Le Journal

Indian American Councilman Shekar Krishnan, has been named Chair of New York City Council’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations, considered its most powerful committee to investigate matters that affect New Yorkers. “It’s time for our City Council to fight even harder for New Yorkers, using every tool at our disposal to hold accountable those who take advantage of New Yorkers,” said Krishnan, the first Indian-American ever elected to the City Council in NYC history. “From taking on greedy corporations and bad landlords, to ensuring that the corruption we’ve seen in city government over the last four years never happens again, the Oversight Committee will be a fighter for the new era,” he said after being named for the job by Speaker Julie Menin. “I’m honored that Speaker Menin has trusted me to lead the oversight arm of our City Council and know that with a Speaker and Mayor dedicated to a more affordable city, we will fight for and defend everyday New Yorkers in every way we can.” READ: Mamta Singh takes oath on Bhagavad Gita in Jersey City (January 19, 2026) “While chairing the Oversight Committee, we’ll launch investigations against bad landlords, predatory corporations and government agencies that aren’t doing enough to protect families,” Krishnan posted on X. “We’ll ask the hard questions to hold them accountable so they can’t cheat or screw over New Yorkers together, we’ll make New York City a better place for our families.” Krishnan said he had fought for the last four years, in the interests of immigrant neighbors, workers and families. He had taken on Uber and Lyft to protect drivers from exploitation, and fought to minimize the impact of former Mayor Eric Adams’ “anti-immigrant” agenda. Krishnan has also been named to Speaker Menin’s Leadership Committee and Budget Negotiations Team. Krishnan represents District 25, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Woodside, Queens, three of the most diverse immigrant communities in the world. Before his election to City Council, Shekar was a long-time community activist in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst and civil rights lawyer fighting housing discrimination. READ: From New York to Washington, Indian Americans score wins (November 5, 2025) He co-founded the legal services organization Communities Resist, a legal services organization highly acclaimed citywide for its community-rooted, intersectional approach to housing and racial justice in North Brooklyn and Queens. Krishnan began his legal career with the landmark Broadway Triangle fair housing struggle against the City of New York, a successful case challenging a rezoning under the Fair Housing Act. He also co-founded Friends of Diversity Plaza. Located on the border of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, Diversity Plaza has become a national symbol of how public space can bring people together. Son of immigrants from South India, Krishnan is also a father of two small children, and husband to Zoe, an immigration public defender and reproductive justice advocate. The post Shekar Krishnan to chair key New York City Council committee appeared first on The American Bazaar.

By Keerthi Ramesh Five people were formally charged this week in federal court in connection with an alleged sex trafficking and drug distribution network that authorities say operated out of a Dumfries motel. The defendants appeared Friday in Prince William County Circuit Court, following a coordinated early-morning law enforcement raid on Jan. 15 at the Red-Carpet Inn, a budget motel on Dumfries Rd., Manassas, VA. Local police and FBI agents entered the property with guns drawn shortly before 6 a.m., culminating a multi-year investigation into illegal activity at the site, authorities said. According to prosecutors, the operation cantered on the third floor of the motel, where occupants engaged in drug sales and prostitution. Court filings allege undercover officers conducted a series of controlled buys and prostitution encounters at the motel between May and December 2025. 11 of 15 controlled narcotics purchases involved fentanyl, while the remainder involved cocaine, officials said. The five charged are Kosha Sharma, 52, and Tarun Sharma, 55, a married couple who leased and operated the motel through their business, along with Margo Waldon Pierce, Joshua Roderick and Rashard Perrish Smith. All face federal charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. READ: Shocking murder of Indian American motel manager in Dallas: Beheaded after dispute over washing machine(September 11, 2025) In a statement, Lindsey Halligan, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the alleged crimes “devastate communities by exploiting vulnerable individuals and fuelling violence and addiction.” She added that her office remains committed to dismantling such criminal enterprises. Officials did not immediately detail whether the alleged prostitution activities involved coercion, but the combination of drug distribution and the operation of a prostitution ring drew scrutiny from both local and federal authorities. The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Prince William County Police Department, working with the Virginia State Police, led the investigative efforts. Surveillance footage obtained by local news outlets captured agents staging the early-morning raid, surrounding the motel and taking multiple people into custody without incident. Federal prosecutors say the arrests will send a clear message about law enforcement’s focus on combating violent and organized crime in Northern Virginia. Defense attorneys for the accused did not immediately return calls seeking comment Friday, and it was unclear whether any of the defendants have entered pleas. READ: Indian American physician pleads guilty to federal drug crimes(July 15, 2025) A federal judge will oversee pretrial proceedings, and prosecutors are expected to present further evidence and testimony at upcoming hearings. Authorities encouraged anyone with information about related criminal activity to contact the FBI or Prince William County authorities as the investigation continues. The post Indian American couple charged in Dumfries motel sex trafficking, drug case appeared first on The American Bazaar.

What MLK knew about the game Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership through the lens of game theory, argues that his commitment to disciplined nonviolence was not only moral, but strategic—a deliberate attempt to move society out of a bad equilibrium such as the famous game theory called “The Prisoner’s Dilemma,” from Martin Luther King’s “Game Theory,” in the January edition of The Wall Street Journal. The Prisoner’s Dilemma theory has endured for more than seven decades not because it is clever, but because it is still relevant to many situations we confront in our daily lives. At its most basic level, the problem captures a paradox that plays out repeatedly in our lives — where rational individuals and institutions, acting independently and in good faith, can produce outcomes that are predictably worse for everyone involved. Here we look at how the Prisoner’s Dilemma applies to the affordability crisis for everything from homes, to health to food. King understood what The Prisoner’s Dilemma shows that when people act alone, everyone sticks with self-interest and the status quo continues; when expectations change, cooperation becomes possible. By consistently showing restraint and trust, he shifted how others weighed risk and reward. The lesson is clear today. In healthcare, food, housing and many other areas we are not stuck because cooperation is impossible, but because no one has yet changed the system to make working together safe. Whether it’s healthcare, housing or food, millions of people are struggling to survive because life has become simply too expensive. In this game, the prisoners are not abstract actors but all of us—consumers, patients, workers, employers, insurers, providers, developers, lenders, and policymakers each making rational, self-protective decisions within our own silo, yet collectively sustaining a system that makes basic necessities increasingly unaffordable. The Prisoner’s Dilemma is prison is different from theory The formal structure of this game theory was developed in 1950 by mathematicians Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher at the RAND Corporation as part of early work in game theory, and it was later framed and named by philosopher and mathematician Albert W. Tucker. In its original version, two prisoners are interrogated separately and offered incentives to betray one another. Each person faces a choice of defection that minimizes their own punishment if the other defects, yet when both choose it, the result is worse for each than if they had cooperated. Game theorists quickly understood that the model was never really about crime. It was about coordination failure in situations where cooperation would lead to better outcomes. One is left to wonder whether the architects of The Prisoner’s Dilemma had ever set foot inside an actual prison. Because the central choice the model hinges on—cooperate or “snitch”—rarely exists in the way the theory imagines. Inside prison, there is an unwritten code: cooperation through silence is expected, and betrayal carries consequences that extend far beyond the immediate transaction. The mantra is simple “stay in your lane” and snitches get stitches. The dilemma, in prison, is not whether to cooperate, but whether one is willing to live with the long-term social cost of defection. Those that have cooperated in criminal cases never really knew the consequences of breaking the code until it was too late. Are we all captive in our cells? The real insight of the theory, then, is not about just prisoners, but about how people and institutions behave when they operate in vacuums—isolated from one another, stripped of shared context, and guided by incentives that reward self-protection over collective benefit. This distinction matters because it reveals a flaw in how we often apply economic and policy models. In some ways, we all live in our own cells. Game theory assumes people make rational choices in isolation. In real life, people make decisions inside social…

By Keerthi Ramesh European leaders are preparing a strong response after President Donald Trump disclosed new tariff threats against several European countries tied to his controversial efforts to gain control of Greenland. Trump announced last weekend that starting from Feb. 1 the United States would impose 10% tariffs on goods from eight European nations, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherland and Finland, until he finalizes a deal to buy Greenland or otherwise resolves a dispute over the island’s future. If no agreement is reached by June 1, he said the duties could rise to 25% The move stems from Trump’s assertion that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, is strategically vital to U.S. security. Drawing criticism at home and abroad, Trump wrote on social media that other global powers such as China and Russia “want Greenland,” and only the United States can secure it effectively. European capitals reacted with alarm. Leaders from the eight targeted nations issued a joint statement on Sunday saying the planned tariffs would undermine translantic ties and risk a dangerous downward spiral for economic and diplomatic cooperation. Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, used forceful language to describe the situation, declaring that “Europe will not be blackmailed” in response to the U.S. pressure. Her remarks were echoed by senior officials in Germany and Sweden, emphasizing a shared stance against what they describe as coercive tactics. READ: US ‘disrespectful’ stance on Greenland alarms NATO allies (January 7, 2026) Trump’s tariff plans also featured in the U.S. political discussions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, appearing on the television program “Meet the Press,” suggested the president sees strength in his approach, asserting that Europeans “project weakness” while the United States signals resolve. In Greenland and Denmark, public protests broke out over the tariff threat and the broader push to influence Greenland’s governance. Thousands marched in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, chanting the island’s native name, “Kalaallit Nunaat,” and demonstrating against outside pressure on their homeland. READ: Greenland and Denmark to meet JD Vance to discuss Trump takeover threats (January 13, 2026) European Union officials have signaled that discussions are underway in Brussels about possible retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, with figures mentioned at around $107 billion in goods. Emergency meetings among EU members are planned to assess options, balancing the need to defend economic interests with a desire to avoid an all-out trade war. For now, both sides face heightened uncertainty in relations between long-standing allies. European leaders continue to insist diplomacy should guide the path forward, while the Trump administration appears prepared to use tariffs as leverage in its broader strategic aims. The post Europe pushes back as Trump threatens new tariffs over Greenland appeared first on The American Bazaar.