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GOP Gov. DeWine defends Haitian immigrants: ‘They came to Springfield to work’

September 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine offered one of the most vociferous defenses of Haitian immigrants in Springfield yet from a Republican as their presence in the city becomes a chief point of criticism from former President Donald Trump.

Speaking to “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, DeWine repeatedly noted that the immigrants are in Ohio legally and praised their work ethic, stridently swatting away claims that they are eating neighbors’ pets — unsubstantiated conspiracy theories promoted by Trump and his allies.

“I think it’s unfortunate that this came up. Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in. These Haitians came in to work for these companies,” DeWine said.

“What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They’re very happy to have them there, and frankly, that’s helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you’re going to have some challenges and some problems. And we’re addressing those,” he added.

Conspiracy theories about the immigrants spread online have made their way to national politics, breaking through when Trump claimed in his debate with Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday that Haitians in Springfield were eating neighbors’ dogs and cats.

“Look, there’s a lot of garbage on the internet and, you know, this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There’s no evidence of this at all,” DeWine said on “This Week.”

The fallout spread beyond politics over the past week as bomb threats and other threats of violence were reported in Springfield — prompting a strong rebuke from DeWine.

“There are hate groups coming into Springfield. We don’t need these hate groups. I saw a piece of literature yesterday that the mayor told me about from purportedly the KKK. Look, Springfield is a good city. They are good people. They are welcoming people. We have challenges every day. We are working on those challenges,” DeWine said.

“This idea that we have hate groups coming in, this discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. It’s just ridiculous,” he added.

DeWine last week announced the state would send more resources to Springfield. His office said local primary caregivers have been impacted due to an increased number of patients and lack of translation services. DeWine has authorized $2.5 million to go toward expanding primary care access for the city of Springfield, while calling for more federal help.

When pressed by Raddatz on how to square his defense of immigrants in Springfield with Trump’s comments about them, on top of recent incorrect claims at the debate that he in fact won the 2020 election, the Ohio governor said Americans trust Trump on the economy and other issues.

“I’ve said before we knew who the nominee was going to be, I would support the Republican nominee for president. I am a Republican. I think if you look at the economy, these are issues that I think the American people are most concerned about. I think that Donald Trump is the best choice,” he said.

“Look, there’s these are legitimate problems that we have on the border. I’m not minimizing that at all. And those are legitimate arguments where the vast majority the American people agree with Donald Trump, and not the vice president, [Kamala Harris],” he added. “But what’s going on in Springfield is just fundamentally different. These people are here legally. They came to work.”

Harris ally Healey not surprised her debate performance didn’t move the needle

September 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ being viewed widely as the winner of last week’s presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, her performance did not cause a notable change in her favor, according to a ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday — which Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said does not surprise her.

“We know that this is going to be a close race,” she told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday. “Kamala Harris says that she’s an underdog, but what’s important is that she and Tim Walz have built a campaign for a close race.”

In Trump and Harris’ match up last week, voters had the opportunity to directly compare the candidates before they cast their ballots in what will be a tight election. Americans by 58-36% say Harris won the debate, according to the new polling. Last week, she sought to capitalize off her post-debate momentum, campaigning in Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — two counties Trump won in 2016 and 2020.

“The enthusiasm has been really strong. And I think what’s very important also is that she and Tim are playing for every voter, they’re going to red counties,” Healey said. “They’re going to red districts, right? Because, as she said in her closing argument, ‘I’m going to be a president for all Americans.’”

During the debate, Harris falsely claimed that there isn’t a single member of the U.S. military “who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world — the first time this century.”

Raddatz asked Healey why Harris would make that unsubstantiated remark when there are 900 U.S. military personnel in Syria and 2,500 U.S. service members in Iraq that have been under regular threat for months, as well those patrolling in the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted commercial shipping.

The Massachusetts governor deflected, saying, “I think what’s important here, Martha, is that Kamala Harris, in contrast to Donald Trump, demonstrated herself to be commander in chief.”

“You say she demonstrated her ability to be commander in chief, but did she not know about these people in Syria and Iraq?” Raddatz pressed. “Why would she say that?”

“That was a comment in a debate,” Healey answered. “I think the point that she was trying to make was a broader point. And of course, we have military in place all around this country. That’s important. We’re the United States of America.”

“She respects our military,” she continued. “She respects our service members. Donald Trump calls them suckers and losers, and it’s why Donald Trump’s former military generals support Kamala Harris.”

On the issue of abortion, Raddatz said Harris didn’t clarify during the debate whether she supports any restrictions on the procedure and asked if the vice president should let voters know where she stands and draw some sort of a line.

“She already did, Martha. What she said is, ‘let’s go back to Roe,’” Healey said before hitting Trump for not saying that he would veto a national abortion ban.

“In fact, he supports abortion bans, just like the Trump abortion ban that’s on the ballot in Florida, and it’s appalling,” she said. “It’s appalling what that means for women, for families, for their health. And you know, that is a clear, clear distinction in this race.”

Turning to the economy, Raddatz pointed to rising grocery and home prices under the Biden-Harris administration and how many many view Trump as handling the economy better. Trump leads on the issue by seven points over Harris in the new ABC News/Ispos poll.

Healey put the blame for the economy on the former president and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There had to be a huge infusion of money to save our small businesses and to help all of our states,” she said. “Inflation rose as a result. And what’s happened under the Biden Harris administration is they’ve actually worked to bring down inflation. There is still work to do.”

“Kamala Harris has said, ‘I’m going to lay the foundation to see further reductions in the interest rates’, which I think we’ll see soon, and prices are going to come down. But it is very unfair to start that in the middle of the movie when the Biden-Harris team came in, and we’re dealing with a lot,” Healey continued. “We have the strongest economy of any country in the world right now, and they are committed to making life more affordable for people on housing, drugs, groceries and the like. Donald Trump isn’t.”

More threats in Springfield, Ohio: College closes campus as fear grips community

September 15, 2024 by WDNY Radio

A new bomb threat prompted officials Sunday at Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio, to close the campus this week and hold classes virtually, the school said.

Clark officials said it received an email of a bomb threat to the Springfield campus on Sunday, a day after it received another emailed threat on Saturday threatening a possible shooting.

“We took immediate action with the Springfield Police Department and they have ensured our campus is secure and safe,” the college said in a statement.

The college said that “out of an abundance of caution,” it will conduct all instruction virtually and close all of its campuses for the week of Sept. 16-20, adding, “We will always prioritize the safety and wellness of our students, employees and community.”

“We understand the anxiety that such incidents can cause and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and care,” Clark officials said. “As a proactive measure, Springfield Police will also increase their security presence on campus, and we are working with our wellness team and partners to provide additional counseling services.”

Bomb threats made on Saturday targeted three medical facilities, an unspecified fourth facility and Wittenberg University, a small private liberal arts college in Springfield, officials said.

Wittenberg officials canceled all activities scheduled for Sunday due to a threat that “targeted Haitian members of our community,” the university said in an alert on Saturday.

“Wittenberg University is currently taking extreme precautions following an email that threatened a potential shooting on-campus tomorrow,” the university said in a statement on Saturday.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the FBI “is working in coordination with the Springfield Police Department and Wittenberg University to determine the credibility of recent threats, share information, and take appropriate investigative action. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and to report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

As a result of the threats, local police conducted sweeps of the colleges and medical facilities targeted and cleared them. Some have already reopened, a police official told ABC News.

Springfield Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital and Kettering Health Springfield were listed by authorities as targets.

The Springfield Police Division has beefed up its staffing as it deals with threats stemming from unsubstantiated claims about the Haitian migrant community.

Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday in the wake of a threat sent via email in Springfield, according to the school district and the mayor.

The elementary schools released students to their parents, officials said.

It’s unclear if the person who sent Friday’s threat is the same person who sent the other threats, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent via email “to multiple agencies and media outlets” in the city, according to the city commission office.

Explosive-detecting K-9s helped police clear multiple facilities listed in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and a few driver’s license bureaus, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The county court facilities were also cleared “out of an abundance of caution,” she said.

The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Elliott said.

The mayor said there’s a lot of fear in Springfield in the wake of the threats.

“This is a very concerning time for our citizens, and frankly, a lot of people are tired of just, you know, the things that have been spread about our community that are just negative and not true. We need help, not hate,” Rue told ABC News on Friday.

The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the baseless rumors spread online in the wake of viral social media posts claiming Haitian migrants were abducting people’s pets in Springfield in order to eat them. The rumors were amplified by right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s presidential debate. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News these claims are false, and that there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community.”

“Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the spokesperson said. “Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

The mayor added, “Your pets are safe in Springfield.”

Springfield estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county; migrants have been drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and work opportunities, according to the city. The rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care and school resources, according to the city. City officials also said the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of Temporary Protected Status.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield.

The mayor stressed, “Anybody on the national stage that takes a microphone, needs to understand what they could do to communities like Springfield with their words. They’re not helping. They’re hurting communities like ours with their words.”

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Gov. Roy Cooper says Harris has ‘excellent’ chances in battleground North Carolina, will be helped by governor’s race

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances in the crucial battleground state of North Carolina are “excellent,” because of her momentum following the ABC News debate as well as the governor’s race.

“Her chances are excellent, and most people have North Carolina as a toss-up state,” Cooper said in an interview with ABC News at Harris’ rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.

Trump narrowly won North Carolina in 2020, and no Democrat has won the state in a presidential race since former President Barak Obama in 2008. Democrats now believe the state is back in play with Harris at the top of the ticket, as she generates more enthusiasm with young voters and voters of color.

Cooper also said that Harris’ performance at the ABC News debate earlier this week moved the needle with voters more than usual because she’s still introducing herself to the American people.

“We know that debates oftentimes don’t make that big a difference. I think it made a difference here because a lot of people didn’t really know Kamala Harris that well, and they got a chance to see her in action for an hour and a half,” he said.

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 28% of likely voters said they feel they need to still learn more about Harris, while only 9% of likely voters felt that way about Trump.

Harris appears to be benefiting from some momentum after the debate, which could help her in some key battleground states like North Carolina.

538 has collected three national polls and one swing-state poll that were conducted since the debate. In all of them, more people who watched the debate said Harris won the debate than said Trump did. On average, 57% of debate watchers nationally said Harris turned in the better performance; only 34% said Trump did.

Cooper said another thing that helps Harris in the state is the governor’s race — presumably as people come out to vote against the controversial Republican candidate.

“I think this will be a bottom-up race. I think the governor’s race in North Carolina will help Kamala Harris,” he said.

The North Carolina gubernatorial race to take over for term-limited Cooper is a competitive and closely watched race. In it, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, is taking on Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Cooper called Robinson — a controversial candidate with a record of attacking women, Muslims and the LGBTQ community as well as amplifying conspiracy theories and extreme views against abortion — an “extreme right-wing candidate” that he said will “drag Donald Trump down.”

Charges expected in Iranian hack of Trump campaign: Sources

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges in connection with the alleged hack of emails from members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

The charges in connection with the hack, which the U.S. government has attributed to Iran, could be filed as soon as next week, the sources said.

The Iranians allegedly gained access to data and files taken from the email accounts of Trump advisers, which included internal documents used to vet Trump’s perspective running mate, the sources said.

The Trump campaign, as victims, would be notified of any criminal charges that happen, as is standard Department of Justice practice.

The Washington Post first reported charges were expected.

The Trump campaign did not immediately comment.

Last month, the Trump campaign cited a report published by Microsoft in claiming they were hacked. Though it did not specifically name Trump’s campaign, Microsoft’s statement said, “In June 2024, Mint Sandstorm — a group run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit — sent a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor. The phishing email contained a fake forward with a hyperlink that directs traffic through an actor-controlled domain before redirecting to the listed domain.”

The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian armed forces.

Federal officials have been dealing with increased hacking activity around the 2024 election. A week after Microsoft’s statement, Google said a hacking group associated with Iran targeted the personal email accounts of “roughly a dozen” people associated with the Trump and Joe Biden campaigns, including current and former U.S. government officials.

“In May and June, APT42 targets included the personal email accounts of roughly a dozen individuals affiliated with President Biden and with former President Trump, including current and former officials in the U.S. government and individuals associated with the respective campaigns. We blocked numerous APT42 attempts to log in to the personal email accounts of targeted individuals,” the report said.

The group, APT42, is also associated with the IRGC, according to Google.

Meta has also issued warnings about hacking and disinformation during the campaign, releasing a report last month that identified Russia and Iran has the top two threats.

ABC News’ Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Sam Bankman-Fried appeals fraud conviction tied to FTX collapse

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, was convicted because of a “false narrative” told by federal prosecutors at a trial “tainted” by errors, his attorneys argued in a new court filing Friday to a federal appeals court.

“Fair trial principles were swept away in a ‘Sentence first-verdict afterwards’ tsunami, as everyone rushed to judgment following FTX’s collapse,” defense attorneys wrote in the appeal. “Sam Bankman-Fried was never presumed innocent. He was presumed guilty—before he was even charged.”

Bankman-Fried was found guilty of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering last November after federal prosecutors in New York accused him of orchestrating a scheme that collapsed the crypto-exchange he founded, FTX, and stole $8 billion in customer funds.

He is serving a 25-year prison sentence, which his attorneys called “draconian.”

In Friday’s appeal, defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro attacked the trial judge, Lewis Kaplan, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, accusing them of lacking objectivity or even-handedness.

“He was presumed guilty by the media. He was presumed guilty by the FTX debtor estate and its lawyers. He was presumed guilty by federal prosecutors eager for quick headlines. And he was presumed guilty by the judge who presided over his trial,” the appeal said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment, but will submit a written reply brief.

The defense asked for a reversal of Bankman-Fried’s conviction and a new trial before a different judge.

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and a blockbuster witness for the prosecution, is set to be sentenced for her role in the fraud later this month.

US pushes to add two permanent UN Security Council seats for African nations

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Biden administration has announced plans to expand the influential United Nations Security Council by adding two permanent seats for African nations — an initiative that will likely face an uphill battle in the body and could spark pushback from other countries that have long sought permanent membership.

“It’s what our African partners seek, and we believe, this is what it’s what is just,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in announcing the plan during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday.

But the administration’s plan comes with an important caveat: Unlike the other permanent members of the Council — China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the U.S. — the African representatives would not have the power to veto any resolution that comes before the body.

The African Union has already rejected the prospect of denying veto power to the new permanent members from the continent, but a senior administration official argued that even without it, the seats would still have great benefits for Africa.

“Representation is a part of it. Permanent representation does offer perspective and the durability of that perspective on the Council that is otherwise not afforded necessarily by a rotating seat,” the official said. “I can tell you that when we have been briefing these ideas to some of those partners in recent days, we have had an enthusiastic reception.”

The official acknowledged there are still “questions that will need to be worked out,” including determining which countries would fill the new spots. Thomas-Greenfield did not explicitly say which U.N. members the administration would endorse but spoke positively about recent contributions from Kenya and Gabon during her remarks.

This is not the first time the administration has sought to expand the Security Council. In 2022, President Biden announced he supported “increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent representatives,” with representatives from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He has also endorsed Germany, India, and Japan for permanent spots.

However, Biden’s push to expand the Council — and a host of other U.S. initiatives — have faced consistent gridlock from Russia and China.

A senior official denied that the administration’s new, narrower focus on adding African representatives was an admission that broader expansion and the inclusion of ardent U.S. allies like Germany and Japan was currently unachievable.

“The proposals that we’re putting forward today are additive to what we’ve said over the years,” they said. “But our view on this is that we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and we can and should still try to achieve a reformed Council that is more representative, is more credible, and ultimately more effective in addressing the challenges and opportunities that the world faces today. “

Thomas-Greenfield also announced that the administration would move to add a new, elected position on the Security Council to serve as an envoy for small developing island nations. If successful, it would be the first cross-regional seat.

The ambassador concluded by declaring that the U.S. was prepared to move forward with “text-based negotiations” aimed at making the vision a reality.

“This may seem weedy, inside-baseball news. But it’s actually a big deal,” she said. “It means we’re ready to work with other countries to negotiate language, prepare amendments, and ready this resolution for a vote in the General Assembly, and ultimately amend the U.N. Charter.”

Harris says she’s ‘feeling very good about Pennsylvania’ during campaign stop in battleground state

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(JOHNSTOWN, Penn.) — Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters she was “feeling very good about Pennsylvania” while campaigning on Friday in the key battleground state, even as both supporters and detractors came out for the occasion.

In an unannounced stop to Classic Elements, a cafe and bookstore in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Harris told reporters, “I am feeling very good about Pennsylvania, because there are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who deserve to be seen and heard.”

“I will be continuing to travel around the state to make sure that I’m listening as much as we are talking,” Harris said. “And ultimately, I feel very strongly that — got to earn every vote, and that means spending time with folks in the communities where they live. And so that’s why I’m here.”

She added, “We’re going to be spending a lot more time in Pennsylvania.”

Harris and former President Donald Trump remain locked in a tight race in Pennsylvania, with 538’s presidential polling average for Pennsylvania showing less than a percentage point between the candidates as of Friday afternoon.

Both campaigns will look to win the state, which Biden won by about a 1% margin in 2020 — four years after Trump won by slightly less 1%.

Before she spoke with the media, Harris chatted with the store’s owner while Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and his spouse Giselle Fetterman looked on.

Harris spoke about a small business owner neighbor she had growing up who was a “second mother” to her. Harris also praised the staff for their work.

When Harris went into the main seating area of the cafe, a patron called out, “Kamala, we love you!” to which Harris responded, “I appreciate you, thank you” to applause and comments of “Madame Vice President.”

Speaking to the patrons, Harris said, “We’re doing it together. But I wanted to come to Johnstown … I wanted to come and visit this small business — you know, a lot of the work I care about is about building community, right? There are many ways to do that … one of them is our small businesses.”

But Harris encountered both supporters and detractors outside of the bookstore.

Near the bookstore, people behind temporary fencing held signs that were both supportive of Harris and supportive of Trump.

One person could be heard chanting “USA!” while another chanted “We’re not going back” — which can often be heard at her campaign events.

And one person could be seen holding up a sign that said, “Even my dog hates Trump.”

Earlier, when she landed in Johnstown, there was a large crowd gathered at the airport hanger; Harris was greeted by the Fettermans and Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic.

As the motorcade drove to the bookstore, some healthcare workers lined a street holding up middle fingers and a sign that said, “Harris sux.”

The visit came ahead of a Friday evening rally Harris is set to hold in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and amid a battleground-state swing by Harris, running mate Gov. Tim Walz, and others launched after the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday.

‘No place in America’: Biden says narrative about Haitian immigrants ‘simply wrong’

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden weighed in Friday on unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating cats and dogs, saying the narrative is “simply wrong” and has “no place in America.”

“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” he added, referring to former President Donald Trump.

Throughout this past week, former President Donald Trump and his allies have continued to double down on the unsubstantiated narrative that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the president’s message condemning attacks on Haitian migrant communities in Springfield, Ohio, during a press briefing Friday.

“It is extremely sad and concerning, that a community is facing this type of danger and vitriol, and as the president said today, I think very forcefully, this needs to stop. And there is absolutely no place – absolutely no place, in this country, you know, certainly in our political discourse for this type of vitriolic, smearing hateful language,” she said, emphasizing the danger of “hateful conspiracy theories.”

Jean-Pierre, who herself is Haitian-American, said that she takes it personally when “any community, any vulnerable community is attacked, not just not just a community that I belong to,” when asked by reporters.

She also noted that the federal government has been working with Springfield officials since the spring, with “one-stop clinics” available to migrant communities to help, which she said have served more than 37,000 people.

“We’ve delivered resources to Ohio as well to cities, states and nonprofits across the country. Since the spring, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has been directly engaged with the city of Springfield and local officials to make sure they have the support they need. And we want to do more. We would like to do more. That’s why we did the bipartisan proposal, with the Senate early – at the end of last year – obviously early into this year. And it was stopped,” Jean-Pierre said.

But in order to help more, Jean-Pierre said, “we need more funding, we need more.” She repeatedly laid blame on Congressional Republicans, who she said is at fault for spiking the bipartisan border legislation that would have provided funding for places like Springfield.

“It was stopped because the former president said that bill, that particular proposal would hurt him and help Joe Biden. And so, Republicans in Congress stopped that. It would have given more resources to cities like Springfield, Ohio. But I don’t want to miss the point here that the administration has indeed provided more than $1.3 billion in grant funding to jurisdiction[s] around the country to help with the influx and what they’re dealing with. We want to do more, but we’ve been blocked in doing so,” she said.

On Thursday, Jean-Pierre called the claims towards Haitian immigrants a “very bizarre and very hateful smear” that the “police department has debunked.”

She also noted that Haitian communities are fearful, keeping children home from school and facing threats to their property.

“So many Americans like Karine, as she pointed out a proud Haitian-American, a community that’s under attack in our country right now. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place in America,” Biden said.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News on Friday that such rumors are “factually not true” and promised that “your pets are safe in Springfield.”

The city of Springfield previously told ABC News in a statement that “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

ABC News’ Emily Chang and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

Fani Willis skips Georgia state Senate hearing seeking her testimony

September 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump, did not appear Friday at a hearing held by a Republican-led state Senate committee that has been investigating her.

Willis has challenged the legality of the subpoenas she received from the committee, a spokesperson for her office previously told ABC News.

The hearing today was set to include “sworn testimony” from Willis, according to a press release from the committee.

Willis’ attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Willis “will not appear until there has been a judicial determination of the validity of the subpoena.”

Barnes did not respond Friday to a request for comment from ABC News.

Republican State Sen. Bill Cowsert, the chairman of the committee, said at the beginning of the hearing that “we have subpoenaed Fani Willis to testify … she is defying her subpoena and not appearing.”

“But we will welcome her if she appears at some point during the meeting,” Cowsert said, before continuing the hearing with other issues and witnesses.

Willis charged Trump and 18 others in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. All defendants, including Trump, pleaded not guilty, then four defendants subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against the others.

The judge in the case, Scott McAfee, ruled in March that either Willis or prosecutor Nathan Wade must step aside from the case due to a “significant appearance of impropriety” stemming from a previous romantic relationship between Wade and Willis. Wade subsequently stepped down.

The Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations was established earlier this year with a stated goal to “thoroughly investigate the allegations of misconduct” by Willis.

It said it would look to “enact new or amend existing laws and/or change state appropriations to restore public confidence in the criminal justice system.”

Cowsert previously said it was not within the committee’s authority to seek to disqualify Willis from the election case or to criminally prosecute her, but rather to “investigate many of these troubling allegations.”

A Georgia court of appeals paused the election interference case in June, pending the resolution of a court battle over Willis’ being allowed to remain on the case..

Oral arguments in that matter are currently scheduled for Dec. 5, a month after the presidential election.

In a separate case, a Georgia state prosecutor said in a statement Friday that he would not pursue criminal charges against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for acting as one of Trump’s so-called “fake electors” in the 2020 election.

Pete Skandalakis, the head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, was tasked with investigating Jones after Willis was disqualified from investigating him in 2022 by a Fulton County judge after Willis held a fundraiser for Jones’ political opponent.

Skandalakis, in his decision Friday, wrote that the case against Jones “does not warrant further consideration” and that Jones “did not act with criminal intent” when he served as an alternate elector and aided Trump’s efforts in the state in other ways.

Jones was not indicted in Willis’ election interference probe.

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