Mayor Zohran Mamdani's touchy team reportedly scrapped a CBS News interview over a critical social media post by its controversial new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

The socialist mayor had been in talks to appear on "CBS News Sunday Morning" with Robert Costa, albeit reluctantly given his campaign's doom-and-gloom coverage from Weiss' previous venture The Press, Vanity Fair reported.

But those fell apart Feb. 28 after Weiss reacted with a fire emoji in a X post featuring Iranian activist Masih Alinejad railing against him.

Weiss' move was the "nail in the coffin" against him appearing on the network, insiders reportedly told Vanity Fair.

“Bari and her people have a clear axe to grind for him,” one former CBS producer said, according to the Vanity Fair report.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is floating an extreme new proposal to change the state's estate tax -- a move that would hurt middle-class New Yorkers and their loved ones.

The socialist mayor wants to drastically slash the estate tax exemption threshold from the $7 million limit to just $750,000, a drop of more than 90%, according to a memo City Hall recently circulated to Albany lawmakers.

The "Tax Revenue Raising Proposals" document is a wish list containing dozens of different tax hikes that could be employed to bail the Big Apple out, according to Bloomberg.

In addition to dropping the estate tax exemption -- to what would be the lowest in the US -- Mamdani is also pitching increasing the top rate to a whopping 50%, from the current 16%, in what he said would raise $4 billion combined, the outlet reported.

City Hall has been seeking more help from the state Legislature to help cover what it says is a $5.4 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Other "revenue raiser proposals" on the city's memo included:

• A property tax surcharge of 1% for homes valued at $5 million-plus, to raise $725 million.
• A 1% tax on home sales over $1 million, to raise $161 million.
• A "City Mansion Tax" and supplemental tax on residential properties valued at $5 million or more, to raise $321 million.
• Adding a state-level surcharge on capital gains income over $500,000 per year, to raise $12 billion.
• Lift the exemption of sales tax for sales of precious metal bullion and coins over $1,000, to raise roughly $600 million statewide and $300 million in the city.

The proposal was part of a presentation made to state lawmakers last week as they started to hash out New York's budget with Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.

The document also listed Mamdani's "priorities," which he's been vocal about, of hiking personal income taxes by 2% for New Yorkers making $1 million or more, which he estimated would raise some $3 billion.

The other priorities on the memo included:

• Hike the city corporate tax to 10.8% from 9% for financial sector firms, and from 8.85% to 10.62% for non-finance sectors, to raise an estimated $1.5 billion.
• Increase the NYC Unincorporated Business Tax to 4.4%, from 4% for those with business income over $5 million, to raise around $250 million.

Mamdani has been putting pressure on Hochul and lawmakers to ship more than $5 billion to New York City to help bail out the city from a purported budget gap.

If not, the mayor has threatened to raise city property taxes by nearly 10%.

The slate of news taxes or changes has leaked out since last week. The Post first reported some of the details of the memo. New York Focus later obtained more of the proposal. Bloomberg posted the full document on Friday.

Erin go Zoh.

Zohran Mamdani, the Big Apple's first socialist mayor, rhapsodized the Irish's history of pushing the cause of trade unions on Friday.

The red mayor drew plenty of Emerald Isle cheers during an appearance at the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon

“The cause of labor is the cause of Ireland, and the cause of Ireland is the cause of labor," he said, quoting James Connolly -- an Irish republican socialist who's the coalition's namesake.

“And when I think about Irish Americans and the history of this city, it is a realization that the two are one and the same. Because you cannot tell the story of this city without the story of Irish Americans. You cannot tell the story of trade unionism in this city without the story of Irish Americans.”

The glowing adulation from Mamdani was returned by the crowd in Bobby Van's restaurant -- a Who's Who of labor leaders, such as Transport Workers Union president John Samuelson, a strong backer of the mayor.

EMS union reps griped their wages are a 'stain on the honor' of their work, noting they make less than some McDonald's employees in testimony submitted to the New York City Council FDNY committee Friday.

Oren Barzilay, President of the EMS Local 2507 union, which represents 4,500 EMTs, noted that his workers make less than other uniformed officers, and they've been without a contract for over four years.

"Paramedics and EMTs simply can’t afford to live in NYC on their current salary. McDonald’s employees make more in some cases. Some of our personnel have been forced to reside in homeless shelters," Barzilay said in his written testimony.

"It is a stain on the honor of NYC to treat our medical emergency heroes this way," he added.

As of 2026, an EMT in their first year out of the EMS Academy starts at a salary of $39,386 that increases after five years to $59,000. By comparison, firefighters in the FDNY start out at $45,196 with earning potential of over $110,000 after five years on the job.

NYPD officers are the city's highest earners, starting at over $60,000 with the ability to make over $126,000 after five years.

Union reps argued that EMS workers handle 80% of FDNY's 911 calls, but receive only 16% of the agency's total budget. Recent turnover projections show 1,500 or 37% of EMS first responders quitting in 2026 which could grow to upwards of 70% within 3-5 years.

Vincent Variale, president of Uniformed EMS Offficers Union Local 3621 representing 600 workers echoed the Barzilay's concern.

"The entire system is pushed to the edge, and NYC has a literal life-and-death crisis as a result." 

"In a system where minutes matter – we have a system that is completely out of balance and teetering on the brink of collapse," he said.

A spokesperson for the unions told The Post that they are in touch with City Hall, and look forward to having productive conversations in the near future.

Council Member and FDNY committee chair Joann Ariola ripped the New York City Fire Department for allowing fire and EMS houses to fall into disrepair--in some cases, for 25 years.

Ariola pressed FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore and the agency's Chief Savings Officer, Lizette Christoff, about why some firehouses in her district hadn't seen their necessary repairs in years, despite having the funding.

“We all get very frustrated because the money that we do appropriate, taxpayer dollars…oftentimes get clogged up in procurement,” Ariola said.

"We’re still not seeing generators that were paid for in previous years,” she added.

Bonsignore contested that many of the city's firehouses are over 100 years old--and that the department is has to work in order of urgency, and that relocating firehouses to make the repairs can put neighborhoods at risk.

“We have to relocate the resource that is housed in that area, and we can’t move too many of them because that ends up leaving areas of our city that don’t have response coverage.” 

The Department also admitted to having "significant" funding to make the repairs--noting that half of their capital budget is allocated towards the delayed fixes.

“The reason why they’re allowed to get away with 25 years, 6 years, 10 years of firehouses being in shambles is that firefighters and EMS workers go out every day, no matter what the conditions are, and they do their job without any squeaking,” Ariola railed.

“They still go out and do their job, but does that make it right? They deserve the best. They deserve a house that's not falling on them.” 

The DSA doth protest too much.

A revived push to stop the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group from policing protests could spark a war between Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s progressive City Council allies and moderate lawmakers such as Speaker Julie Menin, The Post has learned.

Firebrand lefty Councilman Chi Ossé (D-Brooklyn) plans to reintroduce a bill – which he quietly pulled after last week’s failed Gracie Mansion terror attack – flatly prohibiting SRG units from policing protests, parade and other free speech events, sources said.

The bill would be a win for Ossé’s fellow progressives and his fellow Democratic Socialists of America member Mamdani – who has publicly called for the full disbanding of the specialized group – but the council’s moderates aren’t on board, insiders said.

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani took a shot at Sen.Tommy Tuberville (R-Ark) after the conservative lawmaker reposted a photo of the mayor hosting an Iftar dinner and the 9/11 attacks.

The post from Tuberville came with the caption, "The enemy is inside the gates."

Hizzoner didn't address the anti-Muslim comment, but hit back online.

"Let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers," he said in response.

ALBANY – The Metropolitan Transit Authority bleeds $50 million a year settling and paying out claims stemming from frivolous lawsuits, Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber claimed Friday.

The “billboard lawyer industry” is to blame for the shocking number of paid-out lawsuit claims, Lieber said, flanking Hochul during a press conference in Manhattan as she pushed for reforms to state insurance laws meant to lower that number.

“We are, after all, the deep pocket,” Lieber said. “If they can get a jury to say the MTA was 1% responsible, we're responsible for the entire damages. And frequently the other guys don't even have insurance."

Hochul agreed, saying that large number of settled lawsuits add up.

“It’s also just the accumulation of smaller payouts. They all add up as well,” Hochul said.

Lieber pointed to a case the MTA was dragged into court over last year where an uninsured driver struck a bus, hurting passengers.

"A guy blew through a stop sign, hit the MTA bus, bounced off, hit some passengers, and somehow or another, his lawyer convinced the jury that the MTA was 5% responsible and then had to pay,” Lieber claimed.

Hochul’s proposed changes would limit who can collect damages in the event of a payout.

A rep for the New York Trial Lawyers Association, which is fighting Hochul’s proposal, blamed the MTA, alleging safety issues, and insurance companies for driving up costs.

“The simplest way for the MTA to save money is to invest in safety and proper training," the group's president, Andrew Finkelstein, told The Post in a statement.

"New Yorkers should ask: who does this make it more affordable for? The answer is insurers who delay, deny, and defend," he said.

"Rather than invest in making New York safer, they are trying to take away New Yorkers’ constitutional rights."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of Transportation are implementing a pothole blitz across the five boroughs, they announced in a press release Friday.

Upwards of 80 NYC DOT crews will be deployed across the city’s streets and highways to fill thousands of potholes.

Spring is known as pothole season in the Big Apple due to high-moisture and freezing to thawing conditions.

“New Yorkers have braved a rough winter, and we can see and feel the resulting potholes from wear-and-tear on our roads,” said DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn.

The blitz will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday, and drivers are being warned to expect some travel delays during operations.

“In a single day, they’ll fill thousands of potholes that pop up every year as spring arrives and our city streets begin to thaw,” Mamdani said. 

New Yorkers are also encouraged to call 311 as they see potholes come up this Spring.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, created artwork for an essay book compiled by an anti-Israel activist who has described Jewish people as “vampires,” “demons” and “ghouls” — and celebrated the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.  

Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist and first lady of New York City, drew the lead graphic for “A Trail of Soap,” an essay published by Susan Abulhawa in the Slow Factory’s latest issue of Everything Is Political magazine, the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday. 

Abulhawa is a staunch critic of Israel and has been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League for her “inflammatory rhetoric” toward the Jewish state. 

In an op-ed published days after Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel, Abulhawa called the massacre “a spectacular moment that shocked the world” and insinuated that Israel allowed the attack to happen. 

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has inked a new nearly $1.9 billion contract with the city’s hotel industry to provide emergency shelter to homeless families over the next three years, The Post has learned.

The massive $1.86 billion deal comes despite the Big Apple no longer being heavily burdened by the migrant crisis that led then-Mayor Eric Adams to turn scores of hotels into temporary shelters to house the thousands of new arrivals.

Mamdani also recently announced the shutdown of Manhattan’s largest men’s shelter — the city-owned 250-resident Bellevue facility on 30th Street.

But even with the ebbing influx of migrants, the city is still grappling to shelter more than 100,000 people a night — the highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to the advocacy group Homes for the Homeless.

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A second credit rating agency has raised serious concerns over the Big Apple's massive budget plan under Mayor Zohran Mamdani that calls for draining the city's savings accounts.

S&P Global Rating -- one of the "Big Three" firms in the credit rating sector -- warned Monday that it may downgrade the city's financial health if Mamdani balances his $127 billion proposed budget by pulling from the city's reserves meant for dire circumstances.

"We believe the city has previously demonstrated resilience to weather fiscal challenges without deterioration of its credit quality," the agency wrote in its report, first reported by Politico Friday.

"That said, downside risk to our rating on New York City (GO debt: AA/Stable) could materialize if we believe two conditions persist: the city relies on nonrecurring budget solutions that fail to reduce the structural mismatch between recurring revenue and expenditures; and the city’s reserves erode to a point where its capacity to absorb an economic downturn or a federal funding shock is materially diminished."

The news comes after another credit rating agency, Moody's, warning on Wednesday that it was eyeing downgrading the city's credit rating to negative from stable.

A downgraded bond rating would send borrowing costs spiking, creating a serious financial issue for the city.

S&P, which like Moody's, still maintained the city's AA rating, also said it may not be smart for the city to rely on Albany for a bailout, which Mamdani has repeatedly said is something that's in the works.

The state has its own future budgetary issues as cuts federal funding loom, according to the agency.

"Therefore, a potential constraint for the city is the state's fiscal capacity and appetite to provide additional one-time or long-term resource commitments approving new revenue measures that replace federal dollars."

At odds is Mamdani's proposal to draw $2.6 billion from savings and trusts, leaving the city vulnerable to any sort of economic slowing or downturn.

The young socialist mayor proposed his massive $127 billion budget last month, with no savings or cost cutting spelled out, while calling for property taxes to be hiked by nearly 10%.

He's used the budget to put pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase taxes on the highest earners and corporations. The governor has repeatedly refused to raise taxes as she seeks re-election in November.

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