“Disfrazados”

Las cuentas no dan

Un hombre revisa un contenedor de basura en La Habana (Cuba). Foto EFE

Eufemismos

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a special request for New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo after the former Democratic governor joked that he would move to the Sunshine State if he loses to socialist Zohran Mamdani.

Cuomo’s joke appeared to raise alarms for many who took to social media to express their distaste for the idea. DeSantis, a Republican, was among those expressing concern in response to an article about Cuomo considering a change of scenery should he again be defeated by Mamdani.

«Don’t New York our Florida!» DeSantis posted on X.

DeSantis has predicted that property values in Palm Beach will «skyrocket» from New Yorkers moving if Democratic socialist nominee Mamdani wins the mayor’s race in New York City this November. Speaking shortly before the primary election in June, DeSantis said, «If this socialist mayor candidate wins in New York City, you’re going to see real estate values skyrocket in Palm Beach because people are going to get out of that city.»

DESANTIS TAPS FLORIDA’S ‘MOST CONSERVATIVE SENATOR’ FOR STATE CFO

Cuomo appeared to be joking on Saturday when he said he would move to Florida.

The former New York governor lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is planning to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The line, delivered at a Hamptons breakfast with political insiders, sparked laughter but also highlighted growing unease over the city’s political direction.

«It’s all or nothing. We either win or even I will move to Florida. God forbid,» Cuomo said, according to attendees at the event.

The remark came during a private gathering hosted by businessman John Catsimatidis at 75 Main in Southampton. Catsimatidis, a GOP donor and radio host, is also the owner of the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains, which could be directly affected by Mamdani’s proposal to create government-run grocery stores.

POLL POSITION: MAMDANI’S THE FRONTRUNNER, BUT ISN’T RUNNING AWAY WITH NYC MAYORAL RACE JUST YET

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Kent Nishimura)

The guest list included Ambassador George Tsunis and former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa. One attendee described the line as a «wow» moment. Multiple guests said it got the room’s attention.

Cuomo’s senior adviser, Rich Azzopardi, defended the comment to the New York Post.

«Governor Cuomo would never give up on New York,» he said. «The line underscored the stakes in this election and the risk of electing a dangerously inexperienced, hate-spewing 33-year-old socialist to lead the city.»

DEM DISORDER: DNC SQUABBLES PLAY OUT IN NYC MAYORAL RACE FOR ALL TO SEE

New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)

The winner of the New York City Democratic primary for mayor is traditionally considered the overwhelming frontrunner in the general election.

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A handful of polls conducted this month in New York City suggest that Mamdani is the frontrunner, but that he is far from running away with the race. The surveys indicate Mamdani ahead of Cuomo anywhere from around 15 points to as few as three points.

Trailing Mamdani and Cuomo in the surveys are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The diplomatic dispute triggered by a low-level clerk in Israel’s Interior Ministry over visa applications for Christian organizations was resolved on Monday through «fruitful cooperation,» attorney Calev Myers told Fox News Digital.

«The Evangelical Christian organizations active in Israel, which represent the vast majority of Zionists in the world today, will receive all of the visas they need through a streamlined and efficient application process,» he said.

The issue burst into the news last week when U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicized a letter he wrote to Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, in which he expressed «great distress» over a halt to the «routine granting of visas for Christian organizations and workers, as has been practiced for decades.»

HUCKABEE CONDEMNS EFFORTS TO ERASE JEWISH HISTORY TO THE HOLY LAND AS ‘ABSURD’

According to Huckabee, beginning in early 2025, the Interior Ministry’s visa department stopped following the Ministry of Religious Affairs recommendations and began conducting its own investigations into each Christian organization to determine whether they should be recognized as «Religious Institutions» and remain eligible for visas.

He cited as examples the Baptist Convention of Israel, Christian Missionary Alliance and Assemblies of God, noting that members of these groups have been denied renewals of their A3 clergy visas and are instead required to complete lengthy questionnaires about their religious beliefs. Huckabee said the status of their applications remains «under investigation.»

«When support for Israel around the world – and in the U.S. – is under pressure, backing from our Christian friends is extremely important»

He also named the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem as another group whose visas were «being held up.»

He had threatened that unless changes were made, «I will have no choice than to instruct our Consular Section to review options for reciprocal treatment of Israeli citizens seeking visas to the United States.»

Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to Fox News Digital during an interview at the American embassy in Jerusalem. (Yoav Dudkevitch/ TPS-IL)

A source told Fox News Digital that the issue originated with a low-level clerk in Israel’s Interior Ministry who was «not particularly friendly» toward Christian visa applicants. As a result, the visa process for clergy and volunteers had become «increasingly problematic» and filled with «barriers for years.»

A second source told Fox News Digital that elements within the Israeli Interior Ministry «are not sympathetic, they don’t appreciate the relationship» with the Christian world.

Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital that he has been involved with helping to get visas for Christian organizations that do «extraordinary and important work» and there’s no reason for them to be given a hard time.

POPE DEMANDS CEASEFIRE AFTER GAZA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH IS HIT IN APPARENT ISRAELI STRIKE

«When support for Israel around the world – and in the U.S. – is under pressure, backing from our Christian friends is extremely important,» Oren said. «They are there through thick and thin – including when bombs are falling on us – and they contribute in so many ways. Whether it’s picking grapes, attending to people in hospitals, or cooking meals for soldiers. We should do nothing but appreciate them and make them feel welcome.»

The Ministry of Interior, responsible for the Population and Immigration Authority, was led by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, until it bolted from the government last week over the issue of conscription into the Israeli army of ultra-Orthodox men.

Attendees wave Israel and the United States flags at the Christians United for Israel summit on July 17, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

According to the first source, leadership turnover at the Population and Immigration Authority has exacerbated the issue. Amos Arbel, the former head of the authority and the uncle of outgoing Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, stepped down some five years ago. His replacements rotated through the position in quick succession, and the role is currently vacant.

«The absence of stable leadership has allowed a lower-ranking official – the head of the visa section – to make unilateral decisions,» the source explained. «She routinely disregards recommendations, including those from the ministry’s own religious affairs advisor.»

«It’s a chronic problem, and it’s disheartening,» the source said. «It shouldn’t take the intervention of someone like Ambassador Huckabee to resolve what should be a routine bureaucratic matter.»

EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS, WHO HAVE LONG SUPPORTED ISRAEL, VISIT AS WARTIME VOLUNTEERS

In response, Moshe Arbel sent a letter to Huckabee, reaffirming his «commitment to reviewing such applications [for clergy visas] with the utmost efficiency.» He wrote that «immediately following our meeting, I instructed all relevant professional bodies to act in accordance with the understandings we reached, and I assigned advisors from my office – headed by the chief of staff – to ensure a personal, continuous, and effective response to such requests.»

Arbel’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital: «There is no fear of diplomatic repercussions. The issue is being handled in a good and friendly manner.»

Orthodox Christians carry wooden crosses along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering) in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Orthodox Good Friday procession on April 14, 2023. (Saeed Qaq/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

When contacted by Fox News Digital, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem declined to comment.

As of the end of 2024, Israel’s Christian population was estimated at 180,300 – roughly 1.8% of the total population – reflecting a 0.6% increase from 2023, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the local Christian population is growing.

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David Parsons, vice president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital that he is «very grateful that the U.S. ambassador has intervened on behalf of all the Christian organizations.

«It’s a shame that it takes this sort of action when the government and the minister of interior should have reined in the head of the visa section and corrected her wrong decisions,» he said.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Fox News Digital that he had spoken to individuals on both sides of the issue and believed it «was a misunderstanding and the Christian groups will get what they need. This does not at all speak to the very important relationship that Israel has with the Christian community,» he said.