Канада надала Україні кредит на 500 млн доларів. Кошти будуть використані для забезпечення фінансування пріоритетних витрат держави

Ще три будинки в Золотому на Луганщині росіяни зробили непридатними для життя, вісім атак ворога відбито

By Adam Kredo (Free Beacon) The United States must arm Taiwan “as quickly as possible” in response to China’s renewed threats to invade the country, Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday.

Hawley, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is spearheading legislation that would expedite U.S. arms shipments to Taiwan amid the Communist Party’s latest threat to unleash “violence” in the region. Hawley’s bill comes just days after the Biden administration approved a $95 million arms package to Taiwan, the second in recent months, to help defend the territory from a Chinese incursion. Hawley’s bill would fast-track the delivery of these arms.

The weapons package prompted a flurry of threats from China, which warned on Wednesday that any U.S. effort to support the island’s independence will “push the Taiwan people into the abyss of disaster.” Ma Xiaoguang, the CCP’s spokesman in the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, described the arms deal as “no different from tying a bomb to every Taiwan compatriot,” according to comment published in the country’s state-controlled press.

Congressional leaders fear that China will invade the country, as Russia did in Ukraine, catching Western nations off guard. Taiwan said last week that it is prepared to defend itself against China’s “military expansion.” China could use the new arms package as a pretext to invade Taiwan. Hawley told the Free Beacon that the United States cannot stand by and wait until Taiwan is attacked.

“In true form, CCP goons respond to any attempt to protect Taiwan from invasion with violent threats and prevarications,” Hawley said. “We must arm Taiwan to defend itself against a Chinese attack as quickly as possible. We can’t wait until it’s too late.”

Hawley’s legislation would make it easier for the United States to send critical defensive weaponry into Taiwan, including equipment to bolster its Patriot surface-to-air missile system. It would also turn Taiwan into a member of Country Group A:5, a formal trade designation that would put the country on par with other NATO allies.

Hawley’s bill would also expedite licensing approvals and remove bureaucratic red tape to ensure arms quickly reach the country, as well as shorten the time needed for Congress to approve such deals. All these moves are aimed at preventing a situation like in Ukraine when Western nations were left scrambling to help the country fight off Russia.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports Hawley’s legislation and thanked the senator late last week for trying to expedite arms sales.

“The legislation spotlights the U.S. senator’s rock-solid commitment to #StandWithTaiwan, and is another vote of congressional confidence in our country and its 23.5 million people,” the foreign ministry tweeted.

The post Hawley: US Must Arm Taiwan ‘As Quickly as Possible’ appeared first on The Jewish Voice.

Claudia Irizarry Aponte, THE CITY

More than 30,000 luxury building workers and doormen authorized a strike on Wednesday if they do not reach a deal on a collective bargaining agreement that expires April 20.

32BJ building workers rally on the Upper East Side before voting to authorize a potential strike, April 13, 2022. | Claudia Irizarry Aponte/THE CITY

Luxury building workers and doormen at more than 3,000 buildings, from modest rentals to Billionaire’s Row supertalls, on Wednesday evening authorized a strike if they do not reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement to succeed one that expires on April 20.

Talks between the workers — negotiating through their union, 32BJ-SEIU — and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB), which represents the landlords, are ongoing, with both sides meeting on Tuesday and slated to bargain again on Thursday.

A major point of contention for workers is a management proposal demanding cuts to the workers’ paid vacation and sick time, as well as proposals for workers to contribute toward their health insurance, which is currently paid for entirely by building and apartment owners.

Felix Figueroa, a concierge at The Hamilton, a Morningside Heights co-op in Manhattan, alleged that the RAB was going to extremes and “not bargaining in good faith.”

“They want to go from A to Z. We don’t think that it’s a good time to be moving backwards,” on health coverage two years into the pandemic, the 54-year-old said. “We should be moving forward.”

After a rally on Park Avenue, workers voted to permit a strike if a deal is not reached by April 20. If negotiations collapse and both sides do not agree to a contract, it would be their first work stoppage since 1991, which lasted 12 days.

The strike would impact more than 550,000 building residents, disrupting package and mail deliveries as well as building security if the more than 30,000 workers withhold their labor.

“On the 21st, there will be a strike if there’s no contract,” said 32BJ-SEIU president Kyle Bragg said in an interview during the Upper East Side rally in support of workers on Wednesday afternoon.

“We remain optimistic that the negotiations are progressing, but there’s a long way for us to go before we get an agreement,” he said. “We haven’t yet discussed economic issues beyond talking about what it takes to sustain our benefits packages, and so we hope to talk more about that tomorrow and then we’ll see where we’re at then.”

‘No, No, No’

The union contract covers superintendents, porters, handymen, concierges and door attendants in properties owned or managed by Related Companies, Allied Partners, Vornado Realty Trust and other firms that negotiate together as the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which has properties in every borough except The Bronx.

At the rally stretching along Park Avenue from East 79th Street to about East 86th Street, hundreds of those workers railed against the landlords’ demands, shouting during a call-and-response: “They say givebacks, we say fight back!”

Among those in attendance were a few powerful New York Democrats, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Upper West Side Councilmember Shaun Abreu.

Claudia Irizarry Aponte/THE CITY32BJ building workers rally on the Upper East Side, April 13, 2022.

Asked about the management proposals, building superintendent José Aponte, who held a sign that read “Strike ready,” said simply, “No, no, no. That’s not good.”

Realty Advisory Board President Howard Rothschild contended in a statement Wednesday afternoon that management’s demands for health insurance givebacks and cuts to paid time off were “reasonable.”

“The RAB has proposed fair and reasonable wage increases, as well as the sharing of healthcare costs through employee contributions to the premiums, of which employees currently pay zero,” the statement read. “Our relationship with the union has resulted in more than 30 years of uninterrupted labor peace and we continue to work towards that same goal this year.”

Pandemic Changed Nature of Job

Ardist Brown, a 61-year-old concierge at 66 Central Park West, noted that building workers had to take on several roles as COVID lockdowns turned residences into all-purpose live, work and play zones, making management’s proposed cutbacks to vacation and sick time sting more.

“I wore many hats during the pandemic: I became the home health aide, I became the dog walker, the package deliverer, I delivered food,” he said.

Even before the strike authorization vote, the Teamsters — who represent UPS drivers and other trucking and delivery services — vowed to support the doormen.

“The Teamsters stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers at 32BJ and will give the union our full support to win their strike,” said Teamsters Joint Council 16 spokesperson Alex Moore in a statement to THE CITY Wednesday morning.

With market rents soaring, building workers are bargaining for a bigger piece of the pie, seeking increased wages and better benefits. In March, the median Manhattan asking rent reached an all-time high of $3,700 – more than 21% more than a year ago.

Workers are demanding a wage increase “at least” tied to inflation, which in New York City sits at a rate of 5.1%, and no changes to their health care, currently funded entirely by building and apartment owners.

Also front of mind for workers during negotiations are the more than 170 32BJ-SEIU members who died because of the coronavirus, including 40 who worked in residential buildings.

Brown, the 66 Central Park West concierge, got COVID in March 2020. He was back to work three weeks later. He was also around for the last doormen’s strike in 1991.

He had a message for the building owners: “Don’t forget about those who were in the business of saving lives during the pandemic.”

THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

The post Luxury Building Doormen Authorize Strike as Bargaining Negotiations Stall appeared first on The Jewish Voice.

Josefa Velasquez and Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY

This article was originally published by THE CITY

The lieutenant governor’s resignation following campaign finance indictment leaves Hochul running on a shared ticket, with messy options for distancing herself.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announces in Harlem the selection of Brian Benjamin for lieutenant governor, Aug. 26, 2021. | Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY

Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned Tuesday, hours after his federal indictment in a scheme to secure campaign donations. 

But he’ll likely remain on the ballot for the primary election in June, and may throw into turmoil Gov. Kathy Hochul’s bid to be elected as the first woman to lead New York, as she faces challengers to her right and left.

After 5 p.m. Tuesday, about eight hours after news of Benjamin’s arrest broke, Hochul released her first public statement on her lieutenant’s situation, saying that she had accepted his resignation, effective immediately.

“While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them,” read her statement.

But with the April 11 deadline now passed to accept or decline designations for the upcoming June primary, Hochul is stuck with Benjamin on the ticket, according to election lawyers and political observers. That’s unless a few key things happen — Benjamin moves out of state, is nominated for another office and declines the LG nomination, or dies.

Another path could emerge for Benjamin to get the boot from the ballot: state lawmakers could pass a bill to do it — but sources say that’s unlikely to happen because budget negotiations were so contentious that lawmakers left Albany feeling embittered with Hochul. Possible political blowback that would come from such a move also discourages action.

That could leave Hochul in a tricky place. She was adamant as recently as last Thursday that she had “the utmost confidence” in Benjamin and reassured reporters that he would continue to be her running mate.

“This is a game of optics. Why put yourself in a position when this could be the case?” said one Democratic operative who did not want to be named so he could freely discuss the situation. “Last week serves to remind everyone of just how bullish she was that this was going to be OK.”

Hiram Alejandro

Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITYGov. Hochul and Benjamin at her announcement of his appointment last August.

Democrats had started to whisper early Tuesday about how Benjamin’s possible resignation might give the governor and other Democrats a chance to distance themselves from him in the upcoming elections, according to sources briefed on the discussions.

Benjamin had been a state senator representing upper Manhattan, and then a candidate for city comptroller — placing fourth in the 2021 Democratic primary — before Hochul tapped him to be her second-in-command.

The resignation gives Hochul — the first governor in generations not to hail from New York City or the surrounding suburbs — some cover as she faces challenges from within her own party, as well as Republicans.

But his resignation is not a panacea, since the name Brian A. Benjamin will appear on the ballot.

“His nomination at the party convention is not contingent upon completing his existing term in office. It has nothing to do with the current term in office — it’s about nominating him for the next term in office,” said Ali Najmi, an election lawyer. “If Brian Benjamin wins the Democratic primary despite this indictment hanging over him, then whoever the other parties put up would be running against him.”

• Who Else Is Running for Lieutenant Governor?

Until Hochul selects a replacement for Benjamin, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) will become acting lieutenant governor for a second time under Hochul. (The first had been when Hochul initially ascended into the role.)

Meanwhile, Benjamin’s lawyers, James Gatta and William Harrington, released a statement defending the former lieutenant governor, saying the $50,000 grant Benjamin “supported” went to cover school supplies for students in Harlem.

“He will focus his energies on explaining in court why his actions were laudable — not criminal,” Gatta said in the statement. “He looks forward to when this case is finished so he can rededicate himself to public service.”

Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITYLieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin leaves Manhattan Federal Court after being arraigned on corruption charges, April 12, 2022.

‘Get Control of This’

Benjamin’s arrest took place on the same day as a mass subway shooting in Brooklyn, “adding to the sense that things are out of control,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant. “The governor’s job now is to try to get control of this as quickly as possible. How do you do that? You got to get rid of Benjamin.”

Hochul, a Buffalo native who had previously been lieutenant governor under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, ascended into the position in August following Cuomo’s resignation as he faced allegations of sexual harassment.

Catapulted into a chaotic first few days in office as she contended with Hurricane Ida, which killed more than 40 people in the region, as well as an expiring eviction moratorium, rising number of COVID-19 cases and controversial vaccination mandates, one of Hochul’s earliest decisions was to tap Benjamin as her number-two.

Several sources familiar with the decision described how anxious the governor and her team were to select someone who would carry credibility among New York City residents and create political alliances with Black or Latino elected officials from the area.

The decision to tap Benjamin, who has ties to the Harlem political machine, was made so quickly that the other official in the running — Sen. Jamaal Bailey, the head of the Bronx Democratic Party — found out he didn’t get the job through Twitter, sources said.

While a largely ceremonial post, the lieutenant governor position has been a springboard to power as scandal-scarred governors have resigned in disgrace. Years before Hochul replaced Cuomo, Lt. Gov. David Paterson succeeded Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who’d resigned amid a prostitution scandal.

Benjamin’s arrest harkens back to the days of “Albany dysfunction,” said another Democratic strategist. That Hochul waited until so late in the day to address the morning arrest publicly just compounds how inexperienced her team is, opined another operative.

“This is the moment that calls for the governor to take a step back and not only look at the seriousness of the allegations against the lieutenant governor that she hand-picked, but also the culture in Albany that fosters and allows such a casual relationship with big money donors,” said Sochie Nnaemeka, Director of the New York Working Families Party.

The left-leaning WFP has backed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for governor and activist Ana María Archila for lieutenant governor.

“It’s incumbent on the governor who really prided herself on busting in after her predecessor, vowing to separate herself from the ethical and nefarious politics that marked the Cuomo era — this is a testing moment for her to show voters what that means.”

But it’s not all hopeless for Hochul. The indictment pointed out that Benjamin had lied on his vetting forms, giving Hochul plausible deniability over what she knew and when she knew it, noted another Democrat.

State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs offered a statement supporting “Hochul’s accomplishments which have done so much for the people of our State,” while also commending Benjamin for his resignation and “a lot of good” he did for New Yorkers.

Moving Out

As part of the bail agreement, federal prosecutors have ordered Benjamin to remain in New York City and the surrounding suburbs, meaning he would no longer have been allowed to travel to the state capital and perform the duties usually associated with the lieutenant governor.

But prosecutors are allowing him to travel to the northern district of Georgia and eastern district of Virginia, two places where Benjamin has family, according to a Democratic source.

High-level Democratic officials in New York are already discussing the possibility of asking Benjamin to resettle in either Georgia or Virginia in an effort to disqualify him from the ballot, paving the way for a committee on vacancies made up of party leaders to select a replacement.

Or, to shake off any possible lingering political liabilities from Benjamin, Hochul could throw her weight behind either of the other candidates for lieutenant governor, including WFP-backed Archila, or Rep. Tom Suozzi’s running mate, Diana Reyna, a former deputy borough president under then-Borough President Eric Adams and a former City Council member.

If that’s the case, she would be “stuck with a lieutenant governor who tries to kill her slowly,” said one Democrat.

“Best case scenario she has an LG undermining her for four years,” the source added.

THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

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