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Man accused of using fake Chief Justice Roberts signature to get own criminal case dismissed
A man accused of using a forged signature of Chief Justice John Roberts on a bogus Supreme Court order in an alleged attempt to get his own Indiana criminal case dismissed has been arrested on federal charges, according to court documents.
Joshua M. Culver, who authorities say also used the alias "Maverick A. Young," was arrested last Friday in Colorado after a federal grand jury in Indiana indicted him on four counts of falsely impersonating a U.S. officer or employee and one count involving the use of a forged federal judge's signature and court seal.
Federal prosecutors allege Culver filed a document titled "Order of Dismissal With Prejudice" on Sept. 24, 2025, in a criminal case pending against him in Grant County Superior Court in Indiana.
According to the indictment, the document used a forged signature of Roberts and a counterfeit U.S. Supreme Court seal in an effort to authenticate the purported dismissal order.
The alleged scheme involving the nation's highest court was not Culver's first attempt to pass himself off as a federal official, prosecutors say.
Five days before the alleged Roberts forgery, Culver allegedly posed as a National Security Agency agent while contacting the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office.
According to the indictment, Culver used his purported authority as an NSA agent to make requests that prosecutors say the sheriff's office otherwise would not have fulfilled, including asking deputies to conduct a welfare check on his biological daughter and provide information about her location.
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Culver also allegedly sought the names and information of sheriff's office employees and claimed he could take "adverse action" against the department in his purported capacity as an NSA agent.
The following day, on Sept. 20, 2025, Culver allegedly called the workplace of an individual identified in the indictment only as "Individual A."
Prosecutors say he falsely identified himself as a federal agent, claimed the person was "obstructing a federal investigation of a child kidnapping" and represented that he could have the individual arrested for committing a federal felony.
He also allegedly asked the person's employer to intervene to obtain the individual's cooperation.
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Months later, in January 2026, Culver allegedly portrayed himself as a "Special Master enforcing orders of the United States Supreme Court" in a communication sent to the Lake County clerk and directed to a Superior Court judge.
Prosecutors allege Culver claimed he had the authority to issue orders and warrants while demanding that the judge and court personnel take several actions, including making changes to vital records and dismissing cases and judgments against him.
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The indictment alleges Culver also warned that if officials failed to comply, he and U.S. Marshals would make arrests for "impeding a federal agent, lying to a federal agent, and conspiracy."
Then, in February, Culver allegedly assumed yet another federal identity, this time portraying himself as the "Director of Tailored Access Operations," which the indictment describes as a purported intelligence agency.
Prosecutors allege Culver filed a document titled "OFFICIAL SENSITIVE: TAILORED ACCESS OPERATIONS (TAO) COMPLIANCE DIRECTIVE" in Lake County Superior Court in a case pending against him.
The document, which purported to bear official letterhead, allegedly described Culver as a "federal asset" involved in multiple investigations and demanded that officials take a series of actions under a purported "federal directive."
Those demands included dismissing the case against Culver with prejudice, quashing warrants and requiring Lake County officials to cooperate with a purported "federal audit," according to the indictment.
Bloomberg Law reported that Culver was arrested Aug. 21 and that the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado was appointed to represent him.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Supreme Court's Public Information Office, the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado and the Justice Department for comment.
Small plane crashes into shallow water near remote Alaska town, killing all 4 people aboard
A small airplane crashed into shallow waters near a remote coastal town in Alaska on Wednesday, killing all four people on board, according to officials.
The aircraft, a Piper PA-24-260, was heading for an airport in the small town of Seldovia after taking off from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage when it crashed at around 1:18 p.m., the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Seldovia's airport is about 136 miles southwest of Anchorage.
"Alaska State Troopers were notified that a small plane had crashed in the Seldovia Slough," the statement reads.
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A helicopter crew from Anchorage was dispatched to the crash site and other troopers were sent by boat from Anchor Point.
Following the crash, the plane was completely submerged in about 15 feet of water in the Seldovia Slough near the shore, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief.
Troopers were forced to wait until the tide went out in order to reach the aircraft.
Once the tide level dropped at about 6:30 p.m., troopers were able to retrieve the bodies of the four adult victims from the plane.
The bodies will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy. The victims' names will be released once next of kin are notified, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
It remains unclear what may have caused the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
This comes after another plane crashed last week at a remote military site in western Alaska, killing all eight people on board. That aircraft had been making its second runway approach in heavy fog, and its pilots were struggling to see the gravel airstrip, according to officials.
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In that incident, the Cessna's two pilots were flying solely by instruments when the plane crashed. Regulations required that the pilots abort their first landing attempt because of the lack of visibility, and the plane crashed on its second attempt, about one-third of a mile from the runway.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lindsay Clancy didn't show 'break with reality' as jury weighs psychosis defense: Susan Smith prosecutor
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The prosecutor who secured a conviction for Susan Smith, who drowned her two sons, says Lindsay Clancy's defense never proved a "break with reality" as jurors prepare to deliberate following Thursday's closing arguments.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023. Prosecutors rested their rebuttal case on Wednesday afternoon, with closing arguments scheduled for Thursday before the jury begins deliberating,
Her defense attorney argues that Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when killing her children, a claim that has been heavily refuted by prosecutors.
SUSAN SMITH ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE AGAIN AFTER BEING DENIED RELEASE FOR DROWNING HER 2 SONS IN 1994
Smith, a South Carolina mother, was convicted of killing her two young sons — 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander — after she strapped them into her car and allowed it to roll into a lake. Prosecutors contended she killed the boys at least in part because the man she was romantically involved with did not want a relationship with a woman who had children. She received a life prison sentence.
Smith's defense contended she was in a fragile mental state and suffered from severe depression, characterizing the act as a failed suicide attempt in which she had intended to end her own life along with her sons'.
As jurors begin to deliberate on Thursday, Rep. Tommy Pope, who is currently the speaker pro tempore for the South Carolina House of Representatives and prosecuted Smith, told Fox News Digital he thinks Clancy failed to prove she had a break from reality.
"So as a prosecutor, what you try to do, and you've seen it in this case, is the prosecutor will point out all the things that she did that it can be mundane. Sometimes people watch and go, why do they care that she ordered dinner? Why do they hear that she sent her husband away or was able to dial the phone or those things? But that's what you're looking at. Was it a break from reality? Or did she just commit a horrible, horrible crime and make a horrible, horrible choice?" Pope said. "In these circumstances, Clancy had, like I said, all the prior treatment. But I still don't really see the break with reality."
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However, Pope said that one of the things that "jumps out" for him is a clear lack of motive in Clancy killing her children, which was present in the Smith murders.
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"In this one, it's hard to see the end game," Pope said, referring to the murder case against Clancy. "What was her goal after? Let's say that even jumping out the window was a suicidal gesture, which obviously went terribly wrong for her, if that was the case. But what was her end game? And that's one disconnect I see."
WATCH: FBI psychiatrist says financial strain weighed on Lindsay Clancy before killings
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Gregory Saathoff, a University of Virginia forensic psychiatrist who consults for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, testified Wednesday that financial pressure was among the stressors Clancy faced and may help explain why she killed her children.
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Saathoff said Clancy felt her "brain had been damaged" and could no longer do the work she loved or help support her family, which left her with a sense of being a burden.
WATCH: Prosecution psychiatrist in Lindsay Clancy trial says severe insomnia can lead to psychosis
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington questioned Saathoff about his experience with terrorism, drawing from him an acknowledgment that sleep deprivation is employed as a form of torture and that severe insomnia "can actually lead to psychosis." Saathoff confirmed the point, saying, "Yes, it's possible."
Florida driver fleeing traffic stop slams head-on into school bus carrying 19 children before fleeing on foot
A Florida driver allegedly fleeing a traffic stop slammed head-on into a school bus carrying 19 children before abandoning his damaged vehicle and fleeing on foot, authorities said.
The dramatic Tuesday morning incident was captured on video, including footage of the vehicle crashing into the Sumter County school bus and police body camera video showing a deputy chasing down and arresting the suspect.
All 19 children aboard the bus were safe and uninjured, according to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
The incident began around 7:20 a.m. when a deputy conducting school-zone traffic enforcement in front of The Villages Intermediate Center spotted Qahiem Williams, 23, allegedly driving 17 mph over the posted speed limit on County Road 466 near Tatonka Terrace.
According to the sheriff's office, the deputy made a U-turn and activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but Williams allegedly accelerated and sideswiped two vehicles at a traffic light.
Authorities said the collisions damaged the axle of Williams' vehicle, causing him to collide head-on with a Sumter County school bus on County Road 103.
Video taken from inside the bus shows the collision, with the driver's side door of Williams' vehicle appearing to open moments before impact.
Williams then allegedly got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, according to the sheriff's office.
Body camera video shows a deputy pursuing Williams before apprehending him near a Walmart.
Williams was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including fleeing or eluding, driving with a suspended license, possession of marijuana, leaving the scene of a crash, resisting an officer, hit-and-run and a moving traffic violation, according to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office website.
Authorities said Williams also had two outstanding Sumter County warrants for fleeing or eluding and driving with a suspended license.
Sumter County Sheriff Patrick Breeden condemned the alleged actions, saying they put children's lives in danger.
"I have zero tolerance when it comes to actions that put our children's lives in danger," Breeden said in a statement.
"This suspect has a history of this type of behavior and our community is safer with him off our streets," he added.
Williams was medically cleared before being transported to the Sumter County Detention Center, where authorities said he was being held without bond.
PGA Tour Champions golfer Matt Gogel suspended six months for betting on PGA Tour events
Matt Gogel, a golfer on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, was suspended six months by the organization for placing bets on PGA Tour events.
Gogel released a statement claiming that he placed "small recreational wagers on golf" in 2024 without knowing he did so.
"I want to be clear that these wagers were not placed on regular PGA Tour events, PGA Tour Champions events or any tournament in which I participated," Gogel said in his statement released by the PGA Tour.
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"I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf. I made an honest mistake, and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions."
Gogel’s suspension will begin on Sunday and run until Feb. 22, 2027.
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The PGA Tour claimed that Gogel never once bet in a tournament he participated in. However, he violated the Tour’s integrity program where wagering on PGA-sanctioned events is prohibited.
Gogel isn’t the first documented suspension for betting on PGA Tour events. In 2023, Vince India and Jake Staiano on the Korn Ferry Tour were suspended six months and three months, respectively, for similarly placing bets on PGA Tour competitions.
Gogel, 55, had just one PGA Tour victory in his career, which came at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2002. However, after his first career on Tour, he became a golf broadcaster with The Golf Channel and CBS Sports.
When he turned 50, Gogel joined the PGA Tour Champions, which is the senior circuit of the golf organization.
Gogel currently sits 20th in the Charles Schwab Cup points race.
TCU football pulls credentials from local newspaper for reporting on locker room assault story
TCU Horned Frogs football has a chance to make a run in a wide open Big 12 Conference, coming off a 9-4 season in 2025. But if they do, local fans who subscribe to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram won't have access to the type of reporting they might normally expect.
The Star-Telegram reported recently about an incident in the TCU locker room that resulted in senior safety Jacob Fields being dismissed from the football team. Fields allegedly assaulted another player, wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma, though the initial report didn't identify him directly. Ezukanma posted a now-deleted Instagram video acknowledging that he was the other player involved.
TCU has now, per the paper, rescinded the Star-Telegram’s credentials to cover Horned Frogs athletics. And it's supposedly because of the "health and wellbeing" of student athletes.
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"Our primary focus is the health and wellbeing of our student athlete," said TCU athletic director Mike Buddie in a statement this week. "Unfortunately, an unnamed source without first-hand knowledge of the incident provided inaccurate information cited in initial reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which we strongly disputed.
"The inclusion of the misinformation advanced a narrative that endangered a student-athlete and resulted in threats to him and his family. These actions led to the decision to withhold the media credential until additional conversation can be held between athletics and the sports reporting team. We remain dedicated to restoring our student to health as well as focusing on the game that’s ahead."
This decision came just a few days before the Horned Frogs start their season against Bill Belichick's North Carolina team in Dublin on Saturday. The paper's TCU reporter, Steven Johnson, is still traveling to cover the game from Ireland, though he will now not have media credentials to do so within the press box.
TCU's athletic department was reportedly not clear about what the Star-Telegram needs to do to regain their credential, but without question, the biggest irony in the whole story is that the Horned Frogs' home stadium is named after the founder and publisher of... the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Banning news organizations from doing their jobs is not what schools and athletic departments should be doing. Given the player identified himself, how TCU is blaming this on the Star-Telegram is inexplicable. What's more likely here is that TCU simply didn't like a negative story about their locker room that potentially reflected poorly on head coach Sonny Dykes, so they punished the paper.
We'll see if they get their credential back in time to report on Saturday's game. They should.
Backlash over Good Good Golf ad goes too far as stores pull merchandise, PGA Tour event potentially canceled
Just a few days ago, Good Good Golf was viewed as one of the largest brand names among young people starting their interest in golf.
Unsurprisingly, major golf brands were quick to partner with the YouTube channel and its personalities. They have a partnership with Callaway Golf to develop putters, golf clubs and golf balls. Their branded apparel is carried by major retailers, including WorldWide Golf Shops outlets such as Roger Dunn in Southern California. It is also sold online through retailers such as Target and at most Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy locations.
Or was.
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Good Good became the center of controversy in golf over the past week thanks to an ad they made to promote a branded version of Callaway's new driver. The ad was meant to be a parody of the hit movie "Obsession," but was very poorly conceived and executed. In the ad, Garrett Clark, one of the founders of Good Good, shoves a woman, Alexis Miestowski, to the ground and says "do not touch my new driver."
Without question, it was a bad ad, made in poor taste, that should not have been released. And the backlash started almost immediately. Fans blasted it for depicting a man shoving a woman to the ground. It was pulled down. The group issued a statement saying it wasn't "aligned with our values."
"We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand," the statement said. "We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward."
Callaway golf initially let Good Good take the blame, saying they were "disappointed" in the video. Then, at 1 a.m. Eastern, issued another statement confirming that the club manufacturer had approved the ad's release, an unsurprising though important admission.
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As a result of the controversy, the debut of "Big Break X Good Good," a new show set to air on Golf Channel, was delayed after title sponsor Golf Galaxy reportedly requested that its name be removed from the broadcast. That was just the start.
Front Office Sports reported on Wednesday that Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and the PGA Tour Superstore had pulled the company's merchandise from their product shelves. There are rumors that the Good Good sponsored PGA Tour event, the Good Good Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s Fazio Canyons Course in Austin, Texas, could be canceled.
In fact, new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said as much this week. Addressing the ad and response, Rolapp said he was disappointed in how it played out.
"I think initially no," Rolapp said referring to how the company handled the backlash. "I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA TOUR values. We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late. But I think the responses are getting better. I think we've seen some things this morning, we've had some conversations with them, so we'll continue to monitor and work with them going forward. But no, we were disappointed with what we saw."
When asked about the future event, Rolapp described it as a "fluid situation."
"I think I mentioned before, it's a bit of a fluid situation," Rolapp said. "We were disappointed at first. It sounds like in the last 24 hours they've made some progress. We'll continue to monitor the situation and see how it develops."
And that is where this has all gone way, way too far.
Again, it is not up for debate that the ad was awful and should never have been conceived, filmed, edited, or approved. The fact that so many steps had to happen, and that so many had to approve it at each step of the way, and nobody pointed out how bad it looked is bewildering and indefensible. Obviously, men should not be shoving women to the ground. Even in a parody of a movie, it was bad.
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That said, pulling their merchandise off the shelves? Canceling shows? Pulling down title sponsorships? As if they were endorsing domestic violence or aggression towards women? Or saying women shouldn't play golf, when they literally have a YouTube channel called "Good Good Girls"?
Clark posted a lengthy video to X on Wednesday addressing the concept behind it, apologizing for his role in it, and explaining the pitch they received from the marketing team. He took accountability for how bad the ad looks, repeatedly says that it was a bad idea from the start, and confirms, of course, that he didn't actually hit a woman.
Temporarily delaying the release of a show for a week in response to this ad? Sure. Acting as though Good Good needs to be permanently shunned by the golf world for it? That's absurd. Young boys and girls are not going to stop watching Good Good Golf because of a bad advertisement. YouTube Golf continues to grow, and while many golf purists hate it, there's immense value to it. New audiences become interested in the sport, then many start watching PGA Tour events or other golf competitions and become potential lifelong fans.
Yes, they made a mistake, but moving past the "cancel culture" obsession was supposed to end this type of hysterical corporate overreaction. For Rolapp, it's not surprising, coming from the woke factory that is the modern NFL, but for the other retailers, it's ridiculous.
What's the punishment for Callaway? Is Golf Galaxy and the PGA Tour Superstore going to pull their products from the shelves for approving the ad's release? Of course not, because Callaway generates far too much money for those companies through club and golf ball sales. That's how you know this is performative; there's no consequence for the biggest name involved here.
Does Good Good deserve criticism for the ad? Yes, absolutely. It's objectively terrible, by their own admission. Should Good Good be permanently shunned from golf now? No, of course not.
Armed man arrested at Trump golf course allegedly had first lady's schedule, notes on Secret Service: reports
An armed man arrested Aug. 2 at President Donald Trump's California golf course allegedly had first lady Melania Trump's schedule and detailed information about U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel, according to reports.
Jeanine John Taele, 38, had more than 200 pages of writings that included schedules for the first lady and members of the president's USSS detail, The Associated Press reported, citing information revealed during a Los Angeles County court hearing Wednesday.
The New York Post reported that prosecutors said Taele had seven notebooks containing 208 pages of drawings and sketches of Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, lists of USSS schedules, details about individual security personnel and copies of Melania Trump's schedule.
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The writings also included detailed lists about surviving "off the grid," according to the AP.
Los Angeles County Judge John Lonergan Jr. called the allegations "alarming" during Wednesday's hearing.
"This case itself is alarming in this day and age with the violence that is creeping into our everyday lives, especially with our partisanship in the political environment" ahead of the midterms, Lonergan said, according to the AP.
The judge suspended criminal proceedings after a pretrial evaluation indicated Taele was not mentally fit to stand trial and sent the case to a mental health court, the AP reported.
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Taele was arrested earlier this month after plainclothes federal agents spotted him walking the grounds of the golf club, taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities ahead of Trump's visit, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Deputies who detained Taele allegedly found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pants pocket, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities searched his vehicle and recovered a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber and another magazine containing hollow-point ammunition.
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Taele claimed he worked for the State Department and was at the golf course for a security detail.
Investigators later searched Taele's Downey home and recovered an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition, radio signal devices and multiple notebooks containing what authorities described at the time as "concerning statements."
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, USSS and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have been investigating the case.
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Taele, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will remain jailed until a Sept. 9 hearing at Hollywood Mental Health Court, according to the AP.
Taele's public defender, A.J. Bayne, cautioned against drawing conclusions about his client's motives.
"He's a veteran, he served our country, and I don't know enough right now, but he has a family that loves him, that has huge support for him," Bayne told the AP, adding that "people assume too much" about Taele's motives.
The USSS previously told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on specific protective intelligence matters, but "thoroughly investigates any information or activity that may reasonably be perceived as a protective intelligence concern or indicate a potential threat or directed interest toward any individual under Secret Service protection."
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Trump addressed the arrest earlier this month.
"Well, the only thing I get a little solace from is, they say only consequential presidents. And I am definitely consequential," Trump said during an appearance on "Fox News @ Night."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Office of the First Lady for comment.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price and Landon Mion contributed to this reporting.
NYC business owners revolt over Mamdani’s government-run grocery stores: ‘Doomed for disaster'
New York City business leaders and bodega owners rallied Wednesday just steps away from the future site of one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's city-run grocery stores, arguing the plan will force local businesses to close.
The Multicultural Business Coalition, which is made up of 50 chambers of commerce representing multicultural businesses, filed two lawsuits in state court on Monday challenging Mamdani’s plan to open five government-owned supermarkets with subsidized grocery offerings.
On Wednesday, leaders within the coalition gathered alongside bodega owners outside the American Deli Mini Market Corp, in Harlem — which sits across the street from the confirmed Manhattan city-run store location at La Marqueta — to challenge Mamdani’s rollout of the stores, which is slated to begin in late-2027.
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"This is a campaign promise doomed for disaster if it is allowed to go through," Mark Jaffe, president and CEO of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, told Fox News Digital.
One of the two lawsuits is a seven-page class-action filed on behalf of "hundreds" of store owners and alleges the opening of the city-run grocery stores would violate the businesses’ civil rights, according to court documents.
"When you use government money discriminatorily, it could be a civil rights violation," Jaffe said, adding, "Shame on the [Mamdani] administration for not working with small businesses, but trying to hurt them and being heartless in their statements."
The second suit asks the courts to permanently block the operation of "the municipal grocery stores, in absence of undertaking necessary studies and analysis," a move that has historically barred large retailers — such as Walmart — from entering the Big Apple.
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Under Mamdani’s plan, the five grocery stores will offer a core basket of items priced 30% below the average retail prices sold at other businesses.
"Under the model, the City will own the land and cover overhead costs like rent and construction. A private operator, selected through a request for proposals, will manage daily operations and be contractually required to pass savings directly to customers on a core basket of everyday staples," an April news release stated.
However, the pricing and subsidization of business expenses for the city-run stores puts the operators at an unfair advantage, according to Jaffe.
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"It’s unfair," Jaffe told Fox News Digital. "[Small business owners] who have to pay their Con Edison bill, their real estate taxes, their fines and full price for food cannot compete."
"The end-game here would be to help [small businesses owners] and not just subsidize 30% off from suppliers who are not lowering their prices for the city," he continued. "Our tax dollars are buying groceries at full price, so we can sell them at 30% off up the street — that’s not going to feed enough struggling people."
Jaffe added that he believes the solution could lie in the establishment of a task force focused on mitigating the damage to local businesses in the surrounding areas of each store.
"The only reason [small businesses] are going to be hurt is because [Mamdani] is taking tax dollars to put [them] out of business," Jaffe told Fox News Digital. "It's wrong. We want a task force. We'll show you how to feed struggling people."
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As part of the rollout of the city's government-run grocery stores, Mamdani established the NYC Groceries Task Force to "convene city agencies, industry experts and local small business owners to guide implementation," the administration said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Additionally, the city launched an OPEN Task Force to "identify and eliminate unnecessary red tape and reduce fines and fees for small businesses," according to Mamdani's office.
The sentiment surrounding the stores' impacts on local businesses was echoed by Elvis, the owner of American Deli Mini Market Corp, identified only by his first name.
"If [Mamdani opens this store] in front of [my] business, [I’m] going to go out of business," Elvis said through a translator at the press conference. "[I] pay a lot of taxes and this is not fair."
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Mamdani has long defended his plan for government-run grocery stores, saying Monday that he is "fully confident in both the legality and the importance of our initiative."
"The administration plans to open one city grocery store in each borough by the end of the Mayor's first term. There are more than 1,000 grocery stores and supermarkets and over 10,000 bodegas and corner stores across New York City," Mamdani's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "There are more than 1.4 million New Yorkers currently struggling with food insecurity. The five city grocery stores will not have a significant impact on the hundreds of grocery stores or the thousands of bodegas across the city."
However, Jaffe insists the opening of the city-run, subsidized stores will do more harm than good to the surrounding businesses and will ultimately drive the minority entrepreneurs out of the Big Apple.
"It is doomed to fail. History shows us that communist supermarkets have empty shelves," Jaffe said, adding, "We have better ways to help feed the struggling people. Please listen, Mr. Mayor. Don't keep campaign promises that will hurt people."
Trump questions state of MLB while renewing push for Roger Clemens' Hall of Fame induction
Major League Baseball is entering the final weeks of its regular season as labor talks between the league and the MLB Players Association reportedly remain stalled, creating uncertainty ahead of the playoffs.
The current agreement between the two sides is set to expire on Dec. 1. If they do not reach a new deal by then, a lockout could follow. In July, ESPN reported that the sides’ fundamental disagreement centers on the league’s pursuit of a salary cap system. The union likely prefers to preserve the current system, and neither side appeared willing to move from its position.
President Donald Trump has frequently weighed in on sports during his second term. In March, he convened the "Saving College Sports" roundtable, which brought together conference leaders, former coaches and media executives to discuss challenges posed by name, image and likeness deals, the transfer portal and the future of the NCAA.
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Last month, during MLB All-Star weekend, commissioner Rob Manfred was asked whether he had any sense of whether President Donald Trump might intervene in the league’s labor negotiations.
Manfred said at the time he did not want to "speculate" about Trump's potential involvement.
"Look, I think it would be wildly, wildly inappropriate for me to speculate what the President of the United States might do or not do in a hypothetical situation," Manfred said. "We know this. He's a great sports fan, and he is really knowledgeable about the business of sports, so it doesn't surprise me."
Manfred did say, however, that Trump was "interested."
Beyond labor negotiations, Trump has also repeatedly pushed for seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens’ induction into the Hall of Fame. In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump cited Clemens’ career achievements and criticized Hall of Fame voters over his exclusion.
"How about Roger Clemens not being in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, all because a bunch of jealous people with far less Talent, voted that he shouldn't be there," Trump wrote. "He was also not convicted, or admitted, to taking Drugs. Roger is easily one of the few Greatest Pitchers of All Time, winning 354 Games, 7 Cy Young Awards (A Record, by 3!), and played in three World Series, winning two! He was third in most Strike-Outs."
Trump then turned his attention to Manfred, claiming the commissioner had told him he would approve Pete Rose’s reinstatement but waited until after Rose’s death to do so. "The Commissioner told me he was going to approve Pete Rose, but he waited long enough until Pete died."
Last year, Manfred announced that Rose, who died in 2024, and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson would be reinstated, which made both eligible for Hall of Fame consideration.
Trump concluded by questioning the state of the sport. "No wonder Baseball is in trouble!"
MLB COMMISSIONER UNDERSTANDS WHY TRUMP IS 'INTERESTED' IN MLB CBA NEGOTIATIONS
Almost exactly one year ago, on Aug. 24, Trump said he had played golf with Clemens and his son, Kacy. The president then backed Clemens’ Hall of Fame candidacy, writing that the former Boston Red Sox pitcher "should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, NOW!"
Clemens responded on X, writing, "I appreciate the love! DT knows more than anyone the fake news that’s out there. Everyone has their agendas… I played the game to change my family’s direction generationally and to WIN!"
Clemens’ 10-year run on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot ended in 2022, when he received support from 65.2% of voters, short of the 75% threshold required for election to the Hall of Fame.