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Chicago’s budget shortfall puts spotlight on Mamdani’s ‘socialism’ agenda for New York City
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson warns that finances in the nation’s third most populous city have «reached a point of no return.»
The mayor said this week that the city will need to take steps to deal with looming budget shortfalls and that key systems that Chicago provides, including education, housing, health care and transportation, are «woefully underfunded.»
Eight-hundred miles to the east, there are concerns in the nation’s most populous city that if democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani wins the election in November as New York City’s next mayor, the city could be headed for a fiscal abyss similar to the crisis half a century ago, when it came close to bankruptcy.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE WARNS ‘HALLOWEEN COMES EARLY ‘ AS CITY FACES SHORTFALLS
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee in New York City, speaks to reporters on Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the 2025 race for New York City’s Democratic Party mayor nomination and who is running for re-election as an independent, struck a deal with the city council on a roughly $116 billion budget for fiscal year 2026.
«There are no perfect budgets. But we have come a long way, and this one gets pretty close,» City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said at a press conference announcing the deal in late June.
CUOMO FLIPS SCIPT ON MAMDANI IN NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL RACE
But the 33-year-old Mamdani, who is the polling frontrunner over Adams, former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and two other contenders in November’s general election, is running on an expensive platform to tackle affordability and inequality in one of the nation’s most expensive cities.
Mamdani grabbed national attention in late June after topping Cuomo and nine other candidates in the Democratic Party primary, as he took a big step towards becoming the first Muslim and first millennial mayor.
Former New York Governor and independent candidate for NYC Mayor Andrew Cuomo attends the funeral of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam at Parkchester Jame Masjid on July 31, 2025 in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Mamdani, a Ugandan-born state assemblyman from the New York City borough of Queens, is proposing to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) «tuition-free,» freezing rents on municipal housing, offering «free childcare» for children up to age 5, and setting up government-run grocery stores.
There are concerns that the significant spending increases to pay for Mamdani’s proposals, along with the possibility of revenue shortfalls, could put a strain on New York City’s budget.
And at the center of Mamdani’s proposals to pay for his pricey plans is a «millionaire’s tax,» which critics say will spur ultra-wealthy New York City residents to flee.
Mamdani’s agenda has given Republicans plenty of fodder to use to go on offense, as they spotlight his «socialist» policies and try to anchor him to Democrats facing challenging re-elections next year. President Donald Trump has gone further, accusing Mamdani of being a «communist.»
And Mamdani’s rivals in November’s mayoral election are also taking aim at him.
Adams has said Mamdani is making «false promises» that will hurt low-income New Yorkers. And the mayor argues that Mamdani’s proposal to set up government-run supermarkets will «devastate the local bodegas and local stores.»
New York City Mayor Eric Adams officially launches his independent re-election bid on June 26, 2025, in New York City. (AP)
Cuomo, as he proposed his own plan to address affordability in New York City, said on Thursday that Mandani is «proposing a theory of socialism that has never worked anywhere.»
«What is the best answer to affordability? It is business development. It is opportunity. It is jobs. It is economic growth. It is not anti-business socialism,» Cuomo said as he asked and answered his own question.
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Firing back, Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec claimed that «trusting Andrew Cuomo to address New York’s affordability crisis is the equivalent of tasking an arsonist with putting out a fire — he created this crisis.»
«Trusting Andrew Cuomo to address New York’s affordability crisis is the equivalent of tasking an arsonist with putting out a fire — he created this crisis,» Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement.
zohran mamdani,donald trump,andrew cuomo,ericadams,new york city,chicago,2025 2026 elections coverage,elections
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El secreto peor guardado de Vladimir Putin en Ucrania tras cuatro años de invasión rusa
El Ejército ruso ha perdido más de 300.000 hombres en los cuatro años de guerra en Ucrania, según fuentes independientes. Aunque las bajas rusas son un secreto a voces, el Kremlin mantiene silencio para no instigar aún más el creciente descontento entre los rusos con la campaña militar.
La última vez que el Ministerio de Defensa ruso informó sobre muertos en acción –Cargo 200– fue en septiembre de 2022 -cuando los situó en 5.937-, justo antes de la movilización de reservistas que provocó el exilio de más de un millón de hombres en edad militar.
Fuentes occidentales, desde la OTAN a la inteligencia estadounidense y británica, estiman en un millar las bajas diarias en las filas rusas y en más de 30.000 las pérdidas mensuales. Además, enero sería el primer mes en el que el Ejército ruso no puede reponer las bajas con voluntarios.
Los militares rusos caídos se llaman Cargo 200 desde la guerra de Afganistán (1979-1989). Entonces, el talón que acompañaba al cargo ponía 200, ya que ese era el peso máximo del féretro de zinc permitido por el Ministerio de Defensa de la Unión Soviética.
El conocido bloguero militar Yuri Podoliak, que ha sido invitado a recepciones en el Kremlin, fue el que rompió la baraja al abordar en enero en YouTube el sensible tema del Cargo 200.
Podoliak admitió que el Ejército ruso podría haber perdido hasta 415.000 hombres entre soldados, voluntarios y antiguos presidiarios reclutados por el grupo Wagner.
Además, situó las bajas totales en más de 800.000 de los más de dos millones de rusos que han participado en la conocida como ‘operación militar especial’. Ese número de pérdidas humanas contrasta con las conquistas territoriales: apenas un 12% del territorio ucraniano desde el 24 de febrero de 2022.
Según los expertos occidentales, ningún país ha sufrido tantas bajas en un conflicto desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en 1945. De hecho, las tropas rusas han sufrido más bajas en estos cuatro años que en todos los conflictos anteriores desde la contienda mundial, lo que incluye las dos sangrientas guerras chechenas.
El portal independiente Mediazona, en colaboración con Meduza y la BBC, cifra los combatientes rusos muertos e identificados con nombres y apellidos en más de 168.000.
A esta cifra hay que sumar los muertos aún no identificados, pero incluidos, entre otros, en los certificados de defunción y hereditarios de acceso público, datos de servicios funerarios o denuncias de desaparición. De hecho, Mediazona admite que, según sus cálculos aproximados, esa cifra rondaría ya los 300.000, a falta de los datos de este año.
En los primeros meses la mayoría de muertos eran soldados profesionales -efectivos de las fuerzas aerotransportadas y de las brigadas motorizadas-, después los presidiarios y a partir de mediados de 2023, los voluntarios.
Mientras, el Centro de Estudios Estratégicos e Internacionales de EE.UU. publicó a principios de año un informe en el que aseguraba que “desde febrero de 2022 las fuerzas rusas han sufrido casi 1,2 millones de bajas (325.000 muertos), más que ninguna otra potencia en cualquier campaña desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial”.
En cuanto a Ucrania, según las estimaciones del centro, habría sufrido entre 500.000 y 600.000 bajas y entre 100.000 y 140.000 muertos.
“A este ritmo, las bajas rusas y ucranianas combinadas podrían alcanzar los 2 millones para la primavera de 2026”, destacó.
Al contrario que el Kremlin, el presidente de Ucrania, Volodímir Zelensky, sí admitió recientemente más de 55.000 muertos en las filas de su ejército.
El Kremlin ha intentado ocultar por todos los medios esta información, lo que incluye el cese de la publicación de datos oficiales sobre mortalidad en Rusia, pero también otros indicadores demográficos que permitirían calcular los muertos en combate.
El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, prohibió la publicación de datos de bajas en las filas de las Fuerzas Armadas en mayo de 2015, después de que soldados irregulares rusos fueran desplegados en el este de Ucrania para apoyar la sublevación prorrusa.
De esta forma, los rusos no tienen acceso a datos sobre las pérdidas humanas en el ejército tanto en tiempos de paz, como durante operaciones militares especiales.
Con todo, la censura no es infalible. El segundo tribunal militar del Distrito Occidental admitió a finales de enero, contra la versión oficial, que el buque insignia de la Flota del Mar Negro, el ‘Moskvá’, había sido hundido en abril de 2022 en un ataque ucraniano con torpedos.
Además, el fallo admitió la muerte de 20 marineros, identificados con nombres y apellidos, a lo que hay que añadir ocho desaparecidos.
(Con información de EFE)
War,Europe,Military Conflicts
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Major drug lord ‘El Mencho’ killed in Mexican military operation with US intelligence support
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Major Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as «El Mencho,» was killed in a military operation Sunday morning, the country’s Defense Department announced, marking one of Mexico’s most significant blows to organized crime amid pressure from President Donald Trump to intensify the crackdown on drug cartels.
The announcement came as government officials warned of clashes in Jalisco state and widespread criminal activity across the country, prompting the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to issue shelter-in-place advisories for multiple states.
On Sunday, Mexican troops reportedly conducted operations in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, a former police officer who became the elusive leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States.
Known as «El Mencho,» Oseguera Cervantes carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past 15 years, CJNG has grown from a local criminal group into a global trafficking organization operating out of its stronghold in Jalisco.
A MEXICAN DRUG KINGPIN YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF IS INFILTRATING SMALL-TOWN AMERICA
El Mencho was killed during a Mexican operation in Jalisco on Feb. 22, 2026. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
«I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,» U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X. «This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.»
The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., whose authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to Oseguera Cervantes’ capture.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. «provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated.»
«‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland. Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization — because that’s exactly what it is. In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested,» she wrote on X.
Smoke rises into the sky over Puerto Vallarta during an operation targeting cartel activity on Feb. 22, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
During the capture, the CJNG ringleader became wounded and died en route to Mexico City, the Defense Department said.
Four others were reportedly killed at the scene of a shootout between Mexican troops and criminal suspects in Jalisco, with Oseguera Cervantes among three additional individuals who were wounded and later died.
Authorities said they detained two other members of the criminal organization and seized a range of weaponry, including armored vehicles and «rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armored vehicles.»
Consequently, three members of the armed forces became injured and are receiving treatment.
TOURISTS IN MEXICAN SEASIDE CITY TOLD TO STAY ON RESORT AS GOVERNMENT WARNS OF ‘CLASHES’
Four others were reportedly killed in a Jalisco shootout during the operation (Gabriel Trujillo/Reuters)
Widespread criminal activity has been reported in Jalisco, the cartel’s stronghold, as well as in northern regions that serve as key border and transit corridors for the organization.
The Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico noted that multiple buildings were reportedly damaged during the «violent incidents,» including roughly 20 branches of Banco del Bienestar, a state-run banking institution.
At least 21 highways remain blocked, with authorities reporting that five have already been reopened.
Photos showed numerous roadblocks and burning vehicles, with dark smoke rising into the sky, across the country – tactics officials say cartels often use to slow or block military operations.
Photos and videos shared with Fox News Digital show thick, dark smoke rising over the skyline of the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in Jalisco.
ALLEGED SINALOA CARTEL FENTANYL PRODUCER CHARGED IN NEWLY UNSEALED FEDERAL INDICTMENT
Widespread criminal activity has been reported in Jalisco, the cartel’s stronghold. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
«I’m watching the scenes of violence from Mexico with great sadness and concern. It’s not surprising that the bad guys are responding with terror. But we must never lose our nerve,» Landau said.
The Mexican National Guard and Army units from central Mexico and states neighboring Jalisco are currently mobilizing to reinforce security, the Defense Department said.
«We remain in Code Red. We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes. The clashes are occurring in several federal entities,» Jalisco state Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro added.
At least 21 highways remain barricaded. (Michelle Freyria/Reuters)
Travel warnings have been issued for Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara; Tamaulipas, including Reynosa and other municipalities; and parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
«Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,» the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico said.
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Complementary intelligence from U.S. authorities aided in the operation. (Michelle Freyria/Reuters)
The operation against Oseguera follows sustained pressure from the Trump administration on President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, urging Mexico to step up its fight against drug trafficking amid threats of potential U.S. intervention.
mexican cartel violence,location mexico,drugs
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