Rep. Maxine Waters’ 2020 campaign committee, Citizens for Waters, has agreed to pay a $68,000 fine following a Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigation that uncovered multiple campaign finance violations. According to official documents, the committee failed to properly report financial activity, accepted excessive individual donations, and made prohibited cash payments. The agreement with the FEC allows both parties to avoid litigation and includes a requirement that the campaign treasurer attend a training session.
The investigation found that in 2019 and 2020, the campaign improperly accepted $19,000 in contributions from seven individuals, exceeding the federal limit of $2,800 per pers on. Though the campaign eventually returned the excess funds, the process was delayed. Additionally, the FEC noted that the campaign made four unlawful cash disbursements exceeding $100 each, totaling $7,000. Waters’ team claimed it sought legal advice and took corrective steps to ensure future compliance.
Leilani Beaver, an attorney for Citizens for Waters, maintained that the infractions were unintentional and not deliberate. Waters, who has served in Congress since 1991 and is the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, has previously faced scrutiny over campaign finances. In 2023, reports revealed her campaign had paid her daughter over $192,000 for a controversial slate mailer program.
The FEC has previously dismissed other allegations against Waters, including a 2018 case involving questionable contributions. Still, the recent fine adds to a pattern of financial controversy surrounding her campaign operations. These issues have continued to draw public and media attention.
Beyond campaign finance, Waters has also made headlines for her outspoken remarks. At a Los Angeles protest, she questioned First Lady Melania Trump’s immigration status in response to former President Trump’s stance on birthright citizenship. Waters has also publicly criticized figures like Elon Musk, asserting that he has overstepped his influence in U.S. financial and governmental matters.
Trump Vows To ‘Save’ NYC, Calls Zohran Mamdani A ‘Communist Lunatic’July 18, 2025 by egzonar
President Donald Trump raged against New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, implying that, depending on the outcome of the November election, he may utilize federal powers to assert control over the city.
“As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it “Hot” and “Great” again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!” Trump wrote on X.
Trump also threatened to examine Mamdani’s legal status and arrest him if he stood in the way of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the city.
Mamdani’s unexpected victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June has sparked significant concern among Republicans, who see the 33-year-old democratic socialist as a potent symbol of a shifting political landscape.
Mamdani’s rise from a relatively unknown state assemblyman to the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s largest city has worried many, not just Republicans.
Mamdani is drawing fire for a campaign strategy plan that expressly advocates for transferring the city’s tax burden to “richer and whiter neighborhoods.”
A policy document titled “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners” from Mamdani’s mayoral campaign website contends that the city’s current property tax system disproportionately benefits wealthy, White homeowners, particularly in Manhattan and affluent Brooklyn, by allowing them to pay far less in taxes due to outdated assessment caps.
In contrast, Black, Latino, and immigrant homeowners in communities like Brownsville and Jamaica in Queens’ outer boroughs are overloaded and more likely to face foreclosure.
His solution?
“Shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods,” the proposal reads. “The property tax system is unbalanced because assessment levels are artificially capped, so homeowners in expensive neighborhoods pay less than their fair share.”
The idea would cut the taxable share of assessed property prices citywide while increasing real tax rates in affluent regions. The end consequence is reduced tax bills for low-income communities and higher ones for wealthier districts, which the campaign refers to as “richer and whiter.”
The campaign document also emphasizes racial differences in deed theft and “tangled titles,” which are circumstances in which someone lives in a house they feel they own (usually through inheritance), but their name is not on the deed, causing legal confusion regarding ownership.
According to the paper, largely Black areas confront these difficulties at a far higher rate than White neighborhoods.
To solve this, Mamdani is proposing a $10 million “Tangled Title Fund” to assist city inhabitants in hiring attorneys and clearing legal titles, allowing them to acquire full ownership rights and advantages.
Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and his preamble explains how to “end white supremacy and racial oppression because its destruction is in the interest of all workers, including white workers.”
Overall, the housing study describes the city’s housing disparities as fundamentally racist and economically unfair.
The petition also alleges that the city’s tax lien auction mechanism is exploitative and discriminatory. When a homeowner falls behind on property taxes under the arrangement, the city often sells the debt to a private trust of Wall Street-backed investors at a discount. Rather than collecting the debt immediately.
Mamdani claims that he will abolish the system on his first day in office and establish a new tax-collecting system that gives “additional opportunities” for homeowners to enroll in payment plans, pay down their debt, and remain in their houses.
The Queens assemblyman proposes building 200,000 new publicly funded affordable dwellings and immediately freezing rents for the city’s 2.4 million stable renters.
His plans include multi-year rent controls and huge investment in public housing. Critics say that his initiatives might exacerbate existing rental market issues.
Chinese Plane Sinks in Yangtze River After Emergency Landing – Passengers Wait on Wings**
In a dramatic turn of events, a Chinese passenger plane made an emergency landing on the Yangtze River, leaving passengers stranded on its wings as they awaited rescue. The terrifying incident occurred when the aircraft encountered severe technical difficulties mid-flight, forcing the pilot to make a quick and decisive decision to land on the water.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane gliding down towards the river in what appeared to be a controlled descent. Thanks to the pilot’s skillful maneuvering, the plane landed safely on the river’s surface, preventing what could have been a catastrophic disaster. Emergency services were quick to respond, and rescue operations were underway within minutes.
Passengers, visibly shaken but largely unharmed, gathered on the wings of the aircraft as they awaited rescue. The river’s strong current posed a challenge, but rescue boats managed to reach the stranded passengers promptly, ensuring that all were evacuated safely.
The incident has raised questions about the aircraft’s maintenance and the procedures in place for such emergencies. Aviation authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the technical failure that led to the emergency landing. Meanwhile, stories of heroism and quick thinking from the crew and passengers have emerged, highlighting the resilience and cooperation that prevailed during the harrowing experience.