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Only Tlaib – whose criticism of Israel provoked the Republican-controlled legislature to censure her last year – has raised more, with $6.5m on hand according to her latest reporting. Tlaib easily fought back a 2022 primary challenge and faces no opposition in her 2024 race so far, and she has already formed joint fundraising committees with both Bowman and Bush to help boost their financial standing.

Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats, said the impressive fundraising haul from lawmakers like Lee and Tlaib underscored how progressives’ criticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza is resonating with Democratic voters.

“These are likely going to be some of the most expensive Democratic congressional primaries we have ever seen. And it is only that way because these candidates – be it George Latimer or Wesley Bell or Bhavini Patel – cannot stand on their own,” Andrabi said.

“They have to stand on $5m of money from Republican Maga [‘Make America Great Again’] donors that Aipac is funneling to them. That is the only way that they get a leg up against deeply popular progressives who are speaking of core values.”

New York City officials are moving ahead with a contentious plan to give migrant families debit cards for food and baby supplies, with the first cards being distributed on Monday to a small handful of new arrivals.

The program has faced a backlash over concerns about potential fraud or abuse, and about whether migrants were being given preferential treatment over other people in need.

But with 180,000 migrants having entered New York over the last two years and 65,000 still in shelters, the city is struggling with mounting housing and food costs and the administration of Mayor Eric Adams is eager to try a new approach.

A family of four is expected to receive up to $350 per week under the program, which will last six weeks, city officials said. The program will begin with 10 families on Monday, expanding to about 115 families, or roughly 450 people, over the next week.
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Last month, a 22 yo nursing student was on a run at the University of Georgia. Laken Riley was an innocent woman that was killed by blunt trauma. The man arrested is a Venezuelan in the U.S. illegally and has been charged with murder.

This is a tragedy. A promising young life taken by violence in a place she should be safe.

We clearly need to do a better job of controlling who enters the U.S., both for identifying threats & for making sure everyone here has documentation.

But it’s also true that immigrants commit significantly *fewer* violent crimes than native born Americans.

And those here illegally are the least violent as a group.

Statistically, allowing *more* immigration would *lower* the crime rate.

Maybe you don’t care for statistics. Maybe you think one death is too many from someone here illegally and the border should be a wall of razor wire and machine gun nests.

Americans have historically argued against Stalinist prison walls, but let’s entertain it.

Here is one of the consequences of that: A woman and her two children drowned in the Rio Grande two months ago, right at the location that Republicans go to as border tourists - Eagle Pass, TX

This was because Greg Abbott interfered with Border Patrol

This is also a tragedy.

This woman was coming to the land of freedom & opportunity for a better life for her & her children.

It’s unclear whether she tried to enter lawfully, but it’s also true that lawful immigration for Central American citizens is effectively impossible.

These are complex issues with life & death consequences & need people with intelligence & morals to make wise decisions.

There’s no perfect answer.

But another thing is true - the people who shout about Laken Riley aren’t really interested in her, her family, or the problem

If they cared, they’d work on the problem. They’d pass laws and find compromise.

And they’d stop waving Laken’s name around like a cheap rag instead of the tragedy she is.

But they have an election to win for the worst of us… so they lie.

They lie about it all.

Like caged monkeys, they fling shit everywhere.

They add to the pain of the Riley family, sentence more to pain and death at the border, and the let the problems fester.

This is the worst outcome, brought about by liars and grifters.

Sen Katie Britt's embarrassment of a SOTU response being only the most recent example, where she told the story of a child that was sex-trafficked and made it seem like it was in the U.S., when it was in Mexico and the woman found SAFETY in the U.S.

She lied to you. Straight to your face.

While pretending to care and wearing a crucifix around her neck.

And she’ll lie again to save face and keep the lie going.

America used to better than this.
We forced a president from office for lying. We elected people that cared about truth and decency.

We can have it again.

But only if you do more than complain.

Insist on moral leadership.

It will take more than voting.