A Canadian man arrested Wednesday on suspicion of moving a White House security barrier said he wanted to deliver two bottles of Crown Royal whiskey to President Donald Trump and solicit advice on how to find a wife, authorities said.
Yianny Georgopoulos was arrested by D.C. police and faces an unlawful-entry charge.
In an interview with U.S. Secret Service agents, Georgopoulos allegedly said he wanted to deliver the bottles of whiskey to the president, NBC Washington reported.
Authorities said Georgopoulos moved a bicycle rack that had posted warnings that the area was restricted just after midnight. He reportedly exited the area after several commands from a Secret Service officer.
Georgopoulos also allegedly admitted to investigators of a recent arrest for threatening family members and stalking a cousin, the station reported. The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment early Thursday.
Popular singer and actress Barbra Streisand has threatened to move to Canada again if the Republicans win the majority House vote in the midterm elections next week, according to reports. The 76-year-old singer made the statement while talking to The New York Times and added that the current state of the United States is making her "fat."
"I’ve been thinking about, do I want to move to Canada? I don’t know. I’m just so saddened by this thing happening to our country. I want to sleep nights... if we take the House I’ll be able to sleep a little bit better," Streisand said over the weekend. The singer has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and had previously threatened to move to Canada is the Republican won the election. However, she never made the move regardless of the outcome of the 2016 presidential elections.
Barbra Streisand attends Tribeca Talks: Barbra Streisand with Robert Rodriguez during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 29, 2017 in New York City.
Streisand had suggested at the time that if not Canada, she might as well move to Australia. "He has no facts. I don't know, I can't believe it. I'm either coming to your country [Australia], if you'll let me in, or Canada," the singer had said while talking to the Hollywood Reporter. 'A Star is Born' actress also made headlines last week after she called President Trump "a conman."
The star, during an interview with The Guardian, on Friday said that Trump is only good at "marketing," selling himself and has no humility. "I can't bear the man! He's a man with no manners! He doesn't see his own flaws; he doesn't know what he doesn't know. You know? He has no humility. He's good at marketing. He knows how to sell; he's a conman. That's what he's good at. But he doesn't think he needs anyone's help, he thinks he can go it alone," the Academy Award-winning actress said.
The singer also added that her new album 'Walls' has been influenced by her feelings towards the president, however, she was careful not to mention his name in the songs in an effort to not alienate the listeners.
Barbra Streisand - Walls poster
"You have to write lyrics that can be more than just a protest. They have to appeal to a universal audience. Even when I wrote Don't Lie to Me, at first I thought, well, I could make you think it's like a love affair, a marriage breaking up. It's a universal thought: don't lie to me," she said.
She also accused the Republican president of "reversing reality" and called him "ill-informed": "What [Trump is] doing is reversing reality, actually. It's like that joke: a woman walks in and her husband is in bed with another woman. And he says, 'Who are you going to believe, me or your lyin' eyes?' Facts matter. Words have meaning. This man defies that. He says climate change is a hoax. Let's release more coal and carbon into the air and have more megafires and hurricanes."
"I mean he's so stupid! He's so ill-informed. Liar is not enough of a word. There must be a bigger word for someone who lies about everything," the singer added.
People seeking asylum are leaving America for Canada in unprecedented numbers. They pour in from around the globe. Some have been in the United States for just days or weeks. Others for years.
"Most of the people want to come to Canada to become Canadian citizens," said Enrique Gasse, a constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP.)
More than 13,000 have crossed illegally this year, according to Canadian government data. That's more than five times the number intercepted by the RCMP in 2016.
The summer surge was dramatic, particularly in Quebec, where authorities set up a temporary camp near the border. In Montreal, officials briefly converted the former Olympic Stadium into a shelter.
More than 5,700 asylum seekers crossed illegally in August alone, avoiding checkpoints and the risk of being sent back to America. Most simply walk in, crossing where a rural dead end in New York meets the Canadian border. A group of Haitian asylum seekers sit with shopping bags outside the Olympic Stadium, which was temporary used as a shelter for asylum seekers, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada August 2, 2017. (REUTERS)
"We are living a lot of uncertainty about immigration reform in the U.S. What's going to happen with DACA or what's going to happen also with a calls for even a smaller intake of refugees and a move towards a points system in the U.S." explains Professor Mireille Paquet, currently serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. "Whether that's going to happen or not, I think there's a lot of uncertainty for populations."
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Advocates say it's the contrast between the Trump administration's hardline stance on immigration vs. the welcoming image projected by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that drives many migrants to Canada – though the country does warn there is no guarantee that status will be granted.
"The government has been accused of misleading migrants and telling them that things would be easier than they might sound," said immigration lawyer Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
Still, he said, many migrants have few options.
Trudeau is slated to visit Washington next week but the official focus of his meeting with President Trump is expected to be on international security and trade as NAFTA negotiations continue. (AP)
"When we compare what's going on in the states, even though there is uncertainty about Canada, the uncertainty is still less than what they might be facing in the states,” he said. “When you have a lose-lose situation, you may choose the one that you're less losing."
Outside a YMCA in Montreal where migrants are housed, it's a melting pot of cultures. Families from Syria gather alongside men from Haiti and Africa. All await hearings to determine their fate.
Many stopped in America first but believe their best shot at refuge lies in Canada.
One man told us he fled his home country after his life was threatened for opposing the practice of female genital mutilation.
"My hope for the future is to seek a better life," he said. "A better future. A place where I can be free."
Trudeau is slated to visit Washington next week but the official focus of his meeting with President Trump is expected to be on international security and trade as NAFTA negotiations continue.
Canada’s main immigration website appeared to suffer repeated outages on Tuesday night as Trump took the lead in several major states and his prospects for winning the US presidency turned markedly higher.
Some users in the United States, Canada and Asia saw an internal server error message when trying to access the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.
When the Guardian clicked on the page it would not load and a “this page isn’t working” error message came up.
Officials for the ministry could not immediately be reached for comment, but the website’s problems were noted by many on Twitter.
Data from Google Trends also suggested searches for “move to Canada” spiked significantly during the night as Trump victories unfolded in key battle states such as Florida and Ohio.
Canadians took to Twitter to comment on the night’s developments, with #MeanwhileInCanada soon trending in the country.
Jake Ploughman(@jevp15)
#MeanwhileInCanadaCanadian geese don't know if they are going to fly south yet
Caitlin Green tweeted: “If anyone needs me I’ll be drinking maple syrup until I pass out, while singing Oh Canada.”
Singer Marcio Novelli wrote: “Canada is the second largest country in the world with one-tenth of America’s population. We’ve got room.”
And in what many viewed as a reference to the Republican candidate, the official Canada Twitter account posted: “In Canada immigrants are encouraged to bring their cultural traditions with them and share them with their fellow citizens.”
Canada(@Canada)
In Canada, immigrants are encouraged to bring their cultural traditions with them and share them with their fellow citizens. pic.twitter.com/MOuStZbSX7
The idea of Americans decamping to Canada, where liberal PM Justin Trudeau is in power, if Trump wins has been bubbling along throughout the election.
In February, the island of Cape Breton on Canada’s Atlantic coast marketed itself as a tranquil refuge for Americans seeking to escape should Trump capture the White House.
