Category Archives: News & Photo Features

Anti-Trump Activism, Climate Action, Climate Change, Energy, Governor Kathy Hochul, News & Photo Features

Governors Demand Immediate Lifting of Stop Work Orders for Offshore Wind Projects

December 26, 2025 krubin

Long Islanders have been campaigning, crusading and protesting for decades to win offshore windpower and end dependency on climate-killing fossil fuels. Now that the projects are well underway – nearing completion – with millions of dollars invested, the trump administration is arbitrarily but viciously attempting to cancel the projects and bolster Big Oil © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Blasts Rationale Given by Trump Administration and Demands Classified Briefing To Review Purported Threats

Governors Scoff at Claim Offshore Wind Farms Interfere with Radar Systems Given Years of Reviews

Governors Warn Federal Action Will Harm Economy and U.S. Energy Independence Efforts

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, and Rhode Island Governor Dan Mckee today sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanding the immediate lifting of stop work orders placed Monday on five offshore wind projects under construction, including Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind in New York.

The Governors in the letter also demand a classified briefing to review the unexplained national security threats used to place the stop work orders.

The letter notes that the targeted projects were approved after undergoing substantial federal reviews and processes, including by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Governors in the letter blast the national security claims and supposed concerns about the impacts offshore wind farms have on radar as pretexts that contradict years of reviews and established practices. They also charge that the Trump Administration is only using the rationale as a “pretexual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition to offshore wind.”

The letter also warns Burgum that by blocking “gigawatts of domestic clean energy, you are effectively throttling the U.S. economy and handing a strategic advantage to foreign rivals who are building power generation as fast as they can. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report — ironically, also released in November — found that in 2024 alone, China added new capacity equivalent to one-third of the entire United States’ power grid, while the U.S. struggles to meet rising energy demands.”

“With this irrational and erratic action, you are not solving a national security crisis; you are creating both a national security and economic disaster. By obstructing domestic power generation, you are inviting grid failure, surrendering the industries of the future, and threatening the economy and national security.”

The paused Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind projects in New York combined threaten more than 2,600 good-paying union jobs. The two projects combined will also generate nearly more than 1,700 megawatts of power, roughly 10 percent of New York City’s electricity needs, meeting the growing demand for energy.

Here is the text of the full letter:

December 24, 2025

The Honorable Doug Burgum,

Secretary

U.S. Department of Interior

Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Burgum:

The undersigned States are in receipt of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (“BOEM”) Orders dated December 2025, purporting to suspend all ongoing activities related to offshore wind project development along our coastlines based on newly asserted “national security concerns” from a so-called “Department of War” assessment.

The States take national security seriously. These projects have already been subject to extensive federal review, including an assessment that expressly addressed national security considerations. Neither the Department of the Interior, BOEM, nor any other federal agency, including the Department of Defense (“DoD”), informed our respective States of any purportedly new risk prior to these suspensions nor did they account for our States’ substantial reliance interests— our States’ economies is dependent on the power that these projects will generate— in these vital projects that already have undergone many federal approvals, including from the DoD. The absence of such notice undermines our ability to plan effectively and violates basic principles of cooperative federalism. The sudden emergence of a new “national security threat” appears to be less a legitimate, rational finding of fact and more a pretextual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition to offshore wind.

We reject this transparent pretext and demand the immediate rescission of these suspensions for the following three reasons:

1. True National Security is Energy Security.

With this irrational and erratic action, you are not solving a national security crisis; you are creating both a national security and economic disaster. By obstructing domestic power generation, you are inviting grid failure, surrendering the industries of the future, and threatening the economy and national security.

The United States is currently in a race for the industries of the future, including onshoring advanced manufacturing, improving the defense industrial base, and maintaining U.S. technology and energy dominance. All consume massive amounts of power. You cannot run a 21st-century economy on a 20th-century grid. By blocking gigawatts of domestic clean energy, you are effectively throttling the U.S. economy and handing a strategic advantage to foreign rivals who are building power generation as fast as they can. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report – ironically, also released in November – found that in 2024 alone, China added new capacity equivalent to one-third of the entire United States’ power grid, while the U.S. struggles to meet rising energy demands.

The Orders directly contradict the President’s purported “Energy Independence” goals. By blocking gigawatts of domestic power generation and killing thousands of jobs, you are forcing reliance on foreign energy markets and volatile supply chains. You cannot claim to be building an energy independent nation while actively dismantling its capacity to generate power.

Independent experts and State officials have documented that our region faces reliability challenges and potential future blackouts without this capacity. A grid that is overly reliant on fossil fuels is a soft target and has higher costs that our residents will be forced to carry. Offshore energy is already providing needed electricity at lower prices to our grid. You cannot claim to protect our nation while knowingly turning off the lights; in effect, these Orders heighten reliability concerns across the East Coast and increase the likelihood of rolling blackouts and will place additional financial burdens on ratepayers.

2. “Classified” Pretexts Contradict Science and Years of Public Vetting.

Administrative actions, such as those you have taken here, cannot be based on undisclosed, secret rationales – especially not when thousands of jobs and vital energy projects are at stake. Yet your letter obliquely alludes to undisclosed “new classified information” regarding “adversary technologies” as the reason for this sudden reversal. We demand an immediate classified briefing for our cleared personnel to review this supposed evidence and all information related to this purported rationale.

It strains credulity to believe that vital, substantial projects that underwent many federal reviews and processes, including by the DoD, all of a sudden present new, existential, unforeseen threats. Erratic, unpredictable, irrational actions like these are no way to govern, let alone plan for power generation capacity decades into the future.

Therefore, in this briefing, we formally request the following specific disclosures:

A clear description of the specific national security risks BOEM and the DoD determined in the purported November 2025 “additional assessment”;
- All information, or a summary thereof, of the information related to those risks;
- Identification of the particular project components, if any, alleged to give rise to those risks;
- An articulation of how the “assessment” applies to these projects in light of previous extensive reviews;
- An explanation of why these risks were not communicated to New York immediately upon their purported “discovery” in November.

You cite a 2024 Department of Energy report to claim that radar mitigation causes “missed targets.” That same report, Mitigating Wind Turbine Radar Interference, concludes that “replacement radar and infill radar solutions enhance degraded radar performance … Infills show less clutter and result in better performance … [and] can serve as a viable mitigation solution.” If “clutter” were a genuine threat, it might also apply to the thousands of oil rigs and other seaborne infrastructure in our coastal waters.

As the report itself notes, for conventional radar, the curvature of the Earth creates a physical radar horizon. You are citing “clutter” from objects that most land-based radars cannot even see because the Earth is round. For long-range over-the-horizon radar systems, the argument is equally flawed, as the report also points out. These systems utilize signal processing algorithms and other techniques to mitigate radar interference. In fact, the current Federal Interagency Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Strategy explicitly calls for “removing radar interference as an impediment to future wind energy development … while preserving U.S. airways, national security, the lives and property of citizens, and sensitive radar systems”.

The Federal Government, including the DoD, reviewed all information for the offshore wind projects years ago. The military had the opportunity to raise concerns and object. They did not, and further certified there was no threat to national security. To claim a threat exists now, after billions of dollars have been invested in these projects and reviews fully completed, is the height of irrationality.

3. You are Disguising Your Delay.

On December 8, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated the federal government’s attempt to arbitrarily halt new offshore wind development. The court explicitly ruled that federal agencies cannot “decline to adjudicate applications altogether… pending the completion of a wide-ranging assessment”.

Your recent Orders are instituting an indefinite delay disguised as a “national security review”. Re-branding the paperwork under the “Department of War” does not cure this defect; it serves only as evidence of pretextual bad faith.

This is a moment for leadership, not obstruction. True national and economic security cannot be achieved by hollowing out our industrial base or leaving our power grid vulnerable to collapse. It requires the courage to build.

We urge you to look beyond bureaucratic games and recognize the real battle being waged: the global race for energy independence, economic dominance, and national security preeminence. Do not be the administration that handed the future to our adversaries by turning off the power at home.

Rescind these suspensions immediately. Let us get back to the work of powering this great nation.

Sincerely,

Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York

Maura Healey

Governor of Massachusetts

Ned Lamont

Governor of Connecticut

Dan McKee

Governor of Rhode Island

cc:

The Honorable Pete Hegseth, Secretary, U.S. Department of Defense

The Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary, U.S. Department of State, Acting National Security Advisor

Mr. Alex Meyer, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

View a Copy of the Letter Here

Anti-Trump Activism, Climate Action, Climate Change, Donald Trump, Energy, Environment, Environmental Protection, News & Photo Features

Governors Fight Back Against Trump’s Latest Attack on Offshore Wind

December 23, 2025 krubin

*Protesting for Climate Action in New York City, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

The Trump administration’s latest attack on clean energy, climate action and energy independence in order to bolster the fossil fuel industry, prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee to issue a joint statement decrying the action (which was already overturned in federal court), and promising to continue to fight the action in court. In addition, Governor Hochul published an op-ed in the Empire Report. These are projects that have been years in development, have gone through all the regulatory and environmental reviews, and have been well underway, nearing completion and would supply millions of households with lower cost energy while addressing the crisis in reducing carbon emissions contributing to climate change, climate disasters and sealevel rise. The relationship between the dependence on oil, wars and imperialism is heightened as Trump with one hand overturns clean energy initiatives and carbon emission standards, while he takes over Venezuelan oil tankers threatens an invasion of Venezuela to take over its oil resources.

Here are their statements: — Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com

Governors Issue Joint Statement on Offshore Wind

“The Trump administration’s announcement yesterday pausing offshore wind leases is its latest egregious attack on clean energy and it lands like a lump of dirty coal for the holiday season for American workers, consumers, and investors. Pausing active leases, especially for completed and nearly completed projects, defies logic, will hurt our bid for energy independence, will drive up costs for America ratepayers, and will make us lose thousands of good-paying jobs. It also threatens grid reliability that is needed to keep the lights on.

“Atlantic states are working hard to build more energy to meet rising demand and lower costs. Already, these projects have created thousands of jobs and injected billions in economic activity into our communities.

“This baseless, reckless and erratic action from the Department of Interior will also inject further uncertainty into the markets, making it harder for states and private companies to secure financing for public works projects if investors know they can be stopped at any time despite having gone through all the necessary local and federal approval processes.

“A federal judge earlier this month ruled the Trump administration cannot simply halt federal approvals of offshore wind permits arbitrarily. We are committed as governors to again fight back to ensure these projects move forward and provide power, jobs, and grid reliability to our communities.”

Governor Kathy Hochul: ‘Killing Jobs Won’t Power America;

Today, Empire Report published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul responding to President Trump’s suspension of offshore wind projects. Text of the op-ed can be viewed online and is available below:

Right in the midst of the holiday season, we learned that President Trump is once again pulling the rug out from under New York workers. Without warning, his administration shut down Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind, along with offshore wind projects in other states. In one reckless move, he put thousands of good-paying jobs and New York’s energy future at risk.

Imagine working hard all year, only to find out that your job is suddenly gone. That is reality for nearly 2,000 New Yorkers who woke up yesterday wondering if they will still have a paycheck. People who did everything right, worked hard, and showed up every day, are now being told their livelihoods do not matter. Not because these projects failed. Not because the permits were flawed. But because the President decided to pull the plug.

The jobs building these wind farms aren’t just good union jobs that keep families afloat — they are also jobs that will create clean energy and keep energy costs down. Just a few months ago, the New York State Independent System Operator warned that unless New York starts generating more power quickly, we could face blackouts as soon as this summer.

That is why New York is aggressively pursuing an all-of-the-above energy approach. We build. We plan. We use every tool available–solar, wind, nuclear, and gas–because keeping the lights on and costs down is not optional.

Empire Wind 1 and Sunrise Wind are central to that effort. Together, these projects are expected to generate enough electricity to power roughly 10 percent of New York City. They strengthen reliability at a time of growing demand. They reduce pressure on energy prices for families already stretched thin. And they anchor a robust offshore wind supply chain, from ports and manufacturers to electricians, ironworkers, and longshoremen who depend on these projects to keep working.

President Trump’s vendetta against wind projects is obsessive and baffling. It is also not new. When President Trump issued a stop work order on Empire Wind 1 earlier this year, I convinced him to lift it. Alongside the Attorney General, I went to court to ensure he could not arbitrarily deny new offshore wind permits. Just as canceling Empire Wind 1 was unacceptable months ago, this new stoppage is unacceptable now.

The President is now hiding behind claims of national security, arguing that projects approved by the Department of Defense and fully permitted at the federal and state level, are suddenly a threat. New Yorkers know the truth. The real threat is not a carefully designed offshore wind project. It is a President undermining America’s ability to produce its own energy.

Mr. President, you and I agree: Energy independence matters. So let us build.

I have saved wind power in New York before. And now, in partnership with the other impacted states, I will do it again. This will not be the year that hardworking New Yorkers lose their paychecks during the holidays because their President turned his back on them. This will be the year that New Yorkers have the jobs they need and the power their economy requires, at a cost they can afford, because I will never stop fighting for New Yorkers.

Governor Kathy Hochul, News & Photo Features

In Defiance of Trump EO, NYS Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Regulating AI

December 20, 2025 krubin

Despite – or because – of trump’s Executive Order neutering state regulation of AI, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the RAISE Act, requiring transparency and reporting by powerful frontier AI model developers for incidents of critical harm, and created a new oversight office within the state’s Department of Financial Services to ensure AI frontier model transparency. © *Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Despite – or because – of trump’s Executive Order neutering state regulation of AI (a giveaway to Musk, Ellison, Bezos and Zuckerberg and his billionaire tech enablers – New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the RAISE Act, requiring transparency and reporting by powerful frontier AI model developers for incidents of critical harm, and created a new oversight office within the state’s Department of Financial Services to ensure AI frontier model transparency.- Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com

Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday, December 19, signed legislation to require AI frameworks for AI frontier models, setting a nation-leading standard for AI transparency and safety. The agreed-upon chapter amendments to the RAISE Act (S6953B/A6453B) requires large AI developers to create and publish information about their safety protocols, and report incidents to the State within 72 hours of determining that an incident occurred. It also creates an oversight office within the Department of Financial Services that will assess large frontier developers and enable greater transparency. The office will issue reports annually.

“By enacting the RAISE Act, New York is once again leading the nation in setting a strong and sensible standard for frontier AI safety, holding the biggest developers accountable for their safety and transparency protocols,”Governor Hochul said.“This law builds on California’s recently adopted framework, creating a unified benchmark among the country’s leading tech states as the federal government lags behind, failing to implement common-sense regulations that protect the public. I thank the leaders and members of both houses of the Legislature, as well as the bill’s sponsors, for their partnership in delivering this responsible, nation-leading approach to AI safety.”

Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than any technology in human history. It is driving groundbreaking scientific advances leading to life-changing medicines, unlocking new creative potential, and automating mundane tasks. At the same time, experts and practitioners in the field readily acknowledge the potential for serious risks.

Under the new law the Attorney General can bring civil actions against large frontier developers for the failure to submit required reporting or making false statements. Penalties are up to $1 million for the first violation and up to $3 million for subsequent violations.

New York State Department of Financial Services Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow said,“DFS has been a leader in developing rules that are facilitating the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence by financial services companies. DFS looks forward to supporting Governor Hochul’s continued efforts to foster innovation and establish standards for the safe development of artificial intelligence models.”

“This is an enormous win for the safety of our communities, the growth of our economy and the future of our society,” State Senator Andrew Gournardes said. “The RAISE Act lays the groundwork for a world where AI innovation makes life better instead of putting it at risk. Big tech oligarchs think it’s fine to put their profits ahead of our safety — we disagree. With this law, we make clear that tech innovation and safety don’t have to be at odds. In New York, we can lead in both.”

“Today is a major victory in what will soon be a national fight to harness the best of AI’s potential and protect Americans from the worst of its harms,” Assemblymember Alex Bores, stated. “New York now has the strongest AI transparency law in the country. This bill moves beyond California’s SB53 in significant ways, and sets the stage for greater disclosure, learning, and legislative action in years to come. In New York, we defeated last-ditch attempts from AI oligarchs to wipe out this bill and, by doing so, raised the floor for what AI safety legislation can look like. And we defeated Trump’s — and his donors’ — attempt to stop RAISE through executive action greenlighting a Wild West for AI.”

The Center for American Progress stated, “On December 11, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence” (AI National Framework EO) that seeks to unlawfully nullify state laws enacted to govern artificial intelligence (AI). It does so by wrongfully arguing that these laws threaten the United States’ global AI dominance and directing the federal government to act against states with “onerous” state AI laws, primarily by challenging them in court and withholding federal funding from those states. This EO calls for an unprecedented, unconstitutional, and dangerous assertion of the federal executive branch into the powers of state and local government.” (See: President Trump’s AI National Policy Executive Order Is an Unambiguous Threat to States Beyond Just AI)

Other states have passed laws regulating AI: California’s law requires the biggest A.I. models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, to test for safety and to disclose the results. South Dakota passed a law banning deep fakes (realistic A.I.-generated videos) in political advertisements within months of an election. Utah, Illinois and Nevada passed laws related to A.I. chatbots and mental health, requiring disclosures that users are engaging with chatbots and adding restrictions on data collection. (See: Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws)

NYS: A Global Leader in Artificial Intelligence

The enactment of the RAISE Act complements New York’s global leadership in AI technology through innovation, collaboration and responsibility. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, she created Empire AI, the state’s trailblazing consortium that is uniting academia, industry and government for the public good. This new law ensures that innovation continues to thrive while safeguarding against potential harms, and reinforces New York’s position as a global hub for ethical AI development.

Anti-Trump Activism, Military, Military Issues, News & Photo Features

Veterans, Supporters Urge Military to Defy Illegal, Immoral Orders of Would-Be Authoritarian

November 12, 2025 krubin

*Vets Say No War on Our Cities © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com

As New York City’s Veterans Day Parade wound up uptown, a protest by and for veterans and military got underway at City Hall Park downtown, calling for military who oppose the illegal, immoral orders to abuse civilians in their communities without due process, and to blow up boats in international waters as a pretext to start a war in Latin America, being handed down from the defacto commander in chief, Trump, and Defense Secretary (who likes to call himself the Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth.

*No Cuts. No ICE, No Occupation © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

For many at the gathering, the daily headlines brought up the war crimes they saw in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Others related how they signed up in order to afford college and healthcare and to protect communities, and soon found they were being used by corporate elites and billionaires to further their own interest, and Trump who is using well-armed forces and a private militia to further his own authoritarian ambitions by quelling any civic protest.

*No Troops in Our Cities © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

They called for “no troops in our cities” and “no cuts so veterans or social services.”

The gathering was one of about 90 around the country.

Noting the long tradition (even the constitutional obligation) to not obey illegal or immoral order, they pointed to various organizations that are ready to help soldiers defend themselves.

“If you resist or refuse to follow an illegal or immoral order, there is a community who will defend you,” declared Rebecca Roberts, who spent 12 years in the New Jersey Air and National Guard.

Among them: May Day Strong (maydaystrong.org), About Face Veterans Against the War (which works to dismantle the military-industrial complex and resist fascism); Task Force Butler (which monitors and disrupts extremist groups through intelligence gathering and law enforcement collaboration, www.taskforcebutler.org), Veterans Fighting Fascism (www.veteransfightingfascism.org) and Common Defense (a political organization that mobilizes veterans and their families to fight against authoritarianism).

Bill Rittenhouse, Vietnam veteran, recalling horrors he endured, joins New York City protest against illegal, immoral actions of military under Trump and Hegseth © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

But they also called on their state and local electeds from Governor Kathy Hochul on down to the newly (historic) elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani to protect communities against Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional occupation, and his illegal, unconstitutional cuts to services.

Instead of spending billions on bombs and drones, on a militia to brutalize civilians in their communities and perpetuate wars and instigate new ones in order to advance authoritarian ambitions, the government of the richest country in the world should be spending on providing health care, public education and housing.

*Rebecca Roberts: For those military who are grappling with “moral injury” at being asked to obey an illegal or immoral order, there is support © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Rebecca Roberts, a 12-year veteran of New Jersey’s Air and National Guard, related that when she enlisted at the age of 17– to pay for college and to give back to the country that took in her grandmother from Cuba and gave her freedom and democracy – “I thought I was fighting for freedom and justice,” but found she was furthering the interests of corporate elites, and instead of protecting refugees in a camp in Africa, was protecting the bombs at an air base used on civilians. When she returned to the US in 2020, during the George Floyd protests, she saw the administration use those same tactics against its own cities and communities. And now, the Trump administration is turning the same forces against our own cities and communities.

“Many are now grappling with the same dilemma of being sent to communities, attacking civilians who they are supposed to protect, facing that same ‘moral injury’. The same politicians on thanking us on Veterans Day are cutting vital services for veterans, wasting billions to start a war in Venezuela based on lies and waging war on communities. Soldiers have no place on our streets. ICE has no right tearing families apart.”

Tom Teppin:“Trump is using the military for his own authoritarian ambitions…If you resist, refuse to follow illegal, immoral order, there is a community who will defend you” © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Tom Teppin, of About Face, Veterans Against War, related how he was sent to Bagram air base in Afghanistan and was told to “Be prepared to kill them all,” – referring to the locals who were assisting the Americans. “I saw them drop bombs on civilians. I saw the systemic disregard for civilians. The US military is feared around the world – they advance the interest of politicians and cronies.

“Trump is using the military for his own authoritarian ambitions…If you resist, refuse to follow illegal, immoral order, there is a community who will defend you.”

He said that Trump wants to send the National Guard to NYC because he doesn’t like who was elected mayor. “We need state leaders to protect the rights of National Guard when they refuse orders. Trump wants to call protest civil unrest, and will disappear people for opposing genocide. We have a real threat of fascism.”

*Faria Aktar: “Fund what we care about, what cities need. In the richest country, there is no reason to have homelessness, to have hunger.”*

Instead of spending billions on mass deportations and extrajudicial murder, “Fund what we care about, what cities need,” said Faria Aktar. “In the richest country, there is no reason to have homelessness, to have hunger. Defend immigrants and working class against the twin threats of deportation and displacement. This city is on front line of defense.”

*Joe Termic: “This Veterans Day, don’t stand with the flag stand with the people. Defend life, not the empire.”*

Joe Termic declared, “This Veterans Day, don’t stand with the flag stand with the people. Defend life, not the empire. Instead of spending billions on war and prisons, spend on schools, homes. Our strength is our solidarity. Organize and protect each other. We call on New York officials to stand with people or step aside.”

*Tax $ for our communities, not for ICE © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

______________________________

© 2025 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles,Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com,email editor@news-photos-features.com.Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures

Military, Military Issues, News & Photo Features

NYC Veterans Day Parade Celebrates 250th Anniversary of America’s Military

November 12, 2025 krubin

*The 2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade paid homage to 250 years of America’s military © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com

The annual New York City Veterans Day Parade was a reminder that even before the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain, there were those who were fighting for independence. Floats and banners paid homage to the 1775-2025 legacy as onlookers cheered and shouted their support for all those who served. The 106th annual parade, hosted by the United War Veterans Council, the largest Veterans Day Parade in the country, celebrated the 250^th anniversary of the U.S. military, with grand marshals representing the Army, Marine Corps and Navy.

*Vietnam Veterans at the 2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Produced by the UWVC, the Parade included some 300 marching and vehicle units, 20,000 participants from across America representing every service branch of the military and every era since the earliest founding, as thousands of well wishers, veterans among them, who lined the route from 23^rd to 47^th street on Fifth Avenue cheered them on.

To mark the 250th Anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy, former SSG and Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Romesha, Marine veteran and homeless veterans’ advocate Stephen Peck, and NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain Sunita “Suni” Williams will lead this year’s parade as Grand Marshals.

“With more than a decade of Army service and another decade providing support to returning veterans, I have devoted myself to defending the nation, standing up for our rights and values, and uplifting men and women who serve,” said former Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, Medal of Honor recipient and spokesperson for American Warrior Partnership.I am incredibly grateful to lead this year’s NYC Veterans Day Parade as a Grand Marshal, especially for the 250-year anniversary of the U.S. Army, and march alongside thousands of other brave servicemembers.”

*Stephen Peck, a former Marine, is one of the Grand Marshals for the 2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

“It is a tremendous honor to serve as a Grand Marshal for the NYC Veterans Day parade and take part in the long tradition of commemorating service, remembering the incredible debt we owe those who have served our nation and appreciating the challenges many of them face long after service has ended,” said Stephen Peck, a former Marine Corps officer who served in the Vietnam War and now retired president and CEO of U.S.VETS, the largest nonprofit providing supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. “I join my fellow honorees in expressing our gratitude and recognizing that the freedoms we enjoy today have come at a cost borne by those who have bravely defended this nation. In celebration of Veterans Day, let’s recommit ourselves to supporting veterans in tangible ways not just today but every day, whether through hiring veterans, giving to organizations that help veterans or simply saying ‘thank you for your service.'”

*2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

“I look forward to honoring the service and sacrifices of our brave veterans alongside my fellow Grand Marshals at this year’s Parade,” said Sunita L. Williams, NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy veteran. “I truly understand the sacrifices that veterans and their families make every day to protect our rights, freedoms, and way of life as Americans. I am grateful for the chance to help recognize their enormous contributions as one of this year’s Grand Marshals.”

The parade was established in 1919 following the armistice agreement that was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918, that ended hostilities during WWI.

Here are highlights:

Onlookers cheer the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Onlookers cheer *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Veterans among the onlookers cheering at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Korean American Vietnam Veterans. at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

ROK Marines at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

U.S. Sanitary Commission. *The 2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade paid homage to 250 years of America’s military © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Honoring WWII veterans at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Restore VA Funds! *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

American Legion 9-11 Memorial Post 2001: Never Forget. *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Promoting suicide prevention among veterans at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Black Veterans for Social Justice at *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

British Bobbies join American veterans at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

All-City High School Marching Band, New York City at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Marching band from Westbury, NY at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

*North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) marches in the NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

Ecuadorian War Veterans at *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

ROC marches at the *2025 NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

*Vote! NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

*Native Americans join the NYC Veterans Day Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com*

The United War Veterans Council, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that honors and serves veterans. The UWVC supports and promotes a wide range of initiatives that provide vital services to our veterans community (including health, wellness and education); raises positive awareness and increases public understanding of the needs of our veterans community through major public events and promotional activities; and brings together veterans groups, community organizations, government agencies, businesses of all sizes and the general public. For more information, visit uwvc.org

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Culture & Lifestyle, News & Photo Features

NYC’s 2025 Village Halloween Parade Showcases City Harvest as Grand Marshal and ‘It’s a Potluck’ Theme – Photo Highlights

November 1, 2025 krubin

What has become “the nation’s most wildly creative public participatory event in the greatest city in the world!” the Village Halloween Parade features more than 50,000 costumed participants, towering puppets, electrifying performers, and 50 bands © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

City Harvest, an unconventional choice to be Grand Marshal of New York City’s 2025 Village Halloween Parade, themed, “It’s a Potluck,” proved prescient, for within hours of the 50,000 marchers, performers, puppeteers and bands marching up Sixth Avenue under the delighted gaze of a million onlookers, the Trump Administration was set to cut SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans, including three million New Yorkers (14% of the state’s population – talk about trick or treat!).

The theme for the 2025 Village Halloween Parade was “It’s a Potluck!” and the Grand Marshal, City Harvest, was represented by famed restaurateur and philanthropist Simon Kim © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For over 50 years, the Village Halloween Parade has transformed the streets of New York City into a spellbinding spectacle of creativity, self-expression, and community spirit. Each year, a unique theme shapes the identity of the parade and reflects the cultural moment in time.

This year’s theme was “It’s a Potluck!” and, in a considerable break with past practice, the Grand Marshal was City Harvest instead of a single person, in the incarnation of famed restaurateur and philanthropist Simon Kim.

*Lots of audience engagement at the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“We recognize and celebrate the extraordinary work of this organization that feeds New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity every single day,” writes Jeanne Fleming, the parade’s Artistic and Producing Director, announcing this year’s grand marshal. “City Harvest is committed to being there – rescuing fresh produce and delivering it for free to New Yorkers across the five boroughs.”

“City Harvest feeds the BODY and the SPIRIT, bringing a literal Feast every day to New York City, just as the Parade feeds its imagination on Halloween!”

*The theme for the 2025 Village Halloween Parade was “It’s a Potluck!” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

“Right now, food insecurity in New York City is at the highest level on record,” commented Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest. “City Harvest is committed to making sure that every one of our neighbors has access to the high-quality, nutritious food they need to thrive. Together, we will feed our city—one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time.”

And while there was the usual smattering of costumes with a political message, the overwhelming majority of people reveled in the escapism and fantasy that Halloween affords, and the sheer joy of blood, gore, horror and fairytales. (In New York City, it is often hard to tell who is actually wearing a costume.)

*The ever-popular thrillernyc zombies © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

The joy and delight was there, as always, along with the traditional skeleton puppets that creep into the crowds, and the perennial favorite, ThrillerNYC flash dancing zombies.

*The Village Halloween Parade perennial favorite thrillernyc flash dancing zombies © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

It seemed the crowds watching the parade and roaming the city’s avenues were in some of the greatest numbers, with people needing a respite from the true horror of news headlines and the hunger for a shared communal experience. New York City had just experienced a history-making march – 350,000 turning out – so no doubt many were practiced in humongous gatherings and even had the costumes.

The Village Halloween Parade has become “the nation’s most wildly creative public participatory event in the greatest city in the world!” Artistic Director Jeanne Flemming enthuses.

With participation in the parade open to anyone in a costume, each year some 50,000-60,000 join the march from Canal Street up Sixth Avenue to 15^th Street. Crowds line the route 10 -20 deep, (A VIP ticket for special seating is available; and parade marchers can also skip the line with a VIP ticket; ticket holders are automatically admitted to The Vampire Ball, the official after party, at House of Yes).

Started in 1973 by Greenwich Village mask maker and puppeteer Ralph Lee, the Parade began as a walk from house to house in his neighborhood for his children and their friends. After the second year of this local promenade, Theater for the New City stepped in and produced the event on a larger scale as part of their City in the Streets program. Today the Parade is the largest celebration of its kind in the world and has been picked by Festivals International as “The Best Event in the World” for October 31.

In 1994, the Mayor of the City of New York issued a Proclamation honoring the Village Halloween Parade for 20 years of bringing everyone in the City together in a joyful and creative way and being a boon to the economic life of the City. “New York is the world’s capital of creativity and entertainment. The Village Halloween Parade presents the single greatest opportunity for all New Yorkers to exhibit their creativity in an event that is one-of-a-kind, unique and memorable every year. New Yorkers of all ages love Halloween, and this delightful event enables them to enjoy it every year and join in with their own special contributions. The Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village is a true cultural treasure.”

Here are more photo highlights:

*The towering skeleton puppets are a signature feature of the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*The Village Halloween Parade is famous for its giant puppets © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*The Village Halloween Parade features more than 50,000 costumed participants © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*A smattering of political statements amid the escapism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Sending a message to Governor Hochul: no pipelines © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Some 50,000 costumed participants join the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*One of the 50 bands marching in the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Tail Shakers, one of dozens of performers, at the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*One of the many floats in the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*A Wild Thing at the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Fogo Azul Drum Band at the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Village Halloween Parade pays homage to the Day of the Dead© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

*Exuberance at the Village Halloween Parade © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

New York’s Village Halloween Parade, www.halloween-nyc.com

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© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_feature

Democracy, News & Photo Features

Freedom Fighters from Around the World Meet in Berlin Nov. 10 to Address Worldwide Rise of Autocracy, Dictatorship; Public Invited

October 31, 2025 krubin

Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. The first-ever Berlin Freedom Conference is being held November 10, 2025 to address the rise of dictatorship and autocracy around the world. Have pluralism, freedom and democracy had their day? Tickets are available to attend. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Berlin – Freedom is in retreat worldwide. Have pluralism, freedom and democracy had their day? What role do economics, technology and the media play? How do we defend freedom? Berlin, a city that stands for freedom and the overcoming of dictatorship like no other, is hosting the Berlin Freedom Conference, 10 November 2025, Gasometer (EUREF Campus) to address these difficult issues.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are available from 19 euros.

The more than 60 international speakers include Masih Alinejad (Iranian women’s rights activist and president of the World Liberty Congress), Garry Kasparov (world chess champion, Chairperson of the Renew Democracy Foundation and outspoken critic of Putin), Leopoldo López (Venezuelan opposition leader and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress), Oleksandra Matviichuk and María Corina Machado (both Nobel Peace Prize laureates, with Machado joining virtually), the legitimate President of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia and Audrey Tang (Taiwan’s digital ambassador), winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize.

German politicians participating include Bundestag President Julia Klöckner and Education Minister Karin Prien. The patron is the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner. Evelyn Zupke (former civil rights activist and SED victims’ commissioner at the German Bundestag) will open the conference by drawing parallels between today’s struggle for freedom and democracy and Berlin’s historical legacy, the peaceful revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. For 1989 showed that democratic change is possible and walls can come down – even those of today.

Important voices for freedom and democracy

Other international guests at the Berlin Freedom Conference include Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther (Director of the German Economic Institute), Larry Diamond (Professor at Stanford University) and Annie Boyajian (President of Freedom House). Lithuanian politician Mantas Adomėnas represents the Community of Democracies as its Secretary General.

International human rights lawyers Brandon Silver and Irwin Cotler (former Minister of Justice of Canada) will speak about supporting political prisoners.

The role of business and global cooperation will be discussed by Mariana Oleskiv (European Affairs Advisor to the World Travel and Tourism Council), Franziska Giffey (Berlin Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises) and Ulrich Reuter (President of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association), among others.

Speaking in defence are Ben Hodges (former Commanding General of the US Army in Europe), Damon Wilson (President of the National Endowment for Democracy) and Major Philipp Wolf (German-French Corps).

Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s cyber ambassador, first minister for digital affairs and winner of the alternative Nobel Prize, the Right Livelihood Award, and Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko of the Ukrainian Army will speak about the connection between freedom and technology, media and artificial intelligence. Other guests include Ahmad Ahmadian (President of Holistic Resilience) and Hannah Neumann (Member of the European Parliament).

The significance of art for freedom is discussed by Chinese exile artist Badiucao and American journalist and author Melissa Chan.

A stage for 5-minute ideas: courage meets practice

Another special feature of the Berlin Freedom Conference programme is the “Ignite Talks” format: on stage, personalities from various fields present their “Freedom Ideas” – new perspectives, initiatives and practical solutions – in five-minute, concise short presentations. The format underlines the conference’s claim to not only discuss freedom, but to actively shape it.

Berlin as a stage for freedom

The Berlin Freedom Conference is part of Berlin Freedom Week, which begins on 8 November and features more than 130 events at over 80 locations throughout the city, bringing freedom to life in both the past and the present. The initiative stems from the World Liberty Congress, whose two-day general assembly will take place on 8 and 9 November in Berlin’s House of Representatives. Around 200 dissidents and democracy activists from over 50 autocratically ruled countries will gather there. In doing so, the city is sending a strong signal to the world: those who are oppressed and persecuted elsewhere will find a parliament in Berlin.

Initiators, media partners and sponsors

The patron of the Berlin Freedom Conference is Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner. The Berlin Freedom Conference is a joint initiative of visitBerlin, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation and the World Liberty Congress, the largest global democracy alliance with more than 200 dissidents from over 50 autocratically ruled countries around the world.

The Berlin Freedom Conference is sponsored by the LOTTO Foundation Berlin, with Airbnb and Berliner Sparkasse as sponsoring partners. The media partners are Die Zeit, Politico, radio3, Tagesspiegel, Wall GmbH and Welt. Details and the programme can be found at berlin-freedom-conference.com and berlin-freedom-week.com; Instagram: @berlinfreedomconference and @berlinfreedomweek.

Berlin Freedom Conference
The Berlin Freedom Conference will take place for the first time on 10 November 2025 at the Gasometer Schöneberg. It will bring together leading voices from politics, business, civil society, culture, and the media to launch new democratic alliances and powerfully advance the global commitment to freedom and democracy. More information and tickets at berlin-freedom-conference.com.

Berlin Freedom Week

Berlin Freedom Week (8–15 November 2025) is a new event week that focuses on the idea of freedom. With a diverse programme of conferences, art, culture and public dialogue, it aims to inspire Berliners and international guests and promote exchange on the importance of democratic values in today’s world. berlin-freedom-week.com and visitBerlin.de/de/berlin-freedom-week

World Liberty Congress

The World Liberty Congress is the largest global democracy alliance, with more than 200 dissidents from more than 50 autocratically ruled countries around the world. It will take place on 8 and 9 November in the Berlin House of Representatives. Its goal is to support the fight for freedom in autocratic regimes, promote international solidarity and develop a common strategy for the advancement of democracy. worldlibertycongress.org

Axel Springer Freedom Foundation

The Axel Springer Freedom Foundation is a non-profit organisation that supports human rights defenders from countries where freedom is restricted. Defending freedom and democracy and showing solidarity with those who live and suffer under authoritarian rule were always guiding principles for our company founder Axel Springer, and the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation is continuing his legacy with renewed determination. Supported by a strong advisory board of experienced human rights defenders, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation organises events, installations and publications. It also collects donations to directly support the work of dissidents and their organisations. freedom.axelspringer.com

visitBerlin
“Inspiring the world for Berlin.” With this mission, Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH promotes Berlin’s destination management as well as the city’s tourism and congress marketing. Under the visitBerlin brand, the company is a partner, actor, source of creative ideas, and networker. Its remit is focused on sustainable product development and marketing city-compatible tourism services in all twelve Berlin boroughs with the aim of maintaining the life quality of local residents and harmoniously increasing experience value for visitors. As a tour operator, visitBerlin also issues the Berlin WelcomeCard, the city’s official tourist ticket. The company also operates the Berlin Tourist Info Centres and the Berlin Service Center advice line on +49-30-25 00 25. On visitBerlin.de, Berlin’s official tourism website, visitors can find all the information they need on every aspect of their trip to the city. Find out more about visitBerlin on about.visitBerlin.de

Anti-Trump Activism, Health Care, News & Photo Features, Womens Rights,, Freedom

New Lawsuit Demands Transparency in Trump-Vance Administration’s Efforts to Restrict Access to Critical Reproductive Health Care

October 30, 2025 krubin

“Hands Off” NYC March, April 25, 2025: Americans want reproductive rights; women want the freedom to access reproductive healthcare. Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Washington, D.C. – Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care. The lawsuit follows a series of requests for public information that remain unlawfully unfulfilled. Reproductive Freedom for All is represented by Democracy Forward in the matter.

The filing responds to increasing evidence that the administration is working behind closed doors to restrict access to medication abortion and undermine emergency health care protections for pregnant patients. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demanded records related to political interference, agency leadership communications, and coordination with extreme anti-abortion groups.

“All evidence to date indicates that – as we feared – the Trump-Vance administration is working to undermine access to vital reproductive health care, even in circumstances in which a mother’s life is in danger,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The administration’s far-reaching new policies threaten public health, and yet so little is known about how they were formulated because they are hiding without accountability. The public has a right to know how these efforts to impose dangerous and politically motivated restrictions on reproductive health care are being implemented.”

“The Trump-Vance administration is using the FDA to push a backdoor abortion ban, and they don’t want Americans to know about it. They’re quietly working with anti-abortion extremists to undermine access to medication abortion and strip hospitals of their duty to provide lifesaving emergency abortion care,” said Mini Timmaraju, CEO and President of Reproductive Freedom for All. “We’re demanding answers because the American people deserve to know the truth.”

Reports indicate that the administration is considering a politically driven review of long-approved abortion medications and has rescinded CMS guidance clarifying hospitals’ obligations to provide emergency care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act a federal law that requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to anyone experiencing a medical emergency, even if this includes abortion care when necessary to save the patient’s life or prevent serious harm.

The FOIA requests seek communications from key political appointees, such as FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, regarding mifepristone, emergency care for pregnant patients, and interactions with outside groups like the National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and others.

(In a related development, Costco has is refusing to sell or stock the mifepristone abortion pill.)

Though receipt of the FOIA requests was acknowledged by the agencies, they have not produced the requested documents in the time required by law. The lawsuit filed today asks for a court to help ensure that the public can hold health agency officials accountable for decisions that could limit access to abortion and life-saving emergency care.

The legal team working on the matter for Democracy Forward includes Daniel McGrath, Anisha N. Hindocha, and Robin Thurston.

Read the complaint here and the original FOIA requests here and here.

Elections, GOP Watch, News & Photo Features

Nassau Good Government Group Calls Out Blakeman for Campaign Lies Triggering Rape Victims’ Trauma

October 21, 2025 krubin

jody Kass, founder of Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG); Claudia Borecky,South Shore Women’s Alliance; Janet Goldstein, Moms Demand Action; Ronni Levine, Planned Parenthood; and Lisa Saltzman, Criminal Defense Attorney speak out against County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s false attacks on opponent, Democrat Seth Koslow, and speak up for protecting women and families from violence and abuse © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com

The question is whether Nassau County residents will let Bruce Blakeman, seeking reelection as County Executive, get away with his malicious lies that exploit and traumatize rape victims, while at the same time, hiding his accountability for shutting down the one safe haven for victims of rape, domestic violence and abuse available to them.

Republicans from the highest office (Trump) down to the lowest local politician have made lying the key weapon in well-funded campaigns. This is the latest and most egregious.

Using a law review article written by his opponent, Nassau Legislator Seth Koslow, as a law student (when they are being taught to defend both sides of a legal case), Blakeman accuses Koslow in his campaign flyers and commercials of being “an extremist” who supports rapists instead of their victims and won’t keep women safe. (Koslow went on to become a Queens prosecutor prosecuting family law cases.)

The mailers have triggered trauma of survivors of rape and domestic violence even decades after.

Yet it is months since Blakeman’s withdrew funding for the Safe Center (formerly the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Child Abuse), which provided the only safe haven for victims of domestic abuse in a county of 1.4 million people, forcing the service to close. At the time, Blakeman claimed to have another vendor (or the Nassau University Medical Center which was embroiled in financial scandal) to operate the shelter. But no new operator was contracted and without funding, the shelter was forced to close.

In 2023, the last year for which statistics were publicly available, Nassau County had 4,410 victims of domestic violence, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Service, Newsday reported

Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG) holds rally on the steps of the County Executive Building demanding Bruce Blakeman stop fear-mongering that triggers rape victims’ trauma and run on his record that includes shutting down the county’s only shelter for abused women © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Blakeman acknowledges in the mailers’ fine print that the damning accusations he levels against his opponent, Democrat Seth Koslow, are based on a law review article written while he in law school, where students are taught to defend both sides of a legal case.

“Americans are sick of politicians’ lies and distortions,” declared Jody Kass, founder of Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG), at a rally on the steps of the County Executive Building. “The insensitive, graphic mailers are triggering rape victims.”

She accused Blakeman of misogyny in trying to score political points by exploiting victims, while trying to hide away from his own actions which put women at risk of rape, abuse, even death.

“Blakeman’s disgraceful campaign lies are compounded by his actions that resulted in the shutting down of the Safe Center, Nassau’s only agency for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, earlier this year. And, his 2026 budget has zero funding for the Safe Center. Are Blakeman’s lies about his opponent intended to keep voters’ eyes off his own record of cutting services for rape victims, and victims of domestic violence? Voters demand transparency and honesty, not performative outrage coupled with a failure to act.”

Ronni Levine of Planned Parenthood describes the impact of shutting down the Safe Center, Nassau County’s only agency for domestic violence and sexual assault victims © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Ronni Levine of Planned Parenthood Greater New York, who had worked with countless individuals seeking counseling and safety, said New Yorkers want to elect local and state representatives who are committed to protecting reproductive rights. But certain politicians are going after abortion rights, contraception and gender affirming care, cutting off grants that are creating unprecedented financial challenges, harming the ability to access care, and pushing policies that threaten bodily autonomy.

Planned Parenthood NY PAC, which endorses candidates that support reproductive freedom and health care, endorsed Koslow.

Blakeman also opposed Governor Kathy Hochul’s effort to restore gun safety legislation after the Supreme Court overturned the state’s century-old gun control regulations. At the time, Blakeman cheered the ruling, declared he wanted to expedite licensing and enable people to bring their guns into their synagogue.

Janet Goldstein of the Moms Demand Action’s Long Island group, said that gun violence is a women’s issue.

She referred to Everytown research showing that abusers with firearms are five times more likely to kill their female victims, and guns further exacerbate the power and control dynamic commonly used by abusers to inflict emotional abuse and exert coercive control over their victims. Every month, more than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. Nearly 6 million women reported having a gun used on them by an intimate partner. In 46 percent of mass shootings between 2015 and 2022, the perpetrator shot a current or former intimate partner or family member as part of the rampage. The ripple effects of firearms in the hands of an abuser extend far beyond the intimate relationship—affecting children who witness or live with it and the family members, coworkers, and law enforcement officers who respond to it.

*Janet Goldstein of Moms Demand Action*: “Guns don’t just escalate the abuse, they make domestic abuse more likely to end in death. We need to fight for stronger laws. Instead of keeping people safe, Blakeman is exploiting the pain and trauma of domestic violence for political gain.” © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“Guns don’t just escalate the abuse, they make domestic abuse more likely to end in death,” Goldstein said. “The trauma of domestic abuse lasts a lifetime. We need to fight for stronger laws. Instead of keeping people safe, Blakeman is exploiting the pain and trauma of domestic violence for political gain.”

A young woman recalled her own trauma of having been raped in Central Park when she was 14 years old. “It is still hard to say ‘rape,’ ‘sexual assault takes away some of the sting, but rape is true violence.” She said she was re-traumatized by Blakeman’s flyers coming into her mailbox and his commercials.

“Leaders are supposed to look out for all of us. We had a place where we could go for counseling, it even had a safe house. When I was raped, I didn’t have a safe center to go to – I was alone at a public health clinic in Jamaica Queens. I was re-traumatized by the mailings. I am tired of women and girls made to feel ‘less than’, exploited and victimized. We deserve more from our leaders.”

Lisa Saltzman, a criminal defense attorney who has represented “too many” victims, said the Safe Center was the “gold standard” to refer for services and safety. “Many survivors have to leave behind their home, their income, sometimes even their children. The Safe Center was a lifeline to regain their freedom and dignity, where they could get counseling, housing, employment, without living in fear of being raped, abused, even killed.”

“When the county supported the center, it was saying ‘You deserve to be safe, heard, free of violence at the hand of your abuser.’ By closing the center, Blakeman is saying, ‘No you don’t.’ Blakeman doesn’t care about women in Nassau County at risk of rape or being killed by their abuser,” Saltzman said.

Jody Kass, founder of Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG), and criminal defense attorney Lisa Saltzmanhold up a sampling of Bruce Blakeman’s campaign mailings that accuse his opponent, Democrat Seth Koslow of protecting rapists instead of their victims © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“Stop lying and accusing your political opponent of not protecting women when that is what he is doing.” These lies are offensive and should be illegal.

Kass has been tracking and exposing Blakeman’s lies on the “Deceived Nation” website (DeceivedNation.com). “Blakeman’s lies cause damage, pain and suffering every day.”

But she said there is a through-line from Blakeman’s lies to George Santos, who committed fraud and lied his way to a Congressional seat in New York’s 3^rd District. Kass’ group, Concerned Citizens of NY03, was largely responsible for Santos ultimately being expelled from Congress, though Republicans held on to him as long as possible because he provided a critical vote. Santos was indicted, prosecuted, and finally sentenced (after pleading guilty) to 7 ¼ years, but Trump has just commuted his sentence (and his obligation to pay his victims $350,000 in restitution) after just 84 days in a cushy prison.

“It didn’t stop with Santos!” NRGG accuses Republicans of making lying a key weapon in their political arsenal and have attempted to fight back by expousing the lies on DeceivedNation.com © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“In Trump’s MAGA Republican party, lying is good, is encouraged, applauded and rewarded. Santos lied and was rewarded with a seat in Congress. Caught lying, the GOP kept him.”

“Blakeman also has serious challenges with the truth,” Kass said.”He’s served as County Executive for nearly four years, having campaigned on fixing the County’s broken tax assessment system, cutting $100 million in taxes, opposing the red light camera fees and protecting our constitutional rights, particularly on healthcare decisions, among other objectives,” Kass declared.

“Blakeman has cut services for women and brought nasty, partisan, misogynistic lies to Nassau, but has he achieved any of his campaign promises? Blakeman owes voters an honest and transparent report on his accomplishments. Instead of violating voters’ mailboxes nearly every day with his litany of dark and dishonest accusations and distortions about his opponent, it’s time for Blakeman to start explaining what he’s accomplished these last four years.

“Blakeman is lying to get reelected. He is the one taking away women’s protection.”

The Safe Center LI, main nonprofit for Nassau domestic violence victims, may close without successor, director says

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Governor Kathy Hochul, Health Care, News & Photo Features, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul, Obamacare

Hochul Slams Washington Republicans for Spiking Healthcare Costs for New Yorkers

October 21, 2025 krubin

Costs Rise nearly 40% for 140,000 New Yorkers

Impacted New Yorkers Are Now Receiving Notices About Rising Premiums

Skyrocketing Costs for New Yorkers Who Rely on Affordable Care Act Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Average Annual Increase of Nearly $1,400 for Individuals and $3,000 for Couples

Governor Kathy Hochul at Northwell Health, Long Island. The governor slammed Washington Republicans for sending health care costs skyrocketing for 140,000 New Yorkers. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Governor Kathy Hochul today slammed Washington Republicans for sending health care costs skyrocketing for 140,000 New Yorkers. As the GOP refuses to extend the existing enhanced premium tax credits, New Yorkers who rely on the ACA subsidies for affordable, quality coverage are now being notified that their health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 38 percent next year – an average annual increase of nearly $1,400 for individuals and $3,000 for couples. This news comes as New Yorkers are preparing for open enrollment, set to begin November 1.

“Republicans in Washington have made it clear – they don’t care about New Yorkers’ health care,” Governor Hochul said. “It’s shameful. By refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, they are turning their backs on their constituents and ripping away access to affordable, quality health care. Republicans in Congress need to do the right thing and extend these credits that make health insurance for New Yorkers more affordable.”

Given the magnitude of federal funding reductions enacted under H.R.1, which are now compounded by the GOP shutdown and the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, no single state, including New York, will be able to provide funding to offset these losses.

The Governor is calling for Congressional Republicans to make the right choice and extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that help make insurance more affordable for New Yorkers.

Regional Breakdown of Increased Monthly Health Care Costs:

Region	Average Monthly Cost Increase For a Couple ($)	Average Monthly Cost Increase For a Couple (%)
New York City	$211	38%
Mid-Hudson	$206	31%
Long Island	$219	32%
Capital Region	$231	33%
Western New York	$267	38%
Central New York	$256	43%
Finger Lakes	$248	42%
Mohawk Valley	$270	49%
Southern Tier	$265	48%
North Country	$253	44%
Statewide	$228	38%

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said,“I thank Governor Hochul for standing up for New Yorkers who rely on the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits to keep their health care costs affordable. These are hardworking everyday people who deserve affordable health insurance. The start of the open enrollment period is fast approaching and without immediate action at the federal level, the threat of increased premiums is quickly becoming a reality. Allowing these enhanced premium tax credits to expire will be devastating for hardworking New Yorkers who will be forced to choose between paying for food, rent or paying for the health care they need to survive.”