Union big’s trains of thought

John Samuelsen knows transit from the ground up. A subway track worker by trade, he now serves as international president of the Transport Workers Union of America, the nation’s largest airline union, representing 165,000 transportation workers.

“I oversee 100 unions from coast to coast, including in the Caribbean,” Samuelsen said, noting the TWU’s reach across major transit hubs. Its ranks include about 30,000 workers at American Airlines, 34,000 at Southwest Airlines, and members in cities such as New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, including those who keep the cable cars moving.

His connection to New York transit began early. “My first time on a subway was at Avenue U and East 16th Street,” he recalled. “I was about 8.” Samuelsen attended Nazareth High School in East Flatbush, in the working-class Irish neighborhood of southern Brooklyn where he still lives today — at the same address where his father grew up. By 1993, he said, he had discovered a skill that would shape his career: “I found that I was a good organizer.”

Pricing stays fare

Asked why riding the subway has become so expensive — compared with the days when a fare could feel almost as old as George Washington’s presidency and cost just a nickel — Samuelsen pushed back on the premise.

“Time marches on,” he said, arguing that New York City’s fare remains relatively affordable when measured against other transit systems around the country. He pointed to costs in several European cities, as well as regional systems closer to home, including the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and New Jersey Transit.

“Just think, you can get on the system in Coney Island and take it up to Yankee Stadium for a flat fee, $3. It’s not that much money. What can you do for three bucks? You can’t get a slice of pizza for three bucks in the city anymore.”

What do people misunderstand about the subway? Everybody complains about it.

“The problem’s the internet, Twitter, Instagram, cellphones, everything instantly available. Systems are under scrutiny that they weren’t years ago. Five transit workers a week get assaulted on average in NYC. If five schoolteachers were assaulted each week, there’d be massive societal steps to end that plague.”

So what’s going to happen with the new Second Avenue subway?

“Congestion pricing made funding available to continue to build it northbound. Money that the MTA, subway and bus riders never saw before. Huge casino money, congestion pricing money, and there should be a massive citywide discussion about that.”

Railing against AI

And AI might eventually replace transit workers?

“We are in a constant battle against artificial intelligence. There are postmodern urbanists right here that conspire every day to eliminate workers in the transit system and replace them with robotic elements.”

Another question on another topic. Air traffic control.

“The system definitely needs massive investment. They must hire more air traffic controllers. And increase their pay to a good salary in order to retain them.

“Lots of times disputes or desires of working people are about work-life balance. It’s about having appropriate time off to rest. It’s about being able to have a day off to celebrate a child’s birthday or a confirmation or a graduation. That is all part of having a desire not to let the bosses work us to death or work us into a divorce.

“And so it’s not always about wages, it’s about quality of life and about that all-important work-life balance.”

Listen, the high price of gas is forcing people to change their driving habits. Everybody’s trying to save money. Even street gangs. They’re now restricting themselves to jog-by shootings.

Only in New York, kids, only in New York.

A woman armed with knives was fatally shot by New York City police on Monday after authorities said she launched a violent stabbing attack in Times Square that left one person dead. 

The woman, who had not been publicly identified, allegedly stabbed a female victim and a male victim shortly before 4.30pm near West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, one of Manhattan’s busiest tourist corridors, sources told the New York Post.  

After the attack, she reportedly ran north in the direction of an NYPD substation, where responding officers moved in and confronted her.

Footage captured at the scene appeared to show the woman holding large knives in both hands as at least six NYPD officers encircled her, several with guns drawn, while panicked tourists screamed and rushed through the crowded Times Square area.

The suspect, seen wearing a pink T-shirt, jeans and a cross-body bag, then began swinging her arms in wide motions. Moments later, an officer moved toward her before one gunshot rang out, followed quickly by two more.

Still, the woman charged at cops, prompting officers to fire two more times. 

The video then ended with the woman lying on the ground as officers race to handcuff her, before apparently realizing she was shot and beginning CPR.

The woman and her two victims were then rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where the suspect and one of her victims, a female tourist, were pronounced dead, according to AMNY.

Meanwhile, authorities recovered the woman’s weapon, with photos from the scene showing officers carrying a large kitchen knife. 

The incident had initially been reported as a knifepoint robbery, but officers now believe the emotionally-disturbed woman had no clear motive for the attack, ABC 7 reports.

A witness at the scene said he recorded the moment with his smart glasses and that the woman was allegedly armed with two knives. 

‘She ran by me at the corner and she had two knives in her hands,’ they told PIX11.

‘She ran down, the cops went by, they surrounded her, talked to her for like five minutes.’ 

The person said the woman was tased by officers, but when she rushed toward them, officers shot her with a gun. 

‘They shot her twice,’ the witness told the outlet. 

Construction worker Jorge Disla also told the New York Daily News how he was heading home when he came upon the scene and recorded on his phone as the woman swung a knife in each hand.

‘The police tried to speak with her,’ he recounted. ‘They were shouting “Drop the knives!”‘ 

Witness Linda Ruiz also shared what she saw in the moments before police arrived on scene.

‘I saw a guy bleeding profusely from his right leg,’ she told the Daily News. ‘He was gushing blood, saying “I need help. Help me.”‘ 

‘I went to get a cop on the corner and there was another lady on the floor,’ Ruiz continued. ‘She was stabbed in the back or in the chest, I couldn’t tell.

‘There was a lot of blood,’ Ruiz noted. ‘She wasn’t conscious. The police were trying to resuscitate her, but she wasn’t moving. It was horrible.’ 

The NYPD has urged people to avoid the area while they investigate. 

Sources told PIX11 that they don’t believe the incident is terror-related. 

The incident comes about two weeks after a 54-year-old man was fatally shot by NYPD officers after he ran toward them with a butcher’s knife. 

At the time, officers were responding to reports of an assault inside a building on the Lower East Side. 

Breaking news, updates to follow.  

The U.S. Navy is working on a new ultra-long-range missile intended to destroy hostile aircraft before they can move close enough to endanger American fighter jets or aircraft carriers.

The service revealed the program on Aug. 22, identifying the next-generation AIM-424 LRAAM by its nickname, “MALICE.”

Built for air-to-air combat, the missile is meant to be launched from a jet and strike enemy aircraft or drones at exceptionally long distances.

The goal is to give U.S. pilots the ability to spot a threat on radar, fire from well outside close-contact range and eliminate the target before it can pose an immediate danger, a capability that could improve pilot survivability.

“LRAAM sustains the Department’s first look, first shot, first kill advantage by providing our aviators greater reach, greater survivability, and greater tactical flexibility in the air-to-air fight,” the Navy said.

The missile is designed to increase the “range, lethality, and combat effectiveness for Marine and Naval aviation forces,” officials added.

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Its range is listed as “in excess” of 250 nautical miles, or roughly 287 statute miles. That is a massive distance for an air-to-air missile, allowing jets to protect an entire fleet from far over the horizon.

At 13.5 feet long and weighing 1,500 pounds, the missile is significantly larger and heavier than standard medium-range air-to-air missiles. In comparison, the AIM-120 AMRAAM weighs about 335 pounds, underscoring the size of the propulsion system needed to propel the LRAAM to extreme distances.

The missile is also equipped with a blast-fragmentation warhead, meaning it does not necessarily have to score a direct physical hit. Instead, it detonates near the target, sending fragments outward to destroy or disable the aircraft.

Officials said the missile is compatible with aircraft across multiple generations, including fourth and fifth-generation fighters as well as future sixth-generation aircraft.

The LRAAM is being developed by Raytheon, one of the U.S. military’s primary defense contractors.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has tendered his resignation to President Trump and is expected to depart his Pentagon role in the coming days.

His decision follows months of friction with War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Post previously reported that Hegseth was concerned Trump might dismiss him and name Driscoll as his replacement.

“Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” she added.

Driscoll’s final day at the Pentagon could come as soon as Sept. 4, according to a source.

The Wall Street Journal first reported Driscoll’s resignation.

A Texas chiropractor and father of three has been identified as one of the victims killed after powerful flash floods tore through the Grand Canyon.

John Giusti, 46, is among the two people recovered by emergency crews so far, according to relatives who shared the news in a GoFundMe campaign.

His wife, Janet, said Giusti had been fulfilling “a lifetime dream exploring the majesty of the Grand Canyon” when the deadly flooding struck.

“While our grief is as vast and profound as the canyon itself, we find a small comfort in knowing he spent his final moments surrounded by breathtaking beauty, living life to the fullest,” she added.

Just a day earlier, Giusti had posted photos from the hike, showing him smiling against the canyon’s dramatic scenery.

He had worked as a chiropractor for 19 years and was previously a partner at Whipple City Family Chiropractic in New York, according to his business profile. He later moved to Texas and worked at ChiroHabit in Indian Harbor. 

‘John was a real-life superhero to everyone blessed enough to know him. As a dedicated chiropractor, he truly lived to treat and heal, pouring his soul into helping others move through the world with strength and comfort,’ his wife said.

‘To his daughters, he was their ultimate hero. To me, he was my whole world,’ she added. 

He and Janet were raising their three daughters in Granbury, Texas. An avid outdoorsman, Giusti also trained in martial arts and was preparing to run a marathon.

Giusti was last in contact with relatives at around 2pm on Saturday, shortly before the flooding began, his sister told the New York Times. As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe has raised around $700.

Park officials said that the body of a 46-year-old man was found on Sunday, before a second body was recovered on Monday. Neither victim has been formally identified, and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the deaths. The Daily Mail has contacted the office for comment. 

More than a dozen others remain missing, as authorities warned that forecast weather conditions could hamper ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. 

And while no information about the missing has been shared by officials, loved ones have taken to social media to provide updates about loved ones who were in the area at the time.

Darlene Atchison posted on Facebook asking for prayers for the safe return of her son-in-law, Tim Smith.

‘Our family needs prayers for our wonderful son-in-law, Tim Smith and family,’ wrote Atchison. ‘Tim and two friends arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park but were caught in the flash flooding that swept through the Bright Angel Canyon Saturday afternoon.’ 

Some 62 others were evacuated from the park amid the flooding.

Park officials have asked anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek or had campground reservations in the area on the day the floods struck to contact the agency’s Investigative Services Branch. 

Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed in the devastating floods, preventing pedestrians from crossing the flooded area.

The flooding also knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents at the national park.

Beginning Monday, tourists will no longer be able to stay overnight at lodges and hotels within Grand Canyon National Park. The park is also asking year-round residents to conserve water.

‘These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,’ the park said in a statement.

About half an inch to an inch of rain fell within just half an hour in the rocky area, where there is a steep drop in elevation, National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Johndrow said.

‘Most of it ran off instantly,’ he added.

Videos from the Grand Canyon showed mudslides tearing through the landscape as hikers filmed from a suspended bridge above.

Large mounds of debris could also be seen floating in the muddy water.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday made an emphatic case for expanding data centers across the United States, wading into a politically charged issue ahead of the midterm elections and urging local communities to “let Data Reign.”

“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” Trump wrote Monday morning in a post on social media.

The remarks align with Trump’s broader push to accelerate artificial intelligence development, a priority he has frequently framed as essential to ensuring the United States outpaces China in the global AI competition.

“If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!” Trump wrote.

Data centers are the backbone of modern computing infrastructure, supplying the processing capacity needed to manage vast amounts of information, including the data that powers AI systems. These facilities often contain thousands of servers and can demand large amounts of land, electricity and water for cooling, raising concerns about pressure on local power grids and resources while generating relatively few permanent jobs compared with their physical footprint.

The issue of data centers has been a hot topic ahead of the midterm elections, with AI companies spending millions