UNITED STATES

New York City is buying tickets for thousands of migrants to travel to Texas via bus or plane, from where many of them originally traveled to the sanctuary city in the first place, amid an ongoing battle between officials over how to handle the migrant crisis.New York City, which has been overwhelmed by more than 200,000 migrant arrivals since 2022, has been providing settlement options to migrants since that time. Last year, it opened a reticketing center to offer one-way plane tickets to migrants.Fox News confirms that 4,500 migrants have been sent to Texas using bus or plane tickets bought by the city. The figure was first reported by Bloomberg News.NYC PURSUING THOUSANDS OF HOTEL ROOMS TO HOUSE MIGRANTS AMID MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR COSTS: REPORT According to Mayor Eric Adams’ office, the top five destinations for migrants leaving the Big Apple are Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York State and Colorado.In total, they have issued more than 4,700 tickets and the majority, roughly 4,500, have gone to Texas. It was not clear how many of those migrants had come from buses sent to NYC from Texas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began bussing migrants to New York City and other sanctuary cities in 2022 in what he said was an effort to relieve pressure on the overwhelmed border communities. He chose sanctuary cities – cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement – because he said they encouraged the crisis.When asked how the program works, the mayor’s office said, “Whenever they have a desire where they want to go back to somewhere else, we buy their tickets. It is mostly planes, but we also buy bus tickets.”Abbott’s office slammed the handling of the crisis by the Biden administration and accused Adams of hypocrisy.NEW YORK CITY MIGRANT CRISIS COSTS EXPECTED TO EXCEED $5B IN 2-YEAR PERIOD – DOUBLE TO $10B BY 2025″Border Czar Kamala Harris and the federal government continues to refuse to enforce federal immigration laws already on the books and do their jobs to secure the border, allowing record-high levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and weapons to surge into our state and country,” spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News in a statement.”Hypocritical Mayor Adams said busing migrants is ‘morally bankrupt,’ while Harris called transporting migrants ‘political theater’ and they’re doing the same thing themselves. Until Border Czar Harris steps up and does her job to secure the border, Texas will continue utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to the Biden-Harris border crisis,” he said.New York City has struggled with the influx of migrants, which has put a strain on social services and led to scenes of migrants lining up outside the Roosevelt Hotel.CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGESpending on the migrant crisis is expected to exceed $5 billion, and Adams has previously said costs could balloon to over $10 billion by the end of next fiscal year. Previous estimates had put that number even higher.At the peak of the crisis, the city was taking in an average of 4,000 migrants per week. But that dropped into the hundreds in recent months as the crisis at the border abated after a presidential proclamation from President Biden that limited asylum claims. Recently, the city announced it would be closing a massive tent shelter on Randall’s Island. Officials said the number of asylum seekers in shelters has dropped for 14 straight weeks and is now at the lowest point in over a year.”We’re not out of the woods yet, but make no mistake, thanks in large part to our smart management strategies and successful advocacy, we have turned the corner on this crisis,” Adams said in a statement this month. “We’re not scrambling every day to open new shelters. We’re talking about closing them. We’re not talking about how much we’re spending. We’re talking about how much we’ve saved.”



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Publish date : 2024-10-28 22:04:06

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EXCLUSIVE: A group of Navy SEALs who served alongside Montana Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy are defending him against questions surrounding the origins of a bullet wound he claims he got while fighting in Afghanistan.Sheehy, who is running to unseat Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, went to the emergency room after a reported fall in Montana’s Glacier National Park in 2015. During the visit, Sheehy reportedly was asked about a bullet wound in his arm, telling a National Park ranger that he had accidentally shot himself with a Colt .45 revolver while in the park — but Sheehy later revealed during his campaign that he actually suffered the injury while serving in Afghanistan in 2012.The story recently resurfaced after Dave Madden, a longtime Democratic donor who served with Sheehy, told the New York Times the Republican candidate was lying about his bullet wound during his time in the Navy.However, Sheehy’s own commanding officer, as well as a group of 19 Navy SEALs and EOD Techs who served with Sheehy and/or Madden, tell Fox News Digital exclusively that the claims attempting to contradict Sheehy’s bullet wound are “disgraceful.”MONTANA SENATE RACE SHATTERS SPENDING RECORDS AT $309 PER REGISTERED VOTER”Tim Sheehy’s reputation as a SEAL is one of excellence and bravery. He was a great teammate, a strong leader and, most importantly, a good friend to so many of our brethren,” the 19 SEALs and EOD Techs said in a joint-statement shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.The SEALS added that their statement was not a political endorsement, but rather an “endorsement of the truth and of the need for good men willing to stand up and lead America.””Dave Madden’s attacks on Tim are slanderous, unbecoming of our community, disgraceful, and wrong. Dave has defined his post-military life by choosing to criticize the SEAL community and those who are respected within it for his own personal gain. Dave’s statements regarding Tim’s integrity and service on the battlefield are obviously politically motivated and flatly untrue. Dave was not even in Tim’s platoon during the events in question, let alone close with Tim, and his self-serving lies are pathetic.”The commanding officer of both Sheehy and Madden also defended Sheehy against critics. “Tim Sheehy’s reputation as a SEAL is one of total dedication, personal sacrifice, and bravery. Dave Madden’s statements about Tim are disgraceful, misguided, and wrong,” Mike Hayes, retired CDR and Commanding Officer of SEAL Team 2, told Fox News Digital.Sheehy told the Washington Post in April that he never reported it to his superiors to avoid an investigation, telling the outlet that he was unsure where the bullet came from and did not report the incident in an effort to protect his former platoonmates.MONTANA SENATE RACE, WHICH COULD DETERMINE MAJORITY, SEEING ‘INTENSE GROUND GAME OPERATION’: NRSC CHAIRMANMadden, a Democratic donor according to election finance records, told the New York Times in an interview that he and Sheehy were previously close, and that the Senate candidate never mentioned having a bullet in his forearm — which prompted his skepticism about him receiving the wound overseas.Madden’s criticism caught wind and has since made headlines in the final weeks leading up to the key Senate race, as several polls show Sheehy leading by several percentage points. However, the interview is just one of Madden’s frequent criticisms against the Senate candidate via social media.”Tim was a better SEAL than I was, but that doesn’t mean he’s *moral*. I’ve rarely met someone with a more intense will-to-power. He has the kind of self-confidence that can only come from being raised with extreme wealth (PE family money), and he will tell Montana voters WHATEVER THEY WANT TO HEAR in order to arrive at his “rightful” position of power.” Madden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in September.”I know Tim very, very well, and I’m glad you’re not voting for him,” another post made in January read.Fox News Digital reached out to Madden for comment.NSSF — the Firearm Industry Trade Association, released a statement defending Sheehy in that the firearm he was carrying in the park would not have discharged a round if it had been accidentally dropped.”The proper way to carry a single action Colt .45 revolver is with the hammer down on an empty chamber to prevent an unintended discharge should the firearm be accidentally dropped or fall. Based on the facts as we understand them, the park ranger found the revolver with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Therefore, it would appear Mr. Sheehy was following proper gun safety protocol. In which case, the revolver could not have discharged a round unintentionally even if it was accidentally dropped or fell,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NSSF.The NSSF added that the gun Sheehy was carrying would have caused much more severe damage had he been shot in the park.”A point-blank discharge of a Colt .45 round would have caused extensive – and obvious – damage to Mr. Sheehy’s arm and would have required immediate medical attention, possibly including surgery, of the gunshot wound. If Mr. Sheehy were actually shot at Glacier as is alleged, it is unimaginable he would walk out of the hospital just a few hours later. For these reasons, we believe the allegation, as reported by the media, that Tim Sheehy’s single action Colt .45 revolver discharged when it fell or was dropped striking him in his arm is false and inaccurate.””In smearing Tim Sheehy’s military record, Democrats and the media are dusting off a well-worn political playbook they developed during the Trump-era,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Mike Berg, said in a statement. “They are ignoring the facts and trotting out left-wing partisans with wild last-minute claims to smear Sheehy before he has a chance to respond. The tactics being used against Tim Sheehy echo those employed against Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh. Montanans should reject these disgusting left-wing tactics.”



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Publish date : 2024-10-28 21:11:11

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The Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday reportedly executed the journalist Jamshid Sharmahd, who was a resident of California and a sharp critic of the regime in Tehran, according to The Associated Press.The Iranian regime’s judiciary Mizan website announced that the 69-year-old Sharmahd was killed on Monday morning.Sharmahd’s daughter, Gazelle, who lives in California, previously told Fox News Digital the Iranian regime is “scapegoating an innocent man” over bombing allegations, and spoke of his affinity for the United States.She told Fox News Digital in August, 2023, “My dad chose the United States as his home, worked hard, followed all the rules, belongs to a family of four generations around him of U.S. citizenship, lived here for 20 years as a tax-paying, law-abiding resident and would already have his citizenship if it wasn’t for the terrorists and qualifies as a U.S. national under the Levinson law.”CALIFORNIA MAN IMPRISONED IN IRAN IS BLOCKED FROM LEGAL COUNSEL AS HEALTH WORSENS, DAUGHTER SAYSThe Levinson Act defines a “United States national” as a “lawful permanent resident with significant ties to the United States.” According to the State Department, the definition applies to non-U.S. citizens. The act was named after Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent and private investigator who disappeared from an Iranian island in 2007. Levinson was held hostage and was declared dead in 2020 when he was said to have died in Iranian custody. His family blamed the Iranian regime for his capture and imprisonment.Fox News Digital reported that the Biden administration faced intense criticism for reportedly abandoning Sharmahd and punting his case over to Germany. Sharmahd is a German citizen. According to critics of Germany’s Iran policy, the German Green party foreign minister Annalena Baerbock failed to use her country’s economic and political leverage to secure Sharmahd’s release.Fox News Digital sent press queries to the German foreign ministry.Sharmahd survived an assassination attempt in California in which an Iranian agent was convicted of the planned murder. He was then kidnapped by the Iranian regime in Dubai in 2020 as part of a business trip.The Iranian regime-controlled website Mizan claimed, without evidence, that Sharmahd committed “multiple terrorist acts at the direction of his masters in the intelligence services of U.S. and Israel.”FBI SAYS CHINA, IRAN USING NEW TACTICS TO TARGET CRITICS IN USLawdan Bazargan, an Iranian-American human rights activist and expert on the clerical regime, told Fox News Digital, “In 1988, after the Islamic Republic of Iran was forced to accept a cease-fire with Iraq, it exacted brutal revenge by executing over 5,000 political prisoners, including my brother, Bijan, who had already served years behind bars. The world stood by in silence, failing to hold the regime accountable. Jamshid Sharmahd’s execution is now another diversion, covering the regime’s failures against Israel and the losses suffered by Hezbollah and Hamas.”She added, “If the world remains silent again, more innocent Iranian prisoners will be killed. The global community must unite against this terrorist regime – Germany and other European nations should expel Iranian diplomats, close the Islamic Republic of Iran’s embassies that act as terror safe houses, and declare the IRGC a terrorist organization. The U.S. must also use every tool at its disposal to pressure Iran into halting these executions.”Amnesty International noted that Sharmahd “was convicted of the charge of ‘corruption on earth’ which is not clearly defined in law, and as such contravenes the principle of legality” and termed his trial “grossly unfair.”The British human rights group added, “Since July 2020, the Iranian authorities have been subjecting him to enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, including through prolonged solitary confinement and denial of adequate health care.”Tehran’s opaque justice system claims Sharmahd played a role in a 2008 terrorist attack at a mosque in Shiraz, Iran, that left 14 dead and more than 200 injured.  However, the regime-controlled media outlet Fars News quoted the Iranian National Security Council in 2008 as saying, “The explosion of a bomb or any explosion carried out by opposition elements, be they internal or foreign, is ruled out. The blast was caused by some munitions used in an exhibition for the [Iran-Iraq War] martyrs in the mosque.” Jason Poblete, the attorney for Jamshid Sharmahd, wrote on X, “We are receiving reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out the death sentence against U.S. Legal Permanent Resident and Californian Jamshid Sharmahd.” He added that the family requests privacy until the facts are confirmed.Iranian journalist and human rights activist Vahid Beheshti blasted the Iranian regime on X, stating in part that Jamshid Sharmahd “was murdered today by the regime of the Islamic Republic.”Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for a comment.



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Publish date : 2024-10-28 19:58:38

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Ardent supporters of former President Trump say Sunday’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden was a bold statement that their movement is penetrating deep blue areas like New York City.”Donald Trump is in play in every state,” Pennsylvania resident John Nolan told Fox News Digital outside the famed arena ahead of the rally. “The guy pulls numbers no matter where he is. I mean, people drove from all over to get here and his supporters are here.” “Absolutely,” Westchester, New York, native Alexa Brink told Fox Digital when asked if other New Yorkers she knows will vote for Trump. “All day long. Let’s go Trump!” She added that she wasn’t sure if Trump could win New York, but said, “We’ll try!”While New York is home to multiple competitive U.S. House races, Republicans are not widely expected to win the state in the presidential race. It has gone Democratic each presidential election since Ronald Reagan won it for the GOP in 1984. TRUMP, POWERHOUSE GUESTS ROCK PACKED MSG WITH HISTORIC RALLYThe mood outside the famed arena was at fever pitch as droves of supporters descended on the Big Apple’s streets and waited anxiously to see if they would gain entry to the 19,500-seat venue. Police say many were turned away, with Donald Trump Jr. claiming that nearly 200,000 people tried to gain access to the rally, which featured a handful of high-profile speakers ahead of Trump’s remarks, including former first lady Melania Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White.Melissa Elsner and Luke Ordino traveled from New Jersey and said they weren’t surprised at the size of the huge crowds that descended on “The Worlds’ Most Famous Arena.””No, absolutely not, because we are the majority, even though the news often tries to tell us we are not,” Elsner said, adding that the economy, illegal immigration and education are her top three issues going into this election. “Come on, Donald Trump can pull off anything in New York,” Elsner added. One woman, Barabara Walsh, said she even traveled from Ireland to attend the much-anticipated event.A group of young Jewish supporters were in boisterous form in front of the stadium’s main entrance as they waited in line. “USA, USA, USA,” they chanted, jumping up and down and waving an Israeli flag. “We’re here because we got to Make America Great Again, we need Trump back in the house to bring the hostages back… we need a good economy, no more wars… Kamala Harris keeps on flip-flopping,” 17-year-old Tzvi Schoch said. ELON MUSK, DANA WHITE TO APPEAR AT ‘HISTORIC’ TRUMP MSG RALLY”Everybody was better… under Donald J. Trump than they are now, inflation is sky high, under Trump it was 1.9%. We need Trump back in office, we need the wall built, we need the illegal aliens that are taking our taxpayer money out of the country. We need a president that’s strong… and not be like Biden, like Harris. Sometimes peace comes through strength.””Trump protects the Jews,” yelled fellow 17-year-old Mendel Steigman, who said he and his friends have been victims of antisemitic attacks and insists Trump is a friend of Israel.Another animated rally-goer named Anas Shuaib, a Palestinian Muslim-American who has been living in America for 25 years, said that on Nov. 5 voters will tell Harris, “You’re fired, you’re fired, you’re fired.””The Arabs are voting for Trump!” Shuaib said. “When Trump becomes president, there’s going to be peace, there’s going to be prosperity and America first! He’s going to end the war in the Middle East and he’s going to throw you out of the White House.”Latin American New Yorker Belio Martinez was holding a poster with Trump’s now infamous mugshot with “Never Surrender” written on it. He said the various court cases against the 45th president “solidified” his support for Trump. The rally ended just after 8:30 p.m. with the crowd treated to a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”Outside, New York City residents Maria Coletta and Rhonda Gottlieb said the rally was their first and it did not disappoint.TRUMP PREPS FOR MASSIVE CAMPAIGN RALLY SUNDAY AT NEW YORK CITY’S MADISON SQUARE GARDEN”The energy of the crowd, the speakers, the issues that were addressed, it was absolutely exhilarating,” Gottlieb said, proudly holding a “Trump-Vance” poster. “I think the symbolism of it is just fantastic because New York City is a blue city and him coming in and having such a turnout, I mean it was packed, it was filled and there were thousands outside. I think a lot of the blue cities are becoming more and more red because at a certain point the extremism of the Democrats – the defund the police, the transgender[ism] – all of the issues just push normal common sensical people to the right.”Gottlieb said she was once a “left-wing person,” but many years of studying issues like racial and sexual politics moved her to the right. Edward X. Young said he has been to 102 Trump rallies and Sunday’s was very important because Trump was loved by nearly everyone in the city before he got into politics, but the deep blue city turned against him.  Young, who lived in the Big Apple from 1983 to 1990 and now resides in New Jersey, said the rally showed that New Yorkers are back in the former president’s corner. “Trump was New York City’s favorite son, he was beloved. In the last election cycle, there was not even a rally in the city… but he came back big time,” said Young, who said he met his fiancé at a Trump rally. “Four or five years ago if I wore MAGA gear around the Bronx I‘d get my butt kicked, but no, the local people love him and it’s obvious why… it’s because the Democrats, they went too far,” Young said, noting that it has become harder for working-class people in the city to survive. J Mellz, a musician from New York City who has lived in Brooklyn and Queens, said Trump is making big gains among Blacks, Latinos and other minorities. “I feel it was enthusiastic, I feel it was something that New York needed, I feel it is something that the media is not going to show to the full extent, but it shows how united New York is,” Mellz said. “It showed that it’s time for a change here, and I think we are tired of the people running and controlling the area. I think we are looking forward to something different.”Fox News’ Emma Colton and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.  



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Publish date : 2024-10-28 18:51:43

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Georgia’s pro-Western president is calling on his nation’s citizens to take to the streets and protest the disputed outcome of recent parliamentary elections which she considered a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Georgia borders with Russia.”As the last independent institution, I cannot recognize these elections – it would legitimize Russia’s takeover of Georgia. Our ancestors endured too much for us to surrender our European future,” Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said in a statement released on X.The results are a massive blow for a country striving to join the European Union and identify closer with the West. The opposition’s loss could derail Georgia’s hopes of becoming a member of the European Union and place it further under Russia’s grip.RUSSIAN INFLUENCE PEDDLING ADDS TO FEARS AFTER ELECTION OF UNTESTED PRESIDENT IN EUROPEAN NATION”The election result is a win for Putin, whose goal since he became president of Russia in 1999, has always been to reintegrate former Soviet states back under Russia’s control,” Rebekah Koffler, former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital. Koffler added, “Did the Russian intelligence services – the GRU and the FSB – have a hand in swaying the election? While there’s no evidence at this time that votes have been manipulated and changed after being cast, influence operations targeting presidential elections is standard for Putin’s playbook. But the way it’s done is through financing, intimidation and agitation. And it’s extremely hard to identify, track and make conclusive analysis about such activities.”The U.S. is taking the side of Georgia’s pro-European president and those looking to get out from under Russia’s influence. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted the reports of irregularities and sporadic violence and that international observers have not declared the result to be free and fair. “We condemn all contraventions of international norms and join calls from international and local observers for a full investigation of all reports of election-related violations,” Blinken said in a statement.”This is a precarious moment for Georgia. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, must recognize that its actions could have immediate consequences on its economic and security agenda. Russia has also undoubtedly benefitted from sowing division and disinformation, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., ranking member of the committee, said in a joint statement.”We recognize the right of the Georgian people to, if they so choose, protest peacefully and call on the relevant Georgian authorities to respect this deeply important democratic right,” the senators said.US WARNS RUSSIAN-LINKED ACTORS SEEKING TO ‘FOMENT MANUFACTURED INSURRECTION’ IN EUROPEAN COUNTRYGeorgian Dream, the Russian-backed party, claimed victory shortly after polls closed on Saturday, with around 54% of the vote. The united opposition garnered only 38%. The ruling party even had an assist from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who sent congratulations to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Georgian Dream party before the election results were even released. Orban visited Tbilisi and provided further legitimacy to the government’s disputed victory.TRUMP TOUTS EUROPEAN ‘STRONGMAN’ AS CLOSE ALLY DURING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: WHO IS VIKTOR ORBAN?Many opposition figures reject the victory claimed by Georgian Dream and call the election stolen and rigged.The Georgian president and many Western observers confirmed that the election results were marred by irregularities, including fraud and ballot stuffing.The election was “marked by a tense environment and several incidents of physical altercations and widespread intimidation of voters,” the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), noted in a statement. European Council President Charles Michel is calling for an investigation into the alleged irregularities.Some Georgians, outraged by the results, have already taken to the streets to voice opposition and planned protests are taking place outside the parliament. If mass protests break out as the president and others have called for, and are met with violence from security forces, tensions could spiral even more.Many Georgians have strong aspirations to join the EU, with polls showing up to 83% of them supporting such a move. The Georgian Dream Party has stalled Georgia’s efforts of joining the EU since it became a candidate member in 2023. The EU subsequently put Georgia’s process on hold after a controversial “foreign agent” law that required citizens, non-governmental organizations, media outlets and other civil society organizations that receive over 20% in funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Ministry.Following the passage of the pro-Kremlin foreign agent law, the U.S. imposed sanctions and travel bans on Georgian officials who voted for the law and security agencies responsible for cracking down on dissent. The State Department also paused $95 million in assistance to the government.



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Publish date : 2024-10-28 17:54:26

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