The governor of New York was reduced to begging the wealthy to move back to the high-tax state in order to help fund its social programs.Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul made the comments during a Politico forum in Albany on March 11 after the state legislature called for higher taxes.'They're not going there because they have a nicer governor. ... They're going there because of the tax rate.'"I need people who are high net worth to support the generous social programs that we want to have in our state," said Hochul."There are some patriotic millionaires who stepped up. OK! Cut me the checks. If you want to be supportive, then maybe the first step should be go down to Palm Beach and see who you can bring back home, because our tax base has been eroded," she added."So I philosophically don't have a problem. It is, like, I have to look at the fact that we are in competition with other states who have less of a tax burden on their corporations and their individuals," Hochul concluded.Hochul is seeking to win re-election after she was elevated to the governor's office because of the fall of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).New York joins other states looking to tax the wealthy in order to fund their socialist schemes, including California, which is facing its own population exodus, and Washington state. Both states have experienced billionaires fleeing to other states with lower tax burdens."Wall Street businesses looking at Texas?" Hochul asked rhetorically. "They're not going there because they have a nicer governor! I know that for sure! But they're going there because of the tax rate. We have to be smart about this."RELATED: LA Times gets obliterated online for scolding people wanting to leave high-tax California Hochul's critics pointed out that she told conservative and Republican New Yorkers to leave the state in 2022 and go down to Florida, "where you belong."Ironically, just months later, she lamented that too many people were leaving the high-tax state to seek better opportunities elsewhere."We must and will make our state safe," she said at her inaugural speech. "And we must reverse the trend of people leaving our state in search of lower costs and opportunities elsewhere."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl appears to be stealing the show as an analyst for the NCAA men’s tournament — and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock is already over it.“There’s no reason for Bruce Pearl to be the most interesting man in the NCAA Tournament,” Whitlock says on “Fearless.”“For him to be overshadowing the players and the coaches in this tournament — and he is — that’s a problem. You have legitimate stars in this NCAA Tournament, and everyone’s talking about Bruce Pearl,” he continues.“The former Auburn coach, the man that is still taking money, as we learned yesterday, from Auburn, while promoting Auburn, while taking a dump on Miami, while taking a dump on SMU. The former coach at Auburn and Tennessee should not be the most interesting man in any NCAA Tournament. He never won one,” he adds.“I want to walk you through why this is a problem,” Whitlock says, pointing out that there are incredible stories all over the NCAA Tournament that aren’t getting the attention they deserve — because it’s all on Pearl.“There’s more conversation about Bruce Pearl today than there is about Cameron Boozer at Duke. Cameron Boozer is a 6’9" post player — power forward — who’s led Duke to the number one overall seed. He’s a fascinating story,” he explains.“He has a twin brother on the Duke team that’s going to be starting. I believe his name is Cayden Boozer … the Boozer brothers and Duke. Fascinating story. Overshadowed by Bruce Pearl,” he says.“He’s sucking up all the oxygen in the room. He’s launching this television career, which I hope ends after this year. He’s done enough damage,” he adds.Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Brent crude, the primary global benchmark for oil prices, rose higher than $120 per barrel in early summer 2022, largely on account of the fallout from the war in Ukraine and increased demand in countries reopening after suffering through years of self-imposed COVID restrictions.At the time, this generated a great deal of excitement and consternation, especially when U.S. gas prices soared to a record high of roughly $5 a gallon.Americans may soon long for the days of $120 per barrel.'Consumers continue to feel the sting of rising oil, gasoline, and diesel costs as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remain elevated.'Analysts at Citi said in a note on Wednesday that Brent crude — which recently saw an intraday high of nearly $120 a barrel and is presently trading over 65% above its level at the beginning of the year — could hit $200 a barrel if Tehran executes "broad energy infrastructure attacks" or keeps the Strait of Hormuz blocked until June, Investing.com reported.Iran appears keen to satisfy both of these conditions.Following the initial joint U.S. and Israel strikes on Feb. 28, Iran targeted energy facilities in its backyard, prompting various companies to wind down their production and shutter their facilities.RELATED: Trump blasts allies over reluctance to join Iran conflict: 'WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!' Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesQatar's state-run QatarEnergy, for instance, shut down its LNG production complex following Iranian drone strikes at two of its facilities. OilPrice.com recently noted that even if the hostilities in the region ended immediately, it could take several weeks to restart production.On Wednesday, Tehran issued a warning via state media to several Middle Eastern oil facilities — the Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex in Saudi Arabia; the Al Hosn Gas Field in the United Arab Emirates; and the Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company, and Ras Laffan Refinery in Qatar — notifying them of imminent strikes "in the coming hours," Reuters reported."These centers have become direct and legitimate targets and will be targeted ⁠in the coming hours," the warning said. "Therefore, all citizens, residents, and employees are requested to immediately leave these areas and move to a safe distance without ⁠any delay."The warning, which was followed by a jump in the per-barrel price of Brent crude, came in the wake of airstrikes against the South Pars gas field, the world's largest natural gas reserve which is shared by Iran and Qatar.A source confirmed to the Jerusalem Post that several energy facilities in South Pars and the Iranian city of Asaluyeh were struck by the Israeli Air Force on Wednesday. Two senior Israeli officials told Axios that the attack was coordinated with and approved by the Trump administration.Amid the attacks and threat of attacks on energy infrastructure, analysts at Citi wrote, "Brent prices will rally as the conflict continues over the coming days, to $110-120/bbl," adding that could be the "price or market event which drives the U.S. to end its military operation" or alternatively drives global powers to "forcefully reopen the Strait."President Donald Trump has implored the international community to aid the U.S. in reopening the strait, emphasizing that China and other nations are far more reliant than America on the supply flowing down the strait.According to Reuters, China received 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil over the past 14 months via the Strait of Hormuz; the rest of Asia collectively received 1.6 billion barrels; India received 1 billion barrels; Japan and South Korea each received 800 million barrels; the U.S. and Europe each received around 200 million barrels; and the rest of the world received a combined 300 million barrels.Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials plan to meet at the American Petroleum Institute on Thursday to meet with oil executives."We look forward to convening key officials — including Vice President Vance, Energy Secretary [Chris] Wright, bipartisan leaders in Congress, and governors — to discuss the role of American oil and natural gas in supporting reliable energy supply amid global volatility," Andrea Woods, a spokeswoman for the institute, told Bloomberg. "Our industry is focused on providing insight into market dynamics and strengthening American energy leadership and resilience for the long term."The price-tracking service GasBuddy noted that as of Monday, the national average price of gasoline was up 80 cents per gallon from a month ago and 66.1 cents higher than a year ago."Consumers continue to feel the sting of rising oil, gasoline, and diesel costs as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remain elevated, pushing gasoline prices to their highest levels in years while diesel could soon approach the $5-per-gallon mark nationally," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy."Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist," De Haan continued. "At the same time, seasonal forces are beginning to intensify as several regions complete the transition to summer gasoline, creating a double headwind that could continue driving pump prices higher in the weeks ahead."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The New York Post has uncovered a bizarre music video starring Bobby Pulido, an Emmy-winning musician who won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. congressional seat in Texas.In the video titled "Dias de Ayer," Pulido portrays several characters, including a gun-wielding gangster in the mold of "Scarface," a pervert who pleasures himself in public spaces, as well as a gay male who is attracted to the pervert.'This freak is who Democrats chose to run in Texas?'The embarrassing video from 2010 might complicate the campaign effort by the political neophyte.The Post noted that he had made somewhat derogatory comments to users on social media implying that he might be gay."I can swear on the Bible that I’m not," said Pulido in Spanish to questions about his portrayal of a homosexual in the video.Pulido is hoping to unseat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz for the 14th congressional district in Texas. President Donald Trump won the district easily in 2024, and De La Cruz trounced Democratic opponent Michelle Vallejo by more than 14 percentage points.Democratic polling found Pulido was trailing behind the incumbent by only three percentage points in September.His campaign did not respond to a Post request for comment.RELATED: Rep. Al Green forced into runoff with candidate half his age after failing to get 50% of Democratic primary vote The Republican National Committee did have a comment on its official account on the X social media platform."This freak is who Democrats chose to run in Texas?" said the account.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The performances collected here are somewhat less polished and forceful than the ones on their debut and sophomore LPs. The post Talking Heads’ Earliest Years Explored in ‘Tentative Decisions’: Review appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

They don’t actually want European-style taxation, even if they admire European-style spending.

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