Politics
Jeff Bezos’ mixed bag for Mamdani
BEZOS’ BLESSING: Mayor Zohran Mamdani found an unlikely supporter today for his push to raise taxes on rich property owners: Jeff Bezos, one of the wealthiest men in the world.
“The pied-à-terre tax is a fine thing for New York to do,” Bezos said in a wide-ranging interview this morning on CNBC.
The billionaire Amazon founder was referring to the new surcharge that the state — after prodding from Mamdani — is expected to levy on individuals who own secondary homes in the city worth more than $5 million. Bezos, who resides mainly in Miami, gave his thumbs up even though he owns multiple homes in the city — reportedly worth well over $5 million each — meaning he’s likely to be impacted by the new tax.
But Bezos, who ranks as the fourth richest man in the world, also had plenty of flack for the mayor and his democratic socialist philosophies.
On pied-à-terre, Bezos blasted Mamdani for releasing a social media video in which he stood outside billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin’s Manhattan penthouse to tout the tax.
“To go stand in front of Ken Griffin’s house and act like he’s some kind of villain — Ken Griffin isn’t a villain,” Bezos said in the interview, which was shot inside his Florida space rocket manufacturing facility. “He hasn’t hurt anybody. He’s not hurting New York. In fact, quite the opposite. And so that piece of it isn’t right, and there was no reason to do that.”
Mamdani’s video stunt has triggered a sustained uproar from business leaders who say the video was in poor taste. They’ve also argued a pied-à-terre tax is flawed because it could drive the rich to sell their properties, depleting the local tax pool.
Griffin himself threatened to pull the plug on a $6 billion office development project in the city in response to Mamdani’s video. The mayor has since taken pains to meet with local business giants, like the chief executives of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, though Griffin himself has so far rejected Mamdani’s entreaties for a sit-down.
While Bezos gave Mamdani an unexpected boost on the pied-à-terre front, the Amazon honcho’s gripes with the mayor went well beyond Griffin.
Mamdani has long favored raising income taxes on the rich — on both the state and federal level — arguing such hikes would create more revenue to fund services for the average person.
Bezos contends that’s nonsense and pointed to the fact that the city’s public school system spends about $44,000 on every student annually — a markedly higher sum than other major U.S. cities — with little to show for it in terms of educational outcomes.
“You could double the taxes I pay and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens, I promise you,” said Bezos.
Instead, he said the focus should be on eliminating taxes altogether for low-income earners. “A nurse in Queens who makes $75,000 a year pays 12 — more than $12,000 a year in taxes. Does that really make sense?” he said. “So, people talk about making the tax system more progressive. How about we start by having the nurse in Queens not pay taxes?”
CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin pressed Bezos on whether billionaires like himself would need to pay more in income taxes if nurses and teachers are given a pass on their bills, given there might otherwise be a revenue shortfall. Bezos replied that is “certainly a perfectly valid policy debate.”
A spokesperson for Mamdani would not comment on Bezos’ support for the pied-à-terre tax. But responding to a CNBC clip of Bezos criticizing higher taxes on the wealthy, Mamdani wrote on X: “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”
Queens holds a special place in Bezos’ mind. In 2019, Amazon canceled plans to build a massive headquarters in Long Island City after progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Mayor Bill de Blasio fought against awarding the mega-corporation $3 billion in public subsidies for the project.
Indeed, Bezos kept coming back to Queens in his CNBC hit, even while talking about what a great career choice he believes Amazon is for working class Americans.
“Amazon, we have our entry level wage for, in Queens, is $23 an hour,” he said. “That works out to be like $52,000 a year, and this is an entry level job that doesn’t require any educational attainment. It doesn’t require any preexisting skills. We will train you. It’s actually a great first job.” — Chris Sommerfeldt
From the Capitol
ZOMBIE FIGHT: State lawmakers are expected to grant Mamdani the power to dissolve a Charter Revision Commission launched by his predecessor, providing him with a clear path to kill the controversial panel.
The new authority, set to be approved in a budget bill scheduled for a Thursday vote, will give Mamdani until June 1 to either approve or rescind the commission’s creation by former Mayor Eric Adams, two people familiar with the deal said.
The people, who were granted anonymity to discuss details of the yet-to-be released legislation, said Mamdani asked state officials to insert the language into the tax-and-spending plan. They also said Mamdani — who has for months sought a way to kill the Adams commission — is expected to use the authority to disband the panel once and for all.
Kayla Mamelak, Adams’ former press secretary who’s among several aides and political loyalists he appointed to the commission, told POLITICO on Wednesday that no one from the panel received a heads up from state lawmakers or the mayor’s administration about the new legislation.
Read more from POLITICO Pro’s Nick Reisman and Chris Sommerfeldt.
LANDFILL LATTE: A plastic cup tossed into the recycling bin at a Starbucks in Park Slope traveled 463 miles to its final resting place at Apex Landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.
The cup’s long and winding road from eco-minded, brownstone Brooklyn to a tiny Ohio village underscores how little consumer plastic ends up getting recycled — even through a corporation that touts its sustainability cred.
The journey was tracked by Beyond Plastics, which released a report today documenting how it attached trackers to plastic cups in Starbucks recycling bins to see where they ended up. Not a single cup ended up at a recycling facility.
“When a company tells you something is being recycled and it isn’t, it doesn’t just mislead the customer, it also takes the pressure off for real solutions, which is using less plastic in the first place,” Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, told reporters Wednesday.
The group, a non-profit that advocates for ending plastic pollution, is lobbying for the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act to pass in Albany this session. The bill is aimed at reducing single-use packaging in New York and is sponsored by Assemblymember Deborah Glick and state Sen. Pete Harckham, both Democrats.
The cups in question are made of polypropylene, or No. 5 plastic. And while they are indeed recyclable, Beyond Plastics could only find a handful of commercial recycling operators in the country that claim to recycle post-consumer polypropylene.
Starbucks is already using fiber to-go cups in hundreds of its outposts across 14 states. The report calls on the coffee chain to use those cups nationwide. Starbucks pushed back on the report.
“Our cups are designed to be recyclable, and the ‘widely accepted for recycling’ designation reflects that,” Emily Albright, a spokesperson for Starbucks, said in a statement. “Obviously, recycling in practice also requires local community infrastructure. That’s why we work closely with others, including the recycling companies, to help expand access and help improve the system.” — Mona Zhang
FROM CITY HALL
EYES ON AI: Council member Julie Won is rolling out legislation that would establish an artificial intelligence oversight office in the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
The director of the office would be responsible for investigating “allegations of the use of artificial intelligence in violation of the consumer laws” and for implementing an “outreach and education campaign to raise public awareness regarding the use of artificial intelligence to harm the rights, safety, or interests of consumers.”
The Council has long attempted to regulate AI.
Won is running for Congress in the competitive Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez. As part of her campaign, she’s put out a technology policy platform focused heavily on AI and using the technology “responsibly.”
“We have to change the public sentiment from being so afraid of becoming obsolete to making sure there’s protections so that people don’t become obsolete,” Won said in a recent interview.
The debate over the path forward for AI has reshaped elections across the country — especially in the Democratic primary for retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler’s seat, where millions of dollars have poured in from groups on both sides of the regulation conversation.
There’s no indication, though, that those entities are planning to get involved in this race, where Won is up against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Assemblymember Claire Valdez. — Madison Fernandez
BUFFERING, PLEASE HOLD: City Council Speaker Julie Menin is planning to introduce a revised version of the “buffer zone” protest bill for educational facilities, scaling back the proposal after Mamdani vetoed the original measure in late April.
The new legislation narrows the definition of educational facilities to early childhood sites and most K-12 schools, explicitly excluding libraries, teaching hospitals and — notably — colleges and universities.
The bill, similar to the buffer zone protest bill for religious institutions, would require the NYPD to create and publicize security perimeter plans around those schools during protests. Both measures have undergone significant revisions compared to earlier versions, which initially proposed 100-foot buffer zones between protestors and the sites in question.
The changes mark a significant concession from Menin on the bill’s core scope, as she moves to address member concerns rather than attempt an override — despite saying she had the votes to do so.
“We have the ability to do an override, but to jam through an override on an issue where even members who were going to support the override had real concerns — I don’t think that’s a responsible path forward,” the speaker said. “It’s my job as speaker to build consensus.”
Changes to the school-focused bill also include replacing its original prime sponsor, Council member Eric Dinowitz, with Council member Elsie Encarnacion. Under the new version, Dinowitz will appear as second co-prime sponsor.
Menin pushed back on criticism that the revisions weaken the legislation.
“I don’t view it as a watering down. I actually view it as a strengthening,” Menin said. “It means we’re going to get more members involved in supporting this bill.”
The original proposal — part of the Council’s five-point plan to combat antisemitism — was driven in part by concerns over campus protests tied to Israel’s war in Gaza. Mamdani vetoed it in April, citing constitutional concerns and the bill’s broad definition of educational institutions, which he argued could have applied to libraries, museums and hospitals.
“The Mamdani administration has not seen the specific legislative language, and we look forward to reviewing it,” a spokesperson for the mayor said. “The Mayor believes New York City must remain a place where students can access their schools safely as well as exercise their constitutional right to protest.” — Gelila Negesse
IN OTHER NEWS
— CHECKERS, NOT CHESS: OpenAI is pivoting to a state-by-state lobbying strategy to shape AI regulation, aiming to build momentum as federal efforts stall. (POLITICO)
— CASE NOT CLOSED: Citizens Union, a government watchdog group, is urging the Manhattan district attorney to pursue state charges against Eric Adams despite the Trump administration dropping a federal case against him. (The New York Times)
— NO PLAYING AROUND: New York health officials say they are closely monitoring an Ebola outbreak in the Congo as international travel ramps up ahead of the World Cup. (Gothamist)
Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Politics
UN intends ‘to make sure that all legal obligations are honoured’ after Israel demolished UNRWA headquarters
On 17 May, the Israeli occupation approved a plan to establish what it calls a defence compound on the site of the former United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.
Site of demolished UNRWA headquarters will now become a millitary base for Israeli occupation forces
The proposal for the site in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of the city was put forward by the occupation’s defence minister Israel Katz. It will see the construction of an Israeli occupation forces (IOF) museum, a recruitment centre, and an office for the “Defence” Minister.
In January, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed UNRWA’s headquarters, ordered staff to leave, and then used heavy machinery to raze it to the ground.
What was left was then set alight. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, called the burning of UNRWA’s headquarters an unprecedented attack on the United Nations.
But, according to the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN, the UN, its property, and its assets are immune from every form of legal process. UN premises, archives, and documents are “inviolable”, meaning they are legally off-limits to local authorities and protected from interference. And as a party to this treaty, “Israel” is obliged to honour and respect the inviolability of all UN premises. This includes those belonging to UNRWA.
Will the UN take legal action against Israeli occupation over actions against its headquarters?
Following the Knesset’s approval of the plans for the UNRWA site, the UN Secretary-General’s deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said at his daily press briefing:
We are considering, with our legal office, what the next steps are, but we intend to make sure that all legal obligations are honoured. UNRWA sites are UN premises, and they are meant to be inviolable. We have raised concerns about exactly what’s happened to the site, the way it was invaded, the way it was taken over. And these concerns still apply.
UNRWA was formed in 1949. Its mandate is to provide aid and services to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forcibly displaced by the occupation during the formation of “Israel”, in 1948, until the implementation of Resolution 194. This resolution calls for the right of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes. There are currently almost six million registered with UNRWA.
But the Israeli occupation’s political goal is to forcibly displace Palestinians from the occupied territory, and ethnically cleanse Palestine. So there are ongoing attempts by the regime to dismantle UNRWA, and erase the status and history of Palestinian refugees both in the occupied territory and abroad.
This is why the zionist regime’s relationship with UNRWA has been hostile for many years. And this relationship has deteriorated further since the start of the genocide in Gaza. The agency has been relentlessly targeted by the occupation, with the aim of disrupting UNRWA’s work and permanently close it down.
Baseless accusations from the occupation — which have been heeded by the West, include claims the agency’s activities are used by Hamas as a cover for “terrorist” acts. The curriculum UNRWA uses in its education system has been accused of encouraging violence. And, according to the lies of the occupation, UNRWA employees also took part in Operation Al Aqsa Flood against “Israel” on 7 October, 2023.
UNRWA Legislation passed by Israeli occupation has a political motive
In October 2024, the Knesset passed legislation to ban UNRWA from providing any services whatsoever in so-called Israel. State authorities were also banned from having contact with UNRWA in both the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank. This has seriously curtailed UNRWA’s activities there.
Then, in December 2025, a law was passed that required Israeli providers to disconnect or withhold water and electricity from UNRWA facilities. The provision of banking or financial services was also blocked to the agency. The Knesset also passed legislation that revokes diplomatic immunities, and also allows the Israel Land Authority to seize UNRWA-controlled land and offices, transferring UNRWA’s assets to the “state of Israel”.
Taking to X to boast of his proposal’s approval, Katz posted:
We outlawed this terror-supporting UN organisation and took the land, and now on its ruins we are building and strengthening Jerusalem—the eternal capital of the Jewish people.
As the international community debates statements of concern and legal obligations, crimes continue to be committed every hour of every day across occupied Palestine.
Absence of accountability ensures the occupation’s crimes continue
The terrorist state of Israel needs to be stopped. If international law means anything, then its violations cannot continue to be met with impunity, diplomatic cover, and empty statements of concern. The destruction of UN institutions, the targeting of refugees, and the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians demand urgent and concrete action from the international community.
But our governments continue to illegally arm, fund, and politically shield the Israeli occupation. They are enabling these crimes and undermining the human rights and democracy they continue to claim they defend. Until meaningful pressure is applied on “Israel” and it is isolated on the world stage, it will continue attacking Palestinians, their institutions and their rights with absolutely no fear of any consequences.
Featured image via Amir Levy/Getty Images
By Charlie Jaay
The inspector general of the US Department of War will investigate whether America’s ‘narco-terrorist’ boat strikes are war crimes. US attacks on alleged cartel smugglers have been carried out in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September 2025.
The bombings were seen as precursor attacks to the 3 January raid which saw Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro kidnapped by US special forces. Yet the strikes have continued well into 2026.
The NGO Airwars says there have been 193 deaths across 56 incidents. The US maintains killings have been legal. Many legal experts say this is patently untrue.
The inquiry aims to:
determine whether DoW Components followed the established framework of the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle when conducting targeting operations in the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility.
We may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds, and we will also consider suggestions from
management for additional or revised objectives.
Sean Parnell, then-chief spokesperson at the Pentagon, said in November 2025:
Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both US and international law, with all actions in complete compliance with the law of armed conflict.
The most recent strike was on 8 May. The US shared footage on social media:
On May 8, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… pic.twitter.com/YFLQNZufRx
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 9, 2026
US hemispheric plans
US belligerence across the Americas has increased under Trump. This has included brinkmanship over Greenland, rumours of an invasion of Canada and threats against Cuba.
The CIA recently killed a mid-level cartel boss with a car bomb in Mexico City, reports say. The Mexican authorities claim they gave no permission for US covert operations inside their borders. Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are part of this project too.
Historian Nikhil Pal Singh wrote in Equator magazine on 14 January 2026:
From Venezuela to Minnesota, Trump is creating a borderless American power, collapsing the foreign and the domestic into a single domain of impunity
Singh accused Trump of conflating:
immigrants, drugs and free trade as sources of weakness coming from outside, “poisoning the blood of our country”.
All in a bid to combine:
the archaic geopolitics of a settler empire to the modern legal frameworks devised by his liberal predecessors.
The Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism investigated the backgrounds of 13 of those killed in ‘narco’ strikes:
finding they came from extremely poor communities across the region, with little or no apparent connection to organized drug networks. The reporting described the victims as day laborers who took work on the boats out of desperation, not as figures with any meaningful role in the drug trade.
The US war machine will investigate itself. And the Canary will await the findings with bated breath. But substantial evidence already suggests the new ‘war on drugs’ is very much like the old ‘war on drugs’. It is a war on the impoverished, the displaced and the racialised, waged by a increasingly erratic and violent empire. Trump wants to remake the Americas in his own bloodthirsty image — and that is precisely what he is doing.
Featured image via wong yu liang
By Joe Glenton
UEFA issued a decision to ban Czech coach Petr Vlachovsky for life, after he was convicted of secretly filming female football players inside changing rooms and showers, in a case that caused widespread shock within European sporting circles, especially since minors were among the victims.
According to a report published by Reuters, the penalty includes permanently prohibiting him from practicing any football-related activity, with a formal request to the International Federation FIFA to generalize the decision globally.
A report by The Guardian newspaper stated that Vlachovský exploited his former position as coach of the women’s team at the Czech club Slovacko, in addition to overseeing the Czech women’s national team U-19, to install hidden cameras inside private player facilities over four years, where he filmed 14 players without their knowledge, and some of the victims were under the age of 18.
The newspaper added that during the investigations, the Czech authorities found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his electronic devices, which compounded the seriousness of the case and sparked widespread outrage in Czech sporting and human rights circles.
The Czech judiciary had convicted the coach in 2025, handing down a one-year suspended prison sentence, in addition to banning him from local coaching for five years, before UEFA intervened and decided to tighten the penalty by imposing a permanent ban on all football activities, according to Reuters.
The case reopened the discussion about the protection of players within women’s clubs and national teams, amid increasing demands for stricter supervision within sports facilities and the imposition of more stringent mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such violations.
Featured image via Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images
By Alaa Shamali
In the summer of 2026, the World Cup will be more than just another tournament added to the footballing archives; it may well become the final act for the greatest attacking trio of the modern era.
Legends Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar — three names that haven’t just dominated titles and statistics, but have commanded the public imagination for over 15 years, to the point where the story of football is told through their journeys.
But what makes the 2026 World Cup exceptional is not just the history they have made, but the heavy questions each of them carries ahead of this final journey.
This World Cup is Messi’s final act
Messi enters this tournament from a completely different perspective than the others. The man who chased the World Cup for years, suffered final defeats, and bore the weight of comparisons and legacy, finally reached the summit and claimed the title at Qatar 2022. Consequently, his upcoming participation isn’t so much a search for glory as it is an attempt to protect the image of the “complete hero.”
Messi no longer has anything to prove, but he knows that history is unforgiving; it remembers not just who won, but how the stories ended. Thus, World Cup 2026 could turn into a final test: Can the greatest player of his generation conclude his journey while still capable of leading Argentina at the highest level?
Ronaldo’s gritty battle
For Ronaldo, the story is entirely different and perhaps more poignant, as he has achieved almost everything in his career except for the World Cup.
With five World Cup appearances, hundreds of goals, countless European titles, and individual dominance spanning a decade and a half, the World Cup trophy remains the sole void in his footballing legacy.
This makes the 2026 World Cup feel like his “final battle” against time, especially since the Portuguese legend built his entire career on the idea of defying the impossible. Ronaldo doesn’t just want to participate; he wants to prove that the legend can still be decisive even at forty. Every minute he plays will likely be surrounded by one question: Will he finally manage to seize the trophy that has eluded him throughout his career?
Neymar and the quest for global glory
The third figure, Neymar, represents the most complex and sensitive case. The Brazilian who entered the footballing world as the “heir apparent” has lived a contradictory career: moments of pure genius alongside recurring injuries, collective disappointments, and accusations of falling short of expectations.
Despite being Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, his global image has always been tied to the question: “What if?” What if injuries hadn’t stolen his prime years? What if he had actually led Brazil to global glory?
Consequently, the 2026 World Cup could be his final chance to rewrite the narrative completely, transforming his career from a story of unfulfilled talent into a completed legend at the final hour.
World Cup 2026 — the end of a star-studded era
This is perhaps where the true value of the upcoming World Cup lies; fans won’t just be watching a tournament, they will be witnessing the end of an entire era. It is an era that began with Messi and Ronaldo’s duopoly over the Ballon d’Or, saw Neymar rise as the face of footballing flair, and concludes with a generation raised on the rivalry between these three.
The 2026 World Cup might not grant all of them the dream ending they envision, but their final gathering on football’s grandest stage will be enough to make the tournament feel like the closing chapter of a story that changed the history of modern football.
Featured image via Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images
By Alaa Shamali
The UK has loosened crude oil sanctions on Russia due to the disastrous US-Israeli war on Iran. The UK has been very vocal over Russia’s war on Ukraine, but that conviction seems to be slipping as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy channel, hits supplies.
The Guardian reported on 20 May that relaxing the sanctions will allow for:
the import of jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries amid surging costs.
A trade licence came into effect on 20 May which:
permits the imports indefinitely and will be reviewed periodically.
As the Guardian correctly points out the UK has repeatedly committed itself to harsh sanctions on Russia following the illegal 2022 invasion of Ukraine:
For years the UK has led international efforts to put economic pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine. On Tuesday it signed a G7 statement reaffirming its “unwavering commitment” to imposing “severe costs” on Russia. It had previously announced it would block Russian oil refined in other countries to “further restrict the flow of funds to the Kremlin”.
Under pressure due to the predictable outcomes of the Trump-Netanyahu attack on Iran, that commitment appears to have cracked.
Disappointment in Ukraine
Foreign affairs committee chair Emily Thornberry told the BBC:
I’ve heard from people in Ukraine overnight and I know that they are very disappointed and have been asking me why it is that Britain is doing this.
She said people in Ukraine had fought Russia for many years and looked upon the UK as:
one of their most important allies and they don’t understand… In fact, it seems to have got worse. People feel very let down.”
The terms of the new licence are available to read on the UK government’s website.
And Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was flabbergasted that the Labour government chose buying Russian-sourced oil over drilling the North Sea:
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.… https://t.co/UBOyWRRiEt — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 20, 2026
The UK has already deployed ships and personnel as part of a taskforce to open up the Straits. The international focus has been on work-arounds while never talking about the elephant in the room: the US and Israel are to blame for the energy crisis and an end to the attack would be the main step towards alleviating it.
A negotiated settlement
US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.
The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked — creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.
Pakistan has made a series of attempts to broker peace. The US-Israeli attack has faltered, with Donald Trump left scrambling for an off-ramp.
Simply put, there is a way to relieve the crisis: an end to hostilities, a negotiated settlement and the restoration of the full rights of those countries under attack. Until then, the tremors of the Iran war will continue to be felt throughout the global economy.
Featured image via Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
By Joe Glenton
The Department for Education (DfE) is attempting to rehabilitate its image by working with reality TV star Gemma Collins for a series of social media posts. The move has been widely criticised by parents of SEND children and disabled campaigners.
Department for Education makes a mockery of SEND crisis
On Tuesday 20 May the Department for Education shared across their social media a video of The Only Way is Essex star Gemma Collins dramatically turning up at their offices.
View this post on Instagram
In the video the GC demands with her hands on her hips:
Right! What are we doing to help the children?!
She was then met by Secretary of State Bridget Phillipson, who just happened to be popping her head out of her office door to tell her:
Come in let’s have a chat
This has angered many campaigners who either have children struggling in the system or struggled themselves. What’s even more insulting is that the video came just a day after the SEND reform consultation closed. Throughout the SEND consultation process, campaigners have tried to have meaningful conversations with the department, to no avail.
As The Canary previously reported:
As BBC News reported:
In a highly critical report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found a SEND system “in disarray”, “mired in red tape, lacking funding, and failing to produce value for money”.
An estimated 1.7 million school-aged children have special education needs and disabilities in England.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the government was “making progress” on the issue with a £1bn investment in Send.
Despite a 58% increase in high needs funding over the past decade, the number of children with Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plans has surged by 140%, leading to funding not keeping pace with demand. This disparity has resulted in stagnant outcomes for children, eroding parental confidence in the system.
So to see the department welcome in a C-lister who has no experience of the SEND system is a kick in the teeth to campaigners.
Campaigners angry
One commenter asked:
What expertise or experience does GC have with education or SEND or children in general???
Content creator theminimesandme said
Parents are out here fighting daily battles for support, assessments, EHCPs and suitable education for their children, while also trying to navigate school trauma, burnout and a system that too often leaves families feeling unheard. And the Department for Education’s answer is a celebrity cameo pretending she’s going to “change everything and help everyone”?
This isn’t entertainment for us. This is real life.
Oliver Lee of AskEllie.co.uk, a page that offers SEND support, hit the nail on the head by commenting:
The most worrying part about this video is that somebody, somewhere inside the Department for Education, genuinely thought this was the right tone during the biggest crises in modern education.
Parents are not asking for celebrity skits or social media optics.
They are asking for:
school places,
mental health support,
EHCP provision,
safe environments,
and systems that stop pushing families to breaking point.The backlash is not about Gemma Collins. It’s about a growing feeling that the people leading are no longer truly listening to the reality families are living every single day.
To add insult to injury, if the department actually was interested in bringing in a well-known person, there are many disabled influencers and parents of SEND children who have been involved in campaigning. For instance, Izzy Judd, who has a neurodivergent child.
Judd reposted the DfE’s videos, saying:
A campaign should educate, inform, empower or create real change. Right now, many parents are asking, who was this actually for? The SEN crisis is not entertainment content. It’s real life for thousands of families every single day.
GC and DfE not helping
Gemma Collins responded to comments attempting to alleviate the situation, but she didn’t really make it better. She replied:
I see all your comments I’m going to change everything and help everyone please do not worry
Oh, cool, cheers GC, all our fears are gone.
The Department for Education updated followers and this morning unveiled that Collins is helping promote vocational subjects. To do that she and Philipson made two videos talking rubbish about how they did at school.
In the first, insultingly Collins says:
You better make sure hunnies that whatever you’re learning you concentrate because you’re going to be taking it into your future career
Which is another huge insult to disabled kids and their parents who are trying their hardest to stay in school.
This latest publicity stunt by the Department for Education shows just how little the government takes disabled children and parents seriously. Ultimately they care more about their public image than meaningful support for SEND kids.
Featured image via Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Within an hour of being transferred to Lambeth Hospital’s all-male psychiatric ward on 12 April 2022, an unnamed transgender man (ie, a biological female) was pushed into a cupboard and raped.
‘No Adam’s apple’, the patients chanted when the woman arrived. As she went into a side room to avoid other patients asking, ‘Are you a girl?’, she was followed by 27-year-old Davointe Thomas. He proceeded to subject her to a sex attack. Last month, a London Crown Court convicted Thomas of rape and handed him an indefinite hospital order.
How could this have happened? How could a vulnerable woman have been placed in a secure psychiatric ward brimming with troubled, unstable men? The answer, of course, lies in the NHS’s embrace of trans ideology – an ideology in which a person’s gender identity is said to trump biological reality, safety be damned.
Indeed, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed as much. It insisted its decision to transfer the female patient to a male psych ward was in line with NHS England’s policy on gender at the time.
This was an incomprehensibly terrible decision. Perhaps even more unfathomable is the alleged behaviour of the NHS trust during the subsequent investigation. A source told The Times that, following the rape, the trust went ‘into self-preservation mode’ and sought to obstruct the police investigation ‘from the outset’.
Reportedly, the trust ignored several information requests from detectives and even shared around an internal note reading ‘don’t give them any more’. It took a judge’s summons for internal reports (which had previously been redacted) to be shared with investigators in full.
In the meantime, Luther Badejo, a mentally ill patient, had wrongly stood trial for the assault. Only when complete records were finally handed over was Badejo finally cleared. ‘This has been hanging over me for three years’, he said. ‘It’s been killing me and my family. It should never have got this far. I just don’t understand why it did.’
The victim struggled to deliver her impact statement. ‘He’s ruined my life and taken away who I was’, she said of her assailant. ‘Before this I was never afraid… I can’t continue with the statement, there are too many tears.’
If the horror of this case is not a wake-up call for those who have lobbied to normalise gender self-ID within the NHS, I’m not sure what is.
There has, rightfully, been much pushback against biological men entering women’s spaces – particularly in hospitals, homeless shelters and women’s refuges, where residents are already at risk of abuse. But the rape at Lambeth Hospital draws attention to another stark reality of collapsing male and female spaces.
Here was a patient who was struggling enough with her mental health to be referred to a psychiatric ward. She was clearly vulnerable. She may believe herself to be a man, but that should never have been a reason to transfer her to a ward with actual men, let alone one populated by men struggling with severe mental-health conditions themselves.
This is a catastrophic safeguarding failure on the part of the NHS. Ridding our health service of the delusions of gender identity has never been more urgent.
Georgina Mumford is a content producer at spiked.
Gaza Sunbirds, Palestine’s para-cycling team will be hosting a London charity 8-a-side football tournament from 4–6pm on Sunday 24 May at Market Road Football Pitches. The event is open to players and spectators of all levels and genders.
It marks a new chapter for the team’s football for Palestine series with the addition of partner Baes FC and more food courtesy of Hiba Express and Altamura Bakehouse.
A Gaza Sunbirds spokesperson said:
Everything people have loved about our previous football events is back. But this one has a new dimension. Between the Baes FC partnership, new raffle prizes and kindly donated pastries and pizzas, we’ve built something that reflects the spirit of what we’re raising funds for – a team that refuses to stop moving, no matter what.
The Gaza Sunbirds are Palestine’s para-cycling team, formed in 2020 by a group of amputee athletes with a shared dream: to represent Palestine on the world sporting stage. Over the past 27 months, they have gained global recognition for distributing $520,000 worth of aid across the strip and competing as Team Palestine at international races, currently placing fourth in Asia.
Proceeds from tickets, donations, and food sales will go directly towards their courageous humanitarian work as well as global goals such as entering the first ever Palestinian cyclists at the Paralympics in 2028.
The squad’s international staff and volunteers have been hosting events to raise funds and awareness for the Sunbirds and to keep Palestine in the world’s hearts and minds. Sunday’s tournament marks the fifth in the community football series and is in partnership with Baes FC – London’s football team for women, trans, and non-binary people of Asian heritage.
The collaboration raises the stakes: the winning team will go on to face Baes FC in a special “final boss” showdown, adding competitive drama to an event already known for its inclusive atmosphere and community spirit.
Gaza Sunbirds Community Football for Palestine highlights
- 3 group stage games per team, plus semi-finals, finals, and a Baes FC showdown.
- Team and raffle prizes including rare FC Palestina shirts.
- Palestinian and Lebanese food from Hiba Express. Freshly baked Puglian goods from Altamura Bakehouse.
- One food token included with every player and spectator ticket.
Go here for registration, open to teams, individuals (placed into blended teams), and spectators.
Featured image via Gaza Sunbirds
By The Canary
“It’s a f***ing direct result of your leadership!” “You emboldened Zionist propaganda and you’ll keep doing it as long as it lines your pockets!” Those were the words an outraged attendee flung at San Diego mayor Todd Gloria as he stood to dole out supposed sadness. Gloria was speaking after the 18 May 2026 mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego mosque.
Three victims at the mosque were murdered by two local teenagers. Both held white supremacist views. According to a ‘manifesto’ they wrote before the attack, they considered themselves “sons” of Zionist Brenton Tarrant. Tarrant murdered 51 people and wounded 89 in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand. According to local reports, one gunman then shot the other in the head before killing himself nearby in their car.
The victims were security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, murdered as he tried to protect other mosque-goers, teacher Mohamed Nader, 57, and Mansour Kaziha, 78, who was known to friends as Abu Ezz.
San Diego mayor is a vocal apartheid supporter
Gloria is a vocal supporter of Israel, and in March 2026 pushed the unfit ‘IHRA definition’ of antisemitism through the city’s council as a means of suppressing criticism of the genocidal state. According to the Reverse Canary Mission site, which highlights the Zionist sympathies, funding and collaboration with the Israel lobby of US political figures, Gloria:
actively shields settler-colonialism by welcoming Israeli advocacy lobbies, illuminating public buildings in solidarity with the occupation, and punishing Palestinian solidarity to sustain Israel’s apartheid and genocide across Palestine. …
… In March 2023, Gloria publicly welcomed the AJC. In October 2023, he lit up the San Diego Convention Center in blue to signal solidarity with Israel, publicly declared that San Diego “stood with Israel,” and condemned the Palestinian resistance group Hamas while framing events through a lens that obscures decades of occupation and the well-documented role of Israel’s Hannibal Directive in contributing to casualties.
In December 2024, Gloria attended the Combat Antisemitism Mayors Summit hosted in partnership with the Israeli Consulate, where he engaged in efforts that equate legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions with hate. In June 2025, he announced he would boycott San Diego Pride events in protest of headliner Kehlani’s condemnation of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, prioritizing alignment with Zionist pressures over LGBTQ+ solidarity and Palestinian human rights.
And more. It sounds like the fury of Gloria’s heckling was more than deserved:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says that the shooting came against a backdrop of a record levels of Islamophobic hate driven, no doubt, by US support for Israel and Trump’s illegal war on Iran. CAIR described the attack as the:
deadly consequence of years of anti-Muslim hate, demonization and dangerous rhetoric targeting American Muslims and other marginalized communities.
Featured image via Carlos A. Moreno/Getty Images
By Skwawkbox
Adaptation to an increasingly volatile climate is vital and will save billions compared to the cost of not acting. A new report says the UK needs better cooling as well as protecting against both floods and drought.
The Climate Change Committee has published A Well-Adapted UK. This report sets out a comprehensive package of solutions to address the growing impacts of climate change affecting every aspect of life in the UK.
The country’s independent climate advisors identify better cooling, flood protection and a more secure water supply as the most critical priorities to protect the UK from the three biggest climate risks – heat, flooding and drought.
We are already seeing disruption today and without action these risks will escalate. By 2050, 92% of homes are likely to overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher and water supply shortfalls could exceed five billion litres per day.
The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of acting now. The Committee’s proposals require investment of around £11bn a year, split broadly evenly between public and private funding.
Without adaptation the cost of climate change to public welfare is likely to rise to between 1-5% of UK GDP by 2050 under a 2°C global warming level, equivalent to £60bn-£260bn per year.
Crossbench peer Julia King, chair of the Adaptation Committee, said:
Our lives, our landscapes and our homes are under increasing pressure from the changing climate. But we are not powerless. In an increasingly unstable world, being well adapted to climate change is fundamental to securing our food, energy and economic security.
This report carries a message of hope. The solutions already exist, and proven technologies are available now to help the UK adapt effectively. With the right decisions and actions, we can protect the people and the places we love.
We can protect patients and residents in overheated hospitals and care homes, children in nurseries and schools, and communities facing repeated flooding. We can support our farmers to maintain our food supplies. We can keep sports pitches usable, high streets open for business, and iconic British music festivals running safely.
The public want to see change and the government now has an opportunity to step up and protect our way of life.
The Adaptation Committee’s eight key areas for government action are:
Protect people from heat. Invest in cooling – including air conditioning, heat pumps and green shading – across key public services. Government should commit to a national maximum temperature for workplaces to protect workers’ safety and incentivise the deployment of cooling.
Manage flood risk. Long‑term investment in measures such as flood defences, effective emergency response, and natural solutions like wetlands are essential. Annual flood risk investment must rise to around £1.6–£2.2bn each year across the UK to prevent risks increasing further. Government should also manage development in flood-prone areas carefully, avoiding new construction where risks are not adequately reduced.
Avoid water shortages. Maintain a strong regulatory focus on drought, scale up sustainable water storage, accelerate leakage reduction and cut demand. All new homes should be water efficient from the outset.
Support nature to adapt. Increase public investment in nature restoration and modernise regulation to support ecosystems to survive and thrive under future climate conditions, not those of the past.
Keep farming viable. Support farmers with the skills, information and training they need to make climate resilient decisions. Actions include crop diversification and on‑farm water storage to reduce drought risk and build resilience.
Understand the risks to food security. Improve the quality, consistency and availability of information on climate risks across the food system. Government should make the Adaptation Reporting Power mandatory and extend it to large food companies, reflecting their role in food security and price stability. They should also consider the potential for large-scale national food stockpiling.
Maintain access to insurance. Ensure the right protections are in place and the costs of extreme weather are shared so insurance remains affordable and available. Urgent clarity is needed on the future of flood reinsurance, including the Flood Re scheme, ahead of its current 2039 end date.
Adapt infrastructure to avoid cascading disruption. Design and maintain transport, energy and telecommunications systems to operate safely under future climate conditions. Government and regulators must take a more structured approach to managing dependencies between infrastructure systems to avoid widespread disruption.
Featured image via Getty Images
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