Ben Kochman

Opinion | Some Democrats Panicked Over Mamdani. Obama Called Him.

In a lengthy call in June, Obama congratulated Mamdani, offered him advice about governing and discussed the importance of giving people hope in a dark time.

Others in Obama’s orbit have also shown a keen interest in Mamdani, too.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...

Cuomo’s Attack on Mamdani’s Apartment Struck a New York Nerve

No evidence at all in this story to support its headline
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/n...

Feds claim jailed migrants at NYC ICE facility could use toothbrushes as ‘weapons’ The Justice Department is bristling at the idea of providing toothbrushes to jailed migrants at a Manhattan ICE lockup — claiming the detainees could use the teeth-cleaning tools as dangerous &#822…

NEW: Detainees at a Manhattan ICE jail could turn toothbrushes into “improvised” weapons, US Attorney Jay Clayton warns.

He did not give an example of a migrant using a toothbrush as a weapon.

Lawyers say they’ll be used to clean teeth.

nypost.com/2025/08/14/u...

Luigi Mangione should face death penalty for ‘cold-blooded assassination’ of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Pam Bondi orders Law enforcement sources have told The Post that the feds had been lobbied by the insurance industry before bringing their case against Mangione.

Despite Pam Bondi’s announcement that the feds would seek to kill Luigi Mangione, there was no movement on the docket today.

But more than $20k in donations rolled in to his legal defense fund.

“Keep your head high my little bambino!!!!” one donor wrote.

nypost.com/2025/04/01/u...

Mahmoud Khalil to remain in Louisiana ICE facility as judge refuses to free him at court hearing attended by wife Detained Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil will stay locked up in a Louisiana ICE facility for now — as a New Jersey judge refused to consider freeing him on bail during a…

Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil has been locked up, away from his pregnant wife, for more than two weeks.

Did a judge listen to arguments today on whether to release him on bail?

He did not.

nypost.com/2025/03/28/u...

Letters from Mahmoud Khalil’s Jewish peers are pouring onto the court docket:

“I can state with full confidence that Mahmoud has never expressed support for Hamas.”

“Mahmoud has protected Jewish students at Columbia like myself more than the university ever has.”

‘It’s night and day’: Why some NYC commuters say they’re coming around to congestion pricing New York Governor Kathy Hochul went to the White House on Friday in defense of the tolling pilot program, which is gaining popularity in New York City.

NEW: Congestion pricing has turned some of its staunchest critics into supporters.

“I’ve definitely changed my mind,” one commuter told me, whose daily bus trip has gone from more than an hour down to 25 minutes.

Diddy defense PR messaging screenprinted on hoodie: "The media and social media has this case all wrong...There are no celeb sex tapes. No minors. No celeb freak off tapes in this criminal case."

PUFFED DADDY nypost.com/2025/03/14/u...

The scene outside of the Manhattan criminal courthouse on Friday for Luigi Mangione's first NYC court appearance since his December 2024 arraignment.

NEW: Mayor Eric Adams and Trump's Justice Department have insisted that Adams' corruption case is over and done with.

It's not.

Judge Dale Ho has appointed an independent lawyer to weigh in before he rules on the government's unprecedented request:

nypost.com/2025/02/21/u...

!

I second this motion!!

Exclusive | Son of British banking bigwig gets forgiving Manhattan plea deal on charges of beating comedian girlfriend: ‘Slap on the wrist’ The son of a British banking bigwig was allowed to take a forgiving plea deal after he was charged with beating and strangling his up-and-coming comedian girlfriend in Manhattan, The Post has learn…

NEW: The son of a British banker was arrested for violently assaulting Sienna Hubert-Ross, a comic known for Kamala Harris impressions.

Months later, charges were quietly dropped.

“This is a travesty of justice,” Sienna told me.

We take a closer look:

nypost.com/2025/02/16/u...

Ha

important story about a monstrous character

Exclusive | Feds drop criminal probe into whether WWE boss Vince McMahon covered up sexual misconduct allegations, his lawyer says A grand jury had considered whether the 78-year-old billionaire broke the law by hiding allegations of sexual misconduct from two former two female employees, whom he ended up paying $10.5 million …

NEW: Manhattan federal prosecutors have ditched a criminal probe into WWE boss Vince McMahon — months after a judge quietly found that there was “probable cause” that he covered up payoffs to women at his company, his atty says.

We take a closer look:

nypost.com/2025/02/12/u...

DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions Both the task force and FARA were used by the bureau to investigate, charge and disrupt foreign and domestic actors accused of working to influence American policy on behalf of other nations.

The Justice Department says it’s shutting down an FBI task force targeting foreign influence because it has more “pressing priorities”.

Russia, Russia, Russia

cyberscoop.com/doj-disbands...

US judge accuses Trump of ignoring rule of law to curb birthright citizenship A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday accused Donald Trump of ignoring the rule of law for political and personal gain as he declared an executive order that the Republican president signed seeking to curtail birthright citizenship to be unconstitutional.

"It has become ever more apparent that to our president the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals," Reagan-appointed Judge Coughenour said as he blocked Trump's birthright citixenship order. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Jan. 6 defendant pardoned by Trump arrested again on 2016 solicitation of a minor charge: ‘Suspected child predator’ Andrew Taake, 36, was captured by Texas authorities over allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover cop who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl.

Andrew Taake pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump pardoned him.

Now he’s been rearrested on charges of sending sexually explicit texts to a minor.

nypost.com/2025/02/06/u...

Doing so would be inconsistent with what she writes here about defending the work of her line prosecutors.

Stay tuned

Opinion | Biden’s Commutations Hurt Crime Victims Despite his claims, the former president ordered many violent offenders released.

Interim SDNY boss Danielle Sassoon blasts Biden for making pardons on his way out of office “without consulting the career prosecutors who handled the cases.”

Sassoon is overseeing the case of Eric Adams — whose camp is angling for a Trump pardon

www.wsj.com/opinion/bide...

Thanks Renee

Trump to claim ‘misuse of criminal law’ as he appeals ‘hush money’ conviction: lawyer “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” attorney Robert Giu…

Trump has lawyered up to fight his felony conviction in his Manhattan hush money case — remember that one?

His new attorneys for his appeal are from a very prominent law firm but you won’t see me calling any lawyers “elite” 😉

nypost.com/2025/01/30/u...

He’s due to report on June 6 — 10 weeks after his wife’s trial is set to start — and the feds’ reply to the bail pending appeal request is due Feb 19.

No word on that yet.

In court, Bob Menendez said he was a “chastened” man.

Outside, he called the case a political “witch hunt” — even though he’s Democrat and the case was brought by a Democrat.

I asked him about this.

He slunk away without answering.

Cc @damian-williams.bsky.social

Disgraced ex-NJ Sen. Bob Menendez cries as he begs for leniency — but gets 11 years in prison for gold bar bribery scheme “Your honor, you have before you a chastened man,” Menendez, 71, said before choking up.

When asked repeatedly why he was claiming the case was “political” given that it was brought against him by another Democrat, former Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams, Menendez slunk away and walked to a waiting car without answering.

nypost.com/2025/01/29/u...

Kash Patel, Trump’s F.B.I. Pick, Pushed False Claims About Trump Investigations Kash Patel, Donald J. Trump’s choice to run the bureau, has made a series of spurious assertions about the Russia, Jan. 6 and classified documents inquiries.

“Mr. Patel’s pattern of peddling misinformation is at sharp odds with Mr. Trump’s proposal to put him in charge of the nation’s premier agency charged with figuring out what is true.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/u...

Disgraced ex-NJ Sen. Bob Menendez won’t get a new corruption trial — and holds out hope for Trump pardon Disgraced former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez won’t get a new trial based on an evidence snafu during jury deliberations, a Manhattan judge ruled.

Disgraced former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez — who’s reportedly seeking a pardon from President Trump after selling out his office for gold bar bribes — lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday.

nypost.com/2025/01/22/u...