UES residents fume nearby homeless shelter quietly kept operating despite city order to shut down
A luxury Upper East Side hotel has spent years serving as a quiet homeless shelter, and neighbors say the city cut them out of the loop entirely.
The Bentley Hotel, a 21-story tower at 500 E. 62nd St. where rooms once fetched more than $200 a night, is housing 197 people under a taxpayer-funded contract, according to Highland Park Community Development Corporation, the Brooklyn nonprofit running the operation, Upper East Site first reported.
It is not the building’s first rodeo as a shelter.
The hotel took in homeless New Yorkers displaced from crowded congregate shelters back in May 2020, part of the city’s pandemic-era push to spread people out and slow the spread of COVID-19 inside dorm-style facilities.
The Bentley resurfaced as a shelter in 2023, this time designated a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center for asylum seekers arriving amid the migrant crisis, with Highland Park landing a $32 million contract to run it, Upper East Site reported.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered the city’s last remaining HERRC, in The Bronx, be shuttered by the end of this year. Yet the Bentley never closed. It simply got a new label.
Highland Park’s marketing materials now brand the property a “Tier 2 family shelter” called “Yorkville Sanctuary,” even though the building sits in Lenox Hill, not Yorkville. The pitch promises to help residents land on their feet.
“A Tier 2 family shelter, providing a safe and secure environment to families,” the materials read, according to Upper East Site. “The goal of the program is to assist the families in locating affordable housing.”
This has the Upper East Side locals fuming.
The Department of Homeless Services has a track record of alerting Community Board 8 when new shelters open nearby, notifying the board about a 92-bed site on East 91st Street and a 200-bed high-rise on First Avenue.
The Bentley got no such heads up, Upper East Site found.
Tyler Hollinger, owner of Festivál Café on Second Avenue and a founding member of the East Side Accountability Alliance, said the building’s status was never exactly a mystery to those paying attention.
“We always knew that it was a shelter,” Hollinger told Upper East Site.
He argues the silence from officials fits a pattern.
“It’s very clear that the community board and the government doesn’t really care what the people think, and they’re just going to do whatever they want,” Hollinger said. …
EXCLUSIVE: US Consumers May Be Misled About How Much Insurers Actually Spend On Medical Care, Report Suggests
Some health insurers may be misleading consumers about how much they are actually spending on medical care, a new Insurance Watchdog Coalition report first obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation suggests.
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans reported a Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) of nearly 90% in 2023, according to IWC’s report.
Per their own filings, medical and prescription-drug claims comprised 82.5% of insurers’ total revenue, below the 85% federal requirement and $36 billion less than the figure they initially reported, the report alleges.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 — commonly known as Obamacare — mandates that insurers submit data on the amount of premium revenues spent on clinical services and quality improvement, also known as MLR, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The ACA also requires health insurance companies to spend at least 80% to 85% of premium dollars on medical care, per CMS.
“Current MLR rules let plans count things that are not medical care as if they were,” the report claims. “Administrative costs — including portions of prior-authorization systems — count as ‘quality improvement.’”
Health insurers can also count benefits such as gym memberships and cash cards for everyday expenses as “medical spending,” per the report.
“For years, policymakers thought Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) meant insurers paid 85% of every dollar on healthcare,” IWC Executive Director Mark Merritt told the DCNF in a statement.
“But insurers rigged the system, counting billions in overhead, marketing and other costs as ‘medical’ expenses. We need real transparency to make sure health dollars go to patients — not just insurers’ bottom line.”
IWC’s analysis also recommends that CMS should require health plans to “report what they pay providers, PBMs, and other businesses they own — in dollars, by affiliate — as a separate line in the MLR filing, and compare those payments to what independent providers are paid.
The MLR figures included in IWC’s report were computed using data from CMS’s Contract Year 2023 Part C/Part D Medical Loss Ratio Public Use File.
The figures do not include payments to affiliated providers, according to IWC.
The report’s release comes as many lawmakers have been calling for greater transparency across the U.S. healthcare system.
In July, Republican Texas Rep. Nathaniel Moran unveiled legislation that would require insurers to publicly disclose how much of their total revenue goes toward patient care versus overhead.
“Transparency and accountability must be at the center of reforming our healthcare system,” Moran said in a July 15 statement, adding that his bill “seeks to double down on that effort by pulling back the veil legislatively and requiring more information be made public about how Medicare Advantage dollars are spent.”
People Over Climate | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU
We are about to spend trillions of dollars to make the planet slightly cooler by 2100.
For a fraction of that, we could save millions of lives today, fighting malaria, hunger, and disease.
One approach barely moves the needle. The other transforms lives for the better right now.
So which should come first? Copenhagen Consensus president and Hoover Institution Fellow Bjorn Lomborg investigates.
Court date postponed for driver in deadly L.A. Metro bus crash
America’s space weapons: What does the US have in orbit?
Former Navy SEAL Jack Carr and Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula join “Katie Pavlich Tonight” to discuss the “on-orbit space control weapons” possessed by the United States.
Senator Hawley Questions FBI DIRECTOR Kash Patel
Minnesota, USDA differ on scope of SNAP waiver as lawmaker raises fraud concerns
Minnesota is continuing to use a COVID-era waiver allowing SNAP applicants to provide verbal signatures by phone without an audio recording, but state and federal officials appear to disagree over how broadly the waiver applies.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently extended Minnesota’s waiver through June 30, 2028.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families says the waiver is available to all households applying for, renewing or re-certifying SNAP benefits, while USDA says it applies to fewer than 10,000 applicant households, including elderly and tribal communities.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, chair of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, wants answers about the waiver, its extension, and if there are safeguards in place to prevent fraud.
Robbins told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that she learned about the extension through a state agency email and was surprised the waiver remained in place.
“I think most Minnesotans would be shocked to realize that you can go through the SNAP eligibility process based on a phone call,” Robbins said. “And that the attestation is not even recorded, so that you can subsequently have record of it.”
The waiver allows counties and Tribal Nations to accept verbal signatures on SNAP applications, renewals and recertification forms without retaining an audio recording of the household’s attestations and agreements to the information provided.
This is instead of physically signing the documents.
“It’s sort of a double whammy,” Robbins said. “[Both that] we’re using the telephonic signature at all, and then we’re not even keeping a recording of it.”
SNAP provides food assistance to more than 40 million Americans, including about 450,000 Minnesotans.
According to a Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families, the waiver allows “counties and Tribal Nations” to accept verbal signatures on SNAP applications, renewals and recertification forms without retaining an audio recording of the household’s attestations.
This information comes from a department news release shared with The Center Square by Robbins, but is also publicly available on the state department’s website. …
ICE officer arrested ahead of state, federal hearings over Metro Surge shooting
Suspended U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro was arrested Wednesday by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension ahead of state and federal hearings in Minnesota.
The bureau announced in a statement on social media that Castro was arrested in downtown Minneapolis and booked into the Hennepin County Jail on an active warrant.
He remains jailed without bond.
Castro faces state charges stemming from the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis.
The charges include four felony counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a duplex while standing outside and not under physical threat. According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg before lodging in the wall of a child’s bedroom.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors announced that Castro would also face a federal charge of making false statements in connection with the shooting during Operation Metro Surge.
Castro has a hearing in state court on Thursday afternoon for the state charges. On Friday, he’ll appear in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis for the federal charge.
At the time of the announcement of the state charges in May, federal immigration officials called Minnesota’s prosecution of Castro a “political stunt.”
An ICE spokesperson told The Center Square in an email that the state’s actions were unlawful and defended the conduct of federal agents involved in the operation.
“These actions by Minnesota sanctuary politicians are unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” the ICE spokesperson said.
Yet, the spokesperson also said the U.S. Attorney’s Office was already “actively” investigating statements made under oath connected to the case.
“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense,” they said. “Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution.”
In August, Castro was suspended without pay after being released from a Texas prison, where he had been held since May on a warrant for the Minnesota charges.
He was released after reaching Texas’ 90-day limit for extradition cases, which expired after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, did not sign an extradition warrant to send Castro to Minnesota.
Castro’s defense attorneys have previously said he intends to plead not guilty in the federal case.
Two indicted in alleged voting scheme tied to Louisiana mayor’s race
A former Cotton Valley mayoral candidate faces federal charges after Louisiana election officials say their Election Integrity Division uncovered information about an effort to register a noncitizen who later voted in the election in which she was running.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment Sept. 9 against Bridget Johnson, 53, of Cotton Valley, and Michael Wedderburn, 52, of Jamaica.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges Monday as part of a broader election-related enforcement announcement involving six defendants in Louisiana, Kansas and California.
According to the Justice Department, Johnson was a Webster Parish resident and candidate for mayor of Cotton Valley in the Nov. 5, 2024, election.
Wedderburn is a noncitizen who was ineligible to vote in Louisiana elections.
Prosecutors say Johnson completed and electronically submitted a Louisiana voter registration application in Wedderburn’s name on July 14, 2024, falsely stating that he was a U.S. citizen.
The indictment alleges Wedderburn later voted in the Nov. 5 election for a federal office and in the Cotton Valley mayoral race.
Johnson lost the mayoral race to Bruce Lee Jr. 56%-44%.
Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said the federal indictments stemmed from information uncovered by her office’s Election Integrity Division and shared with federal law enforcement.
“One illegal vote is one too many,” Landry said. “An illegal vote erases the voice of a lawful voter. When we uncover potential illegal activity, we will investigate it, refer it to the appropriate authorities, and pursue accountability.”
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.
FBI Director Kash Patel said election-related investigations are among the agency’s priorities.
“Protecting election integrity for the American people is one of the top priorities for this FBI,” Patel said in a release on the indictments.
He said the agency would use its resources to investigate credible allegations of election fraud and illegal voting. …
Muslim conference boots independent reporter while other media speak
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country’s largest Muslim rights groups, booted a reporter from The Center Square when he tried covering the group’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C.
“Unfortunately, you won’t be able to attend the conference,” Corey Saylor, the group’s research and advocacy director, said Saturday morning at the Washington Hilton Hotel. “It’s a private event.”
Amy Mekelburg, an anti-Islam activist, social media influencer, and the founder of RAIR Foundation USA, who uses the name “Amy Mek” on her X account, said she was not surprised that CAIR barred a reporter from attending its policy conference.
“Groups that preach ‘civil rights’ in public and hide their record in private do not want independent journalists in the room,” she said. “They want friendly outlets. They want control of the narrative.”
Saylor declined to address the charge. “Treating her as a legitimate voice delegitimizes you,” he said, noting that Mekelburg formed a nonprofit dedicated to appealing the murder conviction of Paul Cortez, a friend.
HuffPost in 2018 reported that Mekelburg and her husband formed the nonprofit.
Caroline Hendrie, executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, told The Center Square, “This was a private event, so we are going to decline to comment.”
An about-face
The Center Square requested press passes and when there was no response by Aug. 19, The Center Square reporter, identifying himself as a member of the media, bought a $100 ticket to attend the policy conference. Three members of the media were listed as speakers:
Hena Zuberi, Editor in Chief, Muslim Matters; Ryan Grim, co-founder and senior investigative reporter at Drop Site News; and Cenk Uygur, co-creator and host of The Young Turks, a progressive online news and commentary site.
On Sept. 10, CAIR sent The Center Square an email welcoming the reporter’s attendance:
Assalamu Alaikum,
CAIRCon 2026-CAIR’s Leadership & Policy Conference and 32nd Annual Gala is just a few days away! We look forward to welcoming you at the Washington Hilton.
But the evening before the conference started, a CAIR staffer sent an email from Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the group’s national executive director, denying The Center Square access to the conference.
“We thank you for registering to attend CAIR’s Policy Conference this weekend,” Mitchell wrote. “The conference is closed to the press…”
The next morning, Saylor appeared to qualify Mitchell’s remark. “Unfortunately,” Saylor said, “we didn’t want all coverage of the event.”
The Center Square covers government and public policy with taxpayers in mind and sought to attend CAIR’s conference after finding that CAIR and its affiliated chapters have received nearly $500,000 in federal grants and tens of millions of dollars in state grants, primarily California.
The decision to ban media coverage seems to contradict CAIR’s mission statement, which says it seeks to “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.” …
U.S. House advances California climate recissions
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed resolutions to revoke climate change regulations in California.
U.S. Reps. Vince Fong, R-Calif., and James Gallagher, R-Calif., introduced resolutions to repeal California regulations against commercial harbor crafts and ocean-going vessels.
The California rules made it so varying emissions regulations could apply depending on the make and model of ocean-going vessels.
The two California regulations were approved by the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, with the regulation against commercial fishing boats approved on Jan. 10, 2025, days before President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Gallagher and Fong said the regulations against commercial fishing boats and other ocean-going vessels bring high costs for consumers through compliance with environmental mandates.
“California already makes just about everything more expensive, and its mandates on our maritime industry are more of the same,” Gallagher said in a statement shared with The Center Square. “Rolling it back will help protect our supply chains and keep those costs from being passed on to American families.”
Gallagher and Fong estimated the regulations would cost Californians billions on vehicle retrofits and vessel replacements.
“By eliminating this mandate we are cutting costs from an already strained supply chain and bringing meaningful relief to families who have been paying a hidden tax they never voted for,” Fong and Gallagher said in a statement.
The California Air Resources Board sought implementation of the climate regulations.
The board, established in 1967, is dedicated to fighting climate change from air pollutants through sale of zero-emission vehicles, of which it said 2.7 million have been sold.
“We are one step closer to stopping an unelected state agency in California from increasing prices for consumers across the country, weakening our nation’s supply chains, and straining our regional fuel supply,” Fong said in a statement shared with The Center Square. “California’s At Berth Regulation is unworkable and costly, putting some of our nation’s most productive ports – including the businesses and workers who rely on them – at a competitive disadvantage.”
Jennifer Hernandez, who leads the West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group at the law firm Holland and Knight, said environmental regulations over the last two decades in California disproportionately affect low-income residents. She pointed to cars, building and energy production regulations in the state. ..
Israel, Morocco upgrade diplomatic ties; Turkey highlights close ties with Iran TV7 Israel 17 Sept.
- Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco announce the upgrade of their diplomatic relations.
- Turkish Interior Minister emphasizes the close cooperation between Ankara and Tehran.
- The United States reiterates its commitment to frustrate Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Investigating California’s High Speed Rail
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