Musician alleges Will Smith engaged in ‘grooming’ behavior after hotel room encounter
Will Smith was accused of sexual harassment by Brian King Joseph in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles just before the new year, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Joseph, a professional violinist, alleges Smith was “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” in the complaint against the Academy Award-winning actor and associates with his Treyball Studios Management, Inc.
After his first performance with Smith in December 2024, the “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” singer allegedly hired Joseph to join his “Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour.”
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Joseph claimed their “relationship grew even closer” after Smith offered him a chance to play on several tracks of the rapper’s upcoming album.
“Smith and Plaintiff began spending additional time alone, with Smith even telling Plaintiff that ‘You and I have such a special connection, that I don’t have with anyone else,’ and other similar expressions indicating his closeness to Plaintiff,” documents state.
Joseph allegedly joined the first leg of the tour in March 2025 in Las Vegas, where he was provided a hotel room booked by Smith and his team. He claimed “no other individuals besides … the crew and hotel staff would have had access” to his personal room.
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The violinist, who competed on “America’s Got Talent” in 2018, claimed to place his room key in his bag, which was left in a van responsible for transporting the cast and crew around. After a rehearsal at the venue, management allegedly spent hours retrieving the bag.
When Joseph returned to his hotel room later that evening, he claimed to have “discovered evidence suggesting that an unknown person had unlawfully entered the room.” Joseph subsequently called hotel security.
“The evidence included a handwritten note addressed to Plaintiff by name, which read ‘Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us (drawn heart), Stone F,’” the lawsuit states. “Among the remaining belongings were wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual’s name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unbeknownst to Plaintiff.”
Joseph feared that an unknown individual would return to his room to engage in sexual acts, documents said, and he “immediately notified hotel security and representatives for Defendant, obtained photo documentation, requested a room change, and called the local non-emergency police line (311) to report the incident.”
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Days later, Joseph claims, Smith’s team began “blaming” him for the incident.
“Rather than being protected against further assault, and for attempting to understanding Plaintiff’s complaint, Plaintiff was shamed by Defendant and told that he was being terminated,” the complaint stated.
“When Plaintiff requested … further reasoning, Tim Miller, acting on behalf of Defendants, redirected the blame for the termination onto Plaintiff, replying, ‘I don’t know, you tell me, because everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie, nothing happened, and you made the whole thing up. So, tell me, why did you lie and make this up?’”
Joseph, at the request of Miller, compiled a timeline “to explain the traumatic series of events that occurred that evening.”
“However, following Plaintiff’s report and termination, Defendant hired another violinist to assume the same position on the tour,” documents stated. “This hiring strongly suggested that Defendant’s stated reason for the termination was pretextual.”
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“The facts strongly suggest that Defendant Willard Carroll Smith II was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation. The sequence of events, Smith’s prior statements to Plaintiff, and the circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident,” the lawsuit states.
“Defendant’s actions caused Plaintiff severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages. Plaintiff was also harmed as a result of the stress of losing his job his health deteriorated causing major physiological damage. Plaintiff suffered from PTSD and other mental illness as a result of the termination.”
Representatives for Smith did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Joseph filed his complaint after a $3 million lawsuit was filed against Jada Pinkett Smith by a former associate, Bilaal Salaam.
Salaam claimed Jada approached him with physical threats of violence and demanded he sign a nondisclosure agreement while at a private gathering at a movie theater in Calabasas for her husband’s birthday in September 2021.
CNN mocked for ‘effort to discredit’ Minnesota daycare alleged fraud reporting
CNN was roasted online by everyone from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and prominent conservative pundits to average Americans Wednesday for a segment that questioned viral reporting from independent journalist Nick Shirley.
Shirley went viral last week for his 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding. His video prompted investigations by federal officials, leading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota.
CNN correspondent Whitney Wild interviewed Shirley in a segment featured on “Anderson Cooper 360” Tuesday night, during which Wild questioned Shirley’s methods of investigating the centers.
NICK SHIRLEY RESPONDS TO CNN ‘HIT PIECE’ ON HIS MINNESOTA FRAUD INVESTIGATION
After peppering Shirley with questions, the CNN reporter said the network is “looking into” his claims. Wild was then shown calling Minnesota daycare centers via speakerphone, acknowledging many of the centers Shirley visited did not pick up her calls.
“Only one daycare facility answered and said they are a legitimate business,” Wild told viewers.
The segment was quickly panned on social media, where many suggested CNN was spending more time “investigating Nick Shirley than the fraud in Minneapolis.”
Fox News host Laura Ingraham wrote, “No one on earth is surprised that CNN appears to side with Somali fraudsters.”
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The popular account Libs of TikTok wrote, “CNN disputes that there’s fraud in Minnesota Somali daycares because they called a bunch of daycares, one answered so they asked if they’re committing fraud, and the daycare responded that they’re not. I’m not kidding.”
New York Post columnist Miranda Devine added, “What an embarrassment, @CNN. She interviews @nickshirleyy in person but not the day care center. And then she takes the word of the one day care center she contacts by phone — but does not visit — that they are legit? Seriously?”
While Shirley himself called the CNN report a “hit piece,” many were in disbelief that a news network would try to discredit his reporting.
“So CNN’s angle here is to try and discredit @nickshirleyy while patting authorities for pursuing fraud on the back. But hilariously, two minutes in, the network buries the lede. ‘We reached out to several of the daycares featured in the now-viral video. Only one daycare facility answered and said they are a legitimate business.’ Just take the one person’s word for it,” journalist Benjamin Weingarten responded.
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CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the online backlash.
Many others took to social media with thoughts:
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Golf legend Phil Mickelson calls out alleged fraud in California amid rising taxes
Golf legend Phil Mickelson shared his thoughts on alleged fraud occurring in his home state of California in a series of social media posts.
President Donald Trump said during a New Year’s Eve event Wednesday that fraud in California, New York and Illinois is worse than the recently uncovered welfare fraud in Minnesota.
Mickelson responded on X to comments made by Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., during a Fox Business interview and later a CNN interview, condemning a recently proposed billionaire’s tax in California while alleged fraud is taking place.
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“No amount of tax can help CA until the fraud problem gets fixed. CA fraud makes MN look like amateurs,” Mickelson wrote.
“Instead of stopping the fraud and theft and getting back the money, the plan is more taxes for already the highest taxed citizens in the country.”
In response to a local opinion column on the proposed billionaire’s tax, Mickelson later wrote, “How about no new taxes until government gets rid of fraud. Until that happens more taxes will only fund more fraud.”
In another post, Mickelson suggested stopping the fraud would cost Democrats votes.
FORMER WALZ RIVAL SAYS FRAUD HAS MINNESOTANS ‘FED UP’ AND DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY
“The dilemma for all Democrats is if you stop the fraud, illegal immigration, and voter fraud in CA, then Republicans win CA and have a huge majority throughout the country. The Democrat party all but ends,” he wrote.
Trump brought further attention to alleged fraud in California in a Truth Social post Wednesday, claiming again that it is worse than that in Minnesota, referencing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has been at the center of his state’s recent fraud scandal.
“There is more FRAUD in California than there is in Minnesota, if that is even possible. When you add in Election Fraud, then they are tied for first. Two Crooked Governors, two Crooked States!” Trump wrote.
Newsom’s office responded with a statement on X.
“Donald Trump is a deranged, habitual liar whose relationship with reality ended years ago. This is not complicated. He spends his days posting whatever garbage his shriveled little brain can cough up — and [Fox News] dutifully treats it like the Lord’s scripture,” the statement said.
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“Meanwhile — in the actual world where adults govern — [Gov.] Gavin Newsom has been cleaning house. Since taking office, he’s blocked over $125 BILLION in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers, and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses, and pardons. Gavin Newsom runs a state. Donald Trump runs his mouth and little fingers.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would freeze all childcare payments to Minnesota amid mounting scrutiny over accusations of fraud involving child daycare centers across Minnesota.
Longevity experts reveal 6 key daily habits to protect overall health
Some 30% of Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution, statistics show — and they generally focus on exercising, eating healthier and losing weight.
Less than 10% of people, however, stick with their resolutions throughout the year, with nearly a quarter quitting in the first week.
To boost the success rate of resolutions, two doctors recommend pivoting from “quick fixes” and focusing more on science-based ways to achieve long-term wellness.
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Dr. Shai Efrati, a leading expert in brain health and longevity, and Dr. Joseph Maroon, an 84-year-old NFL neurosurgeon and superager, shared the following tips with Fox News Digital.
No. 1: Don’t retire early
Retirement can potentially accelerate physical and cognitive decline, Efrati warned, especially if it means withdrawing from meaningful activity.
“Research consistently shows that continued engagement in work — whether full-time, part-time or even purpose-driven projects — is associated with better cognitive resilience, cardiovascular health and overall longevity,” the doctor, who is founder and director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, told Fox News Digital.
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Continuing to seek out mental and social challenges stimulates brain metabolism, neuroplasticity and vascular health, according to Efrati, who also serves as chair of the medical advisory board at Aviv Clinics, which operates in Florida and Tel Aviv.
“In other words, staying professionally active keeps the brain ‘in training,’ much like exercise does for muscles,” he said. “The key isn’t working longer out of obligation; it’s staying engaged in something that challenges and fulfills you.”
No. 2: Balance stress levels
Maroon, professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, emphasizes the importance of managing stress for optimal wellness.
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“The key is to balance priorities — work, family and friends, spirituality and regular exercise — to reduce chronic stress, which I’ve seen contribute to poor sleep, anxiety and cardiovascular issues,” he shared.
“In my experience, this ‘stress balance’ is a key to health and longevity and may also help lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
No. 3: Find a sense of purpose
“A strong sense of purpose is one of the most powerful, and underestimated, predictors of longevity,” Efrati said.
Studies show that people who have meaningful pursuits have lower levels of chronic inflammation and a reduced risk of early death, the doctor noted.
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“Purpose activates both psychological and biological pathways. It influences stress regulation, immune balance and even cellular repair mechanisms,” the expert said.
“Whether purpose comes from work, family, creativity, service or learning, it acts as a biological stabilizer, giving the body a reason to invest in long-term maintenance and repair.”
No. 4: Embrace spirituality
Research suggests that “regular spiritual or communal practice” is linked to a reduced risk of early death, according to Maroon, who is also author of “Square One: A Simple Guide To A Balanced Life.”
“I believe it can be an important contributor to overall well-being,” he said, adding it’s also been linked to lower rates of depression.
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“Whether through faith, service or a consistent community routine, these practices can provide connection, perspective and resilience at a time of year that can be emotionally challenging for many,” the doctor said.
No. 5: Treat food as fuel
Efrati says food should be viewed not merely as calories, but as fuel for cellular energy production and repair.
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“Diets rich in whole, unprocessed foods, particularly the Mediterranean diet, provide the nutrients that support mitochondrial function, vascular health and brain metabolism,” he said.
“The goal isn’t restriction, it’s nourishment — supplying the body with what it needs to repair, adapt and thrive over time.”
The doctor recommends incorporating leafy greens, berries, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish like salmon, which deliver antioxidants, polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids and essential micronutrients that reduce inflammation and support longevity at the cellular level.
“The goal isn’t restriction, it’s nourishment — supplying the body with what it needs to repair, adapt and thrive over time,” Efrait added.
No. 6: Use sleep as a foundation
Maroon, who is also the medical consultant of the Pittsburgh Steelers, considers quality sleep a “cornerstone of brain health and longevity.”
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“When you sleep well, you support healthy metabolism and immune function, and you also improve mood, focus and stress resilience,” he said.
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“Just as important, good sleep makes it easier to maintain the daily habits that protect long-term health, including better nutrition, regular exercise and more consistent decision-making.”
Adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep nightly to support brain, immune and cardiovascular health, according to medical experts.
Trump rips ‘average guy’ Clooney after actor and family become French citizens
President Donald Trump slammed George Clooney as an “average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics,” adding the actor “wasn’t a movie star at all” and has garnered “more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies.”
In a scathing New Year’s Eve Truth Social post, Trump called the “Jay Kelly” star and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, “two of the worst political prognosticators of all time” after the couple’s recent announcement that they’ve been granted French citizenship.
“Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote.
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The president also referenced how Clooney “dumped” former President Joe Biden after his infamous debate with Trump in July 2024.
“Remember when Clooney, after the now infamous debate, dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the Country, including Tim Waltz, Gavin Newscum, for who is going to lead the Democrats to their future defeat,” he railed.
Trump concluded his post by roasting Clooney’s acting career, arguing he is now better known for his involvement in politics than his “very few, and totally mediocre, movies.”
“Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies. He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president wrote.
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When asked for comment by Fox News Digital, Clooney responded with the following statement: “I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again. We’ll start in November.”
Trump’s attack comes on the heels of Clooney’s recent spat with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, whom he told Variety on Tuesday is “dismantling CBS News as we speak.”
Clooney criticized ABC and CBS for settling lawsuits with Trump, telling Variety the networks should have instead said, “Go f— yourself.”
CBS and ABC have shelled at least $16 million apiece to settle lawsuits brought by Trump. But Clooney, who has been living in France after uprooting his family to get away from the culture of Hollywood, is bothered the networks didn’t fight back.
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“If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, ‘Go f— yourself,’ we wouldn’t be where we are in the country,” Clooney told the outlet.
“It’s a very trying time,” Clooney continued. “It can depress you or make you very angry. But you have to find the most positive way through it. You have to put your head down and keep moving forward because quitting isn’t an option.”
During the interview, Clooney also revealed that while he used to be friendly with the president, political fame has changed Trump over the years.
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“I knew him very well,” Clooney told Variety. “He used to call me a lot, and he tried to help me get into a hospital once to see a back surgeon. I’d see him out at clubs and at restaurants.
“He’s a big goofball. Well, he was,” the actor said. “That all changed.”
Co-host offers latest update on Victor Davis Hanson’s ‘quite major surgery’
“Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” co-host Jack Fowler provided a vague health update on the show’s namesake on Thursday, calling for prayers suggesting it is too soon to determine if Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson’s “major operation” was successful.
Last week, Hanson, 72, a famed author, scholar and conservative commentator announced he would have a significant procedure following an alarming biopsy.
“We’ve got a major problem, and I’m going to have a major effort to solve it, and that’s all I can do,” Hanson told listeners. Fowler took to social media to respond to fans who have inquired about Tuesday’s operation.
“I’ve received a flood of heartfelt inquiries about @VDHanson, and respond on my own accord, being clear that I’m not relaying official news about Victor, as I’ve not been deputized to say anything or to offer an update,” Fowler wrote.
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“However, I will say that what Victor endured this past Tuesday was indeed quite major surgery, and with that comes serious post-op procedures, tests, etc. That is ongoing,” Fowler continued. “Whether or not the surgery has proven successful (which is the objective of the avalanche of prayers that have already come Victor’s way — of which he is very aware and deeply moved) is still to be determined, and such news Victor will share at his discretion. That said, if you are amenable to continued prayers for Victor as he recovers, then please do offer them. God bless and Happy New Year.”
Last week, Hanson said he didn’t want to discuss his “own problems,” but admitted people have been calling him suggesting he doesn’t “look well” or sounds hoarse.
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“It’s been a 9-month odyssey, the problem I had was very hard to diagnose, so it’s no one’s fault. It’s been diagnosed through biopsy and everything else and I’ll be fine. At least, I’ll do my best for everybody because I think I have an obligation to all of our readers and listeners that I get wonderful letters from,” Hanson said.
He said he went to “the best medical center that I know, Stanford Med,” and declared it would “work out one way or the other.”
Many responded to Fowler’s post:
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Hanson has penned countless articles and books, including The New York Times bestseller “The Case for Trump.” Hanson has also penned opinion pieces for Fox News Digital, including “When liberals play confederates. Portland’s revolt against America,” “Trump and Musk need to reconcile for the sake of America’s future” and “Key questions about the Signal psychodrama.”
Fowler will host “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” until the show’s namesake is healthy enough to return.
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Cracker Barrel ditches beloved southern New Year’s tradition without explanation
For generations across the South, black-eyed peas have traditionally been served on New Year’s Day.
The dish is associated with a “mystical and mythical power to bring good luck” in the year ahead, according to writer John Egerton in his book “Southern Food: At Home, On the Road, In History.”
For years, Cracker Barrel served as a reliable last stop for displaced Southerners trying to uphold a New Year’s Day tradition. If black-eyed peas weren’t simmering at home, they could be ordered alongside cornbread and country sides.
Now, that option has quietly disappeared.
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Cracker Barrel once routinely served a traditional New Year’s Day fare at its restaurants, touting complimentary black-eyed peas for customers in social media promotions — but that seemingly stopped a few years ago.
“We’re operating during our usual hours and serving our standard menu on New Year’s,” Cracker Barrel told Fox News Digital in a statement.
When asked specifically about the black-eyed peas, Cracker Barrel did not respond.
“Black-eyed peas in the South [are] a super-huge traditional food for New Year’s Day,” said celebrity chef Jason Smith, a judge on the Food Network’s “Best Baker in America” and the winner of “Food Network Star,” Season 13.
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The meaning of the meal stretches back to Civil War times, the Kentucky-born chef said.
When Union troops raided Southern food supplies, they often overlooked black-eyed peas, supposedly considering them animal feed. That made them a staple food for Southerners during a time of scarcity and a symbol of good fortune, according to Elevating Kitchen.
The dish also endured because it was accessible.
“Another reason was black-eyed peas [were] cheap to buy and could feed a huge family,” Smith told Fox News Digital.
Alongside collard greens, associated with money, and cornbread, symbolizing gold, black-eyed peas became a cornerstone of the Southern New Year’s table.
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That ritual extended beyond home kitchens to restaurant tables, including Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel.
Sarah Moore, Cracker Barrel’s chief marketing officer, told Fox News Digital last year that menu decisions reflect a balance between regional tradition and national footprint.
“I think there are two strategies here,” Moore said in May. “I think, first and foremost, what we will focus on as we continue to evolve the menu is a localized regional strategy as well. We operate in 44 states. I think we have a great opportunity to bring more localized flavors and regionality into our menu.”
At the same time, Moore emphasized the brand’s identity, which faced public scrutiny last year amid its abandoned logo change and restaurant redesign.
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“But the other side of it is that destination menu — [the] country comforts and classics that we’re known for,” she said. “So, we will continue to look and evolve as to how we bring those country classics in and keep all the classics that everybody loves about Cracker Barrel on the menu.”
Moore acknowledged the emotional pull of the traditional New Year’s meal.
“I actually do make it every single year,” she said. “I am married to a man from Kentucky.”
Moore added, “It is something we will continue to look at as we build out our pipeline.”
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Rachel Love, a Tennessee mother and self-proclaimed Cracker Barrel lover who championed its classic look and criticized its failed makeover, told Fox News Digital that black-eyed peas were a New Year’s Day staple at her dinner table.
“My mom would have a pot of black-eyed peas simmering on the stove for good luck in the year ahead,” Love said. “She’d scoop up a spoonful, hold it out and say, ‘Here, try it. You don’t want to start the year off with bad luck.'”
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Love also recalled her late grandmother’s routine.
“During the years [that] black-eyed peas were offered as a side, she would get hers from Cracker Barrel, ordering the Country Vegetable Plate,” Love said.
Smith said he still turns to restaurants to serve them when circumstances require it, acknowledging that mom-and-pop eateries in the South are among the last to do so.
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“There’s not too many restaurants that today partake in this age-old tradition any longer, but they should,” he said.
Socialist Mayor Mamdani inaugurated alongside Bernie Sanders and AOC
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., swore in self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s mayor Thursday, calling his election “the greatest political upset in modern history.”
The inauguration ceremony took place New Year’s Day afternoon outside New York City’s historic City Hall.
During his inauguration speech, Mamdani, 34, leaned directly into his ideology, telling the crowd he had no intention of moderating his approach while mayor.
“I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he said.
The newly-minted mayor also made clear that his administration would pursue an aggressive expansion of government power.
“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,” Mamdani said, acknowledging that his agenda may not always succeed but insisting it would be bold. “To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.”
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The 1 p.m. inauguration was open to “all New Yorkers,” the Mamdani transition team said in a news release, adding that a “huge inaugural block party” will take place afterward on Broadway along the Canyon of Heroes.
New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath of office to Mamdani at midnight. Mamdani used a Quran during his midnight swearing-in ceremony, according to his campaign, making him the first Muslim mayor of NYC and the first to be sworn in using a Quran.
In addition to Sanders and James, staunch Mamdani supporter and progressive New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the opening remarks at Mamdani’s public inauguration, where she declared a “new era” for New York City.
Ocasio-Cortez said the people of New York City “have chosen historic, ambitious leadership in response to untenable and unprecedented times.”
“New York City has chosen the ambitious pursuit of universal child care, affordable rents and housing, and clean and dignified public transit for all,” she added. “And we have chosen that over the distractions of bigotry and the barbarism of extreme income inequality. We have chosen this path because we know that it’s the right thing to do.”
In a speech at the public inauguration, imam Khalid Latif from the Islamic Center of New York City said, “We gather today with hearts shaped by this city, by its noise in its neighborhoods, by its subways and sanctuaries, by the dreams carried in many languages, in the prayers whispered on crowded blocks.”
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“We thank you for New York City, for a place that has taught the world how difference can become strength, how survival can become solidarity, how strangers can become neighbors. And for being a place that taught us that a young immigrant, Democratic socialist Muslim can be bold enough to run and brave enough to win, not by abandoning conviction, but by standing firmly within it, not by shrinking who he is, but by trusting that authenticity can move a city towards justice,” he added.
New Yorkers elected the 34-year-old Mamdani in November to lead the nation’s largest city after a campaign where he made affordability the cornerstone of his agenda and successfully beat back critics who raised concerns about his anti-Israel statements and associations and socialist policies including freezing rent, city-run grocery stores, and past comments about defunding the police and abolishing private property.
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Mamdani struck a unifying tone at times during his inaugural remarks Thursday, pledging to represent all New Yorkers regardless of political differences.
“Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you,” he said.
Death toll rises in horrific fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year’s celebration
At least 40 New Year’s revelers have been killed after a massive fire ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps, police announced Thursday.
The chaotic blaze at the Le Constellation venue in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, which erupted around 1:30 a.m. local time during a New Year’s celebration, also left another 115 injured, many of them seriously, authorities said.
At least 22 of those seriously injured in the fire are between the ages of 16 and 26, according to reports.
“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government.
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“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during an earlier news conference.
Later in the day, Gisler said work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is “devastated.”
Helicopters and ambulances had rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a male bartender carrying a female bartender on his shoulders. The female bartender was holding a lit candle in a bottle that set fire to the wooden ceiling. The flames quickly spread and collapsed the ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
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Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.
The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, described “total chaos” inside the bar. One of his friends died and “two or three were missing,” he told The Associated Press.
He said he hadn’t seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said.
Clavier said he felt like he was suffocating and initially hid behind a table, then ran upstairs and tried to use a table to break a Plexiglas window. It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape.
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The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to Réynard.
Swiss authorities also later said that the unit in Valais was full, and that Italy had made a major burns unit available in Milan to treat the injured, per The National News.
Most of the injured suffered burns to more than 20% of their bodies, University Hospital of Lausanne director Claire Charmet told the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures, before adding that recovery is expected to take weeks, if not months.
Thirteen of the wounded are Italian citizens, while six additional Italians remain unaccounted for, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told state-run RAI television.
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Officials described how the blaze likely triggered the release of combustible gases that ignited violently and caused what English-speaking firefighters call a flashover or backdraft, according to The Associated Press.
The Valais Canton attorney general, Beatrice Pilloud, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, but authorities have ruled out terrorism.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud confirmed according to the Associated Press, before saying the number of people who were in the bar is “currently totally unknown,” and adding that the bar’s maximum capacity would be part of the investigation.
“For the time being, we don’t have any suspects,” she said.
“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists,” police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion confirmed.
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Authorities urged local residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain emergency medical services during the busy ski season.
The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, about 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a social media post that the government’s “thoughts go to the victims, to the injured and their relatives, to whom it addresses its sincere condolences.”
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A trainee French footballer, Tahirys Dos Santos, 19, was later reported to be among those injured, his club, FC Metz, announced.
“The entire club unites its thoughts to send them to Tahirys, in these hours when he is battling the suffering,” a spokesperson said in a post shared on X.