UNITED STATES

A newly unsealed multicounty grand jury report in Oklahoma found mismanagement of millions of dollars in the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER).The report stated that they found a “grossly negligent handling of federal grant money” and misspending of $40 million leaving the citizens of Oklahoma unable to get the help they truly needed.”Nevertheless, we find the grossly negligent handling of federal grant money and utter lack of internal controls and oversight over the grant-funded initiatives to be irresponsible, disappointing, and indefensible. What’s more, the waste and misspending of millions of dollars in emergency aid was easily preventable. This mismanagement prevented the most vulnerable Oklahomans from getting help they desperately needed during a global pandemic. Citizens deserve more from their Government,” the jury said.The report claims there were other troubling practices and actions, but ultimately there was no sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.”Although our investigation uncovered deeply troubling practices and actions (and inactions) by the state offices, non-state entities, and private individuals tasked with establishing and administering the BTG and SIS initiatives, we ultimately find insufficient evidence exists to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime was committed. Nor do we find willful or corrupt misconduct or willful malfeasance,” the report stated.WASHINGTON STATE DIVERTED $340M IN FEDERAL COVID FUNDS TO IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING VIA $1,000 CHECKSThe report highlighted that the grand jury ultimately found a majority of the issues resulted from the state’s disregard of existing administrative safeguards, “EKCO Director’s authorization of all integrated vendors on the platform effectively disregarded all internal control options offered by the Company.” It went on to point out that as a result, “no limit was placed on the items families could purchase with BTG funds in the first instance, and nobody was monitoring purchases to ensure they complied with program requirements on the back end. It should come as no surprise then that a massive portion of BTG awards—over $1.7 million by the State Auditor’s assessment—went to the purchase of items that could not reasonably be deemed to serve an emergency educational purpose.”Some of the items listed were common household luxuries and had nothing to do with the education system.”Such unallowable purchases included but were not limited to: 817 televisions, 385 watches or smartwatches, 179 doorbell cameras, 174 cell phones and related accessories, 71 refrigerators, 27 Xbox systems, and 3 Christmas trees. Not only did the use of these funds to purchase non-education items breach the State’s duty to ensure GEER Fund money was only used for pandemic-related emergency educational assistance, but that money could have been directed to provide intended pandemic relief where it was actually needed,” the report stated.DEM STATES, CITIES OVERRUN BY MIGRANTS FUNNELED MILLIONS IN FEDERAL COVID-19 AID TO SUPPORT ILLEGALS”The State bestowed these individuals and organizations with control over millions of dollars in federal funding without any vetting process or formal agreement assuring their accountability to the State,” the grand jury said.The Oklahoma State Department of Education also released a statement on the investigation’s findings.”Superintendent Walters has prioritized carefully and efficiently using taxpayer funds. Unfortunately, in this case, the vendor involved did not adhere to the same standards. Superintendent Walters’s deep commitment to fiscal responsibility and taxpayer accountability has been borne out during his time as Secretary and now as State Superintendent. Under his leadership, OSDE has instituted the highest standards to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer money possible,” the department said.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/oklahoma-investigation-finds-leaders-grossly-negligent-management-pandemic-relief-funds

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Publish date : 2024-10-17 05:34:55

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Tiffany Henyard, the scandal-plagued Democratic mayor of Dolton, Illinois, announced that she will run for a second term.”Attention Attention Attention Attention,” Henyard wrote in a Facebook post. “I am running for Reelection for Mayor of Dolton.” She was first elected mayor of Dolton, a south suburb of Chicago, in 2021 after serving two terms as trustee on the village’s board. She won the election in a landslide – receiving more than 80% of the vote.Henyard, who self-anointed herself as “super mayor,” was dubbed by residents as “the worst mayor in America.” She earned the nickname after her term was plagued with controversy, including money mismanagement.CONTROVERSIAL MAYOR DEFIES BOARD, SAYS SHE ‘CLEANED UP’ TOWN DESPITE TURNING BALANCE SHEET REDHer reelection announcement came as she’s heading a lawsuit against several village trustees, the Dolton Park District, the village clerk, and the village administrator.The legal dispute stems from a previous controversial village board meeting, which Henyard alleges violated procedures.DEMOCRATIC MAYOR ACCUSED OF ANTICS SO WILD SHE DESERVES HER OWN TV SHOW: ‘REAL LIFE PARKS & REC SITUATION’Henyard’s alleged misuse of taxpayer funds made national headlines after former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot previously investigated her for her extravagant spending habits.Lightfoot’s investigation into the town’s financial situation revealed in a preliminary report that Dolton’s general fund balance was $5.61 million in 2022, but by May 2024 the balance had dropped to a deficit of $3.65 million.Lightfoot also disclosed that Henyard used the village credit card to make purchases at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, Wayfair and other retailers. One jaw-dropping statement revealed that the embattled mayor had dropped $33,000 on Jan. 5, 2023, on Amazon. Henyard also threw extravagant parties – all on the taxpayers’ dime. One party cost taxpayers approximately $85,000 to throw a party that featured R&B singer Keke Wyatt and rapper J. Holiday.Despite the ongoing challenges, Henyard remains confident in her leadership.She announced that an official campaign announcement event would be held later this month.Fox News Digital has reached out to Henyard for comment.Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Stephen Sorace and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/scandal-plagued-illinois-super-mayor-tiffany-henyard-announces-she-run-second-term

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Publish date : 2024-10-17 04:50:17

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Former President Trump offered compliments to Vice President Kamala Harris at the Univision town hall after she struggled to say three nice things about him during her own town hall last week. Univision’s election special ended on a lighter note Wednesday night when Trump was asked by a Hispanic voter to name “three virtues” about his Democratic rival. “That’s a very hard question,” Trump quipped, sparking laughs from the audience. “That’s the toughest question. The other ones are easy! I’m not a fan, I’m not a fan. I think she’s harmed our country horribly, horribly — at the border, with inflation, with so many other things.” KAMALA HARRIS AVOIDS QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL DECLINE: ‘JOE BIDEN IS NOT ON THE BALLOT’”But she seems to have an ability to survive,” Trump went on to tell the voter. “Because, you know, she was out of the race, and all of a sudden she’s running for president. That’s a great ability that some people have and some people don’t have.””She seems to have some pretty longtime friendships… I don’t call that an ability. I call that a good thing,” he continued. “And she seems to have a nice way about her. I mean, I like the way, you know, some of her statements, some of her- the way she behaves in a certain way. But in another way, I think it’s very bad for our country, very bad for our country. But she does seem to have some relationships that [are] lasting, and she does seem to be a survivor, because remember, she was the first one out, and all of sudden she’s running for president. And the other 21 people that are running, they’re sitting home watching her on television, right? So that’s by far the toughest question I’ve had today.”KAMALA HARRIS REPEATEDLY PIVOTS TO TRUMP WHEN GRILLED ON IMMIGRATION RECORD IN FOX NEWS INTERVIEWCLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWSLast week, the same voter asked Harris to name “three virtues” Trump has, which prompted an awkward laugh from the Democratic nominee. “Let me start with this… Based on a life experience, I know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris responded. “And part of what pains me is the approach that, frankly, Donald Trump and some others have taken, which is to suggest that it’s us versus them, whoever that may be. And having Americans point fingers at each other, using language that’s about belittling people and calling them names and meant to make them afraid and live in fear. I don’t think that’s healthy for our nation. And I don’t admire that. And, in fact, I’m quite critical of it coming from someone who wants to be President of the United States.”TRUMP PLEDGES TO PROTECT WOMEN’S SPORTS FROM MALE ATHLETES DURING FAUKNER TOWN HALL: ‘WE ABSOLUTELY STOP IT’After pondering for a moment over the question, Harris then said, “I think Donald Trump loves his family. And I think that’s very important. I think family is one of the most important things that we can prioritize.””But I don’t really know him, to be honest with you,” the vice president continued. “I only met him one time on the debate stage. I’d never met him before, so I don’t really have much more to offer you.”



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Publish date : 2024-10-17 03:45:39

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Over the last year, Fox News correspondents Bill Melguin and Griff Jenkins have been following complaints from Border Patrol sources that many of the crucial remote surveillance cameras in multiple sectors along the southern border have not been operational.U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Republicans say whistleblowers came forward to the committee last week, claiming that “some of the busiest Southwest border sectors have nearly 50 or more cameras offline with multiple towers that have been out of service for more than a year.”On Wednesday, the House Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, claiming that whistleblowers came forward to the committee last week with concerning information on this issue. The letter from Republicans to Mayorkas demanded answers. BORDER PATROL FACING LARGE-SCALE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA OUTAGE WITH ‘SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS’: REPORTAdditionally, the committee says the sources claim that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for repairing the cameras, and it has been improperly contracting to companies employing non-US citizens against Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy “who may be physically manipulating the equipment on the camera towers.” These surveillance cameras are extremely important to Border Patrol for tracking migrant evaders, smugglers, gotaways, and large groups, and having so many of them not working is a big problem for Border Patrol, committee sources said. “Multiple sources revealed to the Committee last week that more than 66% of the cameras in the remote video surveillance systems upgrade (RVSS-U) program are inoperable. According to these sources, some of the busiest Southwest border sectors have nearly 50 or more cameras offline with multiple towers that have been out of service for more than a year.”EX-ICE OFFICIAL WARNS TREN DE ARAGUA HAS GROWN FASTER INSIDE US THAN MURDEROUS RIVAL GANG: ‘PUT THEM OUT NOW’In a statement to Fox News, the Border Patrol union said:”Once again, we have another situation of ineptness from this administration, and it continues to show how out of touch DHS leadership is. Not only does this have an impact on the country by not knowing who or what is coming in, it also impacts the safety of the agents working the front lines,” Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council said. NBC News reported that an October memo said nearly one-third of cameras, roughly 150 of 500 cameras on surveillance towers, were out due to technical issues. AFGHAN ISIS TERROR PLOT: BIDEN ADMIN AGENCIES POINT FINGERS AS LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS”The nationwide issue is having significant impacts on [Border Patrol] operations,” the memo said.The RVSS are nearly 15 years old and are used to monitor areas of the border without the need for regular on the ground patrols. Agents will rely on a variety of detection and surveillance, including AI-powered towers, as well as helicopters, K-9s, the border wall, and the agents themselves.Agents have noted the helpfulness of the automated surveillance towers, which are more advanced and use AI to track migrants and help agents locate them. CBP has deployed more than 300 of the towers.Officials say that RVSS is an old, costly system requiring regular maintenance and dedicated staff to monitor the cameras. That is opposed to the newer systems that use AI and provide alerts to agents in real time.”CBP continues to install newer, more advanced technology that embrace[s] artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace outdated systems, reducing the need to have agents working [on] non-interdiction functions within a local command center.”However, the National Border Patrol Council’s branch in Laredo, Texas, recently highlighted the issues and told agents that it “shares your concerns that inoperable camera towers along the border are causing serious Officer Safety and Border Security concerns.”The report comes as border security remains a top issue ahead of the 2024 election. Both presidential candidates, former President Trump and Vice President Harris, have pledged to provide more funding to the southern border and have been attempting to show voters that they are the stronger candidate for securing it.Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/whistleblowers-border-patrol-surveillance-cameras-out-service-gop-demands-answers-dhs

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Publish date : 2024-10-17 02:49:37

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Fox News host Jesse Watters broke down Vice President Kamala Harris’ exclusive interview on “Special Report” and dissected why her campaign is failing.JESSE WATTERS: Covering the Kamala campaign has been disorienting. First, she was the most unpopular VP in history. Then she’s Mrs. Messiah. Her record is radical left. Then she agrees with Trump. But her values haven’t changed. Her VP’s wooing white dudes and Obama is scolding the brothers. She hid from CNN for five weeks. Then she turned down the Fox debate. Now, she’s playing footsie with Rogan and begging to come on Fox. Well, be careful what you wish for, because Kamala Harris just sat down with Brett Baier for a half hour and she was roughed up so badly Pelosi’s asking Joe to get back in. This was the first time the vice president and the Democrat nominee had ever had to answer for herself. She spent more time defending herself with Brett than she has defending the actual border. 



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Publish date : 2024-10-17 01:40:20

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