m going to live. I know what the Bible says. I don’t care. I am my own authority’ — the Holy Spirit is not going to allow you to continue in that if He lives in you,” she argues.

She then reads from Hebrews 10:26-27: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

“I think that we can say in confidence the Holy Spirit is not living inside [Perez Hilton]. He doesn’t have the fruit of the Spirit, and we want that for him,” says Allie, urging her audience to pray for him and his children.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Allie beth stuckey, Bible, Celebrity gossip, Christianity, Demonic possession, Mental illness, Perez hilton, Blazetv show 

Oakland resident Jesse Rosemoore began the campaign to “cancel Piedmont” more than a year ago against the 1.7-square mile city with its own police force and school district.

Rosemoore hands out stickers reading, “CANCEL PIEDMONT” and sells $10 T-shirts bearing the provocative slogan, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

‘I felt like someone needed to bring even more attention to it, because what’s going on there says a lot about our society as a whole.’

Some have referred to the city as “Oakland’s Doughnut Hole” because it is encircled by the larger city.

The Chronicle acknowledges that residents in Piedmont have tried to make up for admitted historic efforts of racial exclusion, but those efforts have just led to more backlash.

“I know people want to always think that we’re horrible,” said Jean Chen Takazawa, a diversity, equity, and inclusion director for the Piedmont school district. “The reality is we’re doing good work here. Stop judging us and let us just do the work.”

Rosemoore disagrees.

“It really is ridiculous that a place like Piedmont even exists,” the 44-year-old said. “I felt like someone needed to bring even more attention to it, because what’s going on there says a lot about our society as a whole.”

While one in every five Oakland residents is black, the Chronicle reported that only 1% of Piedmont residents are black.

“Back in the day, segregation tended to look like you having the white neighborhood and the Black neighborhood in the same city,” said Stephen Menendian, an assistant director of a DEI center at UC Berkeley. “But now, most segregation is felt between cities, rather than within them.”

Piedmont residents report feeling scapegoated after city officials attempted address the inequality by hiring DEI experts and trying to build multi-unit apartments with lower-income units. Critics say the efforts are performative rather than substantive.

Rosemoore also recognizes that it’s nearly impossible to have Oakland annex Piedmont because it would require the approval of the wealthy enclave’s residents.

“If I proposed that, I’d be tarred and feathered,” said a former Piedmont mayor to the Chronicle.

RELATED: Video captures the moment karate instructors thwart alleged armed carjacking in Oakland

The Chronicle noted that a “young jogger” had enthusiastically endorsed Rosemoore’s campaign against Piedmont, but an older black woman issued him a warning after furrowing her brow.

“Don’t feel bad if you get some pushback,” she said. “People feel strongly about their small towns.”

Another woman described as a young woman wearing a “Free Palestine” hat also told Rosemoore she supported Piedmont after moving there.

“I’m not going to lie,” she said. “As a Latina who has lived in really bad areas my whole life, it’s pretty sick. And I’m hopeful it’ll only get better. I heard they might be building more apartments.”

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​Diversity equity and inclusion, Gentrification, Segregation, Dei programs, California, Politics 

A CNN investigation has found that the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan has apparently removed more than a hundred YouTube videos expressing his far-left beliefs.

Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic nomination from an establishment candidate last Tuesday, leading many to seize upon the contest as further evidence of fringe extremists taking over the party.

Another video no longer accessible to the public had the Democrat calling for the end of the 2nd Amendment guaranteeing gun rights.

Before he ran for the nomination, El-Sayed removed public access to more than 100 videos on his YouTube account, according to the CNN KFILE report.

In one removed video, El-Sayed blasted the Republican Party for focusing on illegal border crossings and claimed illegal immigration should not be a top concern for voters.

Another video no longer accessible to the public had the Democrat calling for the end of the Second Amendment guaranteeing gun rights and instead offered that there should be a constitutional right to health care.

“What if we tweaked the Constitution, amended the amendment, and instead of the ‘right to bear arms,’ we change it to the right to have health care?” said El-Sayed in the removed video.

One removed video from July 2024 featured El-Sayed arguing that Americans should stop celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks. He cited the environmental damage and the risk they allegedly pose to veterans with PTSD as well as pets and children.

He also expressed support for “feminist prison abolition” while reading an ad for the show.

El-Sayed’s campaign responded to the CNN report in a statement downplaying the video removals.

“Abdul is the former captain of his high school football team, loves Michigan football on Saturdays, and celebrates the Fourth of July with fireworks like the next Michigander,” the statement read. “Cherry-picked comments from old podcasts don’t reflect his beliefs today.”

Although the campaign said El-Sayed had changed his beliefs since posting the videos, the most recently removed videos were just two years old.

RELATED: ‘He’s full of s**t’: Trump RIPS INTO Abdul El-Sayed after his narrow victory

The campaign claimed he respected the Second Amendment and pointed to recent messages he posted telling Americans to enjoy fireworks on the Fourth of July.

CNN said it had reviewed transcripts of the videos that had been archived before they were removed.

El-Sayed is aiming to defeat Republican candidate Mike Rogers, helping to determine whether Democrats are able to seize control of the Senate in the midterm elections.

The RealClearPolling average currently has Rogers winning with a very slim lead of 44.3% to El-Sayed at 44.0%

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​Abdul el-sayed, Us senate election, Michigan, Midterm elections, Politics 

Former NFL quarterback and league MVP Cam Newton is likely to cause a huge disruption in the NFL with his latest comments.

Newton, a three-time Pro Bowl player with the Carolina Panthers, is known as one of the best quarterbacks never to win a Super Bowl, but he’s also known for being one of the most outspoken in the league’s history.

On Thursday’s episode of “4th&1 with Cam Newton,” the Georgia native defended NFL QB Aaron Rodgers over his recent statements on ESPN.

‘Everybody in the NFL voted Democrat? Hell no, they didn’t.’

While appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” last week, Rodgers unloaded on ESPN for its coverage of his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 while with the Green Bay Packers.

Newton said he respects Rodgers for speaking out before detailing, at length, how organizations handle controversial issues. Minutes later, he declared it was time to be wholly honest on the topic.

“I hate to be the whistleblower, but I call it how I see it,” Newton began. “Look, if we’re being honest, going back to 2020, there were multiple players, coaches, and executives that fraudulently got their COVID shot. Yes, I said it.”

“Aaron Rogers wasn’t the only one,” Newton said about players being against the vaccine. “He wasn’t the only one in the Packers organization. He wasn’t the only one in the Packers quarterback room.”

RELATED: ‘That absolute coward’: Aaron Rodgers goes scorched-earth on ‘criminal’ Anthony Fauci as fans go ballistic

Newton, who last played in the league in 2021, then called the NFL’s vaccine protocol into question as possible propaganda.

“There was whispers about the shot,” Newton went on.

“So we make it a big thing like, ‘yo, it’s mandatory for you to get the shot or you got to go through these procedures.’ How do we not know that that was propaganda for the pharmaceutical companies to penetrate and say, “Hey, if we could control the NFL, then everybody else will follow.'”

The league did not require players to get a COVID-19 vaccination, but expanded requirements, including daily testing and physical distancing, for those who weren’t vaccinated or weren’t fully vaccinated.

Newton’s claims about the NFL kept broadening, moving from vaccination to political viewpoints to any sort of unauthorized opinion.

“If you were to tell me everybody in the NFL got that shot, hell no, they didn’t,” Newton said.

“Everybody in the NFL voted Democrat? Hell no, they didn’t,” Newton continued. “There’s some people in your locker room that voted for Trump. But when we get to start talking about who voted for who, red or blue? ‘No, no, no. Stay away from that. Don’t talk about that.'”

RELATED: Did Jason Whitlock cost Cam Newton his ESPN job?

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Newton eventually covered most political bases from left to right, claiming any player who is speaking on something “real” is told to “shut the hell up.”

“No program, no organization, no franchise wants you really to stand on the table and talk about worldly issues that you may believe in. … That’s not good for business,” Newton added.

The NFL did not respond to requests for comment. The New England Patriots, Newton’s team in 2020, did not respond to a request for comment either.

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​Nfl, Covid-19, Covid vaccine, Cam newton, Aaron rodgers, Sports