Category: Headline

Four dead, including an officer, after New York City office tower shooting
NEW YORK — A man stalked through a Manhattan office tower firing a rifle Monday, killing four people, including a New York City police officer, and wounding a fifth before taking his own life, officials said.
The shooting took place at a skyscraper that is home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world’s largest investment firms, as well as other tenants.
The gunman, identified by authorities as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, had a ‘documented mental health history,’ according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, but his motive was still unknown.
“We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location,” Tisch said.
The rampage happened at the end of the workday in the same part of Manhattan where the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down outside a hotel late last year.
Surveillance video showed the man exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6:30 p.m. carrying an M4 rifle, then marching across a public plaza into the building. Then, he started firing, Tisch said, killing a police officer working a corporate security detail and then hitting a woman who tried to take cover as he sprayed the lobby with gunfire.
The ambulance carrying the body of Didarul Islam exits NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Hospital, early Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in New York. © AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
The man then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a guard at a security desk and shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said.
The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor offices of the company that owned the building, Rudin Management, and shot and killed one person on that floor. The man then shot himself, the commissioner said. The building, 345 Park Avenue, also holds offices of the financial services firm KPMG.
The officer killed was Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years, Tisch said at a news conference.
“He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm’s way. He made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tisch said. “He died as he lived. A hero.”
© OpenStreetMap contributors
One man was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said. Four others got minor injuries attempting to flee.
Adams said officials are still “unraveling” what took place.
Officers found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines and ammunition in Tamura’s car, Tisch said. They also found medication that belonged to Tamura, she said.
The residence of Shane Tamura, identified as the gunman in the fatal shooting at a Manhattan office building in New York City and who was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound is seen on Monday, July 28, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nev. © AP Photo/Ty O’Neil
Rudin is one of the largest privately owned real estate companies in New York City. The company dates back to 1925 and is still managed by members of the Rudin family.
Tisch said there were no indications so far that Tamura had prior connections to the real estate industry or to the city.
No one answered the door at the address listed for Tamura in Las Vegas.
Islam, the slain officer, leaves behind two young boys, and his wife is pregnant with their third child, Tisch said.
Witnesses heard ‘rapid fire’
Local TV footage showed lines of people evacuating the office building with their hands above their heads in the hours after the killings.
Nekeisha Lewis was eating dinner with friends on the plaza when she heard gunfire.
“It felt like it was a quick two shots and then it was rapid fire,” she told The Associated Press.
Windows shattered and a man ran from the building saying, “Help, help. I’m shot.” Lewis said.
A New York police officer stands watch on 52nd Street outside a Manhattan office building, Monday, July 28, 2025, in New York. © AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis
Jessica Chen told ABC News she was watching a presentation with dozens of other people on the second floor when she “heard multiple shots go off in quick succession from the first floor.”
She and others ran into a conference room and barricaded tables against the door.
“We were honestly really, really scared,” she said, adding that she texted her parents to tell them that she loves them.
Some finance workers at an office building down the block were picking up dinner at a corner eatery when they heard a loud noise and saw people running.
“It was like a crowd panic,” said Anna Smith, who joined the workers pouring back into the finance office building. They remained there for about two hours before being told they could leave.
Tisch says she believes two officers were working in different parts of the building as part of a program where companies can hire NYPD officers to provide security.
The building where the shooting happened is in a busy area of midtown, located a short walk north from Grand Central Terminal and about a block east of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Through late July, New York City is on pace this year to possibly have its fewest homicides and fewest people hurt by gunfire in decades. But the city’s corporate community has been on edge since last December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed outside a hotel hosting a conference.
The man charged in that killing, Luigi Mangione, is awaiting trial. Prosecutors accuse him of killing Thompson because he was angry at perceived corporate greed, particularly in the health insurance business. He has pleaded not guilty.
July 29, 2025
Midtown Office Shooting Leaves 4 Dead, Including Off-Duty Officer; Gunman Dies by Suicide
New York – A 27-year-old man wearing body armor and carrying an M4 assault rifle shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer, in a Midtown Manhattan office building Monday evening before killing himself, officials said.
A fifth victim was critically injured in the shooting, officials said. In a statement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that victim is one of its employees and was listed in critical but stable condition.
The shooting occurred just before 6:30 p.m. in an office building at 345 Park Ave. at East 52nd Street, which contains the headquarters for the investment company Blackstone and the National Football League, sources told ABC News.
The suspect, identified as Shane Tamura, carried a note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE, asked that his brain be studied and made references to the NFL, police sources told ABC News.
Police said he had a documented mental health history and played high school football.
The three-page note was described by sources as rambling and contained references to the NFL sources described as vague.
A surveillance photo of the suspected gunman who shot multiple people, including an NYPD officer, in Midtown Manhattan on July 28, 2025. © CBS NEWS NEW YORK
After barricading himself on the 33rd floor, Tamura, a Las Vegas resident, was found dead from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
During a news conference Monday evening, Tisch said preliminary information suggests the suspect traveled cross-country in a BMW from Las Vegas before arriving in New York City.
Tamura had a license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Nevada. “We believe this to be a lone shooter,” Tisch said.
Police say Tamura emerged from a double-parked BMW Monday evening with an M4 rifle.
A security camera image shows Tamura holding a long gun and walking outside the office building.
He entered the lobby of the Midtown tower alone and immediately opened fire on an NYPD officer and sprayed the lobby with bullets.
He made his way to the elevator bank, where he shot a security guard, Tisch said. He then went up to the 33rd floor, where he shot another person before shooting himself in the chest, she added.
Detectives are actively trying to determine why the suspect went to the 33rd floor – whether he specifically was headed there or if he simply wound up on that level. Rudin Management, the real-estate company, is located on that floor.
Officers searched the suspect’s vehicle after the shooting, where they found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, a backpack, “and medication prescribed to Mr. Tamura,” Tisch said. He had a documented history of mental-health problems, Tisch said.
The motive is currently under investigation, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said earlier on Monday.
In total, four people were shot dead plus the shooter in what Mayor Eric Adams called a “violent, despicable” act.
The deceased included NYPD officer Didarul Islam of the 47th Precinct, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh and who Adams said he had been on the force almost four years. He was working security in the building while off duty.
“Early tonight, I met with the officer’s family. I told them that he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line,” Adams said.
Islam was married with two young boys, and his wife was pregnant with a third child.
The officer, and the surviving male civilian were taken to New York Presbyterian, where the civilian is in critical but stable condition.
Two other civilians, one male and female, both killed in the shooting, were taken to Bellevue Hospital. Police say another female was the victim found dead on the 33rd floor.
A witness inside the Midtown office building at the time of the shooting, detailed to NY Budgets what it was like at the scene as colleagues hid in lockdown, unsure of what was unfolding.
A photo from inside the 32nd floor showed how employees barricaded the door.
“The only thing between me and the door was a chair flipped over,” Jessica Chen said of the initial moments of the lockdown. “I texted my parents ‘I love them,’” she continued.
“Nothing can describe that feeling,” Chen added.
Chen went on to say that she recalled doing active shooter drills in school and said she often wondered what she would do in this kind of scenario. “It’s unfortunate that all Americans could think this through,” Chen said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has been briefed on the situation.
KPMG, an accounting firm that also has offices in the building, released a statement after the shooting, saying, “Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific act and their families.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the bravery of building security and law enforcement,” the company said.
Across the country, several squad cars from Las Vegas Metro Police have convened at entrances to the gated neighborhood where the purported suspect in the midtown Manhattan shooting was believed to have a home.
Detectives will be working throughout the night and the days ahead to piece together a profile of the man responsible.
Investigators are working to see where and when the gunman bought the high-powered rifle used in the rampage.
Detectives are now scrolling through thousands of surveillance cameras to pin point the gunman’s movements, minute by minute.
July 29, 2025
Kaylee Goncalves’ sister shares details of her courtroom confrontation with Bryan Kohberger
The world came to know the feisty older sister of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves after she gave a ferocious victim impact statement at Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing last week. She said she memorized her speech so she wouldn’t break eye contact with him in the courtroom.
“I was prepared to be arrested that day,” Alivea Goncalves told ABC News of the fiery moment she confronted her younger sister’s killer in court.
Alivea Goncalves said to Kohberger, “You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else. … You aren’t special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. … No one thinks you are important.”
“I was fueled by seeing the rage on his face,” she told ABC News. “Man … was he mad. That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did — to make him feel small.”
Alivea Goncalves also asked pointed questions like, “What was second weapon you used on Kaylee?” A hypothetical question in the moment, but one that investigators have yet to figure out. Kaylee Goncalves had unique injuries described as a horizontal pattern, and it’s not clear what caused them, police confirmed to ABC News.
“I had one shot at it and I was gonna make the most of it,” Alivea Goncalves said.
Steve Goncalves, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, hugs his daughter Alivea after speaking at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025 in Boise, Idaho. © Kyle Green/Pool/Getty Images
Alivea Goncalves said she did eliminate a few thoughts from her statement after realizing Kohberger’s mom and sister were in the courtroom.
“I didn’t anticipate his mother and sister being there,” she said. “And I had specific lines that were directed towards his relationship with his mother and directed towards the shame that he has caused his family, and how the ultimate move of a coward is for him to sit behind bars while the rest of his family has to bear the real weight, the shame of what he’s done.”
Bryan Kohberger, 30, appears for his sentencing hearing after he was convicted in the 2022 stabbing deaths of four Idaho college students, at the Ada County Courthouse, in Boise, Idaho, July 23, 2025. © Kyle Green/via Reuters
She concluded her statement with memorable words to Kohberger, saying that if he hadn’t attacked the students in their sleep, “Kaylee would’ve kicked your f—— ass.”
“I got up there knowing that my speech wasn’t to Kaylee and Maddie — it was for them. … I just wanted to reclaim their power,” she said.
Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. © Courtesy of the Goncalves family
Kaylee, Kaylee’s lifelong best friend Maddie Mogen, their roommate Xana Kernodle and Xana’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death at the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. On Wednesday, their killer was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count after pleading guilty to all charges.
Kaylee Goncalves was stabbed more than 30 times and had defensive wounds, according to a police report released for the first time last week. The 21-year-old was described as “unrecognizable as her facial structure was extremely damaged,” the report said.
“It’s gruesome and it’s graphic,” Alivea Goncalves acknowledged, but she said it’s information she wanted because she knows “Kaylee absolutely fought for her life.”
Kaylee Goncalves is seen in an undated photo. © Courtesy Kristi Goncalves
In November 2022, when news of the deaths at 1122 King Road reached Alivea Goncalves, she said she started going through her sister’s phone records to see if she had made any calls, convincing herself Kaylee wasn’t picking up her phone because she was at the police station answering questions. But Alivea Goncalves would never speak to her sister again.
Their last conversation was a six-hour FaceTime during which Alivea Goncalves guided her sister through buying her Range Rover, which the 21-year-old proudly drove to Moscow to show her friends on her last trip to their college house. Their dad drives the car now. Alivea Goncalves said many of Kaylee’s other belongings were picked up by their parents, covered in blood and in hazmat bags.
Alivea Goncalves made Kaylee Goncalves an aunt twice over before she died, and twice more after. She was pregnant with a girl when Kaylee Goncalves was murdered, and she named that baby Theo MaddieKay. Alivea Goncalves calls Kaylee and Maddie soulmates, and she describes their namesake as the perfect mixture of Kaylee and Maddie.
July 28, 2025
Minnesota Man Accused of Killing Neighbor He Believed Was an Alien, According to Charges
Charges say a southern Minnesota man last week shot and killed his older neighbor, whom he believed to be an alien.
The 38-year-old man from Windom, Minnesota, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, according to a criminal complaint filed in Cottonwood County on Friday.
The Windom Police Department says they were called to the 1400 block of 12th Avenue at approximately 5:19 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a shooting.
Officers found the victim, a 70-year-old woman, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was able to speak to an officer, telling them she believed she was shot but did not see a firearm. She added that the suspect had called her, saying he needed help, and that she had gone to his house about 45 minutes earlier.
The woman was transported to the Windom Hospital, where she later died. An autopsy found she had been shot seven times. She died due to blood loss from the gunshot wounds, according to the provisional report.
Jamie Voelker Cottonwood County Jail
A witness told investigators the suspect had woken him up to sit on the couch when he began talking about aliens, allegedly stating he thought his neighbor, the victim, was an alien, and that an alien ship was coming to take them, according to the complaint. The witness recalled seeing the victim, hearing gunshots and seeing flashes, then the victim leaving.
Charges say the witness was scared and ran to their neighbor’s house, where they found her on the floor. That’s when they called 911.
While police were responding to the shooting, the complaint says dispatch informed officers around 5:30 a.m. that a woman called saying a man had broken into her nearby home on the 1200 block of River Road.
Upon arriving at the residence, police reported seeing a significant amount of broken glass and blood within the entrance, and hearing the sound of moaning and running water coming from the bathroom area.
Inside the bathroom, charges say officers found the suspect in the bathtub. Police removed him and placed him in handcuffs, noting the water in the tub was blood-stained.
The suspect was transported to the hospital for treatment before going to jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 8.
July 28, 2025
Idaho Murder Investigation: Detectives Reveal Insights on Targets, Motive, and Interrogation of Kohberger
IDAHO — For the first time since Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the chilling murders of four University of Idaho students, the lead investigators and prosecutors have offered a detailed account of the case that shocked the nation.
Speaking exclusively with ABC News, Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson and Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson shared critical insights into the investigation, the possible motives, and their chilling face-to-face interaction with the now-convicted killer.
A Scene of Horror at 1122 King Road
On the morning of November 13, 2022, authorities discovered a brutal crime scene at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho. Inside the off-campus residence, four students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — had been stabbed to death in the early hours of the morning.
Lt. Gilbertson, who walked through the scene shortly after the murders, described the house’s common areas on the second floor as deceptively normal. “It looked like what you would expect a house full of college kids to look like,” he said.
But upstairs and in the bedrooms, the horror unfolded.
In Xana Kernodle’s room, her body lay on the floor, and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, was found dead on the bed. His blood had seeped through the structure, visible from the outside of the house.
On the third floor, Goncalves and Mogen were found together in Mogen’s bed. Goncalves’ injuries were described as “unique” and showing a “horizontal pattern” — though investigators remain uncertain about what caused them.
Police also discovered a knife sheath left behind — a key piece of evidence that would ultimately lead to Kohberger.
Four University of Idaho students were found dead at an off-campus home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, November 2022. © Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Hunt for a Suspect
The investigation initially yielded few leads. But in December 2022, forensic analysis of the DNA found on the knife sheath pointed authorities to Bryan Kohberger, a Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University, just across the state border in Pullman.
Once Kohberger’s identity was uncovered, investigators conducted an extensive probe into his life — his digital footprint, financial activity, and physical movements.
“We figured out everything about him: his life, his behaviors, his routines,” said Gilbertson. According to court records, Kohberger’s phone had been near the victims’ house at least 12 times prior to the murders, dating as far back as August 2022. Most of those visits were in the late night or early morning hours.
However, after the murders, “every bit of that changed,” Gilbertson said. “His phone never comes to Moscow again.” Except for one chilling anomaly: Kohberger’s phone pinged near the home between 9:12 a.m. and 9:21 a.m. the morning after the murders.
“My hunch is that it was curiosity,” Gilbertson said. “He had to be wondering, ‘Why is nothing happening?’”
A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves a few days before their deaths shows University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. © Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
The Interrogation
When Kohberger traveled back to Pennsylvania for winter break, police tracked him closely. He was observed wearing gloves in public, even at a pharmacy. On December 30, 2022, police arrested him outside his family home.
Gilbertson participated in the initial interrogation. “We started with just very general questions about Pullman, about WSU … he spoke at length,” he recalled. However, when the officers mentioned Moscow, the atmosphere changed.
“As soon as we mentioned that, then he stopped,” Gilbertson said. “He said, ‘I don’t want to talk anymore.’ He denied knowing anything about Moscow and immediately requested an attorney.”
Who Was the Target?
Despite intense investigation, a clear motive remains elusive.
“He’s the only one that has the ‘why,’” Gilbertson said. “And oftentimes that ‘why’ may only make sense to him.”
Prosecutor Thompson added that Kohberger attempted to delete digital evidence from his devices, suggesting an attempt to “sanitize” his trail. No concrete link between Kohberger and the victims has been established, though Thompson believes either Kaylee Goncalves or Madison Mogen was the intended target.
“It’s more likely than not he did not expect to encounter Xana and the others up and about,” he said. Kernodle had been awake around the time of the murders, likely to retrieve a food delivery.
Survivors and Miraculous Escapes
Two surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were spared during the attack. Mortensen reportedly saw a masked man inside the home holding a container-like object with both hands.
“Dylan was so vulnerable,” Thompson said. “That young woman had an angel watching over her.”
The Courtroom Outcome
On July 2, 2025, weeks before the trial was set to begin, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all charges. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table, sparking mixed reactions from victims’ families.
“I respect and recognize that not everybody agrees with the decision we made,” Thompson said. “But we had something that a trial would have never given us — his sworn acknowledgment that the charges are true.”
Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole for the murders and the maximum 10 years for burglary.
“This murderer is now in the custody of the Department of Correction,” Thompson said. “That door is closed behind him and it’s not gonna open again till he’s dead.”
Bryan Kohberger, 30, appears for his sentencing hearing after he was convicted in the 2022 stabbing deaths of four Idaho college students, at the Ada County Courthouse, in Boise, Idaho, July 23, 2025. © Kyle Green/via Reuters
No Full Confession — and No Murder Weapon
Critics questioned why Kohberger’s plea deal didn’t include a confession or the murder weapon’s location.
“There was no legal way we could have compelled those,” said Thompson. “And quite frankly, there is nothing he could have said that I think would have been credible. He’s manipulative.”
Closure, But Not the End
As Moscow and the University of Idaho community try to heal, law enforcement officials remain mindful of the emotional toll the tragedy has left.
“This case is never going to be over and done with,” Thompson said. “The court case will, but for everybody who’s been affected by it — no.”
Though the final chapter has been written in court, the memory of Kaylee, Madison, Xana, and Ethan will continue to resonate through a community forever changed.
July 26, 2025
Coldplay fan who revealed CEO’s affair with company’s HR chief has six-word response for the cuddling couple
Fox Business Video

The Coldplay fan who accidentally exposed a tech tycoon’s apparent affair with his head-of-HR mistresshad a blunt message for the canoodling pair: “Play stupid games … win stupid prizes.”
Grace Springer, 28, filmed the now-viral moment Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his chief human resources officer, Kristin Cabot, were busted on a “kiss cam” embracing at the band’s Boston concertWednesday night — a clip now seen close to 50 million times.
“I had no idea who the couple was,” the Coldplay megafan told the US Sun.
Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot at the Coldplay concert. (Grace Springer/Storyful)
Springer “just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it” — with no idea how mega-viral it would soon go.
“A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games … win stupid prizes.”
The awkward video showed Byron and Cabot scrambling to hide their faces after the jumbotron suddenly panned to them during the concert.
“F–king hell, it’s me,” Byron appeared to say in the video, while his HR chief appeared to mouth, “This is awkward.”
Grace Springer (right) at the Coldplay gig before she caught the awkward moment of Andy Byron with Kristin Cabot on the kiss cam. (@instaagraace/Instagram)
As Cabot flung her hands over her face and Byron ducked down out of view, frontman Chris Martin quipped, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The “Fix You” crooner later added, “I hope we didn’t do something bad…”
As Springer’s clip exploded on social media, online sleuths quickly found that Byron appeared to be married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, while Cabot had recently divorced her husband, Kenneth Thornby.
“I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them,” Springer said.
“I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how, or if, the apparent scandal could play out professionally.
Cabot, who was only appointed to her position at the firm in November, previously boasted on LinkedIn that she leads “by example and win[s] trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants,” and she was “energized” by her conversations with Byron.
Meanwhile, Byron gushed that Cabot was “a proven leader.”
Andy Byron (3rd from left) and Kristin Cabot (far right) in an undated photograph. (Bain Capital Ventures)
“Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory,” Byron wrote in a memo to staff when she joined the company.
“She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Neither Byron nor Cabot, who both have families of their own, has spoken out yet about the sordid saga.
“The only way it could be worse is if the head of HR was having an affair with someone who worked for her. That’s the only permutation I could think of that could be worse — but this is pretty high up there.”
July 18, 2025
Grocery Chain CEO and Real Estate Titan Warn Socialist Mayoral Frontrunner Could ‘Destroy’ New York

Former Douglas Elliman CEO Dottie Herman and Stew Leonard’s President and CEO Stew Leonard Jr. speak with Fox News Digital about their opposition to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s policies. (Fox Business)
NEW YORK CITY — As Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani surges to the front of New York City’s mayoral race following his historic primary victory, prominent figures in business and real estate are sounding the alarm, warning that his radical proposals could cripple the city’s economy and chase away its wealth base.
From government-run grocery stores to punitive housing regulations and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, Mamdani’s progressive platform is drawing fierce criticism from two of New York’s most recognizable business leaders: Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of the regional grocery empire Stew Leonard’s, and Dottie Herman, Vice Chair of Douglas Elliman and one of Forbes’ wealthiest self-made women in real estate.
“You’re in a street fight if you get into the food business,” said Leonard in an interview with Fox News Digital. “You gotta be in there with sharp prices, fresher product, friendlier people… Can the government do that? I don’t know.”
Leonard, who operates eight food stores and eight wine and spirit outlets across the Tri-State area, questioned the feasibility of Mamdani’s city-run supermarket proposal, which aims to sell food at wholesale prices. The idea is part of a broader vision that includes a citywide rent freeze, construction of 200,000 affordable units over ten years, and tighter enforcement on “bad landlords.”
“It’s seven days a week. Weekends are the busiest. If you’re paying $200 to $300 per square foot along Second Avenue, you need serious volume to make it work,” Leonard added. “Margins in food are razor-thin. Everyone eats, yes, but it’s still one of the toughest industries in the country.”
For Dottie Herman, the implications go beyond groceries—she sees Mamdani’s economic approach as an existential threat to the city’s future.
“I never talk about politics, but I am talking now because I really don’t want to see New York destroyed,” Herman said. “I believe with every breath of me, that if he gets in, we will be in a socialized country.”
Citing rising fear among developers and property investors, Herman shared that some clients are already reconsidering multimillion-dollar deals out of concern for punitive taxes and hostile business conditions.
“I’ve had people call me asking if they should cancel contracts on development sites in New York City,” she said. “People are scared. You’re going to discourage anyone from investing in rental property, and values will fall. That’s what happens when you tell people, ‘We’ll just take it from the rich.’”
Mamdani, who currently represents Astoria and Long Island City in the State Assembly, gained national attention after winning more votes in the primary than any candidate in the city’s history. His campaign site outlines a platform that includes raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5% and implementing a 2% flat tax on the city’s wealthiest residents—moves that would require state legislative approval and signoff from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has expressed concern about affordability and capital flight.
Mamdani’s platform also pushes for public control of grocery access, rent freezes, and an aggressive reworking of landlord-tenant laws—all in the name of housing and food equity.
While progressive circles and some younger millionaires have cheered his vision, established business figures worry his policies will bring economic instability, capital outflow, and unintended market disruption.
“The key to this business is freshness,” Leonard added. “Are you going to eliminate dyes, hormones, sugar, and antibiotics from your entire government inventory? That’s what I’ve done. But that drives up costs.”
With New York’s real estate market already facing tight inventory and slowing sales volumes, Herman warned that Mamdani’s proposed crackdown on landlords and tax hikes could lead to a broader investment freeze.
“If people can’t make money here, what business will come to New York?” she asked. “America is about the ability to grow and succeed, no matter where you start. That dream dies if the rules become punish-the-successful.”
Herman also revealed that a number of business owners are organizing political fundraisers to counter Mamdani’s momentum, signaling growing concern in the city’s economic elite.
The crowded mayoral race now pits Mamdani against rivals like former Governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, raising speculation about whether the two centrist contenders might team up to create a unified front against the socialist frontrunner.
“I think one of them has to step aside for the other,” Herman said. “Because if not, the vote splits, and we hand this city to someone who doesn’t understand how it actually runs.”
Leonard, for his part, said that Mamdani’s victory would make him rethink expanding in New York City.
“I’d struggle to open five new stores here right now,” he said. “It’s a real challenge—and this would only make it harder.”
Despite the controversy, Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
July 18, 2025
Cockpit recording from Air India suggests the captain cut fuel to the engines before the crash, source says
A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month supports the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines, said a source briefed on U.S. officials’ early assessment of evidence.
The first officer was at the controls of the Boeing 787 and asked the captain why he moved the fuel switches into a position that starved the engines of fuel and requested that he restore the fuel flow, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the matter remains under investigation.
The U.S. assessment is not contained in a formal document, said the source, who emphasized the cause of the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people remains under investigation.
There was no cockpit video recording definitively showing which pilot flipped the switches, but the weight of evidence from the conversation points to the captain, according to the early assessment.
The Wall Street Journal first reported similar information on Wednesday about the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
A police officer stands in front of the wreckage of an Air India aircraft, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad, India June 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo)
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the investigation into the crash, said in a statement on Thursday that “certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting.” It added the investigation was ongoing and it remained too early to draw definitive conclusions.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, and under international rules, a final report is expected within a year of an accident.
A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday said one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel and “the other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
Investigators did not identify which remarks were made by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and which by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively.
The AAIB’s preliminary report said the fuel switches had switched from “run” to “cutoff” a second apart just after takeoff, but it did not say how they were moved.
Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines.
The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 650 feet, the jet started to sink.
The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to “run”, and the airplane automatically tried restarting the engines, the report said.
But the plane was too low and too slow to be able to recover, aviation safety expert John Nance told Reuters.
The plane clipped some trees and a chimney before crashing in a fireball into a building on a nearby medical college campus, the report said, killing 19 people on the ground and 241 of the 242 on board the 787.
No safety recommendations
In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out.
The AAIB’s preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE.
After the report was released, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has been assisting with the Air India investigation and its Chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on all aspects, a board spokesperson said. That includes the cockpit voice recording and details from the flight data recorder that the NTSB team assisted the AAIB in reading out, the spokesperson added.
“The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events so that industry and regulators can improve aviation safety,” Homendy said in a statement. “And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well.”
The circumstantial evidence increasingly indicates that a crew member flipped the engine fuel switches, Nance said, given there was “no other rational explanation” that was consistent with the information released to date.
Nonetheless, investigators “still have to dig into all the factors” and rule out other possible contributing factors which would take time, he said.
The Air India crash has rekindled debate over adding flight deck cameras, known as cockpit image recorders, on airliners.
Nance said investigators likely would have benefited greatly from having video footage of the cockpit during the Air India flight.
July 18, 2025
Mamdani’s anti-police stance spells crime and chaos for NYC — it’s part of his agenda
Zohran Mamdani claims he “no longer believes,” as he did just five years ago, that the New York City Police Department is a “wicked and corrupt” institution that must be “defunded” and “dismantled.”
He says he really didn’t mean it when he blamed “the police themselves” for “perpetrating an enormous amount” of violent crime, “especially with regard to sexual violence.”
He insists he was misunderstood when he tweeted, “The NYPD is racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety.”
Bull. Mamdani will be a disaster for public safety in New York City if he becomes our mayor.
A look at his agenda makes it crystal clear.
First and worst of all, he’ll add no police officers to the force — and will cut the hours of those who remain.
The NYPD’s 32,000-officer headcount is well below the 34,300 force of 2019, the safest year in more than 40 years. Index felony crimes are 26% higher today.
The city has compensated for the reduced patrol strength via overtime, which pays for extra subway police patrols, arrest processing and investigations and keeping order at protests and public events.
Yet Mamdani has long railed against police overtime and plans to eliminate it to fund his other programs — notably his Department of Community Safety.
Reducing overtime without expanding the force means fewer police on the street, making the city less safe and more chaotic.
Mamdani also remains full-steam-ahead on closing Rikers Island, which currently houses some 7,600 inmates — and replacing it with new borough-based jails containing room for just 4,100. (As a candidate for Assembly in 2020, he advocated building no Rikers replacement at all.)
That will put thousands of the most dangerous repeat offenders in the city on the street, with 2,500 of them lodged in “supportive housing” in a neighborhood near you, under the aegis of Mamdani’s DCS.
Mamdani has signed on to the Democratic Socialists of America’s “Agenda for Decarceration,” which calls for fully eliminating cash bail, repealing all mandatory minimum sentences, decriminalizing sex work and more. He has not repudiated those principles.
We’ve seen this movie before: When the city released 2,000 Rikers inmates under “bail reform” in 2020, crime shot up by 20%. When we released another 2,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic, shootings and murders doubled.
Now the city’s jail population stands at about 7,600, and crime has begun to slowly decrease.
Mamdani’s decarceration agenda will reverse that progress, as he pressures DAs to release defendants and drop prosecution of minor crimes.
His enforcement policies, too, will handcuff police instead of wrongdoers.
Incredibly, Mamdani would halt NYPD response to domestic-violence calls, claiming that poor police training escalates such situations. He’d have social workers respond instead.
He opposes any consequences for turnstile jumpers, thereby making farebeating legal. Why pay?
Mamdani opposes involuntary commitment of those with mental illness — you know, the guy sleeping in the subway or ranting at imaginary demons on the street.
“People should be allowed to make their own mental health care decisions,” no matter how delusional they are, he told The City.
He’d further restrict City Hall’s limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement — meaning that he would release illegal aliens convicted of violent crimes onto our streets without informing ICE.
And a Mayor Mamdani would do lasting damage to public safety via the judges he appoints to the Criminal Court bench.
These judges, who set bail on criminal cases, will be taking their cues from the mayor — and will presumably be on board with his desire to basically do away with incarceration.
Under state law, judges decide whether to set bail, and in what amount. What do you think Mamdani’s judges will do?
And all of this is to say nothing about NYPD morale under a mayor who sees its officers as racist, homophobic sexual predators.
Recruitment and retention are difficult now; just wait until Mamdani takes office.
Politicians can normally be forgiven some of the stupid statements they’ve made in the past, when they were pandering to the public will (or their perception of it).
But Mamdani is no politician. He is a radical socialist and an anti-police ideologue.
He truly believes what he said in 2020: When it comes to crime, he cares more about the 7,600 people in city jails — victims, he believes, of an evil capitalist system — than about the city’s 8.5 million law-abiding citizens.
Under his watch, Rikers will close, jails will empty, criminals will walk free, police officers will be second-guessed and police patrols will decline.
We’ll see fewer arrests made, fewer crimes solved and far more dangerous streets.
But we’ll all be comrades in the glorious Democratic People’s Republic of New York City.
Jim Quinn was executive district attorney in the Queens District Attorney’s Office, where he served for 42 years.
July 17, 2025
Up to 7,000 Afghans are being relocated to the U.K. through a secret program following a Ministry of Defense data breach
In a dramatic revelation that underscores both a massive failure of data security and an extraordinary effort at damage control, the UK government has confirmed that up to 7,000 Afghan nationals are being secretly relocated to the United Kingdom following a catastrophic data breach at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The breach, which exposed the personal details of nearly 20,000 individuals, occurred in early 2022 but was only acknowledged this week—more than three years after the incident.
The details came to light after a British high court judge lifted a super injunction that had, until now, prevented media coverage of the blunder. The injunction had been sought by the UK government in a bid to suppress details of what is being described as one of the most severe security lapses in modern British military history.
The Breach and Its Fallout
The data breach, traced back to the mishandling of an email in February 2022, exposed sensitive information—names, contact details, and other identifying data—of 18,714 Afghans who had applied for relocation under the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). These individuals had supported or worked with British forces during the UK’s two-decade-long presence in Afghanistan from 2001 until the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Afghan co-workers and their families board a plane during the Kabul airlift in August 2021. (South Korean Defense Ministry/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
At least some individuals named on the compromised list are believed to have been killed in the years since the breach, although it remains unclear whether their deaths were directly linked to the exposure of their identities. The Taliban regime is known to target individuals associated with foreign forces, branding them traitors.
The MoD only discovered the breach in August 2023, under then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. A super injunction was imposed in September 2023, silencing public and media discussion of the crisis while the government scrambled to relocate thousands of affected individuals—at enormous expense and under complete secrecy.
People gathered desperately near evacuation control checkpoints during the crisis. (AP)
Legal, Financial, and Political Fallout
In a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey offered a “sincere apology” for the breach and acknowledged concerns over the lack of transparency. He emphasized the difficulty of navigating national security and humanitarian obligations, stating:
“No government wishes to withhold information from the British public or Parliament in this manner. But the safety of innocent people was at stake.”
According to government figures, the initial cost of relocating the nearly 7,000 Afghans will be around £850 million. However, an internal MoD document from February suggested the total cost could climb to £7 billion once long-term support, housing, integration, and litigation costs are factored in. The MoD now dismisses that projection as outdated, but legal experts say the true cost may ultimately surpass current expectations—especially if victims succeed in pursuing compensation claims.
The evacuation at Kabul airport was chaotic. (AP)
Barings Law, a legal firm representing around 1,000 of the affected individuals, has accused the government of “deliberately concealing the truth.” Adnan Malik, head of data protection at the firm, called the incident “an incredibly serious data breach.”
“It involved the loss of personal and identifying information about Afghan nationals who have helped British forces defeat terrorism. Our clients live in fear of reprisal and expect substantial financial compensation,” Malik stated.
The firm is preparing legal action to seek damages for its clients, and said that financial settlements—while insufficient to undo the trauma—could help survivors rebuild their lives.
Government Review and Public Transparency
An internal review by Paul Rimmer, a retired civil servant, concluded earlier this year that the risk to individuals may be “minimal,” stating that the exposure was unlikely to substantially change any person’s threat level given the existing volume of leaked data in Afghanistan. It added that merely appearing on the breached dataset would not likely be grounds for Taliban targeting.
That assessment played a key role in the court’s decision to lift the super injunction earlier this week.
Still, critics argue that the government’s prolonged secrecy undermined public trust. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, whose government inherited the scandal after the 2024 general election, pledged full transparency going forward and said his administration would “do right by those put at risk.”
The scandal adds to a string of recent criticisms aimed at the MoD’s handling of sensitive data. In September 2021, another breach revealed the email addresses and identities of 265 Afghans to each other in a mass email sent to a distribution list, prompting the UK’s Information Commissioner to fine the MoD £350,000 in December 2023, calling the lapse “egregious” and “potentially life-threatening.”
Market and Economic Implications
From a public finance and market standpoint, the unfolding situation presents significant fiscal challenges for the UK government. While the initial £850 million for the emergency relocation will be covered through defence and foreign aid budgets, economists warn that:
- Litigation costs and compensation settlements could push spending well into the billions, adding pressure to the UK’s already-stretched post-COVID public spending framework.
- The need to house and support thousands of refugees will place further strain on the UK’s social and housing infrastructure, potentially stoking political tensions around immigration.
- Private security and legal firms, meanwhile, may benefit from increased government contracting and legal settlements, marking an unintended boom for sectors linked to risk management and litigation.
The situation may also impact the UK’s diplomatic credibility, particularly among NATO allies and within the broader scope of Western withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Human Dimension
While the numbers are staggering, the human cost remains at the center of the scandal. Many of the relocated Afghans—interpreters, aid workers, and former support staff—had risked their lives to assist British troops in their mission to combat terrorism. Now, many are arriving in the UK traumatized, displaced, and unsure of their future.
One source involved in the relocation effort said:
“They deserve better than being treated like a secret. These people stood by us. The least we can do is stand by them.”
Related Market Note:
Investors tracking UK public sector expenditures are closely watching developments tied to defence and humanitarian allocations. Legal and security contractors such as Serco, G4S, and law firms in the public interest sector may see modest short-term growth opportunities due to litigation and relocation logistics tied to this crisis.
July 15, 2025