De Blasio’s ‘special assistants’ costing taxpayers millions – New York Post

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s spending on his “special assistants” ballooned by $4.6 million over the past fiscal year as he fattened their ranks by nearly 13 percent and doled out raises to those already on staff, The Post has learned.

The bloated taxpayer-funded roster of de Blasio’s vaguely titled aides — who are accountable only to Hizzoner and constitute about 40 percent of his already large staff — grew by another 34 to 298, payroll records show.

The move helped swell their collective salaries to $23.3 million during the year that ended June 30, up nearly 25 percent from fiscal 2016, according to payroll records.

Those paid more than $100,000 each jumped to 84, up about 30 percent, while four pocketed more than $200,000 each.

De Blasio also shifted four special assistants to the Department of Veterans Services, offloading nearly $540,000 in spending from the Mayor’s Office.

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Trump to outline new Afghanistan strategy – USA TODAY

President Trump will outline a new Afghanistan strategy Monday that will clear the path to deploy several thousand more U.S. troops to help local forces in the conflict that has stretched on for nearly 16 years.

In a prime-time speech, Trump is also expected demand more assistance from NATO allies and the Afghanistan government itself.

Trump will address the nation at 9 p.m. ET from Fort Myer, Va., a military base just a few miles from the White House. In front of a group of soldiers, Trump will “provide an update on the path forward for America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia,” the White House said in a statement.

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