A long-term investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office and the NYPD has culminated in the indictment of eight individuals.

The post Fentanyl-laced pills and illegal firearms seized in Brooklyn trafficking case appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

More than a week after the general election, Republicans have cemented their majority in the House of Representatives — meaning Republicans will control the House, the Senate, and the presidency — and Brooklyn congress member Hakeem Jeffries has reportedly taken the blame.

Jeffries, has represented parts of south and Central Brooklyn in Congress since 2013 and last year was elected House Minority Leader, was poised to become the first Black House Speaker if Democrats had taken back the majority. But, on Wednesday, Republican Juan Ciscomani won re-election in a critical Arizona district, cementing the party’s hold on the lower chamber. Several House races still have not been called, but Democrats will not have enough seats to make up the deficit. 

In a statement, Jeffries said House Democrats had “overperformed” in an election that saw massive wins for the Republican party. At least 27 of the party’s 31 “frontline” incumbents were re-elected, he said, and the party held on in competitive races and flipped at least eight districts.

“House Democrats gave it our all, running aggressive, forward-looking and people-centered campaigns,” he said. “While we will not regain control of the Congress in January, falling just a few seats short, House Democrats will hold Republicans to a razor-thin majority. That is unprecedented in a so-called presidential wave election.”

Democrats flipped three districts in New York — NY-19, NY-22 upstate, and NY-4 on Long Island, unseating three Republican incumbents. The party lost in NY-1, another critical district, where Jeffries personally supported Democratic challenger John Avlon — who was defeated by more than 100,000 votes. 

With full control of Congress, Republicans have said they plan to aggressively pursue Trump’s political agenda. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday outlined that agenda — speaking in support of border closures, an “end to wokeness and radical gender ideology,” and lower grocery and gas prices.

“This leadership will hit the ground running to deliver President Trump’s agenda and the 119th Congress, and we will work closely with him and his administration to turn this country around and unleash, as he says, a new golden age in America,” Johnson said. “That’s not a campaign slogan. We believe that that is true. We believe in our hearts that America’s best days are ahead of us, and we’re excited to deliver upon that promise. The only way we’re able to work quickly is because we have unified control of the Congress, both chambers now and the White House, beginning January.”

Trump’s cabinet appointments have slightly complicated Republicans’ majority in the House. Thus far, the president-elected has chosen two Republican congress members to serve in his cabinet: Elise Stefanik, from northern New York as the U.N. Ambassador, and Matt Gaetz, of Florida, as the Attorney General. Both nominations require Senate confirmation, but Gaetz has already resigned from his position in Congress. Both districts, however, are safely Republican, and likely to remain that way if special elections are called. 

Some Democrats are blaming Jeffries for party’s losses, per Axios, but pushed back on assertions that he was fully responsible for the outcome. 

“Moving forward, House Democrats will engage in a clear-eyed, candid and comprehensive family conversation about how and where to build upon the foundation that has been laid and improve on our efforts,” Jeffries said. “In the new Congress, House Democrats will continue to seek bipartisan common ground on any issue, whenever and wherever possible, to make life better for the American people, while pushing back against far right extremism whenever necessary. 

An NYU Law report finds worsening racial disparities in parole decisions under Gov. Hochul, fueling calls for reform.

The post Parole disparities surge under Gov. Kathy Hochul, report says appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Wonder Group, a New York-based food ordering company that touts “fast fine” dining, is set to be Grubhub’s new owner.

The post Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED the man suspected of stabbing a man to death in Brooklyn’s Steuben Park as Lewis Aranguren, 23.

The post Police identify suspect in stabbing death of 21-year-old in Clinton Hill playground appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Newly appointed Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos will start a five-borough listening tour next week to give parents a chance to speak directly with school leadership.

The tour is a series of community events, one in each borough, that will provide open forums for families and the community to share feedback, insights and ideas with the chancellor and her team.

“Through this listening tour, I hope to gain a better understanding of our communities’ concerns, feedback and ideas so together we can continue to strengthen New York City public schools,” Aviles-Ramos said.

The upcoming tours will each run 6 to 8 p.m.:

• Nov. 19: Manhattan – High School of Graphic Communication Arts, 439 West 49th St.
• Nov. 26: Brooklyn – Thomas Jefferson High School, 400 Granville Payne Ave. 
• Dec. 3: Queens – Academy of American Studies, 40-11 28th St. 
• Dec. 10: Bronx – PS 306, 40 West Tremont Ave.
• Dec. 17: Staten Island – Curtis High School, 105 Hamilton Ave.

Aviles-Ramos doubled down on her promise to empower and engage families on Thursday, highlighting her commitments to ensure safety, promote wellness, strengthen teacher support, and foster “genuine and impactful” family and community empowerment.

“In a city as large and diverse as ours, it is critical that we create opportunities to foster collaboration and bring every voice to the table,” she said. “As a parent and former teacher and school leader myself, family and community empowerment is absolutely essential to me.”

School officials said they would analyze feedback from the tour to identify trends, highlight gaps in services, and determine areas for improvement. They added that they will turn the results into a report to be released this winter, though officials could not yet confirm a date.

New Yorkers interested in attending one of the events should register online. Registration will be open until the event’s date.

Attendees in need of language assistance can request it when they register. Interpretation is available in Arabic, Bangla, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. ASL interpretation is also available.