Category: New york
McRib fake-out? Sticky lawsuit claims no ‘actual pork rib meat’ in fan-favorite McDonald’s menu item
A class-action lawsuit filed last month is challenging McDonald’s over a cult-favorite menu item, the McRib.
The lawsuit, filed on December 23 in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that McDonald’s engaged in false advertising when promoting the limited-time menu item.
‘We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.’
The four plaintiffs in the complaint are Peter Le of Baldwin Park, California; Charles Lynch of Poughkeepsie, New York; Darien Baker of Chicago, Illinois; and Darrick Wilson of Washington, D.C.
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Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The complaint claims that the McRib “does not contain any meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat — indeed, none at all.” The plaintiffs claim that the fast-food chain uses lower-quality cuts of meat instead of rib meat, including, “inter alia, pork shoulder, heart, tripe or scalded stomach.”
In December 2024, when the McRib was available, the complaint shows that the McRib was one of the most expensive individual items on the menu, even exceeding the price of a Big Mac on average.
As a result, had they “known that the McRib did not contain any actual pork rib meat, [the plaintiffs] would not have purchased the McRib or would only have purchased it for a lower price.”
In a statement obtained by CBS News, McDonald’s USA said, “This lawsuit distorts the facts, and many of the claims are inaccurate. Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do — that’s why we’re committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.”
CBS also reported that McDonald’s denied the specific claim that the McRib contains pork hearts, tripe, or scalded stomach and that the company said the McRib has a base of 100% seasoned boneless pork.
The complaint emphasizes that the marketing for the McRib was “materially misleading” for consumers, potentially affecting their purchasing decisions.
The McRib was first introduced in Kansas City in 1981.
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If you’ve never heard of Drew Nieporent, it’s okay, even if you’re something of a foodie. Stick with me to the end of this review, and there’s an excellent chance you’ll want to read this delicious memoir from a pioneering figure of the New York restaurant scene. Once you’ve read the book, it’s all but certain you’ll wish you could have dinner with him.
The post I’ll Have What He’s Having appeared first on .
New York teacher compelled 7th graders to view deranged pornographic images, damning lawsuit claims
The conservative legal outfit American Center for Law and Justice filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against a public school district in New York after a teacher allegedly subjected seventh graders to pornographic materials on multiple occasions.
The complaint, filed on behalf of two parents and their minor children, alleges that “under the guise of an art lesson,” Bridgette Gates — a teacher with the Watertown City School District who “resigned as an art teacher, … was rehired as an English teacher, and remains on administrative leave,” according to Syracuse.com — intentionally exposed around 100 students to “pornographic and sexually explicit imagery over a two-week period in September 2025, without providing any advance notice to parents or offering an opportunity to opt out.”
‘It’s almost criminal.’
According to the complaint, Gates directed her students at Case Middle School to visit the gallery on the Keith Haring Foundation website using their school-issued Chromebooks during class time.
At the time of publication, the gallery contained various sexually explicit images and images of bodily mutilation, including multiple cartoons and paintings depicting men masturbating; a cartoon depicting a man with a fist-tipped penis; a cartoon depicting a man being choked by his penis; a painting mocking the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, depicting him with an erection and impaled by multiple airplanes; a painting of a character with a mouth in the place of an anus; and a painting of a penis wearing a wig.
The deviant agitprop was created by Keith Haring, a hallucinogenic drug-abusing homosexual activist who died of AIDS-related complications in 1990.
A spokesperson for the Haring Foundation told Artnet that it is aware of the conservative group’s response to the alleged incident at the school and acknowledged that some of Haring’s images may be inappropriate for some audiences.
The lawsuit alleges that Gates acknowledged that “some of the images were inappropriate” yet told her 12- and 13-year-old students to “ignore them and be mature.” Gates allegedly continued showing the images to kids despite signs of unease and resistance.
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Photo by Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
After learning of the content in late September, concerned parents contacted the teacher, school administrators, and local law enforcement.
Stephanie Boyanski, a plaintiff as well as the parent of one of the plaintiff students, told WWNY-TV in September, “It’s almost unbelievable.”
“It’s almost criminal,” said Heather Trainham, another parent.
Plaintiff parent Jessy Roberts noted that her son “knew it was inappropriate, but he wasn’t sure if he should speak out or not, because they’re of authority.”
‘Schools are not free to override that authority or to “correct” the family’s moral instruction.’
In the face of parental backlash and concerns raised at school-board meetings, Gates was reportedly placed on paid administrative leave, the assignment link was removed from Google Classroom, and the district admitted to parents that students had “come across inappropriate content.” There was, however, no apology from the district.
The ACLJ sent a letter on Nov. 21 to Larry Schmiegel, superintendent of the school district, stating that “because of the District’s lax monitoring of its curriculum and teachers, and its deliberate choice to shield the teacher from accountability, the harm done to Mses. Boyanski and Roberts’ children is irreparable and ongoing.”
The legal group demanded that Gates be issued a formal reprimand; that the school adopt a policy not to show children sexually explicit content without parental notification and to provide an opt-out if future curriculum includes such content; and to provide counseling for kids impacted by the images — and provided the district with a Dec. 1 deadline to act.
The lawsuit filed this week requests that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York declare that the school violated parents’ First and 14th Amendment rights; bar the district from repeating its error; require the district to implement age-appropriate safeguards; and award damages for the alleged constitutional violations.
The district did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
“Parents should not be forced to choose between public education and their family’s values. The Constitution draws a bright line: Parents, not the state, decide how and when their children are introduced to sexual content,” the ACLJ said in a release. “Schools are not free to override that authority or to ‘correct’ the family’s moral instruction through compulsory exposure to explicit material. When officials discard that line, the courts must restore it.”
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ICE makes pitch to NYPD cops after Mamdani promises radical overhaul
A poll conducted ahead of the New York City mayoral election found that 9% of residents would “definitely” leave the city and another 25% would “consider” relocating if Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani proved victorious on Nov. 4.
It is yet to be seen whether NYC will ultimately hemorrhage millions of residents in the coming months. It appears, however, that Mamdani’s rise to power has already prompted departures at the New York Police Department.
‘How do you work for somebody who considers you racist and anti-queer and wants to defund the police?’
Citing sources familiar with the situation and Police Pension Fund data, the New York Post indicated that a surge of police officers quit in the weeks leading up to the mayoral election, when Mamdani was a clear favorite to win.
In October, the NYPD reportedly saw a 35% spike in police of all ranks leaving the force. Whereas 181 left the force in October 2024, this year 245 officers left during the same stretch.
Detectives Endowment Association president Scott Munro told the Post, “Morale is down because everyone is concerned about the policies Mamdani wants to put in place.”
“You have a person who is supposed to be running New York City that does not believe in law enforcement,” continued Munro. “What’s coming out of everyone’s mouth is, ‘We’re in trouble.'”
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Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Mamdani, who takes office on Jan. 1, has made no secret in recent years of his antipathy toward the NYPD.
The mayor-elect suggested, for instance, in a June 28, 2020, tweet that the NYPD “is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” and stressed that it was necessary to “defund the police.”
“How do you work for somebody who considers you racist and anti-queer and wants to defund the police?” said one retired cop. “Things are hard enough already. If you’re eligible to leave, why would you want to stay in that situation?”
Mamdani now claims that he doesn’t want to defund the police; however, he has indicated that he’s not interested in hiring more police to address the NYPD’s near-record-low numbers and appears keen to replace police in certain circumstances with social workers.
On the campaign trail, Mamdani proposed the creation of an agency aimed at preventing “violence before it happens by taking a public health approach to safety.” The so-called Department of Community Safety would have a budget of over $1 billion — drawing $605 million from existing programs — and would appropriate some of the responsibilities of police, including responding to mental health calls and dealing with erratic homeless individuals.
Some individuals with actual experience dealing with the city’s mentally ill and homeless have suggested that Mamdani’s proposal is disaster waiting to happen.
A Bronx cop told the Post, “How’s that going to work when the person pulls out a gun or a knife?”
“You can’t do this without police — it’s impossible,” Richard Perkins, a behavioral nurse with 14 years’ experience told the Gothamist. “No one in their right mind would do this alone. You’re going to get hurt.”
Mamdani’s appointment of Elle Bisgaard-Church as his chief of staff signals he’s likely serious about the DCS. Bisgaard-Church, who serves as Mamdani’s campaign manager, was reportedly the proposed agency’s “chief architect.”
In addition to effectively replacing police with social workers on certain calls, Mamdani has ruffled feathers by committing to both closing Rikers Island prison and shifting the final say on police disciplinary actions from the NYPD commissioner to the anti-police Civilian Complaint Review Board.
‘It seems to me like there may be people from there looking for jobs.’
“Nobody wants to be a New York City cop,” a police union consultant told the Post. “It’s not worth the money, the stress, the danger, especially working for a mayor who wants to take the department apart.”
Blaze News has reached out for comment to the New York City Police Benevolent Association and the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD as well as to the mayor’s office.
Retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell recently told Newsmax that about 4,000 police officers of every rank are eligible for retirement in January but suggested that “it remains to be seen” whether there will ultimately be a mass exodus.
In the meantime, law enforcement organizations in other jurisdictions are extending offers to disenchanted NYPD officers.
The Houston Police Officers’ Union, for instance, released a flyer earlier his month telling New York cops “disgusted with the election of Zohran Mamdani” that the Houston Police Department is hiring and offering “competitive pay with [a] 36.5% pay raise just approved over 5 years.”
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was one of the outfits in Florida that is similarly trying to recruit from the NYPD, reported WMBB-TV.
“With the changing of what’s going on in New York City with a new mayor and probably a different way of doing things for law enforcement up there, it seems to me like there may be people from there looking for jobs,” said Sheriff A.J. Smith. “And I have jobs. And I would love to have anybody from the NYPD or anywhere up that way that may be affected by the change to apply here.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also seizing on the opportunity to recruit New York cops alienated by the incoming mayor.
ICE shared a recruitment poster to social media last month captioned, “NYPD OFFICERS: Work for a President and a Secretary who support and defend law enforcement — not defund or demonize it.”
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The Weekend Spectator Ep. 51: NYC Democrats Excitedly Choose Socialism
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