NYC boasts taxpayer-funded card program for illegal immigrants is helping lead nation through ‘crisis’
New York City officials are boasting that a taxpayer-funded program that hands out $350 per week to migrant families is helping to set an example for the rest of the nation on how to manage the “national humanitarian crisis” created by mass illegal immigration. Although the program has drawn opposition from critics who question giving illegal immigrants no-strings handouts from the city’s strapped coffers, officials seem to think the program is a major success. “New York City is leading the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, having cared for more than 203,900 migrants since the spring of 2022 and helping more than 65 percent move out of our care and take the next steps in their journeys,” a city hall spokesperson told Fox News Digital. New York City officials began giving out prepaid debit cards to migrant families residing in the Big Apple earlier this year. The prepaid cards – the first of which were distributed in March as part of the city’s Immediate Response Cards (IRC) program – are meant to be used only to purchase essential items like food. MIGRANT ARRESTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT RAPE OF 13-YEAR-OLD IN NEW YORK PARK Through the program, the city hall spokesperson noted that New York City has “helped 900 migrant families – including over 1,300 children – purchase their own food and baby supplies at stores that sell groceries and convenience items.” “This has helped circulate approximately $600,000 back into the New York City economy,” the spokesperson added. But it is unclear exactly how much the city has spent on the program to date. The effort is part of what was reported earlier this year to be a $53 million pilot program to hand out prepaid credit cards to migrant families housed in hotels despite public outcry. Access to the program, according to the mayor’s office, is limited to those in a separate program that provides four-week hotel stays to families with children, and families expecting children. Allowances for illegal immigrants residing in the city are distributed on a weekly basis until the end of their four-week hotel stays, with families of four with two children under the age of five receiving up to nearly $350 each week. The IRC program, the city said, is in a subsection of the locations where the city is providing shelter and care to migrants, representing less than one percent of the total population of migrants currently under the city’s care. LOCAL OFFICIALS ATTACK NEW YORK CITY PLAN TO HOUSE MIGRANTS IN STATEN ISLAND CHURCH: ‘HURTING THIS COMMUNITY’ At the start of the program, the cards were reportedly being distributed at the city’s arrival center, the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, to the migrant families who are staying at hotels that are being used as emergency shelters. Adams, a Democrat, vehemently defended the program and the “misinformation” surrounding it earlier this year. Appearing before a state legislative budget hearing in Albany in February, Adams said, “We’re not giving people American Express cards.” “We found that the food delivery service that we set up during the emergency – we could find a better way to do it in our belief that we want to cut 20% of the migrant costs. So we have a pilot project with 500 people that we are giving them food cards, so instead of a debit card, instead of having to deliver food, and have people eat food — we were seeing wasting food — they’re now able to get their own food, that is going to be spent $12 a day,” he said at the time. New York City’s government previously projected that it will spend at least $10.6 billion on migrants by the summer of 2025. New York state has already vowed to contribute about $2 billion in the current budget cycle to the migrant crisis, but Adams told lawmakers that the state’s pledge would only cover one-third of the city’s migrant costs. Roughly 180,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since 2022, overwhelming city resources as officials have struggled to find housing for them. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bused asylum-seekers to New York and other cities in an effort to assist them in traveling to sanctuary jurisdictions and also highlight the crisis that border communities face on a daily basis.
Trump fires up major faith gathering just days ahead of first clash with Biden
Former President Trump fired up a major gathering of conservative and faith voters on Saturday, just days ahead of what’s expected to be an epic head-to-head battle with President Biden in the first presidential debate of 2024. A diverse crowd of more than a thousand attendees of the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference piled into the Washington Hilton’s ballroom to hear the former president, who spared no time in mentioning the pending clash. “Nobody’s going to be watching the debate on Thursday night, right?” Trump joked, prompting laughs from the crowd. INSIDERS REVEAL HOW BIDEN, TRUMP ARE PREPPING FOR THE 1ST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE He spent part of his opening remarks calling for Christians to get out and vote in November. “Christians don’t vote that much. You don’t have to vote in four years, but you have to vote this time,” he joked. After his remarks, which are expected to last about an hour and 15 minutes, the president will travel to Philadelphia for a rally this evening. The Road to Majority Conference is hosted annually by F&F, a major Christian grassroots organization with more than 3 million members across the U.S. The conference is known as the largest public policy gathering of conservative Christian activists in the U.S., and will focus on policy issues that matter most to voters of faith ahead of the 2024 election. KEY DEM SENATE CANDIDATE WHO ACCUSED OPPONENT OF ELECTION DENIALISM HAS HISTORY OF QUESTIONING RESULTS Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke just ahead of Trump, issuing a call to action to get the former president back into the White House, as well as strengthened Republican majorities in Congress. The two appeared together for the first time ever earlier this month — not long after a poll showed Trump and Biden tied in the blue-leaning state — fanning the rumors already circulating that Youngkin is being considered as a potential vice presidential running mate. Other prominent speakers at the conference were South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty. BIDEN MAKES MAJOR GAINS WITH CRUCIAL VOTING GROUP AHEAD OF 1ST DEBATE WITH TRUMP: POLL Noem, Carson and Gabbard have also all been mentioned as potential running mates for Trump. The event marks the latest instance where a number of those reportedly in the running for the role could be competing on stage for Trump’s approval ahead of the Republican National Convention this summer. Trump will meet Biden on an Atlanta stage this Thursday in a debate hosted by CNN, the first meeting between the two rivals since their final debate ahead of the 2020 presidential election. The two are only expected to meet on the debate stage one other time ahead of the November general election, when ABC News hosts its debate in September. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was not target of FBI raid on home, lawyer says
The California mayor whose home was raided by the FBI this week is not the target of the relevant investigation, her lawyer claims. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is denying any wrongdoing that led to the Thursday raid of multiple properties, including the home and business of a campaign donor. “Mayor Thao is ready, willing and able to cooperate fully with federal investigators. She has nothing to hide,” said attorney Tony Brass, who is representing Thao. FBI RAIDS HOME CONNECTED TO OAKLAND MAYOR SHENG THAO DAY AFTER RECALL EFFORT QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT “It’s unfortunate that she has had to endure the bad optics of having this search warrant executed on her home,” Brass continued in the press statement. “She would have cooperated with this investigation without the need for this search.” No arrests were made at any of the properties and the FBI has not charged Thao with any crime. “[Thao] will continue to do the work Oakland expects from their mayor and provide the federal government with whatever information they are seeking. We have no information that she is or will be the target of this or any investigation,” Brass concluded. OAKLAND MAYOR TO FACE LANDMARK RECALL ELECTION AFTER ORGANIZERS DEMAND HER OUSTER Alongside Thao’s residence, FBI agents raided 4320 View Crest Court, a property connected to Andy Duong, who is part owner of California Waste Solutions, FOX 40 reported. The recycling company was previously investigated over campaign contributions to Thao, per reporting from The Oaklandside. The FBI also reportedly carried out a raid at 1211 Embarcadero Way in Oakland, which is home to California Waste Solutions and the headquarters of the Vietnamese American Business Association (VABA). The organization is run by the Duong family and led a U.S. business delegation to Vietnam last year. Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST) submitted its petition two weeks ago, and on Wednesday, officials in Alameda County confirmed they had met the threshold of 25,000 voter signatures. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Biden DHS docs suggested Trump supporters, military and religious people are likely violent terror threats
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advisory board suggested that supporters of former President Donald Trump – as well as those who served in the military or are religious – have a greater possibility of posing domestic terrorism risks, according to internal files obtained by America First Legal (AFL). Named the “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group,” the now-disbanded board was created in September 2023 to provide DHS with “expert” analysis on subjects like terrorism and the trafficking of certain controlled substances like fentanyl. The panel, according to the conservative legal nonprofit’s findings, included former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan, both of whom signed onto an October 2020 letter falsely dismissing Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop as Russian disinformation. The documents revealed that the board suggested “supporters of the former president” accounted for “most of the Domestic Terrorism threat” in the U.S. BIDEN’S CONTROVERSIAL DHS ‘EXPERTS’ PANEL SHUTTERED AFTER BEING SLAPPED WITH LAWSUIT “There is a political backdrop to all of this. It seems that most of the Domestic Terrorism threat now comes from supporters of the former president. It is not like you want a political advantage, but people have attacked the government and its institutions for the last six years,” meeting notes from the board stated. Citing unnamed “researchers,” the board also claimed that specific traits – like those who served “in the military” or are “religious” – are “indicators of extremists and terrorism” that the U.S. should be “more worried” about. “If you ask researchers to dive into indicators of extremists and terrorism, they might indicate being in the military or religious,” the board said. “This being identified as an indicator suggests we should be more worried about those. We need the space to talk about it honestly.” The files were released Friday as the second installment of AFL’s “#DeepStateDiaries,” which was described by the organization as a “multi-part series of releases including newly obtained documents.” “These shocking records reveal apparent unabashed partisanship on this Deep State committee,” AFL Executive Director Gene Hamilton told Fox News Digital. “All efforts to weaponize the federal government against political opponents of the ruling regime should be stopped. We look forward to exposing more records in the coming days.” Echoing Hamilton in a statement shared on social media, AFL President Stephen Miller said the documents “reveal a shocking Biden plan to mobilize government power against Trump supporters ahead of the election.” On Thursday, AFL released documents pertaining to how the board discussed efforts to “get into local communities in a non-threatening way.” RISK OF TERROR ATTACK ON US SOIL RISES TO ALARMINGLY HIGH LEVEL, EXPERTS WARN Certain efforts outlined in the files released Thursday showed how the board hoped to enhance its ability to collect information about Americans. The group of “experts” said the “See Something, Say Something” campaign following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City fell short because “Americans have an ambivalent feeling of telling on each other.” “We see people who go off the rails. We need people to say something. We need a nationwide campaign to push it to the locals,” the meeting notes stated. “To get a mother or teacher to come forward, it needs to be a public health catcher’s mitt,” one board member noted. Following its successful lawsuit on behalf of former Acting Director of the United States National Intelligence Ric Grenell, AFL announced last month that the Biden administration had decided to “disband” the group. The Homeland Intelligence Experts Group was announced by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last year. The group was a collection of figures from the private sector to provide perspectives on the government’s intelligence and national security efforts. “The security of the American people depends on our capacity to collect, generate, and disseminate actionable intelligence to our federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, campus, and private sector partners,” Mayorkas said in a statement at the time. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
NTA chief Subodh Kumar Singh sacked amid NEET, UGC NET paper leak row, govt appoints…
NTA chief Subodh Kumar Singh was removed from his post on Saturday, amid allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams
Meerut to Ghaziabad in 30 minutes: Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services on this route to start from…
The new section is all set to reduce the travel time from Sahibabad to Meerut South to around 30 minutes
US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea amid tensions with North Korea
USS Theodore Roosevelt to participate in joint military exercises between the United States, South Korea and Japan. A nuclear-powered United States aircraft carrier has arrived in South Korea for three-nation exercises aimed at stepping up military training, days after North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defence pact. “The US Navy’s aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt … arrived at the Busan Naval Base on the morning of June 22,” the South Korean Navy said in a statement. “[The aircraft carrier’s arrival] demonstrates the strong combined defence posture of the South Korea-US alliance and their firm resolve to respond to the escalating threats from North Korea,” it said on Saturday. The carrier is expected to participate in joint exercises with South Korea and Japan this month. Pyongyang has always decried similar combined drills as rehearsals for an invasion. The leaders of the three nations had agreed at a summit in August 2023 to hold annual military training drills. Earlier this month, their defence chiefs announced new exercises aimed at sharpening their combined response in various areas including air, sea and cyberspace. The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group comes a day after South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest against deal reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. The pact pledges mutual defence assistance in the event of war. Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. South Korea says the agreement between the two isolated nations poses a threat to its security and warned that it could consider sending arms to Ukraine to help fight off the Russian invasion as a response. North Korean soldiers have also recently been engaged in activities such as laying more landmines, reinforcing tactical roads and adding what seemed to be antitank barriers near the border, according to the South Korean military. The two Koreas have been locked in a tit-for-tat “balloon war”, with an activist in the South confirming on Friday that he had floated more balloons carrying propaganda north. Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons carrying rubbish southwards, and Kim’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong warned on Friday that the North is likely to retaliate. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel pounds north Gaza after attack on southern al-Mawasi ‘safe zone’
The Israeli military has launched attacks across the Gaza Strip after an assault on a tent camp in al-Mawasi in the south killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian officials. On Saturday, at least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on the Shati refugee camp and the Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City, the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office told Al Jazeera. Reporting from Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said the Israeli military targeted a residential neighbourhood in the Shati refugee camp, where displaced Palestinians from the north of the territory were told to seek refuge. “Rescuers with the help of civilians are trying to sift through the rubble to find survivors,” he said. “The casualties arriving at Al-Aqsa Hospital are surging.” Gaza’s civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said it was “very difficult” to reach victims in Shati. “Israel is reattacking areas that it had operated in, despite its previous announcement that it managed to control militarily the northern part of Gaza,” Abu Azzoum reported. Israeli attacks killed 101 Palestinians and wounded 169 in the last 24 hours, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday, with many people under the rubble and ambulances and civil defence crews unable to reach them. This is the highest daily death toll recorded in the enclave by the ministry since June 8, when Israeli forces killed at least 274 Palestinians to free four Israeli captives in the Nuseirat refugee camp. On Friday, an Israeli attack near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) base at the al-Mawasi camp – designated by Israel as a safe zone – that Palestinian officials say killed at least 25 people and wounded 50 others, involved two strikes, The Associated Press news agency reported. Witnesses whose relatives died in one of the bombardments told AP how Israeli forces fired a second volley that killed people who came out of their tents. “We were in our tent, and they hit with a ‘sound bomb’ near the Red Cross tents, and then my husband came out at the first sound,” Mona Ashour, whose husband was killed in the attack, told AP outside Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. “Then they hit with the second one, which was a little closer to the entrance of the Red Cross,” she said. The ICRC condemned the attack on the camp and said the location of its humanitarian office, which was struck, was known to warring parties. It reported that 22 people had died and 45 were wounded. The ICRC office in Gaza, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, was damaged by nearby shelling in Gaza. Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures puts the lives of civilians and humanitarians at risk. https://t.co/SVrwaQ9cNV — ICRC (@ICRC) June 21, 2024 “Firing so dangerously close to humanitarian structures, of whose locations the parties to the conflict are aware and which are clearly marked with Red Cross emblems, puts the lives of civilians and Red Cross staff at risk,” it said in a statement. “The strike damaged the structure of the ICRC office, which is surrounded by hundreds of displaced civilians living in tents, including many of our Palestinian colleagues.” A survivor of the attack told Al Jazeera that fire was “consuming” them “from every direction”. “We had just eaten and were about to sleep and take some rest, and the next we knew was the sound of resounding explosions destroying our places. We find ourselves alone not knowing what to do. We still can’t process what happened,” the survivor said. Palestinian women grieve as they bid farewell to a relative, killed the day before in a strike on the al-Mawasi camp, northwest of Rafah [Bashar Taleb/AFP] Al Jazeera’s Abu Azzoum noted that in the last 24 hours since the al-Mawasi assault, there has been an increase in Israeli attacks. “Witnesses said Israeli tanks carried out a sudden and unexpected incursion in al-Mawasi, launching a number of artillery shells towards the evacuation centres and makeshift tents,” he said on Saturday. “The entire area of al-Mawasi is an evacuation centre. It’s a very tiny strip of land where more than 100,000 Palestinians have been taking refuge. It’s the place where field hospitals have been established and it’s a centre for humanitarian organisations,” he added. The Israeli military has claimed there is “no indication” that it was responsible for Friday’s camp attack, but said it was under review. Earlier, the military said its forces were conducting “precise, intelligence-based” actions in the Rafah area. According to the Health Ministry on Saturday, more than 37,500 people have been killed and 85,900 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the Hamas-led attacks stands at 1,139, with dozens of people still held captive in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Everyone is talking about Biden’s age
The two eldest nominees in US history are going head-to-head, in a battle to lead the world’s greatest superpower. Given how partisan the media has become, have mainstream outlets intentionally ignored issues surrounding Joe Biden’s age, and possible cognitive decline? Contributors:Rachel Leingang – Democracy reporter focused on misinformation, Guardian USJohn Nichols – National affairs correspondent, The NationAlex Shephard – Staff writer, The New RepublicPrem Thakker – Politics reporter, The Intercept On our radar: The intensity of the rhetoric and cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah have raised fears of an all-out war. Producer Tariq Nafi has been following the messaging on both sides. Hunterbrook: hedge fund or newsroom? A new style of financial journalism has emerged and it is blurring the lines between reporting and profit-making. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Hunterbrook Media, a New York-based company known for its “investigate and trade” strategy. Featuring:William Cohan – Editorial adviser, HunterbrookKate Duguid – Capital markets correspondent, Financial TimesFelix Salmon – Chief financial correspondent, Axios Adblock test (Why?)
Former US President Donald Trump provides big update on green cards, says, ‘foreign grads should…’
US President Donald Trump has promised to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges to prevent them from returning to their home countries like India and China where they become multibillionaires.