International
Michelle Obama a favored option among voters to replace Biden on ticket
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From The Center Square
By
President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris Sunday when he announced he was ending his reelection bid.
But many voters say former First Lady Michelle Obama would be their preferred candidate, according to The Center Square Voters’ Voice polling. And they’ve said so since November.
They’re not alone. In late June, on the evening of the infamous debate performance by Biden, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on his podcast forecast she would replace the president as the party’s nominee.
Biden made his announcement to social media sites X and Facebook early Sunday afternoon. He’s been under close scrutiny since a June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump.
Michelle Obama has never said she is interested in running for the seat. But in November and January polls, when asked if they could wave a magic wand and pick their own candidate, a plurality of voters chose the former first lady over any other candidate. Harris finished a distance seventh.
In the poll, conducted with Noble Predictive Insights, 24% of Democrat-leaning likely voters would pick Michelle Obama. The former first lady was followed by Biden (20%), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (12%), someone else (9%), U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (9%), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (8%), Vice President Kamala Harris (7%), and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (5%).
![TCS - Preferred Democratic Primary Candidate](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=150%2C142 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=200%2C190 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=225%2C214 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=300%2C285 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=400%2C380 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=540%2C513 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=640%2C608 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=750%2C712 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=990%2C940 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=1035%2C983 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=1200%2C1140 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=1333%2C1266 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=1476%2C1402 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/90/79067878-b0a8-11ee-9cce-434e9936271b/65a0283ac1f90.image.png?resize=1477%2C1403 2008w)
Three other Democrats finished further behind: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got 4%, followed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (1%) and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (1%).
In a more recent The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll, conducted earlier this month, Democratic voters were presented with a similar question. When given the choice of Biden or a slew of other top Democrats, a plurality remained loyal to Biden – 34%. Harris and Obama, at 15% each, were next in line.
![TCS VVP Dems dream candidate](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=150%2C152 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=200%2C203 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=225%2C228 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=300%2C304 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=400%2C405 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=540%2C547 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=640%2C649 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=750%2C760 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=990%2C1003 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=1035%2C1049 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=1200%2C1216 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=1333%2C1351 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/thecentersquare.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/40/14036102-4081-11ef-a910-838048ceebbf/66917e38e6c24.image.png?resize=1430%2C1449 1476w)
Crime
Venezuelan Migrant Says She’d ‘Return’ To Country After Living In Housing Taken Over By Venezuelan Gang
![](https://www.todayville.com/calgary/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/tvrd-dc-venezuelan-gangs-take-over-appartments-denver-image-2024-09-07.jpg)
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Hailey Gomez
A Venezuelan immigrant living in migrant housing in Aurora, Colorado, appeared to fight back tears while speaking to independent reporter Nick Shirley, saying she would return to her country after living in the U.S.
This week, the city of Aurora faced major pushback from Republicans after footage surfaced online of armed men inside an apartment complex in late August. Shirley was seen visiting various migrant housing units before stopping at the viral location to interview residents where the armed men had been spotted.
Shirley spoke with a Venezuelan woman who showed him the poor living conditions her family endures, stating she pays $1,200 per month for the apartment. The migrant stated that the electricity and hot water in her apartment weren’t working, telling Shirley that the landlord hadn’t accepted any payment for the “past couple of months.”
“Does your father still have to pay rent?” Shirley asked as they walked around her father’s apartment.
“The owner is no longer receiving any kind of payment, because he is also taking all this, that the gangs and the mafia are taking advantage of all of this to get us out as if we were dogs and it’s not fair,” the migrant stated, according to a translation.
Shirley asked if gangs had been charging people, to which the migrant replied, “no.” The independent reporter then asked if her life in the U.S. was what she expected after crossing the border.
WATCH:
“No, never. I would have stayed in my country. They say that here everything is different, the laws, everyone gets a good job, you get ahead, you can save money to take back to your country,” the migrant stated. “But not everything is as they say, the American dream is simply just a dream. When you get here you wake up, it’s not like they say.”
Shirley then pressed the migrant, asking in Spanish if she would take a “flight or opportunity to go back” to her home country.
“With all the love in the world I would return to my country,” the migrant said.
Republican lawmakers on Friday sent a letter criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s “open border policies” and local “sanctuary” policies over the reported presence of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which allegedly terrorized several apartment buildings in Aurora.
Reportedly beginning as a prison gang in 2014 within the northern Venezuelan state of Aragua, Tren de Aragua has grown into one of Venezuela’s largest criminal organizations. With around 5,000 members and stretching internationally across Latin America and the U.S., the gang has allegedly been connected to several high-profile crimes within the U.S., including the kidnapping and strangling of a Florida man last year.
This week, the Aurora Police Department announced the arrest of two confirmed Tren de Aragua gang members, Jhonnarty Dejesus Pacheco-Chirinos and Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, following a July 28 shooting that left two men hospitalized with serious injuries.
International
ISIS supporter used Canada in terror plot to massacre New York City Jews, motivated by October 7th Hamas attack on Israel: FBI
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News release from The Bureau
United States investigators disrupted the anti-Semitic terror plot of a 20-year-old Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, who was preparing to cross the U.S.-Canada border to carry out a mass shooting at Jewish religious centers in New York City. His aim was to unleash bloodshed on October 7, 2024, marking the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly incursion from Gaza into Israel.
According to an FBI complaint on September 4, 2024, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, an ISIS supporter, was en route to the border, having told undercover agents he had secured funding for the operation—even texting a photo showing stacks of Canadian currency—and bragging he was “locked and loaded” for the attack.
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Undercover officers and informants had infiltrated the suspect’s network in Canada, intercepting online and encrypted communications, gathering months of evidence that detailed his plans to target Jewish civilians and religious institutions in Brooklyn. Khan believed the city’s large Jewish population made it the perfect site to inflict maximum casualties.
“Brothers, hear me out, why not we do an attack in New York,” Khan texted to FBI agents. “[The] population of Jews in New York City is 1 million,” he continued, explaining he had scanned Google Earth maps of various New York neighborhoods and could see “tons of Jews walking around,” and “we could rack up easily a lot of Jews.”
Khan’s murderous intentions weren’t limited to a single attack in New York City. The FBI’s complaint alleges he sought to form an “offline cell” of ISIS supporters in the U.S., coordinating multiple assaults on Jewish targets.
And demonstrating his intent and some level of sophistication in terror financing and money laundering, Khan discussed plans to fund and arm ISIS operators in the United States with AR-style rifles through cross-border cryptocurrency accounts.
This disrupted ISIS-related plot comes amid broader fears in the U.S. about the risks posed by Canada’s immigration policies. Recently, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio expressed concern over Canada’s acceptance of Palestinian refugees from Gaza. In a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rubio warned that the refugee program could increase the risk of individuals with ties to terror groups gaining easier access to the U.S., complicating efforts to secure the border.
The FBI’s investigation also highlights the resurgence of ISIS-linked terrorism in North America.
The group and its affiliates have claimed responsibility for major attacks worldwide, including the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people, the 2016 Brussels bombings that left 32 dead, and the Nice truck attack, which killed over 80. More recently, ISIS-linked groups carried out bombings in Kerman, Iran, in 2024, killing 94 people, and a deadly assault on a concert hall in Moscow that same year, which claimed at least 60 lives.
The FBI’s case against Khan, filed three days ago in the Southern District of New York, alleges that he began discussing his plan in July 2024 with undercover agents he believed to be fellow ISIS supporters.
He initially considered targeting “City-1,” but dismissed it as insufficient, stating, “City-1 is nothing compared to NYC” because it had “only 175k Jews.”
On July 31, 2024, Khan elaborated on his vision of a coordinated attack, telling the undercover agents he envisioned six attackers splitting into three teams to “launch three attacks simultaneously on different locations, maximizing the casualty count.”
Khan continued to communicate with the undercover agents throughout August, referencing a failed ISIS attack in Toronto as evidence of law enforcement vigilance and urging heightened caution. He emphasized that their “cell should be small and well-armed” and that they should avoid social media to stay under the radar.
To enter the U.S., Khan arranged for a human smuggler to help him cross the border from Canada, planning to travel to New York City and then by bus to his attack location.
By early September, Canadian authorities began tracking Khan’s movements. On the morning of September 4, 2024, RCMP officers observed Khan entering a vehicle in Toronto, traveling toward Napanee, Ontario. After transferring to a second vehicle with a new driver, Khan continued eastbound toward Montreal, intending to cross the U.S.-Canada border from Quebec.
His plans became more detailed as he neared his attack date. He identified Jewish religious centers in Brooklyn, sending the undercover agents a photograph of a specific area inside one center where he intended to carry out the attack. He also urged the agents to acquire firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear, instructing them to purchase “some good hunting [knives] so we can slit their throats.”
Khan intended to time his assault with Jewish religious events, ensuring maximum casualties, and planned to record a video pledging allegiance to ISIS and send it to the group’s media outlet, Amaq, to claim responsibility.
The evidence also provides chilling insight into the psychology and beliefs that drive ISIS supporters. On August 18, Khan sent the undercover agents a document urging them to read it, explaining that “a martyr bypasses all this questioning of the grave etc.”
U.S. and Canadian authorities continue to investigate the case and assess whether Khan had any additional accomplices or links to other extremist networks.
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