Although I would do so reluctantly — while holding a barf bag in one hand — if forced to vote in the next New York City mayoral election, I’d cast my ballot for Zohran Mamdani.Yes, that Zohran Mamdani.It isn’t just the Democratic Party destroying these cities — it’s the people who keep voting for them. Let them live with the consequences.A dire warning about this unappetizing candidate, a “Muslim lefty from the other side of Queens,” just appeared in the New York Post, which reports that Mamdani consorts with pro-Hamas rioters, adores Black Lives Matter, and recently said Bill de Blasio was “the best mayor of his lifetime.”In a sane political environment, such a figure would be consigned to the loony bin. But in the present urban climate, voters find themselves grasping for the least ghastly option — if they bother voting at all.And Mamdani, God help me, appears marginally less disgusting than Andrew Cuomo, who is now the front-runner.Cuomo, who presided over the slow death of New York as governor, seems poised to take the helm of a city already in decay. In any race to the bottom, he’d win in a landslide. This is a man who groped and manhandled female staffers while parading his feminist credentials; who packed nursing homes with COVID patients, causing the deaths of thousands; who then lied about it repeatedly and shamelessly. He worked tirelessly to eliminate cash bail, unleashing a wave of criminality across the state.And yet, somehow, Mamdani is supposed to be worse?That former Mayor Mike Bloomberg — now a prolific funder of leftist candidates — is backing Cuomo only sharpens the stench of this whole affair. The staleness of the New York political class, its complete moral exhaustion, has never been more evident.Still, I’ll give you another reason I prefer Mamdani: Sometimes collapse is a better catalyst than stagnation.Cuomo would likely run the city into the ground — but slowly. He’d reward the usual Democratic parasites with patronage, keep street crime just under the boiling point, and exercise marginally more restraint when it comes to unwanted touching. He’d reassure the woke plutocrats and Wall Street donors that he won’t rock the boat too much. He knows the game and plays it well.But the rot would fester.RELATED: New 12-foot-tall statue of woman in Times Square meant to represent ‘cultural diversity’ Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesNew York would remain unsafe. Schools and other public institutions would stay in the grip of culturally radicalized unions. The courts would remain ideological tools of the left. Nothing would improve. The decline would just ooze along — business as usual.Mamdani, by contrast, might deliver a spectacular crash.If he’s as doctrinaire and deranged as his critics suggest, his administration could bring about real catastrophe with impressive speed. That kind of shock might finally push productive citizens to flee en masse and accelerate the corporate exodus already under way. Sometimes it takes a maniac to wake the slumbering.This wouldn’t be the first time a disastrous mayor paved the way for genuine reform. In 1994, New Yorkers elected Rudy Giuliani after enduring the catastrophic tenure of David Dinkins. Giuliani cracked down on crime, brought investment back, and helped restore a semblance of order. But it took years of misrule to make that turnaround politically possible.Yes, I know what you’re thinking: That kind of change isn’t possible any more. Cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia are too far gone. Their voting blocs are locked into leftist fantasy. The idea of another Giuliani, a Richard Daley Sr., or even a Frank Rizzo showing up today seems laughable.Maybe so. But if that’s true, then the voters are getting exactly what they asked for. It isn’t just the Democratic Party destroying these cities — it’s the people who keep voting for them.Let them live with the consequences.Given the state of our urban politics, the choice now is between ideological lunatics and cynical reprobates. Mamdani may fast-forward the train wreck. Cuomo might slow it down. But either way, the crash is coming.At least with Mamdani, we might finally reach bottom — and from there, maybe, begin again.

Many assume conservative principles belong to the past. They don’t. The debate over cryptocurrency regulation — including the House GOP’s Clarity Act — offers a chance to apply those principles to a 21st-century frontier.Cryptocurrency and decentralized finance reflect core American values: free speech, free markets, and innovation from the ground up. Across the country, developers are building protocols that move money in microseconds, create new investment tools, and expand access to capital like never before.With a Republican-led Congress considering landmark cryptocurrency legislation, we have a historic opportunity to apply time-tested conservative values to the cutting edge of financial innovation.Blockchain technology provides a means to secure property rights in the digital era. The most transformative products likely haven’t even launched yet.The potential benefits are massive. In 2024 alone, decentralized finance grew to more than $114 billion. Even more capital — billions of dollars — stands ready to enter the space through pension funds and institutional investors.But that money won’t move without guardrails.Institutional investors need transparency. That means audit requirements they can trust, legally accountable custodians, clear reporting on asset health, and safeguards against manipulation.They also need legal certainty. Defined rules give investors confidence. Without them, they’ll stay away — or invest elsewhere.That’s where Washington plays a role.The Trump administration shifted U.S. regulatory policy toward digital assets, elevating crypto to a national priority through executive order. Now, with a Republican-led Congress weighing landmark crypto legislation, conservatives have a real opportunity.This moment demands more than slogans. It calls for applying time-tested conservative principles — rule of law, market discipline, and individual liberty — to the future of finance.Don’t be afraidSome treat cryptocurrency as a threat. Fair enough — the collapse of FTX still casts a long shadow over the current debate in Congress.Sam Bankman-Fried, a Democratic megadonor, didn’t just run a failed company. He ran a cautionary tale — a playbook for what lawmakers must never allow again.The FTX scandal highlights two enduring conservative truths:Human nature is flawed. Left unchecked, individuals will act out of greed and self-interest. Conservatives have never pretended otherwise — and that’s why we build systems of accountability.The rule of law matters. Pre-established standards prevent chaos. Waiting for disaster or making policy on the fly only magnifies the damage.FTX didn’t collapse because of cryptocurrency. It failed because no one held Bankman-Fried accountable. He amassed influence through backroom politics and ran a tangled network of private firms without meaningful oversight. The result: billions vaporized and public trust shattered.Thoughtful legislation can prevent the next meltdown — not by stifling innovation, but by setting clear, enforceable rules rooted in transparency, responsibility, and the rule of law.A remedy with room to improveThe bill now before Congress offers a rare chance to get crypto regulation right.It tackles the custodial vulnerabilities exposed by the FTX collapse and establishes a framework that allows digital asset projects to integrate into the broader financial system. Just as important, it does so under a unified set of rules.The bill follows conservative logic. It exempts infrastructure providers — such as blockchain validators and payment processors — from regulatory burdens that don’t apply. These actors don’t make governance decisions, and the law should reflect that.It also classifies participants based on their actions, rather than the extent of their political influence.But the bill still needs one critical fix.Lawmakers need to include decentralized autonomous organizations as eligible cryptocurrency issuers. These DAOs, the opposite of central banks, operate through user-led governance. Crypto users vote on the rules of the system they help create.DAOs have become common in decentralized finance. Yet the current bill overlooks them. That omission could block the very groups driving innovation from entering the regulated space.RELATED: Trump’s Bitcoin masterstroke puts America ahead in digital assets Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesIf a project follows the rules, discloses information, and acts responsibly, it should qualify, regardless of how it governs itself. Whether the issuer is a DAO, a startup, or a traditional bank, one standard should apply.That’s the conservative way: equal rules, fair enforcement, and space for innovation to thrive.What if we get it wrong?Leaving the bill unamended carries real risks:Overreaching compliance rules could smother the best of American innovation — now and in the future.Narrow legal definitions might force decentralized finance into the hands of a few massive exchanges, recreating the same “too big to fail” system that burned taxpayers in 2008.Ongoing regulatory ambiguity could drive developers and infrastructure providers offshore, into the arms of authoritarian regimes eager to benefit from America’s hesitation.The biggest danger? Watching capital and talent flee to countries that welcome decentralized commerce while the United States — its origin point — falls behind.Decentralized finance leaders aren’t calling for lawlessness. They want smart policy.Joe Sticco, co-founder of Cryptex and a White House Crypto Summit participant, put it this way: “In DeFi, it’s not about evading rules — it’s about building better ones.”Sticco believes today’s innovators want a seat at the table. “We believe open financial systems can coexist with responsible oversight,” he told me. “We have to show up, we have to explain the tech, and we have to help shape the rules.”Congress still has time to get this right. But the window is closing.The path forwardRepublicans now hold both chambers of Congress. That means the window to act is wide open.This isn’t about growing government. It’s about setting the rules so innovation can thrive, fraud gets stopped, and people are held accountable. Here's what that looks like:Clear rules that apply fairly to both traditional companies and decentralized projects;Basic protections like audits, secure custody of funds, and anti-fraud measures;Freedom for developers to build new tools without unfair roadblocks;And clear standards for when crypto projects are considered stable enough to ease up on oversight.With these fixes, the Clarity Act can do what no other crypto bill has: protect investors, promote innovation, and keep America in the lead.We can build the future of finance right here — on American terms, with American values. But we have to act now.

Rolie: “I’ve said yes to almost every right thing I should do, and I’ve said no to the things I don’t think I should. I’m proud of everything I’ve done." The post Gregg Rolie on Santana, Woodstock and Journey appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

Our recap of the year's chart topping LPs in the U.S. includes many classic rock favorites. Several took years to rise to the top. The post The Number One Albums of 1972: Each Has a Story appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

It looks like Crimson Desert, one of the most highly anticipated RPGs out there, finally has a launch date. A single-player spinoff of Pearl Abyss’ wildly popular MMO, Black Desert, it’s a fantasy RPG that we here at PCGamesN are far too excited about. So far, however, we've had to content ourselves with the loose 'late 2025' launch window but, according to a new report, we might finally have an exact release date. Continue reading The Crimson Desert launch date appears to be set, and it's coming soon MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best action games, Best fantasy games, Best action-adventure-games

Hooded Horse is far and away one of the most consistent strategy game publishers around right now. The team has helped bring the likes of Against the Storm, Manor Lords, Xenonauts 2, and Cataclismo to Steam, with many more classics filling out its portfolio. No two Hooded Horse games are alike, and that’s still true of the publisher’s latest signing. Blending the automation of Factorio with the 2D pixel world of Terraria, Sandustry is a game you definitely want to keep an eye on. Continue reading Manor Lords publisher signs Sandustry, a physics automation game you can try now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best building games , Best sandbox games , Best indie games

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