New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday suggested private homeowners and landlords could help with the influx of migrants in the Big Apple.

Adams, a Democrat, proposed the idea during an announcement for a new faith-based shelter program for migrants that allows up to 50 houses of worship or faith-based spaces to host nearly 1,000 single adult foreign nationals who recently arrived in New York City.

“It is my vision to take the next step to this faith-based locales and then move to a private residence,” Adams said during a press conference, adding city residents who are currently struggling with economic hardship can open up “spare rooms” to migrants.

Adams said city officials would work to “find a way” to bypass municipality rules prohibiting housing homeless individuals in private homes.

New York City will spend $85 a night to house each foreign national, plus additional costs, such as laundry services and security. A spokesperson for Adams said it would cost roughly $125 per night for each migrant after factoring in all costs.

City officials have grappled with over 72,000 migrants arriving in the metropolitan area since last spring, with more than 60% living in 160 taxpayer-funded emergency shelters and hotels, according to the New York Post.

New York City has already spent more than $1.2 billion on the migrant crisis during this fiscal year alone and is projected to spend more than $4.3 billion by the end of June 2024, Adams said. An average of $380 a day per migrant goes towards housing and other services, per city estimates.

With the costs expected to increase by next year, Adams and other officials in the program argue that using the places of worship would be “much more cost-effective” than the current strategy.

“We can take that $4.2 billion — $4.3 [billion] maybe now — that we anticipate we have to spend, and we can put it back in the pockets of everyday, everyday houses of worship instead of putting it in the pockets of corporations.”

“We should be recycling our own dollars,” he added. “We should take this crisis and go to opportunities … but we need to be clear — this is not sustainable with the inflow that we’re receiving.”

Adams said he has been requesting the New York state legislature bring illegal basement apartments up to city code, which the New York Post estimated would cost the city nearly $14 billion for an estimated 50,000 below-ground-level spaces.

“First of all, it’s cheaper, and it’s an investment for us to go to a family and assist them instead of placing people in large congregate settings or all these emergency hotels,” the mayor said.

Adams also called on the federal government to provide support, including expedited work authorization for migrants, a national decompression strategy, increased funding to manage the crisis, and immigration reform.

Spencer Lindquist contributed to this report.

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Comer Announces Contempt Of Congress Hearings

House Oversight Chairman James Comer announced today that the FBI has refused to “hand over the unclassified record” that allegedly links then-Vice President Joe Biden to a pay-for-play bribery scheme with a foreign national. Comer said his panel will now proceed with hearings on holding FBI Director Christoper Wray in contempt of Congress this Thursday.

🚨🚨BREAKING: House Oversight Chair James Comer says the FBI has once again refused "hand over the unclassified record" that links then-VP Joe Biden to a pay-for-play bribery scheme with a foreign national. Oversight "will now initiate contempt of Congress hearings this… pic.twitter.com/2qoas43Igm

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 5, 2023

Mike Pence Files For 2024

Former Vice President Mike Pence made his White House run official after filing Federal Election Commission paperwork to run in the GOP presidential primary. Pence is expected to formally announce in Iowa on Wednesday. Here he is on Sunday at Iowa’s Roast and Ride:

Former Vice President @Mike_Pence on 2024: "I don't have anything to announce today, but I can tell you when I got time to announce come this Wednesday, I'm announcing in Iowa." https://t.co/R4aVbM55wv pic.twitter.com/sdgud5KIiE

— The Hill (@thehill) June 4, 2023

Meanwhile, New Hampshire GOP Governor Chris Sununu announced in a Washington Post op-ed that he would not be running in 2024 because “beating Trump is more important.” Here he is on CNN:

#BREAKING: Chris Sununu announces he will NOT be running for president, telling @DanaBashCNN there's "a very large field" and candidates need to be "call[ed]…out" when they're in the single digits and splitting the non-Trump vote.

He adds many will need to quit by Christmas. pic.twitter.com/ZgwrSWHDK6

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 5, 2023

Just One MLB Team Won’t Have Pride Day

So far, one MLB team, the Texas Rangers, announced they will not hold a Pride event. When asked about their decision, the Rangers released the following statement: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do – for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”

Iowa Apartment Collapse Update

The bodies of the final three missing persons in the apartment collapse in Davenport, Iowa, were found Sunday night and Monday morning after days of searching. According to officials, the six-story apartment building partially collapsed late last week, and a rescue operation has been underway around the clock since. Here’s Davenport police chief Jeffrey Bladel:

Trump’s Attorneys Meet With DOJ

Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys met with the Department of Justice (DOJ) today to discuss complaints about the special counsel investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents.

Trump’s legal team arrived at the DOJ this morning weeks after accusing special counsel Jack Smith of misconduct. According to reports, Trump’s attorneys were to meet with DOJ officials about those accusations, as well as to get a feel for the state of Smith’s investigative efforts. Signs suggest that Smith is nearing a decision on whether to charge Trump over classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago last year.

No details have yet been released from that Monday meeting. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November to take over DOJ investigations into the Mar-a-Lago documents and Trump’s role related to January 6. Over the weekend, Trump attacked the DOJ’s treatment of Biden and the myriad of alleged crimes connected to the current president’s family. 

Austin Serial Killer

Austin, Texas has its first serial killer in more than a century, Fox News reported. 

Last week, police in Texas announced the arrest of 62-year-old Raul Meza Jr. in connection with two murders. Meza turned himself in after a statewide manhunt was launched after the May 20th killing of 80-year-old former probation officer Jesse Fraga. After turning himself in, police say he admitted to an additional murder — that of 66-year-old Gloria Lofton in 2019. Meza has been in and out of prison for decades, most notably serving time for the rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in the 1980s. Police say they do not believe Meza is responsible for the recent series of deaths at Lady Bird Lake. 

Washington Authorities Arrest Tuberculosis Patient For Treatment

Local authorities jailed a tuberculosis patient in Washington state who refused medical treatment for more than a year.

A Washington judge issued an order in May for the unnamed woman to be involuntarily detained for treatment, which is legal under state law. Pierce County sheriff deputies located and detained the woman Thursday, and she is now being housed in Pierce County jail. This is the third time in 20 years that Pierce County officials have had to pursue a court order to force tuberculosis treatment. 

Indian Train Wreck Kills Hundreds

Indian authorities are trying to determine what went wrong in a deadly train crash that killed nearly 300 individuals and 1,000 injured others in India’s eastern state of Odisha on Friday. Authorities say initial data show that an electronic signaling system error is the likely cause of the crash. The incident is one of the worst train crashes in the country’s history. 

Haiti Flooding Brings Death And Destruction

And, torrential rain in Haiti over the weekend caused catastrophic flooding, leaving at least 42 people dead, 85 others injured, nearly 14,000 houses damaged, and many crops ruined. More than 13,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes on the Caribbean island.

To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.