‘Yo, ABC!’: AOC Heckled as ‘Loser’ Over Border, Hamas Remarks

Luis Cornelio
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‘Yo, ABC!’: AOC Heckled as ‘Loser’ Over Border, Hamas Remarks

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., faced a heckling incident in New York City where a man referred to her as “stupid” and “such a loser” while she took a stroll in the city, Shores News Network reported on Saturday. 

The altercation, recorded by an unidentified man, occurred as Ocasio-Cortez walked on the sidewalk with her husband and another person.

The man could be heard saying, “Yoo, ABC!” to which an unsuspecting Ocasio-Cortez cheerfully responded, “Heey!”

He then asked, “You gonna condemn Hamas and the terrorist attack or what?” 

Referring to a viral video where Ocasio-Cortez struggled to name the branches of government, he questioned, “You know the three branches of government yet?”

The date of the video isn’t immediately clear. However, it likely occurred around Christmas, as the man shouted, “Enjoy your Christmas shopping while we care.” 

Despite Ocasio-Cortez seemingly dismissing the remarks and walking away while laughing, the man continued voicing his sentiments. 

“You are such a loser. You’re so stupid. You’re the worst. You suck. You are the absolute worst,” he continued. “Condemn the Hamas attacks. Go bring some more COVID back from Florida. It’s executive, judicial and legislative branches.” 

The man also brought up Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a close friend and ally of Ocasio-Cortez. “You’re horrible. Keep laughing, keep laughing. You and Ilham Omar: Two peas in a pod! Two peas in a pod!”

Another man chimed in, shouting, “Close the border. Close the border!” 

This wouldn’t be the first time Ocasio-Cortez has been confronted by her constituents. In September 2023, during an attempted press conference on the immigration chaos in New York City, she was overshadowed by protests.

“Send them back!” one man shouted, while others held signs that read, “Americans First: Vetted & legal migrants only.” 

Another added, “Close the border! Close the border! Respect the Constitution, AOC. I am your constituent.” 

Months earlier, at a curse-ridden town hall meeting, fired-up constituents expressed anger with the lawmaker. “Where are you on the migrant issue? You’re a piece of s—t!”

Maine State Secretary’s Home ‘Swatted’ Following Infamous Anti-Trump Order

Luis Cornelio
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Maine State Secretary’s Home ‘Swatted’ Following Infamous Anti-Trump Order

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows claimed her home fell victim to a swatting incident on Saturday night, adding her name to a growing list of U.S. politicians who’ve faced false police reports since Christmas. 

In a lengthy Facebook post, Bellows claimed that her home address was leaked online following her unilateral decision to oust former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot, citing alleged involvement in what Democrats describe as an “insurrection” on Jan. 6. 

Bellows said she was not home when the fake police report occurred. However, she raised the alarm about growing threats directed toward her and her staff. 

“We were not home yesterday when threats escalated, and our home address was posted online,” she alleged. “It was a good thing because our home was swatted last night. That’s when someone calls in a fake emergency to evoke a strong law enforcement response to scare the target. Swatting incidents have resulted in casualties although thankfully this one did not.”

Bellows decried the alleged swatting as “unacceptable.” Swatting happens when someone falsely reports or threatens a serious crime at a fake address, leading to a strong police response.

“The non-stop threatening communications the people who work for me endured all day yesterday is unacceptable,” Bellows added. 

“It’s designed to scare not only me but also others into silence, to send a message.  I am so grateful to have such an amazing team of employees at the Department of Secretary of State,” she continued.

Local media reported on Saturday that the Maine State Police is investigating the fake emergency call. Reports indicate that a man called emergency services claiming to have broken into a residence, later identified as Bellows’s home.

The swatting incident occurred within a week of several U.S. politicians, including Democrats and Republicans, experiencing similar incidents during the Christmas holiday. 

Among those affected were Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Sen. Rick Scott, multiple Georgia state legislators, an Ohio lawmaker, a former Nebraska legislator, and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Brandon Williams.

Bellows’s incident followed her controversial decision to ban Trump, the leading Republican nominee for president, from appearing on the state’s Republican primary ballot. 

Bellows cited Maine law and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to justify Trump’s disqualification from holding elected office over the Jan. 6 protest. 

Notably, Trump has neither been charged nor convicted of such an offense, leaving many legal experts baffled at the decision.

Pro-Hamas NJ Man Busted Trying to Join Islamist Terrorist Group in Somalia

Luis Cornelio
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Pro-Hamas NJ Man Busted Trying to Join Islamist Terrorist Group in Somalia

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA)  Federal prosecutors caught a New Jersey man allegedly attempting to join a Somali-based terrorist organization following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel.

Karrem Nasr, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was detained in Nairobi, Kenya after disclosing to an FBI confidential source his plan to travel to Somalia to join al-Shabaab, a foreign designated terrorist organization, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment.

According to prosecutors, he cited Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel as his primary inspiration but had previously expressed support for Somali terror group. 

“Karrem Nasr traveled across the globe in an alleged attempt to join the ranks of a foreign terrorist organization – an organization that has repeatedly expressed its desire to harm Americans around the world,’ said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith in a press statement. 

Al-Shabaab, also known Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin, is Sunni Islamist military group seized over most of southern Somalia in 2006.

The group’s leadership has ties to Al-Qaeda and has claimed responsibility for multiple bombings, according to the office of the Director of National Intelligence. It has been designed as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since March 2008.

Nasr allegedly relocated from New Jersey to Egypt during the summer of 2023, voicing his plan to wage jihad by joining the Somali-based terror group since November 2023. 

Prosecutors alleged that Nasr booked a flight and a hotel in Kenya, intending to meet with al-Shabaab members for further travel to Somalia. On Dec. 14, he landed in Kenya, before being apprehended by local authorities. He was ultimately transported to the U.S. on Dec. 28.

If found guilty, he could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He’s charged with attempting to provide material support to al-Shabaab.

The investigation was made possible through joint efforts between the FBI, the Southern District of New York and the New York City Police Department, a press release announced.

“Instead of embracing all that the United States had to offer him, Mr. Nasr allegedly moved abroad and committed himself to supporting a foreign terrorist organization,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban.

“The provision of support to such a group – particularly by an American citizen – is a heinous threat to our entire country and way of life,” Caban added.

Nasr reportedly described the United States as “evil America” and as the “head of the snake.” He voiced threats against the U.S. in several tweets. 

“Jihad on your home turf,” said Nasr through a Twitter account named “Egyptian Muslim,” according to prosecutors. “Coming soon to a US location near you,” he continued.

Iranian with Terrorist Ties Apprehended at Northern Border

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Iranian with Terrorist Ties Apprehended at Northern Border

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – An Iranian with terrorist ties was caught after illegally entering the U.S. near Niagara Falls, New York, as a record number of known, suspected terrorists (KSTs) were apprehended in the first three months of fiscal 2024 at the northern border.

After the Iranian was apprehended, agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations-Buffalo office removed him on Dec. 21.

The Iranian national first attempted to enter the U.S. on Oct. 10 by presenting himself to American immigration authorities at the Rainbow Bridge Pedestrian Walkway in Niagara Falls, New York. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers denied him entry and returned him to the Canada Border Services Agency the same day.

Two days later, on Oct. 12, he illegally entered the U.S. in another area attempting to bypass agents stationed at the Whirlpool Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls, New York. He illegally entered outside of the port of entry, “without being admitted or paroled by a designated immigration official,” ICE said, but he was apprehended.

The Iranian national is also a permanent resident of Canada, identified as a national security priority who was wanted by Canadian authorities on assault charges, ICE said.

On Nov. 8, ICE ERO Buffalo agents served him with an expedited removal order and on Dec. 21, agents removed him to Canada.

“The strong law enforcement partnership between ERO Buffalo and Canadian law enforcement authorities is imperative to increasing national security and preventing dangerous individuals from fleeing justice,” ICE ERO Buffalo Field Office Director Thomas Brophy said. “The Canadian resident’s return to Canada to face charges is due to the dedicated officers on both sides of the border, working in tandem, to provide public safety for our communities.”

The announcement came as CBP Office of Field Operations agents apprehended a record 45 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) at northern border ports of entry since Oct. 1, the beginning of fiscal 2024, according to CBP data. Border Patrol agents apprehended one KST between ports of entry over the same time period. By contrast, 34 KSTs were apprehended at the southwest border over the same time period (30 between ports of entry and four at them).

So far, in the first three months of fiscal 2024, 80 KSTs have been apprehended at both borders, with the majority, 46, at the northern border.

The numbers are on track to exceed those apprehended in fiscal 2023 of 736. The majority, 487, or 66%, were apprehended at the northern border.

The total of 736 is the greatest number of KSTs apprehended in recorded U.S. history.

The Terrorist Screening Dataset is the federal database that contains sensitive information on terrorist identities, CBP said. It originated as a consolidated terrorist watchlist “to house information on known or suspected terrorists but evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals.”

By comparison, OFO and Border Patrol agents combined apprehended a total of 478 KSTs in fiscal 2022, 173 in fiscal 2021, 199 in fiscal 2020, 541 in fiscal 2019, 357 in fiscal 2018, and 353 in fiscal 2017.

California to Give ‘Free’ Healthcare to 700,000 Illegals

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California to Give ‘Free’ Healthcare to 700,000 Illegals

(Headline USA) More than 700,000 illegal immigrants living in California will gain access to “free” health care on Monday.

It will eventually cost the state about $3.1 billion per year.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers agreed in 2022 to provide health care access to all low-income adults regardless of their immigration status through the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal.

California is the most populous state to guarantee such coverage, though Oregon began doing so in July.

Newsom called the expansion “a transformative step towards strengthening the health care system for all Californians” when he proposed the changes two years ago.

As the program kicks off next week, California faces a record $68 billion budget deficit, raising questions and concerns about the economic ramifications of the expansion.

“Regardless of what your position is on this, it doesn’t make sense for us to be adding to our deficit,” said Republican Sen. Roger Niello, the vice-chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

The update will be California’s largest health care expansion since the 2014 implementation of former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which allowed states to include adults who fall below 138% of the federal poverty level in their Medicaid programs.

California’s uninsured rate dropped from about 17% to 7%.

California first extended health care benefits to illegal children in 2015 and later added the benefits for young adults and people over the age of 50.

Now the last remaining group, illegals aged 26 to 49, will be eligible for the state’s Medicaid program.

The state doesn’t know exactly how many people will enroll through the expansion, but state officials said more than 700,000 illegals will gain full health coverage allowing them to access preventative care and other treatment. That’s larger than the entire Medicaid population of several states.

State officials estimated the expansion will cost $1.2 billion the first six months and $3.1 billion annually thereafter from the budget. Spending for the Medi-Cal program, which is now about $37 billion annually, is the second-largest expense in the California budget, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Finance sent a letter urging state agencies to cut costs in light of the deficit.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Department of Justice to Sue Texas Over Border Bill

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Department of Justice to Sue Texas Over Border Bill

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice says it will sue Texas over a new law that makes illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country between ports of entry a state crime.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law on Dec. 18, saying its goal is to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.” It creates a new state criminal offense for illegal entry into Texas from a foreign nation. Repeat offenders who illegally reenter Texas can face a prison sentence of up to 20 years, according to the new law.

Although the law is slated to go into effect March 5, it will likely be halted, held up by two lawsuits.

Within less than 24 hours of Abbott signing the bill into law, El Paso County and several groups sued. Their lawsuit argues SB 4 created Texas’ “own immigration entry and re-entry crimes; state police arrest noncitizens for alleged violations of these crimes; state prosecutors bring charges in state courts; state judges order deportation; and state officers carry out those orders. The federal government has no role in, and no control over, Texas’s scheme.”

One of their attorneys said, “Governor Abbott’s efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status.”

The U.S. Justice Department agrees.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton on Thursday sent a letter to Abbott that states SB 4 is unconstitutional and will disrupt federal government operations. CBS News published the letter, which constitutes notice that the DOJ intends to bring a lawsuit to enforce the supremacy of federal law and enjoin the enforcement of SB 4.

Texas has until Jan. 3 “confirm” that SB 4 will not be enforced. If it doesn’t, he said, the DOJ “will pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government.”

In response to the letter, Abbott posted a statement on social media, stating, “The Biden Administration not only refuses to enforce current U.S. immigration laws, they now want to stop Texas from enforcing laws against illegal immigration. I’ve never seen such hostility to the rule of law in America. Biden is destroying America. Texas is trying to save it.”

Abbott has said he intends to take all legal challenges on Texas border bills to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Boyton says the Texas law preempts and violates the U.S. Constitution and conflicts with various provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It also “improperly regulates the movement of persons across an international boundary and undermines the United States’ foreign relations.”

It notes that the U.S. Constitution “tasks the federal government with regulating immigration and controlling the international borders.”

When signing SB 4 into law, Abbott said President Joe Biden’s “deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself,” pointing to Article 1 Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution, which empowers states “to take action to defend themselves and that is exactly what Texas is doing.”

Lawsuits filed over SB 4 and others currently before the Fifth Circuit over Texas’ concertina and marine barriers are expected to be decided by the nation’s highest court.

The Texas legislature has allocated more than $11.5 billion in taxpayer money toward state border security efforts. Texas’ actions were implemented as more than 1.9 million foreign nationals illegally crossed into the state from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2023, The Center Square first reported.

Thousands continue to pour in a day, with roughly 50 Texas counties declaring an invasion and more than 60 declaring disaster declarations, citing the border crisis.

Google to Pay $5 Billion for Spying on Users in ‘Incognito Mode’

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Google to Pay $5 Billion for Spying on Users in ‘Incognito Mode’

(Headline USA) Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use.

The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 said Google misled users into believing that it wouldn’t track their internet activities while using incognito mode.

It argued that Google’s advertising technologies and other techniques continued to catalog details of users’ site visits and activities despite their use of supposedly “private” browsing.

Plaintiffs also charged that Google’s activities yielded an “unaccountable trove of information” about users who thought they’d taken steps to protect their privacy.

The settlement, reached Thursday, must still be approved by a federal judge.

Terms weren’t disclosed, but the suit originally sought $5 billion on behalf of users.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they expect to present the court with a final settlement agreement by Feb. 24.

The big tech firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Girls’ Stand Against Trans Participation in Sports Sets Up 2024 Legal Battle

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Girls’ Stand Against Trans Participation in Sports Sets Up 2024 Legal Battle

(Casey Harper, The Center Square) – Four high school female track athletes in Connecticut have stood against the influx of transgender athletes seeking to compete against girls in school sports, likely setting up a defining legal battle of 2024.

The U.S. Court of Appeals rescued the legal challenge, Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools, in December after a lower court dismissed the case. Now, the case will be heard in federal district court and will be a defining moment in the ongoing debate, which has been ramped up by a string of injuries to female athletes at the hands of transgender athletes in recent months.

Those girls say allowing biological boys to compete is unfair and violates Title IX, the federal law that established and protected female school sports by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.

The girls in question are Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and Ashley Nicoletti, who say they personally lost to male athletes identifying as female.

They point out that from 2017 to 2019, two transgender athletes won 15 women’s track championship titles, titles that were previously held by nine female athletes.

Soule missed qualifying for a state championship by one spot after the two transgender athletes finished ahead of her. Nicoletti also missed the opportunity to compete at a state championship open because the transgender athletes finished ahead of her.

Mitchell, who was once ranked the fastest girl in Connecticut, lost four state championships to the transgender athletes. Smith finished behind a transgender athlete at a regional championship, pushing her back to 3rd place instead of 2nd place.

“Selina, Chelsea, Alanna, and Ashley – like all female athletes – deserve access to fair competition,” ADF Senior Counsel Roger Brook said in a statement. “The [Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference] policy degraded each of their accomplishments and scarred their athletic records, irreparably harming each female athlete’s interest in accurate recognition of her athletic achievements.”

Notably, the court said the girls who filed the lawsuit had suffered injury and thus were able to file the legal challenge.

“Plaintiffs all personally competed in high school track in Connecticut, and they all identified instances in which they raced against and finished behind one or both Intervenors,” the court said, adding that, “With these assumptions in mind, we conclude that Plaintiffs adequately pled a concrete, particularized, and actual injury in fact: the alleged denial of equal athletic opportunity and concomitant loss of publicly recognized titles and placements during track and field competitions in which they participated against and finished behind” the transgender athletes.”

The case has attracted national attention and will likely set significant precedent in the ongoing battle over biological males attempting to enter female sports in schools.

Proponents of the transgender athletes’ participation say it is unfair to prevent them from competing.

ADF boasted that a range of athletes, coaches, advocacy groups and 23 states have backed the female athletes filing 12 friend-of-the-court briefs with the 2nd Circuit.

“The en banc 2nd Circuit was right to allow these brave women to make their case under Title IX and set the record straight,” Brook said in a statement. “This is imperative not only for the women who have been deprived of medals, potential scholarships, and other athletic opportunities, but for all female athletes across the country.”

NYPD Clarifies: No ‘Credible Threats’ on New Year’s Eve Bash 

Luis Cornelio
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NYPD Clarifies: No ‘Credible Threats’ on New Year’s Eve Bash 

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York City officials declared Friday that there are no “specific credible threats” ahead of the city’s popular New Year’s Eve party. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, however, cautioned that law enforcement will be on high alert and fully deployed during the Times Square ball drop event. 

“We will be out here with our K-9s, on horseback, our helicopters, our boats,” Adams said during a Friday press conference. “The full complement of our public safety apparatus will be on display.” 

Individuals planning to attend the event will be prohibited from carrying backpacks, duffel bags, and packages. Alcohol is also banned, the mayor said.

“The entire team over at intel, they are monitoring the usual chatter and as Chief [Jeff Maddrey] said, there are no specific threats to the city,” Adams declared.

“But as we saw last year, after having no specific threats we get a threat,” he added, referring to the Islamist machete attack against an officer on his first day on the job. 

NYPD Chief Maddrey reiterated the city’s readiness for the New Year’s Eve celebrations during the press conference. 

“Our special operations, our counterterrorism units, our canine units will be deployed all throughout Times Square—throughout the city,” he said. “There will be a large contingency of officers you won’t see as well, many plainclothes ensuring the safety of our city.” 

Earlier this week, Adams said that pro-Palestinian hecklers might attempt to disrupt the holiday celebrations in Times Square.

“We’re sure there’s gonna be some type of attempt this year,” he said on Dec. 27 press conference. “Everyone looks for events like this if they want to do bad things, and the police department is on top of it.”

His comments followed violent clashes between pro-Palestinian and NYPD officers during the family-friendly Christmas tree lighting event at the Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, resulting in the arrest of at least six individuals. 

Joe Biden Takes 418th Vacation

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Joe Biden Takes 418th Vacation

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) On Dec. 27, 2023, Joe Biden took another vacation day to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for New Year, marking it his 418th since he stepped into the Oval Office.

The Republican National Committee’s Vacation Tracker reported the same day that Biden already spent 39% of his presidency on vacation, which is 353 days, the Daily Fetched reported.

Biden flew to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with several family members, according to Breitbart. However, the White House refused to say how many members would join him and his wife, Jill.

The corrupt family will spend one week far away from Americans and their struggles at a beachfront home that is owned by Democrat donors before returning to Washington D.C. on Jan. 2, 2024.

“The Bidens have stayed there in the past as guests, but the White House declined to say whether they will pay their own way this time,” the New York Times reported.

Breitbart also wrote that, in August 2022, Biden spent a record 150 days of his presidency on vacation at his home in Delaware in the 18 months since he stepped into the Oval Office.

The news source also wrote that in 2021, he was ensconced at Camp David as the world watched Kabul, Afghanistan, fall to the Taliban amid the mass evacuations.

Unlike Biden, Donald Trump spent only 132 days away from the White House at his own properties, either at Mar-a-Lago in the winter or Bedminster, N.J., throughout his entire four years of presidency.

The White House staffers tried to defend Biden’s constant vacations by saying that his not being in the White House doesn’t mean that he isn’t working.

“One would hope that President Biden is working when he is on ‘vacation’ in Delaware, [but] the unwillingness of the White House to disclose his official visitors at Delaware suggests that there is something to hide — including that Biden is completely checked out from his job when away from the White House,” Tom Fitton, president of conservative transparency group Judicial Watch, said.

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