U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) yesterday announced a new bill that would put economic pressure and possible sanctions on China and other countries that turn a seemingly blind eye to the manufacturing and trafficking of the deadly drug fentanyl to this country.
Under Schumer's Fentanyl Sanctions Act, the law enforcement and intelligence community would be given more tools to combat the opioid epidemic, empower the President to call-out foreign traffickers and use economic sanctions, similar to the kinds used to respond to Putin and Russian oligarchs, to cripple foreign labs and apply economic pressure to countries turning a blind eye to fentanyl drug production and trafficking.
"We are appalled by Council Member Ruben Diaz, Sr's most recent hateful remarks about this body, Speaker Corey Johnson and the greater LGBTQ community. This is by no means the first time Council Member Diaz has attacked LGBTQ people. From his opposition to marriage equality to his denigration of transgender individuals, he has made many outrageous statements about our families, our neighbors, and our lives over the years," said the joint statement.
"Just last month, the Women's Caucus Co-Chairs condemned Council Member Diaz for his disgusting comments during a rally in opposition to the Reproductive Health Act. Council Member Diaz's comments this week show that he is only doubling down on offensiveness and bigotry.
The 'Astoria Borealis' is the name given for the blown transformer at a Con Edison substation in western Queens that exploded last December that sent a vibrant blue light throughout the night sky, creating a nationwide spectacle that also briefly caused panic locally.
The hearing is slated for 10 a.m., Today, Feb. 11, inside the City Hall Council Chambers in Lower Manhattan.
City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside) and Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) issued the following statements on the Washington Post story on Friday that online retail giant Amazon is reconsidering moving its second headquarters to Long Island City.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.
"Since the Governor and the Mayor announced the Amazon deal, I have joined many to fight it. We rose up and held the line. When a corporation is anti-union, pro-ICE and seeks billions in corporate welfare, we must fight back. It's not over, but I'm proud of the values we fought for," said Van Bramer.
"It is the Council's job to ask questions, and to make sure that a nearly $4 billion deal involving public land is in the best interests of the New Yorkers who elected us. No company is entitled to public land and subsidies without tough public scrutiny. The Council is looking forward to our next hearing with Amazon," said Johnson.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the Queens Borough Board today will hear a presentation from the city's Department of City Planning regarding its proposed zoning text amendment intended to promote flood resilience.
As part of DCP's ongoing climate resiliency initiatives, the city is working with coastal communities to update the special zoning regulations that apply in the city's floodplain.
These regulations promote flood-resistant building design to ensure that neighborhoods are more resilient to flooding and climate change. However, they were adopted on a temporary, emergency basis following Sandy, and DCP believes they need to be made permanent through a new zoning text amendment to ensure buildings do not lose the zoning flexibility that enables resilient design.
The hearing is slated for 5:30 p.m., today, Feb. 11 at Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.