https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRtvLnmengE
On this week's show, Trump resumes bombing Iran, new governor poll says race is tight, what the police commissioner didn't tell you about Bronx crime stats, Mamdani's attempt to rewrite New York City's immigrant history map, plus lots more anytime at the link above.
Protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure – including election security – is a top priority for President Trump and Secretary Mullin
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is taking decisive action to safeguard the integrity of American elections.
Threats to election systems are constantly evolving. This week, FEMA published the funding opportunity for the Homeland Security Grant Program, making over $1 billion of taxpayer funds available to state, Tribal Nations, territorial, and local governments. Before receiving award funds, states and other recipients must take critical, common-sense steps to protect U.S. elections.
“Election security is national security and protecting the Nation’s critical infrastructure is a top priority,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking decisive action to protect election systems from threats like foreign interference, insider threats, and cyberattacks. These new requirements for homeland security grant recipients will preserve election integrity and ensure that Americans can trust the results.”
To strengthen election security, the Department of Homeland Security is requiring all grant recipients to take several key actions:
FEMA will withhold 20% of the grant recipient’s total HSGP award until they submit proof of compliance with these requirements and the Department verifies that proof. Eligible applicants are encouraged to review the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for more information on the requirements and the process for submitting proof of compliance.
FEMA’s grant programs are voluntary. State, Tribal Nations, territorial, and local governments must apply to receive federal funding and agree to follow the grant’s terms and conditions. Any recipient of federal funding should expect accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent.
The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring that states, Tribal Nations, territories, local governments, and all recipients of federal funds are actively contributing to the security and integrity of our elections by implementing these common-sense measures.
Javier Velasquez Antunes was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for dealing methamphetamine while illegally possessing a loaded handgun and shotgun. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria handed down the sentence.
Antunes, 50, a national of Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 12, 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 10, 2026, to Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Mixture and Substance Containing Methamphetamine, and Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition.
According to the plea agreement, Antunes admitted that on July 10, 2025, he and two others dealt methamphetamine in the Mission District of San Francisco. Officers from the San Francisco Police Department (“SFPD”) observed Antunes sell approximately one gram of methamphetamine from a car parked on Mission Street, before apprehending Antunes, two accomplices, and the buyer. All told, the four men had at least twelve grams net weight of methamphetamine between them. SFPD then searched the car in which Antunes was sitting and found a loaded nine-millimeter handgun directly at the base of his seat as well as a loaded twelve-gauge shotgun bearing his DNA in a violin case in the back seat.
Police also recovered various rifles and shotgun ammunition from the car. Antunes had previously been convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance While Armed and Felon in Possession of a Firearm in state court.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) Special Agent in Charge John Wester made the announcement.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chhabria also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered that he forfeit money, a cellular phone, and the firearms and ammunition. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody.
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Comptroller DiNapoli has unveiled a new taxpayer migration dashboard that allows the public to examine personal income tax filers moving into and out of New York. Building on his previous reports analyzing pre-pandemic and pandemic-era migration trends, this new tool uses Department of Taxation and Finance data to provide the latest figures on part-year resident filers. The dashboard will be updated annually, offering the ability to analyze trends on the state's changing demographic and economic landscape.
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The Common Retirement Fund (Fund) votes by proxy on all director nominees, advisory votes on executive compensation, and shareholder proposals at annual and special meetings for each of the U.S. companies in the Fund’s public equity portfolio, as well as those of select non-U.S. companies. The Fund is voting against National Grid's executive compensation plan at their Annual General Meeting on July 14. The plan features overlapping metrics in the short-term and long-term plans, potentially rewarding executives multiple times for achieving a single metric.
Comptroller DiNapoli released a follow-up report that looked at whether the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) addressed problems found in his prior audit of DEC’s Monitoring of Air Quality – Facility Permits and Registrations. The report found that while DEC made progress implementing the initial audit recommendations, more work was needed to improve monitoring and enforcement of air pollution facilities and compliance with environmental justice requirements.
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The affordable housing lottery has launched for Starhill Phase II, a six-story residential building at 51 Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights, The Bronx. Designed by Marvel Architects and developed by the Bronx Pro Group LLC and non-profit organization Services for the UnderServed, Inc., the structure yields 169 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 60 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $30,446 to $126,240.
The amenities include on-site superintendent, elevator, resident lounge, rear yard, a shared laundry room, bike storage lockers, and landscaped terrace. Residences are equipped with energy-efficient appliances, free in-unit broadband Wi-Fi, and intercoms. Tenants are responsible for electricity including stove.
Starhill Phase II at 51 Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights, The Bronx via NYC Housing Connect
At 40 percent of the AMI, there are four studios with a monthly rent of $777 for incomes ranging from $30,446 to $54,280; 24 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $980 for incomes ranging from $37,920 to $61,080; 20 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,165 for incomes ranging from $45,669 to $73,280; and seven three-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,334 for incomes ranging from $52,903 to $84,160.
At 50 percent of the AMI, there are four studios with a monthly rent of $1,010 for incomes ranging from $38,435 to $67,850; 24 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,271 for incomes ranging from $47,898 to $76,350; 20 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,514 for incomes ranging from $57,635 to $91,600; and eight three-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,738 for incomes ranging from $66,755 to $105,200.
At 60 percent of the AMI, there are five studios with a monthly rent of $1,243 for incomes ranging from $46,423 to $81,420; 25 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,563 for incomes ranging from $57,909 to $91,620; 20 two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,864 for incomes ranging from $69,635 to $109,920; and eight three-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,142 for incomes ranging from $80,606 to $126,240.
Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than September 8, 2026.
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) enabling a Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).
On July 10, 2026, the MOC was signed in Washington, D.C. by Rob Law, Under Secretary of Strategy, Policy, & Plans (PLCY) for DHS, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones, Executive Director for CARICOM IMPACS. The Ambassador of Saint Kitts and Nevis hosted the signing ceremony with attendees from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Representatives from the U.S. Homeland Security Council (HSC) and the U.S. Department of State also attended the ceremony.
“The signing of this memorandum of cooperation marks DHS’s first multilateral biometric information-sharing arrangement,” said Under Secretary Rob Law. “This will strengthen cooperation between DHS and CARICOM IMPACS on border security and immigration vetting. DHS welcomes this new partnership to strengthen security across the region.”
The MOC establishes a framework for automated queries and exchanges of data to support screening, vetting, and investigation of individuals who may pose security or immigration risks to the United States and CARICOM Member States and Associate Members.
Further, the MOC addresses the Eastern Caribbean’s Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) programs. U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10998 states that purchased citizenship can be used to bypass travel restrictions or conceal identity and assets; as such, it imposes certain visa restrictions on Citizenship-by-Investment nationals. Information shared through the BDSP program strengthens vetting practices and addresses some of the risks identified in the Proclamation, while leaving visa and 212(f) authorities unchanged.
DHS and CARICOM IMPACS aim to operationalize the BDSP MOC by the end of the calendar year.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that WEIDONG GUAN, a/k/a “Bill Guan,” the former Chief Financial Officer of The Epoch Times Association, Inc. (the “Epoch Times”), an international media company headquartered in New York, New York, pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to engage in transactions involving criminal proceeds as part of a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit, among others, the Epoch Times. GUAN pled guilty before District Judge Victor Marrero. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
“Weidong Guan orchestrated an elaborate multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme to increase revenues at the company where he served as Chief Financial Officer,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Corporate leaders like Guan should take notice: boosting revenues through crime will not pay. This Office is committed to holding perpetrators of financial crimes accountable and compensating victims.”
According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
From at least in or about 2019, through in or about May 2024, GUAN, while serving as Chief Financial Officer of the Epoch Times, conspired with others to participate in a sprawling, international scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Epoch Times and related entities. GUAN did so by using the Epoch Times’ funds to purchase crime proceeds loaded onto gift cards and prepaid debit cards at discounted rates of approximately 70 to 80 cents on the dollar, and then laundering those crime proceeds back to the Epoch Times under the guise of fake “donations” to the Epoch Times. When banks notified GUAN that the transactions at issue were suspicious and asked GUAN to explain their source, GUAN knowingly misled the banks to believe the transactions were legitimate rather than criminal.
GUAN, 63, of Secaucus, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to engage in transactions involving criminal proceeds, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. GUAN also agreed to forfeit at least $67 million, representing property involved in the offense, and separately to pay restitution up to $67 million. The criminal conduct at issue does not relate to the Epoch Times’ newsgathering activities.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
One of GUAN’s co-conspirators, Le Van Hung, a/k/a “Hung Van Le,” a/k/a “Van Hung Le,” pled guilty on June 29, 2026, to participating in a conspiracy to commit identity theft based on his role in the money laundering scheme. HUNG is scheduled to be sentenced on October 9, 2026.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
During Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, Governor Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers to take steps to protect their vehicles from theft. In the first six months of this year, investigators for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recovered 140 stolen vehicles worth $4.3 million. In addition, DMV also recovered eight stolen auto parts with a value of almost $13,000.
“For most New Yorkers, their car is one of their biggest investments, and losing one to a thief can cause financial loss and hardship,” Governor Hochul said. “We have worked hard in New York to deter car theft, and we urge owners to take some simple steps to protect their own vehicles. Just as we have fought to lower the cost of car insurance, the DMV works with customers to recoup money they have lost due to stolen cars and parts.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 650,000 drivers in the US fall victim to this crime every year, with a car being stolen every 48 seconds.
Here is guidance on how to protect your vehicle from being stolen:
DMV also offered guidance on steps you can take to avoid unintentionally buying a stolen vehicle.
In 2024, DMV warned consumers about a surge in online car sales scams and offered guidance on how to protect yourself. Extra caution should be taken when buying vehicles in online private sales.
DMV has previously warned consumers about purchasing vehicles damaged by flooding. Flood damage can affect the engine or transmission, corrode wiring, harm the airbag or impair the vehicle’s computers, damage that might not be readily visible.
Some sellers take the vehicle from a flooded area and get a new title in a different state before trying to sell it. Consumers should be aware when purchasing used vehicles with titles issued during hurricane periods, even if the title is not from a state affected by the storm.
If your vehicle is stolen, report it to the police and your auto insurance company as soon as possible. The police will enter the information into national and state auto theft computer records. The theft will be noted on your vehicle title record to help prevent someone from selling the vehicle or applying for a title.
Also ask the police to complete a 'Report of Lost or Stolen Motor Vehicle Items' form (MV-78B) for your stolen plates, which you must submit to the DMV. If only your license plates are stolen, you must still submit the MV-78B form to the DMV along with your vehicle registration.
You can find additional information on stolen and recovered vehicles and insurance lapses on stolen vehicles on the DMV website.
The DMV also offers additional tips to protect yourself when buying a vehicle.
For more information about DMV, follow DMV on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
