NYC Firefighter, 36, Dies of Heart Attack After Being Fired to Pay for Migrants — Leaving His Family With Nothing

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An FDNY firefighter has died of a heart attack just months after he was fired as part of the city’s effort to free up funds for its migrant crisis — leaving his grieving widow and kids struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

Derek Floyd, 36, suffered cardiac arrest and passed away April 15, four months after the city gave him the boot as part of a larger effort to pare down staff and pay for housing and services for the tens of thousands of migrants flooding the Big Apple.

Floyd was one of about 10 Fire Department employees who had been on “long term duty” — either injured on the job and given office work or out sick for an extended period — and fired weeks before Christmas, FDNY sources told The Post.

Floyd, a veteran who served three tours in the Middle East with the Marines, had been among those working a desk job — toiling in the Fire Department chaplain’s office — because he had suffered another heart attack in 2019 while he was in the Fire Academy. . .

Floyd had been just shy of vesting additional medical benefits for his family and more than $600,000 worth of death benefits when he was booted, now leaving his family with nothing despite his years of service. (Read more from “NYC Firefighter, 36, Dies of Heart Attack After Being Fired to Pay for Migrants — Leaving His Family With Nothing” HERE)

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Tech CEO Believes Gen Zers Are Gravitating Towards Blue-Collar Jobs That AI Struggles to Replace

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As the costs and controversies surrounding college education continue to rise, as well as the potential threat AI presents to white-collar jobs, many young people have started looking into trade schools and blue-collar jobs that are not easily replaceable by tech, according to a recent report by Fox News Digital.

Lincoln Tech CEO Scott Shaw told Fox Business’ Stuart Varney on Tuesday that “[t]hese [blue-collar] jobs are here to stay,” adding that “[s]ince COVID, people are kind of catching the wave and understanding the need for trades.”

Shaw went on to explain that there is a serious need for essential workers and that the students at his school were essential over the course of the pandemic.

He noted that the essential workers were “in the hospitals,” “keeping transportation, keeping your Amazon deliveries, getting to you.”

The report added that enrollment in vocational community colleges across the country are up 16 percent since 2018, according to a January 2024 National Student Clearinghouse report. (Read more from “Tech CEO Believes Gen Zers Are Gravitating Towards Blue-Collar Jobs That AI Struggles to Replace” HERE)

Mother Demands Answers After Video Shows Son Being Yanked and Dangled Upside Down by Preschool Worker

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A disturbing video showing a Los Angeles preschool employee violently pulling and pinning a 4-year-old boy has left the boy’s mother demanding answers.

“I was distraught,” Mother BrieAnn Battle told ABC 7 about seeing the video of her son being roughly handled at the Kinder Kids Christian Preschool in central LA on March 14.

The surveillance video shows the worker grabbing her son by his arms, and then pinning both arms on the ground by his wrists.

The employee is next seen yanking the boy by both ankles and carrying him up upside down, dangling the tot in the air. . .

The concerned mom said another worker at the preschool showed her the video, which prompted her to contact the owner to meet with her and demand answers about the treatment of her young son. (Read more from “Mother Demands Answers After Video Shows Son Being Yanked and Dangled Upside Down by Preschool Worker” HERE)

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One Climber Dies, Another Critically Injured in 1,000-Foot Fall From Alaska Mountain

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One mountain climber was killed and another was seriously injured Thursday night after plummeting an estimated 1,000 feet from Mt. Johnson’s 8,400-foot peak in Alaska’s Denali National Park, the National Park Service (NPS) said.

Due to adverse weather conditions, rescue teams were not able to reach the body of Robbi Mecus, 52, until the weather cleared Saturday morning, according to a statement by the NPS. The surviving climber — a 30-year-old California woman — was rescued and transporting by air ambulance to an Anchorage hospital Friday morning, the NPS stated.

The incident occurred on a portion of Mt. Johnson known as “the Escalator.” The two women were roped while climbing up terrain covered in a mix of rock, ice, and snow, the NPS said.

Another group of climbers witnessed the fall, notified park rangers and then climbed down to help the women, according to the NPS. The climbers reportedly confirmed Mecus was killed in the fall and gave first aid to the surviving climber. They tried to keep her warm until morning by digging a snow cave and attending “to the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night,” the NPS stated.

Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell said, “We are grateful for the rescue efforts of Denali mountaineering rangers and the two good Samaritans on Mt. Johnson who helped save a fellow climber’s life. We extend our thoughts and condolences to the friends and family of Robbi Mecus.” (Read more from “One Climber Dies, Another Critically Injured in 1,000-Foot Fall From Alaska Mountain” HERE)

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Putin Likely Didn’t Order Death of Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny, U.S. Intel Agencies Say

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American intelligence agencies have found that the death of Russian opposition leader and dissident Alexei Navalny was likely not ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Navalny’s February death in a prison camp in Russia’s Arctic regions prompted the United States and other countries to levy additional sanctions on the Russian economy, and derailed negotiations on prisoner exchanges. However, multiple American intelligence agencies, including the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, have assessed that Putin did not directly order the death of Navalny, according to the WSJ.

“The idea of Putin being not informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous,” Navalny ally Leonid Volkov said, according to the WSJ. Navalny survived being poisoned with a Russian nerve agent in August 2020.

“Navalny was a high-value prisoner, politically, and everybody knew that Putin was personally invested in his fate. The chances for this kind of unintended death are low,” Polish Institute of International Affairs director Slawomir Dębski told the WSJ.

However, the American intelligence assessment did not clear Putin of any culpability for the death of the Russian opposition leader who was reportedly to be part of a proposed prisoner swap that could have also included jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan in exchange for a Russian operative accused of assassinating a Georgian dissident. (Read more from “Putin Likely Didn’t Order Death of Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny, U.S. Intel Agencies Say” HERE)

Man Who Recorded Ashli Babbitt Shooting During Jan. 6 Riot Handed 6 Year Prison Sentence

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A Utah man in a ballistic vest and gas mask, who filmed the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbit, was sentenced to six years in prison Friday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to the Justice Department.

John Earle Sullivan, 29, was found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding, including possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds on Nov. 16, 2023. On top of the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth also sentenced him to 36 months of supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

“According to court documents, in the days and weeks leading to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Sullivan used various digital platforms and personas to present himself as an activist; however, on these platforms, Sullivan made his true objectives clear: to cause pure chaos and disruption to the status quo,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a press release.

Sullivan arrived in the Capitol area on Jan. 6 with a ballistic vest, gas mask and a bull horn. He encouraged other rioters by saying into the megaphone: “Get in that sh–” and “Storm that sh–.” He said he would continue filming “as a good ploy” so he would not get arrested for entering the building, per prosecutors.

Once inside the Capitol, he told law enforcement to stand down so they would not get hurt. He also joined a crowed outside the House of Representatives where he told other rioters that he had a knife. In the Speaker’s Lobby, he encouraged others to break the windows, the release said. (Read more from “Man Who Recorded Ashli Babbitt Shooting During Jan. 6 Riot Handed 6 Year Prison Sentence” HERE)

DeSantis, Donald Trump Discuss Détente in Miami

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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump met Sunday in Miami for a private meeting, suggesting a détente following a bruising presidential primary ahead of the 2024 general election, The Washington Post reported.

People familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Washington Post about the meeting, later confirmed by NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns.

“NEW: Multiple sources confirm to @NBCNews Trump and DeSantis met in Miami this morning. A Trump official tells me DeSantis reached out two weeks ago to set up the meeting via a mutual connection to ‘bury the hatchet’ and talk fundraising,” Burns tweeted late Sunday morning.

The meeting was set up in hopes the two would repair their strained relationship, but Trump advisors were hoping DeSantis would help raise significant sums for the general election through his donor network, according to The Washington Post. The meeting, which was “mutually agreed upon and arranged by Steve Witkoff,” lasted for several hours, with DeSantis agreeing to help the former president, Burns reported. (Read more from “DeSantis, Donald Trump Discuss Détente in Miami” HERE)

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House GOP Raises Alarm Over Biden Family’s Alleged Business With Qatari Officials

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A new report alleging President Joe Biden‘s younger brother, James Biden, was in business with Qatari officials gave House Republicans fresh ammunition to warn the public about the first family being ensnared in foreign entanglements.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who is leading the corruption-focused impeachment inquiry into President Biden, responded to the report from POLITICO on Sunday with a post to X that began with a siren emoji. . .

The POLITICO report centers on testimony by fund manager Michael Lewitt in a Kentucky bankruptcy court indicating that James Biden partnered with Qatari government officials to secure money for healthcare ventures.was It noted that Lewitt is a former business partner of James Biden and is likely to face questions about the alleged Qatari ties during a planned interview for the impeachment inquiry. The report said neither a representative for James Biden nor the Qatari Embassy responded to requests for comment.

James Biden has already given testimony for the House impeachment inquiry. He denied that President Biden had any involvement in his business activities and rejected a previous POLITICO report that said he invoked his brother’s name to promote a hospital chain that collapsed. In addition, as reported by The Daily Wire, notes revealed during the deposition showed James Biden told the Internal Revenue Service that Hunter Biden, the president’s son, told him he was in business with a “protege” of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. (Read more from “House GOP Raises Alarm Over Biden Family’s Alleged Business With Qatari Officials” HERE)

Donald Trump Takes Biggest Lead Ever over Joe Biden in CNN Poll, Third-Party Candidates Expand Trump Lead

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Former President Donald Trump has opened his biggest lead ever captured in the CNN poll of the American electorate, enjoying a six-point advantage over incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden.

Trump, at 49 percent, is six percent ahead of Biden’s 43 percent when the two are polled head-to-head.

When third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Jill Stein, and Cornel West are added into the field, Trump’s lead over Biden grows to nearly double digits. In that multi-candidate scenario, Trump is at 42 percent, Biden is down at 33 percent, Kennedy is at 16 percent, West at four percent, and Stein at three percent.

That’s a nine percent lead for Trump nationally, an astounding number that if true would signal the former president is on track for an electoral college romp of Biden.

The CNN/SSRS poll was conducted from April 18 to April 23, and surveyed 1,212 American adults, including 967 registered voters, and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent for the full sample and 3.8 percent among registered voters. The numbers for the presidential race are from the registered voters sample. (Read more from “Donald Trump Takes Biggest Lead Ever over Joe Biden in CNN Poll, Third-Party Candidates Expand Trump Lead” HERE)

Christian Homes in Egypt Attacked and Burned by Islamist Extremists

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Islamist extremists reportedly set fire to several Christian houses and businesses in southern Egypt last week.

The violence broke out on Tuesday night in the village of Al-Fawakher, which is home to about 3,000 Christian families. The local Christian community had recently received a permit to construct a new church building, prompting backlash from some Muslim hardliners.

“The attacks are believed to have been triggered by an attempt to build a new church in Al-Fawakher village in Minya [province],” one local source, who asked to remain anonymous, told The New Arab. “When religious fanatics failed to expel Christians from their homes as a form of punishment, the extremists [reportedly] burned down their houses while they were still inside.”

Video circulating on social media appears to show crowds of people dancing and celebrating in front of the burning buildings. (Read more from “Christian Homes in Egypt Attacked and Burned by Islamist Extremists” HERE)