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Second-Half Adjustments, Pt.2

Eddie Castro
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Second-Half Adjustments, Pt.2

By Eddie Castro


In last week’s column, I discussed what Met fans could potentially expect from the team in the second half of the season and who General Manager David Stearns could be targeting come the trade deadline. It’s only right that we do one for the Yankee fans as well. As we go to press, the Yankees are four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division, and if you watched the first game between the two teams Monday night, the Yankees’ loss had to do with two contributing factors. Pitching and defense.

Those are one of the key upgrades General Manager Brian Cashman has to address if the Yankees plan to make yet another deep playoff run. The team has been decimated with injuries all year long, especially when it comes to pitching. There are many names floating around as to which team the Yankees are able to strike a deal with.


When it comes to upgrades as far as the infield goes, the Yankees are in desperate need of a third baseman. D.J. LeMahieu was simply not getting the job done and simply can’t handle third base at this point in his career. So now you’re left with Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Rivas. Peraza has been inconsistent playing third, and his bat has not shown the potential at the Major League level as it did in Triple-A.

Rivas only has a small sample playing third at the Major League level, but he has had his struggles as well. Obviously, the main name that has been linked to the Yankees is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Suarez is having a career year with Arizona and has been hotter than a fox in a forest fire lately, hitting five home runs in the last three games. However, it’s important to point out whether Suarez can put together seasons like this for years to come.

As much as the Bombers need a third baseman, Suarez would not be an upgrade defensively. Cashman should tread softly when it comes to what prospects he’s willing to give up for the 34-year-old Suarez. He will be a free agent after this season, so essentially the Yankees could be looking at just a two-month rental with Suarez. Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes and Colorado’s Ryan McMahon could also be options for the Yankees at third base.


Pitching has also hurt the Yankees all year long, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. It’s safe to say Cashman will be shopping for help when it comes to strengthening both. Luis Gil is expected to rejoin the team sometime in August, and if he looks close to what he was for the Yankees before the Injury, it would definitely be considered an upgrade. Don’t expect the Yankees to get a top-tier arm at the deadline, as the starting pitching market is not particularly strong at this point.

The team has been linked to pitchers of the likes of Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Pirates Mitch Keller, and Royals pitcher Seth Lugo. As for bullpen arms, the Yankees are set at closer with Darren Williams and Luke Weaver. However, the team is in need of a few reliable arms that can hold a lead during the game with the ability to turn the ball over to get to a Williams or Weaver in the late innings of a game.

The Yankees would love to acquire a pitcher like the Royals’ Carlos Estevez. With Tim Hill being the lone lefty pitcher in the bullpen for the Yanks, Suarez would be a huge pickup for the team. He, too, is having a career year and in Kansas City, as he currently leads the AL in saves (22). Other options could include the Guardians pitcher Cade Smith, Pirates David Bednar, Nationals Kyle Finnegan, and even free agent pitcher and former Yankee David Robertson. Whatever Cashman decides to do, he must do so in a fast manner.

The Yankees’ offense can only do so much when they actually have hot bats. The inability of Yankees pitchers to hold leads and give up early runs just puts more pressure on the offense to score runs. It should be a very interesting couple of weeks as we see if Cashman can continue to find the right pieces at the trade deadline in hopes of putting together a World Series-contending team.

Sports Notes: (Baseball) The Yankees wrap up a three-game set tonight against the team the are currently chasing in the AL East for first place the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees will then head home to begin a three-game set Tomorrow against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets begin a six-game West Coast trip tomorrow night as they play Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants.

Tune in tonight for an All-New episode of Talk Sports With Eddie Podcast. We’ll dig deeper as far as who the Yankees will potentially acquire at the trade deadline, and also, is the current roster of the Knicks enough to finally end a 25-year NBA Finals drought? All that and more tonight at 5:00PM EST on the Our Time Press YouTube channel.

Undocumented Immigrants Ineligible for Federal Services Under the Trump Administration

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Undocumented Immigrants Ineligible for Federal Services Under the Trump Administration

By Mary Alice Miller
Once upon a time the phrase “promote the general welfare” in the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution meant something. But in this second term of the Trump administration, it seems the general welfare of the ultra-wealthy takes precedent.


On July 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Banned illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer-funded services. The directive stems from a February 19 executive order that Trump signed “to ensure taxpayer resources are not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.”


“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s action changes that—it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”


On that same day, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will “end taxpayer subsidization of illegal aliens in career, technical, and adult education programs.” Postsecondary education programs such as Pell Grants and student loans “will continue to be inaccessible to illegal immigrants.”


“Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria.”


HHS has listed Head Start is among the programs classified as “federal public benefits”. Others include Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Mental Health Services, Health Center Program, Health Workforce Programs not otherwise previously covered (including grants, loans, scholarships, payments, and loan repayments), Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery Support Services, Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Grant Program, Educational and Training Voucher Program, Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, and Title X Family Planning Program.


The new policy will take effect immediately.
These directives added to the cuts to Medicaid, hospitals and SNAP under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by Trump on July 4 will place a great strain on states that must balance their budgets while providing health and education services to residents.


“I’ve been very clear: no state can fully undo the damage in this bill or backfill cuts of this scale,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m working with the Legislature to brace for the impact and protect as many New Yorkers as possible because your family is my fight. I will never turn my back on New Yorkers or the values that we share.”


According to a statement from Hochul, “The changes will eliminate insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers, destabilize health insurance programs statewide, and have an overall fiscal impact on the State and the New York health care system of almost $13 billion per year. These changes will make it harder for providers statewide to keep operating, making it more difficult for all New Yorkers to find care when they need it.”


“By passing this bill, House Republicans have rubber-stamped Donald Trump’s cruel and dangerous agenda, one that rips Medicaid away from 1.5 million New Yorkers, slashes $13 billion from our healthcare system, and raises costs for working families,” said State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

“As we continue to assess the full scope of these devastating cuts, it’s clear that the damage will leave our state deeply vulnerable. All of the progress we’ve made is under threat. No state can fully fill the hole this bill has blown open but we are committed to doing everything in our power to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities thriving.”


“This bill will devastate the lives of countless families across our state, especially our most vulnerable neighbors. By cutting vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid, the administration has indicated that they care more about the pockets of their billionaire friends than they do about the families, children and people with disabilities that rely on this funding to survive day to day,” said Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie.

“I am truly disgusted by the public servants – especially New York’s seven Republican members of Congress – who voted for this and continue to lie about the impact this will have on their communities. They should be honest about the fact that they stood by their billionaire donors at a cost of their neighbors’ access to food, healthcare and essential services.”


“The cuts in this bill represent real harm to real people,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “Cutting essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP will hurt vulnerable individuals and families, increase hunger, and destabilize our health care system.

These changes not only put over a million New Yorkers at risk of losing health coverage, but they also shift unsustainable costs to our state and local governments. This is a direct attack on the most underserved members in our communities, and it will leave our families, hospitals, and small businesses struggling.”


“The Trump administration is choosing to strip vulnerable children of the tools they need to succeed. For decades, programs like Head Start have improved the well-being of low-income families by preparing children for school by addressing their cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development.

Now, the Trump administration is cruelly targeting undocumented children by barring them from this critical lifeline–an escalation of its anti-immigrant agenda.” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.


“All children, regardless of immigration status, deserve our care–because they are children,” Awawdeh added. “When the government denies access to education, safety, and care to the next generation, it doesn’t just harm those children; it harms the health of our communities. We demand that the Trump Administration immediately reverse this inhumane policy and protect every child’s right to learn, grow, and build a better future for themselves.”

Adams and Cuomo now Independents, Facing Mamdani

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Adams and Cuomo now Independents, Facing Mamdani

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor at Large
With all the familiar swagger he could muster, this week, former governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be running for mayor as an independent.


Agreeing with fellow independent Jim Waldon’s idea to run a poll before the November election, and support the highest polling candidate against the frontrunner Zohran Mamdani supported, as they drop out of the race. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, now running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa both rejected the notion.


Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said, “While this is unorthodox, these are unusual times. We are at a dangerous moment for our city.”
“New Yorkers aren’t dumb,” Adams proclaimed. Cuomo lost by double digits—13 points. Are we supposed to trust the same polls that said he was up by 10 points?”
Posting online, Mamdani said, “While Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip over each other to win the approval of billionaires in backrooms, our campaign remains focused on working New Yorkers and their clear desire for a different kind of politics.”


Slingshot Strategies polled the candidates, with Mamdani at 35%, Cuomo at 25%, Sliwa at 14%, and Adams and Walden trailing with 11% and 1%, respectively.
A new Harris X poll has a tighter race though. With all four candidates Mamdani is at 26%, Cuomo 23%, Sliwa 22%, Adams 13%,and undecided voters at 15%.
In a race without Adams, Cuomo is at 31%, Mamdani 29%, and Sliwa at 28%.
In a race without Cuomo, Mamdani leads with 35%, Sliwa at 25%, and Adams at 19%.
If it was one on one, the poll has Mamdani 43% over Adams 36 percent, but has Cuomo at 50% versus Mamdani at 35%.


“The youth seem to like Zohran Mamdani, they are excited by his campaign, he is the image of change,” youth counselor Osato Irene told Our Time Press. “He would be the ultimate diversity hirer because with his background, he can naturally connect with lots of different people and cultures, Africans, Asians, Caribbeans, Latinos, and white people. He brings hope after the last presidential election, and what is happening nationally now.


“People haven’t felt this great about a candidate since Obama. They understand that he may not be able to do everything he says on the campaign, but they are willing to try.”
Mamdani is out here collecting support like the UFT, New York State Nurses Association, New York City Central Labor Council, District Council 37, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council AFL-CIO, 32BJ SEIU property service workers union, Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Manhattan Democratic Party chair Keith Wright, and Congressman Adriano Espaillat.


Meanwhile, almost as if consolidating his campaign path to City Hall as an inevitability, this week, the Queens Assemblyman planned his assurance meetings with business leaders and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who is demanding to know how he will treat Jewish New Yorkers.


“We supported Eric for years, during some serious issues from police and community violence, and post-COVID. We were fighting for him, while he was fighting just for Eric,” Danny Goodine, youth worker and co-founder of Men Elevating Leadership, told Our Time Press. “He is originally from Brownsville, but the community has very low tolerance for the unfulfilled promises made in the past.

He came to Tapscott Street, where some community organizations were on hand doing stop-the-violence work. He said he would offer jobs, opportunities, and work with the young people–and that never happened. Brownsville feels let down by him.


Mamdani came to the Safety Alliance, formed by Commanding Officer Terrell Anderson, who worked with the community in the 73rd Precinct. I saw handshakes and smiles, and did not hear any negativity, same thing when Curtis Sliwa came to the Brooklyn Recreation Center for our Juneteenth event. They were mostly young people, and they were glad he came to Brownsville. We are yet to see Eric during this campaign.”


However, some are suspicious of the relative newcomer to city politics.
“So, we are going to vote for someone we do not know, over a person we have known for decades?” a staunch Adams supporter asked rhetorically. Speaking to the paper under the condition of anonymity, the well-placed city worker queried, “Are we going to give it to someone who has no relationship with our community? We are so easily manipulated.

We were disappointed in Bill de Blasio, Rudy Giuliani, and Michael Bloomberg – but they got second terms. So now, we are going to David Dinkins Mayor Eric Adams, and give him only one term? We must hold ourselves to a higher level. The Democratic Party attacked the Mayor on the immigrant crisis,, whom he had to house and feed, post-pandemic.. He asked the Biden administration for money, and this is what they did.


Mamdani is brand new, and all of the things he has proposed, he can not do. But people just blindly vote Democrat.”
Roger Toussaint, former president of TWU, who led the 2005 strike which shut down the city during the MTA strike, told Our Time Press, affordability is a huge driver of general public motivation and opinion. “The policies which Zohran Mamdani advocates are essentially popular democratic policies considered normal in much of Europe,” he said.

“Regarding the question of who represents Black identity more in comparing Zohran to Adams, it is important to examine whose program and platform benefits the Black community more. Eric Adams’s policies have been shown to further big business interests. After 4 years in office, the Black community is either still where he found it, or arguably worse off by some indices, such as housing and affordability.

The numbers show folks are being priced out and are fleeing. Whereas Zohran, born in Africa and having demonstrated a history of identification and alliance with Black and working class culture, steadfastly proposes a program that would advance the interests of Black and poor people’s livability, access to opportunity, and even crime and safety.”


Marlon Rice, Bed Stuy, community activist, told Our Time Press that there is a new paradigm in operation. “Zohran’s primary win puts into perspective the failures of the establishment moderate Dems with regards to connecting with the people, ” he said. “In fact, his win proves that such a connection has been taken for granted.

The voter is aware and informed. Rose Garden campaigning – thinking that press conferences and name recognition is enough – won’t work anymore. We want our servant leaders to be found in the trenches with us. We want them to be OF us. This is the new paradigm of politics in NYC, and I believe it’s for the best.”


Controversial community activist Hawk Newsome said, “I really don’t understand how any Black people in New York City could place Eric Adams or Governor Cuomo over Zohran. He talks about free buses. I don’t understand how people think that’s a socialist policy when it worked for us during COVID.

He’s talking about stabilizing and or freezing rent. How could poor people have a problem with that? Especially when we saw three rent hikes and harmful legislation that promoted landlords exploiting us under Eric Adams.”


The co-founder of Black Lives Matter New York told Our Time Press, “If he’s talking about improving healthcare for everybody–that’s in Obama’s policy. So when you look at these churches and these Black leaders, you have to question what their alliances are, too. Either they’re loyal to money or the benefits that come with these candidates, but if they were looking out for the greater good, then Zoran is the candidate.”

ANDREW THOMPSON: Celebrating 25th Anniversary of Brooklyn’s Golden Krust Restaurant on Fulton Street

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ANDREW THOMPSON: Celebrating 25th Anniversary of Brooklyn’s Golden Krust Restaurant on Fulton Street

When Andrew Thompson opened the Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant at 918 Fulton Street in 2000, he was already one of the top experts in the country on Golden Krust’s delicious crispy Jamaican meat patties.

Not only was he a long-time sales executive for Golden Krust, a Black family-owned company. He was also an in-law to the founding Hawthorne family. “There’s a family linkage. My sister is actually married to one of the Hawthorne owners,” he told Our Time Press. “Golden Krust is more like a family thing.”

Andrew Thompson


Established in 1989 in the Bronx, Golden Krust was launched by the Hawthorne Jamaican American family. “It was a growing company, I believed the name would have given me much more visibility and that turned out to be true,” said Thompson.

So, when he bought the Patty Palace Restaurant on Fulton Street in 2000, within a couple months he transformed into a Golden Krust franchise. Today, there are 115 Golden Krust franchise restaurants.


“From day one, I believed in the family approach to the business. Also, the fact that’s it’s a Caribbean entity, especially Jamaican,” said Thompson, who was born in Jamaica. “I like the way that the family went about advertising was strategic.

Over time, a lot of people really started believing this product. They start buying it, especially the patties. Then we started making our own jerk chicken and so forth. It turned out well.”


“It’s quality. They is a wide variety of patties,” he said. “There is a consistency with the product because there are other products out there. But, because the name is Golden Krust, I believe that the whole marketing aspect of it and just the quality of the product put them over the top in terms of the best product in that category.”


Thompson was able to successfully segway from sales to restaurant ownership. However, he feels going into the restaurant field in the current economy can be challenging. “I believe in the early years it was much easier to succeed in the business,” he said. “Now, it’s become more challenging with high food costs, higher insurance and everything.

If you structure right, put in the hard work, the long hours, make that kind of sacrifice and have a good team, especially as related to customer service, be community oriented in giving back and have those kinds of attributes in combination, you know that you can succeed.”


Since he opened his Golden Krust Restaurant 25 years ago, he’s discovered that the labor force has changed. “People tend to move around a lot more nowadays. Before, people you employed would be with you for years. Nowadays it’s hard to really find those kind of people,” he said. “My thing is that if you treat people well. Give them what they deserve. They will work with you and they will grow with you.”


With his degree in political science from Lehman College, Thompson has observed the gentrification of the neighborhood. “This evolution, this change in the demographics in the community has impact a lot of people. Some positive and some negative. You have more white folks coming in and some from different parts of the country who aren’t familiar with what I sell, but discovered it from advertising and like it,” he said.


“This economic metamorphosis or evolution has good and bad with it. I’ve seen people like me get displaced as a result. Maybe because of rising rents and not owning the building.” As a small business owner, he supports his neighboring businesses, community organizations and church projects.


“It’s still a nice mix in terms of the community,” he added. “There are a lot of city agencies close by. There are a lot of Black families that have been here for generations and they still support.”


At his Golden Krust Restaurant on Fulton, customers have favorites. Top selling dishes include jerk wings, oxtail and whiting filets. However, Golden Krust patties still rank as a top delicacy. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday, he hosts and open house “Customer Appreciation Day.”
“Some people come religiously almost every day because of the product,” said Thompson. “I believe that if you have something good. If the environment is inviting, people will come.”
Andrew Thompson also owns the Golden Krust Restaurant at 1014 Nostrand Ave.

For more information on Golden Krust, visit www.goldenkrust.com

The “Just Brooklyn” Prize Winners

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The “Just Brooklyn” Prize Winners

Carolyn A. Butts
Founder and Director, African Voices Communications, Inc. and Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series
Carolyn has devoted 32 years to creating an arts institution that addresses equity in the film and writing industries. She is a filmmaker, artist, and founder of the Reel Sisters film festival and African Voices Magazine.

Reel Sisters, founded in Brooklyn 1997, is the first Academy-qualifying festival for short narrative films devoted to women of color and women filmmakers. African Voices magazine is one of the leading print literary magazines dedicated to showcasing fine art and literature. Both platforms address the social justice issue of ensuring BIPOC artists have equity and access to creating and showcasing their work to audiences in Brooklyn and beyond.

Chino Hardin
Co-Executive Director, Center for NuLeadership on Human Justice and Healing
Chino is the founder and co-ED of the Center for NuLeadership, which is deeply rooted in Bed Stuy and has worked for over 20 years to fight mass incarceration and criminalization. Chino has been an organizer since he was 20 years old and fighting mass incarceration and the building of new youth jails, and has since worked with the Center to end mass incarceration by directly resourcing their people and communities. Chino is also leading the development of a rural retreat outside of the city to curate a space that allows people to be who they are and reconnect with nature.

Ninaj Raoul
Director/Co-Founder, Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
Ninaj is the founder and director of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, which provides support to thousands of families who are seeking asylum in the U.S. after being persecuted in Haiti.

They provide culturally competent programs that include immigration-related screenings and referrals, community education, supportive services, and healing-centered community organizing. Through education, community organizing, leadership development, and collective action, HWHR members empower themselves as they struggle for social, economic, and racial justice.

Christine Yvette Lewis
Organizer, Cultural Outreach Coordinator, and Secretary of Domestic Workers United
Christine is the founder of the Domestic Workers United. She is a worker-leader and multi-disciplined performance artist who pulls from her calypsonian roots and skill as a steel-drum player, spoken word artist, author and poet to get the message out and build power for domestic workers.

She has worked for over 23 years advocating for fair labor standards and building a dynamic women’s movement bent on both ending exploitation and changing the conversation around “women’s work.” She was part of the movement to pass the historic Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in 2011, which organized a coalition of domestic workers and allies to win rights and protections for domestic workers in New York. Throughout her time organizing for DWU, she has also been a nanny caring for many children and families in Brooklyn.

Derrick Hamilton
Co-Founder, Family and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted
Derrick is the Co-Founder of Family and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, which he founded behind prison walls when he was serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. He organized with other incarcerated people as well as families and friends to bring attention to wrongful convictions.

The organization works on individual cases as well as at a systems level to change laws and policies that lead to wrongful convictions. Using his expertise and experience, Derrick now teaches law students how to spot and stop bias in the legal system, mentors young people, and supports community members returning from incarceration.

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