The health commissioner New York City Mayor Eric Adams chose at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic has become the third official in his administration to resign as Adams is investigated for suspected improper dealings with up to six different foreign governments.
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, whose expertise is in mental health, decided to leave Adams' administration to spend more time with his family, according to a statement.
“As anyone with a family — or a chosen family — knows, you are never alone in service,” Vasan said. “My wife and three young children have served alongside me, bearing the brunt of my absence and shouldering so much. I’m grateful for their love and have chosen that now it is time to support them and their well-being.”
Vasan's bio on the Columbia University website, where he is an adjunct professor, says he has three school-age children.
A mass exodus
In recent weeks, other officials who have resigned from Adams' cabinet include City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, and Schools Chancellor David Banks.
While Caban and Banks were raided along with Adams, there are no reports that Zornberg or Vasan have been looked at in the investigation.
A new report from CBS News said that federal agencies are looking at Adams' dealings with six foreign governments: Turkey, Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
The investigation began with suspicions about Adams' relationship with top Turkish officials and donations he may have received from them.
"Going to fight"
Adams has denied any wrongdoing and seems to have his head in the sand about the allegations.
"Eight, nine, 10 months ago, when this investigation first came to light, look at how the city continued to progress. We didn't stand still, we didn't stop, we continued to produce housing, we continued to bring down crime, we continued to progress, and we're going to continue to do that," he told reporters on Tuesday morning.
When local news reporter Marcia Kramer asked for a response from Adams about how he's dealing with the allegations, he responded, "You're going to have to wait to get my book. What I must do, what I say over and over again, things that come up in life - as you talked about, the 'Job moment,' - things that come up in life, they always come up. There's always something happening in life, can you stay focused on your mission?"
"I'm going to fight for New Yorkers, I've always done that, I'm not going to stop doing that," he continued.
He insisted that it will not be difficult to replace his departed officials, saying that the city has a "deep bench."
He may be right, but it seems like his time as leader of NYC might be over soon.
Former President Donald Trump has indicated a potential end to his presidential ambitions following the upcoming election.
In a recent interview, Donald Trump stated that he would likely not run for the presidency in 2028 if he loses the November 5 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, the New York Post reported.
During a Sunday conversation with journalist Sharyl Attkisson, Trump shared insights on his political journey and the challenging landscape he navigates. This interview brought to light Trump's reflections on his role and influence in U.S. politics over the years.
Trump, who has been a dominant figure in the Republican Party since 2016, discussed the high stakes of the upcoming election where he is currently running neck and neck with Harris. Despite historically outperforming polls, Trump acknowledged the uncertainty of this year's results.
A Historical Perspective on Non-Consecutive Terms
He drew parallels between his situation and that of Grover Cleveland, the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Trump emphasized the rarity of such a political comeback.
Trump's interview also touched on his comprehensive understanding of international relations, stating, "I understand countries, I understand who rips us and who doesn’t." His grasp of global dynamics was a recurring theme throughout the discussion.
Reflecting on his path to securing the GOP nomination for 2024, Trump recounted overcoming about a dozen challengers, showcasing his enduring influence within the party.
Life After the Presidency
The former president discussed the benefits and insights gained from his time out of office since the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. "It would have been easier if I did it, you know, contiguous. But the benefit is more than anything else, it shows how bad they were. It shows how bad this radical left liberal crazy philosophy is," Trump remarked.
He further reflected on the changes and developments in American politics during his absence from the White House, providing a unique perspective on his time away from the highest office.
Amidst discussing his political career, Trump brought up a recent security scare at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach. The assassination attempt was swiftly thwarted by the Secret Service, with Trump praising their quick response.
Reflections on Public Service and Personal Safety
"Nasty things could have happened," Trump said regarding the incident, underscoring the inherent dangers of his public presence. This event highlighted ongoing security concerns for public figures like himself.
Despite these threats, Trump expressed a stoic outlook on his personal safety, emphasizing the importance of resilience in leadership. "I can’t be scared, because if you’re scared, you can’t do your job. So I just can’t be scared," he stated firmly.
Legacy of Handling the Pandemic
"Why don’t you talk about the vaccine?' I don’t talk about it. I can say this, the Democrats love to claim it. The Republicans don’t want to claim it," Trump disclosed, highlighting the politicization of health achievements.
"Overall, I think I did an amazing job with COVID. I never got the credit for it," he added, reflecting on the challenges and successes of his administration's response to the global crisis.
In the end, Trump's contemplations on his political future are tinged with a blend of realism and nostalgia. His statements paint a picture of a leader contemplating the culmination of a tumultuous yet impactful career on the American and global stage.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A court has found that the public has a right to have certain information about elections and voter rolls, handing yet another defeat to a "rabidly leftist" state official in Colorado who has tried multiple times single-handedly to influence election results.
A report in the Federalist documents a federal court result, an agreement, that left Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold a loser again.
The federal court case outcome requires Griswold, a Democrat in a leftist state where the government is run, essentially, by Democrats in the governor's office, Capitol, and legislature, to release reports by the Electronic Registration Information Center that are suspected of documenting dead people on the state's voter rolls.
ERIC is a private group of leftists who handle voter registration data for states, but has been losing clients in droves because its officials demand that states keep some reports and information secret, a move which has been ruled to violate the National Voter Registration Act.
The report noted Griswold is "Colorado's rabidly leftist secretary of state who will forever be known for her anti-democratic drive to knock former President Donald Trump off the ballot."
She made that demand based on no more than her own political whims, and her wild claims that Trump is an "insurrectionist" because of the protest-turned-riot in Washington on January 6, 2021.
An insurrection, by definition, is a takedown of a government by a faction that takes over control of the nation's legislature, economy, military, foreign policy and much, much more.
The J6 events actually involved some vandalism in Washington, but the claims of insurrection were fantasy pushed by Democrats who feared Trump and wanted to use some technicality to keep him from running for president this year
The report explained Griswold's "troubling record" in Colorado includes her decision to "mistakenly" mail postcards to 30,000 foreign nationals encouraging them to vote, a violation of federal law.
The report described Griswold's work as an "election integrity fiasco."
Then came her campaign, aided and abetted by leftists in the scandal-plagued state court system, that "Trump somehow disqualified himself," a move that was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court 9-0.
That ruling essentially concluded that if Democrats were allowed to use that particular lawfare against Trump, it would open the door to other states taking similar actions against Democrats.
"Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos," the ruling said.
The latest case against Griswold had been brought by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, and communications director Lauren Bis told the Federalist, "They talk about Trump being a threat to democracy, but you never saw him trying to force his opponents off ballots. He's not the threat. People taking unprecedented actions to have people removed from the ballot so voters can't vote for their candidate of choice, that's the real threat."
In fact, leftists like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – and their supporters, have waged a continuous war against Trump by calling him a threat to democracy – a campaign that likely played a role in two recent failed assassination attempts against Trump.
The ERIC ruling "knocked down" the organization's "wall of secrecy in the voter list maintenance process," according to J. Christian Adams, chief of PILF.
"States cannot use third parties to hide election records that the public has a right to see."
Federal law requires that each state "shall maintain for at least 2 years and shall make available for public inspection … all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters."
States used their participation in the private ERIC schemes, and its demands for secrecy, to withhold public information.
"Brimmer's order marks the third time a court has demanded ERIC disclose the records. PILF has won similar legal battles in Alaska and the District of Columbia, with each victory nullifying ERIC's secrecy agreement with member states that made them immune to public scrutiny," the report said.
During a meeting with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, President Joe Biden appeared confused and irritated, at one point shouting, "Who's next?" when it was actually his turn to introduce the Indian prime minister.
“I want to thank you all for being here,” Biden told the audience. “And now, uh, who am I introducing next?”
After the rest of the group went silent, Biden shouted, "Who's next?"
Finally, an announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker and introduced Indian PM Narendra Modi to the meeting.
Quad Alliance
The group is known as the Quad Alliance, and although these countries are staunch allies of the U.S., their leaders have to be wondering what has happened to Biden even just since the 2020 election.
The meeting on Saturday dealt with recent pressures from China and led Biden to say that China is "testing" the alliance.
A joint statement from the alliance also announced the Quad Cancer Moonshot aimed at reducing cervical cancer, disaster relief in the Indo-Pacific region, and maritime security there.
But Biden is barely able to hold it together long enough to run a meeting like this.
Jill runs cabinet meeting
On Friday Biden held his first full cabinet meeting in nearly a year. The last one was on October 2, 2023.
He opened the meeting and then turned it over to his wife, First Lady Jill Biden. “I’d like to turn it over to Jill for any comments she has. It’s all yours, kid,” he said.
Never mind that Jill is unelected and no one voted for her to lead her husband's cabinet meetings.
The fact is, our president is too mentally diminished to do his job anymore. Someone unelected has been running the show pretty much his whole term, whether it's been Jill Biden, Barack Obama, or someone else.
The RNC Research account on X pointed out, “Jill, Ed.D., is now assisting whatever is left of Crooked Joe Biden in leading cabinet meetings."
Nicole Kidman's mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, has died, leaving the actress and her family grieving the sudden loss, PageSix reported.Keith Urban recently spoke about how his wife, Nicole Kidman, is coping with her mother's death earlier this month.
While attending the Venice Film Festival on September 7, Nicole Kidman received the devastating news of her mother's passing. She immediately left the festival to return to her family.
The Tragic News Reaches Nicole at Venice Film Festival
During what was supposed to be a celebratory event for her role in the film "Babygirl," Kidman was instead struck with personal tragedy. Halina Reijn, the director of "Babygirl," read a heartfelt note from Kidman during her scheduled appearance.
In the note, Kidman revealed her mother's death and expressed her profound shock and grief. She dedicated her best actress award to her late mother, describing her as "beautiful, brave," and the shaping force in her life.
Nicole Kidman's Emotional Tribute to Her Mother
"The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken," Kidman said through the note read by Reijn. She acknowledged the immense support she and her family received, emphasizing how much each message meant to them.
Janelle Ann Kidman was 84 years old at her time of death. Although the cause was not disclosed, Nicole had mentioned her mother's health struggles during a January 2022 appearance on NPR's "Fresh Air."
Nicole Kidman Reflects on Her Mother's Influence
During her NPR interview, Nicole highlighted the efforts made to surround her mother with family in Australia. She recounted a special moment when they managed to take her to a Matisse exhibit, which provided great comfort to her mother amid health challenges.
On September 13, following the news of their mother's death, Nicole and her sister Antonia shared several throwback photos and a message of thanks to their fans on social media. This gesture was a tribute to the legacy their mother left behind.
Kidman Family Requests Privacy During Mourning
A representative for Nicole Kidman formally requested privacy for the family as they navigate through their mourning period. The spokesperson confirmed the immense grief that Kidman and her family are currently experiencing.
Keith Urban, while not providing detailed comments, acknowledged the support and concern from the public. "Yeah, everybody’s good, man. Thank you for asking," he briefly stated, indicating the family's resilience in the face of such a personal tragedy.
Remembering Janelle Ann Kidman's Legacy
Prior to the pandemic, Nicole missed celebrating her mother's 80th birthday due to travel restrictions. However, she cherished the moments they could spend together once restrictions eased, notably reuniting in August 2020.
This recent loss highlights not just the personal impact on one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses, but also the collective experiences of families dealing with the loss of loved ones, underscoring the universal themes of love, loss, and remembrance.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – The United Nations, with the backing of the United States Department of Justice filed an official document in a U.S. court, arguing UNRWA employees implicated in the Oct. 7 massacres should be immune from prosecution, according to a report on Israel's Channel 12 Saturday evening.
In the document submitted to the court, the U.N. claims the UNRWA employees who participated in the massacre have immunity: "Since the U.N. has not waived their immunity in this case, its subsidiary organization, UNRWA, continues to enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution, and the lawsuit should be dismissed."
Furthermore, the U.S. Justice Department under the questionable stewardship of the Attorney General Merrick Garland, backed the U.N.'s play: "The plaintiffs' complaint does not present a theory under which the United Nations waived its immunity. Therefore, since the U.N. has not waived their immunity in this case, its subsidiary organization, UNRWA, continues to enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution, and the lawsuit against the defendant UNRWA should be dismissed due to the lack of subject matter."
We are not talking unpaid parking tickets in New York City, here, which can simply be waived away. At issue is the participation of hundreds of UNRWA employees – at various levels of seniority – in the worst anti-Jewish pogrom in some 80 years.
It is estimated some 10% of UNRWA's 14,000 or so Gaza staff (pre-war) also moonlight as Hamas operatives.
In August, UNRWA itself acknowledged nine of its staff "may have been involved in the Oct. 7 massacre," although this figure seems unrealistically low. Additionally, credible reports have emerged of high-ranking UNRWA employees stealing and hoarding the aid which has flowed into Gaza to offset a non-existent threat of famine.
In July, Israel's parliament – the Knesset – passed the first reading of a trilogy of bills aimed at shuttering the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East amid evidence the organization is increasingly indivisible from the Gaza Strip's rulers, Hamas. Indeed, on the evidence, it branded UNRWA a "terrorist organization."
If further evidence of the dystopian nightmare many of us have felt we are inhabiting over the last few years – and particularly since the Hamas onslaught against southern Israel – then this might just be the concluding piece.
It is also a particularly nasty and capricious piece of lawfare, with Channel 12 explaining the onus would now be on the surviving family members having to demonstrate why the immunity protecting UNRWA workers should be revoked.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A county in Georgia is being sued for destroying a man's home while he was in the middle of a renovation project.
The Institute for Justice said the owner, Eric Arnold, tried to convince a demolition crew to hold off, but they refused.
They had been sent by the Macon-Bibb County officials to bulldoze the structure, under the claim that the work was part of a campaign to get rid of "blight."
There had been no court proceedings, no notice and there has been no financial compensation, the IJ reported.
The county's actions "violated Eric's constitutional rights to notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. To vindicate those rights and others, Eric has teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to sue Macon-Bibb County in state court."
Lawyer Christie Hebert, who is working on the case, said, "Property rights are the bedrock of American society. To arbitrarily destroy Eric's house without even the courtesy of letting him know is wrong ethically and wrong under the law."
The IJ explained there was no reason to demolish the home.
"While he still had work to do, the yard was neat, the exterior was clean, the house was locked up, and, most importantly, it was in a vastly improved state of repair compared to when he purchased it. But the county demolished it anyway as part of its aggressive blight fight," the IJ reported.
In fact, the county has destroyed more than 800 homes in recent years.
The destruction agenda is through a "fast-tracked, secret code enforcement process that completely avoids court proceedings and deprives property owners of a meaningful chance to protect their property. In some cases, like Eric's, the county doesn't even bother to notify the owners before knocking their house down."
He had moved from New Jersey to Georgia to be closer to his family's roots, and bought a fixer-upper.
He started on repairs immediately.
"To spend all that time and money and sweat and end up with nothing but a bare piece of land, it's devastating," said Eric. "What's worse is that if I try to rebuild or buy another property, I have no guarantee this won't happen again. It's just not right."
His notification came when a neighbor called and told him demolition crews were installing a dumpster at his home.
He pleaded with county officials to wait and provided documentation regarding his repairs and upgrades.
The county's response was a squad of "armed code enforcement officers to ensure a property that was actively being restored was demolished in the name of the blight fight."
The lawsuit is to hold county officials responsible for their constitutional violations and destruction of private property.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Officials in the Arizona town of Payson have decided to borrow $70 million and use it for various projects they want, and they've called it an "emergency," a move that deprives residents of a constitutional time frame to oppose it, simply because they think that interest rates might go up.
And they might. Or they might not.
But the maneuver has triggered a lawsuit against the city, its officials and their actions.
According to case brought by the Goldwater Institute, the bond sale was described as an "emergency" in order to prevent residents from having an opportunity to organize a referendum and opposition.
"That's illegal, and the Goldwater Institute is seeking immediate relief in the form of a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction before the bond sale closes and it's too late," the organization reported.
"The Arizona Constitution and statute guarantee the popular right of referendum: that is, voters' rights to refer a bill, ordinance, or resolution to the ballot and vote on it."
City officials used a "narrow exception" that allows for "emergency" actions, "where immediate government action is necessary to preserve peace, health, or safety," the organization reported.
But in this case, "no such emergency exists … and the town cannot bypass democratic accountability and impose $70 million of debt on Payson taxpayers without giving them a say."
The city's "purported 'emergency' is a sham: the only 'emergency' is the council's desire to immediately sell the Obligations to secure the best, available [sic] economic terms therefor,'" the institute explains.
"That is not an emergency."
"In fact, even the town's own staff admitted during a presentation on the bond measure that they have 'no ability to predict interest rates,' that the bond market has been consistently favorable throughout the past year, and that recent presidential elections (the supposed reason for anticipated rate increases) have seen bond rates increase, if at all, by at most 0.6–0.8 percentage points."
The lawsuit is on behalf of resident Deborah Rose, who opposes the spending schemes.
"Our leaders want our money, but not our vote," she explained. "They're trying to take advantage of legal loopholes to saddle their own constituents with tens of millions of dollars of debt, systematically stripping power from the people by ignoring laws and twisting their truths."
The case is in Gila County Superior Court.
Actually, the "Arizona Constitution guarantees the right of referendum: the right of Arizonans to circulate petitions and refer bills, ordinances, and resolutions for a popular vote. It's a cornerstone of democratic accountability in Arizona, and it means that the people—not politicians—have the last word in state and local government," the institute reported.
The case accuses the city of trying to close on the bonds by the end of the month.
Former President Donald Trump has promised voters a ban on sanctuary cities should he be elected to a 2nd term in the White House in November.
Speaking to a crowd of 10,000 at Aero Center Wilmington in North Carolina, Trump promised, "Today, I am announcing a new plan to end all sanctuary cities in North Carolina and all across our country."
Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions typically run by Democrats that will refuse to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in order to harbor illegal immigrants, even if those illegal immigrants have committed heinous crimes.
Trump continued saying, "I will ask Congress to pass a law outlawing sanctuary cities nationwide, and we will bring down the full weight of the federal government on any jurisdiction that refuses to cooperate."
This promise is an important one but also serves as a reminder that Trump voters must mobilize to vote in down-ballot races to ensure that the GOP has control of Congress in order for Trump's agenda to succeed.
No More Sanctuary Cities
Trump emphatically vowed that "As soon as I take office I will surge federal law enforcement to every city that is failing — which is a lot of them — to turn over criminal aliens, and we will hunt down and capture every single gang member, drug dealer, rapist, murderer and migrant criminal that is being illegally harbored."
Sanctuary cities have become a real problem as they are quite literally harboring murderers and rapists and endangering their own citizens in the name of protecting illegal immigrants.
North Carolina has been particularly affected by sanctuary city policies as the swing state's urban areas are ruled by Democrats which is a common phenomenon in nearly every state.
Senator Tom Tillis (R-NC) has been leading the charge against sanctuary cities saying, "For too long, we have watched local jurisdictions in North Carolina and across the country ignore the lawful notification and detainer requests made by ICE agents and instead release dangerous criminals back into their communities and put innocent lives at risk."
Numerous horrific crimes committed by illegal aliens like the murder of nursing student Laken Riley caught the attention of the nation.
Democrats are doing everything in their power to protect those killers no matter the cost.
Senator Tillis continued saying, "It is clear President Biden and liberal politicians want to prioritize reckless sanctuary policies over public safety. It is time for Congress to step in and put an end to this madness by holding sanctuary cities accountable and empowering ICE to gain custody of criminal illegal immigrants so they can’t cause more harm and violence."
Immigration Referendum
Under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the southern border is wide open and millions of illegal immigrants have poured into the United States. Americans are angry about this and have made it clear that it will be a big issue in November.
The election is a referendum of sorts on immigration and the border crisis and Trump is leaning into that discontent and is promising a total reversal of everything Biden-Harris.
Americans have dealt with illegal immigrants receiving preferential treatment while receiving taxpayer benefits and Americans are fed up with it. While states like North Carolina will be close in November, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Harris overcomes the odds.
Many have criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their seeming lack of ability to get the border crisis under control.
But as many others have pointed out, the immigration disaster at the southern U.S. border is not incompetence, rather, according to Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, has been carried out "on purpose."
According to Breitbart, during a House Oversight Committee hearing last month, Krikorian revealed that he's sure that the Biden-Harris administration purposely got behind the idea of allowing as many migrants in as possible.
He said that even though the border policies are contrary to federal immigration law, Biden and Harris, along with their top Cabinet members, have let their ideologies dictate border policy, on purpose.
What did he say?
Krikorian held nothing back in his assessment of what has really happened on the immigration front since Biden and Harris took office.
"The Biden-Harris record on immigration is the result of neither incompetence nor failure. The largest border crisis in the history of our country, probably the largest such event in human history, began on January 20, 2021, on purpose — not due to incompetence,” he said at the time.
He added, "Since that date, there have been more than 10 million encounters of inadmissible aliens at our borders, millions of whom have been and who continue to be unlawfully allowed to enter the United States."
"This did not happen because the Biden-Harris administration and its impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas made mistakes or miscalculations," he continued.
Krikorian went on to explain that there are two different ways of looking at immigration, and noted that the current administration's view is that anyone in the world has a right to come here and that American citizens have no say in the matter.
His view
The immigration expert isn't a fan of using the term "open borders" and prefers instead to call it "unlimited immigration."
Krikorian said, "I would describe the Biden-Harris approach to immigration as one of unlimited immigration that holds that any limits on the levels of immigration are morally indefensible and circumventing those limits by any means is a moral duty."
The Biden-Harris administration will face the music on the immigration issue at the polls in November.
Many believe that most Americans will vote for their safety over ideology regarding that particular topic. Let's hope so.
