Gonzales Rojas & A Queens Tale: How the Rich get Richer

Did Billionaire Cohen Place a Bet or a Buy on an NYS Senate Seat?

Thousands in Cohen-Affiliated Donations Flood Gonzales Rojas' Campaign in the Final Stretch of the Campaign, Followed by a Mysterious $850,000 PAC Donation

We Choose Jessica Ramos - but Read Below and Decide for Yourself

June 20, 2026 / Queens Politics & Government / Queens News NYC / NYS Election 2026 Queens NYC / Queens Buzz NYC / News Analysis & Opinion.

The Back Drop is an Out-of-Control System, Facilitated by the Supreme Court's Failed Decision, which Enables Billionaire Purchases of the Electorate, via Disinformative TV News Ads & a Media that No Longer Serves the Public

All too slowly, voters are waking up, to how their representatives, and thus government, are being purchased right in front of their eyes.

The biggest part of the problem, I have decided, is the corrupt billionaire-owned, network TV News, which is now controlled by about six billionaires, who have little competition in the TV News space. How this happened, beginning circa the 1980's, when billionaire Rupert Murdoch of Fox News started purchasing mass media outlets on our shores, is another story, for which there's not enough time between now and election day, Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

So for the moment, let's focus in on something we can take some positive action upon. And that is to vote for those candidates who will represent us when making decisions in Albany or Washington, D.C. One of the most important of these races, has been laid before the people of NYS Senate District 13, where NYS Senator Jessica Ramos is fighting to keep her seat.

We recommend voting for Jessica Ramos - and voting against Jessica Gonzales Rojas - because we believe Ramos has far more integrity than Gonzales Rojas. And voting for and electing politicians lacking in integrity is why things are so very messed up right now. But read what we've found below and decide for yourself.

Billionaire Steve Cohen, of SAC Capital Cheating Inc, Applies for Casino License

NYS Senator Jessica Ramos is fighting to keep her seat because she was about the only Queens government official who fought to stop billionaire Steve Cohen and affiliates from siezing control of Flushing Meadows Corona Parkland from the taxpaying public, to build a casino. Steve Cohen founded SAC Capital which was charged with huge insider trading violations, which they settled to $1.8 BILLION in fines and essentially agreed to stop trading for the public. Cohen bought the Mets and within a couple of years the Mets were caught cheating multiple times too. The cheating seemed to conveniently go on hiatus, when Cohen applied for an NYS casino license.

Click here for more context on Queens Steve Cohen and SAC Capital Insider Trading.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our story on Jessica Gonzales Rojas' campaign funded by the billionaire whose casino license Gonzales Rojas helped make possible?

Will Chuck Park Defeat Grace Meng in the Primary?

Can a Proverbial David, Chuck Park, Beat the Queens Machine Goliath, Grace Meng?

Updated June 22, 2026 v. 5.31.26 / Jackson Heights Queens Neighborhood / Queens Politics & Political News / Queens News / News Analysis & Opinion / Queens Buzz.

Late Sunday, on a beautiful afternoon, I headed over to attend a 'Dumplings & Dialogue' event hosted by the 6th Congressional District House candidate, Chuck Park, at Kabab King in Jackson Heights.  The Park campaign's volunteer press liaison, had reached out to me a few times, with compelling narratives that caught my interest. 

In the photo above or at right shows Chuck Park with some of the volunteers who participated in the Dumplings and Dialogue campaign event hosted by 6th District Congressional candidate. Standing next to Chuck is Noor Shams who is a food writer,community organizer and cofounder of Alaap NYC - https://www.alaapnyc.com - and Rachel Gurjar who is a chef, cookbook author and culinary creative - https://www.rachelgurjar.com/about/. As you can see here and will see below, the campaign seems to have attracted a young, diverse, energetic group of volunteers.

The Park campaign narratives sent to me by the volunteer press liaison, included: Meng's acceptance of big money donations, Meng's support for sending billions in unconditional aid to Israel, Park's opposition to the awarding of a casino license to a billionaire tied to one of the largest insider trading scandals by a hedge fund in modern history [aka the firm was caught cheating] and Meng's lack of achievement in doing anything meaningful for the immigrant families of Queens which make up about half the borough's population.  That Chuck Park's campaign had put together a simple, but resonant narrative, as to why Meng should be replaced, struck a chord, as I began my effort to delve more deeply into the two candidates of this contest.  Park's effort to unseat Meng sounded viable, which has not been the case for well over a decade.

Grace Meng first won her congressional seat back in 2012.  The Joe Crowley-led, Queens County Democratic machine, placed his cousin, Elizabeth Crowley's, name on the primary ballot, which pundits believed was to siphon votes away from Rory Lancman, who was a leading contender. Elizabeth Crowley held an NYC Council position at the time, and did not appear to campaign seriously, supporting this hypothesis.  Meng won with less than 51% of the vote, but it was more than enough, as Crowley had made it a three-way race and had taken 16% of the vote. The Crowleys are no longer the influential people they once were in Queens politics, and it's possible that tricks like this contributed to their descent. The deadline for a trick like this has passed, as the final day to place a name on the ballot was May 19, 2026.

Who is Chuck Park?

CLICK here to read more about the election contest in the NYS 6th Congressional District where Chuck Park is challenging Grace Meng.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Juneteenth, Fathers Day, Early Primary Voting Ends Sunday, Election Day Tuesday 6.23.26, Events & Things to do This Weekend / Week in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island Events - Details Below

June 19, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The photo at right was taken last Saturday, June 13, 2026, at a rally at CitiField opposing the transferring of NYC public parkland to billionaire Steve Cohen and affiliated companies, for a casino. Cohen was the founder of SAC Capital which was cited for corruption / insider trading and fined $1.8 billion. NYS Senator Jessica Ramos, in the red blouse at left, is one of the few Queens government officials who stood up to Cohen, while her opponent - Jessica Gonzales Rojas did not - possibly because her husband was taking donations from Cohen affiliated entities while earning a reported $218,000. Also, Congresswoman Grace Meng was noticably absent, as she is for almost all things Queens, since she was 'gamed' into congress by the Democratic Machine about 14 years ago. She has taken nearly $1 million from the American Israeli Political Action Committee, and has been faithfully sending billions of our tax dollars to Israel annually ever since. When Democrats, Republicans and their billionaire TV News allies tell you we don't have enough money for education, healthcare and clean energy - what they are really saying isn't that the money isn't there, but that their campaign donors pressure them to prioritize their selfish interests before the public interest. This is only possible because enough voters still seem to rely upon the wealthy, donor-funded TV News attack ads, to make their electoral decisions, instead of doing their homework. We expect to post more about these primaries over the weekend.

https://www.vote.nyc/page/find-your-poll-site

Needs Updating to 6.19.26 _ Sunrise 5.25 am. Sunset 8.24 pm. We're getting 15 hours & 0 minutes of sunlight, or five hours and 47 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.

Needs Updating to 6.19.26 _ NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. There's a 50% chance of 1/5 inch of rain being dropped between 7 and 10 pm Saturday night. Otherwise the rest of the weekend is dry. The temperature highs will be arouind 90 on Saturday, falling to 85 on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low 70's all weekend. The winds will range from 0 - 5 mph on Friday and from 5 - 15 mph the rest of the weekend. And the humidity is going to swing wildly from the high 30% range Saturday to the mid 80% range on Sunday returning to the high 30% range later in the day Sunday. Not a bad weather weekend overall. Enjoy.

Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 3.30 am. Done, but still need to post attendant pages, which I should have done within the hour. We will also socially post links sometime Saturday via BSky.app, Facebook and X.com. Please Like or be-Friend us, to stay abreast of events, and obtain news related to your borough. This week we continue to strive toward providing a mix of weekly news posts.

Early Voting Begins - Cliff Notes / Crib Notes Election Guide on Select Primary Races

Early Voting runs until Sunday, June 21, 2026. Election day is Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

LINK

https://www.vote.nyc/page/find-your-poll-site

Below is a brief election guide [the cliff notes], on who we think are the best candidates, in a number of the contests with which we have become familiar. We will expound on our rationale for having chosen these candidates next week, but wanted to get this out there now, as Early Voting begins Saturday. Basically we've favored candidates who we believe are qualified, and who will demonstrate more integrity to serving you than serving the people who fund their campaigns to pay for all of those dishonest TV News attack ads.

• Manhattan. We choose George Conway for Congress on the UWS - not either of the two 'chosen heirs / successors' like Jack Schlossberg [Kennedy] and Micah Lasher [Nadler], nor JStreet backed and Democratic machine supported Alex Bores. Bores has been accused of inappropriate behavior. Conway is qualified [an attorney], knows his way around D.C. as the former husband of Kellyanne Conway [former Trump campaign manager & senior advisor], and he promises to be a thorn in Trump's side for the next two years, far more than he had been while his ex-wife had worked for Trump. To get involved see - https://www.georgeconwayforcongress.com

• Manhattan. We choose Layla Law-Gisiko for NYC City Council - not Carl Wilson nor Lindsey Boylan nor Leslie Boghosian Murphy - see previous report on this race. Layla Law-Gisiko for NYC Council vs Carl Wilson. She may not be actively campaigning, but she's still actively fighting for the community [see her Instagram page] - https://www.laylaforny.com

• Brooklyn. We choose Brad Lander for Congress - because he will represent all New Yorkers, versus AIPAC funded and Democratic machine supported Dan Goldman. To get involved see - https://linktr.ee/bradlander

• Queens. We choose Chuck Park for Congress Flushing - not Democratic machine supported, absentee Congresswoman Meng, who's received nearly $1 million in AIPAC and related funding, and who opposed the Obama JCPOA peace deal with Iran in 2015 and supports unconditional funding of Israel's imperialistic expansionist efforts - see prior report on this race. Chuck Park running for Congress vs Grace Meng Queens. To get involved see - https://chuckforqueens.com

• Queens. We choose Claire Valdez for Congress Qns & Bk - not the wealthy real estate developers and Democratic machine favored candidates Reynoso or Won [report coming next week]. To get involved see - https://clairevaldezforcongress.com/

• Queens. We choose Jessica Ramos for NYS Senate Jackson Heights - not Democratic machine supported Gonzales Rojas, whose partner is paid a six figure salary, which comes from a nonprofit, that reportedly accepted generous donations made by entities affiliated with Insider Trading plagued billionaire, Steve Cohen. While Gonzales Rojas' partner was accepting the billionaire's indirect donations, a company affiliated with the billionaire sought and received approval for a casino license next to CitiField which includes transferring control of public parkland into private control - thanks in part to Gonzales Rojas' actions / non actions [scroll down for 6.10.26 report]. To get involved see - https://www.ramosforstatesenate.com/

• FYI - AIPAC - the American Israeli Political Action Committee. Recently AIPAC has become the poster person for appearing to buy influence in the U.S. federal government. AIPAC has been working the political influence game since the 1950's and Israel has received over $300 BILLION [in today's dollars] of U.S. taxpayer handouts. As Israel has a population of only 10 million, that's the equivalent of EACH PERSON living in Israel receiving $30,000 of our money for free.
  • Israel doesn't fund their own wars, even though they have a $600 billion economy and one of the higher standards of living in the world. We, the American people do. This is in part, why our government can't afford to do more to help its citizens with healthcare and education, while the Israelis' government can. And billionaire TV News doesn't inform us, because at least one owner [Rupert Murdoch of Fox News] appears to have his hand in the till [look up Genie Energy on illegally occupied Syrian Golan Heights]. All of the top billionaire TV News owners have shown an interest in Israel, including some with documented business interests, like Murdoch above. Here's a link to learn more about who's accepting money from AIPAC and affiliated donors. It will help you better understand what's been going on under our noses, and why our taxpayer dollars are funding Israeli wars, instead of U.S. education, healthcare and infrastructure. Compare that with the Israelis, whose government has been increasing support, while ours cuts back. Trump's fraudulent campaign slogan was America First. but Trump's policies reveal his real policy agenda puts middle and working class Americans Last.
  • But on some level these failures are also the voters' fault for not paying closer attention. Voters have been failing miserably to do their voting homework - to make sure they're getting accurate information from reliable sources, and sources who actually have their best interests at heart - BEFORE they go into the voting booth. TV Talk is cheap relative to the returns taken from public wealth, so pay attention to media and pols' actions and follow the money - https://www.trackaipac.com/congress.

• FYI - Open Secrets - a nonprofit that tracks donations to politicians. Don't stop with AIPAC, because there are numerous other selfish interests out there doing the same [just not as long, nor as effectively as AIPAC]. Here's another information source that TV News fails to disclose as well, to help voters understand who's funding all of those dishonest TV News attack ads. You can start following the money on your own, because the TV News featherweight anchors appear unaware, or just plain don't care - https://www.opensecrets.org
• We will have more about the primary races, including some important background material, about how the Democratic Party is working hard to maintain their inept colleagues and incompetents of the status quo. The Democratic Party Machine has been using their leverage to pressure union heads to make endorsements of status quo candidates, that were not voted upon by union members - only union leadership. And the Democratic Machines has been leveraging their ties to their billionaire TV News allies, who have been using their influence to distract voters with a relentless barrage of nonsense news that distracts from and ignores the incredible deficiencies of the Democratic party incumbents.
• Please share.

Things To Do This Weekend in NYC - Juneteenth, Make Music & Fathers Day

Friday, June 19, 2026 - Juneteenth - is a Federal Holiday so federal government offices including the U.S. Post Office will be closed.

Sunday June 21, 2025 - Make Music New York - returns for its 20th year. They are coming to numerous locations around the entire city, except Staten Island, at various times on the day of Summer Solstice in four of the five boroughs of NYC. For details and for a schedule, see https://makemusicday.org/ny/listings or https://makemusicny.org

Sunday, June 21, 2026 - Father's Day - a day to honor your father, to show appreciation for all that he's done for you.

NYC & NYS Public Beaches _ Saturday - Sunday, May 23 - September 13, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm - NYC & NYS Beaches Open for the Summer. Swimming not allowed when life guards are not present. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, as well as other Weekend Things To Do in NYC This Month 2026 NYC events.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Early Primary Voting Begins, Events & Things to do This Weekend / Week in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island Events - Details Below

June 12, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The photo at right was taken earlier this week at the Tribeca Film Festival which is winding down, but continues into this weekend in Manhattan. There's a rooftop lounging area, which on this particular day, attracted a crowd to the 8th floor outlet.

Needs Updating to 6.12.26 _ Sunrise 5.25 am. Sunset 8.24 pm. We're getting 15 hours & 0 minutes of sunlight, or five hours and 47 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.

Needs Updating to 6.12.26 _ NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. There's a 50% chance of 1/5 inch of rain being dropped between 7 and 10 pm Saturday night. Otherwise the rest of the weekend is dry. The temperature highs will be arouind 90 on Saturday, falling to 85 on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low 70's all weekend. The winds will range from 0 - 5 mph on Friday and from 5 - 15 mph the rest of the weekend. And the humidity is going to swing wildly from the high 30% range Saturday to the mid 80% range on Sunday returning to the high 30% range later in the day Sunday. Not a bad weather weekend overall. Enjoy.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 4.15 am. Done. Will post attendant pages with the hour. We will also socially post links sometime Saturday via BSky.app, Facebook and X.com. Please Like or be-Friend us, to stay abreast of events, and obtain news related to your borough. This week we continue to strive toward providing a mix of weekly news posts.

Early Voting Begins - Cliff Notes / Crib Notes Edition of our Election Guide on Select Primary Races

Early Voting begins today and runs until Sunday, June 21, 2026. Election day is Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Below is a brief election guide [the cliff notes], on who we think are the best candidates, in a number of the contests with which we have become familiar. We will expound on our rationale for having chosen these candidates next week, but wanted to get this out there now, as Early Voting begins Saturday. Basically we've favored candidates who we believe are qualified, and who will demonstrate more integrity to serving you than serving the people who fund their campaigns to pay for all of those dishonest TV News attack ads.

• Manhattan. We choose George Conway for Congress on the UWS - not either of the two 'chosen heirs / successors' like Jack Schlossberg [Kennedy] and Micah Lasher [Nadler], nor JStreet backed Alex Bores, who supports continued unconditional handouts to Israel for its imperialistic expansion. Bores also has been accused of inappropriate behavior. Conway is qualified [an attorney], knows his way around D.C. as the former husband of Kellyanne Conway [former Trump campaign manager & senior advisor], and he promises to be a thorn in Trump's side for the next two years, far more than he had been while his ex-wife had worked for Trump. To get involved see - https://www.georgeconwayforcongress.com
• Manhattan. We choose Layla Law-Gisiko for NYC City Council - not Carl Wilson nor Lindsey Boylan nor Leslie Boghosian Murphy - see previous report on this race. Layla Law-Gisiko for NYC Council vs Carl Wilson. She may not be actively campaigning, but she's still actively fighting for the community [see her Instagram page] - https://www.laylaforny.com
• Brooklyn. We choose Brad Lander for Congress - because he will represent all New Yorkers, versus AIPAC funded Dan Goldman. To get involved see - https://linktr.ee/bradlander
• Queens. We choose Chuck Park for Congress Flushing - not absentee Congresswoman Meng who's received nearly $1 million in AIPAC and related funding, and who supports unconditional funding of Israel's imperialistic expansionist efforts - see prior report on this race. Chuck Park running for Congress vs Grace Meng Queens. To get involved see - https://chuckforqueens.com
• Queens. We choose Claire Valdez for Congress Qns & Bk - not the wealthy real estate developers' favored candidates Reynoso or Won [report coming next week]. To get involved see - https://clairevaldezforcongress.com/
• Queens. We choose Jessica Ramos for NYS Senate Jackson Heights - not Gonzales Rojas, whose husband is paid a six figure salary, which comes from a nonprofit, that reportedly accepted generous donations made by entities affiliated with Insider Trading plagued billionaire, Steve Cohen. While Gonzales Rojas' husband was accepting the billionaire's indirect donations, a company affiliated with the billionaire sought and received approval for a casino license next to CitiField - thanks in part to Gonzales Rojas' actions / non actions [scroll down for 6.10.26 report]. To get involved see - https://www.ramosforstatesenate.com/
• FYI - AIPAC - the American Israeli Political Action Committee. Recently AIPAC has become the poster person for appearing to buy influence in the U.S. federal government. AIPAC has been working the political influence game since the 1950's and Israel has received over $300 billion [in today's dollars] of U.S. taxpayer handouts. As Israel has a population of only 10 million, that's the equivalent of each person in Israel receiving $30,000 of our money for free.
  • Israel doesn't fund their own wars, even though they have a $600 billion economy and one of the higher standards of living in the world. We, the American people do, which is why our government can't afford to help with healthcare and education, while the Israelis' government can. And billionaire TV News doesn't inform us, because at least one owner [Rupert Murdoch of Fox News] appears to have his hand in the till [look up Genie Energy on illegally occupied Syrian Golan Heights]. All of the top billionaire TV News owners have shown an interest in Israel, including some with documented business interests, like Murdoch above. Here's a link to learn more about who's accepting money from AIPAC and affiliated donors. It will help you better understand what's been going on under our noses, and why our taxpayer dollars are funding Israeli wars, instead of U.S. education, healthcare and infrastructure. Compare that with the Israelis, whose government has been increasing support, while ours cuts back. Trump's fraudulent campaign slogan was America First. Trump's policies reveal his real policy puts middle and working class Americans Last.
  • But on some level it is also the voters' fault for not paying closer attention - by doing their voting homework - to make sure they're getting accurate information from reliable sources, or sources who actually have their best interests at heart. And it will also help to better understand who you're voting for, to represent you. Talk is cheap, pay attention to their actions and follow the money - https://www.trackaipac.com/congress.
• FYI - Open Secrets - a nonprofit that tracks donations to politicians. And don't stop with AIPAC, because there are numerous other selfish interests doing the same [just not as long, nor as effectively as AIPAC]. Here's another information source that TV News fails to disclose as well, to help voters understand who's funding all of those dishonest TV News attack ads. You can start following the money on your own, because the TV News featherweight anchors appear unaware, or just plain don't care - https://www.opensecrets.org
• Please share.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 is the last day you'll be able to Register to Vote in the NYC Primary on June 23, 2026. Applications must be received by the NY Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in this election.

Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week is Juneteenth in NYC

Now thru June 14, 2026 at various times and in various places - Canvassing for the Rent Guidelines Board Meeting. The Mamdani Administration is trying to mobilize community support to help make sure the Rent Guidelines Board holds the line [to zero%] in its annual decision regarding the size of the rent increase on the two million tenants who lives in rent stabilized housing in NYC. As the Mayor has repeatedly said in his speeches, he can't effect change without the help of the citizens of NYC.This began May 16, 2026. For details and to volunteer some of your time to this cause, see - Help Tell the Rent Guidelines Board that New Yorkers Support Mayor Mamdani's Effort to Keep Rent Increases to 0%. Or copy and paste this url - https://www.nyc.gov/content/organize/pages/get-involved

LINK

Friday, June 19, 2026 - Juneteenth - is a Federal Holiday so federal government offices including the U.S. Post Office will be closed.

Sunday, June 21, 2026 - Father's Day - a day to honor your father, to show appreciation for all that he's done for you.

NYC & NYS Public Beaches _ Saturday - Sunday, May 23 - September 13, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm - NYC & NYS Beaches Open for the Summer. Swimming not allowed when life guards are not present. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

Holding _ Tuesday, May 12, 2026 beginning at 6 pm - Cracks in the YIMBY Consensus - on Zoom. This presentation explores whether we can upzone our way out of the affordability crisis. For details and to register [free] see - https://villagepreservation.my.site.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a1wQP000002odg9

Holding _ Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Manhattan City Council Special Election District 3 Early Voting Ranked Choice Voting Results published. The special election results for NYC City Council representation of Hells Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village was published. We'll post them either here over the weekend, or separately with one of the prior related reports.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, as well as other Weekend Things To Do in NYC This Month 2026 NYC events.

Will Voters Continue Waking Up? And Will Enough of Them Awaken in Time?

Rally to Elect Candidates who Represent YOU - NOT the Billionaires

June 10, 2026 / Queens Politics & Government / Queens News NYC / Queens Buzz NYC / News Analysis & Opinion.

The city, state and nation are in pretty rough shape these days. All three have been pillaged by the billionaires working their selfish private interests oftentimes at the expense of the community good, made possible by unlimited funding of candidates who seem to work for them, instead of us.

Most of the Republican Party these days has been bought and paid for - and many [not all] of their government actions show it.

And a huge swath of the Democratic Party has also been bought and paid for, too. And their inaction on pressing issues, and failures on key votes, also show it.

But it's not just the Republicans and Democrats fault, as there is plenty of blame to go around. It's the billionaire TV News and related media failures, as well as a failure on the part of voters themselves. I blame the media for their innumerable reporting omissions of key facts and even key stories, their distortion of key issues, their sensationalism of non-issues, and their unlimited distractions.

I also blame the voters for not paying attention and for not contributing to the health and wealth of the democratic republic by getting involved, properly informing themselves, voting and enabling / helping others to vote too.

On November 19, 1863, Lincoln famously delivered the Gettysburg Address, saying, "... It is .. for us to be .. dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we .. highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth ...".

Billionaires Gain HUGE Share of Wealth by Manipulation of Pols & Government

In 1970 the share of income earned by the middle and lower classes was 72%. In 2022, the middle and lower classes share of wealth had dropped to 51%. In 2022 U.S. national income was $25.8 trillion, so that means the middle and lower classes had $13.2 trillion in income instead of $18.6 trillion, which is a loss $5.4 trillion. In 2022 the U.S. had a population of 333 million, so the middle and lower classes, which currently make up 81% of the population, or 269.7 million, lost $20,022 per person in aggregate income, had the proportion of the working class population and distribution of wealth in this nation remained the same as it was before Rupert Murdoch first started buying media outlets in the U.S. To be fair, the upper class share of the population increased by 8% [from 11% to 19%] and the middle class shrank by 10% [from 61% to 51%] and the lower class increased by 3% [from 27% to 30%], so this isn't an apples to apples comparison - but directionally it's spot on.

See for yourself about how the middle class is being hollowed out in the U.S. - https://govfacts.org/long-term-challenges-future/economic-transformation/economic-inequality-trends/the-shrinking-middle-class-government-data-reveals-five-decades-of-economic-squeeze/

How Billionaires Increase Share of Wealth by Pol & Govt Manipulation

So, locally in NYC, we have identified a number cases of what I would call possibly legal graft by billionaires. It seemed to start with the Mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg. Basically the billionaires donate generously to their sell-out pols, so their sell-out pols can spend lavishly on misleading, half truth and distraction-based advertising, which is run on billionaire-controlled corporate TV news. Once in office, the billionaires' pols begin the public to private wealth and land transfers, in tandem with the tax breaks that give lower tax rates to the rich, and take money from the government that could be spent on education, healthcare, social services, mass transit, real affordable housing and the like.

Too many of the older generation still believe that when they are watching TV News, they're watching a trustworthy news source, regulated by the U.S. federal government, and owned by a variety of different owners, representing a multiple of view points. This is, at best, an illusion. And the older generation votes in higher numbers than the younger generation, so the older generation's ignorance is economically damaging all of us in the middle and lower classes significantly, with their ill-informed TV News and commercials disinformed voting choices.

Will Queens & NYC Voters Elect or Reject the Pocket Pols of the Billionaires & TV News?

There are still two active examples of Bloomberg-derivative public to private wealth / land transfers going on right now. And in this primary, NYC voters will either ignorantly elect candidates who will enable these billionaires to complete their privatization takeovers of large swaths of NYC public land - or try to stop them.

Some of Billionaire Bloomberg's Oligarchic Transfers of NYC Public Lands to Privatization by his Friends?

Why did Billionaire Steve Cohen - Founder of SAC Capital of Hedge Fund Insider Trading Violations - get a casino license?

Is Eric Adams Enabling Stephen Ross to Illegally Privatize FEC Chelsea NYCHA?

Rally at the CitiField Apple in Flushing Corona at 1 pm on Saturday, June 13, 2026

There's a rally against the casino, for the pols who will stand up to the billionaires, on Saturday, June 13, 2026 beginning at 1 pm. Also in attendance will be a number of local community groups and two candidates running for office representing the people of this district, not the billionaires, as their opponents appear to be doing - based on voting records and financial data and public positionings. The Pro People candidates are NYS Senator Ramos and Congressional candidate Chuck Park. Their opponents are absentee Congresswoman Grace Meng and Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzales Rojas, whose husband reportedly has business dealings with entities affiliated with billionaire Steve Cohen.

Early voting begins Saturday. You can do nothing, and hope that things will change, but they won't. Or you can make a huge difference in the next two weeks, by getting involved and fighting to make the people elected to run our government responsive to the working classes' needs - not just the billionaires. And to definitely stop what appear to be the public to private land transfers / graft / oligarchic takeovers.

It's the Davids vs the Goliaths. And 99% of you reading this are the Davids, whether you like it or not.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Events & Things to do This Weekend & Next Week in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island Events - Details Below

June 5, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The photo at right was taken at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival which continues through the weekend in Manhattan.

Sunrise 5.25 am. Sunset 8.24 pm. We're getting 15 hours & 0 minutes of sunlight, or five hours and 47 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.

NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. There's a 50% chance of 1/5 inch of rain being dropped between 7 and 10 pm Saturday night. Otherwise the rest of the weekend is dry. The temperature highs will be arouind 90 on Saturday, falling to 85 on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low 70's all weekend. The winds will range from 0 - 5 mph on Friday and from 5 - 15 mph the rest of the weekend. And the humidity is going to swing wildly from the high 30% range Saturday to the mid 80% range on Sunday returning to the high 30% range later in the day Sunday. Not a bad weather weekend overall. Enjoy.

Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 9.15 am. We made a few more modifications over the past hour, and now we're really done. We should have the attendant pages posted within the next hour or so, possibly less. We will also socially post links sometime Saturday via BSky.app, Facebook and X.com. Please Like or be-Friend us, to stay abreast of events, and obtain news related to your borough. This week we continue to strive toward providing a mix of weekly news posts.

Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in NYC

NYC & NYS Public Beaches _ Saturday - Sunday, May 23 - September 13, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm - NYC & NYS Beaches Open for the Summer. Swimming not allowed when life guards are not present. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

LINK

Now thru June 14, 2026 at various times and in various places - Canvassing for the Rent Guidelines Board Meeting. The Mamdani Administration is trying to mobilize community support to help make sure the Rent Guidelines Board holds the line [to zero%] in its annual decision regarding the size of the rent increase on the two million tenants who lives in rent stabilized housing in NYC. As the Mayor has repeatedly said in his speeches, he can't effect change without the help of the citizens of NYC.This began May 16, 2026. For details and to volunteer some of your time to this cause, see - Help Tell the Rent Guidelines Board that New Yorkers Support Mayor Mamdani's Effort to Keep Rent Increases to 0%. Or copy and paste this url - https://www.nyc.gov/content/organize/pages/get-involved

Holding _ Tuesday, May 12, 2026 beginning at 6 pm - Cracks in the YIMBY Consensus - on Zoom. This presentation explores whether we can upzone our way out of the affordability crisis. For details and to register [free] see - https://villagepreservation.my.site.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a1wQP000002odg9

Holding _ Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Manhattan City Council Special Election District 3 Early Voting Ranked Choice Voting Results published. The special election results for NYC City Council representation of Hells Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village was published. We'll post them either here over the weekend, or separately with one of the prior related reports.

Next Week & Upcoming

Saturday, June 13, 2026 is the last day you'll be able to Register to Vote in the NYC Primary on June 23, 2026. Applications must be received by the NY Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in this election.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, as well as other Weekend Things To Do in NYC This Month 2026 NYC events.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Events & Things to do This Weekend & Next Week in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island Events - Details Below

May 29, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The photo above or at right was earlier this month of the contents in my NYC kitchen composting pail. I found it had an engaging aesthetic, and knowing that it will be recycled, provides me with a small sense of achievement - that I'm part of the solution - not the problem.

Sunrise 5.30 / 34 am. Sunset 8.19 / 13 pm. We're getting 14 hours & 50 minutes of sunlight, or five hours and 37 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.

NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. No precipitation is in the forecast, but it will be partly cloudy each day this weekend. The temperature highs will be in the mid to high 70's on Friday and Sunday, dipping to the mid 60's on Saturday. The temperature lows will be in the mid 50's on Friday and Saturday, briefly dipping to the low 50's on Sunday morning. The winds will range from 5 - 10 mph on Friday and Sunday, and kick up to 10 - 20 mph on Saturday. And it's going to be a dry weekend with the humidity dropping from the mid 70's on Friday to 30%, then rising to between 50% - 60% Saturday, peaking around 70% Sunday morning before dropping down to 30% later in the day. Not a bad weather weekend overall. Enjoy.

Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 8 am - We had some computer issues which held us up. This is done and the attendant pages will be posted within the hour, assuming no further computer issues. We will also socially post links sometime Saturday via BSky.app, Facebook and X.com. Please Like or be-Friend us, to stay abreast of events, and obtain news related to your borough. This week we continue to strive toward providing a mix of weekly news posts.

Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in NYC

NYC & NYS Public Beaches _ Saturday - Sunday, May 23 - September 13, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm - NYC & NYS Beaches Open for the Summer. Swimming not allowed when life guards are not present. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

LINK

Now thru June 14, 2026 at various times and in various places - Canvassing for the Rent Guidelines Board Meeting. The Mamdani Administration is trying to mobilize community support to help make sure the Rent Guidelines Board holds the line [to zero%] in its annual decision regarding the size of the rent increase on the two million tenants who lives in rent stabilized housing in NYC. As the Mayor has repeatedly said in his speeches, he can't effect change without the help of the citizens of NYC.This began May 16, 2026. For details and to volunteer some of your time to this cause, see - Help Tell the Rent Guidelines Board that New Yorkers Support Mayor Mamdani's Effort to Keep Rent Increases to 0%. Or copy and paste this url - https://www.nyc.gov/content/organize/pages/get-involved

Holding _ Tuesday, May 12, 2026 beginning at 6 pm - Cracks in the YIMBY Consensus - on Zoom. This presentation explores whether we can upzone our way out of the affordability crisis. For details and to register [free] see - https://villagepreservation.my.site.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a1wQP000002odg9

Holding _ Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Manhattan City Council Special Election District 3 Early Voting Ranked Choice Voting Results published. The special election results for NYC City Council representation of Hells Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village was published. We'll post them either here over the weekend, or separately with one of the prior related reports.

Next Week.

Ferry Hawks Stadium in St. George _ Wednesday, June 3, 2026 from 10 am to 4 pm - Justice in Motion - at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park at 75 Richmond Terrace next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. This is "... an innovative job fair and symposium that returns on with dozens of city agencies and community organizations looking to hire. Sponsored by the New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice ...". CLICK this GOTHAMBUZZ MCAL link for details, including a url to the web page.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 is the last day you'll be able to Register to Vote in the NYC Primary on June 23, 2026. Applications must be received by the NY Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in this election.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, as well as other Weekend Things To Do in NYC This Month 2026 _ NYC events.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Events & Things to do This Weekend & Next Week in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Staten Island Events - Details Below

May 22, 2026 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The photo above or at right was taken at a parade honoring those who have dedicated a part of their lives to defending the rest of us. This weekend, there are numerous events, honoring those who lost their lives in defense of our nation.

Sunrise 5.34 / 38 am. Sunset 8.13 / 07 pm. We're getting 14 hours & 40 minutes of sunlight, or five hours and 27 minutes more of sunlight than we were getting the week of the Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2025 when the sun rose at 7.18 am and the sun set at 4.31 pm. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of this year, providing 9 hours and 13 minutes of sunlight in NYC.

Updated Early AM 5.23.26 _ NYC Weather - NYC Can Differ Slightly / Significantly vs TriState TV News Forecasts. There's a 75% chance of up to 1.25 inches of rain on Saturday, starting as early as around 11 am and extending into Sunday around 12 noon, with another .5 inch of rain. There's a 20% to 25% chance of a negligible amount of rain Monday. The temperature highs will hover between 60 to 65 all weekend, except Monday where it will rise to 70 degrees. The temperature lows will hover in the mid 50's to high 50's all weekend. The winds will range from 1 - 10 mph on Friday, 5 - [mostly] 10 mph Saturday & Sunday, and then back down to 1 - 5 mph Monday. The humidity will swing from 80% to 40% Friday, 60% to 95% Saturday, 95% to 80% Sunday and finally levelling off on Monday in the 60% range. It will be cloudy all days of the three day holiday weekend.

UPDATE _ Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 6.15 am - Done with the regular weekend post, as you can see. We have also posted Memorial Day parades and events separately below. The attendant pages will be posted shortly or within the hour. We will also socially post links sometime Saturday via BSky.app, Facebook and X.com. Please Like or be-Friend us, to stay abreast of events, and obtain news related to your borough. This week we continue to strive toward providing a mix of weekly news posts.

Things To Do This Weekend & Next Week in NYC

* Editor's Note - No Fleet Week in NYC over the Memorial Day Weekend of 2026 - The traditional Fleet Week that New Yorkers and Brooklynites have become accustomed to accommodating for decades over the Memorial Day Weekend has been moved to the July 4th, 2026 week to synch up with celebrations of America's 250th Anniversary. Return to this site in late June / early July 2026 for details regarding Fleet Week 2026 in NYC.

NYC & NYS Public Beaches _ Saturday - Sunday, May 23 - September 13, 2026 from 10 am to 6 pm - NYC & NYS Beaches Open for the Summer. Swimming not allowed when life guards are not present. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches

LINK

May 16 - June 14, 2026 at various times and in various places - Canvassing for the Rent Guidelines Board Meeting. The Mamdani Administration is trying to mobilize community support to help make sure the Rent Guidelines Board holds the line [to zero%] in its annual decision regarding the size of the rent increase on the two million tenants who lives in rent stabilized housing in NYC. As the Mayor has repeatedly said in his speeches, he can't effect change without the help of the citizens of NYC. For details and to volunteer some of your time to this cause, see - Help Tell the Rent Guidelines Board that New Yorkers Support Mayor Mamdani's Effort to Keep Rent Increases to 0%. Or copy and paste this url - https://www.nyc.gov/content/organize/pages/get-involved

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 beginning at 6 pm - Cracks in the YIMBY Consensus - on Zoom. This presentation explores whether we can upzone our way out of the affordability crisis. For details and to register [free] see - https://villagepreservation.my.site.com/s/event-detail?eventId=a1wQP000002odg9

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Manhattan City Council Special Election District 3 Early Voting Ranked Choice Voting Results published. The special election results for NYC City Council representation of Hells Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village was published. We'll post them either here over the weekend, or separately with one of the prior related reports.

Next Week.

Ferry Hawks Stadium in St. George _ Wednesday, June 3, 2026 from 10 am to 4 pm - Justice in Motion - at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park at 75 Richmond Terrace next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. This is "... an innovative job fair and symposium that returns on with dozens of city agencies and community organizations looking to hire. Sponsored by the New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice ...". CLICK this GOTHAMBUZZ MCAL link for details, including a url to the web page.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 is the last day you'll be able to Register to Vote in the NYC Primary on June 23, 2026. Applications must be received by the NY Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in this election.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report, as well as other Weekend Things To Do in NYC This Month 2026 _ NYC events.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It

Amtrak Quietly Moves Up Deadline, possibly to Deceive & Cheat the NYC Public of Due Process, on Penn Station Renovations

April 29, 2026 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Manhattan Transit / News Analysis & Opinion / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

If you think our government officials and thus our government at the federal level - is becoming increasingly corrupt, dishonest and / or incompetent - then read on.

The deadline for submissions for the Penn Station Master Development procurement bids was quietly moved up from May 4th to April 30th, 2026. We were informed by a reliable sources, that as of earlier today, this important deadline had not been changed on Amtrak public notice postings.

Please note that moving up deadlines is a trick commonly used by corrupt attorneys and government officials to cheat opponents out of appropriate due process. Amtrak is a federally operated entity, so ultimately Donald J. Trump is currently in charge of Amtrak.

According NYC Streets Blog, Trump also doesn't want the public to know what he's up to vis-a-vis Penn Station. Take a look for yourself - https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/04/29/amtrak-wont-make-key-trump-penn-station-documents-public

Here's an analysis of the Penn Station redevelopment project.

https://liamblank.com/rpa-penn-station-through-running/

The Penn Station renovation will likely take forever, and cost far more than they tell us at the outset, greatly increase the wealth of a few, be paid for by who? You, of course, with some possible benefit to the public, but at great expense to the public. Public projects of late, seem to include efforts to privatize public investment, by using public funds but for which control somehow ends up in private hands, because so many of the campaigns of our pols, are funded by the wealthy and billionaires, like former Mayor Eric Adams' was.

Please be sure to distribute this as widely as possible, a.s.a.p. especially if you know of anyone who might be interested in this project, so they can stay alert, as the process is beginning to reportedly look like it's being improperly and unfairly administered.

CBS Self Censors & Trump Manipulations of Biblical Proportions

Alex Pretti Shooting by ICE & Trump's Psychological Violent Tendencies

  ICE Shoots & Kills a Second U.S. Citizen in Minneapolis Is Trump's ICE, Recruiting Deviants who Commit Violent Crimes Against the American Public, in Order to Mak.... Trump's Violent Tendencies and the ICE Shootings and what appears to be the Murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

Happy MLK Weekend

See Things to do Below

January 17, 2026 / Things To Do NYC / Gotham Buzz.

We're working diligently to finish up our year end cleaing and new year planning & preparations. We had hoped to complete this effort by now, but it's taken a bit longer because we want to do it right. And we're incorporating old and new capabilities which we either haven't used in a long while, or haven't used at all. So stay tuned, as we hope to make it worth your while.

So we're going to punt on putting together much for this weekend, other than provide what we'd done previously, as below. We hope to / expect to resume our normal publishing next weekend. Thanks for your understanding and have a nice weekend.

Emergency Action, Pack The Court!

Stop the Out of State Billionaire Oligarchs NYC Public Land Grab

MidtownSouthCC.org sent us the following:

We need to show the judge the overwhelming support for the tenants’ and that public housing needs to be protected! Join us Wednesday, January 14, 2026 — 9AM at 71 Thomas Street. The city, @ebottcher, @essence.development & @relatedcos plan to plan to raze 24 public housing buildings and displace more than 3,000 tenants at Chelsea Addition & Fulton 11. Chelsea Addition is made entirely of senior tenants. This is a greedy land grab designed to benefit wealthy developers. They are lying to residents, trying to force them to accept their eviction from their homes. The city & big developers plan on adding 2450 luxury apartments where Chelsea NYCHA buildings would be demolished. Allowing this to happen would set a dangerous precedent for ALL NYCHA housing in New York City and increase the cost of living for ALL New Yorkers.

Following this meeting there's a Press Conference on the same day, Wednesday, January 14, 2025 — 2PM at Hudson Guild – 441 West 26th Street, Between 9th and 10th.

See a section we started and are still working on - Bloomberg and the Adams Administrations enabled Huge Public Land Grabs at Discount Prices to NYC Real Estate Oligarchs, as well as our Audience commentary in our OpEd section [use link from top tool bar under Politics & Government].

ICE Kills Woman in Minneapolis Minnesota

  Was ICE Justifiably Enforcing the Law when it Committed a Very Public Killing? See and Judge for Yourself, Whether Trump is Using ICE to Desensitize the American Publ.... Trump Administration Violence & Lying - Did ICE Shoots & Kill an American Woman without due cause & then Lie About it?

CBS Censors 60 Minutes Show on Immigration but Leaked by Contributor

  CENSORED but Leaked: CBS 60 Minutes Show on Immigration And While the Video Shows how Cruel the Trump Administration is Treating other Humans; the Background Story Su.... CBS Fails its Viewers by Censoring 60 Minutes Show on Trump Administration Handling of Immigration

OpEds 2026 - New OpEds Added Weekly or Monthly

• We resumed posting OpEds this month, after discontinuing over the Winter, as we focused on other projects.
• CLICK on the Header to this section (immediately above) to read all of these OpEds and more.

Corporate Tax Will Have Negligible Impact on Large Corporations

• May 11, 2026. An exploration of the key issues surrounding NYS / NYC fiscal policy and what to look for during the NYS budget negotiations. By the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Corporate Tax Will Have Negligible Impact on Large Corporations

• April 23, 2026. About real estimated impact raising taxes on large corporations operating in NYC would have. By the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Proposed Hudson Mosaic Development at 388 Hudson St. in Greenwich Village

• April 22, 2026. About a proposed development in the West Village by a developer who "... appears on Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' list of the city's worst landlords, with over 1,000 open HPD violations ...". There's more and it's the work of Layla Law-Gisiko, who's been an ardent and articulate advocate on housing generally, but particularly on the west side of Mid Manhattan.

Fiscal Policy Institute's Dr. Oz Report Makes National Headlines

• April 19, 2026. About wildly implausible figures cited by the Trump Administration that were caught by an FPI analyst. The figures were off by a factor of more 10x when attacking NYS' management of Medicare / Medicaid.

New York’s Millionaires Will Get a $12 Billion Federal Tax Cut Next Year

• by Andrew Perry of the Fiscal Policy Institute - 11.20.25

TAKE ACTION: Stop the Federal Government from Gutting Clean Water Protections!

• by Pat McClellan, Policy Director, NY League of Conservation Voters - 11.19.25

A NEW LOW: NYCHA is Suing Chelsea Seniors

• by Layla Law-Gisiko - Democratic District Leader AD75/A - 11.17.25

Developer Sued for Damage to Landmarked Building that Displaced Elderly, Rent-Stabilized Tenants — Demand the City Acts

• by Andrew Berman - Executive Director, Village Preservation - 11.11.25

A New York For All of Us

• by Marina Marcou-O’Malley & Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Directors at the Alliance for Quality Education - 11.5.25

Live Interview with Key Representatives / Activists about FEC Chelsea NYCHA

9.10.25 _ Queens News / News Analysis & Opinion _ Click here to learn a bit more through an interview by Erroll Louis on Spectrum TV on August 28, 2025, who interviewed an author / community activist and the President of the FEC Tenants Against Demolition about what's going on there - NYC Oligarchy - Stephen Ross, Related Companies, Essence, Eric Adams transferring huge amount of public wealth & NYC billionaire TV doesn't much report it. Also on the front page scroll down to the Landlord Tenant Harassment button to become familiar with the bigger picture.  And click into the drop down OpEd section from the front page tool bar to learn more about the FEC Chelsea NYCHA land grab by Stephen Ross and Related Companies.  Ross and Related Companies have been the beneficiaries of the transfer of acres upon acres of prime public NYC land all over NYC for what seem like fire sale / corruption prices.

In the meantime, see front page, government and politics, neighborhoods and things to do sections.

Billionaires are Rapidly Changing TV News & Not in a Good Way

Billionaires are Amassing a Huge Concentration of Mass Media Assets, in What Appears to be the Privately Owned Propaganda Press

September 18, 2025 / New York City News / NYC Billionaire Press Billionaire TV News & Free Speech in America / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.

All six TV Networks are controlled by billionaires [or folks whose wealth rounds up to billionaires or are members of billionaire families]. Increasingly they appear to be turning the TV networks into privately controlled propaganda machines. Too often they appear to resemble Rupert Murdoch's mistreatment of the truth in the news. This means they seem to omit key facts and even entire stories from view, while amplifying falsehoods and outright lies spoken by politicians and their teleprompter readers alike, which go uncorrected, leaving those who still trust Network TV News, ignorant and in the dark as to what's really going on in this country.

Network TV News Corps Appear to be Trading Journalistic Integrity for Media Market Share so they can Price More Aggressively. America Beware, as they will have Even More Influence over what you / we Americans see, hear & think.

Colbert was cancelled by CBS and numerous seasoned journalists departed for journalistic integrity reasons. CBS appeared to be compromising their integrity, as Colbert is the top rated show in the time period. But Trump doesn't like Colbert, and CBS had a merger deal that needed to be approved by the Trump Justice Department and FCC, so poof, Colbert cancelled. CBS denies this reasoning, saying they have other [unannounced] plans.

Disney / ABC paid off Trump in a lawsuit many attorneys were sure they could have easily won. And this week Disney / ABC took the Jimmy Kimmel Show off the air for making an opinionated comment of which Trump didn't approve, on the Kirk assassination shooter. Kimmel had joked that the shooter was a MAGA Republican which he does not appear to be, although reportedly the rest of his family is.

The alleged shooter was reportedly in a relationship with someone working through gender identity issues, which is just one of the many important issues of our day, that billionaire TV News repeatedly fails to fully inform upon. This link will take you to the Metropolitan Museum website, of a past photo exhibit, wherein in the mid 1800's a French photographer documented a hermaphrodite, which is someone with both male and female genitalia. That's a fact, that I have NEVER seen raised nor discussed by the flunkies on TV News, who don't seem to be knowledgeable about the world around them, and definitely far too often, just simply do not do their basic homework on important issues.

And the sad thing is that this translates to an increasingly ignorant American public, as up until this year TV was the dominant news source. This year news on the web FINALLY passed TV News, and I am hoping that that trend will accelerate as more Americans start paying attention to how badly TV News fails them, daily.

If you decide to click this link you'll encounter what is likely a shocker to most folks [was to me the first time I saw it at the Metropolitan Museum exhibit in the late 1990's]. But the idea isn't to shock, but rather to instruct - Metropolitan Museum photo exhibit by Nadar of hermaphrodite.

• CLICK to view the rest of this report about how the NYC billionaire press is taking over free speech in America. GB.

Local & National [Primarily Web] News Sources we Currently Trust

7.7.25 Update / Opinion / Work in Progress

We've entered The Disinformation Age. Much of the mass media is controlled by billionaires, especially TV assets. They changed the FCC laws so they are no longer required to behave ethically, accurately and so the billionaire press does what it does best, pursues profits regardless of community collateral damage. They're only sharing information that they want you to know. They omit key facts they don't want you to know or even entirely ignore important stories that may embarass their billionaire friends. They try to manipulate viewers' perceptions in order to get them to vote for candidates representing the billionaires' interests, and provide open mics to the candidates their choice - not fact checked - even when these pols are making numerous false or misleading statements.

Trusted Web News Sources - Gotham Buzz

6.20.25 _ Currently Recommended News Sources to Help You Wean Yourself from Servile Dependence on Billioniare TV News. We currently favor The City, Politico, Axios, Vox, Wikipedia, the Gotham Gazette, Gothamist, City & State, Mother Jones, Wired, the browser Firefox curates a fair news offering, finance.yahoo.com is good for business news, and moderated social media outlets like BSky.app hace an intelligent audience that does a fair job of identifying key news reports, and use the search engines to look things up. Collectively these news sources should enable you to effectively do your civic duty to inform yourself about people and issues before voting. The NON-Billionaire TV News that we currently find reliable, includes left-leaning Democracy Now [on FNX & CUNY TV], PBS News Hour, and PBS Documentaries are also very informative. The Washington Post and New York Times are still fairly reliable, but not as implicitly so as in the past. Both the NYT and Wapo have undergone ownership / top management changes within the past six years. And the new management teams' values appear to differ from their predecessors, so pay attention to editorial changes / impacts. I no longer find any of the Network TV News outlets to be sufficiently informative. I doubt they ever were, but back in the day they used the newspaper reporting to help keep them informed, which today no longer cuts it. But that said, you can still pick up a few leads from TV News, which you can then use to more fully inform yourself, by doing further research on the internet. Also Vox & Axios. 6.20.25 Murdoch Iran War Monger.

• CLICK here to view our list of trusted news sources on the web for local politics and news in NYC and for national politics and news in the USA.

Click for our report series on Landlord / Tenant Harassment in NYC

Please be advised that this series will be evolving slowly starting sometime in Q4 2025 and continuing thereafter. Thus far we've posted some of our historical coverage, but by far and away, the best is yet to come.

Click this link for holiday parties, party venues, party halls and catering halls in Jackson Heights Queens NYC.

Click Manhattan 4th of July fireworks for Manhattan independence day fireworks or click July 4th fireworks in NYC for NYC independence day fireworks in the 5 boros of NYC.

The LIC Summit 2024

The Changing Cultural and Real Estate Landscape in Long Island City

October 8, 2024 / LIC Neighborhood / Queens Real Estate & Business / Queens Buzz.

A. Prelude to Attending the LIC Summit 2024

It was a beautiful, sunny, dry day as I walked over to the Museum of the Moving Image in LIC / Astoria.  I arrived around 11 am to attend part of the second half of the LIC Summit, which is a real estate and business conference which examines in depth, an LIC centric world, but also mindful of the surrounding environment.

After I made my way through a flawless check-in, I found my way into the theater and sat down to listen in on the panel providing a Long Island City real estate update.  These panels are structured such that the moderator serves up a number of questions to the panelists for comment, which is then followed by audience questions, which sometimes are the best, because they are asked by people like you and me, who have lived and worked in the area for a long while and witnessed and have adjusted to the huge changes that have occurred in Long Island City over the past couple of decades.

I.  First Panel - LIC Residential Real Estate Update

This panel included Patricia Dunphy of SVP of Rockrose Development, Eric Benaim CEO / Founder of Modern Space, Dan Mogolesko SVP of the Durst Organization, Peter Papamichael Principal of the VOREA Group and Crystal Xu Director of Business Development United Construction & Development Group.

As I came in at the end of the panel presentation, I only caught the Q&A portion of the program, which follows.

A performance theater / school owner pondered aloud whether the developers were still interested in involving and supporting the arts and culture scene in Long Island City.  At the turn of the century LIC was well known as a thriving artists community, as it offered very competitive rents and good access to mass transit.  In the near quarter century since then many - if not most - of the artists have moved out of the area as they can no longer afford the rents, which have skyrocketed from under $1,000 / month to over $4,000 per month.

One of the panelists said they are interested in supporting the arts and he mentioned Culture Lab LIC as one of the arts institutions that has survived the changes.  But that was pretty much the full extent of the conversation surrounding the arts community.  So I reckon the short answer would be no.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report on the LIC Summit 2024 - Real Estate Development in LIC Queens NYC.