Category: Politics
Judges rule that food stamp benefits cannot be suspended over shutdown — and Trump responds
The threat to cut food aid benefits was ended by two court rulings that said the Trump administration would need to use contingency plans to keep the money flowing.
Democrats and Republicans have been blaming each other for the U.S. Department of Agriculture plan to cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on Nov. 1.
‘I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.’
On Friday, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled that SNAP benefits could not be cut.
“There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur, if it hasn’t already occurred in the terror it has caused some people about the availability of funding for food, for their family,” said U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston similarly ruled that the “suspension of SNAP payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that the contingency funds could not be used to ensure continuation of SNAP payments.”
Both judges McConnell and Talwani were appointed by former President Joe Biden.
The president responded to the rulings in a post on Truth Social.
“Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do,” the president said.
“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he added. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”
RELATED: California police increase patrols around grocery stores ahead of possible food stamp shutoff
He went on to blame Democrats for the shutdown and called on Americans to pressure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to reopen the government.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” Trump added.
About 42 million Americans depend on the SNAP program for food aid. Polling shows that far more Americans blame Democrats for this shutdown than during the first government shutdown during Trump’s first term.
“If you use SNAP benefits, call the Senate Democrats, and tell them to reopen the Government, NOW!” Trump concluded.
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Democratic state senator allegedly secretly recorded 2 critics having sex in order to silence them
A Maryland state senator is denying allegations that she threatened to release highly compromising video of a former political consultant to keep her from making public comments about the senator.
Democratic state Sen. Dalya Attar was indicted on charges related to the alleged extortion plot that included her brother Joseph Attar as well as a Baltimore police officer named Kalman Finkelstein.
‘Stay out of this election, the delegate election, and make sure she doesn’t do anything against Dalya throughout this election … or I’ll share this video with everybody you know.’
The three defendants are accused of hiding audio and video recording equipment in the apartment of the consultant in order to gather evidence of her sexual relationship with a married man in 2022. Finkelstein’s family owned the apartment where the woman was living.
They then allegedly threatened to release the recorded evidence unless the two agreed to refrain from making negative statements about Dalya Attar in public. Attar was running for state House delegate at the time.
Prosecutors said that Joseph Attar said to the married man via messages on WhatsApp, “I have hours of footage of you in bed with (Victim 1). Here’s what I need you to do for this to go away permanently.”
Both Dalya Attar and the consultant are members of the Orthodox Jewish community.
“The only thing you need to do is very simple, is to go to (Victim 1) and say to her, ‘Listen, leave Dalya alone. Don’t bring her up anymore to anyone,'” Joseph Attar is accused of saying. “Stay out of this election, the delegate election, and make sure she doesn’t do anything against Dalya throughout this election … or I’ll share this video with everybody you know, everyone she knows, every rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.”
RELATED: Congresswoman’s staffer indicted for spreading her intimate videos and photos online
Dalya Attar released a statement denying the allegations.
“I ran for public office because of my strong belief in serving my community that I love, and I would never do anything to knowingly jeopardize my constituents’ trust in me,” she said.
“The case centers on the allegations of my former disgruntled employee. We have yet to see any tangible evidence to support the claim that I knew of any illegal actions taken on my behalf,” Dalya Attar added. “I look forward to sharing my side of the story, and believe the truth will be the arbiter of justice.”
Dalya Attar was indicted on eight counts, including conspiracy, extortion via interstate communications, aiding and abetting, and interception and disclosure of a wire.
RELATED: Dem congresswoman who allegedly assaulted ICE officer is indicted on 3 counts, faces years in prison
Photo by Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Finkelstein has been suspended since 2022, according to Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley.
“He has not had police powers since 2022,” Worley added. “We’re going to cooperate completely with the indictment.”
Dalya Attar represents Baltimore City and was appointed to fill a vacancy in the state Senate in January.
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UPenn email account hacked, sends vulgar message to students and alumni
Students and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania were surprised to receive a vulgar email from the university’s account after it was hacked Friday.
The university confirmed that the email came from a security breach and that its incident response team was investigating the incident.
‘This is obviously a fake, and nothing in the highly offensive, hurtful message reflects the mission or actions of Penn or of Penn GSE.’
“The University of Pennsylvania is a dogs**t elitist institution full of woke retards. We have terrible security practices and are completely unmeritocratic,” reads the hacked email, which was posted to social media.
“We hire and admit morons because we love legacies, donors, and unqualified affirmative action admits. We love breaking federal laws like FERPA (all your data will be leaked) and Supreme Court rulings like SFFA,” the email continues. “Please stop giving us money.”
The subject heading reads, “We got hacked (Action Required).”
The hackers referred to the Supreme Court decision in favor of the Students for Fair Admissions in 2023 that forbid race-based affirmative action in admissions to colleges. They also accused the college of violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects students’ school records data.
A university spokesperson released a statement decrying the email.
“A fraudulent email has been circulated that appears to come from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education,” the statement reads. “This is obviously a fake, and nothing in the highly offensive, hurtful message reflects the mission or actions of Penn or of Penn GSE.”
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‘Jihadi’ terror attack planned for Halloween weekend leads to multiple arrests, FBI says
A terrorist attack planned for Halloween weekend was prevented by arrests made in Michigan, said Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel.
Patel offered few details, but Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, said in a statement on social media that the plot was “Jihadi” in nature.
‘The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack.’
“This morning Federal agents, under the direction of @FBIDirectorKash and @AGPamBondi, successfully disrupted a Jihadi terror plot in Detroit timed for Halloween when innocent children should be enjoying themselves Trick or Treating,” Gorka wrote.
“The threat is real,” he added.
The Dearborn Police Dept. confirmed that there had been an FBI operation in the city Friday morning and that there was no longer any threat to the public.
A spokesperson for the Dept. of Justice said in a statement to Blaze News that the law enforcement operation also included the city of Inkster, another city near Detroit.
“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” reads the statement from Patel. “More details to come. Thanks to the men and women of FBI and law enforcement everywhere standing guard 24/7 and crushing our mission to defend the homeland.”
The FBI operation in Inkster was focused on a storage facility on Michigan Avenue, according to a WDIV-TV report. WDIV reported on two FBI operations at two other locations but could not confirm whether they were related to the alleged terror plot.
“This morning, I was briefed by Director Patel on the thwarted potential terrorist attack in our state,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) posted to social media on Friday. “As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders.”
Dearborn is known for becoming the first Arab-majority city in the U.S. in 2023.
In September, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, a Democrat and Muslim, berated a Christian resident who objected to the city honoring a man who had made comments in support of Islamic terrorism.
“You are a bigot, and you are a racist, and you are an Islamophobe,” Hammoud said to the man. “Although you live here, I want you to know, as mayor, you are not welcome here. And the day you move out of this city will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city.”
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Illegal alien steals from SNAP program in massive fraud scheme
As more than 40 million Americans prepare for a disruption to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program handouts amid the Democrat-led government shutdown, a member of a fraud conspiracy related to SNAP has been brought to justice.
On October 15, an Italian illegal alien living in Oregon was sentenced to federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
‘By siphoning millions of dollars in government funds intended for food-insecure households, this illegal criminal alien proved to be one of the worst of the worst.’
Over the course of 14 months between August 2023 and October 2024, Giovanni Spirea, 29, and his co-conspirators purchased over 120,000 pounds of groceries using electronic skimming devices to steal SNAP benefits.
“Spirea shared stolen account information with other members of the organization, who, along with him, used the stolen benefits to purchase large quantities of infant formula, energy drinks, and other SNAP-eligible nonperishable food items from grocery stores … and through websites associated with grocery stores offering curb-side pickup,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The stolen items were then sold on the black market, the DOJ added.
RELATED: Democrats’ shutdown blame game backfires — even Jake Tapper calls them out on SNAP benefits
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spirea and his co-conspirators operated in Oregon, Washington, and California. The estimated value of the stolen goods is $2.4 million.
“By siphoning millions of dollars in government funds intended for food-insecure households, this illegal criminal alien proved to be one of the worst of the worst,” said April Miller, Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting special agent in charge.
“Protecting government-funded programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program isn’t just about preserving funds — it’s about safeguarding trust in a vital lifeline that millions of families depend on to put food on the table,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford. “Today’s sentencing should deter perpetrators from defrauding American families and the federal government for personal gain.”
Spirea was sentenced to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $61,874.32 in restitution. Sixteen others were charged in the conspiracy.
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