New York Ends Regents Exams as High School Graduation Requirement

NYDailyNews.com:

An effort to phase out the Regents exam as a high school graduation requirement reached a major milestone on Monday, when the New York State Board of Regents authorized a plan under which current seniors will be last who must pass the test in order to earn a diploma. 

 

The board’s approval kicks off a final push to turn the proposal — which has been in the pipeline for some time, but still lacks specifics — into an actionable plan over the next year, including long-awaited guidance for schools to implement the sweeping changes. 

 

“For years, we looked at what elite private schools provide for their students, and they do not worry about the Regents exam,” Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa told the Board of Regents during its monthly meeting in Albany. “This state really needs to stop putting our kids in coach or a little extra legroom, but rather putting them in first class or business class — I’ll take business class. But the only way that we can get there is when we stop thinking about teaching to the test.”

So basically, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats have eliminated the Regents exam requirement for graduation beginning in 2028, allowing students to graduate without passing standardized tests. This change reduces accountability by giving districts greater control over graduation standards and could allow students to advance without being adequately prepared for college or careers. With New York spending roughly $41,000 per student, the focus should be on improving educational outcomes rather than lowering expectations. What an embarrassment.

RELATED: New York Gives Up on Educating Kids Entirely

Catholic Nuns Sue Liberal New York State Governor Kathy Hochul Over Mandatory Pronoun and Bathroom Laws

FOXNews.com:

Catholic nuns who have spent more than a century caring for the dying poor are suing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, saying a new state law could force them to choose between their faith and their mission or face fines, loss of licensing and even jail time. "We are consecrated religious Sisters and have one mission," Mother Marie Edward, O.P., told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It is to provide comfort and skilled care to persons dying of cancer who cannot afford nursing care. We do not take insurance or government funds or money from our patients or families. The care is totally free." 

 

"We are supported by the goodness of our benefactors," she continued. "We do this without discriminating on the basis of race, religion, or sex. We do it because Jesus taught us that, when the least among us are sick, we should care for them, as if they were Christ himself." 

 

Signed into law on Nov. 30, 2023, the "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and people living with HIV long-term care facility residents' bill of rights" bans long-term care facilities and staff "from discriminating against any resident on the basis of a resident’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status," according to a press release from Hochul's office.

Yet, another example of why so many Christians in this country feel that the Democrat party is hostile to them and vote Republican instead. Indeed, for 125 years, Catholic nuns in New York have operated Rosary Hill Home, a free hospice serving poor cancer patients as an act of charity. But a state law signed by Governor Hochul requires nursing homes to follow policies on "gender identity", including pronoun use, housing based on gender identity, and access to shared spaces. The nuns rightly say these requirements conflict with their religious beliefs, though they emphasize treating all patients with dignity. As a result, they now face potential fines, loss of their license, or other penalties if they do not comply, raising the possibility that the hospice could be forced to shut down. I don't know how this will do in the lower courts, but if it gets to the Supreme Court the nuns will rightly win.

RELATED: Democrats vs. Nuns, Again

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to Propose Property Tax Hike

AOL.com:

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to propose raising property taxes to balance the city budget on Tuesday, in the face of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s continued resistance to raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The mayor is set to reveal his preliminary budget plans Tuesday afternoon at City Hall. 

 

“We do have a big gap to fill, and he’s put a pretty extreme option on the table, which is a combination of raising property taxes and taking money from reserves, and relying on some pretty aggressive revenue projections to boot,” said City Comptroller Mark Levine, who was briefed on the proposal Tuesday morning. 

 

On the campaign trail, Mamdani emphasized a need to reform the city’s property tax system, which economists say favors single-family homes, luxury condos and predominantly white neighborhoods overall, and places more weight on multi-family buildings and homeowners in mostly Black neighborhoods.

Of course, Mamdani will blame Kathy Hochul for not passing a wealth tax. But imagine how the average Mamdani voter (esp. homeowners) feels now after hearing this news, especially after being promised a bunch of free shit on the campaign trail--nonetheless it wasn't like Eric Adams, prominent conservatives and even Andrew Cuomo didn't warn them.

RELATED: Mamdani Wants to Fix Property Taxes. Eric Adams’s Failure Is a Warning Sign.

President Trump and Zohran Mamdani Will Meet at White House on Friday

NYTimes.com:

Zohran Mamdani, who ran for mayor of New York City in part on a promise to stand up to President Trump, will meet with the president at the White House on Friday, weeks before taking office. Mr. Trump announced the meeting on social media on Wednesday night, saying that Mr. Mamdani had asked for it and labeling him incorrectly as the “Communist Mayor of New York City.” Mr. Mamdani is a democratic socialist. 

 

Mr. Mamdani, who has fiercely criticized the president’s immigration policies and threats to cut federal funding to the city, confirmed the meeting in a statement. He said in an interview on MS NOW on Wednesday night that his team had reached out to speak to Mr. Trump about New Yorkers’ concerns. 

 

“I want to just speak plainly to the president about what it means to actually stand up for New Yorkers and the way in which New Yorkers are struggling to afford this city,” Mr. Mamdani said.

You just know that this meeting with Trump is making Mamdani stans nervous, especially when word has it that the NYC mayor-elect is already walking back some campaign promises after getting guidance from political insiders. Then too is the fact that a city (no matter how large) mayor only has so much power at their disposal. There's also Mamdani (to his fans chagrin) recently choosing to bring back NYPD commish Jennifrer Tisch and the fact that NY's current governor (who'll play a huge part in Mamdani's proposed policies getting through) Kathy Hochul is in a tight race poll-wise with Elise Stefanik for who's going to be the next governor of the state. In other words, it's already looking like all the pre-election hyperbole about Mamdani turning NYC into a 'communist-state' if he wins, might have been overblown.

RELATED: Mamdani pleads directly with NYC-DSA to not back Chi Osse’s run against Hakeem Jeffries