An architect of anti-immigration efforts who says he is advising President-elect Donald Trump said the new administration could push ahead rapidly on construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall without seeking immediate congressional approval.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who helped write tough immigration laws in Arizona and elsewhere, said in an interview that Trump’s policy advisers had also discussed drafting a proposal for his consideration to reinstate a registry for immigrants from Muslim countries.

Kobach, who media reports say is a key member of Trump’s transition team, said he had participated in regular conference calls with about a dozen Trump immigration advisers for the past two to three months.

Trump’s transition team did not respond to requests for confirmation of Kobach’s role. The president-elect has not committed to following any specific recommendations from advisory groups.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

A shakedown artist in a wheelchair who targeted would-be johns pleaded guilty Tuesday in exchange for her release. Frail-looking swindler Teresa McCoy, 58, was set to be released to an assisted living facility having already done time served at Rikers Island. She was sentenced to six months in jail and five years’ probation at the appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court. McCoy, who is known for her eccentric courtroom outbursts, had been refusing the deal since early September.“I’m not interested at all — I’m sorry, I’m not. I’ve been asking for a trial,” McCoy said via video hookup from Rikers Island. McCoy “poses as a prostitute” to lure men then “threatens to expose them” if they don’t pay her off, prosecutors previously said. She was busted in 2015 on several counts including grand larceny.(nydailynews.com)...[+]

Five teens robbed a Queens Rite Aid of more than $1,000 of merchandise, police said Wednesday. The thieves stormed a Rite Aid on Cross Bay Blvd. near 161st Ave. in Howard Beach around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 27, cops said. They ransacked the store of around $1,350 worth of merchandise, according to officials. Before leaving, one of the teens warned a clerk against following them, claiming he was armed with a knife. The band of thieves fled the store in a white Cadillac Escalade.(nydailynews.com)…[+]

Multiple people were stabbed inside the boys’ locker room of a Utah high school Tuesday morning, police said. A suspect was taken into custody after the attack at Mountain View High School in Orem, about five miles north of Provo, police said in a statement. It’s unclear what lead to the stabbing, and police have not identified the suspect. Several juvenile boys were found stabbed inside the locker room, Provo’s Daily Herald reported, and more people were slashed around campus.Officials have not said how many people were attacked, but no one is in condition. No fatalities have been reported. (nydailynews.com)…[+]