NYC Congestion Pricing Scheme Prioritizes 'Environmental Justice Communities,' Pumps Money Into Minority Neighborhoods in What Could Be Illegal Discrimination

New York City's controversial congestion pricing program, which charges drivers a toll to enter midtown and lower Manhattan, contains several "mitigation efforts" and carveouts designed to limit the punitive impact of the new tax on ethnic minorities—without offering the city's non-minorities comparable treatment, a Washington Free Beacon review found.

The post NYC Congestion Pricing Scheme Prioritizes 'Environmental Justice Communities,' Pumps Money Into Minority Neighborhoods in What Could Be Illegal Discrimination appeared first on .

‘Compelled and coerced’: Michael Cohen's allegations about anti-Trump testimony has Letitia James on the hot seat



President Donald Trump’s lawyers are demanding the release of all communications between Michael Cohen and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office after Cohen claims he was “compelled and coerced” to testify against Trump.

Cohen, Trump's former attorney who testified against the president twice, published an article on his Substack in mid-January titled "When Politics Blind Justice." In this piece, Cohen described how government lawyers made him the "key witness" in two cases against Trump.

'In sum, the NYAG is blocking any discovery into, and possibly even preservation of, evidence of the "pressured and coerced" testimony that it used to convince the trial court to enter a wrongful judgment against Defendants.'

"From the time I first began meeting with lawyers from the Manhattan DA's Office and the New York Attorney General's Office in connection with their investigations of President Trump, and through the trials themselves, I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government's desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump," Cohen wrote.

He stated that prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office first approached him in 2019. At that time, Cohen was serving a three-year prison sentence, and he "wanted to do whatever" he could to return home to his family and resume his life. Cohen acknowledged that one of the first questions he posed to prosecutors was how he would benefit from cooperating with them.

He was released in September 2020 and permitted to serve out the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.

"After my release, I continued to meet with prosecutors and hoped that, in exchange for my cooperation, my home confinement and later my supervised release sentence would be shortened," Cohen wrote. "During my time with prosecutors, both in preparation for and during the trials, it was clear they were interested only in testimony from me that would enable them to convict President Trump."

He claimed that prosecutors asked "inappropriate leading questions to elicit answers that supported their narrative."

RELATED: Democratic lawmaker texted Epstein during hearing — appeared to use his tips to grill Trump’s ex-lawyer

Alvin Bragg. Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Cohen described a similar experience with Attorney General Letitia James' civil case against Trump.

"Letitia James made it publicly known during her 2018 campaign for attorney general that, if elected, she would go after President Trump," Cohen continued. "Her office made clear that the testimony they wanted from me was testimony that would help them do just that. Again, I felt compelled and coerced to deliver what they were seeking."

He accused James and Bragg of sharing "the same playbook" and sacrificing their credibility by blurring "the line between justice and politics."

"You may reasonably ask why I am speaking out now. The answer is simple. I have witnessed firsthand the damage done when prosecutors pick their target first and then seek evidence to fit a predetermined narrative," Cohen added.

A mid-level appeals court in August threw out James' $454 million penalty against Trump, which grew to $500 million with interest. James appealed that decision in September.

In Bragg's case, Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts in 2024. However, he received an unconditional discharge, meaning that while the convictions stand, he did not face any punishment. Trump has since filed an appeal to have those convictions removed from his record.

RELATED: Trump felony conviction in doubt? President files appeal to clear his name

Letitia James. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Trump's attorneys sent a demand letter to James' office, requesting all records of communications with Cohen, the New York Post reported. It is unclear whether a similar request was made to Bragg's office.

Trump's attorneys argued that Cohen's communications with James' prosecutors "would have been vital for Defendants to use in crossexamining" him during the trial, according to the news outlet. They claimed that her office "never produced any of the Cohen Records concerning its meetings with Cohen about President Trump and his businesses, despite Defendants' documented demands that the NYAG do so."

"In emails and a meet-and-confer, the NYAG has taken the untenable position that (i) the NYAG 'doesn't know' whether such Cohen Records exist (i.e., it has no idea whether it has records of its communications with its key witness); (ii) the NYAG will not even take a short amount of time to determine whether it possesses any Cohen Records, apparently because, in the NYAG's mistaken view, discovery is over," Trump's attorneys wrote, the Post reported.

They expressed concern that these records may be "automatically deleted and purged," as James has been "unwilling to take any steps to confirm whether such Cohen Records are being preserved."

"In sum, the NYAG is blocking any discovery into, and possibly even preservation of, evidence of the 'pressured and coerced' testimony that it used to convince the trial court to enter a wrongful judgment against Defendants," Trump's lawyers added.

James' and Bragg's offices did not respond to a request for comment.

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Suicidal Empathy Caught On Camera: Leftist Welcomes Islam Hours After It Nearly Kills Him

These attacks will continue to happen as long as people like Masterson refuse to acknowledge reality -- even when the bomb is literally flying over his head.

Race To Get Kids Into Elite NYC Schools Provides Perfect Example Of Liberal Hypocrisy

Upper East Side is reliably blue

NYPD arrests 27-year-old male for alleged role in viral mob attack on cops, which injured them, during snowball fight



New York City police have arrested a 27-year-old male for his alleged role in a viral mob attack on police officers, which injured them, during a massive snowball fight Monday.

Gusmane Coulibaly was arrested Thursday morning, the NYPD said, adding that he also was cuffed less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system.

Police told WABC in an initial story that officers responded to Washington Square Park in Manhattan around 4 p.m. for a report of a number of people atop a roof — but cops were soon hit with snowballs, and multiple officers were taken to a hospital with facial cuts.

'Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious.'

But police soon added that officers were hit by more than just snowballs.

An earlier NYPD Facebook post indicated that "two uniformed police officers were inside Washington Square Park when two individuals intentionally struck the officers multiple times with snow and ice causing injury to their head, neck, and face. Anyone with information is asked to contact @NYPDTips or 800-577-TIPS."

RELATED: NYPD releases photos of pair wanted in viral mob attack on cops amid snowball fight

Image source: New York City Police Department

Then the number of wanted individuals increased from two to four.

RELATED: 'Despicable attack': Brazen mob pelts NYPD officers with snowballs, multiple cops reportedly injured — and it's all on video

Outrage was rampant among police officials and politicians.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday night wrote on X that she's aware of the videos of the attack on officers and that "the behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal."

The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York called the incident "unacceptable and outrageous," WABC added.

"This is the environment that NYC police officers are up against. Our police officers are being treated for their injuries, but the case CANNOT end there," the PBA said in a statement on social media, according to the station. "The individuals involved must be identified, arrested, and charged with assault on a police officer. And all of our city leaders must speak up to condemn this despicable attack."

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both Democrats, blamed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) for setting a tone of disrespect toward law enforcement, given his history of anti-police rhetoric.

"This is disgraceful. But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police 'racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,' he set the tone," Cuomo posted on X. "Words have consequences. We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we've seen it in the rise in antisemitism. Real leaders understand that. This mayor does not."

Adams echoed the sentiment: "Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious. It is disgusting behavior. And the politicians who constantly bash the police and refuse to have their backs are setting a terrible example. Leadership matters. Tone matters."

Mamdani on Wednesday replied to questions about the incident and whether he agrees with police top brass that responsible parties should be held criminally accountable.

"I've said that what I saw was a snowball fight. It should be treated accordingly," Mamdani said, according to WABC-TV. "It was one that got out of hand. But that's what it was."

RELATED: 'This is disgraceful': Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told WABC that Mamdani is putting his relationship with the police department at risk: "Not to back up the men and women is really, really bad. It's as bad as you can get. So this is a seminal moment right here, and we'll see how it goes from here. Because I think it's important to understand just how important this is to the police department."

One witness told WABC the snowball fight got out of hand when several young people began using the roof of one of the park's restrooms as a launching pad — and that officers were confronted after they arrived to investigate.

"It wasn't supposed to be violent. It was — it started out as — a very fun thing to do. And then, you know, it just escalated," Rahul Nag told the station. "Some people were confused, I think, because they thought they weren't NYPD, they were ICE, or they were working with ICE."

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Epstein-friendly lesbians managing fraud-plagued Manhattan club in hot water — again



Core, an invitation-only private club in Manhattan where membership fees reportedly range from $15,000 to $100,000 a year, has counted among its approximately 1,500 members Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold, and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

Dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was also a longtime patron of the club as well as a founding member.

Jennie and Dangene Enterprise — the lesbian couple who run the club — are both under intense scrutiny over their friendship with the child sex offender in light of new insights from the Epstein files.

Jennie Enterprise, however, might be in especially hot water over the apparently irreconcilable sworn statements that she allegedly provided about her club's finances in two separate cases regarding COVID fraud and rent delinquency.

Competing claims

The club entered a 20-year lease with 711 Fifth Ave Principal Owner LLC in 2021 and took over four floors of the building in 2023.

In the years since, the Enterprises have been engaged in a bitter legal battle with property developer Michael Shvo. For instance, the Core Club reportedly sued Shvo in 2024 for $600 million, alleging that he failed to deliver promised upgrades to the 711 Fifth Ave. property and other locations. Shvo, in turn, accused the Core Club of defaulting on its lease at the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.

Last year, the landlord served the Core Club with a termination notice, alleging that it had "defaulted on its obligation to pay the Base Rent and/or Additional Rent under the Lease in the amount of $3,633,787.13 by Aug. 1" as purportedly required under the lease.

RELATED: Ex-Victoria's Secret owner now claiming Epstein 'conned' him once suggested he was demonically possessed

Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The Core Club, in response, sought what is called a Yellowstone injunction barring the landlord from terminating the lease and evicting the club.

A judge with New York County’s Commercial Division court obliged the Enterprises in September, finding that their club had "established 'it is prepared and maintains the ability to cure the alleged default by any means short of vacating the premises.'"

Attorneys for the landlord have pointed out an apparent discrepancy between the story that Jennie Enterprise and the Core Club told the court and what they told the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in their COVID-era relief fraud case in August.

The landlord's attorneys alleged in a court filing on Wednesday that the Core Club secured its injunction "by making materially misleading representations to this Court about its financial health," and has "repeatedly been delinquent" on its use and occupancy payments.

The attorneys noted that in September 2025, the club "represented to the Court that it had a more than sufficient financial ability to cure its default of over $3.5 million in past due rent and that it could continue paying Rent at the Least rate."

'You have influenced my life in a really amazing way.'

While supposedly able to pay millions in allegedly past-due rent, the attorneys noted that the club managed in August to avoid paying back most of the over $4 million that Core Club entities — controlled by Jennie Enterprise — fraudulently received in COVID-era relief funds and paid only a fraction of the $8.1 million consent judgment against the club.

The attorneys highlighted that court documents show that Jennie Enterprise's sworn financial disclosures about the Core Club's "financial condition" to the USAO-SDNY led the government "to accept in compromise" a settlement of only $366,000 spread over several years.

The Wednesday court filing alleged:

These apparent representations by the SDNY Core Defendants to the United States Attorney regarding their supposed inability to pay a civil penalty greater than $360,000 over five years flies directly in the face of Tenant’s representations to this Court regarding its supposed ability to cure its default of over $3.5 million in past due rent and continue paying Rent at the Lease rate.

The landlord suggested that under the circumstances, the injunction should be vacated and further relief should be conditioned on the Epstein club's payment of the outstanding rent.

When asked for comment, the Core Club's attorney Marc Kasowitz said in a statement to Blaze News, "Shvo's latest attempt to relitigate issues the Court has already addressed will fail, just as his others have. Shvo's motion falsely claims that Core violated the Yellowstone order, but Core is current on rent and has fully complied with the Court’s directives."

Kasowitz suggested that the apparent function of the filing was to distract from "pressures surrounding Shvo's broader real estate ventures" and noted, "Core will oppose this motion vigorously and is confident the Court will recognize it as another meritless attempt to manufacture a default where none exists."

Shvo's office did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Epstein's gal pals

The latest trove of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice provides insights into Epstein's involvement with the club and the Enterprises, whose relationship with the pedophile apparently thrived after his guilty plea in 2008 for solicitation of a minor for prostitution.

Epstein not only routinely visited the club's spa and had women in his network attend but clearly made an impression on Jennie Enterprise, who appears to have written to the pedophile just months after his guilty plea, "You are and have always been sooooo special too me ....not sure u will ever know how much you have influenced my life in a really amazing way."

The club recently downplayed Epstein's involvement, telling the Wall Street Journal in a statement that the pedophile was one of 150 members who belonged from 2003 and 2007 but continued thereafter as a client of the club's spa.

Dangene Enterprise often applied Epstein's skin treatments, reported the Journal.

"The Enterprises were never part of this individual’s social world," the club alleged. "He was a sounding board for the Enterprises on a variety of subjects, as he was known to be a highly in-demand, influential financial advisor and philanthropist in New York City."

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‘Doesn’t Give A Shit What Anyone Thinks About Him’: What To Know About 92-Year-Old Judge On Dictator’s Case

'Does things his own way'

Roman Hierarchy Should Discipline NYC Church For Confirming Unrepentant Gay TV Anchor

Nothing less than a clear and firm correction of the priests who conspired to abuse the sacraments and confuse the Catholic Church’s unambiguous teaching on homosexuality will suffice.

Hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs learns his fate after convictions for sordid sex crimes



Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs on Friday faced a judge in a Manhattan federal courtroom and learned his fate after a pair of convictions over the summer for sordid sex crimes.

At the hearing, which lasted the entire day, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison, NBC News reported, a total of four years and two months behind bars.

'The government equates Sean Combs with a pimp. I want to be clear: Mr. Combs is not a pimp.'

ABC News reported that Combs gets credit for time served; he's been behind bars since his arrest in September 2024.

"You abused the power and control with women you professed to love," the judge said, according to the news network. "You abused them physically, emotionally, and psychologically."

Just prior to the sentencing, an apologetic Combs spoke in court and blamed himself and drugs for his "disgusting, shameful and sick" behavior, NBC News reported.

"I was sick, sick from the drugs. I was out of control, I needed help, and I didn't get the help, and I cannot make no excuse ..." he said, according to NBC News.

Combs also addressed the judge, NBC News said: "I can't change the past but can change the future. I ask your honor for mercy. I beg your honor for mercy, to be a father again, a son again and be a leader in my community again and get the help I desperately need."

Combs was acquitted in July of sex trafficking and racketeering charges in connection with accusations that he operated a criminal enterprise that coerced women into sordid, sexual marathons now infamously known as "freak-offs" with "dozens" of prostitutes.

But the jury of eight men and four women convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution — flying people around the country for sexual encounters, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, which the AP said is a violation of the federal Mann Act.

Also during Friday's hearing, Judge Subramanian said Combs failed to express remorse for the charge of transporting people for prostitution, which the judge said is inconsistent with reality and accepting responsibility, NBC News reported.

What's more, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik blasted Combs for scheduling upcoming speaking engagements, NBC News said, adding that a Miami nonprofit in a letter filed with the court Thursday said Combs has speaking engagements set for Oct. 14, 17, 23, 25, and 29.

"That is the height of hubris; that is the opposite of the rule of law," Slavik said during Friday's hearing, NBC News noted.

RELATED: Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of raping 13-year-old girl with another celebrity as female star watched, new lawsuit claims

Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for REVOLT

But defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson pushed back Friday against the prosecution's characterization of the Miami dates, saying they are "teaching engagements" if the court lets Combs walk free, NBC News noted.

Donaldson added that "the government equates Sean Combs with a pimp. I want to be clear: Mr. Combs is not a pimp," Donaldson said during the hearing, NBC News said, adding that "a pimp is in the business of subjugating women; therefore he should not and cannot be considered a pimp."

Combs' defense had asked for a 14-month sentence — which NBC News said is basically time already served — but prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to a 135-month prison term, or 11 years and three months. The news network said the probation department recommended a sentence of seven years and three months behind bars.

The judge had denied bail, NBC News said, and Combs has remained behind bars. He was arrested in connection with the original charges — to which he pleaded not guilty — in September 2024.

Combs on Thursday night in a letter to Subramanian said "how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused," NBC News added.

“I lost my way," he added in the letter that asked for mercy, the news network said. "I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness."

In addition, Combs' defense team prepared a nearly 12-minute video to be played in court that depicts him in a positive light. The following report includes a snippet of the video.

RELATED: Loaded guns, lube, and sex toys: Homeland Security agent reveals what was found in Diddy's room

Combs' defense attorneys in their pre-sentencing filing added letters from 70 family members, music collaborators, and other supporters — including fellow inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, who said Combs has been a role model who helped them improve their lives, NBC News said.

However, Combs' former girlfriend — R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura — also wrote a letter to the judge. In it she called the 55-year-old Combs an abuser who has "no interest in changing or becoming better," NBC reported. Ventura also asserted in the letter that Combs "will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is."

RELATED: Sean 'Diddy' Combs sexually assaulted 10-year-old boy after drugging him during 'audition,' shocking new lawsuit claims

Sean "Diddy" Combs with then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at the Clive Davis and Recording Academy Pre-GRAMMY Gala in New York City, Jan. 27, 2018. Photo by Steve Granitz/Getty Images

Ventura in May testified that Combs beat her — "he would bash me on my head" — as she also detailed the "freak-offs."

Also during May's hearings, Ventura stated she suffered from medical issues after a "freak-off" orgy, including sores on her mouth, stomach problems, and "very painful" urinary tract infections. Ventura also alleged that Combs raped her in 2018 after their 11-year relationship ended.

As Blaze News reported in 2024, a disturbing video surfaced allegedly showing an "extremely intoxicated" Combs brutally assaulting Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

Combs in court Friday personally apologized to Ventura and her family, NBC News reported.

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New York Times Trashes City’s Elementary Gifted Program As ‘Symbol of Segregation’ As Mamdani Calls to Phase It Out

Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D.) plans to eliminate the gifted and talented program—which the New York Times calls "a symbol of segregation"—for younger grades in public schools.

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