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Arizona man, originally from Cuba, becomes emotional at seeing the White House for the first time

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“It’s a sign of, above all, freedom.” 

Ever since Yoel Diaz moved to America from Cuba in 2021, his wife Marissa Diaz has been documenting his journey here in the United States. 

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She captured the emotional moment he received his first paycheck — and last month, she also grabbed his first trip to Washington, D.C., where he saw the White House. 

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In a video, Yoel Diaz repeatedly says, “Wow,” as he sees the building for the first time. 

Marissa Diaz captioned the video: “From dictatorship to democracy. It might house someone you don’t agree with, but the symbol of the White House means so much to many around the world, including my husband. His first time seeing the White House was emotional.”

“For those wondering,” she added, “Cuba has 65 years of dictatorship where Cubans have not been able to pick their president, hold free elections with different parties except the communist one, nor be allowed to peacefully protest their grievances to their government.”

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The caption went on, “They have no idea where their president lives. They have no access to the national congress. They are subjected to what one ideology, one party and one person wants for 11 million people.”

After coming to America in 2021, Yoel Diaz, left, and his wife, Marissa Diaz, right, have been documenting his journey in the U.S., including his recent adventure to the White House. (Marissa Diaz)

The Tempe, Arizona, couple’s video has been viewed more than 55,000 times. 

HOMELESS VETERAN WALKS 30 MILES TO FIND A JOB: ‘I’M A MAN ON A MISSION’

“In Cuba, they teach us the USA is the enemy and the government is imperialist and the reason we are poor,” Yoel Diaz told Fox News Digital via text message. 

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Yoel Diaz at White House

Yoel Diaz moved to America in 2021 from Cuba. He currently holds a job in maintenance. (@mimaincuba)

“When I went and saw people protesting freely next to police, how beautiful the moments were and how nice the people were, I knew it was all a lie.”

He also said, “I couldn’t believe people could visit their representatives after a quick security pass … That to me was shocking. In Cuba, many times we don’t even know who our delegates are. That was so impressive.” 

ARMY VETERAN WHO WALKED 30 MILES TO FIND A JOB NOW HAS A PLACE TO CALL HOME

While in Washington, D.C., the couple met Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., both Cuban Americans.

Yoel Diaz arrived in the U.S. in 2021 on a K1 visa and then applied for residency, a process that took about a year.

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Yoel amazed by WH

In a recent video, Yoel Diaz’s wife recorded her husband’s reaction to seeing the White House for the very first time. (@mimaincuba)

Once that was approved, he got a work authorization form and a Social Security number.

He and his wife were living with family until recently, when they finally were able to get their own place. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

“That was a really good step,” Marissa Diaz told Fox News Digital, adding that her husband has a job in maintenance at a residential company.

“He’s learning about that and trying to improve,” she said. “He wants to make his own company.” 

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surprised by WH

Yoel Diaz says he has already accomplished many of his dreams since living a new life in America. In an Instagram video viewed more than 55,000 times, his reaction to seeing the White House for the first time is captured. (@mimaincuba)

Yoel Diaz said he’s already accomplished many of his dreams since living in America.

“Where I come from, they don’t let you dream. I didn’t know what it was to buy in a market, what it was to go on vacation in another country and what it was to go out with your friends without fear,” he said.

“Where I come from, they don’t let you dream.”

Little things that might seem insignificant to American-born people, he said, “are my American dream.”

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Marissa Diaz wants her followers to know she is proud to be American. 

Yoel seeing White House split

Yoel Diaz said he has found that things that seem insignificant to so many are actually his “American dream.” (@mimaincuba)

“Sometimes it kind of seems in the U.S. being patriotic is a bad thing, it’s a negative thing to wave the flag around,” she said. 

“I think that’s so unfortunate. America has so much to offer to everybody from all backgrounds and political thoughts,” she added.

Yoel Diaz first captured viral attention in 2022, after millions of people viewed his wife’s Instagram video showing him celebrating his “first American paycheck” when he was working as a UPS driver.

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Southwest

Jocelyn Nungaray murder: 2nd illegal immigrant suspect gets $10M bail, woman yells at him in courtroom

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The second of the two illegal immigrant suspects accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and then dumping her body in a bayou in Houston last week had his bail set Tuesday for $10 million during an emotional court hearing in which he was called a “murderer” by a woman in the gallery.

Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, appeared in Harris County Criminal Court just hours after District Attorney Kim Ogg told Fox News that “the evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely happened” in the capital murder case. Co-defendant Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, had his bail set at $10 million on Monday. 

During Tuesday’s hearing, a woman yelled in Spanish “murderer” several times. When asked to leave, she yelled, “I want him to see my face,” according to Fox News Correspondent Nate Foy. Nungaray’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, who has called the suspects “monsters,” stared at Martinez-Rangel as he left the courtroom.

“At his arrest, he had a bite mark on his arm and scratch marks on his arms,” Harris County Assistant District Attorney Megan Long revealed on Tuesday following the hearing. “He did say that he did tie her up, and that he suggested that they throw her into the bayou to get rid of any DNA.”

‘EVIDENCE IS CLEAR THAT A SEXUAL ASSAULT LIKELY HAPPENED,’ PROSECUTOR SAYS 

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Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)

“We have gotten into Martinez-Rangel’s phone and found evidence that he was searching for ways to leave the country once his image was released to the media,” Long also said.

Martinez-Rangel was told by a judge that if he posts bail, he must wear a GPS monitor, remain under constant house arrest in Harris County and have no contact with fellow suspect Peña Ramos or Nungaray’s family, among other restrictions. The judge said any violation could potentially land him back in state custody. Peña Ramos was given the same restrictions on Monday.

Ogg told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” earlier that concerns of both suspects being a flight risk led to the high bail amount. 

“The evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely happened. But since neither defendant has actually admitted that, circumstantial evidence will have to prove it,” she said. “We are waiting on lab tests now to see if the capital murder charge can be upgraded to one where they are death penalty eligible.”

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR    

images of Jocelyn Nungaray

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek this week. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)

Ogg described the case as “horrific,” saying that “Jocelyn’s last moments were unspeakable.” 

“She endured assault for multiple hours. This was a little girl who slipped out of her house to call her boyfriend, a 13-year-old, was seen by two immigrants who had been drinking all afternoon. They picked her up, probably asking for directions, and she was innocent,” Ogg added. “She walked off with them. We see footage from local stores that show they lured her under a bridge near a Houston bayou where they attacked her, strangled her and dragged her body into the water.”

During the court appearance Monday for Peña Ramos, it was revealed that he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time he allegedly murdered Nungaray that was provided to him when he was arrested by Border Patrol agents after entering the country illegally and being released from custody.

Video image of Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and image of Jocelyn Nungaray

A video image of Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and an image of Jocelyn Nungaray. (Houston Police Department; Fox Houston Courtesy of the Nungaray family)

 

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News in a statement Friday that he “illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location.” 

Fox News’ Michael Lee and Nate Foy contributed to this report. 

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Los Angeles, Ca

Hollywood crew members reach tentative deal with major studios 

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Hollywood crew members reach tentative deal with major studios 

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), averting another Hollywood strike. 

Both sides had been bargaining for more than three months.

While a complete summary of the agreement is expected in the coming days, some of the proposed changes included in the agreement are scale rate increases of seven, four and 3.5% over three years, IATSE officials said in a release. Hourly workers are set to receive triple pay when any workday exceeds 15 elapsed hours, and all on call employees will now receive double time on the 7th day of the workweek. 

“The tentative deal includes new protections around artificial intelligence, including language that ensures no employee is required to provide AI prompts in any manner that would result in the displacement of any covered employee,” the release read. “These changes in the basic agreement are in addition to the tentative agreements reached in the local agreement negotiations.” 

A sign in front of an office building for The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is pictured, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, in Burbank, Calif. .(AP)

The tentative deal includes additional funding for the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans that will address the $670 million funding gap, IATSE said, including new streaming residuals. In addition, officials confirmed that no participant will incur a break in service for their 2023 plan year. 

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Now that a provisional agreement has been reached, it must be ratified by the unions’ membership. Members and signatories are set to review a detailed summary within days, and a Memorandum of Agreement is expected in two weeks. 

The IATSE labor union represents over 170,000 technicians, artisans and craftspeople in the entertainment industry, including live events, movie and television productions, broadcast productions and trade shows in the United States and Canada. 

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Southwest

Arizona election worker arrested for allegedly stealing security device from ballot tabulation center

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Law enforcement officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, arrested a temporary election worker for allegedly stealing a security fob and keys from a ballot tabulation center.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Walter Ringfield, 27, of Phoenix, was seen on security footage taking the items shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday. The video shows him approaching a desk and multiple tabulators, then taking a red wrist lanyard containing the security fob and keys, the document says.

The statement says Ringfield placed the lanyard in his shorts pocket after briefly stretching. When confronted by his employer, Ringfield allegedly denied the theft, but then suggested the lanyard might be in his car “if” he had mistakenly taken it, the document says. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed a red lanyard and a matching plastic tag, but the fob remained missing.

MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA, OFFICIALS SAY 20% OF VOTING LOCATIONS EXPERIENCING ‘HICCUPS’ WITH TABULATORS

Walter Ringfield, 27, has been accused of stealing a security fob and keys from Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

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IN ARIZONA, VOTING MACHINE GLITCH GIVES WAY TO ELECTION INTEGRITY CONCERNS

Detectives arrested Ringfield outside his home in Phoenix on suspicion of theft and criminal damage. At the time, the probable cause statement says, they observed a red plastic item inside Ringfield’s car matching the description of the missing lanyard.

Ringfield allegedly admitted to taking the fob but claimed he returned it after approximately 20 minutes, citing a desire to “clean up” in hopes of securing a permanent employment position at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.

MCSO detectives then executed a search warrant at Ringfield’s residence and found the missing fob on a dresser in his master bedroom. 

security footage shows Walter Ringfield taking security key

Security footage shows Walter Ringfield taking the fob, according to a probable cause statement. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

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At a press conference on Tuesday, Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said election staffers and law enforcement’s “swift response and ultimate action helped safeguard democracy and rapid response to the security protocols we have with elections proved to be effective.” 

“If it wasn’t for the staff members at the Maricopa County Elections Center, we wouldn’t have been able to get on this in time to potentially find the missing evidence and get a suspect in custody,” he said. 

According to investigators, security fobs are used with special secure tablets. Because one was removed, the staff must now reprogram every fob and tablet. 

Security footage shows Walter Ringfield taking Maricopa County tabulation center security equipment

Walter Ringfield was caught on camera at the Maricopa County’s tabulation center. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

Maricopa County, which has had repeated tabulation equipment concerns, has become a hotbed of election-fraud claims in recent years, especially during the last presidential election in 2020. County officials said they do not expect the incident to “have any impact whatsoever on the primary,” which is scheduled for July 30.

While the incident occurred only months before the highly anticipated presidential election in November, it serves as a reassurance that election safety measures in the county are working, according to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

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Walter Ringfield walking in tabulation room

Ringfield is seen walking in the tabulation room. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

“Our systems are not only designed to detect anomalies but are also supported by dedicated professionals committed to upholding the democratic process,” Fontes said in a statement.

“While this event is unwelcome, it speaks to the effectiveness of the security protocols built into Arizona’s election systems. The swift actions of the Maricopa County elections staff, including the re-conducting of logic and accuracy tests, builds in extra layers of protection of all affected equipment. This quick response will prevent any potential impact on the upcoming elections. The Secretary of State’s office will collaborate with law enforcement to address and investigate this incident to ensure accountability and swift justice.”

Fox News’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.

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