The match between Nantes and Toulouse in the 34th and final round of the French League came to an abrupt end on 17 May. This happened after Nantes fans stormed the field of the La Beaujoire stadium to protest the team’s official relegation to the second division. The scenes were chaotic. As a result, the referee terminated the match.

Tensions from the start

France Info Sport reported that tensions began within the opening minutes. Nantes fans lit flares and threw projectiles towards the pitch, before storming the pitch just 20 minutes into the game.

The sports outlet added that players and staff from both teams quickly left the pitch. They then sought refuge in the locker rooms under security protection. At that point, the referee had ruled that the game must be suspended. This decision came in the absence of security guarantees. In addition, there was ensuing chaos inside and around the stadium.

Riot police deployed

The same outlet reported that riot control forces were deployed inside La Beaujoire stadium to control the situation. They secured the exit of players and referees.

For its part, Ouest-France reported that Nantes fans booed loudly from the beginning of the match, adding that security forces faced difficulty in containing the fans who stormed the pitch from several sides.

Amid a tense atmosphere that the newspaper described as ”chaotic”, the shock was clear on the Nantes players and the technical staff after the match was stopped.

Ouest-France also indicated that there are fears of disciplinary sanctions being imposed on the club by the French League, against the backdrop of riots and fans storming the pitch, on one of the most turbulent nights in the club’s modern history.

Featured image via One Football

By Alaa Shamali

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With Labour’s NEC allowing Andy Burnham to run for selection for the Makerfield by-election and Wes Streeting confirming at the weekend’s Progress conference that he will stand in any potential Labour leadership contest, Keir Starmer is soon to be replaced at the top of the party. But one man’s shadow continues to loom over the top echelons of the party: war criminal Tony Blair.

One of Wes Streeting’s first jobs was a one-year stint at Progress, a New Labour pressure group set up in 1996 to support Tony Blair’s bid for power. Progress was funded by David Sainsbury, another Blair ally who also just happens to be a major backer of Labour Together, and in 2021, the organisation merged with the Policy Network think tank founded by Peter Mandelson, widely seen as a mentor to Streeting.

In 2010, during his first Labour leadership bid, Andy Burnham said that he would be “proud” to be seen as the candidate who would carry on where Blair left off. Burnham described the illegal invasion of Iraq, which he voted for, as giving “20 or so million Iraqis hope of a better life”.

Blair’s rise

Blair’s initial rise to power was largely financed by Michael Levy, also known as “Lord Cashpoint”, who would go on to raise over £100 million for the Labour Party. Blair first met Levy at a dinner party hosted by Gideon Meir, the deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy at the time. Levy was “entranced by Blair’s drive and religious commitment”, and would later say that he and the Labour Prime Minister were “like brothers”, whereas Blair,

a politician spellbound by wealth, was in thrall to a rich man whose prodigious fundraising ability had definite promise.

The enduring significance of this relationship should not be underestimated. A 2006 report in the Sunday Times states the “crucial accomplishment” of Levy’s input was:

to cut Labour’s dependence on trade union funding so that the party’s reliance has declined from two-thirds in 1992 to about a quarter now.

Blair and Levy had a mutual friend in Eldred Tabachnik, a former head of the Board of Deputies and a senior barrister at the law chambers at which Blair trained. Michael Levy’s son, Daniel, is a former Israeli soldier who later served as an assistant to Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister who once described Blair as “a true friend of the State of Israel”.

Blair’s Zionist backers

Levy convinced other wealthy pro-Israeli donors to back Labour: Emmanuel Kaye, who is “closely associated” with Labour Friends of Israel; Westfield chairman Frank Lowy, who served in the terrorist Haganah militia (a predecessor to the Israeli army); and Trevor Chinn, a director and funder of McSweeney’s Labour Together.

One of Tony Blair’s first acts upon entering parliament in 1983 was to join Labour Friends of Israel. Lobbyist Jonathan Mendelsohn explained:

Zionism is pervasive in New Labour. It is automatic that Blair will come to LFI meetings.

Through his Red Capital Ltd outfit, now Labour peer Mendelsohn has also funded Wes Streeting.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle, a former vice-chair and current member of Labour Friends of Israel who served as a special adviser under Blair, has celebrated his continued influence. Kyle once opined that Starmer would benefit from having an:

elder statesman … people around the world know and trust.

In 2023, the Tony Blair Institute paid for Kyle and Streeting to attend a conference in Brussels.

On May 3rd, Blair’s biographer Anthony Seldon suggested that Starmer should appoint Blair as foreign secretary to save his own failing government. But in reality, Blair’s influence is “from policy to personnel … everywhere.”

Featured image via Leon Neal / Getty Images

By Jody McIntyre

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Margaret Connolly, sister of Irish president Catherine Connolly, has been illegally kidnapped in international waters by the ‘Israeli’ Occupation Forces (IOF).

Margaret was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of ships containing representatives from across the world. They are attempting to reach Gaza and provide the humanitarian aid desperately needed by a population still being denied necessities by so-called ‘Israel’.

Margaret’s message

Speaking in a prerecorded message created for release in the event of her capture, Margaret said:

If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotilla by the Israeli Occupying Forces, and am now being held illegally in an Israeli prison.

She continued:

As you know, the Israeli Zionist regime has imposed a siege on Gaza since 2007. For over 75 years, they have persecuted and tortured the people of Gaza. Millions and millions of people have been displaced.

She added:

I feel utterly compelled as a mother, a doctor, and as a human being to help in this flotilla.

Following the news of Margaret’s abduction, president Connolly said:

It seems like this happened in international waters and it’s a cause of worry really, and I’m very proud of my sister but I’m worried about her.

Impunity of Zionist kidnappings

It is Connolly’s second abduction by terrorist forces from the illegitimate land theft project. She was previously one of around 175 activists taken in international waters by the IOF in late April and early May.

The ‘Israeli’ goons dumped most of the activists in Greece. However, numerous flotilla members were brutally beaten by the Zionist thugs when peacefully objecting to the IOF decision to illegally imprison Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila.

The terrorists took the two men back to the genocidal settler-colony, where they were tortured and paraded in front of a court. Tel Aviv ultimately released the men following an international outcry. Tragically, Ávila’s mother died during his imprisonment.

The president’s sister ultimately rejoined the flotilla. She is one of at least 11 Irish activists that the IOF abducted in the flotilla’s latest wave. Others include Fra Hughes and Helena Kearns, organisers for charity Palestine Aid Ireland and Gaza Ground Aid respectively.

60 boats illegally intercepted

At the time of writing, the Global Sumud Flotilla tracker is reporting that 60 boats have been illegally intercepted by forces of the apartheid regime. 10 heroically continue to sail towards Gaza.

Margaret Connolly’s husband Declan Bree highlighted the outrageous impunity the ‘Israelis’ enjoy as they conduct these abductions. He said:

it has to be said that the abduction of civilians in the middle of the Mediterranean in the full view of the world clearly confirms that Israel is rogue state with no respect for international law.

What we’re talking about here is the unlawful seizure of Irish citizens and citizens of other nations on the open sea, essentially an assertion that the Israeli regime can operate with total impunity far beyond its own borders with no consequences.

No state has the right to police or occupy international waters and that’s exactly what Israel is doing.

The flotilla is not merely an attempt to get aid to the people of Gaza. It is also an excellent means of highlighting further lawlessness by the Zionist entity, and the extraordinary acquiescence of governments across the world, even when such crimes are carried out against their own citizens.

Taoiseach offers meaningless words but no action

Genocide participant Micheál Martin had little more than feeble words to offer in response to the illegal taking of his own citizens by the apartheid entity. He said:

Such interceptions and detentions are wholly unacceptable and must stop. The government will also discuss with EU partners how we can ensure the safety and wellbeing of our citizens.

It would be more useful to be discussing and implementing sanctions against the land thieves. A core demand of the flotilla activists has been for Irish citizens to use the present moment as an opportunity to pressure TDs into backing the Sanctions Against the State of Israel Bill proposed by People Before Profit. It would bring in far-reaching boycott measures against Tel Aviv, including a complete ban on importing and exporting technology and goods to and from the Zionist pseudo-state.

Martin’s government continued to dodge by dismissing the bill as not “the most effective or legally sustainable path forward.” Its chances are slim, given that the weak Occupied Territories Bill (OTB) has been on the table for eight years, with the current government doing everything possible to delay and water it down.

Martin’s preferred response to Palestine activists is to pepper spray and brutally beat them, as the Garda did once again when a group of demonstrators attempted to gain entry to Fianna Fáil’s ard fheis (conference) on Saturday May 16.

Margaret Connolly concluded her video message by calling on the government to, at minimum, pass the OTB and:

follow the will of the Irish people to support the people of Palestine to establish an independent, sovereign state. It is the least we can do for our brothers and sisters, and for ourselves.

Featured image via X 

By Robert Freeman

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Three Muslim men have been killed after a horrific shooting at a mosque in San Diego where the authorities later found the attackers dead in their car.

One of the victims, a security guard, lost his life while trying to protect others from the gunfire.

Police chief, Scott Wahl, said “Islamophobia has no home in San Diego” and praised the man’s heroism.

Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.

Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, added:

We have never experienced a tragedy like this before. It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.

I would like also to thank all the people that contacted us from across the country and overseas, to give condolences and to ask if there is anything they can do to help.

San Diego victims all tried to help when shots fired

However, not unexpectedly, the Board of Deputies has yet to condemn this hate-fuelled murder of Muslims.

Akin to the UK’s mainstream media, they have yet to show the same horror at this attack on a mosque.

As Canary reporter, Ani, posted on X:

The San Diego Mosque shooting again highlights the lack of importance put on Muslims lives and the growing trend of attacks internationally. #america #mosque #muslim #news #facts pic.twitter.com/LhZfHsHWnE

— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) May 19, 2026

Teen gunmen dressed in camouflage and were armed

The San Diego Police led a press conference confirming that two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, carried out the three murders.

Officials described one of them as a “juvenile runaway”. This followed earlier concerns raised by the mother of one of the suspects who had originally called the police fearing that her son was suicidal.

However, after speaking with the concerned mother, police quickly concluded that the two intended to carry out violence, particularly after learning they had both dressed in camouflage.

Additionally, they took “several of her weapons” and her car.

Subsequently, the police raised the threat level and sent out officers to search for the pair.

Whilst police were still with the mother nearby the mosque, they then became aware of an active shooter at the Islamic Center and scrambled teams to attend.

Upon arrival, the officers sadly found three Muslim victims who had died at the hands of these two juveniles.

Police are investigating the shooting as a hate crime after it was revealed that a note left with the mother contained what he described as “hateful rhetoric”.

In a public plea for further information, FBI special agent, Mark Remily, said they are “meticulously” investigating the situation and would work to get to the bottom of this tragic and horrifying incident.

Children evacuated from the Islamic Center

The Islamic Center also houses the Al Rashid School, where Muslim children, from age five, attend on weekends. Reports indicate that children were inside the centre during the shooting, with footage showing people being evacuated through the car park.

The centre hosts a variety of programmes for children and families, and is a busy hub for community, educational and religious events. Subsequently, schools nearby have been put on lockdown.

As a result, the local community is living in heightened fear of another violent attack, amidst a concerted far-right agenda to whip up hate towards Muslim people in the US. Hostility which has been rising for years.

In these circumstances, it’s vital the public and media closely scrutinise how law enforcement handles this fatal incident as more details are disclosed.

Featured image via Sandy Huffaker/ Getty Images

By Maddison Wheeldon

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In a move that clearly panicked Sky presenter Cathy Newman, former left-wing Labour MP Laura Pidcock called out the Labour government’s complicity with Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Sky‘s Cathy Newman covers for Israel

Speaking about how awful Labour’s current elites are, Pidcock stressed:

We’ve just watched a Labour government be complicit in a genocide in Gaza

There is overwhelming consensus among genocide scholars, including many from Israel, that the apartheid state has committed genocide against Palestinians in occupied Gaza. Countless human rights groups, humanitarian organisations, UN experts, and legal scholars agree. (You can see our in-depth list here.)

Countless Israeli war crimes, which have led to the issuing of international arrest warrants for Israeli criminals, have killed 72,760 people since October 2023, including over 20,000 children.

Newman, however, rushed to interrupt and challenge Pidcock for saying the word ‘genocide’, asserting:

You know that that word is disputed

Who exactly disputes that Israel has committed genocide? Well, Newman cleverly avoided clarifying that. But the disputers in question are primarily:

• The Israeli government itself, which is full of wanted war criminals.
• Israel’s political and corporate allies in the West, which have enabled and benefitted from its crimes.
• Unscrupulous lobbyists who funnel money into political parties and establishment media (like Sky) to fuel and normalise genocide denialism and apologism.
• Fascists who think the word genocide only applies to white Europeans.

So yes, some despicable human beings trying to justify Israel’s genocidal colonialism absolutely do dispute the word ‘genocide’.

But you would expect a responsible, professional journalist to ignore their warped assessment of the situation and instead focus on the judgement of genocide scholars and other people who actually care about human rights and international law.

.@LauraPidcock: "Wes Streeting is continuity Starmer, but so will be Burnham"

And watch what happens when Laura brings up the subject of Israels genocide. Cathy Newman claims "that word is disputed" & then says "we're off the point of the Labour leadership" pic.twitter.com/4F3vCpOAIj

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) May 19, 2026

Labour is complicit in genocide. But the corporate media is too!

When Pidcock suggested that no ethical person would dispute the word ‘genocide’, Newman quickly tried to change the topic, saying:

We’re sort of off the point of the Labour leadership battle

But Pidcock replied:

This is important. Because if we are thinking about why there is such a huge amount of discontent at the polls, we have to look at the record of the Labour government.

Genocide complicity is a big part of that record. And it’s a key reason why today’s Labour is so repulsive to so many people. It has become a vile vacuum of morality and principles, where its leader – a former ‘human rights lawyer’ no less – has enabled genocide and openly engaged in genocide denialism.

Judging by how clearly awful and deceitful Keir Starmer’s project has been for years now, Pidcock asserted:

It really doesn’t wash with me – these cynical resignations now, at a time when we’ve just gone through the most horrific genocide and [have] a Labour government which has done nothing for the poorest people in society.

That’s why leadership hopefuls Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham – very much part of the same vacuous right-wing ecosystem that spawned Starmer – just represent more of the same. They didn’t meaningfully object to Starmer dragging Labour far to the right, so we can just consider them “continuity Starmer”, Pidcock said.

The Labour right is synonymous now with support for mass murder. And we can say the exact same about our corporate media too, as Cathy Newman demonstrated well in her interview with Laura Pidcock.

Featured image via Sky News / Saul Staniforth

By Ed Sykes

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Donald Trump has cancelled an imminent attack on Iran at the request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE and the prospect of ‘serious negotiations’.

However, he instructed the US military to be ready to launch a “full, large-scale assault” of Iran at “a moment’s notice”. This is if the US, Israel, and Iran do not reach an “acceptable” deal.

BREAKING: President Trump says he has called off a US “Military attack” on Iran which was scheduled for tomorrow after leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE called him and asked him to “hold off.”

Trump has instructed the US Military to “be prepared to go forward with a… pic.twitter.com/OQbBYuEP5u

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 18, 2026

Advertisement

Trump toddler mode

In his usual toddler-style rant on Truth Social, Trump said that:

the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran which was scheduled for tomorrow.

According to the leaders, a deal will be made that will be “very acceptable” to the US.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal:

Several Gulf officials from some of the countries Trump mentioned said they were not aware of the imminent plan to attack Iran he described.

It is still unclear if Iran, Israel and the US have made a breakthrough in their peace talks.

Importantly, Trump finished by saying that the US needed to be ready to attack Iran, if and when he decided it was the right time. He said:

I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.

Nuclear weapons

Only days before this Truth Social rant, Trump wrote that the “clock is ticking” for Iran to strike a deal. He also said there “won’t be anything left of them.”

In the latest rant, along with previous ones, Trump continues to reiterate that a deal must include:

NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!

However, there is zero evidence that Iran either has the desire to build a nuclear weapon or has attempted to make one.

Israel has been claiming for the last 30 years that Iran is only weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb.

In 2025, the US Director of National Intelligence stated that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.

Additionally, nuclear experts, including the chief of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said there was no evidence that Iran was close to a nuclear weapon.

Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian use only, such as for power generation and medical research. This requires uranium enrichment of between 3% and 5%.

Some research-grade uranium sits between 20 and 85% enrichment. Some countries use this in specialised research reactors to produce medical isotopes. It is well recorded that Iran uses its nuclear facilities to develop and test many drugs, including those for cancer treatment.

Non-Proliferation Treaty

Uranium has to reach at least 90% enrichment for nuclear weapons even to be possible. Experts suggest that Iran is at around 60% enrichment, the level used for research purposes.

However, in June 2025, the US and Israel launched even more illegal attacks on Iran over the course of 12 days.

The strikes severely damaged enrichment facilities, weapons depots, and command centres. This set back Iran’s nuclear program by years. Trump claimed the attacks “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, it’s unclear whether that is true, as in February 2026, Trump claimed that Iran’s enriched uranium was the reason for its illegal attacks.

Hilariously, though, Israel is one of only five countries which have not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

It was established in 1968 and is a landmark international agreement. It aimed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Iran is a signatory to this pact. Israel is not. What does that tell you?

Imperialism

Netanyahu has been claiming Iran is close to nukes since 1992. Still, every single time he says it, the US, along with the rest of the colonialist West, laps it up.

It’s the same playbook that the US and UK used in their illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. A Western colonial power attacks a majority-muslim country under the guise of weapons of mass destruction. They never existed. It is the same racist, imperialist mindset that led to the creation of Israel, and every war, US-led regime change, and illegal invasion since then.

Feature image via Alex Wong /Getty Images

By HG

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Campaigners from Resist Reform have put up fake adverts at bus stops in the London borough of Havering. Posters carried the words “HE WORKS FOR BILLIONAIRES” and “THIS MAN VOTED TO KEEP YOU ON A ZERO HOUR CONTRACT”.

They’re highlighting the disconnect between Reform UK’s anti-elite discourse and its funding sources. Resist Reform chose this area because the party won 39 seats in the recent local elections in Havering. Prior to this, the Conservative party had the majority. It’s the only borough in London that now has a Reform administration.

For context, Nigel Farage received a personal gift of £5m from British-Thai crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Harborne has donated £22m to Reform UK over the past seven years, making up two thirds of all Reform’s funding. This makes Reform UK overly dependent on a single donor.

Sam Simons, a Resist Reform spokesperson, said:

We all want to live in a fair society where we have what we need to live a good life. We know Britain is broken. People are really struggling and they are looking for answers.

Unfortunately, Reform are offering seductive false solutions. They claim to fight the system, but Farage and his cronies are the system. Christopher Harborne is using Reform UK to further his own billionaire agenda.

Resist Reform is a campaign exposing the billionaire funding and elite interests behind Reform UK and organising opposition to its political agenda. It recently beamed a series of messages onto Reform’s London HQ, Millbank Tower.

Resist Reform takes the challenge direct to Tice

Campaigners from Resist Reform also challenged Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader and business, trade and energy spokesperson. as he delivered a keynote interview at the Utility Week Forum at Birmingham NEC.

It’s the flagship conference for the UK’s energy and water sectors and Tice was speaking on Reform’s approach to energy and water policy.

The action highlighted the disconnect between Reform UK’s anti-establishment rhetoric and its financial reality: over £22m from billionaire Harborne. Tice himself has a personal net worth of approximately £30m and co-founded Leave.EU and Leave Means Leave.

Simons added:

People are really struggling and looking for answers. Reform offer seductive ones – but Farage and his cronies aren’t fighting the system, they are the system.

When two thirds of your funding comes from a crypto billionaire, you have to ask: whose interests will Reform actually serve in government? Not yours. Not the NHS’s. His.

Featured image via Resist Reform

By The Canary

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DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 49 

YOU GET A PASS, AND YOU GET A PASS, AND YOU GET A PASS…: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is conceding the way City Hall doles out press passes is “not” good policy – after a trio of Luigi Mangione admirers celebrated the alleged murder of a health care CEO while flaunting newly minted press passes.

“Those three individuals should not have received press passes,” the mayor told reporters today, referencing the three Mangione supporters, who call themselves the Mangionistas.

The Mangionistas told reporters Monday outside a Manhattan courthouse that the children of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson are “better off without their Dad” and that they “don’t give a flying fuck he died.”

They also posed for pictures with their press passes in hand — an image that landed on the cover of The New York Post this morning, with the tabloid squarely blaming City Hall for the fiasco.

Mamdani is now distancing himself from the city’s press pass policy — saying his administration will review its media credential application process, a job previously handled by the NYPD. That changed after 2020 protests in response to George Floyd’s murder prompted questions about whether the city’s police should control journalists’ access.

The internal review from Mamdani comes as he has sought to publicly ease tensions with business leaders after the mayor filmed a “Tax the Rich” video outside the pied-à-terre of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin that inflamed the hedge fund titan and other business leaders.

In public remarks, Griffin criticized Mamdani’s decision to use his personal address to promote his soak-the-rich policies and even referenced Thompson’s murder last year, which occurred only a few blocks away from the pied-à-terre in question. He also said he is excited to move much of his company’s operations to Miami.

Since then, Mamdani has seemingly been in rich-biz-exec damage control mode, publicly praising Griffin and reportedly reaching out via intermediaries to try and schedule a meeting. Mamdani also set up one-on-one sit-downs with other CEOs, including JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon on Monday. He also met with Blackstone president Jonathan Gray last week.

The Mangionista press pass debacle certainly doesn’t stand to help his tension-easing efforts.

City Hall refused to answer a question from Playbook about when their passes were awarded, though The Post declared the three Mangione fans were awarded the credentials under Mamdani. A reporter for The Guardian, Victoria Bekiempis, posted the result of a records request she made which indicated dozens of individuals have obtained press passes in connection with the Mangione trial, with about half granted before Mamdani took over as mayor.

“There is a good-natured debate to be had about where a press pass should extend and where it shouldn’t. However, the three people that we are talking about don’t fall within that debate,” Mamdani also said today. “I, as the mayor, should not be deciding who is considered a journalist worthy of a pass and who is not. However, what we should have is a process that people can trust.”

As mayor, Mamdani has embraced “new media” influencers and content creators, even holding press events exclusively for them. Journalists from Room 9 — the City Hall press room — also say they’ve lodged complaints to Mamdani’s press office about the lax availability of city press credentials.

For instance, Raul Rivera, a man who allegedly bit a Mamdani campaign volunteer at a rally before his election, still held onto his press pass after his arrest, according to eyewitnesses who saw it around his neck at press conferences outside City Hall, where he is a frequent disruptor and provocateur. Other independent news gatherers, like the man behind the far-right “Viral News NYC,” were incensed about the Mangionista’s getting credentialed.

“I remember when I first got my press pass,” wrote the account, which internet sleuths have identified as written by Oren Levy. “I was proud that I was able to get one. Now it’s just another piece of plastic with no real meaning behind it because every jerk off and their mother has one.” — Jason Beeferman

From the Capitol

ALMOST THERE: Voting on the seven-week late state budget may begin next Tuesday.

Assembly Democrats were told during a closed-door conference today that votes are being eyed for early next week as top lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul try to finish up the $268 billion tax-and-spend plan.

“Next week is looking more promising,” Assemblymember Michaelle Solages said.

Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman and Bill Mahoney. 

NO IMPACT: The deal between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and five unions to end a three-day Long Island Rail Road strike won’t affect the yet-to-be-completed state budget’s bottomline, state Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jeremy Cooney said.

On Monday night, Hochul announced the agreement ending the strike for the commuter rail service that connects New York City to a vital, vote-rich suburban bellwether.

Standing beside the governor, MTA CEO Janno Lieber said they were able to reach a deal that was structured in a way that doesn’t prompt new fare increases or tax hikes.

The unions have been working without a contract for three years. Salary increases for those years — 3 percent, 3 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively — will be paid retroactively, but the sticking point was how to handle a fourth year that begins next month. NY1 reported the salary increase would be 4.5 percent with a $3,000 lump sum and that the contract year would be extended by six weeks. — Nick Reisman and Ry Rivard

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

BLAKEMAN’S DESANTIS BASH: The New York GOP is hosting a fundraiser with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tonight as their gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman hopes to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The New York Republican State Committee’s annual gala, set to take place at 7 p.m. at The Plaza Hotel, will feature remarks from the Florida governor as he makes an uphill push for Blakeman and others to turn New York red.

The event will occur at the same time as the Legislative Correspondents Association’s annual “LCA Show” in Albany, where the city’s press corps spoofs the New York politicians they cover with an original musical in a longstanding tradition. Hochul and Blakeman were originally scheduled to deliver the show’s “rebuttals,” where the electeds who are the targets of the jokes get the chance to give comedic retorts in front of the live audience, but Blakeman canceled his appearance. He will send a video instead.

“We regret the conflict with the LCA show, which was unavoidable,” the state GOP said in a press advisory.

Other GOP candidates like attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy and comptroller hopeful Joseph Hernandez will also deliver remarks.

The swanky gala is taking place as another big name in the GOP — President Donald Trump — is flying to New York this week to hold an event with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in the Hudson Valley on Friday.

Despite the show of support for New York candidates from some of the Republican Party’s biggest names, not all is kumbaya between national and local leaders. Just weeks ago, Trump broke from state GOP Chair Ed Cox with his endorsement in the race to replace Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik. — Jason Beeferman

TERMINAL TURMOIL: The path forward for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal is turning into a point of contention in the heated primary between Rep. Dan Goldman and former City Comptroller Brad Lander.

The initiative to revamp the Red Hook terminal — led in part by Goldman — has been a delicate process. A task force approved the proposal last September after five delayed votes due to holdouts from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and City Council Member Shahana Hanif, who eventually came around. The project is still years away from construction.

But at a forum hosted this morning by Abundance New York and NYC New Liberals, Lander said he thinks “a little more time is needed to refine that plan” — a sentiment he’s recently shared publicly. But privately, Lander reportedly “lobbied holdout members of a city task force last year to line up support” for the plan, according to Crain’s. When asked if he changed his position on the terminal, Lander replied that he “didn’t take a public position at the time that the plan was adopted,” later adding that he had “doubts about the plan at the time.”

Lander noted that people questioned the nature of port operations at the harbor and transportation in the area.

“With a new administration, with some doubts about it, it is worth a few more months,” Lander said during the forum. “I will be a champion to get it done, and you know I will be, because you’ve seen me on every single project, every single hard choice, being on the side of spending some time building consensus, and then moving forward productively.”

Goldman appeared on stage after Lander, who said he didn’t want a debate because he didn’t think “one minute sniping back and forth” would be as productive as the moderator Ben Max “asking thoughtful questions that push each of us.” The incumbent wanted seven debates; Lander committed to two.

Goldman agreed the plan “certainly needs some work in terms of the transit and infrastructure, and making sure that the space can support what is proposed,” but he was quick to fire back. He accused his challenger of “flip-flopping” on his support for the project and drew a contrast with Lander’s Gowanus rezoning. The incumbent said that rezoning “was done well” — but that he also hears from Gowanus residents now priced out of the neighborhood — a dynamic he doesn’t want to see unfold with the Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

“The concerns that you hear about, ‘Oh we need a few more months, the process,’ that is NIMBYism — that is how things don’t get done,” he said. “We went through an exhaustive process that considered all of these things.”

Goldman also mused that there’s “some surprise” that Trump hasn’t “tried to stop” the project. “I think it’s obviously because he’s afraid of me,” he joked. — Madison Fernandez

IN OTHER NEWS

— FOLLOW THE BLUE BRICK ROAD?: New York Democrats see a potential opening in Rep. Elise Stefanik’s deep red district. (Gothamist)

— ‘HATEFUL ACT’: The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an incident where a Muslim man was hit with an egg outside a Brooklyn mosque. (New York Daily News)

— LOOK MA, NO HANDS: State Sen. Patricia Fahy introduced a bill that would bring self-driving cars to Albany. (Times Union)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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Rosamund Pike is giving Saltburn co-star Jacob Elordi her seal of approval amid rumours that he’s in contention to play James Bond.

During a new interview with GQ Hype, the British actor was asked what she thought of the rumours that emerged last year indicating that Jacob was “at the top of” producers’ wish lists for the role of 007.

While the piece indicated Rosamund had “no preference for the next 007”, she did praise Jacob – who played her on-screen son in Saltburn – as a “fantastic” actor.

“He certainly looks like a great Bond,” she added. “I mean, why not?”

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James Bond, of course, is a world Rosamund knows well.

The Oscar nominee previously shared the screen with Pierce Brosnan in 2002’s Die Another Day, which marked the Thursday Murder Club star’s last outing as 007.

She told GQ Hype that she’s not watched the film since it came out, remarking: “I know I’ll think, ’Oh, if only I could do that now, I would know exactly how to do that part’.”

Commenting on the film’s divisive special effects, she recalled: “It was the beginning of CGI. But it was kind of ridiculed, wasn’t it?”

Last week, Amazon MGM Studios – who officially took over at the helm of the James Bond franchise in 2025 – revealed that casting was only just beginning for the next 007.

“The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right,” a studio representative said.

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Over the weekend, Variety reported that Tom – who was previously nominated for a Tony and won an Olivier for his work in Sunset Boulevard, and has also appeared in the TV series You and the George Clooney movie Jay Kelly – had auditioned for the iconic spy role.

Denis Villeneuve will direct the long-awaited 26th Bond movie, for which Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is writing the script.

Read Rosamund Pike’s full interview in GQ Hype here.

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