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STEVE FORBES: Drive out wealth, then beg — Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent plea for wealthy residents to return to the Empire State reveals more than she likely intended. When a state’s chief executive effectively says, “We need your money,” it’s not a sign of strength, it’s an admission that the model is broken.
Her plea to well-to-do former residents comes across as a comedy skit: New York is already overtaxed and overregulated, but please come back as we are in the process of enacting higher taxes and imposing more anti-growth regulations.
For years, New York has operated under the illusion that ever-higher taxes and ever-expanding government services can coexist with economic dynamism. That illusion is now colliding with reality. High earners, the very people who fund a disproportionate share of the state’s budget, have been leaving for places like Florida, where the tax climate is lighter and the regulatory burden far less suffocating.
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The problem isn’t that wealthy New Yorkers suddenly lost their civic spirit. It’s that New York has made it increasingly irrational to stay.
Start with spending. Under Hochul, state spending has surged by roughly 20%, an increase so large it exceeds the entire budgets of many states. That growth isn’t driven by necessity; it’s driven by a political culture that treats taxpayer dollars as an inexhaustible resource.
Consider Medicaid, one of the biggest cost drivers. New York spends more per recipient than any state in the nation, with total program costs reaching into the tens of billions annually. More than a third of residents are enrolled, far above national norms. This isn’t compassion, it’s inefficiency on a grand scale. When nearly half the population depends on government health programs, the system isn’t just generous; it’s structurally unsustainable.
Compare that with Florida. The contrast is stark. Florida has no state income tax, a smaller Medicaid footprint and significantly lower per-capita spending, yet it continues to attract businesses, investment and people. Its economy has grown faster, its unemployment rate has been lower, and its population is rising, not shrinking.
Meanwhile, New York piles on additional burdens through regulation, especially in New York City, where zoning rules, labor mandates and compliance costs make it extraordinarily expensive to build, hire, or expand. These aren’t abstract complaints; they translate directly into higher housing costs, fewer job opportunities and slower growth.
The state’s defenders argue that these high taxes fund vital services. But that raises a more fundamental question: does New York truly need to provide all the services it currently does, at the scale and cost it does so?
When public school spending far exceeds that of other states without delivering superior outcomes, or when healthcare costs dwarf those elsewhere with no clear advantage in results, the issue isn’t funding, it’s governance. Throwing money at problems is not the same as solving them.
Hochul’s appeal to wealthy taxpayers inadvertently underscores a dangerous dependency. A fiscal system that relies so heavily on a small number of high earners is inherently fragile. When those taxpayers leave, as many already have, the entire structure begins to wobble.
If the governor is serious about keeping successful, productive people in New York, the solution isn’t to beg them to return. It’s to make the state worth staying in.
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That means lowering marginal tax rates, not threatening to raise them. It means reining in spending, especially in massive programs like Medicaid, through efficiency reforms and eligibility discipline. It means rolling back excessive regulations that choke business formation and drive up costs, particularly in New York City.
Most importantly, it means rethinking the role of government itself. New York doesn’t need to be everything to everyone. It needs to be a place where ambition is rewarded, not penalized.
The wealthy won’t return because they’re asked. They’ll return when New York once again earns their investment.
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US strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq reportedly continue as Baghdad warns of ‘right to respond’
The United States military reportedly launched airstrikes targeting the headquarters of Iraq’s Iran-backed Shiite militia (PMF) and a residence belonging to its leader on Tuesday, in an escalation of strikes against Tehran’s prized militias.
The latest strikes from the U.S. military follows a statement last week from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said AH-64 helicopters “have been striking against Iranian-aligned militia groups to make sure that we suppress any threat in Iraq against U.S. forces or U.S. interests.”
In what appears to be an Iraqi threat against the U.S., Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement on Tuesday, “In light of the unjustified attacks and grave violations of Iraqi sovereignty, including the targeting of official security headquarters, the Council decided the following: To confront and respond to military attacks carried out by military aircraft and drones targeting the headquarters and formations of the Popular Mobilization Forces Commission and other formations of our armed forces, using available means, in accordance with the right to respond and self-defense.”
US WARNS IRAQ MUST ACT AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIA ATTACKS ON AMERICAN ASSETS
Sudani also said that Iraq’s foreign ministry planned to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires and separately the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday. The PMF is part of Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s government.
An Iraqi Kurdish government official said to Fox News Digital, “So what the Iraqi government will now fight the Americans?”
When asked about the Iraqi Kurdish government official’s comment, a spokesperson for Iraq’s embassy in Washington D.C., told Fox News Digital, “Absolutely not. It is against elements that target them.”
According to the Times of Israel, a fresh airstrike on Wednesday hit the PMF in western Iraq. “Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet” at a base in Anbar province, a security official said. The Anbar base was also reportedly struck by U.S. forces on Tuesday.
The Iraqi embassy spokesman said, responding to additional Fox News Digital press questions, that he lacked the current information to comment regarding the fast-moving developments in Iraq.
The PMF has launched attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Israel and other American assets in the region, especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28. Over the years, the PMF has been accused of killing American military personnel in the Middle East.
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PMF leader Falih al-Fayadh was not present when his residence was hit in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday. At least 15 PMF terrorists were killed in other airstrikes that hit a headquarters of the group in Iraq’s Euphrates valley province of Anbar, according to sources and a statement from the group.
The Kurdish government official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday: “The militias are brazenly doing Iran’s bidding. They’ve attacked U.S. forces and diplomats, Iraq’s own intelligence services, French troops, and the KRG’s Peshmerga [Kurdish Regional Government]. Energy and civilian infrastructure haven’t been spared. This does not require analysis — these groups openly claim responsibility.”
The Kurdish official added: “So why does the Iraqi government continue to pay those it itself describes as terrorists and criminals? There are four principal groups: Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataeb Hezbollah, Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. This government is unwilling to defend its own interests, let alone those of its partners. At this point, the distinction between the PMF and the state is increasingly hard to discern.”
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and an expert on the PMF, told Fox News Digital there was a “sense of delusion” during the Biden administration, which tried to differentiate between the PMF and six of its pro-Iran militia members that are U.S.-designated terrorist entities.
She said the recent strikes clearly “show that the U.S. is tired of this inane distinction,” Tsurkov said. She stressed the “entire PMF structure is a problem.”
Tsurkov, who was held hostage by the pro-Iranian regime, Kataib Hezbollah, for two and half years in Iraq, said, “The U.S. possesses immense leverage over Iraq. The U.S. can sanction certain ministries and certain directors generals.” She added that the U.S. can also sanction Iraqi banks that transfer money to Iran.
Tsurkov said the PMF are highly sensitive to U.S. strikes on their top leadership.
The PMF movement is reeling from the devastating alleged U.S. airstrikes. The dead included its operations commander, Saad al-Baiji. The statement said U.S. forces had targeted a command headquarters in Anbar while personnel were on duty. The security sources said the strikes were hit during a meeting attended by senior commanders.
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A State Department official told Fox News Digital that, “The United States strongly condemns the widespread attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”
The official continued: “As Secretary Rubio has said, the Iraqi government must take all measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States, our Iraqi partners, or the region. Doing so is in Iraq’s interest. Continued attacks by Iran-backed militias undermine Iraq’s stability and risk drawing Iraq into a broader regional conflict.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command referred Fox News Digital to the White House and to the Office of the Secretary of War for comment on the administration’s policy. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment.
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On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning: “Iraq Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks on U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Israel Defense Forces regarding Israel’s role in the ongoing strikes against Iran-backed militias.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Mysterious noise plagues 3 neighboring towns, leaving residents exhausted and shaken
Something is booming across the Hudson River — and it’s leaving some New Jersey residents exhausted and shaken.
People in Edgewater, Fort Lee and Cliffside Park, New Jersey — all towns across the water from Harlem in New York — say they’re often jolted awake by mysterious late-night music blasting from Manhattan, according to local officials.
The heart-pounding noise — which they say can be heard between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekends — reportedly reached a crescendo in February when Edgewater police received hundreds of complaints, according to reports.
MYSTERIOUS HUM RATTLES AMERICAN CITY AS RESIDENTS REPORT SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND RISING FEAR
“The source of the noise was determined to be coming from across the Hudson River, in Harlem, New York,” the Edgewater Police Department told Fox News Digital.
“We contacted the NYPD precinct regarding the noise complaint. In the warmer months, we typically get some complaints when party boats travel past Edgewater on the Hudson River.”
Now there’s a debate raging on social media.
Many residents are emphatic that the noise is coming from a nightclub in Harlem. Others, such as the Edgewater mayor, think party boats could be to blame.
Michael J. McPartland, mayor of Edgewater, told Fox News Digital that Edgewater has had problems with party boats for many years.
“Normally in the summer, boats will do charters or booze cruises with loud music,” McPartland told Fox News Digital.
UNEXPLAINED NIGHTTIME NOISES PROVOKE FEAR, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AS RESIDENTS SEEK ANSWERS
He said that “five, six, seven years ago,” he spoke to the NYPD to rectify the problem. “They usually accommodate us,” he said.
He added that “condos along the river in Edgewater” bear the brunt of the noise.
He said parks in Upper Manhattan can also get loud. “Sometimes they allow late-night parties there,” he said.
When asked if he knew about the most recent complaints, McPartland said he did not.
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Many members of the “Edgewater, NJ and Fort Lee, NJ and Cliffside Park, NJ” Facebook group remain outraged.
They are convinced the music is coming from a restaurant and club in Harlem with an outdoor lounge and a view of the skyline.
Other residents are puzzled by that. The restaurant some have pointed to closed two years ago.
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Some members of the Facebook group said the noise was so loud it felt like it was in their backyard.
Some called it a thumping sound that vibrates. Others said music blasts all night long.
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“Sound will carry more over water than in the woods or over a grass field,” Bennett Brooks, president of Brooks Acoustics Corporation, a company based in Connecticut and Florida, told Fox News Digital.
“However, a moderate wind up or down the river will disrupt the sound,” he added.
Brooks is not convinced the noise is coming from Harlem. In his view, the source could be local.
He said it’s harder to enforce regulations when dealing with two states instead of one.
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New York City’s noise code is designed to balance the city’s nightlife with the needs of residents, according to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Updated in 2007, the rules focus on limiting “excessive and unreasonable” noise that could impact health and safety. Enforcement is handled by the DEP and NYPD.
The guide said background noise in busy areas can make violations harder to assess.
If the noise is coming from Harlem, then “New Jersey and New York would have to reach an agreement,” Brooks said. He said if the source can be identified conclusively, civil legal action could be necessary.
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Specific limits apply to common sources like construction, traffic, animals, air conditioners, food vendors, garbage trucks and amplified music.
For venues that play music, sound cannot exceed 42 decibels inside homes, and between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., it must stay within 7 decibels above the surrounding ambient noise on the street.
“In an urban setting, sound bounces around between buildings, making the true direction difficult to determine,” Brooks said.
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Khanna urges King Charles to meet Epstein victims during Capitol visit
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tells Fox News he wants King Charles to meet with Epstein victims and others when he comes to Capitol Hill next month to deliver a speech before a Joint Meeting of Congress.
British authorities arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew and the brother of King Charles, in connection with an inquiry into the Epstein matter.
Khanna says King Charles could shed light on what the royal family knew about Andrew or Epstein.
KING CHARLES EXPRESSES ‘DEEPEST CONCERN’ AFTER BROTHER ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR’S ARREST
Khanna tells Fox he wants the King to meet with victims, then with him and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. and the House Oversight Committee.
Khanna stressed that he would request Charles to appear. Fox pressed Khanna on whether he would ask that the King be subpoenaed, but Khanna was not ready to go there yet.
One Oversight Committee source tells Fox that this request is “very delicate” and they risk “an international incident” by asking King Charles to meet with the committee.
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