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Illinois suburb scraps migrant housing ‘sign-up’ sheet after councilman’s viral proposal to residents

An Illinois suburb decided against moving forward with a plan to have residents house migrants in their homes following a councilman’s viral proposal to put together a “sign-up” sheet. Naperville, an affluent suburb located roughly 30 miles west of Chicago, had considered having residents volunteer to bring migrants into their homes amid concerns that Chicago’s struggles to house migrants may spill over into the suburbs. On Thursday, city staff decided it was not necessary for Naperville residents to sign up as other state and federal agencies were making lists of shelters for migrants in need of housing, WLS-TV reported. Josh McBroom, a city council member, made headlines during a Jan. 16 council meeting discussion about what his city should do if a wave of illegal immigrants arrived in their neighborhood as they have in other neighboring towns. McBroom suggested a sign-up sheet for those willing to open their homes to migrants. WEALTHY CHICAGO SUBURB PROPOSES ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO SIGN UP TO HOUSE MIGRANTS On Tuesday, video of McBroom’s comments blew up on social media. MIGRANT CRIME A ‘REAL PROBLEM’ IN CHICAGO SUBURB AFTER SIX MORE CHARGED IN MACY’S RETAIL THEFTS: POLICE CHIEF In an interview last week with Fox News Digital, McBroom said he was compelled to bring up the subject he believed was being avoided by his council colleagues, explaining that his proposal was aimed at residents whose votes led to the “open border policy” of the Biden years.  “They’re voting for people that have supported this open border policy… am I being provocative with my proposal? A little bit, but I’m being genuine, too,” McBroom said. “Over half of the town voted for this policy. Are you gonna help out? Because we’re not going to spend tax dollars on it.” Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Lankford cites ‘election year’ for waning GOP support on border bill: ‘Not about letting 5000 people in a day’

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., cited the “presidential election year” in explaining on Sunday why Republicans are backing away from the border bill he is negotiating with Senate Democrats, arguing that the supplemental package, contrary to the assertion by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is “not about letting 5,000 people in a day.”  Lankford, under fire from the Oklahoma GOP as well over the border bill, appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where he defended the package said to have something akin to a Title 42 power that would allow everyone at the border to be turned away. Last week, Cruz blasted the Republican compromise, however, saying it still afforded about 6 million people – or two-thirds of the 9.6 million illegal border crossings under President Biden – to illegally enter and stay. He further argued the actual text language of the legislation was being kept a secret.  “The challenge that Sen. Cruz has and a bunch of other folks is they’re still waiting to be able to read the bill on this. And this has been our great challenge of being able to fight through the final words, to be able to get the bill text out so people can hear it. Right now there’s internet rumors is all that people are running on. It would be absolutely absurd for me to agree to 5,000 people a day,” Lankford told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream. “This bill focuses on getting us to zero illegal crossings a day. There’s no amnesty.” Lankford argued the bill increases the number of Border Patrol agents, increases asylum officers, and increases detention beds “so we can quickly detain and then deport individuals.” SENATE BORDER BILL TO ALLOW 5,000 MIGRANTS A DAY BEFORE TITLE 42-TYPE LIMIT STARTS; SPARKING CONSERVATIVE FURY “It ends catch and release. It focuses on additional deportation flights out. It changes our asylum process so that people get a fast asylum screening at a higher standard and then get returned back to their home country. This is not about letting 5,000 people in a day,” he said. “This is the most misunderstood section of this proposal.” In the past four months, Lankford said, there’s only been seven days when less than 5,000 people have crossed the border in one day. “This is set up for if you have a rush of people coming at the border, the border closes down. No one gets in,” he said of the bill. “This is not someone standing at the border with a little clicker saying, I’m going to let one more. And we’re at 4,999, and then it has to stop. It is a shutdown of the border and everyone actually gets turned around.”  Despite President Biden claiming at a campaign rally this weekend that the border supplemental would allow him to secure the border, Lankford stressed the Democrat incumbent could already secure the border now if he wanted to. Some Republicans are criticizing Lankford for pursuing the bill anyhow, essentially handing Biden a win to claim he’s made progress on the border crisis. But the senator from Oklahoma urged that the timing of the election shouldn’t affect progress.  “Republicans four months ago would not give funding for Ukraine, for Israel and for our southern border because we demanded changes in policy. So we actually locked arms together and said, we’re not going to give you money for this. We want a change in law. And now it’s interesting, a few months later, when we’re finally going to the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, just kidding. I actually don’t want a change in law,’” Lankford said. “We all have an oath to the Constitution, and we have a commitment to say we’re going to do whatever we can to be able to secure the border.” The Republican senator noted that over the last four months, 50 people on the terror watch list were detected crossing the border.  BORDER DEAL PRICE TAG LIKELY TO COST MORE THAN $14 BILLION, BUT GOP LAWMAKERS GROW RESTLESS TO SEE BILL TEXT Tens of thousands more declared national security risks were detected crossing the border.  “This puts in mandatory pieces that haven’t been there in the past to make this administration actually enforce the law. I would tell you that I don’t – I don’t know of anyone that believes that if President Trump was elected, he was president right now, this border would not have this problem. So the thought that somehow President Biden can suddenly be the pro-national security president in the final months of this is not believable,” Lankford continued. “We’ve had millions of people illegally cross because he opened up our border. He literally invited the world to be able to come, and they came. That’s why we have this chaos. We’ve got to do something now to be able to stop it, and then to be able to put new tools that even the Trump administration was looking for when they were president, put those tools in place for every president from here on out.”  Later in the program, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., noted mounting criticism from his own party against Lankford.  “He’s on a suicide mission. The Democrats do not want to secure the border,” Scott said. “This border could be secure, but we know we have a lawless administration, a completely lawless Biden administration. So the only way this is going to happen is if we have accountability that forces Biden to enforce the law. We could change all these laws. There’s laws now. Trump secured the border. Biden decided open the border on the exact same laws. We don’t need a new bill. We need something to enforce to force Biden to comply with the law.”  Scott said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Lankford he cannot add accountability measures to the bill to require Biden to secure the border immediately.  “Biden could do that today. Why doesn’t he do it today? I mean, he doesn’t need any of this to secure the

Trump admin cut funding to UN agency now accused of participating in Hamas attack ‘for reason’: Rep. McCaul

In response to accusations that staffers of a United Nations agency were allegedly involved in the October 7 terror attacks in Israel, Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul reminded Americans that former President Donald Trump cut funding to the UN during his administration.  “The United Nations Relief Agency, the previous Trump administration, cut all funding for a reason, just for this reason. The idea that UNRWA was actually supplying, you know, harboring weapons to assist with Hamas’s invasion of Israel,” McCaul told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.”  “Now, those are the allegations that have come out of Israel, we’re investigating, but if true, think how outrageous that is,” he continued.  As of Saturday, the U.S., United Kingdom and other key Western powers cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which is intended to provide relief and humanitarian services to refugees in Palestine, following accusations that 12 staffers with the group were “involved” in the October attack on Israel. MORE COUNTRIES CUT FUNDING TO UN AGENCY AFTER STAFFERS ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN OCT. 7 HAMAS ATTACK Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has since praised the U.S. decision as “an important step in holding UNRWA accountable.”  The State Department under Trump cut ties with UNRWA in 2018, but President Biden resumed providing funds to the group shortly after taking office. He continued to increase spending to the organization, with funds exceeding $1 billion, Fox News Digital previously reported.  Trump said in 2018 that he pulled funding to the group after peace talks stalled.  “I stopped massive amounts of money that we were paying to the Palestinians and the Palestinian leaders. We were — the United States was paying them tremendous amounts of money,” Trump said at the time. “And I’d say, you’ll get money, but we’re not paying you until we make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, we’re not paying.” BIDEN ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY AMID ALLEGATIONS MEMBERS ASSISTED IN HAMAS MASSACRE The Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, said an investigation was immediately launched following the accusations, leading to the termination of nine employees.  “Of the 12 people implicated, nine were immediately identified and terminated by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini; one is confirmed dead, and the identity of the two others is being clarified,” Guterres said.  “Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation.” UN’S TOP COURT ALLOWS ISRAEL TO KEEP FIGHTING IN GAZA, ORDERS IT TO ‘ADHERE TO THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION’ He called on the nations that ended their funding to the group to resume their support, arguing that “tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers,” and they “should not be penalized.” The comment sparked outrage from Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, who argued that nations that continue funding the UNWRA “before a comprehensive investigation of the organization should know that its money might be used for terrorism.” “The UN Secretary-General has proven once again that the security of the citizens of Israel is not really important for him. After years in which he ignored the evidence presented to him personally about UNRWA’s support and involvement in incitement and terrorism, and before he conducted a comprehensive investigation to locate all Hamas terrorists in UNRWA, he called to fund an organization that is deeply contaminated with terrorism,” Erdan said.  KIRBY UNSURE OF ‘DOLLAR FIGURE’ OF US FUNDING TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY ALLEGEDLY TIED TO HAMAS ATTACK McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, recently requested the United Nations Relief and Works Agency commissioner-general appear before the committee on the matter, with the Texas lawmaker saying Sunday, “we’re gonna get some answers.” “And we do have reporting that UNRWA is using money to give aide to Hamas. And that’s why I’ve advocated to cut that funding. The administration – finally, after they allowed it – put a pause on it just a couple of days ago. And they’re gonna testify before my committee, and we’re gonna get some answers,” he said.  Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report. 

Why, as a Palestinian American journalist, I had to leave the news industry

I was listening to a lecture at my local mosque when it suddenly felt like the imam was speaking directly to me. He was interpreting a few verses from the Quran. As he approached the sixth verse in the chapter and began to explain its meaning, my heart began to beat fast. “O believers, if an evildoer brings you any news, verify it so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done,” he translated. I felt validated. God is telling us to fact-check. To avoid spreading rumours or misinformation. To question the source of information and to minimise harm. This was a command that I was following on an almost daily basis. I struggled to see how I was making a difference sometimes as a journalist, but in that moment, my faith reassured me that my efforts, no matter how small, were seen and rewarded by God Himself. I had read the Quran a few times in Arabic, but I was delving into the English translation for the first time. I was getting closer to my religion and God as I grew further away from my career. I constantly reminded myself that my purpose in journalism is to share factual and important information and to put my best work forward. I hoped one day I would be a correspondent for a US media outlet and get sent to the Middle East to report instead of one of the white journalists I usually saw on television. This was a lofty goal for someone who grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with one of the largest Arab populations in the United States. Despite being surrounded by people like me, I felt isolated when I chose to study journalism, as the majority of my peers had gone into engineering and medicine. I lived in a city where there was a deep mistrust of the news media because of years of inaccurate or faulty coverage of the Middle East and Muslim and Arab communities in the US. Most of the time, we would only see ourselves in the news portrayed in a negative light or accused of “terrorism”. The Arab families I grew up with did not tune into local news because the news did not serve them. Most families moved to Dearborn to be near fresh pita and packed mosques, where you can take your time learning English because you can get by with just your mother tongue. My dad moved our family to Dearborn in 2000, and after the 9/11 attacks, it became a permanent stay. A man who lived in multiple countries and couldn’t sit still in one place, all of a sudden held his family closer and refused to move. He mentally built thick gates around the city that were rarely ever crossed. I was only two years old, so I can’t tell you about any immediate effects of 9/11 that I experienced. But I can tell you that I grew up in a household that never travelled unless it was to Jordan and Palestine. While some families went up to Mackinac Island during the summers, I never set foot there until I was 21. As a family, we visited the two closest Great Lakes, but never made the two-and-a-half-hour journey to Lake Michigan because it was passing through too many white Republican counties where my dad didn’t feel he could protect us against any possible hate speech or discrimination, especially since my mother and I wear hijabs. I grew up angry at my community for being so insular, but I later understood the decisions my parents’ generation made. Their fears were partly fuelled by US media coverage of the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and other post-9/11 policies like the demonisation of Muslims under the guise of “anti-terrorism” operations. I wanted to become a journalist to correct the narrative. I wanted to accurately tell stories and hold people in power accountable. I was taught in college that journalism can change policies, expose government secrets and lies and absolve the wrongfully convicted. It drew me in. I wanted to redirect that power to myself and the communities I belong to who had been vilified by the news industry and the government for decades. I fell in love with storytelling and reported for the campus paper while studying, and interned at multiple outlets in Michigan. I even had an opportunity to spend two weeks interning at the New York Times. My mom was sharing my stories on social media, my dad was reading my bylines and asking further reporting questions, and my brothers and sister would call me with “exclusive tips” about incidents that happened in the halls of their school. I saved hard copies of all my stories printed in newspapers. In 2021, I landed my first full-time job after college at a local paper in Texas where I was the only Muslim and only Palestinian in the newsroom. I pumped out about 400 stories in a year on breaking news and trending topics. Among them was one story that I hesitated to pitch, and later regretted ever writing. It was a news piece covering a local protest against an evangelical church raising money for Israel. I took my own photos of the event, interviewed multiple protesters, most of whom were Palestinian, and included as much context as I could while staying concise. The story went through multiple editors in the newsroom before it was published. Usually, I got to look at the edits that were made, but this time I saw them after publication. Instead of highlighting protesters’ concerns and informing readers of the conditions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, the article mischaracterised the demonstration as just “another protest” that happens every year at this event. Several paragraphs were cut and the headline was changed to a more attractive line that called the fundraiser for another country just an “annual event”. The article quoted the church’s founder and the keynote speaker for the

Three US service members killed in Jordan drone attack, Biden says

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, The US military says three killed, at least 25 others injured in the attack on US forces in northeastern Jordan. Three US service members have been killed and “many” others wounded during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden has said, blaming Iran-backed groups for the attack. The United States military said in a statement that at least 25 people were injured. “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday. Biden said the US “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing.” At least 34 personnel were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Two different officials said some wounded US forces were medically evacuated from the base for further treatment. Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a spokesperson for Jordan’s government, as saying the attack happened outside of the kingdom across the border in Syria. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Iran-backed militant groups, claimed attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan-Syria border. The deaths are the first fatalities of US troops in the Middle East since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7. The attack comes amid soaring tensions in the region, where Israel continues its war on Gaza in response to an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel that killed at least 1,139 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 26,400 people, according to Palestinian officials in the besieged territory. ‘We are now in a regional war’ Fears have grown about the possibility of a regional conflagration amid attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping and near-daily rounds of cross-border fire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. In recent weeks, Iran-backed armed groups have intensified their attacks on US military bases in Iraq and neighbouring Syria in response to the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said there have been more than 100 attacks on US bases in the Middle East since Israel launched its assault on Gaza. “Iran’s position so far … has been quite clear. They say that these attacks are not conducted and planned by Iran. They say that Iran has allies across the region. However, these allies also make decisions based on their own decisions,” he said. “Iranians do not want a regional escalation. The Iranian officials know a direct military confrontation with Israel also means a war with the US which could be a deadly one for Iran. “So, Iran so far has avoided direct military confrontation with Israel and it has instead asked its allies to act. Iran’s response has been through its allies like Yemen’s Houthis, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and many other groups in Syria and Iraq.” But Colin Clark, senior research fellow at the Soufan Group told Al Jazeera that these attacks have proved that “we are now in a regional war.” “There is no denying that. US troops have been killed and the US will respond forcefully whether that is in Iran proper or against the Iranian proxies in the various countries where they operate,” he said. “Iran can choose to distance itself as much as it wants but it funds, trains and equips these groups….The Biden administration will be under immense pressure to show the US is not going to sit back and watch its troops being killed by these Iranian-backed groups,” he added. “The question now becomes what shape this response will take.” Adblock test (Why?)

Israeli forces kill two brothers along Gaza evacuation route

NewsFeed Two brothers were shot dead in front of their family on an evacuation route in Gaza as they were heeding Israeli instructions to flee their home in Khan Younis. The parents say they thought a white flag would keep them safe. Published On 28 Jan 202428 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Newsom claims Biden has border plan, blames Republicans for standing in the way

California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed that President Biden is trying to act on the southern border, but Republicans are failing to act on the crisis to influence the upcoming presidential election. “The president put out a comprehensive strategy, a pathway to citizenship along the lines of their former hero, Ronald Reagan, to address the reality on the ground,” Newsom said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos.  Newsom, a Democrat, said immigration reform is just as much of an issue as border security, outlining a $14 billion plan to get more judges to process illegal immigrants more efficiently and provide security at the border with 2,300 new border agents. “And they refuse to act,” Newsom says of Republicans in Congress. “They’re just promoting an agenda to disrupt and find a crowbar, to put in the spokes in the wheels of the Biden administration to disrupt any progress on this, because they don’t want progress. Period.” TEXAS-BOUND ‘TAKE OUR BORDER BACK’ CONVOY TO ‘SHED LIGHT’ ON MIGRANT CRISIS, ‘SEND A MESSAGE’ TO LEADERS The interview was done while Newsom was on the campaign trail with President Biden in South Carolina over the weekend. Biden’s intent was to drive home two messages: He is loyal to the state that saved his campaign in 2020, and he is determined to win back Black voters.  TRUMP BLASTS BIDEN-BACKED BORDER BILL AT LAS VEGAS RALLY: ‘RATHER HAVE NO BILL THAN A BAD BILL’ “You’re the reason I am president,” Biden told attendees at the state party’s fundraising dinner ahead of its first ever “first-in-the-nation” Democratic primary on Feb. 3. “You’re the reason Kamala Harris is a historic vice president. And you’re the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You’re the reason Donald Trump is a loser. And you’re the reason we’re going to win and beat him again.”  Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott. R-Fla., said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” that Democrats do not want to secure the border, and that, “We don’t need a new bill, we need something to force Biden to comply with the law.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

AOC says Biden ‘can do more’ to earn votes than just attack Trump

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., says President Biden can “do more” to persuade voters to re-elect him, rather than focusing on attacking former President Trump. Ocasio-Cortez made the comment during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with host Kristen Welker. She argued that Biden should be more aggressive on providing free health care and college education for Americans. “You have said in the past that it’s not enough to Democrats to just talk about what they are running against,” Welker began. “Do you think, in this very moment, President Biden is doing a good enough job explaining to voters why they should vote for him and not just against former President Trump?” “I think we can certainly do more to be advancing our vision,” Ocasio-Cortez responded. “I believe we have a strong vision that we can run on.” UN’S TOP COURT ALLOWS ISRAEL TO KEEP FIGHTING IN GAZA, ORDERS IT TO ‘ADHERE TO THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION’ AOC then gave Biden some credit, referencing his pledge to codify abortion protections if Democrats hold the House, Senate and presidency. “I think we can do more,” she added, however. “I think we need to be talking more about health care. Of course, me, as a progressive, I want to see the age of Medicare drop, whether it’s to 50 as the president has discussed earlier or to zero, as is my preference.” EDUCATORS URGE LARGEST TEACHERS UNION IN US TO RESCIND SUPPORT FOR BIDEN UNTIL ‘PERMANENT CEASE-FIRE’ IN GAZA “I believe we can do more. We can talk even more about the fact that public colleges and universities should be tuition-free or reduced,” she added. Ocasio-Cortez went on to affirm that Biden is the strongest candidate for Democrats to put up against Trump, though she offered the caveat that he is the strongest in the current Democratic field. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ BLASTS BIDEN OVER ‘LURCH TO THE RIGHT’: ‘IT’S QUITE DANGEROUS’ The current field includes just Marianne Williamson, a self-help author, and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who launched his campaign in protest against the lack of a serious Democratic primary. Ocasio-Cortez has heavily criticized Biden in the past, accusing him of a “lurch to the right” in April last year. Prior to Biden announcing his re-election campaign, AOC had refused to say whether she would support him. 

3 American troops killed, 25 injured in attack on Jordan base near Syria border

Three U.S. service members were killed and 25 others were injured in a drone attack on an outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syria border, U.S. Central Command confirmed on Sunday.  “On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border. As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said.  “Updates will be provided as they become available,” it added.  The White House says President Biden was briefed Sunday morning by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer about the attack, which marked a significant escalation in the Middle East as the first time American troops have been killed by enemy fire in the region since the Israel-Hamas war began. US WITHDRAWAL FROM SYRIA WOULD PUT ‘WHOLE REGION AT RISK,’ ALLOW IRAN TO ‘SOW’ MORE DISCORD, EXPERT WARNS President Biden blasted “radical Iran-backed militant groups” in reacting to the attack.  “Today, America’s heart is heavy. Last night, three U.S. service members were killed – and many wounded – during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border,” he said. “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”  YEMEN’S HOUTHIS FIRE MISSILE TOWARD USS CARNEY, CENTCOM SAYS “Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack,” Biden continued. “These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country – risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease.”

RJD, TMC, AAP slam Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for ‘betraying’, say ‘people will…’

INDIA bloc on Sunday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for “betraying” the opposition alliance ahead of Lok Sabha elections after he joined hands with the BJP, with some even calling him a “chameleon” and “Paltu Ram” for frequently changing sides.