Hakeem Jeffries is extending a warm invitation to those who aspire to oust him from his political position and notch a victory in their political careers.

The House Minority Leader heartily greeted state Assembly members Claire Valdez and Micah Lasher, along with congressional contenders Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander. All four individuals are progressive Democrats with ties to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Interestingly, all except Lasher have received support from well-known DSA influencer Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

On X, Jeffries posted, “Congratulations to our newest members of the NYC congressional delegation. Whether as public servants, union organizers, or community activists, our paths may differ, but the work remains consistent. It’s crucial we tackle the affordability crisis head-on and combat far-right extremism!”

‘You’re next’

Notably, some Democrats might label efforts to enforce immigration and secure borders as forms of “far-right extremism.”

But it’s pretty tough to crush the right flank when you are literally being eaten by a pack of lefty loony socialists who don’t believe in prisons or borders.

Pols who think they are representing the people of Gaza, not New York City.

If Jeffries can’t see the insurgent party’s plans for him, he’s either blind or naive.

But he can see it, and he’s scared. After all, they’ve already started salting and seasoning him, preparing him for a DSA roast.

At the DSA victory party last week, supporters were taunting Jeffries. As his face came up on the television, the group of pasty-white downwardly mobile socialists chanted, “You’re next.”

It was jarring.

Meanwhile, champagne socialist streamer Hasan Piker was taking aim at Rep. Ritchie Torres — who kept hold of his district — sounding like a coked-up ’80s wrestler cutting a promo.

Fealty to Palestinians

“Ritchie Torres I know you won tonight,” he snarled. “I’ll see you in two years, mother­f–ker. I’m coming for you, Richie. Sit on that f–kin’ seat for the next two years. I hope you remember that. Every day, every time there’s a decision that you can make where you are pro-Israel, I hope you remember. You better act right, Ritchie.”

This is how the DSA views normie Dems — as problems to purge. And threaten. They want fealty to Palestinians. They want it loud and proud.

Just ask Scott Wiener, who is running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat. He was harassed in public twice by antisemitic lunatics, once inside a restaurant and then at a Pride march. In January, Wiener, under pressure, said that Israel was committing a genocide in Gaza.

It still wasn’t enough to spare him humiliation.

Despite the messaging from Jeffries’ soon-to-be colleagues, they don’t want to advance an affordability agenda. They want to eat the rich and abolish ICE and therefore borders. Their first order of business isn’t to bring down prices for working people but to get more of their comrades elected. It’s a naked power grab.

And the worst of them all is Avila Chevalier, who has spent her adult life in school. On X, she has literally bragged about wiping her greasy paws on an American flag. She doesn’t believe in deportations or prison. In a deleted X account, she was praising Marx and Lenin.

She co-founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which has called for the “total eradication of Western civilization.”

And then there’s Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who went on “Meet the Press” to plug his new book. He tiptoed too.

“I want us to be a big tent party. I mean, I’ve been saying this for years. I think that it’s actually a sign of a party that is alive and growing when there’s a contest of ideas inside the party,” Murphy said.

‘We are capitalist’

Well, not if one of those competing ideologies wants to burn that tent to the ground.

With so many liberals screaming that the Dems moved too far left on social issues and immigration, the answer is to line dance even further to the left and repackage socialism as affordability?

How about we all commit to cutting taxes and not throwing more and more money at useless programs like Mamdani’s pledging $15 million for trans youth and millions promised to legal services for illegal aliens?

But there are some Dems drawing a line in the sand.

Last week, 13 Dem House members and candidates came together to pledge in “The Promise to America.”

“We are capitalist, not socialist,” they wrote.

Yet, Jeffries is allowing himself to get pushed around. They’ll be feasting on his carcass in no time.

A concerning outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has emerged on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, with health officials confirming that the number of cases has climbed to 14.

The affected individuals reside or work within ZIP codes 10028, 10128, and 10075. These areas span parts of the Upper East Side, including well-known neighborhoods such as Yorkville and Carnegie Hill. Health authorities have noted that at least one person with the disease lives, works, or has recently visited the 10075 region.

Officials are advising anyone who has spent time along the east side of Central Park, particularly between East 76th Street and East 97th Street, to be vigilant for any flu-like symptoms. This would include fever, cough, chills, and muscle aches, symptoms that warrant immediate medical attention.

Dr. Alister F. Martin, the New York City Health Commissioner, expressed his gratitude for the exhaustive efforts of the city’s health department staff. “I want to acknowledge the NYC Health Department’s staff of epidemiologists, water ecologists, community health workers, and many more who spent the last few days working to keep New Yorkers on the Upper East Side informed and safe,” he stated.

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. People can become infected by breathing in contaminated water droplets, and the illness can be dangerous — even deadly — without quick treatment.

The source of the outbreak remains under investigation. Officials say they are testing cooling towers in the affected area as a possible source, though no specific source has been identified.

Cooling towers, often found on rooftops, can release mist carrying Legionella bacteria. The Health Department said all cooling towers in the affected area are being tested.

The cluster was first announced Thursday, when only two cases had been confirmed. The area of investigation has since expanded as more illnesses were reported.

“We identified the cluster early when there were just two confirmed cases, and we’ve acted swiftly and decisively, setting holiday plans aside to step up for our fellow New Yorkers. There is more work to do in the days ahead as we learn more about the source of exposure and confirmed cases,” Martin said. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the outbreak is not tied to building plumbing or indoor air conditioning units, and residents in the area can safely drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their AC at home.

Officials said they will continue providing updates as more information becomes available.

“Please contact a health care provider immediately if you live, work or visited the area since late June and are experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as cough, fever or difficulty breathing,” Mamdani wrote on X.

Last summer, a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Central Harlem led to more than 100 confirmed illnesses, according to FOX 5.

A biohacker with aspirations to conquer mortality has divulged his struggle with an autoimmune disorder that currently has no cure.

Bryan Johnson, a 48-year-old, recently informed his vast social media audience about his battle with Autoimmune Gastritis (AIG), stating, ‘My stomach is destroying itself.’

This condition affects an estimated two to five percent of the population. Johnson believes the true prevalence may be higher due to its elusive nature and expressed his commitment to discovering a cure, as current options only manage symptoms.

In an extended post on X, Johnson detailed the difficulties of obtaining a diagnosis and shared his ongoing journey to control and potentially cure the ailment.

Reflecting on his past, Johnson recounted a childhood filled with fast food and sugary treats. He enjoyed a few years of health in his twenties, but saw a decline after fatherhood and the demands of business took precedence, he admitted.

‘Within a few years I’d fallen into a deep, chronic depression. Somewhere in that timeline, my body began developing an autoimmune process affecting my thyroid and then my stomach lining,’ Johnson wrote on X. 

He was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 21 and successfully managed the condition with common treatments for nearly three decades. But for years, there were signs that something else was going on, Johnson said. 

It was only in May that he discovered he also has AIG. ‘I’m unsure how long I’ve had it. AIG causes irreversible damage: nutritional deficiency, anemia, and over a long horizon, elevated cancer risk,’ Johnson said.

The biohacker noted that for 11 years, he had low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron, but he did not have anemia. He said he had tried many ways to raise his iron levels, but nothing worked. 

Johnson said that his recent diagnosis made him realize that his low ferritin levels were an early sign of AIG, but ‘low ferritin was easy to dismiss by most standards of care.’

That is why the disease is so difficult to identify, and it explains why he said ‘it hides.’ AIG’s symptoms, such as abdominal pain, iron deficiency, loss of appetite, nausea or unexplained weight loss, are not unique or distinct and can have many causes. 

Johnson was only diagnosed after he ‘overhauled’ his medical team this year to ‘lay the groundwork’ for a $1 million per year longevity program called ‘Immortals Care,’ designed as part of the biohacker’s quest to defeat death.

The team conducted a series of tests, including a colonoscopy that came back negative for cancer. 

But a bi-directional endoscopy, which examines the entire intestinal tract, in addition to blood biomarkers, showed elevated levels of anti-parietal-cells antibodies, which indicate AIG.

A stomach biopsy that revealed weakening of the stomach lining confirmed the suspicion, as that is a clear early sign of the autoimmune disease.  

Johnson appears to be remaining hopeful, despite noting that ‘When AIG is discovered today, standard medical care concedes defeat, stating that nothing can be done except managing the condition, no matter how awful or lethal the effects.’

The biohacker said he and his team ‘are going to try and solve my AIG.’ They plan to conduct routine monitoring of his iron levels and other biological indicators and perform additional tests to understand more specifics about his disease. 

Depending on the findings, they plan to implement ‘experimental approaches,’ including targeting proteins that act as chemical messengers in the immune system, rebuilding regulatory T-cells and performing engineered cell therapy, among other options.

Johnson emphasized that ‘there’s no approved cure for autoimmune gastritis today,’ and he and his team’s attempts to cure the disease will be brand new. 

But he believes it can be done and that the goal is worthwhile. 

‘In the age of AI, multiomics, and custom-built DNA, proteins, and cells, no condition should be presumed incurable simply because no one has yet tried to cure it with today’s stack,’ the biohacker said. 

For the majority of Californians, July 4th was a joyous occasion to celebrate the country’s milestone 250th Independence Day, a day filled with national pride and a chance to cherish the beloved land we call home.

However, for a group of unruly individuals who descended upon Newport Beach, it was a day marred by chaos and disorder.

Some members of the crowd launched illegal fireworks into the midst of people, while others were seen allegedly looting a local grocery store.

The situation became so unruly that officers on horseback were deployed to disperse the gathering, sending people running in all directions amidst the commotion.

In the wake of the disturbances, hundreds were arrested, and reports indicated that several police officers sustained injuries during the melee.

It was a mob, a “street takeover” that invaded one of the most peaceful communities in Southern California, one of the jewels of Orange County.

Next door, in Huntington Beach, half a million people joined Independence Day celebrations that were cheerful, patriotic, and beautiful.

The famed “Surf City USA” held the largest Fourth of July party west of the Mississippi River, without incident.

There were massive flags, bikinis on the beach, and a spectacular fireworks display. A celebration worthy of the semiquincentennial.

But if the crowds in Huntington Beach reflected the best of California, the scoundrels that descended on Newport Beach represented the worst.

This sort of behavior has been “normalized” by weak leaders who have excused it in the past.

Six years ago, during the long, hot summer of 2020, when Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the nation, liberals encouraged us to overlook the violence that accompanied some of the demonstrations.

The protests were “mostly peaceful,” TV reporters said, as buildings burned behind them. And anyway, the mobs were motivated by a righteous cause — or so we were told.

Public health officials who had locked down the population for COVID now issued proclamations that “systemic racism” was a bigger threat to public health, and therefore people not only could gather, but should gather in large crowds to protest against it.

That gave license to mobs to cause billions of dollars of damage to our cities, some of which have not yet recovered.

Local leaders in California gave new life to those destructive impulses by encouraging unrest against federal immigration officials.

Not in Orange County, of course — but California Democrats have tried to punish local governments that buck the “sanctuary” trend.

It is long past time to restore law and order in California. We cannot enjoy our freedom if we are not safe.

A dramatic rescue unfolded in New York City on Sunday when firefighters swiftly responded to a seaplane crash landing in the East River. All eight passengers were successfully saved after the plane went down close to the city’s sole seaplane terminal, officials reported.

At precisely 12:01 p.m., the New York City Fire Department received an urgent call about a seaplane incident in the water near the NY Skyport located at East 23rd Street and FDR Drive in Manhattan, News Media was informed.

Upon their arrival, fire crews found the aircraft upright on the river’s surface. FDNY personnel swiftly evacuated all eight individuals onboard, and the plane was subsequently towed to a nearby dock, according to department statements.

The FDNY reported that two passengers sustained minor injuries but opted out of receiving medical treatment on-site. No further injuries have been announced.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Kodiak 100 seaplane and told News Media the pilot made a hard landing in the East River at about noon local time, causing a wing strut to snap.

The aircraft departed East Hampton Airport on Long Island and was headed to the Skyport seaplane terminal in Manhattan, according to The New York Times and CNN.

The NY Skyport on Manhattan’s East Side is New York City’s only seaplane terminal, serving scheduled and charter flights to destinations throughout the Northeast.

The FAA said eight people were aboard the aircraft, which is registered as N726SH. The agency said it is investigating the incident and noted the information released Sunday is preliminary and subject to change.

Air traffic control recordings captured the moments surrounding the incident, including the pilot declaring a mayday before the aircraft came down in the river. Separate radio traffic captured a New York City Police Department helicopter responding to reports of a “plane down in the water.”

Authorities have not identified the pilot or passengers, and it was not immediately clear what led to the hard landing.

Video from the scene showed first responders surrounding the aircraft as it floated upright in the East River while rescue crews worked to remove those aboard. Additional video showed the seaplane being towed back toward the dock after the rescue operation concluded.

The incident prompted a large emergency response to the East River waterfront as FDNY marine units and other first responders converged on the area.

The FAA directed questions regarding the people on board to local authorities. News Media has reached out to the New York City Police Department for additional information.

Actor Ryan Phillippe bears a striking resemblance to his children, whom he had with Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon. However, beyond this shared likeness with his daughter Ava Phillippe, there may not be much else connecting them these days.

At 51, the Cruel Intentions star seems to maintain a distant relationship with his 26-year-old daughter Ava, largely stepping back after his breakup with their mother, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Reese Witherspoon, known for her role in Legally Blonde, built a ‘very close’ relationship with Ava during her upbringing. It was her second husband, Jim Toth, aged 55, who is said to have filled the ‘father’ role in the lives of Phillippe’s children.

Even after Witherspoon and Toth’s separation in 2023, sources indicate that the former talent agent played a significant part in raising Ava and her brother Deacon, 22.

Now, with Reese Witherspoon appearing alongside her new partner, German financier Oliver Haarmann, at the launch of her Legally Blonde spin-off series, insiders reveal how the actress’s close-knit family is adjusting to her relationship with the businessman.

But between Witherspoon’s blossoming relationship with Haarmann and her amicable co-parenting status with Toth, will Phillippe be pushed even further on the outs?

‘Ava was very close with her mom’s ex, Jim,’ one source exclusively told the Daily Mail. 

‘He was around for a lot of the important years she was growing up. He was a really good father figure to her. Jim had a big hand in helping raise Ava.’

After filing for divorce from Phillippe in October 2006, Witherspoon began a relationship with Toth in January 2010 and they were engaged by the end of the year.

Witherspoon made sure to include her children in the wedding ceremony, with then 11-year-old Ava serving as the maid of honor and seven-year-old Deacon being the ring bearer. The nuptials took place in March 2011 on Witherspoon’s ranch in California.

The couple expanded their family in September 2012, when Witherspoon gave birth to her third child, son Tennessee James Toth.

Her mother’s second marriage and the arrival of a new baby came as a welcomed change for Ava, the source explained, as she had witnessed the ‘tense’ relationship between her parents during her early childhood.

‘Things were tense growing up because it took a really long time for Reese and Ryan to get to an amicable place, especially when it came to co-parenting,’ the source said.

‘She’s really close with her mom, so that couldn’t have been easy to see. But that was years ago. Things have gotten much better [between Witherspoon and Phillippe], but their kids are now adults.’

Ava was born in September 1999, just three months after Witherspoon and Phillippe were married. The actress was just 23 years old when she became a first-time mom, while her husband was 24.

In the years since, Phillippe has gushed over his eldest daughter in interviews and on social media, claiming the day Ava was born was the day he ‘learned what love truly is.’

In 2014, he described how he had raced by helicopter from Utah, where he was shooting thriller The Way Of The Gun, to Beverly Hills for her birth.

‘With my stomach in knots, exhausted & dirty, covered in syrupy fake blood & shards of candy glass the heli[copter] found the pad and I was taken to an area to sterilize myself,’ he posted on X.

‘I made it to my then wife’s bedside w/ two hours to spare before my baby girl first entered the world. Fifteen years ago I learned what love truly is.’

However, Witherspoon has told a different story, suggesting she felt abandoned by Phillippe during those early months.

‘I did not have a lot of support with my first baby and I learned really early, like, this is not going to work,’ the actress told the We Are Supported By podcast in 2021.

‘I tried to muscle through for five months with Ava, just not sleeping and I became delirious. I was lucky enough to have money saved and I didn’t have to work, but it’s just not a one-person job. I would even say it’s not a two-person job.’

The Cruel Intentions co-stars welcomed their second child, son Deacon, in 2003 but announced they were separating three years later.

Phillippe went on to describe their divorce as the ‘toughest time in my life,’ but credited Ava with getting him through it.

‘As difficult as it is, my daughter has been the inspiration,’ he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2007.

‘She is beyond, in terms of conscientiousness and maturity, and she has gotten me through this. I know it sounds pathetic – I’m a 32-year-old guy, but my seven-year-old daughter is getting me through the toughest time in my life, and that’s beautiful too.’

However, it seemed that their close father-daughter bond had taken a turn at some point during Ava’s teen years, according to Phillippe’s Instagram activity. 

While the actor has made sure to celebrate his daughter’s birthday each September with a tribute posted to Instagram, his social media posts featuring Ava began to dwindle after her 19th birthday.

It was around that same time that Phillippe’s ex-girlfriend, former Playboy model Elsie Hewitt, accused Phillippe of assault in a $1 million lawsuit in 2018.

In the legal filing, Hewitt – who now shares a seven-month-old daughter with comedian Pete Davidson – accused Phillippe of throwing her down the stairs in her Los Angeles home, before ‘kicking and striking’ her.

She also claimed in the legal filing that he used drugs, alcohol and steroids, which caused mood swings and extreme anger. In 2023, Phillippe announced on Instagram that he was sober.

Phillippe denied Hewitt’s allegations and emphasized his support for ‘women’s rights, feminism and advocacy.’ The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in 2019, just days before they were set to go to trial.

Despite Phillippe denying the allegations, the Daily Mail previously reported that the lawsuit had driven a wedge between the actor and his daughter, who is an outspoken advocate on issues like body positivity, mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights.

Instead, her brother Deacon continued to make appearances on his dad’s social media page, including snaps from his high school graduation in 2022 and photos from Deacon’s album release party in 2023.

‘Ryan is super close to Deacon. They do a lot of things together as a father and son, so much so that Ryan is more of a best friend,’ a source told the Daily Mail.

‘Deacon hangs out with his father more than his mom because they go unrecognized, whereas when he’s with his mom, they’re always seen in the public and paps are taking photos. He can live somewhat of a more normal life with his father.’

It wasn’t until May this year, when Deacon graduated from New York University, that Phillippe decided to post a photo of his daughter and son from the ceremony. 

However, Ava noticeably doesn’t follow her dad on the platform.

The insider shared that Phillippe has ‘made an effort’ to work on his relationship with his daughter, but it will take some time to ‘repair’ their once-close bond.

‘Ryan wants to repair his relationship with Ava. He’s made an effort to be apart of her life but it’s not being reciprocated,’ the source said. ‘He would never want to not be apart of her life. It’s a sad situation. Their relationship is not what it used to be.’

Although the source acknowledged how Phillippe and Ava ‘put on a united front to support Deacon’ at his college graduation, they maintained that Ava’s ‘mind has been made up and it seems like it’s just going to take time to repair.’ 

Although her relationship with Phillippe has had its ups and downs, that hasn’t stopped Ava from following in her father’s footsteps. 

She has made appearances in music videos for singers Role Model and Ella Langley, and landed one-episode stints on the TV series Doctor Odyssey and Ransom Canyon.

Ava is expected to make her feature film debut in the upcoming movie Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, adapted from the young adult graphic novel by Mariko Tamaki.

She recently starred in a social media campaign for the new Vince Camuto fragrance, Wonderbloom Bliss, and launched a limited-edition clothing collection for Bloomingdale’s in-house brand Aqua last year.

In addition to her two siblings, Ava was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from high school in 2018. She went on to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied social welfare, and graduated in 2022.

Although she continues to spend time in Los Angeles thanks to her burgeoning acting and modeling career, a separate source shared how Ava has come to appreciate her life outside of the spotlight and away from Hollywood.

‘Ava has spent many years in the Nashville event and party scene on the down low. She loves it out there, just like her mom, and seems to prefer it to the Hollywood lifestyle,’ the second insider told the Daily Mail.

Following her divorce from Toth in 2023, Witherspoon reportedly relocated from Los Angeles to her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, where she owns a 15,000-square-foot estate worth $18 million and lives full-time.

It is understood that Witherspoon rarely spends any time in Los Angeles these days, as she ‘hates the Hollywood life,’ and only finds herself traveling to the city for work.

Luckily for Witherspoon, it appears that her new romantic partner happens to agree with having a slower-paced lifestyle.

Witherspoon has been romantically linked to Haarmann, a German financier, since July 2024. While it is unclear how the pair met, they have been spotted packing on the PDA during romantic getaways to France and date nights in New York City.

The divorced father of two boasts an impressive resume, having attended Brown University and Harvard Business School. He was a former partner at a global investment firm in London, before becoming a founding partner at his own private equity firm, Searchlight Capital Partners.

The businessman, who is also a minority co-owner of NHL’s New York Islanders, has a jaw-dropping net worth estimated around $440 million.

In May, Witherspoon and Haarmann made their first official appearance as a couple at the New York City premiere of Prime Video’s Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle. Witherspoon, who is an executive producer for the series, also walked the red carpet with her son Deacon.

Her relationship with the private, successful businessman appears to be a perfect match for the equally ambitious Witherspoon, who transitioned her own career from Oscar-winning actress to executive producer and founder with an estimated $400 million fortune.

It is also a plus that Haarmann has no ties to Hollywood unlike her previous husbands, who were both involved in the entertainment industry.

A third source said about her businessman boyfriend, ‘She likes that he’s just a normal guy. She hates the Hollywood life.’

The pair have seemingly found a healthy balance, with Haarmann ‘visiting [Witherspoon] on set’ and the actress ‘spending time with him in New York,’ as they’ve been frequently photographed grabbing dinner at celebrity hotspots like Cafe Cluny and L’Artusi.

Witherspoon has even introduced her boyfriend to her close friends and fiercely ‘protective’ children, sources say.

‘Oliver seems to get along with everyone in Reese’s inner circle including her kids,’ the third insider said. ‘They are very protective of their mom and extremely close with her. They are a tight-knit family and really nice kids.’

Indeed, the blended family’s bond was on full display at Deacon’s graduation from NYU last May, where both of Witherspoon’s ex-husbands were also in attendance.

Outside the ceremony, Witherspoon and Phillippe were seen smiling and snapping photos of their son in his purple graduation robes. The exes posed for photos with Deacon, as well as his siblings Ava and Tennessee.

At one point, even Phillippe and Toth appeared to be chatting amongst the crowd of proud family members, though Haarmann was not in attendance.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Witherspoon and Phillippe for comment.