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Mamdani’s ‘cuckoo’ property tax hike will land him ‘Real Estate Agent of the Year’ after inevitable exodus, Kevin O’Leary says

And this:

Ron DeSantis Puts Mayor Mamdani's NYC Budget Proposal Into 'Warmth of Socialism' Perspective

As we told you yesterday, New York City under Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing a multibillion dollar budget gap, and the new mayor reportedly plans to bridge that gap with -- you guessed it -- tax increases on both income and property. Mamdani's also calling for taxes on the "ultra wealthy" to be raised in the entire state, which would chase away any remaining rich people in New York as people flee the "warmth of socialism." 

You probably have already correctly guessed that cutting the insane amount of spending is NOT an option that is on the table for Mamdani. 

Here's a little perspective on Mamdani's budget proposal, and after this Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will make it even more of an eye-roller: 

Fortunately, there's enough sewage generated in this city to keep the flow going indefinitely (Updated)

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Monday:

The Potomac Pipe Collapse Now Ranks Among America’s Worst Sewage Spills

Around a month ago, a 72-inch sewer line failed along Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Md. The Potomac Interceptor, owned and operated by DC Water, ruptured on Jan. 19, sending untreated wastewater into the C&O Canal and the Potomac River; what began as a local emergency has grown into one of the largest municipal wastewater spills in American history.

Related: Sewage Flows Toward Washington As Accountability Flows Away

Spill volume reaches historic levels

According to DC Water leaders' estimates, at least 243 million gallons of untreated sewage escaped during the first days after the collapse, while independent river advocates believe the total could approach 300 million gallons.

Either figure puts this incident among the largest wastewater disasters ever recorded in the United States, rivaling the 2017 Tijuana River spill along the California border, which released about 230 million gallons.

The Potomac Interceptor usually carries around 60 million gallons per day, and when the concrete wall failed, the river absorbed days of raw discharge before pumping began.

There's no serious dispute about the scale; the scene speaks for itself.

February 21, 2022:

Bonus material: after first describing the Gadis video as “alleged”, and claiming it could find no record of its existence, Google’s AI, after my challenge: “why do you you use the term ‘alleged’ when a video of the actual interview is all over the internet? Are you claiming it’s a fake?” admitted that the video is not a fake and that Gadis did say it:

2nd answer:

The video source you are referencing is an interview with David Gadis featured on the YouTube channel "Good Day AWWA!", a program by the American Water Works Association.

  • Interview Date: February 21, 2022.

  • Key Content: In this interview, Gadis discusses how diversity, equity, and inclusion are core strategic principles at DC Water. He explains his decision-making process when he first took the CEO position, noting that the utility’s executive leadership and workforce should deliberately reflect the diverse demographics of Washington, D.C..

AI’s okay, but not infallible, for neutral, non-political subjects, but the purple-haired nose-berringed radicals writing the algorithms for these search engines cannot be trusted. Here are Grok’s responses to the same question:

“On what date and in which interview did D.C. Water Commisioner David Gadis make the statements: ‘We had too many white men in charge’ and ‘The executives should reflect the city’?”

The statements attributed to D.C. Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis—"We had too many white men in charge" and "The executives should reflect the city"—appear in a video clip that went viral on X (formerly Twitter) on February 18, 2026. The clip was posted by the account @EndWokeness (among others reposting/quoting it), framing it in the context of a major sewage spill into the Potomac River (reported as approximately 240 million gallons over the prior month, described in posts as the largest in U.S. history).

The video shows Gadis speaking these words, likely from a public appearance, interview, or speech emphasizing diversity in leadership to better match the city's demographics. However, no sources specify the exact original date of the interview/statement or the precise outlet/context (e.g., a TV interview, podcast, board meeting, or panel discussion).

The viral spread ties it directly to criticism amid the ongoing Potomac Interceptor pipe collapse and spill (which began in January 2026, with updates through mid-February 2026), but the statements themselves predate that event, as they are presented as prior remarks on leadership composition.

Searches across web results, news archives, and X posts do not uncover an earlier publication date for the clip or a named interview source (e.g., no hits on specific programs like Fox, CNN, local DC media, or podcasts). The earliest prominent posting of the clip is from February 18, 2026, by @EndWokeness, with widespread reposts that day.

Gadis has issued statements on the spill itself (e.g., an open letter around February 10-12, 2026, calling it "deeply troubling" and detailing response efforts), but those do not include these quotes.In summary, the statements come from a video clip resurfaced and amplified on February 18, 2026, but the original recording date and interview details remain unspecified in available public sources. If this refers to a specific recent or archived interview, it may require access to the full unedited video or DC Water archives for confirmation.

Follow up challenge and Grok’s second response:

My own research reveals that Gadis made that statement on the YouTube channel Good Day AWAA!" on February 21, 2022; why didn't your own search turn this up?

Thoughts

The statements were made by David L. Gadis during an interview on the "Good Day AWWA!" YouTube channel (hosted by the American Water Works Association), which was uploaded on or around February 21, 2022.My prior searches primarily targeted the context of the February 2026 viral clip and the associated Potomac River sewage spill, where the excerpt was widely shared on X and news sites without referencing the original source or date. Sources at the time emphasized the recent crisis and framed the quote as a prior remark, but did not link back to the 2022 interview. A targeted follow-up search using details from your query surfaced the full video.

UPDATE: Burning Madolf alerts me that Gadis is the same moron who was involved in the Flint Michigan lead pipe water disaster. Corruption and incompetence stretching from local officials to the governor’s office, so it’s no wonder he was hired by D.C.

The google-eyed barista's overseas debut continues to provide delicious lagniappes

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By now, AOC’s disastrous attempt to prove her presidential mettle at Munich is old news, but additional snippets from her tour keep popping up, and oh, they’re such fun. Here she is explaining her personal opinion on the origin of the western cowboy. Amusing as it is, she’s not entitled to her own facts (I’ll just point out that, not only did horses and vaqueros originate in Spain and were introduced into the New World by the Spanish, but so did the cattle they rounded up, and the language used to direct the operation. The wheel, too, was a western innovation, for that matter, but that’s yet another story.)

Not that Wikipedia is always a reliable source of trustworthy information, but this entry jibes with my own knowledge of the subject so we’ll go with it:

Vaquero

The origins of the vaquero tradition come from Spain, beginning with the hacienda system of medieval Spain. This style of cattle ranching spread throughout much of the Iberian Peninsula, and it was later brought to the Americas. Both regions possessed a dry climate with sparse grass, and thus large herds of cattle required vast amounts of land in order to obtain sufficient forage. The need to cover distances greater than a person on foot could manage gave rise to the development of the horseback-mounted vaquero.

Arrival in the Americas

During the 16th century, the Conquistadors, and other Spanish settlers brought their cattle-raising traditions as well as both horses and domesticated cattle to the Americas, starting with their arrival in what today is Florida (then Spanish Florida), Mexico (then New Spain) and Central America.[28] Among the earliest Spanish Vaqueros in the Americas were in Spanish Florida who arrived with Ponce De Leon in 1521 with their Andalusian cattle.[29][30][31][32][33] The traditions of Spain were transformed by the geographic, environmental and cultural circumstances of New Spain, which later became Mexico and the Southwestern United States. They also developed this culture in all of western Latin America, developing the Gaucho cowboys in Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, and Peru. In turn, the land, and people of the Americas also saw dramatic changes due to Spanish influence.

The arrival of horses in the Americas was particularly significant, as equines had been extinct there since the end of the prehistoric ice age. However, horses quickly multiplied in America and became crucial to the success of the Spanish and later settlers from other nations. In “Libro de Albeyteria” (1580), the Spanish-Mexican horseman and veterinarian, Don Juan Suárez de Peralta, asserted that horses were so abundant they “roamed wild in the countryside, without an owner” and that there were “horses and mares that are over twenty years old, and they die of old age without ever seeing man.”[34][35]

As bonus material, here’s the segment from one of her interviews that should have, but probably won’t, stamp “C'est fini” to her nascent presidential aspirations:

Not that we needed confirmation, but the next time you see the term "science", or "experts", or “gender assignment” or … a warning about anything, do a little indian dance and remember

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POLITICS AND (pseudo) science — PERFECT TOGETHER

Inside world's top science society's convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns

One of the world’s largest and most influential scientific societies held its annual conference last weekend, which a Fox News Digital review found was littered with examples of progressive messaging, criticisms of the Trump administration, and "woke" workshops.

Attendees who showed up at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Feb. 12-14, were immediately greeted at registration with identifier stickers that used gender pronouns such as "they/them," "xi/xer," "xe/xem," and other descriptors that critics have alleged have little to do with science and biology.

  • During the meeting’s opening night, shortly after a 10-minute hoop dance routine from traditional Native American dancers [and after, I’m sure, a Land Acknowledgement ceremony] AAAS CEO Dr. Sudip Parikh told the audience that it’s been a "hard" and "tough year for science and scientists in this country."

  • Workshops at the event, which provided gender-neutral washrooms, included a session titled "Mao-Mei Liu: Nurturing Diversity in Science is Resistance," and another called "Investigating the Role of Race in Clinical Decision-Making."

  • "Who Gets to Belong? Disability, Power, and Participation in Higher Education," another workshop was called. 

  • "Colonial Legacies, Climate Crises, and the Erosion of Mobility Choice" was another workshop that scientists at the conference were offered and in an interview with "climate justice scholar" Jola Ajibade, she explained how climate change has benefited a "few wealthy people" while "low-income communities are displaced."

    "At the center of my work is giving a voice but also bringing to the attention of everyone the impact of a slew of climate solutions, the impact of those solutions on low-income communities, on Black communities, on indigenous, on Latino communities as well," Ajibade explained, adding that she is focused on finding a "decolonial" approach. 

  • Listed sponsors of the event included the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group tied to the progressive consulting behemoth Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that pushes a variety of progressive causes. 

Laughing all the way to the bank?

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Greenwich Police Facebook Post: 7,225 Speed Camera Violations in January

**** Monthly Stats for January****

For the month of January 2026 there were a total of 7,225 School Speed Camera Violations. The 7,225 violations were reviewed by Blue Lines Solutions and our Traffic Section and have been mailed out. Currently, there are still 9,537 pending violations for review that may increase the total number of violations for the month.

The speed cameras are located in school zones, which is curious, because in December Chief Jim “BLM” Heavey told the BOE that speeding around Eagle Hill School and North Street School had dropped 90%. By my math, if January’s numbers represent a 90% drop, that would mean that December saw 72,250 violations, with another 95,370 “under review”. I call bullshit.

Here’s an AI summary of this cash cow program:

In Greenwich, CT, school zone speed cameras issue a warning for the first 30 days after installation, and potentially for a driver's first-ever violation, with no fines initially assessed. After this, violations incur a $50 fine for the first offense and $75 for subsequent offenses.

Key Details for Greenwich Speed Cameras:

  • Warning Period: A 30-day grace period occurs for new,, or newly installed cameras, during which only warning notices are mailed.

  • Initial Violation: After the warning period, the first offense is a $50 fine.

  • Subsequent Violations: Each offense after the first is $75.

  • Locations: Cameras are installed in specific school zones, including near North Street School, Eagle Hill School, Brunswick Lower School, and Greenwich Academy.

  • Process: Cameras capture vehicles speeding 10+ mph over the limit, with citations mailed to the registered owner.

  • Following the 30-day warning period for the initial set of cameras, full enforcement began, with many cameras now active.

  • The fee for the first violation is $50 and subsequent ones are $75.

7,250 violations @$50 equals a monthly potential of $361,250 (ignoring the 30 day grace period following installation, but not including second-offense fines of $75). Multiply by twelve and we reach $4,335,000. At $75 per ticket, we’ll have the high school swimming pool paid for in no time.

I’m in complete agreement that speeding cars in general and in school zones in particular are a danger, and should be curtailed, but this process seems skewed against residents: a robot takes a picture and sends it off to some third party that “reviews” it and sends out a ticket while pocketing a tidy fee for itself. Who does one appeal a ticket to? Blue Line Solutions, down in Chattanooga? The soon-to-be-established For What It’s Worth hotline? Inquiring minds want to know.

An AI-generated summary of the contract between Greenwich and Blue Line:

The Town of Greenwich, CT, has contracted with Blue Line Solutions to install, maintain, and monitor speed cameras in designated school zones. While specific revenue-split percentages are not finalized in public reports as of early 2026, the contract aligns with Connecticut state law (Public Act No. 23-116), which dictates that vendor fees cannot be directly contingent on the volume of tickets issued.

Contractual Terms and Revenue Structure

  • Vendor: Blue Line Solutions was chosen to provide the technology, construction, infrastructure, and maintenance for the Automatic Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) program.

  • Scope: The program covers eight school zones, including Greenwich High School, Central Middle School, and others, with cameras designed to record speed violations.

  • Fine Structure: Tickets are civil violations, not criminal, with fines set at $50 for the first offense and $75 for subsequent offenses.

  • Payment Model: Connecticut law prohibits "ghost tickets" or revenue-sharing models where vendors take a percentage of every fine. Instead, towns generally pay vendors a set, non-contingent fee for services. While some CT towns have paid roughly $13.50 per citation and $6 per warning for similar services, the specific per-ticket cost for Greenwich's contract with Blue Line Solutions is not explicitly detailed in the provided search results.

  • Revenue Allocation: Fines collected go toward paying the vendor's contractual fees, with remaining funds required to be used for traffic-related safety improvements, according to state law.

Feel safer now?

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Well, at least he wasn’t transporting sixty pounds of methampheamine — at least he wasn’t doing that!

Meth-carrying — 57 lbs — Jesus released by sympathetic judge

They won’t call him deportee

In “The cornerstone 2026” I noted the case of Junior de Jesus Herrera Berrios, the “Burnsville man” (according to the Star Tribune) who was tackled and detained by ICE agents in the Hennepin County Government Center. He was apprehended when he sought to run away from the agents following a state court hearing on drug charges. The drug charges derive from a traffic stop resulting in the discovery of 57 pounds of methamphetamine in his car.

Herrera Berrios has now been released from ICE custody on the order of Senior Minnesota Federal District Judge Donovan Frank. The current Star Tribune story on his habeas case includes this paragraph:

Several of the court records in the case were sealed, but Frank’s order notes that while the federal government argued Herrera Berrios was detained as part of a Title 8 immigration enforcement, that does not apply to Herrera Berrios because “he has been in the United States for over three years” and is not an arriving noncitizen.

The Star Tribune to the contrary notwithstanding, Judge Frank describes Herrera Berrios as a St. Paul resident (and citizen of Guatemala). According to Judge Frank, Señor Herrera Berrios lives with his girlfriend and has strong ties to the community. With 57 pounds of meth to sell, he must have had quite a few local customers strengthening his ties to the community.

Excerpts from the court’s Memorandum of Decision:

5. Respondents are directed to release Petitioner:

a. In Minnesota;

5 b. With all personal documents and belongings, such as his driver’s license, passport, other immigration documents, and cell phone;

c. Without any conditions on release, including but not limited to requiring Petitioner to sign an “Order of Release on Recognizance” or requiring Petitioner to enroll and complete an “Alternatives to Detention” program;

d. Without any tracking devices or use of a tracking application; and

…. 8. Within thirty (30) days of final judgment in this action, Petitioner may move to recover attorneys’ fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act.

Home improvement project gone awry

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built in 1938, “reimagined”, 2023-26

The owner of 12 Deer Park- Woodside Road paid $8.9 million for it on September 15 2023, brought in Bob Villa (or Cheech and Chong?) and is now offering it to the public, as is, for $10.850. The listing offers this caveat:

***Main house and cottage are both GUTTED shells. House and cottage require everything.***

“So does this meAN MY SERVICES are no longer wanted?”