President Donald Trump released a flurry of executive actions over the past month that could lead to increased school taxes in New York, raise the cost of goods from construction materials to gas prices, cut federal funding for transportation and separate immigrant families. Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that New York and other states don’t necessarily need to follow all of the directives, according to constitutional and public policy scholars and attorneys. But some of the orders carry a threat of billions of dollars in reduced federal aid for not complying.“An executive order, just as a piece of paper, doesn’t do anything. It has to be implemented,” said Julie Novkov, dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the state University at Albany. “So the real question lies in how federal officials are going to implement executive orders in ways that might have an impact on what the states are doing.”Generally executive orders are directed at federal government officials and agencies, but those agencies can try to enforce Trump’s policies on states even if they conflict with state-level policies and laws, constitutional scholars and attorneys said.State officials already have said they plan to resist federal orders that clash with NYS law. If the courts rule in favor of Trump or Congress backs the order, New York risks losing federal funding dollars for not complying — funding the state would likely have to make up for in tax increases, including school taxes.Several legal challenges have already been brought by state attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, against Trump’s directives, setting up constitutional battles on several fronts.“We need to remember that it is the United States of America, that means 50 co-equal states and we have a government that is built on the consent of the governed,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of the Common Cause/NY good-government group. “We believe in the Constitution, we believe in checks and balances, and therefore we believe the states need to step up and assert their sovereignty in the federalist system and protect state residents.”***Some Long Islanders plan to participate in a nationwide "economic blackout" today, as a form of protest against what organizers view as corruption among corporations and politicians. Brianne Ledda reports in NEWSDAY that the boycott is one of several protests planned by activists in the coming weeks against large corporations, especially those that have scaled back on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.People's Union USA, a group focused on economic resistance, has taken credit for today’s protest, which was organized primarily on social media. It is a midnight to midnight Friday only boycott, with participants instructed not to make purchases online or in-person — not even food or gas today.If protesters must purchase something, they should use cash and shop small, the group’s website says. Long Island experts expressed skepticism at how effective a one-day boycott might be at bringing about policy change, especially without a clear target or goal. Members of progressive coalitions on Long Island, however, still plan to join.***First National Bank of Long Island, which has several branches on the east end, will merge with ConnectOne Bank, as announced by the two financial institutions this month. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that shareholders of the parent companies of both banks voted in separate special meetings to approve the merger, the companies announced in a press release Feb. 14. The companies expect the transaction to close in the second quarter of this year, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals.Upon completion of the transaction, the combined company will operate under the ConnectOne brand. It will have...

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