News of the World

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Man Attempted to Establish ISIS ‘Safe Haven’ in Southern Border State: DOJ

Herman Leyvoune Wilson, 45, from New Mexico was arrested Friday for allegedly attempting to provide material support to the ISIS terrorist organization and attempting to obstruct, influence, and impede at least one official proceeding.

He allegedly attempted to create an “Islamic State Center” to “teach ISIS ideology, provide training in tactical maneuvers and martial arts, and serve as a safe haven for individuals preparing to travel and fight on behalf of ISIS in the United States and abroad,” the DOJ said in a statement.

Wilson allegedly set up an online platform to spread the ISIS terrorist ideology, promote the would-be Islamic State Center, and recruit potential members for the center.

Two of Wilson’s associates, Kristopher Matthews and Jaylin Molina, were arrested in September 2020 for providing material support to ISIS.

The two pleaded guilty in Texas and were sentenced in July 2022 to 20 years and 18 years in prison respectively.

Matthews and Molina told the authorities that Wilson radicalized them to ISIS’s ideology.

After the arrest of Matthews and Molina, Wilson attempted to obstruct the probe by instructing the online platform’s members to shut down the platform, and destroy and conceal online records and documents, a court document shows.

Wilson faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

Banks, crypto lobby clash with lawmakers over Fed digital dollar

Attorney General Merrick Garland has until Sept. 5 to determine what, if any, new laws are necessary for the Fed to move forward with a digital dollar.

A bipartisan campaign is underway to push the Federal Reserve to launch a digital dollar — a crypto-friendly breakthrough that could transform payment systems, big banks and the virtual asset industry itself.
But as lawmakers and the Biden administration position the potential central bank digital currency as a key tool for maintaining the dollar’s global supremacy, banking and crypto powerbrokers are building a case for Washington to stay away.
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A central bank digital currency, or CBDC, would mimic cash in many respects — allowing consumers to conduct transactions using digital wallets that would likely be maintained by banks or other financial intermediaries. Those services promise to offer speedier, cheaper and more secure services than what’s now available through commercial banks, fintechs or crypto.
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Banks and credit union groups have flooded the Fed, Treasury and Commerce Departments with letters calling CBDCs risky, unnecessary or — depending on its design — a slow-moving torpedo that would drain deposits from commercial banks. Digital asset groups and stablecoin businesses are making similar arguments, claiming that a digital dollar would disrupt the development of blockchain-based payment systems that facilitate trades for popular cryptocurrencies.
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That problem could be pressure from overseas. At least 25 countries have launched or piloted their own central bank digital currencies — a list that includes China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to the Atlantic Council. Roughly one-in-five Chinese citizens had downloaded a digital wallet linked to a pilot version of the digital yuan as of the end of last year.
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Fed officials say they have no intention of moving forward without “clear support” from Congress and the executive branch. But they did release a discussion paper in January — prior to President Joe Biden’s executive order directing the exploration of a digital dollar — that offers clues on how the central bank could proceed should it receive the green light.
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Unlike money deposited in commercial checking or savings accounts, which banks can then lend out and invest, customers’ digital dollars would be in the equivalent of a black box; banks couldn’t touch it. Those holdings would be considered a liability of the Fed — similar to cash — which means they wouldn’t need deposit insurance.

The banking industry fears that this “intermediated” model could prompt customers to withdraw money from their checking and savings accounts and pour it into new digital wallets, eliminating funding that banks use to dole out mortgages, car loans and other credit products. A retail model where the Fed issued digital dollars directly to customers — bypassing banks entirely — could be even more dangerous.
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And even though the Fed’s outline included language to ensure customer privacy, there are concerns about surveillance and the potential to block digital transactions.

“The prospect of government surveillance of Americans’ individual financial transactions through a CBDC and Fed accounts raises serious privacy concerns, not to mention concerns about government control and politicization of loans, online payments, credit scores, tax compliance, federal contracts, monetary policy and the like,” said Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), who also sits on the Financial Services Committee.

Of course, emphasis is mine.

Texas Governor ‘Accelerates’ Busing of Illegal Immigrants to New York City

“Texas is filling the gaps left in [President Joe] Biden’s absence at our border,” the Republican governor wrote on social media. “We’ve made over 19,000 arrests, seized over 335.5 [million] lethal fentanyl doses, [and] sent over 7,400 migrants on buses to DC,” he added.

Two buses carrying about 100 illegal aliens, mostly young men with several women, arrived in New York City this weekend from the Texas border, according to a Fox News reporter.

In a statement released on Friday, Abbott’s office said Texas authorities have sent more than 7,400 illegal immigrants to the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Abbott has sent a growing number of illegal immigrants to New York City—about 1,500—in the month of August.
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Since Biden took office in January 2021, around 4.9 million people have illegally crossed into the United States from Mexico, according to a report released last week.
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“In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” Abbott told media outlets earlier in August.

Both Adams and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, both Democrats, have publicly complained about Abbott’s busing program and have called on the federal government to provide federal support, including National Guard deployments. Both have been denied by the Pentagon.

Feds Declare Emergency in 4 States After Oil Refinery Fire in Indiana

The fire on Aug. 24 knocked out the electrical power and cooling water systems at BP Whiting in Indiana, causing it to shut down and undergo assessment, Reuters previously reported.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations said the “unanticipated shutdown of the BP Whiting refinery” due to the fire has affected the supply of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel throughout the four Midwest states.

The declaration provides the resources to immediately transport gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to the four states, which are facing or are anticipated to face shortages. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin usually collectively receive up to 25 percent of their fuel from the BP Whiting refinery.

By executing the emergency declaration, motor carriers and drivers who are directly assisting the emergency in the affected states will be exempt from the federal regulation 49 CFR § 395.3 that limits property-carrying vehicles to a maximum driving time.