Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer invited Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting with his Cabinet ministers on Friday, July 19. The meeting followed a forum of European leaders at Blenheim Palace, underscoring Starmer‘s attempt to underline the new Labour government’s commitment to the Ukraine war by inviting Zelensky to address his ministers, the first foreign leader to do so since President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Zelensky’s visit coincides with the launch of a new initiative aimed at disrupting Russia‘s ‘shadow fleet’ of about 600 oil tankers used to circumvent sanctions.
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“I won’t allow Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk,” Starmer said, adding: “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of my government’s agenda.”
The Defence Export Support Treaty, to be signed by defense ministers, will provide Ukraine access to 3.5 billion pounds ($4.5 billion) in export finance to boost defense production.
Last week at NATO, Starmer reaffirmed a commitment, initiated by his predecessor Rishi Sunak, to provide 3 billion pounds annually in military support to Ukraine until at least 2030-31, and potentially beyond.
Meanwhile, in America, former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson met with former President Donald J. Trump at the RNC to lobby for more support for Ukraine.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Arizona Beverages’ chairman Don Vultaggio reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the 99-cent price tag for the company’s iconic 22-ounce iced teas, despite rising production costs and tariffs.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Don Vultaggio, chairman and co-founder of Arizona Beverages, alongside his two sons, Wesley and Spencer, who help run the family-owned business.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Arizona Beverages was founded in 1992 in Brooklyn, with Vultaggio’s remarks aired on TODAY on August 21, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I can kind of tighten my belt, because the people I service and the customers of mine, they’re tightening their belt every day.” – Don Vultaggio
🎯IMPACT: Arizona Beverages continues to prioritize affordability for consumers, even as production costs rise due to tariffs and material expenses.
IN FULL
Arizona Beverages’ chairman and co-founder, Don Vultaggio, has reiterated his intention to maintain the 99-cent price for the company’s 22-ounce iced tea cans, a price point that has remained unchanged since the company’s founding in 1992. In a recent television interview, Vultaggio stated, “Right now, no. We have no plan to do it,” when asked if he would raise prices as a result of import tariffs. “We’re trying to hold the line.”
Founded in Brooklyn, Arizona Beverages has grown from a warehouse operation into a multi-billion dollar brand under Vultaggio’s leadership, with his two sons, Wesley and Spencer, assisting in the business. The company’s commitment to affordability has been tested by rising aluminum costs, which have increased 40 percent due to tariffs. Arizona uses over 100 million pounds of aluminum annually, with 20 percent sourced from Canada. Despite most of the aluminum being recycled domestically, imported aluminum remains subject to tariffs, causing price fluctuations in the overall market for the metal.
The White House’s decision to double tariffs on aluminum imports from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to Vultaggio, has added $40 million in costs for Arizona Beverages. Vultaggio explained that he offsets these expenses by increasing sales volume and offering plastic-bottled alternatives. Starting next month, Arizona’s 20-ounce plastic “tall boys” will be priced at $1 instead of $1.25. “Offering value is always a good idea, and when you can do it, you should,” Vultaggio remarked.
Despite these challenges, Vultaggio remains steadfast in his commitment to consumers, stating, “I can kind of tighten my belt, because the people I service and the customers of mine, they’re tightening their belt every day.” He added that maintaining the 99-cent price is important to him, as he believes in providing affordable options for hardworking Americans. “I think I’d rather grow business than raise prices. I’d rather have more consumers buy my product. Nothing solves problems like volume,” he said.
Arizona’s largest manufacturing facility, located in New Jersey and known as “Arizonaland,” continues to produce the company’s signature products. Vultaggio concluded, “Since I can afford to do it, why not continue to do it?” Forbes estimates his net worth at $6.2 billion.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A veteran Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer alleged that D.C. law enforcement misclassified apparent murders to deflate the district’s homicide numbers.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: MPD Sergeant Carlos Bundy, other whistleblowers, and D.C. police leaders.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Allegations span Bundy’s tenure in the MPD homicide unit (2010-2018) and beyond, with lawsuits ongoing in Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: Sergeant Carlos Bundy, who served in the MPD’s homicide unit from 2010 to 2018, claims management “mis-categorized deaths as something other than a homicide in order to keep the District’s homicide numbers down.”
🎯IMPACT: The allegations raise further questions about the accuracy of D.C.’s crime statistics and the true state of public safety.
IN FULL
The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is being sued by a veteran of its homicide unit who alleges the capital city’s law enforcement leaders manipulated crime data by misclassifying murders as accidental deaths and suicides. Sergeant Carlos Bundy, who served in the MPD’s homicide unit from 2010 to 2018, claims management “mis-categorized deaths as something other than a homicide in order to keep the District’s homicide numbers down.”
Bundy further accuses senior MPD officials of retaliating against him after he brought these concerns to his superiors, denying him days off and lowering his evaluation scores.
Bundy’s allegations align with similar claims from other MPD officers who have stated that department leaders downgraded theft and aggravated assault cases to lesser offenses to manipulate crime rate statistics. In another case, former MPD Sergeant Charlotte Djossou settled a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit after accusing leadership of “distorting crime statistics” by reclassifying felonies as misdemeanors. The lawsuits lend credibility to President Donald J. Trump’s assertion that D.C. officials have used “Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.”
The National Pulse reported on Wednesday that Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the D.C. Police Union, accused top officials within the MPD of deliberately manipulating crime data in Washington, D.C. According to Pemberton, officers are often directed at crime scenes to either understate the severity of incidents or not document them at all, “They respond to the scenes of these violent crimes and, inevitably, you’ll have a captain, or a commander show up on the scene and advise them to take a report for a lesser offense.”
In addition, U.S. Attorney Jeanne Pirro and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have initiated an investigation into the falsification of crime data. One MPD commander, Michael Pulliam, is already facing charges.
Sergeant Bundy’s lawsuit highlights specific instances where deaths were allegedly misclassified. For example, a November 2019 case involved a man struck in the head with a brick, which was ruled an accident despite an autopsy identifying it as a homicide. In another case from October 2020, a man beaten to death was classified as “undetermined” despite blunt force injuries confirmed in the autopsy. Bundy also cited a 2021 shooting where a homicide was captured on video but was not investigated, being labeled justifiable without an objective review.
Bundy further alleged that, in January 2021, a woman’s death showing evidence of strangulation was initially classified as “unknown cause” to avoid adding another homicide to open cases. An autopsy later confirmed it as a homicide, but Bundy argues that critical evidence was lost during the delay, leaving a murderer at large.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, was convicted of espionage for selling Navy secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for $12,000.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jinchao Wei, a machinist’s mate in the U.S. Navy, and a Chinese intelligence officer.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Wei was stationed at Naval Base San Diego and was arrested in August 2023. The trial concluded with a conviction on August 20, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The defendant’s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military.” – U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon
🎯IMPACT: The conviction highlights the ongoing threat posed by foreign intelligence efforts targeting U.S. military personnel.
IN FULL
Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old United States Navy sailor stationed at Naval Base San Diego, was convicted on Wednesday by a federal jury of six charges, including espionage and unlawful export of defense-related technical data. Wei, who was arrested in August 2023, sold sensitive Navy information to a Chinese intelligence officer for a total of $12,000 over an 18-month period.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Wei, aware of the espionage nature of his actions, communicated with the intelligence officer using encrypted messaging apps and provided detailed technical and operational information about U.S. Navy ships, including the U.S.S. Essex, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. This information included manuals, photographs, and descriptions of the ship’s systems and defense capabilities, many of which were marked with export-control warnings.
Wei was recruited in February 2022 by a Chinese intelligence officer who initially posed as a naval enthusiast. Despite recognizing the suspicious nature of the contact, Wei transitioned his communications to encrypted platforms and began providing sensitive information. He even admitted during his post-arrest interview that his actions constituted espionage, stating, “I’m screwed.”
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon emphasized the severity of Wei’s betrayal, stating, “By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which led the investigation, stressed the lengths to which the Chinese government will go to undermine U.S. national security.
Wei is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2025. The charges carry severe penalties, including life in prison for the espionage counts.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald J. Trump, District Judge Trina Thompson, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Wednesday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, overturning a lower court order from the Northern District of California.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary,” said DHS Secretary Noem.
🎯IMPACT: TPS protections for Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Nepalese migrants will now be revoked, affecting over 60,000.
IN FULL
A federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, reversing a lower court decision that had halted the administration’s attempt to cancel their protections and work permits.
The ruling came from a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of Circuit Judges Michael Hawkins, Consuelo Callahan, and Eric Miller. Previously, Joe Biden-appointed Northern District of California Judge Trina Thompson had blocked the administration’s efforts, bizarrely alleging that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision was “motivated by racial animus” and a “discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.”
TPS was granted to Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to Nepalese migrants following a 2015 earthquake. Earlier this year, Secretary Noem announced the termination of TPS for these groups, arguing that the program was meant to be temporary and that the countries had sufficiently recovered from these disasters.
TPS protections for Nepalese migrants ended on August 5, while those for Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants are scheduled to expire in September. Noem also introduced incentives, including plane tickets and a $1,000 “exit bonus,” for migrants who choose to leave voluntarily.
DHS data indicates that about 51,000 Hondurans, 7,200 Nepalis, and 2,900 Nicaraguans are currently enrolled in TPS without permanent green-card status. This ruling underscores the temporary nature of TPS and signals a significant change in immigration policy.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. immigrant population appears to have decreased by 1.4 million people in the first six months of 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pew Research Center, President Donald J. Trump, and the former Biden government.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Data from January to June 2025, across the United States.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change,” said Jeffrey Passel, Pew Research Center’s senior demographer.
🎯IMPACT: Immigration policy changes and enforcement measures appear to have contributed to the decline, with potential positive effects on America’s demographic stability and social cohesion.
IN FULL
The United States’ immigrant population dropped from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million by June, marking the first significant decline since the 1960s. This data comes from the Pew Research Center, which noted that the reduction is reflected in the labor force, where over 750,000 workers were lost since January.
Jeffrey Passel, Pew’s senior demographer, highlighted the significance of this shift, stressing: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change.” Under the former Biden government, foreign workers outpaced native-born Americans in terms of post-pandemic recovery in the U.S. labor market. While the decline in immigrant labor could result in some short-term economic turbulence, most labor economists expect the number of native-born American workers to increase, especially as those who stopped looking for work altogether re-enter the workforce pool.
Notably, the decline is attributed to immigration enforcement policies implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including heightened arrests, detentions, and visa scrutiny. These measures aim to reverse the mass immigration policies implemented by former President Joe Biden, which saw American-born labor replaced with cheap, foreign workers and an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration.
The data also found that the illegal immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023—though others estimate it could have reached higher than 20 million—but has now begun to decline. This group includes individuals without legal status and those with temporary deportation protections, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Despite the overall decline in immigrants, the United States remains home to more foreigners than any other nation—although countries like Canada and the United Arabe Emirates (UAE) have higher proportions of migrants in their populations. Pew reported that the share of immigrants in the U.S. population fell slightly from 15.8 percent in January to 15.4 percent in June.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously awarded five Floridians, including tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett and former politicians, with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ron DeSantis, Jimmy Buffett, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Bob Graham, Buddy MacKay, and John Thrasher.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Florida on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.” — Ron DeSantis
🎯IMPACT: Recognition of significant contributions to Florida in politics, music, and culture.
IN FULL
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously honored five notable Floridians with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, one of the state’s highest accolades. Among the recipients were singer-songwriter and tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett, along with former Republican and Democratic politicians.
“I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,” DeSantis said, adding, “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.”
The honorees included Jimmy Buffett, known for his hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” as well as his successful business ventures under the “Margaritaville” brand. Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023 at the age of 76, battling Merkel-cell carcinoma—a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. The governor’s office noted, “His legacy continues to influence music and culture in Florida’s coastal communities.”
Outside his impact on American music history, Buffett was known for working to raise money for the victims of hurricanes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean, as well as his concerts for the United Service Organizations (USO)—a charitable group that supports members of the U.S. military. In 2022, while undergoing cancer treatment, Buffett performed for American troops stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Also recognized was Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), a Cuban-American politician who strongly advocated for a free Cuba and fought against communism. Former Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham was honored for his work on education, environmental conservation, and national security. Buddy MacKay, Florida’s last Democratic governor, was acknowledged for his extensive public service, including serving as U.S. Special Envoy for the Americas. John Thrasher, a former Republican Florida House Speaker and Vietnam War veteran, was also honored.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A backroom advisor for UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has accused the Labour Party of engaging in a “dirty tricks” campaign.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: George Cottrell, Nigel Farage, Labour Party, and Peter Kyle.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The allegations were detailed in an article for The Spectatormagazine.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We should expect robust debate where ideas clash, but instead what we often encounter is a reliance on smears and innuendo.” – George Cottrell
🎯IMPACT: The campaign against Farage and his allies has intensified, with accusations of disinformation and character attacks.
IN FULL
George Cottrell, a behind-the-scenes advisor for Nigel Farage, has written an article in The Spectator magazine accusing the governing Labour Party of using underhanded tactics to damage Farage and his allies. Cottrell’s description of recent Labour strategy mirrors tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party’s online operatives, as previously exposed by The National Pulse.
Cottrell–who usually shuns publicity–highlights the Labour Party’s alleged “dark arts” strategy, which he describes as a cynical ploy to undermine Farage not through debate, but through reputational attacks. He notes that his name has frequently been targeted by such smears, contrasting these tactics with Labour’s previously promised “kinder, gentler politics.”
The article points out that anonymous online accounts have been part of a sophisticated disinformation campaign against Cottrell, with many of these accounts disappearing after The Spectator‘s reporting. Cottrell questions the funding and motivations behind these attacks, which coincide with Labour’s increased hostility towards Reform UK.
Cottrell’s association with Farage and financial support for Reform UK have made him a target. Past incidents, such as his 2016 arrest at the Republican National Convention, have been used against him. He describes these as part of a broader effort to discredit him and his consultancy, Geostrategy, through false narratives and character assassination.
Cottrell argues that using anonymous social media accounts and AI tools to spread misinformation represents a new level of digital defamation.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Todd Gilbert, resigned just a month after being sworn in, with his only comment being a GIF from the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Todd Gilbert, Robert Tracci, President Donald Trump, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Gilbert resigned on Wednesday, August 2025, as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Even though I’ve been out of the game for a while, I feel like I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to do that again.” – Todd Gilbert
🎯IMPACT: Gilbert’s sudden resignation leaves questions about the leadership transition and stability of the office, now led by his deputy, Robert Tracci.
IN FULL
Todd Gilbert, who was appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, has resigned just one month after being sworn in. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Western District of Virginia spokesman Brian McGinn confirmed the resignation, though no explanation was provided.
Gilbert, a former Shenandoah Valley state lawmaker and Republican speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, had been recommended for the role by President Donald J. Trump, Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and the state’s Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. He was sworn in on July 14 by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas T. Cullen.
In response to the resignation, McGinn stated that Gilbert’s deputy, Robert Tracci, would assume leadership of the office. McGinn added, “Outside of that, I have no additional information.” Gilbert himself has not issued a formal statement but did post a GIF from the film Anchorman (2004) on X (formerly Twitter), captioned with the phrase, “Boy, that escalated quickly!”
Gilbert also responded to a commenter on the post, saying, “All good. Thank you.”
During his brief tenure, Gilbert expressed enthusiasm for the position, stating in an interview with The Roanoke Times, “I bring to this job truly the heart of a prosecutor.” He added, “I never imagined that it would be something as impactful as the U.S. Attorney, but I’m grateful for the opportunity the president has given me.”
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A New York appellate court on Thursday threw out the state’s massive civil fraud penalty imposed on President Donald J. Trump.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and a New York appeals court.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, August 21, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the appeals panel wrote.
🎯IMPACT: Prior to today’s ruling, the penalty against Trump stood at an estimated $527 million, including accrued interest.
IN FULL
A New York appellate court on Thursday threw out the state’s massive civil fraud penalty imposed on President Donald J. Trump. The case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), alleged that Trump and the Trump Organization, including sons Eric and Donald Jr., fraudulently misrepresented Trump’s wealth and property values to secure favorable loan and insurance terms. Last year, far-left New York Judge Arthur Engoron, a Democrat donor, imposed a $454 million civil judgment against Trump, as well as other legal sanctions against him, his sons, and the Trump Organization.
The panel of five Appellate Division judges determined that Judge Engoron’s penalties were “excessive” in nature. Legal commentators have held throughout the process that the penalties against President Trump were unusual, as the type of fraud case brought against him had no prior legal precedent.
“While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the appeals panel wrote.
Prior to today’s ruling, the penalty against Trump stood at an estimated $527 million, including accrued interest.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Winnie Greco, a longtime ally and fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was suspended from his re-election campaign after allegedly attempting to hand a journalist a cash-filled potato chip bag.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Winnie Greco, Mayor Eric Adams, journalist Katie Honan, and Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon at a campaign event in Harlem.
💬KEY QUOTE: “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude… I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent,” said Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill.
🎯IMPACT: Greco has been suspended from all volunteer campaign activities.
IN FULL
Winnie Greco, a longtime ally and fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been suspended from his re-election campaign after being accused of attempting to hand a journalist a cash-stuffed potato chip bag. The incident, which Greco’s lawyer attributed to “the Chinese culture,” occurred Wednesday afternoon in Harlem during a campaign event.
According to The City—the local New York News outlettargeted in the scheme—Greco offered the cash hidden in a Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chip bag to reporter Katie Honan. Initially, Honan believed the gesture to be a legitimate offer of a snack, but refused. Greco insisted, and upon discovering the cash, Honan contacted Greco to return it. “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you,” Honan texted, receiving no response.
Greco later apologized, calling the cash offer “a mistake” and attributing it to cultural differences. “In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude,” her attorney, Steven Brill, explained. “I can see how this looks strange,” Brill said, adding: “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent.”
“Grecco [sic] holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesman for Adams’s campaign, stated. He also claimed that Mayor Adams had “no prior knowledge of this matter.”
Greco has been a close ally of Adams for over a decade, previously serving as the director of Asian affairs in his administration. She resigned in 2024 amid a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into suspect campaign donations, which included a raid on her home.
Richard Kim, editor-in-chief of The City, called the potato chip bag incident “deeply disturbing” and criticized Greco’s attempt to ingratiate herself with a journalist through such means.
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