White Plains, NY
Politics
Victory Declared In Special Election For Westchester County Exec: Here Are Unofficial Results Victory Declared In Special Election For Westchester County Exec: Here Are Unofficial Results
Victory Declared In Special Election For Westchester County Exec: Here Are Unofficial Results Victory has been declared in the special election for Westchester's next leader, who will serve through the end of 2025.  Democrat Ken Jenkins has declared himself the winner of a special election held on Tuesday, Feb. 11 for the position of Westchester County Executive.  According to Westchester County Elections' unofficial results, Jenkins leads his opponent, Republican Christine Sculti, 57,590 votes to 32,956, or 64 percent to 36 percent. A total of 90,546 votes were cast.  "It is an honor to be elected Westchester County Executive. I want to thank eve…

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by Ben Crnic
Chambersburg, PA
Politics
PA Teacher Marc Fogel Freed From Russia In Prisoner Exchange PA Teacher Marc Fogel Freed From Russia In Prisoner Exchange
PA Teacher Marc Fogel Freed From Russia In Prisoner Exchange A Pennsylvania teacher is finally free after years in a Russian prison, following a high-stakes diplomatic deal brokered at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Marc Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since 2021, is back on American soil after President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff orchestrated a negotiated exchange. Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, was serving a 14-year sentence for possessing medical marijuana prescribed for chronic pain. Witkoff left Russian airspace with Fogel earlier on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, as part of…

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by Jillian Pikora
Simsbury, CT
Politics
Trump Wants US Treasury To Stop Making Pennies: Here's Why Trump Wants US Treasury To Stop Making Pennies: Here's Why
Trump Wants US Treasury To Stop Making Pennies: Here's Why President Donald Trump is calling for an end to the production of pennies, arguing that the cost of minting them far exceeds their actual value.  As he departed the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday night, Trump took to Truth Social to announce his directive to halt penny production, calling it a "wasteful" government expense. "For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents," Trump wrote. "Let's rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it's a penny at a time." The financial burden of the penny has long been debated. Acco…

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by Joe Lombardi
Asbury Park, NJ
Politics
Elon Musk's Support Plunges Among Republicans: New Poll Elon Musk's Support Plunges Among Republicans: New Poll
Elon Musk's Support Plunges Among Republicans: New Poll A new poll shows a significant decline in Republican support for billionaire Elon Musk’s influence within the Trump administration. In the days following the November 2024 election, 47 percent of surveyed Republicans by Economist/YouGov expressed a desire for Musk to have “a lot” of influence in the administration.  However, the latest poll, conducted Sunday, Feb. 2 to Tuesday, Feb. 4, indicates that this figure has dropped to 13 percent. Another 25 percent say they want Musk to have “a little” influence and 46 percent said they want “none at all.” This trend suggests a growing ambiv…

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by Joe Lombardi
Mineola, NY
Politics
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West'
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Long Island Democrats and civil rights attorneys are fighting back against a plan to deputize private citizens, calling the move illegal. A lawsuit filed by Nassau County Democratic legislators against County Executive Bruce Blakeman in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, Feb. 5, seeks to block what they say amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded militia.” Blakeman’s plan calls for deputizing private citizens as “special sheriff’s deputies” during emergency declarations. If activated, members would be paid $150 per day. Democrats blasted the move, arguing it lacks transparency, oversigh…

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by Michael Mashburn
Highlands, NY
Politics
West Point Closes Clubs For Women, Minorities To Follow Trump's DEI Orders: Report West Point Closes Clubs For Women, Minorities To Follow Trump's DEI Orders: Report
West Point Closes Clubs For Women, Minorities To Follow Trump's DEI Orders: Report The United States Military Academy at West Point in the Hudson Valley has disbanded several extracurricular and social clubs related to gender, race, and ethnicity per President Trump's orders involving government diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, according to a report by The Washington Post.  The decision to end the clubs came in the form of a memo dated Tuesday, Feb. 4, which was signed by West Point deputy commandant Chad Foster and said that the organizations would be disbanded and forced to cancel activities, The Washington Post reported.  The mem…

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by Ben Crnic
Simsbury, CT
Politics
Judge Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Ban Judge Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Ban
Judge Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Ban A federal judge has issued an indefinite nationwide preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, marking a significant legal setback for the administration. US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland ruled Wednesday, Feb. 5, in favor of five pregnant undocumented women who challenged Trump’s executive order.  The policy aimed to redefine the 14th Amendment, excluding children of undocumented immigrants from receiving automatic US citizenship at birth. Boardman determined the order directly conflicts with the "plai…

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by Joe Lombardi
Saratoga Springs, NY
Politics
Trump Wants To Shut Education Department: Here's Why, What It Means Trump Wants To Shut Education Department: Here's Why, What It Means
Trump Wants To Shut Education Department: Here's Why, What It Means President Donald Trump says he's considering an executive order to dismantle the functions of the US Department of Education, aiming to eventually abolish the agency.  This move aligns with his administration's broader strategy to decrease the federal government's size and return control of education policy to the states. The proposed executive order would maintain only those functions required by statute within the department, while other programs would be transferred to different agencies. An agency can't be abolished without Congressional approval. This reflects Trump's campaign pr…

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by Joe Lombardi
Mineola, NY
Politics
Nassau Cops Teaming Up With ICE For Mass Deportations Of Undocumented Immigrants Nassau Cops Teaming Up With ICE For Mass Deportations Of Undocumented Immigrants
Nassau Cops Teaming Up With ICE For Mass Deportations Of Undocumented Immigrants A local police department in New York is teaming up with federal immigration officers to carry out President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. On Long Island, ten members of the Nassau County Police Department will be embedded with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out targeted immigration enforcement, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said. The enforcement efforts will target undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes in Nassau County. “I want to stress that this program is about illegal migrants who have committed crimes…

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by Michael Mashburn
New Paltz-Gardiner, NY
Politics
Hochul Won't Extradite New Paltz Doctor Charged With Prescribing Abortion Pill Hochul Won't Extradite New Paltz Doctor Charged With Prescribing Abortion Pill
Hochul Won't Extradite New Paltz Doctor Charged With Prescribing Abortion Pill New York will not extradite a Hudson Valley doctor who was criminally charged with violating Louisiana’s abortion laws, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. It comes after a jury indicted Ulster County-based Dr. Margaret Carpenter, of New Paltz, along with her company, Nightingale Medical, and the mother of a minor girl on Friday, Jan. 31, alleging that Carpenter shipped the girl an abortion pill. The pill, Mifeprestone, caused the girl to have a medical emergency which terminated the pregnancy, Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB reports. All three were charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-in…

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by Michael Mashburn
Bel Air, MD
Politics
Rachel Morin's Mother Takes Center Stage In White House Video Targeting Selena Gomez (VIDEO) Rachel Morin's Mother Takes Center Stage In White House Video Targeting Selena Gomez (VIDEO)
Rachel Morin's Mother Takes Center Stage In White House Video Targeting Selena Gomez (Video) The mother of Rachel Morin is making headlines in a new video produced by the White House targeting Selena Gomez. Patty Morin joined Tammy Nobles and Alexis Nungaray - all of whom had children allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants - in condemning the actress' emotional video that went viral as she wept for the treatment of Mexican Americans.  Rachel Morin vanished in the summer of 2023 on the Ma and Pa Trail in Harford County. Help locate Rachel Morin, age 37. Last seen around 1800 hours on Sat, 08/05/23 when she left to walk on the Ma&Pa Trail in Bel Air. 5’2, 107 lbs,bl…

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by Zak Failla
Yonkers, NY
Politics
Elon Musk Lieutenants Given Access To US Treasury Department’s Payments System: Report Elon Musk Lieutenants Given Access To US Treasury Department’s Payments System: Report
Elon Musk Lieutenants Given Access To US Treasury Department’s Payments System: Report Representatives from a team led by billionaire businessman and political activist Elon Musk have been granted access to the US Treasury Department’s payments system, a move that could significantly impact federal spending oversight, according to a new report. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent authorized the change late Friday, Jan. 31, giving Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team access to the federal payment system, which manages disbursements for the entire US government, The New York Times says.  The decision follows a standoff with David Lebryk, a longtime Treasury …

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by Joe Lombardi