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Mark Hall: Most things in the USA regarding FETO have not changed.

Mark Hall: Most things in the USA regarding FETO have not changed.

Turk of America interviewed Mark Hall who is an expert on FETO issues.Mark S Hall is a risk-taking documentary filmmaker and lawyer based in Austin, Texas — whose curiosity and unusual set of skills drive him to tell complex stories for the public good

What has been changed since the July 15th Coup Attempt?

Some things have changed but I believe most things in the USA regarding FETO have not changed. After the 2016 coup attempt. FETO received coverage in the US media and Fethullah Gülen became a figure that was better known to more Americans. Also, certain Gülenist NGO’s shuttered their doors or changed their name. However, in the past 2 years FETO has increased its efforts using American PR firms to regain its foothold as a benign group of esteemed educators who are being persecuted in Turkey for their beliefs. The Gülen charter schools in the USA have seen some failures but are still popular among the educational establishment in certain areas, such as Texas, I believe the Gülen Movement (FETO) emerged from its failed coup attempt in Turkey rather unscathed and are now on the road to expanding their power base in the USA.

Does FETO still expand its charter school network in the U.S?

MSH: Yes, FETO continues to see growth in its charter school network in the USA. Although FETO has seen dramatic failures in Alabama, where two schools were started by Soner Tarim from Texas, other states such as Nevada and New York have not approved applications for new, taxpayer-financed Gülen charter schools there. There is growth but it seems to be slower than before the 2016 coup attempt. And FETO is starting to use a charter services organization to reach into charter schools that are being planned by non-Gülen US citizens. I think this is to cloak their association with the overall FETO cult.

“What would Turkey do better in terms of dealing with FETO in the US? What has Turkey done wrong?”

Although Turkey remains a good friend to the USA, its readily apparent that America has not understood the true nature of FETO or the 2016 coup attempt. I have often thought that bringing a small group of Turkish citizens to the USA who were harmed by the Gülenists or were harmed by the Gülen coup attempt to meet with journalists and political leaders in the USA might have made a difference. It is hard to look into the face of someone who has suffered and not feel that they are honest about their pain. FETO had a 16 years to establish its message through propaganda. It was very difficult for the Turkish government to overcome this advantage after the coup attempt. I also believe that certain missteps by the government of Turkey played into the Gülenist message in power centers (such as Washington, DC) that they were “better” than the democratically elected government there. It will be very difficult to overcome the US media’s bias against the current establishment in Turkey - they have been brainwashed by FETO for many years.

July 18, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Admin TOA

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Eric Adams Opens Wide Lead in NYC Mayoral Race

According to early official election returns based on in-person votes, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is leading in Tuesday’s Democratic Party primary for New York City mayor, and one-time frontrunner Andrew Yang conceded after falling to 4th place. However, the final election results will not be released for several weeks or over a month.

Here are the results as of now:

Democrats: Eric Adams 31.2%, Maya Wiley 22.1% ,Kathryn Garcia 20%,Andrew Yang 11.7%

Republicans: Curtis Silwa 71%, Fernando Mateo:28.2%

Eric Adams gave a 40 minutes speech and said: “I am going to be your mayor. I want you to believe again. Let’s bring our city back.”

A friend of Turkey:

Eric Adams has been to Turkey many times and a close relationship with Turkish American Community. Our magazine has him on the cover page, and Editor in Chief Cemil Ozyurt interviewed with Eric Adams last year, and the coverage was “Will Eric Adams Be Mayor of New York City in 2021?”

Full Interview: https://turkofamerica.com/index.php/poli/item/4875-will-eric-adams-be-mayor-of-new-york-city-in-2021

Eric Adams Biography

Eric Leroy Adams was born in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 1, 1960, the fourth of six children for his mother Dorothy, a house cleaner and cook, and his father Leroy, a butcher. Growing up in a working-class household in South Jamaica, Queens, Eric showed an early interest in computers, but was drawn to public service at the early age of 15 after he and his brother were beaten badly by police officers; the violent encounter would later motivate him to pursue a career in law enforcement, a decision reinforced by mentors like Reverend Herbert Daughtry and Jitu Weusi.

Following a public school journey capped by his graduation from Bayside High School, Eric went on to earn an Associate in Arts degree in data processing from the New York City College of Technology, a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Marist College. Eric paid his way through his collegiate studies through a number of jobs, including work in the mailroom of an accounting firm, as a mechanic, and as a clerk in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

Eric graduated from the New York City Police Academy in 1984 as one of the highest-ranked students in his class. After initially serving with the New York City Transit Police Department, he was transferred to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) with the merging of the city’s police forces. During the course of his 22-year law enforcement career, Eric served in the 94th Precinct (Greenpoint), 88th Precinct (Clinton Hill and Fort Greene), and the 6th Precinct (Greenwich Village and West Village), where he retired at the rank of captain. As a member of New York’s Finest, Eric made the kind of life-and-death decisions that reflect insight, expertise, and poise under fire, earning him a reputation for going above and beyond the call of duty.

In 1995, Eric co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, an advocacy group that rose to nationwide prominence speaking out against police brutality, racial profiling, and departmental diversity. He also served at one time as president of the Grand Council of Guardians, a statewide fraternal society for African-Americans in law enforcement. Through leadership roles in these organizations, Eric helped raise thousands of dollars for worthy causes across New York City.

Eric was elected to the first of four terms in the New York State Senate in 2006, where he represented a diverse range of neighborhoods across brownstone and central Brooklyn. During his tenure in the State Legislature, he chaired both the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee and the Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. In 2013, Brooklynites elected Eric as the first person of color to serve as their borough president; he is currently serving his second term as Brooklyn’s chief executive.

In 2016, Eric was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Having lost vision in his left eye and suffering from nerve damage in his hands and feet, he went against the initial recommendations of his doctors and pursued a whole-food, plant-based diet. Within three months, Eric reversed his diabetes diagnosis, and he has subsequently been able to impact the health of countless New Yorkers facing chronic diseases, including his own mother.

Eric lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he has resided for more than 20 years. He enjoys biking through his neighborhood, meditating, and exploring new cultures through travel. Eric is the proud father of Jordan, an aspiring filmmaker and graduate of American University.

Journalist, Ali Cinar

June 23, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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Is the Biden Administration ready for a post-Netanyahu?

Journalist Ali Cinar had an interview with Distinguished Experts on the recent developments in Israel. The speaker of the Israeli parliament notified lawmakers today of the opposition’s announcement of a coalition to unseat veteran premier Benjamin Netanyahu. Per Israeli media,the notification will set in motion preparations for a confidence vote in the new government, which will now likely be held on Wednesday or the following Monday.

Dan Arbell, Scholar in Residence, Center for Israel Studies American University

New Government:

It is a historic opportunity, as this new governing coalition (if approved by Knesset) will include for the first time an Islamist Arab party (Ra'am). This can help in bringing down tensions between Arabs and Jews after violence erupted during the last round of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

U.S-Israel Relations:New Era?

After years of tensions between Netanyahu, Obama and Biden, the new govt. can bring to a reset and improved relations with the Biden Administration, airing out differences (over Iran and the Palestinian issue) in private and not in public.

Israeli -Palestine Conflict and Solution

The conflict will be managed but not resolved. Bennett and Lapid agreed to maintain the status quo which means no annexation, limited settlement activity, no negotiations on a two-state solution, continued security coordination and support for economic projects in the West Bank and assisting international humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Director of the New York City Board of Rabbis

“For many years the state of Israel has had extremely close ties especially under the previous Trump administration. With the new Administration coming in to Israel I still feel that overall net net relations will be strong but perhaps a little shift in American approach on geopolitical matters including more of a supporting role that Washington will play with the Palestinians. “

Dov Zakheim(Senior Advisor at CSIS, Fellow at CAN, Former Pentagon Official)

New Government Efforts and U.S-Israel Relations under Biden Administration

There is definitely a prospect for improving relations with the US. The new Government would not be as nakedly partisan as Netanyahu and his ambassador in Washington, Dermer, were. This will help improve relations with Democrats, who control Congress as well as the Executive Branch. Likewise, the new government will be more cautious about settlement expansion and not be as brazen as the Netanyahu governments were.

The new government is far more acceptable to the majority of Jewish Americans, most of whom also happen to be Democrats. Finally, the new government may oppose a new Iran deal, but will cast its opposition in a far less hysterical way than did Bibi and his minions.

Future of Israel and Palestinians Situation

The new government is so broadly based that movement on the peace process will be difficult. On the other hand, the government depends on Arab Israeli support. That means more resources to improve the lives of ordinary Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Also, the government may not eliminate settlement construction but it will be far more restrained and will probably avoid expelling Arab residents from their homes

Journalist, Ali Cinar

June 7, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

Positive Atmosphere in Greece

The Greek and Turkish media reported that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias was held in a sincere atmosphere and that major problematic issues were discussed.

Turkish Foreign Minister underlined that the Turkey and Greece agreed to 25 items in areas of cooperation to improve bilateral ties and have begun to work on joint action and cooperation on tangible projects such as health and tourism.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the following statement during the press conference "The purpose of today's meeting was to attempt an initial negotiation process and if possible, a gradual normalization of the situation over time."

Turk of America asked Dr George N. Tzogopoulos who is Senior Research Fellow at CIFE regarding latest developments between Greece and Turkey

"Greece and Turkey are demonstrating a kinetic energy in pushing negotiations forward. The relaunch of exploratory talks, the organization of meetings of defense delegations on confidence building measures and the bilateral and multilateral meetings of foreign ministers Dendias and Cavusoglu show that it is in their mutual interest to talk to each other.

The forthcoming June meeting between PM Mitsotakis and President Erdogan is expected to be the most important meeting of the two countries’ leaderships for years. I don’t expect breakthroughs because the two countries disagree on many political issues, and they are both aware. But I am hopeful that the meeting between PM Mitsotakis and Erdogan will help Greece and Turkey to find a liturgical way to cooperate on themes such as tourism, COVID-19, trade, investments, the refugee crisis, culture etc.

The implementation of a positive agenda will perhaps restore some trust that was absent in the last years. In the interim, as long as Turkey is in the process of recalibrating its relations with both the USA and the EU , Greece envisages new synergies.

The June NATO Summit to be followed by the EU Council will set the way forward. Beyond the general framework, both countries have to make sure that the 2020 crisis will not be replicated by using new instruments, including NATO deconfliction mechanism"

Journalist, Ali Cinar

June 4, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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Why does Wendy Sherman, No. 2 at State Department visit important to Turkey?

Wendy Sherman is the first woman to be assigned as the Deputy Secretary of State who was working for Albright Stonebridge before. An avid admirer of NATO, Sherman worked with Presidents Obama and Clinton. She is one of the pioneers of the Iran nuclear deal and an expert on Syria and Israel. Sherman, who knows Turkey very well, will be in Ankara this Friday for preliminaries prior to the bilateral meeting to be held between Biden and Erdogan during the upcoming NATO summit. Sherman and her Turkish counterparts will prioritize the issues to be discussed and solved, bearing in mind that there are numerous problems on the table which remain without a solution. During the meetings, where the latest developments will be discussed, Sherman will also be seeing NGO delegates. As is always emphasized, such discussions are of great value when it comes to restoring cordial dialogue and bilateral trust between the two countries.

In a written statement by the U.S. Department of State, it is noted that Sherman will visit Brussels, Ankara, Jakarta, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Honolulu between May 25 and June 4.

It is also stated that Sherman will meet the representative of Belgium, the E.U., and NATO in Brussels and preside over the first U.S.-E.U. dialogue conference regarding China with Stefano Sannino, the Secretary-General of the E.U. External Action Service.

The press release noted: "Deputy Secretary Sherman will underscore the importance of the U.S.-Turkey relationship as we work together with our NATO Ally to confront mutual challenges, and discuss areas of concern."

Who is Wendy Sherman?

Wendy R. Sherman was confirmed by the Senate on April 13, 2021 and sworn in as the 21st and first female Deputy Secretary of State on April 14, 2021.

Prior to assuming this position, Deputy Secretary Sherman was professor of the practice of public leadership and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. She was also a Senior Fellow at the School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and a Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group.

From 2011 – 2015, Deputy Secretary Sherman served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, where she traveled to 54 countries and led the U.S. negotiating team that reached agreement on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran for which, among other diplomatic accomplishments, she was awarded the National Security Medal by President Barack Obama.

She previously served at the State Department as Counselor under Secretary Madeleine Albright, as Special Advisor to President Clinton and Policy Coordinator on North Korea, and as Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs under Secretary Warren Christopher.

She also previously served on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, was Chair of the Board of Directors of Oxfam America, and served on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board and Congressional Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism.

Deputy Secretary Sherman attended Smith College, and received a B.A. cum laude from Boston University and a Master’s degree in Social Work, Phi Kappa Phi, from the University of Maryland.

She is married to Bruce Stokes and has a daughter, Sarah, and two grandsons.

Journalist, Ali Cinar

May 24, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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A Message from Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles:

After President Joe Biden recognized the so-called Armenian genocide, Turk of America started to receive unbelievably disturbing rumors for the last week, such as that some Armenian groups in California created social media profiles calling for exposing the addresses of Turkish people and symbolically executing an Azerbaijani mannequin in the middle of the street.

Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles Can Oğuz, a beloved and hardworking diplomat of the Turkish-American community, sent a message to Turk of America Journalist Ali Cinar:

"The radical sections of the diaspora in Los Angeles, where the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia lives in the world, unfortunately, is very hostile towards Turkey and the Turkish society here.

These radical circles, and in particular, diaspora organizations affiliated with Dashnaksutyun, wield their influence in Los Angeles to forcefully suppress every attempt favoring Turkey. Local politicians also support these groups and even play a provocative role in these matters over petty political goals.

This situation is met with concern in the Turkish American community. Unfortunately, the painful memories of the martyrdom of our three diplomats in the past in Los Angeles and the threats against Turkish society at that time still have their effect.

On the other hand, our citizens, who are one of the successful diaspora communities of Los Angeles and whose number is increasing, are further improving their efforts to prevent initiatives targeting them and to ensure that the Turkish society is evaluated on an equal basis with other diaspora groups.

In this context, our Consulate General provides them with the necessary moral support and shows on every occasion that the Republic of Turkey always stands by its citizens with all the means available."

May 3, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Admin TOA

Leaving Afghanistan: What will it be like for Afghanistan – and for the U.S. – after ending America’s longest war?

Turk of America Journalist Ali Cinar interviewed distinguished American experts regarding U.S. troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced last week that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan starting May 1 to end America's longest war, rejecting calls for them to stay to ensure a peaceful resolution to that nation's grinding internal conflict. "And it's time to end the forever war," Biden said last week's announcement.

The Afghan war has cost the lives of 2,448 American service members and consumed an estimated over $2 trillion. U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan peaked at more than 100,000 during President Barack Obama.There are currently 9592 NATO troops in Afghanistan ( U.S. :2500, Germany:1300,Italy:895Georgia:860,Turkey:600)

James B. Warlick, Former U.S. Ambassador Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the office of the Secretary of State

Was it a good decision withdrawing troops from Afghanistan by Sept 11th? İf yes why?

Unconditional withdrawal only plays into the hands of the Taliban. As much as all of us want US forces home, the limited number of troops we maintained in Afghanistan provided not only vital intelligence and counterterrorism support, but also reassured the Afghan people that the US remains committed to a stable and democratic Afghanistan. Their abrupt removal will embolden the Taliban and lead to more violence and instability.

As the negotiator of the US-Afghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement, I also know that the Taliban views unconditional withdrawal as weakness. We have lost respect and have put President Ghani in a difficult position as negotiations continue.

-How do you see Turkey's role hosting the peace talk and impact on US-TR relations?There will be a peace talk starting on April 24th. U.S. offered Afghan Government to host the summit in Istanbul

- Turkey is an important country in the region and can play a balanced role. US-Turkey relations have been strained in recent years and I believe the Biden Administration would like to rebuild confidence and trust recognizing Turkey as a friend and ally. There are many areas, including Afghanistan, where we should work together.

-How do you see Afghanistan's future after Sept 11th?

In the short term, there will be gains by the Taliban and increased instability. The moderates and progressives such as President Ghani will be weakened by the increasing influence of the Taliban and more nationalist elements. I have confidence, however, that the people of Afghanistan want peace and prosperity. The Afghan military and police are becoming more capable and are gaining needed confidence. President Ghani needs to show that the institutions of government are working for the people. I do not believe that Afghans want to ever live under Taliban rule again.

Richard Outzen, U.S. Colonel(Retired),Former U.S. Defense Attache'-Kabul

What do you think about President's Biden's U.S. forces withdrawing decision from Afghanistan?

Whether it’s a good decision or bad will depend upon implementation. There is flexibility as the statement is written to leave sufficient troops to protect the US embassy in Kabul. To protect the personnel, operations, and programs for the embassy can be a fairly major task. Could potentially involve a significant Security Assistance presence with an accompanying force for physical security. If the Department of Defense is given the ability to interpret this guidance within reasonable guidelines, that still leaves a significant US security presence in Kabul to train, advise, and assist Afghan forces, and can help maintain stability in core areas of Afghanistan. If the decision is done with an arbitrary force cap of only a few hundred without a robust self-protection capability, it will be a bad decision, and likely lead to instability even in Afghanistan’s core areas.

What is your opinion on Turkey's contribution to the peace talk? Would it help improving Turkey-U.S. relations?

I am upbeat on Turkey’s potential role in stabilizing Afghanistan given longstanding historical ties. Turks are admired by secular and religious Afghans alike, though the former will mention Ataturk first and the latter Mehmet II. If Turkey plays a positive role in keeping Afghanistan relatively stable, despite the U.S. drawdown, it will be a net positive for US-Turkish relations. The presence of Turkish forces as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan is one of the reasons that mission has been supported by most Afghans over the past two decades As for the summit, a study of such things in history shows that such meetings can be crucial turning points, usually leading either to good faith compromise when both sides are tired of fighting, or to new momentum for the aggressor if only one side is tired of fighting. We’ll see which it is, if it occurs.

Any comments on future of Afghanistan?

I am relatively upbeat on Afghanistan’s future in certain parts of the country. There is a natural balance of power internal to Afghanistan that will re-assert itself once U.S. forces are not the primary determinant of events on the ground. The primary dangers for government control will be southern and eastern Afghanistan. But the government in Kabul is a vehicle for political rights and economic resources for the majority of Afghans, so I don’t see regime collapse or change in the cards. I see evolution of the government in a way that reflects this changing balance of power. There will be a cost in terms of stability and human rights, for sure, but again how deep that cuts depends on how the US and Turkey implement and adjust to this decision.

Doug Lute ,Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO

I support President Biden's decision. As the Biden administration weighs whether to remove all US troops from Afghanistan by May 1 — upholding the Trump administration's agreement with the Taliban — its discussions should focus on one main concern: preventing future terrorist attacks on the United States or its allies from Afghan territory. Since 9/11, this objective has guided US engagement across four presidencies.

Those who argue that we need to stay in Afghanistan to thwart attacks against the homeland are wrong. Biden should keep in mind the obvious: 2021 is not 2001. The terrorist threat from Afghanistan has been dramatically reduced in the last 20 years. The departure of US troops is not only possible, but desirable.

Yes, Afghanistan remains chronically unstable, with thousands dying each year from the ongoing war, extreme poverty and endemic corruption. Economic and political support from the international community must be sustained to keep the country moving forward. If such international support continues as international troops depart, it's quite unlikely that Afghanistan will revert to a Taliban-ruled harbor for al Qaeda.

*CNN interview with Charles Kupchan and Doug Lute & CNNTurk *

Journalist, Ali Cinar

April 19, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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Great Educational Opportunity in Turkey

Recruiting Outstanding Researchers of TUBITAK 2232 Program to Beykoz Institute of Life Sciences and Biotechnology (BILSAB) at Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul

Beykoz Institute of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at the Bezmialem Vakıf University is recruiting to fill tenure-track faculty positions starting fall of 2021. BILSAB is a modern state of the art research institute in Beykoz District of Istanbul on a beautiful historic campus (https://bezmialem.edu.tr/bilsab/tr/Sayfalar/anasayfa.aspx). The Institute was launched to engage in research, development, and education in accordance with the general mission of Bezmialem Vakıf University as a continuum to the 200-year tradition of the Gureba-i Muslimin Hospital.

Faculty candidates in the process of application to TUBITAK 2232 Program for Outstanding Researchers are encouraged to submit their C.V. for this recruitment initiative.Candidates with strong research background in any of the following broad areas of research interests are encouraged to apply:

- Biotechnology (experiences in the broad sense of biotechnology and their applications in the health sciences and industries i.e production of vaccines, bio-similars and, bio-betters in various systems)

- Immunology (preferred background in viral, bacterial, tumor and/or parasite immunology, infectious processes and/or inflammation)

Selected candidates will be expected to send, and later present their planned research goals and expected be built on the already existing infrastructures of BILSAB. The planned presentation should include their expected growth strategies focusing in one of the research interest areas given above, highlighting the synergy with the current strengths of the University. The selected candidates will be the additional key faculties in the newly established Institute.

The hired faculty will be provided with adequate laboratory space and a strong start up funds.

· Applicants should submit the following materials digitally including:

· A letter of interest that indicates specific areas of expertise, long-term plans for research,

· A complete c.v.

· Name and contact details for three references

All application materials for above positions should be e-mailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

April 16, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Admin TOA

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NYPD Announces Citywide Crime Statistics for February 2021

There is an alarming gun violence in City of New York and the gun arrests across 5 boroughs remain at a record high. There is a 42 percent decrease in hate crimes but still seeing anti-Asian hate crimes in five boroughs.

NYPD is dedicated to fighting against anti-Asian hate crimes with 200 additional surveillance cameras.The cameras were installed last week in different spots in the City.

NYC Mayor Blasio said “I want to ensure every New Yorker that you have the right to walk down our streets, ride our transit system and live your everyday lives unmolested, and not targeted in unprovoked attacks for the way you speak, look or what you believe,”

NYPD's February 2021 Crime Rate Numbers:

For the month of February 2021, NYC saw continued reductions in every major index crime category with the exception of grand larceny auto (GLA). Overall index crime fell 26.5 percent compared with February of last year. The reduction was driven by a 40.4 percent decrease in grand larceny (2068 v. 3471) and a 32.7% decrease in robbery (791 v. 1175). There was also one less murder last month compared to the previous year (21 v. 22). While felonious assault saw a 7.9 percent reduction compared to February of last year(2020) 1315 v. 1428), shooting incidents increased to 77 v. 44 in February of last year(2020), or +75.0%.

The prevalence of gun violence in City of New York remains a central focus for the NYPD.

For the month of February 2021, there were 400 gun arrests. This is an increase of 63.9% compared to February of last year, or 156 more arrests. Bronx and Brooklyn North are leading the way with 117 and 94 arrests, respectively. Through ongoing analysis of emerging crime trends, the NYPD shifts personnel to areas experiencing an uptick in violence.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. “As New York City emerges from one of its most challenging periods, the public safety of all New Yorkers will be essential to our collective success. The men and women of the NYPD are resilient and up to the challenge before us. Not only are they going in harm’s way to drive down violence like never before, they are also connecting with the communities they serve in innovative, impactful ways.”

March 10, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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Green Card Holders Message to President Biden

Every year, millions of people around the world apply for a diversity visa lottery. After this lottery, only 55,000 lucky people are entitled to this visa. The lucky ones whose dreams, future plans and most importantly their hopes are this visa, are working with all their might to reach their visas smoothly.

In order to achieve this, they have to struggle with many difficulties by putting forward all their financial and moral savings. Above all, this visa is sometimes their only option for the future of themselves and their children.

So how can they make this dream come true?

Over 7000 visa holders who have obtained their visa due to the bans (PP10014 – PP10052) imposed by former President Donald Trump and are waiting to enter the country continue their wait. As of today, the visa validity period of 1000 people has already expired, as long as the prohibitions continue, dozens of people will continue to expire every day. Many people will not be able to enter the country and use their visas if PP10014 is not removed as soon as possible. There is very little time left for the visa deadlines to expire. If these bans are not canceled as soon as possible, they will not be able to enter the country and use their visas again.

Their request is for the relevant institutions to fulfill their duties this year as in previous years. When they do their duty, the process will continue smoothly and painlessly and they will have our visas.

The PP10014 and PP10052 bans should be repealed as soon as possible and DV2020 visa holders should enter the country as soon as possible. Thus, the process will begin for 55,000 DV2021 winners waiting for visa interviews. 30 September 2021 is the last day of obtaining visas for DV2021 winners, so as long as the bans continue, thousands of people lose their chances of obtaining visas completely due to consular capacity.

All institutions should do their part. This is the most important factor for us who are legal immigrants. As long as the institutions fulfill their duties, the process will go smoothly and visas will be distributed to their owners. In doing so, the experiences and knowledge of the past years are the most important strength of the institutions. America, where millions of immigrants live and thousands of immigrants are added every year, has always done its part in the historical process and will do it again.

They hope that the institutions will fulfill their duties and visas will be given to their owners as soon as possible.

As they used to, they now rely on American laws and institutions.

More information: https://savediversityvisa.org/

February 15, 2021
Published in Politics
Written by Admin TOA

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Kosoglu to Work at the White House!

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris today announced 3 new White House senior staff who will work on her team. The wife of Turkish-American Ozkan Sedat Kosoglu was Sri Lankan-born Rohini Kosoglu will be working for Kamala Harris as Senior Advisor for Domestic Policy

"Serving as my Domestic Policy Advisor will be Rohini Kosoglu, who is not only an expert on some of the most important issues facing the American people, but also one of my closest and most trusted aides from the Senate and presidential campaign,” said Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Turkish-American, Ozkan Sedat Kosoglu ,the wife of Rohini Kosoglu, a software engineer at TransitScreen.He has a MS-Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology.He is from Vize, Kırklareli.

The Couple married on June 25th, 2011 and have three sons.

***Turk of America congratulates Rohini Kosoglu for her new position at White House.We wish her lots of success and happiness in your new job.

Rohini Kosoglu, Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President

Rohini Kosoglu currently serves as Senior Advisor to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the Biden-Harris Transition Team and previously served as Senior Advisor on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Before that, she was a Spring 2020 resident fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Kosoglu has a dedicated career in public service and was the first South Asian American woman to serve as Chief of Staff in the United States Senate. She served as Vice-President Elect Harris’ Chief of Staff for her Senate office and later for her presidential campaign. Before that, she was Policy Director for U.S. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, where she oversaw economic, health care and budget issues. She has negotiated several bipartisan bills into law and served as a senior health care advisor during the drafting and passage of the Affordable Care Act. She also previously served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Originally from New Jersey, Kosoglu is a graduate of the University of Michigan and George Washington University and is a mother to three young children.

December 3, 2020
Published in Politics
Written by Admin TOA

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President-Elect Biden: "I'm going to shut down the virus, not the economy."

Joe Biden, who has been elected president according to unofficial results following the November 3 elections in the U.S., has criticized Trump administration officials once again for failing to share information concerning the vaccination distribution processes with his team. Biden has warned that failure to share this information could lead to more lives being lost. During his teleconference call with governors, Biden stated that the country's mask mandate was being discussed. Biden also said that he would be announcing his Secretary of the Treasury immediately after Thanksgiving Day.

President-Elect Biden, who stated that the governors who had participated in the meeting had presented a joint resolve, said, "They have shown that we are all Americans, before all else." Biden stated that it was necessary to fight against the coronavirus, which has caused the loss of 250,000 lives, in unity, as "one country" and listed the matters planned within the scope of the coordination activities.

First, Biden stated that the states, cities, and local communities need to receive economic support from the federal government and that businesses, schools, and working families needed to benefit from that support.

Second, Biden pointed toward the need to find ways to distribute a safe vaccine to everyone equally and emphasized that distributing 330 million vaccines would take a great deal of time and require resources and cooperation. Biden said, "There is no need to raise false hopes," and also stated that campaigns were being planned in order to inform the public in the correct manner.

In addition,Biden stated that he would call upon the National Guard to help the governors with the distribution activities, but there would be a cost involved with this. He said that the cost of sending the National Guard to the states would need to be met.

National Mask Mandate to Fight Covid-19

President-Elect Biden stated that a national mask mandate was one of the matters discussed on the agenda, and said that this needed to be seen as an act of patriotism rather than a political stance.

Biden, who stated that it was possible to accomplish all of these, said, "We need to come together as a country to be able to cope with the problems."

On the other hand, during the Q&A session of the event, Biden said that he would be announcing his nominee for the Secretary of the Treasury immediately after Thanksgiving and that this person would be one who would be accepted by both the moderate and progressivist sections of the Democrat Party.

Biden stated that the U.S. would immediately rejoin the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement, which President Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from, and responded to a question as to whether he was considering economic sanctions against China by saying that the objective was not to punish China but to show it that it needs to play by the rules.

President-Elect Biden stated that there was no excuse for the Trump administration not to share the data related to the coronavirus vaccine distribution activities, and said that it would take months for the work once they took over and that this would mean more deaths.

Biden, who stated that they had discussed the urgent needs of the states with the governors and that action needed to be taken straight away to meet these needs, said that the National Defense Production Act could be put into action for this.

"I'm going to shut down the virus, not the economy."

When he was asked whether he would shut down the country completely in the fight against the virus, Biden said, "I'm going to shut down the virus, not the economy." Biden, who said, "Let me say once again that there will be no shut down at a national level," continued as follows: "That would not be productive. Every city and every community is different. The measure which will be taken here will also be different.

Biden pointed out that blacks, Asians, Native Americans, and those of Latin roots are the groups that mostly suffer the worst and pick themselves up the latest during crises, and said, "We will reverse this."

The Democrat Party candidate Joe Biden, who has won the U.S. presidential elections according to the unofficial results, continues to determine the team he is going to work with at the White House.

The campaign team of Biden has announced the individuals appointed to four positions, including the directorates of legislative affairs and the presidential personnel office.

Cathy Russell,White House Office of Presidential Personnel

Louisa Terrell,Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affair

Carlos Elizondo,Social secretary for upcoming First Lady Biden

Mala Adaga,Policy Director for upcoming First Lady Biden

November 22, 2020
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

NYC Mayor: Schools could close by Monday as coronavirus cases spike

In New York City, where most people died due to Coronavirus in the U.S., the increasing number of cases in recent days prompted the authorities to take new measures.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio stated that mandatory face mask rule came into effect in nine different districts as of September 29th, and those who do not comply with the mandatory use of face-mask in the designated areas will be fined up to $1,000. Mayor de Blasio said that those who are not wearing a mask would first of all be warned by the NYPD Officers and that those who continued to resist would be fined.

In addition, the bars, restaurants, and gyms are to close at 10 PM. Gatherings in New York will be limited to no more than ten people.

NYC Mayor De Blasio warned that if the infection rate hit 3%, schools would close. The city had measured the rate at 2.8% as of Friday, a bump from Thursday’s 2.6%. Mayor Bill de Blasio shared the current Covid-19 situation in NYC:

-121 patients admitted to the hospital

-916 new cases

-The infection rate 7-day average is 2.83%

New York City has 1.1 Million students and about 300,000 are in classrooms — than virtually any city in the country. Mayor also said that” We NEED to get this virus under control.”

November 14, 2020
Published in Politicians
Written by Ali Cinar

Voters Show Great Interest in the Presidential Election

With five days remaining until the presidential election on November 3, early voting is continuing non-stop. While President Trump is busy continuing his election campaign, we see that the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Joe Biden is organizing his program with small groups. Trump and his supporters are ridiculing Biden and using his slips of the tongue against him, such as him saying, “I am Joe Biden, and my wife is Joe Biden, too,” in his speech yesterday, and also other statements concerning completely unrelated matters. While Biden was 10–12% ahead of Trump on average in the opinion polls, this gap has fallen to 7% this week.

While the number of citizens who have already voted has exceeded 73 million so far, 48 million voted via postal voting, and 25 million citizens cast their ballots by going to polling stations. We see that many people vote by mail, mainly due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. I, too, voted by mail last week. But I should admit that this was not as exciting as casting your vote for the ballot box. Yesterday, I was in Bethesda, 20 minutes away from Washington, D.C. There were long queues at the early voting center that I went to. I saw both Biden supporters and Trump supporters approach the voters, who had formed a line to vote, and give them promotional brochures. Similarly, the garden of the polling place was full of election posters for both candidates. I have seen that, despite long queues, the voting process is continuing very swiftly and without any problems.

I Asked Voters in the U.S.: Which Candidate Do They Prefer?

I had a nice conversation with approximately 5 different voters. Of these 5, 4 indicated that they would vote for Biden, whereas 1 voter said that they would vote for Trump. The voter who said that they would vote for Trump was a retired soldier. When I asked why he would vote for Trump, he said that Trump was taking care of them and added that they liked Trump’s “America First” slogan. It is already expected that the majority of police officers and soldiers will vote for Trump, so there is no surprise there. One of Biden’s supporters had Obama’s picture on his t-shirt. He said that they had been Democrat since they were a child and believed Biden would save the country. The striking thing I noticed about the voters is that they were from every age group and profile. It is tough to guess who will win the election. Even if one candidate gets millions of more votes than the other, the other can get the majority of the delegates in the swing states and still win it: This is the kind of competition that[WE1] we are witnessing.

Who was the preferred presidential candidate in the capital and surrounding areas in 2016?

Washington, D.C. and the surrounding states are predominantly known to vote for Democratic candidates. Therefore, Biden is expected to get more votes in the district that I visited. While Hillary got 90.9% of the votes in Washington, D.C. during the 2016 presidential elections, Trump got 4.1% of the votes. In Maryland, a neighboring state, 60.3% of the voters voted for Hillary, and 33.9% voted for Trump. Both candidates do not spend much time in states where they are confident they will win; their campaign processes are more focused on the swing states. There is essential dynamism and excitement, especially in states such as Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan.

Critical Run for the Senate

Even if the public opinion and the media are completely focused on the presidential elections, there is also a competition for all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats, two of which are special in the Senate. There are 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats (including two Independents) in the U.S. Senate, and the Democrats will need to win 3 or 4 seats in order to gain a majority. You need 51 in order to have a majority in the Senate. Right now, Democrat and Republican candidates are competing fiercely in 9 states, and the race is like a battleground, especially in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. While the surveys between Lindsey Graham, one of the senators closest to Trump, and his opponent, the Democrat candidate Harrison, are head-to-head, it is very likely that the Republican Senator Tillis, whose name has been mentioned a lot due to his plans against Turkey, will lose to his opponent, Democrat Cal Cunningham. While it is expected that the Democrats will take the House of Representatives again, if Republicans lose the Senate and Trump wins, a 4-year incumbency in hell will be ahead for President Trump. As you may recall, the House of Representatives impeached Trump with the majority votes of Democrats, and the Senate acquitted him with the majority votes of Republicans. Democrats dominating the Senate will bring along a lot of troubles for Trump. If Biden wins, but the Republicans gain a majority in Senate, it will not be easy for Biden to get laws passed through Congress.

October 29, 2020
Published in Politics
Written by Ali Cinar

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