cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/50711

(TikTok screencap)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47052375

To understand how a New York City private jet tax could actually be implemented, you need to understand who controls the airports.

The Port Authority is a bi-state agency jointly controlled by the governors of New York and New Jersey with an annual operating budget of $10.1 billion and a proposed $45 billion capital plan from 2026 – 2035. It operates JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, and Teterboro — all rated high tax-risk under current political conditions. Teterboro Airport, which does not allow scheduled airline flights and only services private flights, handles approximately 177,000 arrivals and departures annually.

Westchester County Airport (HPN) is not a Port Authority facility. It is owned and operated by Westchester County — outside Mamdani’s direct political sphere and outside the joint gubernatorial control structure of the Port Authority. This makes it the most insulated major reliever airport in the New York metro under current political conditions.

Republic Airport (FRG) on Long Island is New York State property — its vulnerability depends on whether Governor Hochul aligns with Mamdani’s agenda, which remains an open question.

Key policy context: The Port Authority has the authority to set fees, surcharges, and access terms at its facilities without requiring standard legislative processes in many scenarios. The question isn’t just whether a tax gets proposed — it’s whether the mechanism to implement it already exists. In many cases, it does.

Edit to add this

https://youtube.com/shorts/qbNrcjo4PGs

Mozilla, the non-profit tech giant behind the Firefox browser and has warned regulators that age-restricting VPNs "would undermine the privacy and security of all users".

In a formal submission to the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Mozilla pushed back against a recent consultation that considers age-gating the best VPN services to stop minors from bypassing age checks mandated by the Online Safety Act.

The complaint says DoorDash drivers began waiting to batch multiple orders together after gaining virtual visibility into kitchen systems, allowing them to see when pizzas would come out of the oven.

Instead of immediately leaving with a completed order, the suit claims drivers waited "up to fifteen (15) minutes" for additional deliveries, increasing the time between when a pizza is removed from the oven rack and when it leaves the building to be delivered. That delay slowed deliveries, disappointed customers, and caused a sharp drop in sales, the suit says.

The lawsuit also alleges Dashers could see tip amounts and whether orders were cash payments, making some drivers less likely to accept certain deliveries.

Well, I would say the test results were conclusive, if nothing else.

Plex has announced a massive price increase on the service's Lifetime Plex Pass. On July 1, the lifetime subscription option will go from $249.99 to $749.99, an increase of 200%. The price hike will only apply to new subscribers, with no changes to monthly or annual subscription pricing.