Chips .

 

No Smoking Area..

 

Cost..

 

Assimilate..

A shooting in a Minnesota park has spurred Republican legislators to call for a crackdown on Somali gang activity.

Crime Watch Minneapolis said that about 50 Somali youth were at Yancey Park in Edina when shots were fired on Wednesday night, according to Alpha News.

Residents reported hearing more than 20 gunshots. No one has been arrested. No injuries were reported.

Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota said this latest incident is proof action is needed.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if you won’t assimilate, then get the hell out of here,” Emmer said.

MacK..

Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott and the American billionaire philanthropist has donated $20 million to Active Minds, a US nonprofit that works with young people to change the culture around mental health. 

The donation is the largest in the organization's history and comes as Scott continues her large-scale charitable giving after selling a significant portion of her Amazon shares over the years.

 As stated in the Fortune report, the latest gift is unrestricted, allowing the nonprofit to decide how the money should be used to expand mental health programes, support young leaders and respond to community needs.

Fortune reported that Mackenzie Scott's $20 million donation is the biggest ever received by Active Minds. The organisation focuses on mobilising youth and young adults to promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness. Unlike many large donations, Scott placed no restrictions on how the money should be spent.

MacKenzie Scott's investment in Active Minds is transformative not just in its scale, but in its validation of young people as the primary drivers of change in mental health," Active Minds founder and executive director Alison Malmon told Fortune.

She added, "Unrestricted support provides us with the flexibility to use resources where the need and opportunity are greatest, while simultaneously building our long-term capacity to meet this pivotal moment."

TD..

 

Two former TD Bank employees from New York received prison sentences this week for their roles in separate financial crimes that moved millions of dollars through the institution and defrauded customers, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced Thursday.

Wilfredo Aquino, 47, of Manhattan, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for helping a money laundering network move hundreds of millions of dollars through TD Bank accounts. 

Edward Low, 31, of Flushing, received a 24-month sentence for conspiring to commit wire fraud and making false bank entries while working at TD Bank and another financial institution.

Aquino exploited his position as a TD Bank assistant store manager from 2019 to February 2021 to facilitate money laundering operations led by Da Ying Sze, also known as David, investigators said. During that period, the network moved approximately $474 million through TD Bank accounts by depositing cash at locations in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere.

The former assistant manager processed approximately 1,680 official bank checks for the network, totaling more than $92 million, federal prosecutors said. Nearly all of these checks were funded with cash deposits exceeding $10,000, which legally required TD Bank to file currency transaction reports.  

To die on..

 

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville warned Democrats on Thursday that the American public believes they don’t care about voter fraud, and the best thing they can do is stop fighting against voter ID requirements and move on to other issues.

His comments come as Republicans in Congress have been pushing to pass the SAVE Act, which would create a new federal proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process and impose requirements for states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, in addition to requiring photo ID to vote in any federal elections.

Carville argued that while he believes there is a negligible amount of voter fraud, refusing to put up photo ID safeguards against it is a terrible hill for Democrats to die on.

Just a thought.

Lower Status..

 

In a world where social and economic dynamics constantly evolve, romantic choices also reflect new ways of thinking and prioritizing. 

Hypogamy—the preference for partners with equal or lower status compared to oneself—has emerged as a frequent trend among women with high education levels and emotional intelligence. 

This choice is neither accidental nor superficial; it responds to deep motivations related to seeking emotional stability, authenticity, and mutual personal growth.

Contrary to common stereotypes, hypogamy among intelligent women is a conscious expression of their values and needs rather than a mere whim. 

It is about seeking balanced relationships where equality in respect, complicity, and mutual support carries more weight than economic or social status.  

Just a thought.

News..

News 12 reportedly carried out sweeping layoffs that gutted newsrooms across New York, according to reports. This move eliminated dozens of jobs, as the company made sweeping changes to its hyperlocal coverage that has made the network a fixture in New York for more than three decades.

This marks the third major round of cuts at News 12 under Altice’s ownership. The company laid off roughly 70 people in 2017 and cut another 30 to 40 positions in late 2023.

An Altice spokesperson said, “Local journalism is changing, and News 12 is evolving with it.”
This marks the third major round of cuts at News 12 under Altice’s ownership. The company laid off roughly 70 people in 2017 and cut another 30 to 40 positions in late 2023.
An Altice spokesperson said, “Local journalism is changing, and News 12 is evolving with it.”

Non -Citizens..

 

More than 6,000 non-citizens were accidentally added to New Jersey’s voter rolls due to a software error at the state Motor Vehicles Commission, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Tuesday,  

The stunning announcement comes amid a push by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration to crack down on non-citizen voting, which the president claims aids Democrats in elections. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that New Jersey had more than 35,000 non-citizens on its voting rolls.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said on Tuesday that the MVC error — which lasted from June 2023 until June 2024,   Around 6,600 individuals marked themselves as non-citizens when they applied but were added to voter rolls anyway.  

Speaking with reporters at a hastily scheduled press conference, Sherrill said there’s no immediate proof that any of the roughly 400 non-citizens who cast ballots impacted the outcome of any individual election.