Major Eric Adams and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott traded barbs — and blame — Monday following the latest arrival of asylum-seeking Mexican-border migrants relocated from the Lone Star State to the Big Apple.
Adams accused Abbott of being “anti-American” for “shipping” busloads of migrants to New York City in response to what the Republican governor calls President Biden’s “open border policies.”
“Be a true American,” Adams said during an unrelated news conference at Corona Flushing Meadows Park in Queens.
“This is a place where the Statue of Liberty sits in the harbor. And we say, ‘Bring us your tired, those who are yearning to be free.’ And that’s what these asylum seekers are doing.’”
Adams added: “And I don’t think anything is more anti-American than shipping people on a bus, 45-hour trip, without any of the basic needs that they have, or direction, or coordination…There is a humanitarian part of being an American and I think that there’s nothing more anti-American than what he’s displaying right now.”
Major Eric Adams called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “anti-American” for sending buses of migrants to New York City.Matthew McDermottMigrants from the border in Texas arriving at the 42nd Street bus terminal in Manhattan on August 7, 2022.GNMiller/NYPost
“These migrants willingly chose to go to New York City, having signed a voluntary consent waiver, available in multiple languages, upon boarding that they agreed on the destination,” spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a prepared statement.
“If the mayor wants a solution to this crisis, he should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border — something the President continues failing to do.”
Abbott’s office told The Post that about 100 migrants had been sent to New York so far.
On Friday, after 50-plus migrants disembarked at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, Abbott said he planned to continue the program indefinitely, calling New York City an “ideal destination” due to its generous treatment of homeless people.
On Sunday, Adams said only 14 migrants “got off” a bus that officials were “led to believe” should have held about 40 people.
It’s unclear what happened to the others, but Adams said Monday that some were “re-ticketed and went to new locations.”
City Hall later said they received reports that “nonprofits and church groups” have funded some migrants’ travel to other locations.
A spokesperson for Abbott said it was hypocritical for Adams to be upset at migrants arriving since New York is a “sanctuary city.”Chris Rusanowsky/ZUMA Press WireAccording to Abbott’s office, 100 migrants have been sent to New York so far.foxnews
Adams — who’s said that the city’s shelter system was being overloaded by migrants — also said he’d be taking part in a conference call with the White House as early as Monday afternoon to get “the assistance that we need.”
“When it comes down to hotels, we have a requirement and a mandate by law as being a right-to-shelter city, we have a requirement to house within a period of time and we’re going to use every available means to do so,” he said.
“And that is what we’re doing and we’re living up to that mandate.”
Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer whose breathy voice and wholesome beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the ’70s and charmed generations of viewers in the blockbuster movie “Grease,” died on Monday, according to a statement from her husband . She was 73.”Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote in a statement on the singer’s verified Instagram account. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with her breast cancer.”The singer revealed in September 2018 that she was treating cancer at the base of her spine. It was her third cancer diagnosis of her, following bouts with breast cancer in the early ’90s and in 2017. Her rise to fame Thanks to a string of country and soft-rock hits, Newton-John was already a popular singer by the late 1970s . But her co-starring role opposite John Travolta in 1978’s “Grease,” arguably the most popular movie musical of all time, lifted her to a new level of stardom. Although she had little acting experience (and turned 29 during filming), Newton- John gave an indelible performance as Sandy, a sweet-natured Australian transfer student who romances Travolta’s alpha greaser Danny at a Southern California high school in the 1950s.Their onscreen chemistry as mismatched lovebirds who undergo final-act makeovers to win each others’ hearts — she ditches her frilly dresses for heels, leather, spandex and a cigarette — anchored the movie and inspired repeat viewings by legions of fans.”I don’t think anyone could have imagined a movie would go on almost 40 years and would still be popular and people would still be talking to me about it all the time and loving it,” Newton-John told CNN in 2017. “It’s just one of those movies. I’m very lucky to have been a part of it. It’s given so many people pleasure.”F ile video below: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta reunite for the 40th anniversary of “Grease” in 2018 Newton-John sang on three of the movie’s biggest hits: the duets “You’re The One That I Want” and “Summer Nights ” with Travolta, and her swoony solo ballad, “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” Born in Cambridge, England in 1948, Newton-John moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia, when she was five. After winning a talent contest on a TV show, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” as a teen she formed an all-girl group and began appearing on weekly pop music programs in Australia. Newton-John recorded her first single in England in 1966 and scored a few international hits, but she remained largely unknown to US audiences until 1973, when “Let Be There” became a top-10 hit on both the adult contemporary and the country charts. A series of No. 1 easy-listening hits followed, including “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “Please Mr. Please.” Then came “Grease,” which was 1978’s top-grossing movie and became an enduring cultural phenomenon. John an opportunity to change her squeaky-clean image. The cover of her next album, “Totally Hot,” featured the singer in black leather, while its songs had an edgier, more contemporary pop sound. Travolta posted a statement in tribute to Newton-John following the news of her passing Monday.” My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” the actor wrote on Instagram. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much.”‘Physical’In 1981, she took her new, sexier persona a step further with “Physical,” a dance number with such suggestive lyrics as, “There’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally.” Banned by several radio stations, it became her biggest hit, spending 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. She also appeared in several more big-budget movies, including the musical fantasy “Xanadu” with Hollywood legend Gene Kelly in his final screen role. The film bombed, but its soundtrack sold well and spawned “Magic,” a No. 1 hit. In 1983 she teamed with Travolta again for “Two of a Kind,” a romantic comedy-fantasy, but it failed to recapture their “Grease ” spark.Over a lengthy career, Newton-John won four Grammy Awards and sold more than 100 million albums. “I’ve had many lives in music. I’ve had country when I started, then I crossed over into pop,” she told CNN. “I had ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Grease,’ many songs in between. I feel very grateful. I have such a large repertoire to choose from.”Overcoming tragedyBut Newton-John also faced her share of troubles and tragedy. Her de ella breast cancer diagnoses de ella forced her to postpone and cancel several tours.Video below: Newton-John aiming to rid the world of cancer in her lifetime And in 2005 Newton-John’s then-boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, disappeared at sea while on a fishing trip off the coast of California. He was never found — an unsolved mystery that haunted the singer for years.”It’s very hard to live with that,” she told CNN’s Larry King in 2006. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been through a lot of things.” Although her career profile dimmed in her later years, Newton-John never stopped recording and performing. Among her highlights were guest appearances on “Glee,” a long-running “Summer Nights” residence at the Flamingo Las Vegas and a dance-club hit, “You Have to Believe,” recorded with daughter Chloe.”I love to sing, it’s all I know how to do,” she told CNN in 2017. “That’s all I’ve ever done since I was 15, so it’s my life. I feel very grateful that I can still do it and people still come to see me .”
Olivia Newton-John, the Australian singer whose breathy voice and wholesome beauty made her one of the biggest pop stars of the ’70s and charmed generations of viewers in the blockbuster movie “Grease,” died on Monday, according to a statement from her husband . She was 73.
“Dame Olivia Newton-John passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” her husband, John Easterling, wrote in a statement on the singer’s verified Instagram account. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.”
The singer revealed in September 2018 that she was treating cancer at the base of her spine. It was her third cancer diagnosis of her, following bouts with breast cancer in the early ’90s and in 2017.
Her rise to fame
Thanks to a string of country and soft-rock hits, Newton-John was already a popular singer by the late 1970s. But her co-starring role as Ella opposite John Travolta in 1978’s “Grease,” arguably the most popular movie musical of all time, lifted her to a new level of stardom.
Although she had little acting experience (and turned 29 during filming), Newton-John gave an indelible performance as Sandy, a sweet-natured Australian transfer student who romances Travolta’s alpha greaser Danny at a Southern California high school in the 1950s.
Their onscreen chemistry as mismatched lovebirds who undergo final-act makeovers to win each others’ hearts — she ditches her frilly dresses for heels, leather, spandex and a cigarette — anchored the movie and inspired repeat viewings by legions of fans.
“I don’t think anyone could have imagined a movie would go on almost 40 years and would still be popular and people would still be talking to me about it all the time and loving it,” Newton-John told CNN in 2017. ” It’s just one of those movies. I’m very lucky to have been a part of it. It’s given so many people pleasure.”
File video below: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta reunite for the 40th anniversary of “Grease” in 2018
Newton-John sang on three of the movie’s biggest hits: the duets “You’re The One That I Want” and “Summer Nights” with Travolta, and her swoony solo ballad, “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”
Born in Cambridge, England in 1948, Newton-John moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia, when she was five. After winning a talent contest on a TV show, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” as a teen she formed an all-girl group and began appearing on weekly pop music programs in Australia.
Newton-John recorded her first single in England in 1966 and scored a few international hits, but she remained largely unknown to US audiences until 1973, when “Let Be There” became a top-10 hit on both the adult contemporary and the country charts. .
A series of No. 1 easy-listening hits followed, including “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “Please Mr. Please.”
Then came “Grease,” which was 1978’s top-grossing movie and became an enduring cultural phenomenon.
The movie gave Newton-John an opportunity to change her squeaky-clean image. Ella’s cover of her next album, “Totally Hot,” featured the singer in black leather, while her songs had an edgier, more contemporary pop sound.
Travolta posted a statement in tribute to Newton-John following the news of her passing Monday.
“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” the actor wrote on Instagram. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much.”
‘physical’
In 1981, she took her new, sexier persona a step further with “Physical,” a dance number with such suggestive lyrics as, “There’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally.” Banned by several radio stations, it became her biggest hit, spending 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
She also appeared in several more big-budget movies, including the musical fantasy “Xanadu” with Hollywood legend Gene Kelly in his final screen role. The film bombed, but its soundtrack sold well and spawned “Magic,” a No. 1 hit.
In 1983 she teamed with Travolta again for “Two of a Kind,” a romantic comedy-fantasy, but it failed to recapture their “Grease” spark.
Over a long career, Newton-John won four Grammy Awards and sold more than 100 million albums.
“I’ve had many lives in music. I’ve had country when I started, then I crossed over into pop,” she told CNN. “I had ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Grease,’ many songs in between. I feel very grateful. I have such a large repertoire to choose from.”
overcoming tragedy
But Newton-John also faced her share of troubles and tragedy. Her breast cancer diagnoses her forced her to postpone and cancel several tours.
Video below: Newton-John aiming to rid the world of cancer in his lifetime
And in 2005 Newton-John’s then-boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, disappeared at sea while on a fishing trip off the coast of California. He was never found — an unsolved mystery that haunted the singer for years.
“It’s very hard to live with that,” she told CNN’s Larry King in 2006. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been through a lot of things.” Although her career profile dimmed in her later years, Newton-John never stopped recording and performing. Among her highlights were her guest appearances on “Glee,” a long-running “Summer Nights” residence at the Flamingo Las Vegas and a dance-club hit, “You Have to Believe,” recorded with her daughter Ella Chloe.
“I love to sing, it’s all I know how to do,” she told CNN in 2017. “That’s all I’ve ever done since I was 15, so it’s my life. I feel very grateful that I can still do it and people still come to see me.”
WASHINGTON — During his first official trip after recovering from the coronavirus, President Biden flew to eastern Kentucky on Monday and committed federal resources to families whose homes had been condemned or washed away by some of the worst flooding in the state’s history.
After flying over stranded cars and buses and landing to find toppled homes and a shelled-out school, Mr. Biden told local officials his administration would cover the cost of the emergency response to the torrential rain and flooding that left at least 37 people dead.
“Everybody has an obligation to help,” said Mr. Biden, who was standing in front of a condemned home. He added that he wanted to ensure the area was rebuilt in a way that made communities more resilient to deadly storms, floods and natural disasters that he described as a consequence of climate change.
Mr. Biden also said the legislation that the Senate passed Sunday, which includes the largest expenditures ever made by the federal government to slow global warming and to reduce demand for fossil fuels, would help Kentuckians rebuild. His comments from him were likely the start of a fresh campaign to galvanize Democratic voters around his legislative signature win ahead of the midterm elections.
But it will take time for such investments to have an impact on disaster-prone communities. Even with available federal funds, many poor and rural areas lack sufficient capacity to rebuild efficiently. Businesses often lack flood-proofing systems, and many homes remain in plains prone to rising waters.
Few of the homes affected by flooding in the hardest hit areas in Kentucky had flood insurance, according to federal data.
Land in Kentucky built to serve coal miners working underneath hills and mountains has been especially vulnerable to floods after many mines shuttered, leaving homes unprotected to rising waters in nearby rivers. Mr. Biden said on Monday that the state would find help in his bipartisan infrastructure package, which tripled, to $700 million annually, a program intended to reduce damage from flooding by buying or elevating homes at risk from floods.
“It really is going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to rebuild in that kind of way, and that runs head-on into human nature,” said Chad Berginnis, the executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers. “I’d imagine after all that suffering, I would just want to get back to normal. That’s the human nature side of this, but it is so important we pause and thoughtfully rebuild so that next flood doesn’t happen.”
That human cost was apparent on Monday. Mr. Biden said it was “incredibly heartbreaking” to see stranded vehicles washed away into creeks and large piles of debris. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said the death toll was likely to rise to 38 people.
How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause.
Mr. Beshear also made clear the federal system built to help those recovering from disasters could improve, noting that “too many” Kentucky residents had been denied assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because of technical errors in the application process.
“Too little is paid to those who get through the system,” Mr. Beshear said. “The people of Eastern Kentucky have lost everything. Most just have the clothes left on their backs. No insurance, no other coverage. Now is the time to fix this issue.”
FEMA had opened 15 shelters across the state as of Monday and delivered 56 truckloads of water, though some wastewater systems were still not fully operational, according to a FEMA daily briefing document. The agency has deployed hundreds of rescue officials to the state and sent more than $3.6 million in the wake of the deadly storms, according to the White House.
Federal grants remain the best hope for local officials aiming to adapt to climate change but who oversee communities with limited tax bases, such as eastern Kentucky, according to Roy Wright, who ran FEMA’s risk mitigation programs until 2018.
The Biden administration has invested billions of dollars in those programs, including adding new money to a grant program at FEMA called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, to try to blunt the effects of climate change.
But the grants are heavily oversubscribed — and communities’ only chance at the money comes if state governments file applications on their behalf.
“They need to lean harder on their state to tap into the dollars that Congress and this administration has made available specifically for this purpose,” said Mr. Wright, who is now president of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a research group .
On that front, the people hit by recent flooding have lately struck out. In the most recent round of funding, Kentucky applied for BRIC grants for just two projects, far fewer than most states. And neither project focused on the eastern part of the state.
In the end, it did not matter. FEMA rejected both applications.
Four people, including two children, who were killed when an alleged drunk driver plowed into their golf cart in Texas over the weekend have now been identified, police said Monday.
Police named Felipe Bentacur, 49, Destiny Uvalle, 25, Brailyn Cantu, 14, and 4-year-old Kaisyn Bentacur as the victims of the fatal crash in Galveston late Saturday night.
The relationship between the four slain victims wasn’t immediately known, but police said two different families were riding in the cart at the time.
Bentacur died at the scene, while Uvalle and the two children were pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.
Two other golf cart passengers, an adult and juvenile, remained in the hospital in critical condition, police said. Their identities haven’t been released publicly.
The six victims had been traveling in the golf cart when a suspected drunk driver, Miguel Espinoza, 45, flew through a stop sign at about 11:30 pm
Galveston police Sgt. Derek Gaspard said Espinoza allegedly crashed his SUV into a pickup truck, which then struck the golf cart.
An alleged drunk driver killed four people after crashing into their golf cart in Texas.Fox 26 Houston
Espinoza and his passenger suffered minor injuries in the ordeal. They were treated in the hospital and later released, police said.
Gaspard said that he believes the rented golf cart was operating legally on the city street at the time of the crash.
Miguel Espinoza allegedly flew through a stop sign at about 11:30 pmFox 26 Houston
Galveston Mayor Craig Brown added that golf carts had become “quite a prolific mode of transportation” for residents and visitors to the island resort area.
“I was out last night,” Brown said on Sunday. “The island was busy and there were golf carts — residential as well as rental golf carts — out all over these streets.”
With Post wires
Galveston police Sgt. Derek Gaspard said the rented golf cart was legally operating on the city street at the time of the crash.Fox 26 Houston
The US Navy has recovered an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet from the Mediterranean Sea.
It was recovered from a depth of around 9,500 feet using a remotely controlled vehicle.
Last month, the aircraft blew off the USS Harry S. Truman during “unexpected heavy weather.”
The US Navy said Monday that it recently recovered a sunken F/A-18E Super Hornet that blew off the deck of an aircraft carrier and into the Mediterranean Sea last month.
The Navy said in a statement that it “successfully recovered” the aircraft last week from a depth of around 9,500 feet.
A team aboard the multi-purpose construction ship Everest used a remote-operated vehicle to attach rigging and lift lines to the jet before using a lifting hook to fish the aircraft from the water and onto the Everest, the Navy said.
“Our task tailored team operated safely and efficiently to meet the timeline. The search and recovery took less than 24 hours, a true testament to the team’s dedication and capability,” Lt. Cmdr. Miguel Lewis, a Sixth Fleet salvage officer who helped recover the aircraft, said in the statement.
The jet blew overboard the USS Harry S. Truman in early July because of “unexpected heavy weather” in the Mediterranean, the Navy said at the time. The carrier was in the middle of a replenishment-at-sea when the plane blew off the deck. One sailor suffered minor injuries but has since recovered.
The incident sparked an investigation, as it was not immediately clear how bad weather was able to toss the heavy aircraft into the sea. Since its recovery, the jet has been sent to a nearby military installation where it will be delivered to the US.
The Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets serve as the main carrier-based fighter jets, though the sea service has begun outfitting some carrier air wings with newer, fifth-generation F-35Cs.
This incident in which an F/A-18 blew overboard marks the third time in less than a year a Western navy has lost a carrier-based fighter to the sea and been forced to deploy additional assets to recover it.
In November last year, a British pilot operating off the UK carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth ditched an F-35B in the Mediterranean, and in January, a US Navy pilot danced out of an F-35C as the strike fighter crashed on the deck of the carrier USS Carl Vinson and slid off into the South China Sea.
A dermatologist in Irvine, California, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of poisoning her husband, police said.
A man reported that he believed he was being poisoned by his wife of 10 years after he grew ill over the course of a month. He also provided video evidence supporting the claim to authorities, police said in a statement.
His wife, Yue Yu, 45, was arrested Thursday after investigators interviewed her and searched the couple’s home. Records show she was released from Orange County Jail after her $30,000 bail was posted on Friday evening. She is due to appear in court today.
Her husband “sustained significant internal injuries but is expected to recover,” police said. The OC Register reported that the husband set up secret cameras to record the evidence shared with police.
Yu attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, according to her office’s website, and now works as a specialist in dermatology in the city of Mission Viejo.
The hospital affiliated with Yu, Providence Mission, issued a statement saying they were aware of the arrest and are working with authorities.
“This incident is a domestic matter which occurred in Irvine, and we want to reassure our community that there has been no impact on our patients,” the hospital said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Yu’s information appeared to be removed from the hospital’s website on Sunday.
The winner of Tuesday’s contest will be the overwhelming general election favorite to take the place of Rep. Peter Welch, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Patrick Leahy. That month, voters will also cast ballots on an amendment to the state constitution that would protect abortion rights.
Balint, a former schoolteacher first elected to the state legislature in 2014, is widely viewed as the frontrunner heading into Tuesday’s election, with Gray her closest rival. What began as a crowded field has thinned over the last few months. Louis Meyers, a physician, is the only other candidate actively campaigning following Sianay Chase Clifford’s withdrawal in July.
A former Welch staffer and Vermont assistant attorney general, Gray’s early momentum appears to have slowed over the summer as her rival solidified progressive support. Balint’s strength has been bolstered by endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the state’s popular independent progressive, and, importantly, state Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, who dropped out of the primary in May and immediately backed Balint, helping to consolidate support on the left.
The contest for Vermont’s lone House seat was triggered by Leahy’s announcement last November that he would retire at the end of the term after nearly 50 years on the job. Welch quickly announced his candidacy to replace Leahy, which cleared the way for the rare open-seat race.
Leahy has not formally endorsed Gray, though he has donated to her cause and said he voted for her. His wife, Marcelle Leahy, endorsed Gray, who also has the support of moderate former Vermont Govs. Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin.
Welch, who won the seat in 2006 when it last came open, has largely steered clear of the primary except to praise the women on the ballot. He won reelection in 2020 with more than 67% of the vote.
Balint and Gray have raised similar amounts of cash over the course of the race, but Balint has benefited from significant outside spending — which Gray’s campaign has repeatedly criticized. The LGBTQ Victory Fund’s PAC has been the biggest player, backing Balant, who is gay, and investing about $1 million on her behalf. The Congressional Progressive Caucus’ campaign arm has also spent nearly $200,000 for Balint.
Rich Clark, a professor at Castleton University and Vermont pollster, said that with so little separating the candidates on policy, branding has become a more influential element in the race.
“I don’t think this is an issues race,” Clark said, a factor that has added more weight to endorsements and the “progressive versus moderate impression” among voters.
Though Gray and Balint are, indeed, closely aligned on almost every major issue, Balint has emerged as the progressive standard-bearer, winning support from Sanders and both senators from neighboring Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is also backing Balint, along with other leading national figures on the left.
“When it comes down to policy, there’s not a lot of space between them, but when it comes down to image, I think there is,” Clark said. “High turnout for us has been about 25% (in primary elections), so we’re not talking about a real representation of the Democratic Party in Vermont. It’ll be the most engaged and they’ll tend to be on the progressive side.”
Balint has outflanked Gray on the left with her clear support for stripping qualified immunity from police, which protects officers from most private lawsuits. Gray has been noncommittal, suggesting in a recent debate that she might support such a move should it extend to a wider swath of public officials.
But even as they sought to carve out distinctions in their views on policing and drug policy, it was a remark by Balint in May, during a forum with members of the Vermont Progressive Party, that provided the debate’s sharpest exchange.
Balint, at a gathering with VPP members this spring, said it would “be an absolute catastrophe if the candidate representing us on the left was Molly Gray,” whom she labeled a “corporatist Democrat.”
During the debate, Gray jabbed Balint over “negative attacks” and said that while Balint subsequently backed off the comment, “There’s never been a personal apology.”
“You can take the opportunity tonight if you want,” Gray said.
Balint did.
“If you took offense to that comment, I apologize,” she said. “If you found it hurtful, I apologize.”
Authorities on Monday identified the fourth victim in a series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the deaths sent ripples of fear through Islamic communities nationwide.
Three of the slayings happened in the last two weeks. Now law enforcement officials are seeking help finding a vehicle believed to be connected to the killings in New Mexico’s largest city. The common elements were the victims’ race and religion, officials said.
Naeem Hussain was killed Friday night, and ambush shootings killed three other Muslim men over the past nine months. Police are trying to determine if the homicides are linked.
The killings have spread fear beyond New Mexico, where Muslims comprise less than 1% of adults in the statewide population of 2.1 million, according to the Pew Research Center.
“The fact the suspect remains at large is terrifying,” Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim community leader in New York, wrote on Twitter. “Who is next?!”
In a phone interview, Almontaser said that a female friend who lives in Michigan and wears the hijab head covering shared with her over the weekend just how rattled she was. “She’s like, ‘This is so terrifying. I’m so scared. I travel alone,’” Almontaser said.
Hussain, 25, was from Pakistan. His death from him came just days after those of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, who were also from Pakistan and members of the same mosque.
The earliest case involves the November killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, from Afghanistan.
Aneela Abad, general secretary at the Islamic Center of New Mexico, described a community reeling from the killings, its grief compounded by confusion and fear of what may follow.
“We are just completely shocked and still trying to comprehend and understand what happened, how and why,” she said.
Three of those killed attended the center, and the fourth was well-known in the community, Abad said.
Some people have avoided going out unless “absolutely necessary,” and some Muslim university students have been wondering whether it is safe for them to stay in the city. The center has also beefed up its security, she said.
Police said the same vehicle is suspected of being used in all four homicides — a dark gray or silver four-door Volkswagen that appears to be a Jetta or Passat with dark tinted windows. Authorities released photos hoping people could help identify the car and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Investigators did not say where the images were taken or what led them to suspect the car was involved in the slayings. Police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said in an email Monday that the agency has received tips regarding the car but did not elaborate.
“We have a very, very strong link,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Sunday. “We have a vehicle of interest… We have got to find this vehicle.”
Gallegos said he could not comment on what kind of gun was used in the shootings, or whether police know how many suspects were involved in the violence.
President Joe Biden said he was “angered and saddened” by the killings and that his administration “stands strongly with the Muslim community.”
“These hateful attacks have no place in America,” Biden said Sunday in a tweet.
The conversation about safety has also dominated WhatsApp groups and email groups that Almontaser is on.
“What we’ve seen happen in New Mexico is very chilling for us as a Muslim minority community in the United States that has endured so much backlash and discrimination” since the 9/11 attacks, she said. “It’s frightening.”
Few anti-Muslim hate crimes have been recorded in Albuquerque over the last five years, according to FBI data cited by Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and a professor of criminal justice at California State University at San Bernardino .
From 2017 through 2020, there was one anti-Muslim hate crime a year. The highest recent number was in 2016, when Albuquerque police recorded six out of a total of 25 hate crimes.
That largely tracks with national trends, which hit the lowest numbers in a decade in 2020, only to increase by 45% in 2021 in a dozen cities and states, Levin said.
Albuquerque authorities say they cannot determine if the slayings were hate crimes until they have identified a suspect and a motive.
Louis Schlesinger, a forensic psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said bias killings are often perpetrated by a small group of people, typically young white men. A lone perpetrator is rare.
“These are basically total losers by every dimension, whether it’s social, economic, psychological, what have you,” he said. “They’re filled with hatred for one reason or another and target a particular group that they see, in their mind, to blame for all their problems in life.”
It was not clear whether the victims knew their attacker or attackers.
The most recent victim was found dead after police received a call of a shooting. Authorities declined to say whether the killing was carried out in a similar way to the other deaths.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain had worked as a field organizer for a local congresswoman’s campaign.
Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury issued a statement praising him as “one of the kindest and hardest working people” she has ever known. She said the urban planner was “committed to making our public spaces work for every person and cleaning up legacy pollution.”
As land-use director for the city of Española — more than 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Albuquerque — Hussain worked to improve conditions and inclusivity for disadvantaged minorities, according to the mayor’s office.
The city staff “has lost a member of our family, and we all have lost a brilliant public servant,” Spanish Major John Ramon Vigil said in a news release.
___
Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Fam from Winter Park, Florida. Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington and AP news researchers Rhonda Shafner and Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Sharief Hadi, a halal market and cafe owner, left Afghanistan in the 1980s and settled in the United States for what he thought would be a safer life.
But after the murders of four Muslim men in the city in the last few months — including his brother Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi — Hadi’s faith in the American dream is shattered.
“I thought I was living a dream, but it’s no dream. It’s the opposite,” Hadi, 73, said in a phone interview Monday. “They took my brother’s lovely life. I don’t care about my life anymore.”
The spate of murders across the Albuquerque area has stunned the city and shaken the small, close-knit Muslim community, fueling fears of a racist serial killer on the loose.
Albuquerque law enforcement officials believe the killings of 62-year-old Ahmadi, 41-year-old Aftab Hussein, 27-year-old Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and 25-year-old Naeem Hussain might be linked.
People sprinkle dirt over the grave of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, NM, on Aug. 5, 2022.Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal via ZUMA Press Wire
Authorities said Sunday they identified a “vehicle of interest” connected to all four slayings, and the FBI is assisting local officials with the investigation. Police said they have not yet determined a motive.
Ahmad Assed, the president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, a mosque that all four victims attended, said in an interview Monday that he felt “broken” and “devastated,” as did many in a community he described as “disheartened.”
“They feel a certain helplessness, they’re in fear,” Assed said of Muslim community members. “Their whole world has been flipped upside down.”
He added: “Everybody is very deflated and eagerly awaiting some response as to why?”
Assed said the Islamic Center is the heart of social interactions between community members. In the wake of the killings, many local Muslims have chosen to stay home, where they feel safe and “not take chances to come to the mosque,” he said.
Hadi, the halal market owner, echoed that comment. He said that Muslim people in the area appear to be too frightened to go outside for fear of being senselessly gunned down.
“They don’t want to go to the store. They don’t want to go pray. They don’t want to go to the mosque,” Hadi said, his voice rising in anger. He added that his own business has suffered in recent weeks.
Ahmadi was killed on Nov. 7, according to police. Several months later, three more Muslim men were gunned down. Aftab Hussein, who was born in Pakistan, was killed on July 26. Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was found dead on a sidewalk last Monday. Then, just before midnight Friday, Naeem Hussain was found dead, too.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said it was offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of whoever is behind the killings.
President Joe Biden decried the murders, saying in a tweet Sunday that his “prayers are with the victims’ families, and my Administration stands strongly with the Muslim community.”
“These hateful attacks have no place in America,” Biden added.
The four men all left behind relatives, friends and colleagues who are struggling to understand the bloodshed.
Naeem Hussain’s body was discovered in the parking lot of Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, a nonprofit that had helped him resettle in Albuquerque. Hussain was born in Pakistan and came to the US as a refugee several years ago seeking better opportunities, according to his brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami. He just became a US citizen on July 8.
Shahalami said that during a shopping trip with his wife, children and Hussain last month, Hussain bought a new suit, dress shirt and shoes for his oath of citizenship ceremony.
“He was very excited about that ceremony,” said Shahalami, 37, a Virginia resident. “Because now he was becoming a US citizen. He obviously took pride in that.”
Hussain worked as a truck driver and saved up enough money to buy a truck of his own that he insisted on driving when the pandemic began.“A lot of drivers basically took unemployment because of the Covid situation and when it came to Naeem, he said, ‘You know, the country needs us more than any time right now. So we need to keep driving and try to influence other drivers to keep driving,'” Shahalami said.
“Naeem should be remembered for who he truly was — a genuine, giving man,” Shahalami said. Hussain loved being outdoors, especially camping and fishing, and was known to drive around with fishing rods in his car.
Shahalami said that although it is their wives who are sisters, I considered Hussain a brother and that the two were very close. They spoke regularly and spent the Fourth of July together in Virginia. Hussain had planned to bring his wife from Pakistan to the US after he became a citizen.
“He actually had some good business plans for the future but not knowing of the future obviously,” Shahalami said. “Those plans are no longer.”
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain’s brother, Muhammad Imtiz Hussain, told NBC News that he feels scared for his life, haunted by the knowledge that his brother was gunned down near seemingly normal residential streets — “places my kids go for bike riding.”
The late Hussain was the planning and land use director for the city of Española, roughly 90 miles north of Albuquerque. Vince Baldonado, one of his colleagues, described feeling anxious when Hussain did not show up at the office last Tuesday.
“We were all asking each other, ‘Did you get a call?’ Did you get a text? Is he stuck in traffic?’ We didn’t think the worst… but then we heard.”
Baldonado, 42, eventually learned through another colleague that Hussain had been found dead the night before.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Baldonado said. “I’ve never lost a friend to gun violence. He was my supervisor, my boss, my close friend.”
Baldonado added that he had planned to go fishing and camping with Hussain sometime before the end of the summer. He recalled with affection that Hussain always took an interest in his children, encouraging Baldonado to enroll them in STEM classes.
“He didn’t have a single mean bone in his body,” Baldonado said.
Guad Venegas reported from Albuquerque; Daniel Arkin and Janelle Griffith from New York.
A 73-year-old California woman who worked as a lookout, watching for wildfires from US Forest Service towers in Siskiyou County, died in the McKinney Fire, officials said.
Kathy Shoopman’s first post was in 1974 at the Baldy Mountain lookout in the Klamath National Forest, just west of the small town of Happy Camp, a statement from the US Forest Service said. She went on to staff the Buckhorn and Lake Mountain lookouts.
For nearly 50 years, Shoopman lived in Klamath River (pop. 200), a town that was nearly entirely wiped out by flames. Homes, including those in a trailer park, a community hall and a few other businesses were destroyed. “That fire came down on the community with 60 to 70 mph winds coming down on it,” said Tom Stokesberry, the US Forest Service’s northern operations fire public affairs specialist.
“We share this sorrow with each and every one of you and we know that individually, and as the supportive community that we are, we will find many ways to honor Kathy’s life and service and keep her spirit in all of our lives,” the Forest Service said in a Facebook post honoring Shoopman.
Landscape of Klamath National Forest, near Mount Shasta in California.
Leonid Andronov/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Stokesberry said it’s his understanding that Shoopman was trying to evacuate when she died, but the circumstances of her death are still under investigation.
“When the fire made its initial push, she was caught in her home,” Stokesberry said.
Lookouts work shifts in towers that are situated on tall peaks and rise above forestland that’s at risk for wildfires. Their job is to identify fires when they first start and are small and easy to put out.
“She was one of the best,” Stokesberry said. “She is a legend in the lookout community. Ella she was not only able to identify the fires, but she could locate them with pinpoint accuracy.
Landscape of Klamath National Forest, near Mount Shasta in California.
Zack Frank/Getty Images/500px
The McKinney Fire, now the largest in the state this year, ignited near the California-Oregon border on July 29, quickly exploding into a raging monster that killed four people, including Shoopman. It destroyed more than 100 homes as it tore through 60,379 acres; it is 40% contained as of Monday.
