The iconic Brooklyn Bridge has become overrun with unlicensed sellers peddling cheap NYC souvenirs and fruit cups. Legitimate vendors, among them disabled veterans, are finding it increasingly hard to earn a living as the illicit traders flood the area.

On Sunday, a count revealed about 42 vendors scattered across the historic landmark. In a bold move, one seller laid out an array of New York canvas bags right beneath a forbidding “no vending allowed” sign.

These unauthorized vendors offer items celebrating the Big Apple, such as $1 New York City magnets and $5 hats. In a surprising twist, a Post reporter even purchased a $1 bottle of water from an 11-year-old girl, who then directed them to her mother selling mangos further up the bridge.

Local, licensed merchants, including disabled veterans, express growing frustration as they struggle to compete with the wave of unlicensed hawkers disrupting their trade.

Sammy, a 48-year-old licensed ice cream vendor and disabled veteran, has worked near City Hall for years. He noted that while these unauthorized vendors resurfaced around October 2025, the situation spiraled out of control under Mamdani’s oversight.

“It started under Adams because he didn’t give a f–k,” he said of the end of former Mayor Eric Adams’ term.

“They’re illegal vendors. They’re there, and they’re back,” Sammy said. “They’re causing chaos. They’re costing the city money. Cops are chasing them.”

Sammy said police occasionally issue tickets, but the fines appear to do little to curb the peddlers who rack up profits by selling illegally.

The Post witnessed several sellers flee the bridge as a pair of cops patrolled the expanse.

“They give tickets, but they give little stupid $20 tickets, $50 tickets. But he’s going to make $1,000 illegally, so what’s a $20 ticket?”

The turf wars amongst the vendors have also turned violent.

Last week, Sammy was left with scratches all over his arms after breaking up a fight between mango sellers.

“They’re all fighting with each other. The illegal mango [sellers] are cutting each other up, scratching,” Sammy said.

“They were fighting. I tried to get in between them to stop them from fighting. The wife jumps on me while I’m trying to hold her husband from getting hit by the other five guys. The next thing you know, they’re all punching me and scratching me,” he added.

“I’m doing the police work, I’m doing the Parks Department work, and I’m an ice cream guy.”

In January 2024, Adams followed through on a promise to boot the “packed like sardines” vendors from the Brooklyn Bridge to the relief of pedestrians.

A rule went into effect that January to prohibit vending on pedestrian walkways and bike lanes on bridges and bridge approaches.

The regulation was slated to affect all Big Apple crossings — but was specifically created to target the Brooklyn Bridge after the 1.14-mile-long historic landmark turned into an open-air free-for-all.

But Sammy blasted Mamdani for not doing enough to stop the peddlers whose low prices he claims have forced other souvenir shops to shutter.

“It’s hurting everybody … the stores, the businesses over here. It’s hurting everybody. The people over here are all disabled veterans,” he said of the licensed vendors outside of City Hall, many of whom are unable to set up because the illegal vendors get there at the crack of dawn and “beat everyone to the spot.”

“Mamdani is new, but the [eight] months he’s been in, nothing has changed over there. The cops are not allowed to bother them, and if they arrest somebody, the DA releases them.”

A 41-year-old disabled veteran and US Marine who was discharged in 2008 also told The Post that there are now more than 100 unlicensed vendors on the bridge at times.

“Us being disabled veterans and having a license means nothing over there now because if I go over there, they’re going to kick me out. But they’re not kicking [illegal vendors] out now,” said the licensed vendor, who declined to give his name for fear of retaliation.

He claimed he went to court and the city told him he could not vend on the bridge because it was a “national security” issue.

“These people who just jumped the border, there’s no national security for them,” he said of the unlicensed vendors.

“Before they got rid of all the vendors, there were about 60 – 80 vendors…Now there’s about 120 vendors.”

“If you start from Manhattan side [of the bridge] all the way to Brooklyn side, it’s full of vendors on the floor, and they’re not confiscating nobody’s merchandise. They’re not doing any enforcement, but the moment I go over there, they want to come and harass me and take my merchandise,” he said of the NYPD.

“This is pretty much my livelihood,” he said. “We just want equal enforcement, that’s all.”

Iran has shrugged off Donald Trump’s aggressive economic threats, labeling them as mere ’empty talk,’ while cautioning its neighboring nations against assisting the U.S. in applying pressure on Tehran.

Mohsen Rezaei, a prominent Iranian security official, has issued a stern warning of retaliation towards any neighboring country that joins the U.S. in its economic clampdown. He highlighted that Iran could potentially halt oil shipments through the vital Persian Gulf passage.

Rezaei declared, ‘If countries neighboring Iran collaborate with the Americans in the economic war, we will target their interests.’

During an interview with Iranian state media, Rezaei emphasized on Saturday that, ‘The world has realized that Trump’s bluster is nothing but empty talk.’

He further directed a strong warning towards Iran’s neighboring countries, indicating that Tehran stands poised to escalate its economic battle if those nations choose to align with Washington.

Iran does not want to expand the war across the Middle East, Rezaei insisted, but he delivered a threat to his neighbors.

‘If they start such an action, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf,’ Rezaei added.

The warning potentially puts major Gulf energy producers on notice as Trump prepares to ratchet up his campaign of economic pressure against Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have spent years developing and expanding alternative export routes that reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing oil to reach ports on the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman.

But Rezaei indicated those routes may not necessarily be beyond Tehran’s reach either, threatening alternative pathways used to move Gulf oil to international markets.

His comments amount to one of the clearest warnings yet that Iran’s hardline security establishment could increasingly regard cooperation with Washington’s economic campaign as participation in the wider conflict.

Rezaei also insisted that Iran would ‘neutralize the economic war’ being waged by the US, with the Trump administration expected to unveil details of tougher sanctions on Monday.

The combative rhetoric comes amid growing indications of a potentially serious split at the highest levels of power in Tehran.

While Rezaei is promising resistance and threatening retaliation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a dramatically different tone on Sunday, declaring that his country ‘cannot continue with war forever.’

Pezeshkian openly defended the memorandum of understanding Iran reached with the United States in June, despite reported reservations from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

That agreement ultimately collapsed last month.

But the Iranian president argued that Tehran cannot remain indefinitely trapped between outright conflict and an elusive peace.

‘One day, a decision must be made to save the country from the state of “neither war nor peace,”‘ Pezeshkian said.

He maintained that officials directly involved in negotiations believed the agreement with Washington had offered Iran its best available path forward.

‘By implementing this memorandum, we can resolve the problems with logic and dignity,’ Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Pezeshkian made clear Sunday that military strength alone could not protect the Islamic Republic if its people lost faith in their government.

‘We must stand with the people,’ he said. ‘If we cannot serve them and convince them that we all belong to the same land and country, then even if we possess the greatest military power, we will be defeated.’

The president said his government was fighting to improve the lives of Iranians battered by the country’s economic difficulties.

It was trying with all its strength, he said, to ‘steer inflation, public problems, people’s livelihoods, people’s jobs, people’s future, and people’s lives towards dignity and pride.’

‘Sometimes, a wise compromise can achieve more than hundreds of wars,’ Khomeini said.

But Rezaei’s comments suggest Iran’s powerful military-security establishment is preparing for precisely the opposite possibility.

The former senior military commander said Iran would introduce new capabilities and alter its approach across several fronts.

‘We will see changes in the conduct of the war, in diplomacy, and in political and social affairs, and new capabilities will be brought into play,’ he said.

Rezaei, an adviser to Supreme Leader Khamenei, also declared that Tehran would refuse to bow to US demands and maintained that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington fulfilled what Iran considers its commitments.

The strait has become one of Tehran’s most powerful weapons in its showdown with Washington because of its enormous importance to the global energy trade.

But there are signs that Iran’s ability to exert pressure through the waterway could be challenged.

Shipping data indicates more crude is now leaving the Gulf using a southern route close to Oman, while some oil companies have developed tactics designed to allow tankers to make the journey without being detected.

That threatens to erode some of the leverage Tehran has exercised by restricting one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.

In a tragic turn of events, a catastrophic landslide claimed the lives of at least 30 individuals in Guinea on Sunday. The disaster unfurled when a towering open-air landfill, resting in a mountainous terrain, succumbed to collapse, entombing a cluster of shanties beneath a crushing deluge of garbage.

The landslide unfolded at Dar Es Salam, Conakry’s largest waste disposal site, situated in the heart of Guinea’s bustling capital. This somber event was initially reported by The Associated Press, shedding light on the precarious living conditions adjacent to the vast dump.

As detailed by Guinea News, the sheer weight of the accumulated waste exerted such immense pressure that it led to the collapse of a nearby three-story structure. Reports highlight the devastating consequences of the landfill’s overbearing load.

Compounding the tragedy, local authorities pointed to torrential rains that drenched the region overnight, exacerbating the already perilous conditions at the dump site. This interplay of natural elements and human error underscores the dire need for improved waste management strategies.

Six people were seriously injured and several homes were destroyed in the incident, according to reports. Officials launched a search-and-rescue operation to find any survivors.

The AP reported that the landfill was originally scheduled to close Sunday after officials warned of hazardous conditions, citing Lt. Col. Baldé Mamadou Bailo, the sanitation officer for the military engineering battalion.

The decision followed reports of a similar incident at the landfill in recent years, raising concerns about its safety.

As a precautionary measure, residents who lived near the site had also been given eviction notices and were forced to vacate the area, the AP said.

However, many people remained nearby at the time of the disaster, according to reports.

“We will ensure that the remaining families are relocated elsewhere,” Dienabou Touré, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, said at the scene, according to the AP.

Reuters reported that the landfill suffered a similar incident in 2017, when torrential rains caused a mudslide that killed at least eight people.

In a dramatic turn of events during Saturday’s showdown between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Connecticut Sun, Sparks forward Dearica Hamby found herself ejected from the game. The surprising dismissal came after she received a Flagrant 2 foul for hitting Sun rookie Raegan Beers in the face with an elbow.

The contentious incident unfolded with 8:39 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, amidst the Sparks’ eventual triumph, which ended with a 77-68 scoreline.

During the play, Hamby’s elbow made striking contact with Beers’ face. Officials paused the game to meticulously review the footage, ultimately deciding on a Flagrant 2—an infraction that necessitates an automatic expulsion from the court.

Examining the sequence more closely, it becomes evident that Beers had struck Hamby in the stomach moments before the retaliatory elbow was thrown.

The incident resonated beyond the court, with a spectator later tagging Hamby in a social media post on X. The fan urged, “Is this the example you’re leaving for your kid? Be a better example. I love you. Don’t react like that again, ok.”

Hamby replied, “If somebody intentionally punch my kid in her ribs/ stomach I hope she does more than that!!!!!!”

Neither Hamby nor Beers returned to the game, as the latter exited with a jaw injury following the foul.

Hamby finished the game with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes of play, as the Sparks recorded win No. 13 of the year.

Hamby shot 2-for-2 from the field and added a 6-for-8 performance on free throws prior to her ejection.

The Flagrant 2 also puts Hamby in line for a $1,000 fine under the WNBA’s flagrant foul system.

The Flagrant 2 is Hamby’s first of the season.

Hamby has enjoyed a quality individual season, averaging 14.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

A three-time WNBA All-Star, the 32-year-old forward finished ninth in WNBA MVP voting last season.

The Sparks led by as many as 22 points and entered the fourth quarter ahead 66-46.

The Sun outscored them 22-11 in the final period, while the Sparks went scoreless over the final 6:12.

The early advantage was enough for them to hold on for the nine-point victory.

Rae Burrell led the Sparks with 20 points, while Nneka Ogwumike finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

In a heartfelt plea, Melissa Gilbert has urged Hollywood to enhance the protection of its young stars, coming just days after the untimely death of Hayden Panettiere at 36.

Tragically, Panettiere was found unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, August 16, and was later pronounced dead, with an overdose suspected as the cause.

The 62-year-old actress, best known for her role in Little House On The Prairie, expressed her concerns through an emotional Substack essay published on Saturday. In it, she strongly criticized the entertainment industry for ‘exploiting’ child actors and stressed that urgent action is required.

This comes amid legal troubles for Gilbert’s husband, Timothy Busfield, who faces charges of four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

In her essay, aptly titled ‘Enough Is Enough,’ Gilbert highlighted a disturbing trend by acknowledging the deaths of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Daveigh Chase within a single year.

‘Three former female child actors of the same generation are gone. Tragically, heartbreakingly, agonizingly too soon,’ she wrote. 

The star added, ‘They are gone and the question I have been turning over and over in my head is, “WHY?”. Why are these three sweet, wildly talented, vibrant, vital young women gone?’ 

Gilbert reflected on growing up as a child on the screen while naming other celebrities including Britney Spears, sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, Drew Barrymore and Jodie Foster. 

‘We are all members of the same tribe; Female Former Child Performers, and when one of us dies, it runs through all of us like an electrical current.’

She continued, ‘When three of us die so close together, something is very, very wrong.’ 

Gilbert claimed that the ‘invention of the mobile phone’ has possibly caused young stars to be ‘exploited’ far worse over the years.

‘The real question haunting me is “How do we fix or end this before someone else dies?”‘ she further penned. 

The actress wrote that it ‘is likely a combination of many factors, but it is incumbent on those of us who came before to support those experiencing it now.’ 

Gilbert also referred to Doctor Show Syndrome, which ‘kicks in and enables us to perform when we are sick both physically and emotionally.’ 

The Miracle Worker star claimed to have worked while ‘horribly sick, injured or worse.’ 

Just months after her father passed away when she was 11 years old, the actress ‘was back working’ on Little House On The Prairie. 

‘And not one single adult on that set discussed it with me or offered condolences. I later found out that the fear was I would become too upset to work. I was eleven, my Daddy had just died and I was shattered.

‘Thank God my character cried in every single episode. That, as twisted as it sounds, was my therapy. My release.’ 

Gilbert also claimed in the essay that she ‘nearly worked to death a few times.’ 

One instance occurred when she was filming a movie in Oregon when she ‘had an emergency appendectomy.’

She was back to work three days later and wrapped shooting. By the time she got home, she had been ‘on the verge of sepsis.’ 

‘That is what we are taught as young actors. These young professionals are children, and we should make sure they are allowed to be children.’

Gilbert also called on ‘studios and networks to establish accessible free mental health support for all child actors as they transition into young adulthood. That can only be accomplished with industry-wide cooperation.’ 

Towards the end of the essay, the actress said that ‘something has got to be done.’

‘I have this image in my mind of Hayden’s little girl who will now grow up without her Mama. She is eleven years old. That’s the same age I was when my father died. 

‘And now I am weeping as I type this and I just want to scream from the rooftops, “ENOUGH!”‘ 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Gilbert for comment.  

Anna Paquin, who notably won an Oscar at the age of 11 for her role in The Piano, also slammed Hollywood’s treatment of ‘presexualized’ underage actresses on Friday. 

She wrote on Instagram on what would have been Panettiere’s 37th birthday: ‘It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically presexualized female, child “stars” have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends.

‘We were not as protected by the “systems” that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be said. RIP HP, MT, DC, and too many others.’

Back in June, Gilbert also made a lengthy post on Instagram lecturing child star parents in response to the death of The Ring actress Daveigh Chase.

Chase died aged 35 on June 16 from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is the most advanced stage of HIV infection, according to the LA County Medical Examiner.

However, Gilbert was criticized on social media as her husband fights child sex accusations in court. Others were supportive of the actress’s post. 

Busfield is charged with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13, which he has pled not guilty to.

Prosecutors in New Mexico announced on February 6 that Busfield had been indicted in connection with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13.

The allegations against Busfield involve two child actors who worked with him on the TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he produced and worked as a director on from 2022-2025. 

The trial is currently slated to commence in May of 2027. 

Busfield said his career is over, as he has allegedly been ‘canceled.’

He told a grand jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February that his ‘career’s done’ in the wake of the allegations, according to testimony from the district attorney’s office that was obtained by USA Today. 

‘I’m canceled,’ Busfield said. ‘I’ll never, I don’t, I’ll never work again just based on people’s fear that I would do this again and, and even if it wasn’t true, I’m done.’

He continued: ‘I’ve lost TV shows, a movie they’ve digitally replaced me from. My agency fired me. I’m done. This is not about me or a pity thing.’

Busfield said in two hours of testimony to the grand jury that his last hope was that Gilbert’s career was not sunk by his legal troubles.

A flight operated by American Airlines made a secure landing in Dallas after an unexpected incident where a laptop battery ignited inflight. This prompted swift action from flight attendants and a swift response from emergency teams upon the aircraft’s arrival, as shared by officials with News Media.

The drama unfolded on American Airlines Flight 2398. The aircraft was nearing Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on Friday, originally departing from Atlanta, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received reports of the alarming laptop battery fire from the crew.

Quick-thinking flight attendants managed to extinguish the flames using a thermal containment bag, detailed the FAA.

Touching down safely at DFW around 6:55 p.m. local time, the Airbus A321 concluded its flight without further incident. The FAA is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the events.

American Airlines separately confirmed to News Media that smoke was reported from a customer’s device during landing.

“American Airlines flight 2398 landed safely at DFW after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing. We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device,” a spokesperson said.

The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power, where emergency personnel met the plane in accordance with procedure, the airline said.

One passenger received medical attention at the scene and was released, the spokesperson said. DFW separately confirmed to News Media that emergency crews met the flight and one patient was treated and released.

The flight was carrying 133 people when the incident occurred, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News.

Jessica Irgens, a passenger aboard the flight, told CBS News the fire began roughly 30 minutes before landing when another passenger’s laptop began smoking and caught fire.

Irgens said she was sitting two rows away and moved toward the back of the aircraft because of the heavy smoke. She told the outlet the laptop’s owner placed the device in the aisle and other passengers attempted to help.

The pilot reported to air traffic controllers that about four to five passengers may have suffered burns from the laptop, according to audio obtained by CBS News.

Lithium batteries used in laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices can overheat through a process known as thermal runaway, according to the FAA.

The FAA said thermal runaway can occur without warning and can result from several factors, including a battery being damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged or improperly packed.

In Northern California, a dangerous section of river has tragically claimed the lives of two brothers. Authorities confirmed the devastating incident occurred on the Trinity River near Willow Creek in Humboldt County.

The victims, Lex Rincon, aged 45, and his younger brother Krishna, 18, were both pronounced dead after authorities responded to the area on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Tagmeyer Beach at 10:14 a.m., initially following up on reports from the day prior about a man struggling in the river’s powerful current.

Upon arrival, deputies noticed a vehicle abandoned at the river’s edge, indicating the presence of individuals who had been at the scene.

The law enforcement team then embarked on a comprehensive search effort, scouring the river and the surrounding river bar in hopes of finding the missing brothers.

Authorities pulled two bodies from the water, later identified as 45-year-old Arcata local Lex Rincon and his 18-year-old brother from New York, Krishna (also known as Ganesh) Rincon.

While autopsies are pending for next week, officials say the deaths appear to be consistent with accidental drowning.

Since most of the brothers’ family is based in New York, loved ones will have to travel to Humboldt County to say their final goodbyes.

“Last minute plane tickets are not cheap,” the family said in a statement, urging the community to help a family navigate their “extremely difficult time.”

“Our friend Lex was unrelentingly kind, determined, creative, and funny, and I am privileged to have known him for so long, and to have been introduced to his gentle and curious brother Ganesh.

“I am heartbroken by their deaths, as are all that knew and loved them,” said Lex’s friend, Gregory Terry.

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