Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

The Washington Post [12/16/2025 5:55 PM, David Nakamura, 24149K] reports President Donald Trump on Tuesday added 20 countries to a list whose citizens face a full or partial travel ban on entering the United States, swelling the total to 39 as his administration seeks to further restrict legal immigration after an Afghan immigrant was charged in the shooting of two National Guard troops last month. The White House made the announcement several weeks after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said she had recommended that the president expand the list. The additional countries facing a full ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. They join 12 others, including Afghanistan, that were placed on the list in June, as well as Laos and Sierra Leone, whose citizens previously faced a partial ban and now face a complete ban on entry, the White House said. The additional countries facing a partial ban are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The administration also said anyone traveling on a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority would be barred from entering the United States. The White House said the move targeted countries that have “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing.” The presidential proclamation also narrowed the number of automatic exceptions that were granted in Trump’s initial order in June, removing protections for adoptees, immediate family members of U.S. citizens and Afghan special immigrant visa holders — individuals who had worked with the U.S. government or military, including interpreters, during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. The Washington Post [12/16/2025 8:42 PM, Tobi Raji, N. Kirkpatrick and Adrián Blanco Ramos, 24149K] reports that the expansion of the travel ban is part of the Trump administration’s effort to aggressively crack down on immigration after an Afghan immigrant shot and killed two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., last month. In the weeks since the deadly shooting, the Trump administration paused immigration applications from 19 countries it deems high-risk, halted asylum cases processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and suspended all immigration-related requests from Afghan nationals. “It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security and public safety, incite hate crimes, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes,” reads the announcement on the White House website, signed by Trump. Many of the countries under full travel bans or other restrictions have previously faced scrutiny from the Trump administration. In June, the State Department ordered the governments of 36 countries to meet new benchmarks and requirements within 60 days or face restrictions on entry into the United States, according to an agency memo previously reviewed by Washington Post. Of the 36 listed countries, 19 face new restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mali is the only newly restricted country that did not appear in the June State Department order. According to the June memo, if a country was willing to accept third-country deportees — people deported from the U.S. to a place where they are not citizens — that would mitigate the administration’s concerns about that country. However, under Tuesday’s order, travelers from South Sudan — which accepted eight noncitizens in July — are barred from entering the U.S. The Wall Street Journal [12/16/2025 6:59 PM, Michelle Hackman, 646K] reports that following the shooting in November, Trump posted on Truth Social that he planned to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.” That appeared to form the basis for the latest set of banned countries. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem subsequently posted to X that she had met with Trump and recommended a broad ban. “I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” she wrote.

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New York Times [12/16/2025 7:49 PM, Tyler Pager and Hamed Aleaziz, 135475K]
Roll Call [12/16/2025 12:53 PM, Chris Johnson, 548K]
AP [12/16/2025 5:56 PM, Rebecca Santana]
Axios [12/16/2025 5:46 PM, April Rubin, 12972K]
CNN [12/16/2025 7:14 PM, Aleena Fayaz, 18595K]
USA Today [12/16/2025 5:37 PM, Zach Wichter, 67103K]
Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 4:28 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K]
NewsMax [12/16/2025 5:15 PM, Staff, 4109K]

New York Times [12/16/2025 6:03 PM, Adam Crafton, 153395K] reports new travel bans imposed by the U.S. government on Tuesday threaten to exclude fans of African nations Senegal and Ivory Coast from attending the FIFA World Cup in 2026. On Tuesday, President Trump signed a proclamation which imposed partial travel bans on two more nations who will compete in the World Cup, with Iranian and Haitian nationals already facing travel restrictions to the United States. The proclamation suspends entry into the U.S. for nationals of Ivory Coast and Senegal, both as immigrants and non-immigrants, including in the visitor category for business and tourism – the latter of which would be required to attend the World Cup. The tournament will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in June and July 2026. As with previous executive orders signed by President Trump, the latest travel bans include exemptions for athletes, support staff and immediate relatives of those who would compete at the World Cup – but not for travelling fans. Senegal have been drawn into Group I, along with France, Norway and a still-to-be-determined play-off winner between Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname. Senegal’s games against France and Norway are scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (New Jersey), while their game against the play-off team will take place in Toronto, Canada, meaning there may be at least one match their fans can attend. Senegal are scheduled to play a pre-tournament friendly against the USMNT in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 31. Ivory Coast have been drawn into Group E and face Ecuador and Curacao, both at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, as well as taking on Germany at BMO Field in Toronto. A fact sheet by the White House cited an Overstay Report which said nationals from Ivory Coast have an overstay rate of 8.47 per cent when travelling on a B1/B2 (business/visitor visa), while Senegal had an overstay rate of 4.30 per cent in the same category. This is the class of visa required for tourists. The fact sheet also claimed that Senegal has an overstay rates of 13.07 per cent in the student and cultural exchange visa categories, while Ivory Coast has an overstay rate of 19.09 in those categories. The White House added that the proclamation “includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.”

FOX News [12/16/2025 7:27 PM, Greg Wehner, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity. "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," Trump said on Truth Social. "It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. "The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping," he continued. "For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. "Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump added. "The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.". The Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 7:09 PM, Brady Knox, 1394K] reports that the theft Trump repeatedly derides refers to the nationalization of foreign oil assets in the country by Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in 2007. The president said all assets must be returned to the U.S. “IMMEDIATELY.” Trump’s comments mark his biggest escalation against Maduro yet, marking a move that could place crippling economic and political pressure on Caracas. In August, the Trump administration accused Maduro of being a “narco-terrorist,” offering a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest. On Sept. 2, the United States began its air campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. The strikes have killed 94 people, with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles saying in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday that they would continue until Maduro “cries uncle.” The New York Times [12/16/2025 8:21 PM, Edward Wong, Simon Romero, Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes, 135475K] reports that there were more than 30 vessels operating in Venezuela earlier this month that had been sanctioned by the United States, according to the independent tracking service Tanker Trackers. Last Wednesday, the United States seized a tanker in the Caribbean Sea that was carrying Venezuelan oil for Cuba and China. A federal judge had issued a warrant for the seizure based on the fact that the tanker had recently transported oil from Iran. The U.S. military has been building up a large naval force in the Caribbean in recent months, and Mr. Trump has threatened strikes inside Venezuela. Since September, the U.S. military has been carrying out airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, many of them near Venezuela, in a campaign that has killed at least 95 people in 25 attacks. Mr. Trump has said those attacks are aimed at stopping drug trafficking to the United States. But Venezuela is not a drug producer, and the cocaine that transits through the country and the waters around it is generally bound for Europe. Many legal experts say that the attacks are illegal and that the military is killing civilians. Behind the scenes, Trump administration officials have also focused intently on Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world. In his social media announcement on Tuesday, Mr. Trump wrote in all capital letters that he was ordering a “a total and complete blockade,” which by itself would have been a substantial step. In international law, a blockade prevents all vessels from entering and leaving the ports of an enemy country during an armed conflict. But Mr. Trump added the qualifier “of all sanctioned oil vessels,” which changed the meaning. Mr. Trump appeared to be threatening to enforce existing sanctions against some of the tankers exporting oil. If the U.S. Navy continues to allow most vessels to freely enter and leave Venezuelan ports, it is not a real blockade. The AP [12/16/2025 11:23 PM, Michelle L. Price, 28013K] reports Venezuela’s government released a statement Tuesday accusing Trump of "violating international law, free trade, and the principle of free navigation" with "a reckless and grave threat" against the South American country. "On his social media, he assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property," the statement said of Trump’s post. "Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its riches. The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.” Maduro’s government, according to the statement, plans to denounce the situation before the United Nations. The U.S. buildup has been accompanied by a series of military strikes on boats in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The campaign, which has drawn bipartisan scrutiny among U.S. lawmakers, has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels. NBC News [12/16/2025 8:54 PM, Zoë Richards, 34509K] reports White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview for part of a two-part profile published Tuesday by Vanity Fair that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.” Tensions escalated further last week when U.S. forces seized an oil tanker in waters near Venezuela. Trump’s announcement of a blockade could be the prelude to the seizure of more ships. The Skipper, the large oil tanker that the U.S. military seized Wednesday, was a sanctioned vessel that the administration has said was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The Skipper, which was falsely flagged as a Guyanese vessel, was reportedly carrying about 1.8 million barrels of oil, according to Windward, a maritime intelligence company, which noted in a report on its site after the seizure last week that there are several other possible targets. "There are at least seven other falsely flagged, sanctioned tankers similar to Skipper loitering off Venezuela, making them prime targets for further intervention as the U.S. administration intensifies pressure on the Maduro government by targeting its oil revenues," the report said. Trump has also said U.S. operations against alleged narco-traffickers will soon expand onto land. NewsMax [12/16/2025 7:45 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi said the seized tanker had been used to transport oil for sanctioned actors linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah, adding that the vessel was taken under a lawful U.S. warrant and is now subject to forfeiture proceedings under U.S. law. The tanker seizure marked one of the most visible actions in a steady ramp-up of U.S. pressure on Venezuela over recent weeks and months, as the Trump administration restored a hard-line strategy aimed at cutting off revenue to the Maduro government. Since early fall, the United States has significantly expanded its naval and Coast Guard presence in the Caribbean, with U.S. Southern Command stating that the buildup is designed to disrupt drug trafficking routes, enforce sanctions, and protect American national security interests. American forces have also intercepted and destroyed multiple vessels suspected of transporting narcotics in international waters near Venezuela, operations the Pentagon has said are part of a broader campaign against transnational criminal organizations. Trump administration officials have repeatedly accused senior figures in the Maduro government of working with powerful drug cartels and terror-linked networks, allegations detailed in U.S. indictments and Justice Department filings dating back several years.

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Univision [12/16/2025 7:43 PM, Staff, 5004K]

Breitbart [12/17/2025 4:59 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports the United States has designated Colombia’s Clan de Golfo as a terrorist organization, the latest drug-trafficking cartel or gang to be blacklisted by the Trump administration during its war on drugs. The State Department designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Tuesday. "The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We are committed to denying funding and resources to these terrorists.” According to nonprofit think tank InSight Crime, Clan de Golfo is primarily involved in transnational drug trafficking and controls territories where it regulates or directs the coca paste production market and guards shipments on trafficking routes. The Trump administration describes the group as a violent and powerful criminal organization with thousands of members. Its primary revenue source is cocaine trafficking. It is the 10th gang or cartel the Trump administration has designated as a terrorist organization since February. Trump has been blacklisting groups it accuses of trafficking drugs into the United States. Since early September, the U.S. military has killed at least 95 people in 25 attacks on vessels in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration says are being piloted by the designated drug cartels. However, the strikes are drawing mounting domestic and international condemnation and accusations of war crimes. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused Trump of murder over the death of a Colombian fisherman in an early September strike. The designation comes amid a deepening row between Washington and Bogota. Relations with the important U.S. ally have soured under the Trump administration, which in September added Colombia to its list of nations not cooperating in its drug war. Trump has also accused Petro of being "an illegal drug leader," and in October, the State Department sanctioned the Colombian president. The AP [12/16/2025 3:34 PM, Manuel Rueda, 31753K] reports that the designation comes after the Trump administration in September added Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. It was a stinging rebuke to a traditional U.S. ally that reflects a recent surge in cocaine production and fraying ties between the White House and the country’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro. The United States also sanctioned Petro in October over accusations that he had allowed drug cartels in the South American nation to “flourish” and export cocaine to the U.S. — accusations that he vehemently denied, arguing that Colombia is intercepting record levels of cocaine shipments without killing suspected smugglers. With an estimated 9,000 fighters, Clan del Golfo is one of Colombia’s most powerful armed groups. Also known by its Spanish acronym AGC, the group evolved from right-wing paramilitary squads that fought Marxist guerillas in Colombia in the 1990s and 2000s. A report published last year by the Human Rights Defender’s Office, a public agency, said that AGC is present in about a third of Colombia’s 1,103 municipalities, where it extorts local businesses and has also been accused of recruiting children. Clan del Golfo has been involved in peace talks with Colombia’s government since September, which could lead to the disarmament of its fighters in exchange for reduced sentences for its leadership. Bloomberg [12/16/2025 3:10 PM, Matthew Bristow, 18207K] reports President Donald Trump has added numerous criminal groups, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations since returning to office this year. Earlier this month, he suggested the US will “very soon” start targeting cartels on land in Venezuela and beyond, extending a campaign that has so far focused on vessels suspected of trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. In those remarks, he said the US could target any country trafficking illegal narcotics into the US, mentioning both Colombia and Venezuela. Clan del Golfo currently has about 10,000 members, according to an estimate by Fundacion Ideas Para la Paz, a Bogota-based think tank that monitors the Colombian conflict. Of these, about 3,000 are armed fighters, and the rest form part of its civilian support structure. The group is currently in peace talks with the Colombian government.

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FOX News [12/16/2025 4:47 PM, Bonny Chu, 40621K]

Breitbart [12/17/2025 5:34 AM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports far-left President of Colombia Gustavo Petro, still reeling from conservative President-elect José Antonio Kast’s sweeping victory in Chile, called Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro a dictator in yet another unhinged rant at Kast. The incident marks the first time Petro publicly refers to Maduro as a dictator. "Maduro is a dictator because he concentrates power," Petro wrote on social media before claiming that "there is no evidence in Colombia that he is a drug trafficker. That is the U.S. narrative.” "Kast is the son and believer of the Nazis. He belongs to the German generation that fled Germany not to save themselves from Hitler but to save themselves from Hitler’s defeat, which is very, very different," he continued. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president ever and an avid pro-cocaine advocate, appears to have been greatly affected by the results of Chile’s 2025 presidential runoff election. On Sunday, Kast, a 59-year old conservative politician and former lawmaker, became elected as the next president of Chile. The conservative President-elect obtained 58.16 percent of the votes and won in all of Chile’s 16 regions (states). Petro reacted to the sweeping conservative victory in Chile by unleashing a series of unhinged insults against Kast, accusing him of being a "Nazi" and the "son of Hitler," stressing that he would never shake hands "with a Nazi or a Nazi’s child.” The Colombian President’s barrage prompted Chile’s outgoing leftist government to elevate a formal note of protest against the Colombian government, with Chilean government officials demanding respect for the nation’s democracy and electoral decisions. Chile’s formal response appears to have not deterred Petro from continuing to insult and levy unfound "nazi" accusations against Kast. The Colombian president issued his latest "nazi" accusation against Kast in response to Colombian journalist Patricia Janiot, who asked "Why is it that Gustavo Petro has no qualms about calling Chile’s president-elect José Antonio Kast a Nazi and a fascist, yet remains silent and afraid to call Nicolás Maduro a narco-dictator and usurper of power?". "President Petro forgets that his friend Nicolás stole the election, while Chile’s next president won by a wide and decisive margin that must be respected even if he does not like the result," Janiot continued. In reality, and contrary to Petro’s claims that Nicolás Maduro being a drug trafficker is a "U.S. narrative," U.S. courts indicted the Venezuelan socialist dictator on multiple narco-terrorism charges in 2020 and is actively wanted by U.S. authorities. Maduro stands accused of being a leader, if not the leader of, the Cartel of the Suns, an international cocaine trafficking operation run by top members of the Venezuelan regime and the nation’s military. In August, shortly after the United States doubled its boundy on Maduro to $50 million, Petro offered his support to Maduro in the event of a purported "U.S. intervention" in Venezuela. Over the past months Petro has fiercely opposed the U.S. military’s ongoing actions against drug traffickers in the Caribbean, accusing President Donald Trump of allegedly committing "murder" through the strikes against drug-laden vessels.

FOX Business [12/16/2025 6:54 PM, Staff, 10085K] Video: HERE reports DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin criticizes former President Joe Biden for immigration oversight and discusses public safety following the Australia terror attack on ‘The Evening Edit.’

FOX News [12/16/2025 2:52 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin joins ‘America Reports’ to discuss the FBI’s uncovering of a New Year’s Eve terror plot that allegedly sought to harm ICE agents. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX Business [12/16/2025 11:05 AM, Staff, 10085K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the Los Angeles terror plot and the classification of fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction on ‘Varney & Co.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/16/2025 1:18 PM, Madison Colombo, 40621K] reports that federal prosecutors credited an executive order from President Donald Trump with helping the FBI uncover and stop a planned New Year’s Eve terror attack by a "far-left" extremist group in California. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the order triggered the investigation that resulted in multiple arrests. "This investigation, I can confidently say, was triggered as a result of the president’s executive order in 2025 of September and the attorney general’s memo directing the federal government to move its resources and start looking at these groups," Essayli said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends." According to Essayli, the executive order prompted a federal probe that exposed the group’s alleged plot. The Justice Department says four members of an "anti-capitalist and anti-government" group are now in custody in connection with the case. Essayli said the suspects belonged to a group called the Order of the Black Lotus, which operates under the Turtle Island Liberation Front. He described the larger organization as sharing "the hallmarks of Antifa" and promoting political violence. In September, Trump signed an executive order aimed at curbing violence that he said stems from far-left groups like Antifa, declaring them a domestic terrorist organization. Authorities say the suspects were planning to attack U.S. companies in California with explosive devices on New Year’s Eve. Essayli described the group as "far-left" and said they also discussed targeting ICE agents and government vehicles. According to Essayli, the FBI wasn’t "really looking" at these groups prior to the Trump administration. He said the bureau is now "laser-focused" on identifying and dismantling these types of groups.

USA Today [12/16/2025 11:39 AM, Christopher Cann, 67103K] reports four people were charged in an alleged New Year’s Eve bombing plot that would have targeted businesses across Southern California, the FBI announced this week. The four suspects, who prosecutors charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, were accused of being members of an offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, or TILF, a group federal officials said is motivated by extremist pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement and anti-government ideology. FBI Director Kash Patel accused the suspects – Audrey Ilene Carroll, 30; Dante Garfield, 24; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; and Tina Lai, 41– of planning an attack involving improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, to bomb at least five businesses throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. The defendants also allegedly discussed targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and vehicles with pipe bombs, according to a charging document, which accuses Carroll of saying "That would take some of them out and scare the rest of them." A fifth person was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans, Patel said, for allegedly "planning a separate violent attack." That suspect, the director said, is also believed to be linked to TILF. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Daily Wire [12/16/2025 3:55 PM, Tim Pearce, 2494K] reports authorities have arrested a fifth person in connection with a plot to bomb immigration agents on New Year’s Eve. Law enforcement arrested Micah James Legnon in Louisiana on Saturday after messages tied him to alleged members of the radical leftist group Turtle Island Liberation Front, according to the New York Post. Four alleged members of the front, described by authorities as anti-government and anti-capitalist, were arrested last week in connection with a plot to bomb five sites in Los Angeles and Orange County. Legnon participated in chat groups under the monikers "Kateri TheWitch" and "DarkWitch She/Her." Prosecutors produced messages that they said showed Legnon planned to bomb sites in New Orleans at the same time that bombs were set to go off in California. Legnon "was previously a member of the Marines with training in combat." A raid on Legnon’s home in Louisiana produced "sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles, and multiple rounds of ammunition," the criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday said. Legnon has been charged with one count of making threats in interstate commerce, according to CBS News. Last week, authorities arrested Audrey Illeene Carroll, Zachary Aaron Page, Dante Gaffield, and Tina Lai in Lucerne Valley, California. All are alleged members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front and face charges of conspiracy and possession of a destructive device. The four defendants allegedly plotted to bomb sites in California, in particular targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Two of the group, Page and Carroll, allegedly discussed plans to bomb ICE vehicles during the months of January and February. The foiled terror plot and arrests come as ICE agents have faced an 8,000% increase in death threats since President Donald Trump commenced his crackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security has also reported a roughly 1,100% jump in assaults against ICE agents.

CBS News [12/16/2025 9:39 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports the FBI says it has broken up plans for a series of attacks across Southern California on New Year’s Eve. Four members of a far-left anti-government group have been arrested and face charges, federal officials say. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [12/16/2025 11:05 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports a suspect identified as Micah James Legnon has been arrested by agents from the FBI’s New Iberia office for allegedly planning an attack on federal agents. Legnon, 29, was a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front and had communicated with four members who were charged with allegedly planning a series of New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks in the Greater Los Angeles area on Monday, WDSU reported. He is a resident of New Iberia and was arrested on Friday while driving to New Orleans after FBI agents saw him loading a military-style rifle and body armor into his vehicle and telling others in a Signal chat group that he was traveling to New Orleans. New Iberia is located about 120 miles west of New Orleans, and Legnon allegedly shared a video that showed multiple firearms, gas canisters and body armor before leaving on Friday. In that post, Legnon said he was "On my way to NOLA now, be there in about two hours," but the FBI arrested him while driving east on U.S. Highway 90, according to WWL-TV. In a Dec. 4 post, Legnon shared a Facebook post showing Customs and Border Protection agents arresting someone and said he wanted to "recreate Waco, Texas," on the federal officers while referencing the 1993 federal siege on the Branch Davidians compound there. He is a former Marine who was trained in combat and a self-professed satanist who used the alias "Black Witch" in group chats with four suspects accused of targeting locations throughout California. Federal prosecutors filed a federal complaint against Legnon and asked the magistrate judge to seal it and related records due to an ongoing investigation. They asked that it be unsealed on Tuesday, which is a day after the four suspects accused of planning the California terror attacks were charged with related crimes. The FBI said Legnon had been communicating with the four suspects in California before the arrests were made and charges filed in the respective cases. The Turtle Island Liberation Front is a far-left, anti-government, anti-capitalist and pro-Palestinian group, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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New York Post [12/16/2025 4:47 PM, Josh Christenson and Patrick Reilly, 42219K]
Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 3:45 PM, Emily Hallas, 1394K]

Blaze [12/16/2025 1:45 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports that President Donald Trump this week took additional action to end the nation’s drug crisis. During a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation on Monday, Trump announced that he was issuing an executive order designating fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. "We took the worst border in the history of our country, and in a period of two months, we turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country," Trump stated. "During this time, we’ve also achieved a 50% drop in the amount of fentanyl coming across the border, and China’s working with us very closely in bringing down the number and the amount of fentanyl that’s being shipped." The administration previously announced that it reached a deal with China to stop the pipeline of fentanyl precursors. The president noted that in May, the administration executed the nation’s largest fentanyl bust, seizing 3 million pills. Authorities seized another 1.7 million fentanyl pills in November. "There’s no doubt that America’s adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States, in part because they want to kill Americans. If this were a war, it would be one of the worst wars," Trump said.

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Washington Post [12/16/2025 5:38 PM, David Ovalle, 24149K]

AP [12/16/2025 4:07 PM, Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro and Ben Finley, 852K] reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Pentagon will not publicly release unedited video of a U.S. military strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean, as questions mounted in Congress about the incident and the overall buildup of U.S. military forces near Venezuela. Hegseth said members of the Armed Services Committee in the House and Senate would have an opportunity this week to review the video, but did not say whether all members of Congress would be allowed to see it as well. “Of course we’re not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public,” Hegseth told reporters as he exited a closed-door briefing with senators. President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members overseeing national security were on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to defend a campaign that has killed at least 95 people in 25 known strikes on vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Overall, they defended the campaign as a success, saying it has prevented drugs from reaching American shores, and they pushed back on concerns that it is stretching the bounds of lawful warfare. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the campaign is a “counter-drug mission” that is “focused on dismantling the infrastructure of these terrorist organizations that are are operating in our hemisphere, undermining the security of Americans, killing Americans, poisoning Americans.” Lawmakers have been focused on the Sept. 2 attack on two survivors as they sift through the rationale for a broader U.S. military buildup in the region. On the eve of the briefings, the U.S. military said it attacked three more boats believed to have been smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing eight people.

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Politico [12/16/2025 1:57 PM, Connor O’Brien, Joe Gould and Leo Shane III, 13586K]
Reuters [12/16/2025 5:58 PM, Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali, 36480K]

Breitbart [12/16/2025 6:12 AM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on Monday night announced it carried out military strikes against three drug trafficking vessels in Eastern Pacific waters, killing eight narco-terrorists. SOUTHCOM shared unclassified footage of the three separate strikes on a video shared through social media, and detailed that intelligence confirmed the three vessels were transiting along "known narco-trafficking routes" in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The strikes were carried out at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. "A total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions—three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third," SOUTHCOM further detailed. The U.S. military has carried out more than 20 such precision strikes against drug-trafficking boats in Pacific and Caribbean waters since September, which have so far resulted in the deaths of roughly 90 narco-terrorists.

The Hill [12/16/2025 5:11 PM, Max Rego, 12595K] reports Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Tuesday’s classified briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirms the Trump administration has no legal or national security justification for the strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Murphy said in a video on the social platform X that the two Cabinet officials admitted to lawmakers that the accused drug-trafficking vessels are believed to be smuggling cocaine, not fentanyl. He also said Rubio and Hegseth said intelligence suggested the boats were going to Europe, not the U.S., contradicting the administration’s public justification for the strikes. Rubio and Hegseth briefed House and Senate lawmakers amid heightened scrutiny of the administration’s boat strikes. The military conducted strikes against three vessels in the eastern Pacific on Monday, killing eight alleged "narcoterrorists." The U.S. has killed at least 95 people via more than 20 strikes since early September.

Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 8:55 AM, Emily Hallas, 1394K] reports the Trump administration on Monday expanded partnerships in Latin America as the White House looks to crush the supply of drugs coming from the continent to the United States. The U.S. and Paraguay signed a security pact that could allow the Pentagon to conduct military operations in the South American country as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on "narco-terrorist" gangs, according to Bloomberg. "The historic agreement establishes a clear framework for the presence and activities of U.S. military and Department of War civilian personnel in Paraguay … [and reflects] Paraguay’s growing importance as a regional leader and champion for security in our Hemisphere," the Trump administration said after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano to sign the "Status of Forces" agreement. On the same day, Trinidad and Tobago announced that it had granted approval for U.S. military aircraft to use its airports in the coming weeks, in the wake of the Trump administration’s historic military buildup in the region. Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers said the decision delivered concrete benefits to Trinidad and Tobago, including joint military training exercises, enhanced surveillance capabilities, and the installation of a radar system "that has contributed to the interdiction of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics.". The development comes after Trump established the Western Hemisphere at the top of U.S. priorities in his new national security strategy published just weeks ago, marking a shift away from Washington’s policy traditionally favoring European allies. The Pentagon is now eying plans that would include a reduction in the headquarters of U.S. European Command’s prominence to complement other efforts by the administration to shift resources from the Middle East and Europe and "focus foremost on expanding military operations in the Western Hemisphere," according to Washington Post.

New York Times [12/16/2025 2:38 PM, Frances Robles, 135475K] reports that the people who live beside the new airport in the coastal Crown Point neighborhood of Tobago spent the last week of November listening to the deafening rumble of enormous U.S. military jets, which they said arrived in the dead of night. They woke on Nov. 28 to see a mysterious large rotating machine pointed at the sky. One resident wondered if it was a bomb, and others feared it emitted radiation. The device turned out to be a state-of-the-art mobile long-range sensor known as G/ATOR, or Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, that is owned by the U.S. Marines and is worth tens of millions of dollars. The effort to bring a military tool to the nation of Trinidad and Tobago, just days after a visit by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has become a flashpoint in a heated debate over Trinidad’s involvement in the Trump administration’s escalating conflict with nearby Venezuela. Tobago, a small island of 60,000 people off the north coast of Trinidad, is roughly 70 nautical miles from Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister, who has expressed strong support for the lethal U.S. attacks on vessels near Venezuela, has offered shifting explanations for why American soldiers are deployed on the island. Critics fear that in a desire to curry favor with President Trump, Trinidad’s government has put the country in the line of fire. Trinidad’s government announced on Monday that it would allow the U.S. military to use its airports.

Reuters [12/16/2025 5:57 PM, Nate Raymond, 36480K] reports a federal judge on Tuesday signaled a willingness to again rule that the Trump administration cannot swiftly deport migrants to countries other than their own without providing meaningful notice and an opportunity for them to raise fears of persecution or torture if they are sent there. But U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy during a hearing in Boston said any ruling he issued potentially striking down the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s policy would not take immediate effect as he acknowledged the case may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The judge, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, had in April issued a preliminary injunction that aimed to ensure that migrants had time to raise claims they might be persecuted, tortured or killed before being deported to countries not previously identified in their immigration proceedings. The administration has said the injunction, while it was in effect, blocked thousands of pending deportation orders and hindered its efforts to send migrants to countries including South Sudan and El Salvador. Murphy is now considering the merits of the case, a class action lawsuit concerning the due process rights of migrants subject to final orders of removal. The lawsuit takes aim at a memo the Department of Homeland Security issued in March and subsequent guidance it issued in July that allows for migrants subject to final orders of removal to be deported to a third country on a rapid basis.

Bloomberg [12/16/2025 9:00 AM, Alicia A. Caldwell and Jimmy Jenkins, 18207K] reports the Trump administration is slashing the ranks of immigration judges in a drive to extend its broader crackdown to the administrative courts where they serve and speed up deportations. Many of the cuts are in liberal areas, according to a labor union that has represented the judges. In New York, eight were recently terminated in a single day. At least one San Francisco judge was fired in the middle of a complicated asylum hearing. Those cuts were part of a culling of about 100 judges from the federal immigration bench, which began the year with around 700. The terminations, often delivered on Friday afternoons via two-line emails, have in many cases involved judges with high rates of asylum approvals. While the administration argues it’s revamping a badly flawed system, critics have assailed the cuts as a bid to weaken the legal protections available to migrants. Military judges temporarily assigned to immigration have stepped up deportation orders, early evidence suggests. “I’m not aware of a purge like this before,” said Doris Meissner, who served as the top immigration official in the Clinton administration and is now at the Migration Policy Institute. “The whole way in which they characterize immigration, and the way in which they view the immigration judge function, would lead you to believe that they’re trying to get rid of people who they see to be being permissive,” she said. The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, declined to comment on personnel matters. But a department spokesperson accused the Biden administration of forcing immigration courts to implement a “de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens.”

FOX News [12/16/2025 4:56 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 40621K] reports two hundred and one House Democrats voted against a bill that Republicans say would prevent dangerous migrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children from walking free on the streets. The legislation passed in a 225-201 vote. The Kayla Hamilton Act is named after a 20-year-old woman with autism who was killed by a 16-year-old from El Salvador, Walter Javier Martinez, in 2022. Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April. Martiez came to the U.S. illegally as an unaccompanied minor and was a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, according to a press release from the Maryland State Attorney’s Office in Hartford County. The bill, led by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., would heighten screening requirements for unaccompanied migrant children (UAC) who come to the U.S. undocumented in ways that Republicans argue could prevent future tragedies like Hamilton’s. His bill would mandate that the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) screen unaccompanied minors for gang tattoos and place UACs who have such indicators in secure federal facilities rather than letting them go to a sponsor somewhere in the U.S. It would also prohibit unaccompanied minors from going to sponsors who are also undocumented in the U.S. Regarding the sponsors they are placed with, the federal government would be required to do a background check on all adults in the household, which would include fingerprint scans and an immigration status check.

Washington Post [12/16/2025 6:00 AM, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, 24149K] reports Siomara Cruz wasn’t troubled when she saw two Latina immigrants handcuffed earlier this month by masked immigration agents outside a restaurant in this New Orleans suburb. “They need to do things the proper way,” said Cruz, 59, a housewife whose parents emigrated from Cuba. “The law is the law. Every country has their law, and you’ve got to respect it.” But across the street, Tracey Daniels said it was “awful” to see immigration agents in an unmarked SUV detain a Latino man outside the gas station kitchen where she was preparing lunch plates of red beans, rice and fried catfish. “They’re just snatching these people, snatching them away from their families,” said Daniels, 61. “Now they got people afraid to come outside, businesses closing.” The immigration operation, dubbed Catahoula Crunch by the Department of Homeland Security, follows similar crackdowns in Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles and other cities. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday that 250 people had been arrested since the start of the operation. The mission is exposing stark divides in and around New Orleans that reflect broader national reactions to the administration’s immigration raids — and who should help enforce them. Across 10 national polls in November and early December, 43 percent approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration, while 55 percent disapprove. The number of people who approve of Trump’s handling of immigration has dropped from about 50 percent in March. Last week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed a law seeking to limit immigration enforcement in his state as he continues challenging the administration’s aggressive campaign there. New Orleans is a “sanctuary city,” where officials have historically refused to support federal immigration sweeps. But new state laws designed to penalize those who impede immigration enforcement could put officials and officers at risk if their departments don’t cooperate with federal operations. And some surrounding police departments, including in Gretna, have signed 287(g) agreements to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people who authorities say entered the country illegally. Those agreements have also divided residents. Some said immigration enforcement should fall exclusively to federal agents — that having local officers partner on the issue risks alienating immigrant communities or violating people’s rights. But police supporting the operations said they get more complaints about crime in their communities than they do Catahoula Crunch.

FOXNews.com [12/16/2025 10:23 AM, Ashley Carnahan, 40621K] Video, HERE reports D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized an interim House Oversight Committee report on the city’s crime statistics, saying the findings were driven by politics rather than a complete investigation. Fox News Digital obtained a letter Bowser sent on Monday to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. "Since the outset, my Administration has fully cooperated with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Committee) investigation into allegations concerning publicly reported crime statistics by the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department," Bowser said in part. "That cooperation was intended to educate the Committee about the complex subject of crime reporting, address the public misrepresentations about crime in the nation’s capital, and identify policies and processes that could be improved to ensure transparent, high-quality crime data. The Committee’s interim report is a disappointing rejection of that good faith approach and instead reflects a rush to judgement in order to serve a politically motivated timeline and release a report whose outcome appears to have been determined before the investigation began."

Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 11:11 AM, Emily Hallas, 1394K] reports the Labor Department announced Monday that it is sending staff to Minnesota to investigate concerns about fraud in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Program. The department’s decision to authorize an "on-site specialized UI strike team" in Minnesota makes it the latest of several federal agencies deploying agents to investigate reports of widespread fraud in the state’s welfare programs, including those from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "I am appalled at what we are hearing about potential fraud coming from numerous benefits programs in Minnesota," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. "If there has been any related abuse of our UI systems, it will not be tolerated, and I trust our specialized strike team to get to the bottom of this and report their findings directly to me," she continued. "Our mission to protect American workers remains unchanged, and I will not allow malicious actors to destroy the integrity of this trusted program." The Labor Department noted the agency’s Employment and Training Administration’s Chicago regional office had informed the Trump administration that "an onsite review" found that Benefit Payment Control operations and integrity functions, which seek to identify fraud, waste, and abuse, are not being used in Minnesota’s UI programs.

Blaze [12/16/2025 9:51 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports the Trump administration blasted U.S. District Judge Judith Levy over the weekend for her "truly wicked" praise and deferential treatment of a predator who stole into the United States multiple times and brutalized an American citizen. Edys Renan Membreño Díaz, a 30-year-old Honduran national, is presently serving between six and 15 years in a Michigan state prison for raping and sodomizing a woman he knew was incapable of giving consent, who has cerebral palsy and cognitive delays. Díaz, who moved to Michigan in 2021, raped the victim on two occasions: on July 15 and July 17, 2022, leaving her with injuries. While Díaz could be a free man as soon as July 23, 2028, federal prosecutors want the rapist to serve an additional two years for his violation of U.S. immigration law. Díaz has illegally entered the U.S. seven times. According to court documents, prosecutors believe that a sentence of two years would recognize the gravity both of the rapist’s repeated illegal entry into the U.S. and his criminal conduct while in the country and would serve as a deterrent to future criminal activity. The rapist’s lawyer alternatively asked Levy, an appointee of former President Barack Obama who has made a big deal out of her lesbian identity, to give the rapist a sentence concurrent with his sentence in the state case such that he would still eligible for release in 2028. Levy not only decided to spare Díaz from a longer prison sentence for immigration crimes but echoed his lawyer’s framing — that the rapist was a family man simply doing the work that Americans supposedly find unappealing. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in response to Levy’s decision, "Unspeakable Depravity." "U.S. District Judge Judith Levy refused to sentence him to 2 more years for immigration crimes and called this monster a future ‘ambassador for living up to our immigration restrictions,’" McLaughlin noted in a X post on Saturday. "This Obama appointed judge went on to praise him for ‘family devotion and willingness to perform work that it claimed Americans find undesirable.’ Truly wicked."

Blaze [12/16/2025 10:00 AM, Staff, 1442K] Video: HERE reports if you’re listening to the mainstream media, you’ll likely hear Kilmar Abrego Garcia referred to as the "Maryland father" — not an illegal alien gang member. "They’ll leave out the fact that he is, of course, an alleged MS-13 gang member and human trafficker. He’s just a Maryland father. I mean, it’s just that there’s, like, minor details of gang-related activity and minor details of human trafficking," BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says sarcastically. "It’s been a long journey with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, but he of course was released from immigration detention yesterday back into the United States," she adds. An Obama-appointed judge, Paula Xinis, said federal authorities had detained him again after his return to the United States "without any legal basis." "You mean to tell me, Mrs. Obama-appointed judge, that there is not a legal basis to detain an illegal immigrant?" Gonzales asks. "That’s the legal basis. He’s here illegally, and we need to detain him so we can remove him. Otherwise why have any laws at all?" she adds. However, that’s not the worst of what Xinis has done. "This Obama-appointed judge has also granted this man more power than the president, that he can’t be locked up again. We are not allowed to lock him up. We are not allowed to keep Americans safe from this criminal," Gonzales explains. "What is this country, you guys?" she asks, adding, "What is this country if we can’t arrest and detain criminals? Like, have you ever heard of an American citizen getting this treatment? Oh, you committed a crime? Oh, we’re going to arrest you, and we are going to what? Detain you. That’s how it works for every American who commits crimes in this country." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [12/16/2025 5:54 PM, Todd Richmond, 30493K] reports that a colleague of the Milwaukee judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant evade arrest testified Tuesday that she was shocked by her fellow judge’s behavior. “Judges shouldn’t help defendants evade arrest,” Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Kristela Cervera testified at Hannah Dugan’s trial. The testimony on the second day of trial came after officers involved in the arrest told the jury that Dugan’s behavior on April 18 made it more dangerous for them to do their jobs. Dugan is on trial on charges of obstruction and concealment in connection with the incident. The maximum sentence for obstruction, the more serious charge, is five years in prison, though federal judges have much discretion to go lower. The highly unusual charges against a sitting judge are an extraordinary consequence of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Dugan’s supporters say Trump is looking to make an example of her to blunt judicial opposition to immigration arrests. Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was scheduled to appear before Dugan on the morning of April 18 on state battery charges. Prosecutors allege that after Dugan learned that federal officers were in the hallway waiting to arrest him, she cleared a path for him to escape by directing the officers to the chief judge’s office and then leading Eduardo-Flores out of her courtroom through a private door. Cervera testified that she was irritated that Dugan used her as backup during the incident, making her come out of her courtroom into the hallway while still wearing her robe. Another member of the arrest team, Customs and Border Protection Supervisory Officer Joseph Zuraw, said Dugan jerked her thumb over her shoulder and told him to “get out” before directing him to the chief judge’s chambers. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in November that Flores-Ruiz had been deported.

Los Angeles Times [12/16/2025 1:15 PM, Melody Gutierrez, 14862K] reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new state-run website Tuesday that tracks what his office calls the "criminal cronies" around President Trump — just the latest trolling tactic by the California governor that directly mirrors Trump’s own use of public resources for political score settling. Newsom pegged the website’s rollout to recent crime statistics, which were released in early November showing falling rates of homicide and assault in California. The governor’s website catalogs what it calls the top 10 criminal convictions that were followed by pardons offered thus far by Trump — from Jan. 6 rioters to former politicians and business figures convicted of fraud, drug trafficking and financial crimes. The website calls Trump the "criminal in chief." The website features AI-generated portraits of such figues as Rod Blagojevich, the only Illinois governor to be impeached and removed from office; former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking; and Ross Ulbricht, the founder of a dark-web drug marketplace who had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The images show the men standing in a lineup with the word "felon" stamped in red ink. The move mirrors tactics Trump and his administration have embraced. Most recently, Trump unveiled a website of "media offenders," naming journalists and outlets he accuses of bias. Separately, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem has maintained a website highlighting what it calls the "worst of the worst" criminal immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, framing the page as evidence that the administration is carrying out Trump’s promise of mass deportations.

San Francisco Chronicle [12/16/2025 1:19 PM, Anna Bauman, 4722K] reports that dozens of demonstrators chained themselves to a San Francisco immigration courthouse on Sansome Street Tuesday morning to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The protesters blocked the courthouse’s entrances and exits in an effort to prevent anyone from coming or going into the building. The courthouse has been the site of immigration-related arrests in the city and is the location where many people attend immigration hearings. San Francisco police issued an order to disburse shortly before 10 a.m., and many of the demonstrators said they were willing to be arrested. San Francisco fire department personnel were cutting the chains so that demonstrators could be arrested. The scene remained peaceful. One organizer estimated 43 people had been arrested shortly before 11 a.m., all of them faith leaders from various traditions and congregations who were wearing robes and other religious wear. An organizer at the scene said faith leaders had been coming to the Sansome Street courthouse since July to support immigrants as they arrived for check-ins and other court appointments. Department of Homeland Security officials bound some of the protesters hands in zip ties and lead them inside the immigration building, where masked agents stood waiting. Some protesters were singing while others yelled "Shame!". Dozens of additional protestors surrounded the scene of the arrests, watching and filming and singing in support.

San Francisco Standard [12/16/2025 3:50 PM, George Kelly and Garrett Leahy] reports hundreds of demonstrators, including faith leaders, blocked entrances and chained themselves to the doors of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday morning to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security said that 44 people were arrested. A reporter witnessed federal officers restraining a dozen people with zip ties. The demonstration, which led to the office’s closure for the day, brought together ministers, rabbis, and imams who said they were taking direct action after months of bearing witness outside immigration courthouses where immigrants have been detained during legal proceedings. The protest was organized by a coalition called Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity. “We’ve had enough of the racist ICE raids that have been going on, abducting people,” said the Rev. Kevin Mann, community minister at First Unitarian Church of Oakland. “In this building, hundreds of people have been abducted in the middle of legal court hearings.” The 630 Sansome St. location serves as the headquarters for an ICE district that oversees operations from Oregon to Bakersfield, California. In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said federal protective service officers arrested 44 protesters, whom she called “rioters.” All 44 people who were arrested were U.S. citizens, she said.

Reuters [12/16/2025 5:24 PM, Nandita Bose, 36480K] reports that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed internal tensions in the Trump administration over issues from immigration enforcement to government downsizing in comments published by Vanity Fair on Tuesday that paint an unflattering picture of the role played by some of President Donald Trump’s close aides. In a series of 11 interviews with author Chris Whipple conducted over Trump’s first year back in office, Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, described the teetotaling president as having "an alcoholic’s personality" and an eye for vengeance against perceived enemies. She also said Vice President JD Vance has "been a conspiracy theorist for a decade" and described his shift from Trump critic to supporter as "sort of political," motivated by his Senate campaign rather than principle. She took aim at the way billionaire Elon Musk dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and how Attorney General Pam Bondi initially responded to the planned release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. According to the interviews, Wiles also said she warned Trump against pardoning the most violent participants in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and pressed him to delay his decision on sweeping trade tariffs, but was unable to change his mind in either case. She said the administration should have applied greater scrutiny to the deportation of immigrants in the country illegally to avoid errors.

Houston Chronicle [12/16/2025 6:00 AM, Staff, 2983K] reports Not here, we tell ourselves. Not yet, at least. These words have been Houston’s unofficial mantra in 2025. They soothe us even as they express alarm about what happens in those other cities. The ones in blue states, the ones where the shock troops have descended. Not here, though. Not yet. Our mayor says he knows how to keep his head down. That it’s "counterproductive" to attract the attention of President Donald Trump. We would like to believe his strategy has worked. That in Houston, only criminals, the "bad hombres" as the president likes to say, have been caught up in the immigration dragnet. Here, we haven’t had agents rappelling from helicopters into an apartment building or lobbing tear gas at a children’s Halloween parade. Luis, a 53-year-old Houston handyman, repeated these words too. "There’s no way it’s happening," he told his wife and children on the night of Oct. 23. They had gathered to celebrate: His 22-year-old son had passed the admissions exam for the Houston Fire Department academy. Eventually, though, the conversation turned to immigration raids and the videos going viral on social media. The ones showing federal agents surrounding a house in Pasadena and neighbors confronting them. Luis said, "Let’s hope that nothing happens to us and I’m OK, and we’re all OK, but I haven’t seen it." Not here, he said. Not yet. Houston was never truly under the radar. We never really eluded the Trump administration’s attention. We may not make the national headlines like Chicago or L.A., but the immigration crackdown has been happening here. And it happened on that crisp fall morning in southwest Houston. It happened to Luis, who 25 years ago left an impoverished region of Mexico, crossed into Texas without a visa, and worked as a handyman to provide his children with opportunities.

NewsMax [12/15/2025 6:49 PM, Clare M. Lopez, 4109K] reports on Nov. 24, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) directing the State and Treasury Departments to begin the process of deciding whether to designate some select branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). Notably, this initial executive order specifically named only three such Brotherhood branches located in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. In Lebanon, the Brotherhood operates as the Al-Fajr Forces, the military wing of the Islamic Group. In Jordan it is actually represented in parliament but in April 2025, Jordanian authorities arrested a Brotherhood cell accused of smuggling weapons to Hamas in Gaza. Egypt is where the Brotherhood was founded in 1928, with the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regime regularly cracking down on Brotherhood activities there. Hamas is the Gaza branch of the original Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and has been listed as a FTO since 1997. Left unmentioned in Trump’s executive order, however, are Brotherhood-supporting regimes in Qatar and Turkey even though both of these countries support Brotherhood chapters like Hamas that engage directly in terrorism. Nor is any Brotherhood front group in the U.S. named in the Trump executive order either, given that none of them is demonstrably directly connected to any of the named branches in Egypt, Jordan, or Lebanon. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded as a jihadist organization in Egypt in 1928. But to be designated to the FTO list or as a SDGT, a group must be found per Section 219 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act to be foreign; it must engage in or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorism (which is defined as kinetic violence); and its activities must threaten U.S. nationals or the national security of the United States.

Houston Chronicle [12/16/2025 6:00 AM, George Retes, 2983K] reports my name is George Retes. I’m 26 years old, born and raised in Ventura, California. I’m a U.S. citizen and an Iraq combat veteran. As of writing this, it has been a little over 5 months since I was wrongfully detained, stripped of my rights, and held down by officers kneeling on my neck and back. I was thrown in jail for three days and three nights and placed on suicide watch — without any explanation, charges, or apology. Although I was never told what I was being arrested for, I was eventually released and informed that all charges had been dropped and I was free to go. Nearly two months later, I wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle detailing my ordeal and what had happened to me. My message was simple: if this can happen to me — a U.S. citizen and Iraq combat veteran — it can happen to anyone. I urged people to take responsibility, to stand together, and to make sure our rights aren’t stripped away right in front of us. In response to my op-ed, the Department of Homeland Security posted the following statement on X (formerly Twitter): "As CBP and ICE agents were executing criminal search warrants on July 10 at the marijuana sites in Camarillo, CA, George Retes — a U.S. citizen — became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement. He challenged agents and blocked their route by refusing to move his vehicle out of the road. CBP arrested Retes for assault. U.S. citizens are NOT ‘wrongfully’ being arrested by ICE. DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted and are not resulting in the arrest of U.S. citizens. We do our due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement. This kind of garbage has led to a more than 1,000% increase in assaults on enforcement officers." It’s statements like this — painting everyday people as if they’re the problem — that truly demonize and villainize ICE. When agents mask up and run through towns violating people’s rights, they create this image themselves.

Axios [12/16/2025 2:37 PM, Kyle Stokes, 12972K] reports ICE’s enforcement surge in the Twin Cities has cast a shadow over daily life in immigrant communities. Commerce has slowed to a virtual standstill for businesses whose immigrant customers — including legal residents, those with temporary deportation protection, and naturalized U.S. citizens — are staying home for fear they’ll encounter ICE. The Department of Homeland Security says agents have made more than 400 arrests during "Operation Metro Surge" in raids that have been met by dozens of protests across the metro. Many immigrants are "so scared to go out just because they’re Brown, just because they’re Black," Colonial Market owner Daniel Hernandez told reporters Tuesday. Hernandez said business at his Lake Street grocery is down 85% from its normal level. Of his 25 employees, 21 aren’t working out of fear of ICE, he said. Hernandez and two or three volunteers are now delivering 50-100 orders daily to customers afraid to go outside.

Breitbart [12/16/2025 1:29 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports that this week, Mills said she will allow LD 1971 to become law because she feels Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have engaged in “unacceptable actions,” though she still feels the law is “imperfect,” according to WMTW-TV. Mills had dallied on signing the bill into law by failing to sign it during the ten-day window she had to do so. Since she missed the time limit, she had only two choices; veto it and scotch the bill, or let it become law without her signature. She chose the latter. In an op ed excusing her actions, Mills called ICE “dangerous” and attacked federal immigration officials for arresting illegal aliens who otherwise have “no criminal records.” Calling law-breaking illegals in Maine “immigrants,” Mills lamented that they are “wondering if they will pay a devastating price for believing in the welcoming promise of this country every time they drop their kids off at school to go to work to make a living for themselves and their family.” Mills complained that ICE is “abducting U.S. citizens,” accused Trump and the federal government of “committing abuses,” and exclaimed that Trump has “weaponized” immigration enforcement. While allowing this anti-law enforcement bill to pass into law, the left-wing governor also repealed a previous governor’s executive order mandating that state law enforcement cooperate with ICE and federal officials. Mills also falsely claimed that ICE is “targeting school children.”

CBS Boston [12/16/2025 8:51 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is calling on the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop using the Hanscom Field airport for private deportation flights. Healey sent a letter to Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Friday. The governor said she’s recently learned that ICE-chartered planes are being used "to quickly remove residents and sever them from their friends, family, and counsel without due process of law." "As Governor, I am writing to demand that ICE immediately stop using any Massachusetts airports and private jets to deport residents and obstruct due process, and to halt this practice across this country," Healey wrote. According to the "ICE Flight Monitor" published by nonprofit group Human Rights First, there have been 114 ICE flights out of Hanscom through November 2025. That’s more than double the number of ICE flights that left the airport last year, according to the group. Healey said a "significant majority" of those arrested by ICE in Massachusetts in the past year have no criminal convictions or charges. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Axios [12/16/2025 6:00 AM, Mike Deehan, 12972K] reports progressive activists plan to dump ice into Boston Harbor later tonight in a symbolic protest against Trump administration immigration enforcement, reimagining the Boston Tea Party for a modern political audience. The demonstration connects Boston’s colonial resistance to the contemporary immigration debate and draws parallels between 1773’s "taxation without representation" and what organizers call Trump’s governmental overreach. Around 1,000 protesters plan to rally at the Irish Famine Memorial Plaza (outside the Old South Meeting House where the OG Tea Party kicked off) before marching to the waterfront. The protest targets Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that have accelerated under the Trump administration. The theatrical protest is a response to earlier threats from Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who said he’d be "bringing hell" to Boston. Organizers positioned the demonstration as "modern-day civic action against political tyranny," protesting what they describe as "armed government intimidation" and advocating for Massachusetts’ Safe Communities Act.

(B) NECN News 8 am [12/16/2025 8:37 AM, Staff] reports that a Fitchburg man is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he suffered a seizure during an encounter with agents last month. Carlos Zapata Rivera was driving with his wife and baby when they were stopped by federal agents. The Department of Homeland Security says they were targeting his wife who is originally from Ecuador and has a criminal record for allegedly stabbing a coworker in August. The lawsuit says an ICE agents pressed his thumbs in Zapata Rivera’s neck and strangled him and causing him to pass out. His lawyers say he also recently received a call-in letter demanding his appearance at ICE’s Burlington office. Governor Maura Healey is demanding that ICE stop all deportation flights out of Hanscom Field in Bedford. She says ICE has been using private planes to quickly remove people who have been detained. The governor sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons about this.

New York Post [12/16/2025 5:49 PM, Brandon Cruz and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, 42219K] reports Nassau County is holding hundreds of immigration detainees behind bars for too long, violating its own three-day limit it set in a deal with the feds, a migrant advocacy group claims. The county has kept more than 360 migrants locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at its East Meadow jail for more than the agreed-upon 72-hour limit — with more than a dozen staying for nearly a week, according to new federal data from pro-immigrant research group, Deportation Data Project. Under the terms of the county’s contract with ICE, inked earlier this year by Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman, 50 jail cells were set to house federal immigration detainees, but only for up to three days before they’re either removed by federal agents or released. ICE’s own booking data, which the research group obtained through a federal lawsuit, claims that out of the over 2,200 detainees housed in Nassau this year through mid-October — at least 366 detainees, over 60% of which have no criminal record, were held past the three-day cutoff. Multiple detainees were held for nearly 11 days, according to the statistics.

Yahoo News [12/16/2025 7:00 AM, Hunter Walker, 49624K] reports the school was on lockdown. Nov. 12 was supposed to be an evening of youth soccer at P.S. 1, a public elementary school in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn. Yet the fun and games in the school’s gym turned dark when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up outside and took someone off the streets. According to multiple witnesses, the federal officers stayed parked on the corner for roughly two hours in three cars with tinted windows. Their presence outside the school where nearly 90% of the students are Latino sparked fear and led many community members to shelter inside. Aaron Kraus, one of the soccer coaches, said the experience left him questioning whether the games could continue. "It’s insane that something like a youth soccer event in a school is a place they’re going to park outside of and try to target people. That’s just mindblowing," Kraus said. "Part of me is like, should we stop? But why should we stop something that’s good for the community?". Parents who were there throughout the evening said they believe the ICE agents took one man from a nearby building. They were left wondering why the agents then chose to stay near the scene. "I don’t know why you would stay outside a school. There are kids here and people are scared," one man who said his child was playing inside told TPM. The father declined to give his name due to his concerns about the heavy-handed law enforcement presence. These fraught questions and tense moments have become a part of life around the country since Donald Trump returned to the White House and began to implement his mass deportation agenda. In New York City, Trump’s policies have led to dramatic raids and chaos in the courts.

NPR [12/17/2025 4:53 AM, Alex Cox, 34837K] reports a group of volunteers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, delivers groceries to Latino families whose fears of immigration enforcement arrests keep them from leaving home. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Chicago Tribune [12/16/2025 11:27 AM, Daniel I. Dorfman, 4829K] reports the Lake Bluff Village Board has formally adopted new procedures governing how village officials respond to federal immigration enforcement activities, following reports of recent activities by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in neighboring communities as part of Operation Midway Blitz. After discussions at previous meetings and initial approval last month, trustees unanimously voted for final adoption of the ordinance at their Dec. 8 meeting. “I think this is a well-thought-out protection for not only residents of Lake Bluff but also for visitors and workers in the area,” Trustee Brian Rener said. The ordinance includes four primary components. First, it affirms the village’s commitment to creating a community where citizens, documented immigrants and undocumented individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Second, Lake Bluff law enforcement officers may not enforce federal civil immigration laws and are generally prohibited from taking certain actions that would assist in such enforcement. In addition, all village employees must comply with the Illinois Trust Act, which restricts state and local agencies from participating in civil immigration enforcement. “It is improving the safety and the clarity for many of our public servants,” Trustee Taryn Fisher said. “It makes clear for our community what can and cannot be done and helps people feel safe.” Third, the ordinance places restrictions on the use of village-owned facilities, equipment, land and resources for civil immigration enforcement activities. Finally, the village will make free signage language, such as downloadable PDFs, available to private property owners who wish to prohibit civil immigration enforcement activities on their property. The provision was revised from the original proposal, which would have provided physical signs, after trustees expressed a preference for offering electronic materials only. Village officials emphasized that the policies do not affect criminal enforcement of immigration matters.

Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 11:23 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are publicly feuding over the congresswoman’s claim that officers pulled over her son in a traffic stop in Minnesota, which ICE denies. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons clarified on Tuesday that his personnel had no record of pulling over Omar’s son following the Omar’s initial statement on Sunday that her son was stopped by ICE in Minnesota. "ICE has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son. It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof," acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. Lyons called Omar’s allegation a "ridiculous effort to unfairly demonize our law enforcement officers" and behavior that is "directly contributing to the more than 1,150% increase in assaults and 8,000% increase in death threats against my officers and agents.". "Allegations that ICE engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE," the statement continued. "A person’s immigration status makes them a target for enforcement, not their skin color, race or ethnicity. Law enforcement uses ‘reasonable suspicion’ to make arrests, as allowed under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution." In response to Lyons’s statement, Omar’s spokeswoman insisted that ICE had pulled over Omar’s son and accused ICE of failing to keep accurate records. "The congresswoman’s son and others were pulled over by ICE, racially profiled, and forced to prove their citizenship with a passport," Omar’s spokeswoman wrote in an email Tuesday morning. "ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform. It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight. ICE now claims it has records of all the stops, and our office would welcome the opportunity to review them."

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [12/16/2025 4:47 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2416K]
The Hill [12/16/2025 4:16 PM, Tara Suter, 12595K]
FOX News [12/16/2025 12:53 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K]
NewsMax [12/16/2025 12:31 PM, Mark Swanson, 4109K]

FOX 9 Minneapolis [12/16/2025 9:54 PM, Soyoung Kim, 40621K] reports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were in Chanhassen to make an arrest as part of a targeted enforcement operation. There were some tense moments on Saturday morning as dozens of protesters confronted federal agents in Chanhassen. The incident became heated in bitter cold temperatures as two men stayed on top of a roof under construction for hours to avoid being taken in by federal officers. DHS said ICE officers were conducting an operation to arrest Marco Chicaiza Dutan. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Marco is in the country illegally and has a criminal record. According to court documents, Marco had previously been convicted in a case for disorderly conduct. "During the operation, two suspects fled from a vehicle and entered a construction site, climbing onto a roof to evade arrest," said McLaughlin about Saturday’s operation. Federal officials said the other man, Edgar Chicaiza Dutan, did come down and was taken away in an ambulance and checked out due to exposure to the cold weather. He has since been released to ICE. ICE has said Edgar entered the U.S. illegally in 2019.

Daily Caller [12/16/2025 9:36 AM, Harold Hutchison, 835K] reports United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out an operation in Minneapolis on Monday found themselves surrounded by anti-ICE rioters, according to video posted by local media. ICE is surging into the Minneapolis area to target illegal immigrants from Somalia after revelations surfaced suggesting around $1 billion in fraud, with the Treasury Department investigating whether some of the proceeds from the scheme went to the radical Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabaab. WCCO reporter Jonah Kaplan posted videos of the standoff on X Monday. Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a Dec. 7 interview that city police would not cooperate with a federal immigration enforcement operation launched in the wake of the growing fraud scandal in Minnesota. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz admitted that the state "attracts criminals," but demanded that Somali residents not be demonized during a Nov. 30 appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press."

Univision [12/17/2025 2:30 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports dozens of people clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when officers attempted to arrest two women. Footage shows one of the officers dragging a person and then spraying the crowd with pepper spray. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

KWTX Waco [12/16/2025 7:02 PM, Raphael R. Roker] reports an illegal immigrant from Mexico was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for violently attacking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an arrest attempt in February, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday. Diego Barron-Esquivel pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault of a federal officer on Dec. 3 and received the maximum penalty allowed under the law, federal authorities confirmed. On Feb. 28, two ICE officers were trying to arrest Barron-Esquivel, who had been harassing his former spouse. Officials said Barron-Esquivel has an extensive criminal history that includes arrests for domestic battery, violating protection orders, property damage, aggravated robbery, felony theft, criminal restraint, drug paraphernalia possession and improper use of a car. According to authorities, Barron-Esquivel fought back by punching one officer in the face and head, then strangling the officer with his own badge cord. The officer nearly passed out before breaking the badge cord. Barron-Esquivel ran away but was later caught by local police, officials confirmed. “This barbaric criminal illegal alien, with a rap sheet a mile long, violently punched one our officers in the face and head and then began strangling the officer with his own badge cord,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Our officers are facing a 1150% increase in violence against them as they arrest the worst of the worst.” McLaughlin added that Secretary Noem has made clear that anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Breitbart [12/16/2025 12:16 PM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports that U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Ryan A. Kriegshauser condemned the attack as “completely unacceptable” and praised the courage of officers who risk their lives daily. At the same time, Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Charles J. Cole underscored that anyone who lays a hand on federal agents will face swift and severe justice. The sentencing of Diego Barron‑Esquivel, who violently punched and strangled an ICE officer with his own badge cord until the agent nearly lost consciousness, was described as a clear warning to those who threaten law enforcement: they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “Violence against law enforcement is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with very seriously,” said Kriegshauser. “Our society would cease to function without brave officers enforcing the law. We owe these officers our thanks and our respect. This sentence shows how egregious the conduct was in this case.” Barron-Esquivel pleaded guilty in February to intentionally assaulting and strangling an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer while he was performing his official duties. Secretary Noem made clear that Barron‑Esquivel’s sentence is a warning to anyone who dares attack law enforcement: the worst of the worst will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and justice will be delivered without compromise.

Politico [12/16/2025 5:32 PM, Natalie Fertig, 2100K] reports Denver is refusing to allow an airline that contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand its activities at the city’s airport in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. The city council voted 11-1 on Monday to reject a contract with Key Lime Air, which an October investigation by Colorado Newsline found operated 83 ICE flights in September alone. “Our city chose to stand with immigrants and against the expansion of deportation flights because we know that our immigrant neighbors deserve a city that welcomes everybody,” Denver City Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez told POLITICO in a statement. “I’m proud of [the] Denver City Council for nearly unanimously rejecting the expansion of Key Lime Air out of Denver International Airport.” Key Lime did not immediately return a request for comment.

Axios [12/16/2025 4:41 PM, Meira Gebel, 12972K] reports local leaders are condemning a dramatic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood last week, after a video showed agents firing pepper balls during morning school drop-off time. Mayor Keith Wilson and the three city councilors representing District 2 issued a joint statement Tuesday calling the incident "unnecessary, unjustified, and potentially unconstitutional." The arrest occurred around 9am last Thursday on North Fessenden Street, which is a route to George Middle School, when three ICE vehicles surrounded a van, witnesses told KPTV. Neighbors told the outlet that a man was pulled out of the car while children were heard crying inside. The situation escalated when residents became involved — observing and recording on their phones — and agents shot pepper balls into the crowd as "warning shots," per the video. This is the first known incident of federal agents using force in Portland neighborhoods outside of the confines of the ICE facility, officials said.

Daily Caller [12/16/2025 6:09 PM, Anthony Iafrate, 835K] reports Washington state refused to honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for an illegal immigrant truck driver who allegedly caused a fatal crash there, according to a Tuesday press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), first shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Indian national Kamalpreet Singh, 25, was piloting a semi-truck that struck a stopped Mazda in Washington state on Thursday morning, killing the car’s driver, Robert B. Pearson, 29, at the scene, the Auburn Examiner reported, citing the Washington State Patrol. "Instead of honoring the ICE arrest detainer, these politicians chose to release this public safety threat back onto America’s roads," the press release stated, referring to Singh. Washington was listed as a sanctuary state, along with 11 others, on a list published by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice in August. The state has a Democratic governor, Bob Ferguson, and Democrats control houses of the state legislature. Ferguson’s predecessor, former Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, in 2019 signed a law cementing the blue state’s "sanctuary" status, restricting local law enforcement’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Ferguson was the state’s attorney general at the time. "These demented and dangerous sanctuary policies have deadly consequences," said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to the DCNF. "Robert Pearson would still be alive today if the Biden administration hadn’t released this illegal alien into our country. How many more Americans have to be killed before Democrat politicians start to put the public’s safety ahead of politics?". According to ICE’s website, an immigration detainer is a request to law enforcement to hold a foreign national "for up to 48 hours beyond the time they would ordinarily release them so DHS has time to assume custody in accordance with federal immigration law.".

ABC 2 Portland [12/16/2025 10:51 PM, Staff, 30493K] reports Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, alongside fellow Democratic members of the state’s congressional delegation, is pressing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for clarity on potential plans to expand ICE facilities in Oregon. The delegation, including Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, and Janelle Bynum, expressed concerns over job postings in Portland and Newport suggesting new or expanded detention facilities without formal notice to local leaders. In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, the lawmakers stated, "We strongly and unequivocally reject the need for any new detention capacity and urge you to honor the public’s right to be informed." They criticized the Trump administration’s "shabby track record of absolute secrecy." The delegation highlighted issues with ICE’s practices, noting that less than 10% of those detained in Oregon had violent crime convictions. They also cited a report from Amnesty International detailing inhumane conditions at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention center, warning against similar issues in Oregon.

NBC 8 Portland [12/16/2025 8:40 PM, Amy-Xiaoshi DePaola, 43603K] reports a delegation of Oregon lawmakers is asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reveal any plans for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the state. In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, lawmakers cited recent job postings that suggested new or expanded detention facilities in Portland and Newport could already be underway. Those jobs have since been removed from Indeed and from the website of recruiter Acuity International. Previously, spokespersons for the Port of Portland and Oregon Air National Guard Base said they had not received any information from DHS or any private contractors about a proposed detention center at or near the Portland International Airport, despite those short-lived job postings. In Newport, officials also stated they received no official notice and have been struggling to get detailed answers from the federal government, despite signs that ICE has plans for the area. In the letter, Democratic lawmakers — including Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Maxine Dexter, Andrea Salinas and Val Hoyle — echoed those sentiments, saying that they were not notified and are demanding transparency before any contracts are signed, asking DHS to provide a detailed response by Friday. The lawmakers also rebuked the administration’s stringent immigration enforcement policy, as well as the treatment of detainees at ICE and DHS facilities, such as the lack of timely access to legal counsel.

FOX News [12/16/2025 8:00 PM, Madison Colombo, 40621K] reports parents and teachers in Oregon have formed neighborhood groups to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. It’s a system that organizers say helps alert illegal immigrants when federal agents are nearby. Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported in October on members of the ICE watch groups, explaining that participants position themselves at various spots throughout the neighborhood, often around schools, to look out for ICE officers. If agents are detected, group members use text chains and whistles to alert local members of the activity. The effort comes as President Donald Trump continues to ramp up immigration enforcement operations across the country. "We’re making ourselves present and visible so that our families see we stand with our community, and we stand as a message that our students deserve to learn in confidence and not in fear," teacher Andy Bunting told OPB in October. Portland is among several Democratic-led cities seeing widespread community pushback against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Similar ICE alert groups have cropped up in states like California. Several Portland-centered Instagram accounts help to organize these anti-ICE groups. Among them is @pdxicewatch, which boasts nearly 23,000 followers. The account’s bio says it is "watching ICE activity," and it frequently posts the locations of ICE operations in the area and has a tip line. The online group also helps maintain a publicly available database of vehicles suspected to be in use by ICE officers, listing their models, where they were seen and license plates. One informational post uploaded in November specifically discusses intervening during ICE operations near schools. "Focus on areas that seem quiet around the school, ICE likes to kidnap people in alleyways and dead-end streets," one slide states. "Sometimes staff will reach out, but the admin in the front office will not. There can be a disconnect between brown and black teachers/social workers and an all-white admin staff," another slide says. ICE justified its operations near schools to OPB, writing, "ICE is safeguarding schools and places of worship by preventing criminal aliens and gang members from exploiting them as safe havens, a practice previously restricted under the Biden Administration. DHS now allows its law enforcement agencies to act with supervisory approval, ensuring such actions remain rare and discretionary.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS San Francisco [12/16/2025 5:58 PM, Carlos E. Castañeda, 39474K] reports protesters chained themselves together in front of a federal immigration services building in San Francisco on Tuesday morning, prompting authorities to shut down the building for the day. Dozens of religious leaders were taken away in handcuffs after blocking the front doors of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices on Washington Street near the city’s Financial District. Protestors blocked the entrance for about five hours, beginning at about 6 a.m. until federal police arrived. About 150 to 200 protesters massed outside the U.S. Appraisers Building on Washington and Sansome streets, a frequent target for protesters where the ICE offices are housed along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices. Not everyone at the protest was detained, only those who were blocking the doors with bolt-locked chains, said CBS News Bay Area reporter Kevin Ko, who was at the scene. Advocacy group Bay Resistance said in a prepared statement that the action was geared toward "stopping ICE from abducting community members at their immigration check-ins." The group said 42 people were arrested, cited and released. After the front door was cleared, authorities ended up closing the building anyway; people who were in line for their immigration appointments were all told to go home. In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the protesters as "rioters" and said they obstructed law enforcement outside the ICE processing center.

San Francisco Chronicle [12/16/2025 10:27 PM, Kate Talerico, 4722K] reports Oakland will renew a contract to keep hundreds of automated license plate-reading cameras on city streets, despite concerns from privacy advocates that footage collected by the system has been shared with federal immigration enforcement agencies. The Oakland City Council voted 7-to-1 Tuesday to approve a new two-year, $2 million contract with Georgia-based surveillance company Flock Safety, allowing the city to continue operating its network of 290 license plate readers. The agreement also authorizes police to integrate privately owned security cameras into Flock’s system. Council Member Carroll Fife cast the lone dissenting vote. The California Highway Patrol paid for the installation of the cameras in spring 2024. Oakland police officials say the system has become a critical investigative tool as the department struggles with chronic staffing shortages, exacerbated by the 100 officers currently on administrative leave. Police credit the cameras with helping investigators track vehicles connected to robbery crews, sex trafficking operations and auto theft rings. According to a report by Oakland police, a countywide task force has made 110 arrests related to stolen vehicles using Flock alerts, and the technology has aided investigations into suspected "chop shops," where stolen cars are dismantled for parts. Oakland has seen a 42% drop in vehicle thefts through 2025 compared with the same period last year, according to the report. It’s unclear, though, how much of that is attributable to Flock, since crime has also been declining across Oakland and other cities since the pandemic. But civil liberties advocates say the surveillance network poses serious privacy risks — particularly for immigrant communities — and cited reports that data from Oakland’s cameras have been shared with federal agencies. Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. This summer, the San Francisco Standard reported that Oakland police shared data from the camera systems with federal agencies, including in at least one case related to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation. CalMatters also reported that law enforcement agencies across Southern California have shared information from automated license plate readers, including Flock cameras, with federal agents.

Univision [12/17/2025 12:40 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports that, in Orange County, the number of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has doubled in the last year; however, the federal government has not yet reimbursed the county for the expenses incurred in housing these individuals, raising questions about who should bear the costs. Although county officials indicated they would file a lawsuit to clarify the 287(g) agreement, this has not yet materialized. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [12/17/2025 3:36 AM, Carol Rosenberg, 330K] reports the United States has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, people familiar with the matter said, repopulating its detention site with men it intends to deport for the first time in two months. The men, who arrived at the base this week, are believed to be the first Cuban citizens sent here since January, when the Trump administration set up a holding center for migrants designated for removal from the United States. In total, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held about 730 men at the base, most from Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala and Venezuela. On Monday, ICE referred questions about the latest detainees and their possible fates to the larger Homeland Security Department, which did not provide details, including whether or how the men would be returned to the custody of the Cuban government. On rare occasions the United States has repatriated Cuban citizens through a gate at the fence line that separates the two sides, and is guarded by a Cuban military force and minefield. All the previous immigration detainees held this year were moved in and out on either U.S. chartered aircraft or military cargo planes. The 22 men arrived on an ICE air charter from Louisiana on Sunday. The latest arrivals included five men who had been deemed “high-threat illegal aliens,” according to a Defense Department official who gave details on the operation on the condition of anonymity as only ICE and homeland security officials are authorized to discuss it. Detainees who have been determined to be high risk are typically held at a prison that formerly housed suspected Al Qaeda members who had been captured overseas in the war against terrorism. The remaining Cuban men were to be held at a dormitory-style holding site that has been used for years to shelter migrants seeking asylum from Caribbean nations. The detention complex had been empty since mid-October, when the United States sent 18 men to El Salvador and Guatemala. Later that month, the base evacuated all nonessential residents, including ICE agents and contractors, back to the mainland ahead of Hurricane Melissa. They returned last month, after cleanup. The weekend transfer was also the first since a federal judge in Washington ruled that the Trump administration exceeded its authority in holding migrants designated for deportation at the base. Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokeswoman, indicated that the agency planned to appeal. “We look forward to a higher court’s vindication of our use of this facility to keep criminals off American streets,” she told The Associated Press this month.

FOX News [12/16/2025 2:51 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports that Vice President JD Vance sparred with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose state is leading a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s order to impose a $100,000 fee for H1B skilled-worker visas. In September, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restrict decisions on petitions for H-1B visa applicants outside the U.S. for a period of one year – while allowing current visa holders to seek renewals under the previous, lower-cost framework. Rayfield, a Democrat, announced on Friday that Oregon and 18 other states allege the new $100,000 fee is unlawful, claiming the "massive" amount being outside congressional authorization and intent for its establishment of the visa program. "You might try hiring Americans," Vance said in a social media reply to Rayfield’s announcement. In his tweet that drew Vance’s attention, Rayfield said the H-1B visa system allows employers – including Oregon’s colleges – to hire "skilled foreign workers in specialized roles like physicians, researchers, & nurses.". Vance’s view was previously boosted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who called the H-1B system a "scam" that is "used to import cheap foreign labor at the expense of Americans.". Vance later added to his criticism, saying the situation is "instructive" of why the visa issue is important.

NPR [12/16/2025 5:25 PM, Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports millions of immigrants in the U.S. who have applied for asylum are now in legal limbo after President Trump paused decisions on all asylum cases. Even some Republican lawmakers now are pushing back.

Houston Chronicle [12/16/2025 3:42 PM, Bayliss Wagner, 2983K] reports Nabi is among thousands of Afghan refugees trapped in legal limbo, unable to move forward and unable to go back to the country they fled after President Donald Trump’s response to a shooting last month that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition. The man accused of carrying out the shooting last month in Washington, D.C, is an Afghan refugee who previously served in a CIA-backed paramilitary unit in Afghanistan. The freeze applies to asylum, visa and green card applications, adding an indefinite waiting period to a process that has already taken years for many refugees. It also means legally-present refugees cannot renew their work permits, prolonging unemployment for some and throwing others into joblessness. Many could soon see their temporary humanitarian parole status expire. The new crackdown comes on top of the Trump administration’s moves earlier this year to halt Biden-era refugee admissions programs for Afghan nationals and revoke their temporary protected status. Its impact has been acutely felt in Texas, which has the third-largest Afghan population of any U.S. state. Refugee services nonprofits in the state have been inundated with calls and visits from Afghan nationals trying to understand what the sudden policy shift means for them.

San Francisco Chronicle [12/16/2025 7:00 AM, Sara DiNatale, 4722K] reports many asylum-seeking immigrants and DACA recipients with valid documents were among the 17,000 commercial drivers whose licenses were canceled last month by California amid pressure from the Trump administration, cutting them off from their livelihood amid the busy holiday driving season. California told thousands of drivers in November their licenses would be canceled by Jan. 6 because state records showed the expiration date on their federal work permits came before the expiration date on their state-issued license. But the state was unaware that the work permits of many of the drivers had been extended, meaning there was no conflict between the dates. The Department of Motor Vehicles plans to begin issuing the drivers new licenses this week, according to a letter obtained by the Chronicle. The letter, sent by DMV Director Steve Gordon to the Department of Transportation on Dec. 10, lays out the technical issues that led to the mistake and how the state plans to correct it. While California has aggressively fought many of the administration’s efforts to deport thousands of immigrants, the feud over immigrant truck drivers represents a rare instance in which the state has taken steps to appease the White House. It’s unclear how the federal government may respond to California’s decision to begin re-issuing licenses. Trump officials are trying to impose new rules that would drastically limit who could obtain a commercial driver’s license, potentially excluding the vast majority of immigrant applicants. For now, a court has put those rules on hold. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold more than $150 million in federal funds from the state as the administration attempts to target truck drivers going through the asylum process. "Everything is happening at the same time," said Mongolian asylum-seeker Nomunzul Davaarravda, who received a notice his license would be canceled on Jan. 6. "We don’t know what to do.". Commercial licenses are required to operate large vehicles, from school buses to oil tankers.

Federalist [12/16/2025 11:09 AM, Brianna Lyman, 785K] reports that the left insists that birthright citizenship is "plainly written" into the Constitution and immune from any challenge. But cases like that of Chinese billionaire Xu Bo expose just how stupid that claim is. Xu, a reclusive tech billionaire, has reportedly fathered more than 100 children — possibly more — through surrogacy agencies in the United States, though Xu himself has never lived in the United States. But his children, through the left’s twisted interpretation of birthright citizenship that has been the prevailing interpretation of the 14th Amendment for decades, are citizens. It’s a convoluted form of the disgusting practice known as birthright tourism (where foreigners come to the U.S. to give birth to secure their children birthright citizenship) and it’s the exact abuse of the 14th Amendment that the framers — and anyone with a brain — would have found absurd. The citizenship clause reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The limiting phrase — "subject to the jurisdiction" — was added deliberately, and its purpose was clear: not everyone born in the United States should automatically become a citizen. As Sen. Jacob Howard, who drafted that clause, explained, the clause was "simply declamatory of what I regard as the law of the land already." That law is the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to persons born in the United States who were "not subject to any foreign power.". Congress understood that membership into our social compact was not automatic. It flowed from jurisdiction and consent. But that understanding collapses in the modern birthright citizenship debate — especially in cases like Xu’s.

FOX News [12/16/2025 1:59 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40621K] reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Tuesday it has collected more than $200 billion in tariffs revenue since President Donald Trump took office, crediting dozens of executive orders cracking down on tariff-evasion schemes. To identify violations, CBP said it uses the latest data analytics tools to uncover tariff evasion schemes, including undervaluation, misclassification, transshipment, antidumping and countervailing duty violations, illegitimate shell companies, and "double-dipping" by claiming more than one tariff exemption to avoid paying revenue owed to the government. Since Jan. 20, CBP has assessed roughly $2.6 billion in AD/CVD duties, which are tariffs designed to counter unfair trade practices, such as selling goods below market value or subsidizing exports. It has also identified new evasion schemes, including a case involving an importer of iron, steel and aluminum who allegedly claimed both Section 232 and Reciprocal Tariff exemptions to deprive the government of $100 million. Additionally, more than 60 debarment actions were issued against irresponsible parties for failing to pay debts, according to CBP, which said it investigated nearly 1,200 revenue-focused e-Allegations from the trade community to ensure a level playing field for law-abiding U.S. businesses. Officials said the hundred-billion figure "underscores CBP’s effectiveness in promoting secure, fair, and compliant trade, strengthening America’s national and economic security."

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [12/16/2025 11:04 AM, Staff, 4109K]

Bloomberg [12/16/2025 7:10 AM, Laura Curtis, 18207K] reports as the Supreme Court considers whether President Donald Trump exceeded his authority with the bulk of his tariffs, importers who’ve paid them are clamoring to get in the best position for obtaining a refund. The government has collected $129 billion of so-called IEEPA tariffs across 34 million entries, and from more than 300,000 importers, according to a court filing last week. For weeks, trade professionals and customs brokers have implored companies over countless Zoom calls and webinars to download their data from Customs and Border Protection’s website, advised on when to file what paperwork, and which deadlines to keep an eye on — or risk losing the right to their money back. Last week, dozens of consolidated lawsuits filed by companies asked a trade court to stop the clock on the final processing, or “liquidation,” of tariff payments until the Supreme Court rules on whether Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose some of his tariffs was lawful. The Justice Department argued it won’t oppose recalculating tariff amounts — and possibly providing refunds to importers — if the justices rule against the government. Based on those representations, a panel of three judges at the US Court of International Trade said government officials wouldn’t be allowed to change course later and try to deny refunds. While it’s still not clear whether individual lawsuits will be required in order to obtain a refund, or if there will be a simplified administrative process set up to handle the payments en masse, Monday’s decision is mostly good news for importers who were concerned about the upcoming deadlines. “The bottom line is simple: Liquidation can keep moving forward without slamming the door on refunds,” said Pete Mento, Baker Tilly’s director of global trade advisory services, in a post on LinkedIn. “For importers who challenged the tariffs correctly, this is annoying, not fatal. The receipts still matter, the rights are still preserved, and the story is very much not over.”

Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 1:15 PM, Paul Bedard, 1394K] reports that a trio of little-known Biden administration immigration programs that let 774,000 illegal immigrants into the United States were plagued with "widespread" fraud that opened the door to human trafficking networks, drug cartels, and even murderers, says a new audit. In a damning review of former President Joe Biden’s immigration policy failures, the Government Accountability Office said the administration failed to catch even the most obvious fraud as it pushed to let in millions of immigrants through the so-called "parole" program. For example, the program required migrants to have a U.S. sponsor, and many of those filed fraudulent documents. Several, said the GAO, used Elvis Presley’s Social Security number, while others included photos of former CBS news anchor Connie Chung and NCIS actress Cote de Pablo. And in rubber-stamping the entry of the illegal immigrants, the administration’s border officers failed to check the background of many and never even asked the migrants why they thought they were eligible for the parole program. "As a result of the lack of sufficient internal controls," said the GAO, "some individuals perpetrated scams that exploited prospective beneficiaries and stole the identities of U.S. citizens.". The audit added, "Fraud indicators were widespread.". The independent audit reviewed three of the parole programs: "Uniting for Ukraine" let in 230,227 illegal immigrants; "Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans" brought in another 531,307; and "Family Reunification Parole" 12,268 more.

The AP [12/16/2025 5:32 PM, Staff, 31753K] reports an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer fired his gun several times during a confrontation with another motorist Tuesday on an access road for New York’s Kennedy Airport, police said. The CBP officer told authorities that he pulled his weapon after the other driver attacked him over a minor traffic crash, Port Authority police said. It wasn’t clear if the shots hit anything. The other driver fled the scene after the shooting, according to the CBP officer, who was unhurt. The two-vehicle crash happened shortly before 5 a.m. near the airport’s main car rental facilities on the tangle of roads and ramps that lead to the airport’s terminals, administration buildings and cargo areas. JFK’s roadways are currently undergoing a major construction overhaul and navigating the thicket of detours and traffic changes has been a source of frustration and confusion for many drivers. The officer’s name has not been released. CBP did not immediately comment. The investigation led to traffic delays in the area during the morning commute, but those issues lessened as the morning progressed. NewsMax [12/16/2025 11:34 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports Port Authority police responded at about 4:45 a.m. to reports of gunfire on the southbound Van Wyck Expressway near the entrance to JFK’s central terminal area and nearby airport access roads, officials said. When officers arrived, they located the CBP officer, who told investigators he had been involved in a two-vehicle fender bender and was then attacked by the other driver. According to the officer’s account, he drew his service weapon during the confrontation and fired several times. Authorities said the shots may have struck the other vehicle, but investigators have not confirmed what, if anything, was hit. No injuries were reported. The other driver left the scene and has not been located or identified, authorities said. The Port Authority has not released the CBP officer’s name. Officials also have not said whether the officer was in an official vehicle at the time. The shooting unfolded in a complex stretch of airport approaches that includes multiple ramps, merges, and detours. JFK’s road network is undergoing a major construction overhaul, and the changing traffic patterns have drawn frequent complaints from drivers navigating shifted lanes, closed ramps, and temporary routing changes. The New York Post [12/16/2025 4:09 PM, Amanda Woods and Joe Marino, 42219K] reports that the officer was off-duty at the time of the altercation, the PAPD said. He refused medical attention at the scene, according to the sources. The incident remains under investigation by the PAPD.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [12/16/2025 12:59 PM, Staff, 2416K]
NBC News [12/16/2025 9:59 AM, Jennifer Millman, 34509K]
(B) NBC News Daily [12/16/2025 12:52 PM, Staff]
FOX News [12/16/2025 3:02 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K]

AP [12/16/2025 7:21 PM, Staff, 31753K] Video: HERE reports as senior Border Patrol official Greg Bovino returned to the Chicago area on Tuesday, witnesses captured Border Patrol making arrests and deploying chemical agents in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood.

(B) Local News Live [12/16/2025 2:37 PM, Staff] reports Homeland Security continues to detain people it says are in the US illegally. It is part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Border Patrol plans to pull agents out of New Orleans over the next few days. They will be deployed to Chicago. The agents will eventually return back to New Orleans. They have been there for two weeks as part of Operation Catahoula Crunch. Border Patrol says nearly 350 people have been arrested. A report says more than half the people deported in the past five years have immigration violations but no criminal histories.

NewsNation [12/16/2025 5:15 PM, Ali Bradley, Jeff Arnold, 8017K] Video: HERE reports U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino vowed before leaving Chicago that his departure from a two-month immigration enforcement operation didn’t mean it was ending and that he would return. Bovino has now returned, NewsNation has learned, and the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown will again oversee an effort in the nation’s third-largest city. The targeted operation will again ramp up as agents remain in New Orleans, where Bovino reported on Monday that 350 arrests have been made. NewsNation learned Monday that DHS was expected again to turn its attention to Chicago, where federal agents made more than 4,000 arrests between early September and mid-November. However, the operation was met with heavy resistance from local residents and elected officials, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The operation, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," led to a federal lawsuit, including one in which Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem were named as defendants, and involved federal agents’ use of force against clergy, journalists and protesters. Plaintiffs in that case filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit after an Illinois appellate court granted a stay of a previous judge’s preliminary injunction that prevented federal agents from using excessive force unless they were facing imminent threats. In a statement provided to NewsNation about Bovino’s return to Chicago, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, "As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago and operations are ongoing. Operation Midway Blitz is achieving what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians have refused to do for decades: decrease crime and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who put the American people in danger." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The AP [12/16/2025 7:22 PM, Christine Fernando, 31753K] reports Senior Border Patrol official Greg Bovino returned to the Chicago area on Tuesday, about a month after leaving to lead immigration enforcements in other cities, immigration advocates say. Bovino, the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, was photographed Tuesday in the predominantly Mexican American neighborhood of Little Village by the Chicago Sun-Times as neighbors and activists blew whistles and shouted. Videos obtained by The Associated Press showed several unmarked cars and Border Patrol agents deploying pepper balls and detaining a man in the neighborhood’s business corridor. Bovino arrived in the Chicago area in September amid Operation Midway Blitz, which has yielded thousands of arrests and fueled fear among immigrant communities. The operation has become known for its aggressive tactics, including the use of chemical munitions and car chases. Since the operation began, federal agents deployed tear gas in neighborhood streets, hit protesters and journalists with pepper balls and shot at least two people, killing one. Bovino left Chicago in November to lead immigration operations in New Orleans and North Carolina. While immigration operations had continued in Chicago, they were noticeably subdued with fewer tense confrontations, and Tuesday’s enforcements were among the most visible since Bovino left town. “As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago and operations are ongoing,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Reuters [12/16/2025 5:21 PM, Renee Hickman, 36480K] reports U.S. Border Patrol agents returned to Chicago in force on Tuesday after a month-long slowdown, renewing a conflict with opponents of the agency’s methods, according to a Reuters witness, local officials and community advocates. State Representative Lilian Jimenez said that she had learned that Border Patrol agents were conducting raids in the suburb of Cicero and in Little Village, a Chicago Mexican-American enclave. "It just seems very cruel to come in and snatch people off the streets and just destroy ⁠their families right before the holidays," Jimenez said. Enlace Chicago, a community center in Little Village, said it was among the targets. A representative said about a dozen agents arrived at the center, which locked its doors and did not let anyone inside. Reuters witnessed Border Patrol roving commander Gregory Bovino in a convoy of agents conducting raids in Chicago on Tuesday. Ella Bueno, a Little Village resident who patrols the neighborhood looking for federal immigrant agents, said she saw several people detained on Tuesday. "It’s just so hard to ⁠watch. You feel so helpless," she said. Border Patrol, under Bovino’s direction, led a campaign in Chicago to arrest those who allegedly broke immigration laws starting in September. That campaign resulted in pushback from residents and federal courts over his agency’s tactics. Agents deployed tear gas in residential areas, shot pepper balls at clergy and journalists, and pointed firearms at bystanders. Bovino moved on to Charlotte and New Orleans in mid-November, but after shorter campaigns in those cities, agents appeared on Tuesday to be revisiting Chicago, a Democratic stronghold and America’s third-largest city. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the enforcement operations in Chicago had not stopped and aimed to find and deport "the worst of the worst" criminal offenders. "As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago and operations are ongoing," she said. Axios [12/16/2025 1:26 PM, Monica Eng and Carrie Shepherd, 12972K] reports that, aside from some targeted local ICE raids, Chicago had seen a short break from daily CBP raids as operations moved to Charlotte, New Orleans and the Twin Cities in recent weeks. State of play: Bovino had been photographed as recently as Monday in New Orleans, but local reporting from Block Club showed him on the Southwest Side on Tuesday morning. The Sun-Times reported that he was in Little Village. The Illinois Coalition on Immigrant and Refugee Rights said "multiple neighbors and family members in Cicero, Brighton Park, Little Village and Back of the Yards," were "abducted" on Tuesday. The intrigue: Mayor Brandon Johnson noted Tuesday afternoon that Bovino is again being accompanied by a film crew on his latest operations, saying, "The crew’s presence turns these operations into spectacles, showing a disregard for the humanity of those impacted." What they’re saying: "As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago and operations are ongoing. Operation Midway Blitz is achieving what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians have refused to do for decades: decrease crime and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who put the American people in danger," Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Axios [12/16/2025 2:36 PM, Monica Eng and Carrie Shepherd, 12972K] reports Any Humani of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council estimated, at a Tuesday press conference, that 15 people had been apprehended in her area alone. Department of Homeland Security officials said they had arrested "35 illegal aliens" who "will remain in ICE custody pending removal" as well as "two U.S. citizens" for "impeding federal law enforcement." Mayor Brandon Johnson noted Tuesday afternoon that Bovino is again being accompanied by a film crew on his latest operations, saying, "The crew’s presence turns these operations into spectacles, showing a disregard for the humanity of those impacted." "As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago and operations are ongoing. Operation Midway Blitz is achieving what Chicago’s sanctuary politicians have refused to do for decades: decrease crime and remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who put the American people in danger," Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

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Univision Chicago WGBO [12/16/2025 11:51 AM, Staff, 5004K]

Chicago Tribune [12/16/2025 6:34 PM, Tess Kenny, Laura Rodríguez Presa, Caroline Kubzansky, and Rebecca Johnson, 4829K] reports Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and dozens of federal immigration agents returned in force across Chicago and the suburbs Tuesday for a seemingly made-for-television jaunt about a month after he and scores of Border Patrol agents left town. At least 100 U.S. Homeland Security agents or officers were in the Chicago area for the latest wave of federal immigration enforcement activity, according to a federal source familiar with the effort. The agents made several arrests in supermarket parking lots and tamale stands — detaining a man who has lived in the U.S. for about 20 years and was described as hardworking and humble by his daughter — while goading angry residents who confronted them and threatening to unleash tear gas. The tense and chaotic confrontations on the Southwest Side and west suburbs began almost immediately after videos showing uniformed, masked men driving unmarked vehicles circulated online Tuesday morning. At 10:30 a.m., a crowd had formed in Little Village where agents detained a man at 27th Street and Ridgeway Avenue. Residents screamed, blew whistles and filmed as the agents put the man in their vehicle. Bystanders clustered up and down the street on shop corners. One agent stood on the rim of his car door. As the agent yelled at the people, two cans of tear gas fell out of the federal agent’s vehicle, though they didn’t deploy. Another agent dangled a full size tear gas canister out the window a few blocks away before the officers drove north. Agents also carried pepper ball guns.

Reported similarly:
Chicago Tribune [12/16/2025 10:39 AM, Staff, 4829K]

FOX News [12/16/2025 9:37 PM, Michael Sinkewicz, 40621K] reports a senior Border Patrol commander who became the face of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown returned to Chicago Tuesday, prompting protests as agents fired pepper balls and detained several people. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino’s appearance in Chicago marks the most visible escalation in Operation Midway Blitz since early fall, drawing backlash from immigrant advocates and state leaders who said the Trump administration failed to warn them that the commander or additional agents were being redeployed to the area. Border agents were captured on video Tuesday in the predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood of Little Village deploying pepper balls and detaining a man, according to The Associated Press. Bovino’s emergence in Chicago came a month after he was reassigned to enforcement missions in New Orleans and North Carolina. Operation Midway Blitz was launched in September in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run allegedly caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the goal of the operation was to "target criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois.” "As we said a month ago, we aren’t leaving Chicago, and operations are ongoing," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, according to The Associated Press. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Tuesday he was not notified that Bovino and additional Border Patrol agents were returning to Chicago, adding he doesn’t know how long the agents will stay. "I’m so proud of the people of Illinois for doing as they have, which is to protect their neighborhoods and their neighbors, to do the right thing," Pritzker said. "And, so, I think we’re in a much better position.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was aware that Bovino had returned to Chicago. "We have learned that federal agents are once again indiscriminately targeting individuals — without warrants — and intentionally showing up in public spaces to intimidate and instill fear, including at a Teamster picket line and a Little Village community organization," Johnson wrote on X, adding that "these tactics are destabilizing, wrong, and must be condemned.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Chicago [12/16/2025 6:24 PM, Sara Tenenbaum, Sabrina Franza, and Victor Jacobo, 39474K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who was at the center of several use-of-force lawsuits and the most violent, controversial actions of Operation Midway Blitz, is back in the Chicago area Tuesday morning. The enforcement action sends a clear message that although some declared Operation Midway Blitz to be "over," it is not. A source tells CBS News Chicago this will not be the only day the city will see federal agents out in force. A DHS spokesperson told CBS News Bovino has temporarily come to Chicago to continue immigration enforcement, and would not confirm when he intends to return to Louisiana. In a video shared with CBS News Chicago by an immigration rapid response group, Bovino can be seen on the sidewalk standing with a group of Border Patrol agents, talking and laughing. The video was taken near Midway International Airport, which is not far from initial sightings of him in Cicero. Bovino and his team of agents in tactical gear wasted no time taking people into custody, seemingly at random off the street. Federal agents sped through Little Village, making frequent stops and meeting protesters at every turn. Neighbors tried to use a large rock to block agents from making their way down 26th Street through the neighborhood, but it did not work. Groups of residents and protesters are out throughout Little Village, blowing whistles, filming and confronting agents as they continue their operations. Near 27th and Ridgeway Bovino and his agents wrestled at least one person into an unmarked vehicle. A couple blocks away at 33rd and Ridgeway, CBS Skywatch caught CBP agents detaining a person and loading them into a white SUV. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [12/16/2025 10:57 AM, Julian Crews, 8017K] Video: HERE reports a Customs and Border Protection agent accused on multiple counts of rape and robbery will remain in custody pending trial. A federal magistrate ruled that Luis Uribe is a danger to the community and a flight risk. Uribe’s dual U.S. and Mexican citizenship was a key concern raised by the government in Monday’s detention hearing. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said 44-year-old Uribe of Pingree Grove, Illinois, has been charged with 10 counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He is accused of robbing and raping four sex workers while he was off duty in 2020. He allegedly targeted his victims in suburban hotels from Schaumburg to Naperville. Investigators say he used his Federal Border Protection badge and service gun to allegedly force his female victims to commit sex acts. Assistant US Attorney’s handling the case in the federal indictment argued that Uribe tried to destroy evidence when he first realized he was under investigation. They expressed concern that he could try to intimidate witnesses or flee the country. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [12/16/2025 6:30 AM, Thomas Seal, 18207K] reports Canada wants to work more closely with China to stop the chemicals used to create the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl from reaching North America, said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s point person for fighting the opioid crisis. “We’re looking to collaborate with China, because it’s not an indictment against the Chinese government, per se,” Kevin Brosseau, the Canadian government’s fentanyl czar, said in an interview. “It’s companies, chemical companies in China, that are engaged in this kind of conduct — and the Chinese government has taken a lot of action in terms of regulating and prohibiting various precursors.” US President Donald Trump has used fentanyl trafficking to justify tariffs against Canada and Mexico, though that move is currently being challenged at the Supreme Court. Figures from US Customs and Border Protection suggest that only small amounts of the deadly drug flow into the US from Canada, but Brosseau was named by the government in February to lead a plan for stamping it out. Carney is preparing to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping next year, part of his broader effort to mend ties with the world’s second-biggest economy. Both countries have imposed high tariffs on certain products from the other in a protracted trade fight. Brosseau said Canadian officials revived conversations about working with China to curb fentanyl around the time of his appointment. The government also launched a C$1.3 billion ($944 million) border plan that included new helicopters, drones, and surveillance towers.

Blaze [12/16/2025 3:35 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports President Donald Trump’s Transportation Security Administration is partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ramp up immigration enforcement. While the two agencies are under the Department of Homeland Security, a New York Times report last week stated that "ICE has historically avoided interfering with domestic travel." However, beginning in March, the TSA reportedly quietly expanded its data sharing with ICE. According to the NYT, the TSA has been providing lists of travelers’ names to ICE ahead of their scheduled flights. ICE then cross-checks that information against its own database of those subject to deportation, the outlet wrote. Agents are then dispatched to apprehend those individuals at the airport. The report noted that it is unclear how many arrests have resulted from this data-sharing effort. It claimed there was at least one such arrest by immigration officials at Boston Logan Airport on November 20. That individual was deported. A DHS spokesperson told Blaze News that the program was "nothing new," adding that in February, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem "reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country and do so without identification."

CBS News [12/16/2025 5:09 PM, Zachary Bynum, 39474K] reports after years of delays — including pandemic-era extensions — the Department of Homeland Security set May 7, 2025, as the firm deadline for full implementation. DHS also introduced a phased enforcement framework to reduce disruption at airports, while making clear the deadline would not move again. Since May 7, travelers using non-REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses can no longer rely on them to pass TSA checkpoints for domestic flights — unless they present another acceptable form of identification, such as a passport. In practical terms, TSA’s rule is now simple: Fly with a REAL ID, a passport, or expect delays, additional screening, or possibly being turned away. Children under 18 are generally exempt from the ID requirement when traveling domestically with an adult, meaning the impact is felt most acutely by adults. The changes are reshaping the airport experience. Beginning February 1, 2026, TSA will introduce a new fallback option for unprepared travelers: Confirm.ID. Under the program, passengers without a REAL ID or other acceptable identification can verify their identity for a non-refundable $45 fee, which covers a 10-day travel window — allowing for round-trip flights. TSA expects the process to take additional time, meaning longer waits and slower screening. For many travelers, the message is clear: REAL ID compliance is no longer optional — and noncompliance now comes with a price tag.

(B) NBC 5 Today at 6am [12/16/2025 7:45 AM, Staff] reports disaster survivors across the United States are sounding the alarm over what they call the mismanagement of FEMA. More than 80 people traveled to the US Capitol to demand accountability from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The survivor led effort called Disaster Survivors United to Rebuild organized the event after a leaked report recommended drastic cuts to FEMA.

NC Newsline [12/16/2025 1:43 PM, Galen Bacharier] reports that in late November, FEMA sent North Carolina officials a memo outlining a shift in how the agency would process existing applications for Hurricane Helene aid, some of which have been pending for months already. FEMA’s new strategy, according to the document, was designed to “accelerate the recovery process” and “ensure accountability” for its sprawling Public Assistance program. It would change how the agency reviews and approves hundreds of millions in disaster recovery money. Two weeks later, North Carolina’s emergency management director sent a response that raised issues with almost every step of the plan. The state had “significant concerns” with FEMA’s new process: it failed to address the most cumbersome aspects of Public Assistance, “lacked clarity” on dates and details, and imposed stricter deadlines on the state and local communities without similar guidelines for the agency itself. “The proposed strategy seems to prioritize incomplete administrative measures over truly improving recovery efforts,” wrote William Ray, the state’s emergency management director. The group representing county governments in western North Carolina was even more explicit in its criticisms. In a separate letter, the executive director of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners said the FEMA plan was “unhelpful” and was “tying one hand behind [our] backs.”

AP [12/16/2025 3:04 PM, Jim Vertuno] reports Texas has sued the utility company whose downed power lines sparked the largest wildfire in state history, a deadly blaze that destroyed homes and livestock and charred miles of landscape, causing more than $1 billion in damage. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Southwestern Public Service Company, which operates in Texas as Xcel Energy, of negligence in its upkeep of aging utility poles. It seeks to recover economic damages incurred by the state and prevent the company from passing those costs on to customers. The Smokehouse Creek fire killed three people in 2024, burning through more than 1,500 square miles (3,885 square kilometers) in Texas before spilling into neighboring Oklahoma. Texas A&M Forest Service investigators determined it was ignited when a decayed utility pole snapped and fell, dropping Xcel power lines onto dry grass. The Minnesota-based company has acknowledged its equipment appeared to have sparked the wildfire. But the lawsuit claims the company had neglected to replace aging utility poles in the windswept Panhandle, some of which were nearly 100 years old and more than twice their typical lifespan of 40 years. The fatalities related to the fire included a woman who was overtaken by flames after getting out of her truck, and another woman whose remains were found in her burned home. A fire chief in one of the hardest hit towns died while responding to a house fire. The company disputed Paxton’s claims of negligence and noted it had already accepted responsibility for equipment failure. Xcel said it has already paid out more than $361 million to settle 212 of 254 claims.

NPR [12/16/2025 7:25 AM, Casey Martin, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports thousands of residents south of Seattle were told to evacuate because of a levee failure from prolonged rainfall. With more rain in the forecast, officials worry more levees might be breached.

USA Today [12/16/2025 3:08 PM, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 67103K] reports at least one person has died amid flash flooding and levee failures in Washington, officials said Dec. 16. Sheriff’s deputies and fire personnel responded to a report of a vehicle in the water at approximately 1:30 a.m. local time on Dec. 16, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. The driver, believed to be 33-year-old man, was found inside the completely submerged vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the driver and determine the cause and manner of death, police said. The death comes after the Desimone Levee in Tukwila, Washington, failed, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning and an evacuation notice for areas east of the Green River on Dec. 15. King County Executive Girmay Zahilay said at a news conference that the levee failed around 11:30 a.m. local time and repairs had begun. The weather service in Seattle issued another flash flood warning just before 5 a.m. local time on Dec. 16 for a levee breach along the White River in Pacific, Washington. An evacuation notice was also put into effect for the city.

CBS News [12/17/2025 5:00 AM, Hannah Norman and Daniel Chang, 39474K] reports residents of this small coastal city in the Pacific Northwest know what to do when there’s a tsunami warning: Flee to higher ground. For those in or near Columbia Memorial, the city’s only hospital, there will soon be a different plan: Shelter in place. The hospital is building a new facility next door with an on-site tsunami shelter — an elevated refuge atop columns deeply anchored in the ground, where nearly 2,000 people can safely wait out a flood. Oregon needs more shelters like the one that Columbia Memorial is building, emergency managers say. Hospitals in the region are likely to incur serious damage, if not ruin, and could take more than three years to fully recover in the event of a major earthquake and tsunami, according to a state report. Columbia Memorial’s current facility is a single-story building, made of wood a half-century ago, that would likely collapse and sink into the ground or be swallowed by a landslide after a major earthquake or a tsunami, said Erik Thorsen, the hospital’s chief executive. "It is just not built to survive either one of those natural disaster events," Thorsen said. At least 10 other hospitals along the Oregon coast are in danger as well. So Columbia Memorial leaders proposed building a hospital capable of withstanding an earthquake and landslide, with a tsunami shelter, instead of relocating the facility to higher ground. Residents and state officials supported the plans, and the federal government awarded a $14 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the tsunami shelter. The project broke ground in October 2024. Within six months, the Trump administration had canceled the grant program, known as Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, calling it "yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program … more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters." This summer, Oregon and 19 other states sued to restore the FEMA grants. On Dec. 11, a judge ruled that the Trump administration had unlawfully ended the program without congressional approval. The administration did not immediately indicate it would appeal the decision, but Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said by email: "DHS has not terminated BRIC. Any suggestion to the contrary is a lie. The Biden Administration abandoned true mitigation and used BRIC as a green new deal slush fund. It’s unfortunate that an activist judge either didn’t understand that or didn’t care." FEMA is a subdivision of DHS. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/16/2025 2:29 PM, Breanne Deppisch, 40621K] reports that lawyers for the Trump administration and a historic preservation group are slated to appear in court Tuesday afternoon in a bid to halt — at least temporarily — President Donald Trump’s plan to continue building out a $300 million White House ballroom on the site of the now-demolished East Wing. "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else," the National Trust said in its lawsuit, filed late last week with U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. The group argued that Trump’s project has already caused "irreversible damage" to the White House, and asked Leon to grant both a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from commencing or continuing further work on the ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the plans. The suit alleges violations of multiple statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and says the ballroom cannot move forward without authorization from Congress, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump fired all six members of the CFA in October; the panel remains vacant. Meanwhile, lawyers for the Justice Department argued in a separate filing on Monday that Trump does have the statutory authority to modify the structure as president.

FOX News [12/16/2025 8:46 AM, Ashley Carnahan, 40621K] Video: HERE reports the Trump administration argued in a court filing on Monday that pausing construction on the new White House ballroom would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet "safety and security requirements" needed to protect the president. The declaration says the White House’s East Wing, demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work, cannot be left unfinished without compromising essential security measures. "Accordingly, any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission," reads the filing in part. The government’s memorandum was in response to a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that says it advocates for preserving historic sites of national importance and protecting the public’s role in that process. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [12/16/2025 5:13 PM, Ryan King, 42219K] reports a federal judge rejected an emergency bid Tuesday by preservationists to halt construction of the White House ballroom, but warned that the Trump administration may eventually have to remove its prep work. US District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, concluded that the preservationists failed to show they faced irreparable harm and stressed that the underground work for the ballroom can’t dictate its eventual shape and size. The decision comes a day after the Secret Service warned that halting construction on President Trump’s vaunted White House ballroom could pose "substantial" national security concerns. Secret Service deputy director Matthew Quinn claimed that the contractor completed most of the "temporary security measures" in the ballroom construction zone, but still has unfinished work. "Any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission," Quinn warned in the Monday filings. Quinn offered to provide a classified briefing with more specific details about why pausing construction of the White House ballroom could jeopardize national security in the wake of the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life, but refrained from elaborating in the public filing.

Washington Post [12/16/2025 4:53 PM, Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards, 24149K] reports a federal judge on Tuesday suggested he would allow the Trump administration to continue work on its controversial ballroom addition, but gave the White House two weeks to file its still-unfinished ballroom plans. Judge Richard J. Leon said the White House had until the end of December to submit its ballroom plans to a pair of federal review panels. He pressed the administration on whether its current efforts on underground construction would shape the final ballroom, and he expressed skepticism of whether the White House could truly submit plans — which a Justice Department attorney said remain unfinished — in the accelerated timetable. Leon also warned government lawyers that if the administration performs underground construction that dictates the size of the eventual ballroom, it should be prepared to remove it. “The court will address it, I assure you of that,” Leon said, adding that he expected to decide whether to issue a temporary restraining order within a day. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit group charged by Congress with helping preserve historical buildings, on Friday sued the administration and sought an emergency halt to construction, arguing that the White House had failed to undertake legally required reviews as well as obtaining authorization from Congress before demolishing the East Wing. Justice Department lawyers have argued that work must continue on the ballroom given national security concerns. “Any pause in construction, even temporarily, would … hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission,” Matthew Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, wrote in a court filing predicting months of underground construction were needed to replace security infrastructure after President Donald Trump tore down the East Wing annex in October. A presidential emergency-operations bunker had been located below the now-demolished East Wing for decades. The White House has repeatedly declined to comment on the fate of that bunker amid its ongoing ballroom construction, citing security concerns.

FOX News [12/16/2025 6:13 PM, Greg Wehner, 40621K] reports a federal judge on Tuesday said he was "inclined to deny" a bid to force the Trump administration to halt construction of the White House ballroom but warned officials not to undertake any irreversible work before a January hearing that could still stop the project. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said he will hold another hearing during the second week in January and hinted he may still order a pause. "Any below ground construction" in the coming weeks that dictates above-ground work should be avoided, Leon said, adding, "be prepared to take that down.". Lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. argued the case is not about the need for a ballroom but about the need to follow the law. They said any construction on federal land requires congressional approval. Lawyers representing the National Park Service countered that President Trump has authority to direct construction at the White House, saying "work must continue for national security issues.". "See you in January," Leon said as he warned the government not to pursue anything irreversible. Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in Tuesday evening. "Today @TheJusticeDept attorneys defeated an attempt to stop President Trump’s totally lawful East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project," she wrote on X. "President Trump has faced countless bad-faith left-wing legal attacks – this was no different. We will continue defending the President’s project in court in the coming weeks.". On Monday, the Trump administration argued in a court filing that pausing construction would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet "safety and security requirements" necessary to protect President Donald Trump.

Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 6:11 PM, Jack Birle, 1394K] reports a federal judge said Tuesday that he is unlikely to grant a nonprofit organization’s request to halt construction of the planned ballroom at the White House, after it filed an emergency request in court for him to do so late last week. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon was deeply skeptical of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request, stating that he is disinclined to halt construction because the group failed to demonstrate harm during the period the court-ordered pause would likely last, according to The Hill. Leon noted the Trump administration’s claim that below-ground construction would not begin until January and above-ground construction would not begin until April as a reason why there is no urgency to pause construction immediately. The federal judge warned the administration that if it undertakes any construction that could affect what can be built above ground, it should be prepared to remove it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit against the White House, the National Park Service, and other Trump administration officials on Friday, alleging the demolition of the East Wing and construction of the new ballroom violates "numerous federal statutes, as well as the Constitution." The group requested an emergency order pausing construction of the ballroom, which Leon heard arguments over in federal court on Tuesday. The Trump administration urged the judge to allow construction to continue in the interim, arguing the nonprofit group has no standing to sue over the construction and that halting construction would jeopardize national security. In a court filing Monday, U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said that while the contractor working on the project has completed most of the temporary security measures, "improvements to the site are still needed before the Secret Service’s safety and security requirements can be met.". "Any pause in construction, even temporarily, would leave the contractor’s obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Service’s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission," Quinn said in the declaration posted to the court’s docket.

Daily Caller [12/16/2025 8:57 AM, Katelynn Richardson, 835K] reports would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh tried — and seemingly failed — to get the Biden State Department to aid in his effort to recruit foreign soldiers for the war in Ukraine, emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show. The records, which were released as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA), raise questions about who was aware of Routh’s activities and whether there was any formal attempt to follow up with him. Routh was convicted for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024, just two months after a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally. Despite the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiating an effort in 2022 designed to identify Americans who might turn violent after returning from the war in Ukraine, Routh seemingly was not investigated, Politico reported in September 2024.

Washington Post [12/16/2025 7:50 PM, Tara Copp and Michelle Boorstein, 24149K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard has allowed a new workplace harassment policy to take effect that downgrades the definition of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to “potentially divisive” despite an uproar over the new language that forced the service’s top officer to direct that both would remain prohibited. The new policy went into effect Monday, according to written correspondence that the Coast Guard provided to Congress this week, a copy of which was reviewed by The Washington Post. The manual is posted online and makes clear that its previous version “is cancelled.” The Post last month was first to report on the Coast Guard’s plan to revise its workplace harassment policy. The Trump administration called the article “false,” but within hours of its publication Nov. 20 the service’s acting commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday, issued a memo forcefully denouncing symbols such as swastikas and nooses, and directing that both remain prohibited. Lunday said at the time that his directive would supersede any other policy language. It’s unclear why the new policy was not revised to align with Lunday’s guidance before the new manual went into effect. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, did not respond to a request for comment before the publication of this report. Later Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the agency, Tricia McLaughlin, issued a statement attacking The Post and calling its reporting “pathetic” and “false.” McLaughlin’s statement does not address why the language downgrading nooses and swastikas to “potentially divisive” symbols, rather than hate symbols, was allowed to remain in the new policy. She said Lunday’s Nov. 20 memo “was issued to further clarify the display of divisive and hate symbols and flags prohibited as a violation of Coast Guard policy and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” A spokesperson for Lunday did not respond to a request for comment.

NBC News [12/16/2025 6:57 AM, Staff, 34509K] reports Coast Guard rescues man 100 miles off Florida’s coast. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [12/16/2025 10:12 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports a U.S. Coast Guard crew seized over 5,000 pounds of cocaine from vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, continuing a trend of major busts from non-lethal operations in the area. The crew of the crew of the USCG Cutter Active offloaded over 27,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego, California on Monday. The majority of the drugs came from a seizure carried out by the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro. Earlier in December, the crew of the Munro worked with USCG air forces to disable a go-fast vessel that had more than 20,000 pounds of drugs aboard. It was the largest single-boat seizure in nearly 20 years. The crew of the Active also stopped two go-fast boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to Cmdr. Earl Potter, the vessel’s commanding officer. Potter said that each go-fast boat had three "suspected narcoterrorists" aboard. He did not say what happened to the suspects. CBS affiliate KFMB reported that 12 people were arrested as part of the seizures and now face federal drug charges. Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, the deputy commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, told KFMB that the agency works to disable boats and seize the drugs and people aboard. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [12/16/2025 3:20 PM, Amy Furr, 2416K]

FedScoop [12/16/2025 4:15 PM, Matt Bracken, 56K] reports retiring Comptroller General Gene Dodaro delivered a message to lawmakers Tuesday on what he believes should be one of Congress’s top priorities as he exits federal service: getting the government’s cybersecurity work in order before it’s too late. Appearing before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel, Dodaro said cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection are not getting “the urgent attention commensurate with the evolving grave threat.” Daily pressure from state and non-state actors puts the U.S. in a “very vulnerable” position, the Government Accountability Office chief said. One piece of addressing that puzzle, Dodaro said later in the Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs hearing, is getting a permanent director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed as soon as possible. “I think it’s essential,” Dodaro said in response to a question from Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, on the importance of having a CISA head in place. “We’ve spent a lot of time trying to encourage the government to do more, and CISA was doing, you know, a better job.” Madhu Gottumukkala has served as CISA’s acting director since the spring while Sean Plankey, the White House’s nominee for the post, has awaited confirmation. Sources told CyberScoop earlier this month that Plankey is unlikely to move forward after multiple senators placed or threatened holds on his nomination. “We have a lot of open recommendations still for them to do,” Dodaro said. “But I’m concerned that we’re taking our foot off the gas at CISA, and I think we’ll live to regret it.”

CyberScoop [12/16/2025 2:10 PM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports with a little more than a month left before a foundational cyber threat information sharing law expires for a second time, Congress might have to do another short-term extension as negotiations on a longer deal aren’t yet bearing fruit, a key lawmaker said Tuesday. House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said the problem with a long-term extension of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, which provides legal protections to companies to share cyber threat data with the federal government and other companies, is that there are three different views about how to approach it. The Trump administration and some in the Senate want a clean, 10-year reauthorization of the law, which Congress extended last month until Jan. 30 as part of the legislation that ended the government shutdown, after the information sharing law lapsed in October. But a reauthorization without any changes could run into House opposition, Garbarino said. “I don’t know if I can get that passed in the House, with concerns from the Freedom Caucus,” he said at an event hosted by Auburn University’s McCrary Institute. The Freedom Caucus has had criticism of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that is integral to implementing the 2015 law. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., also has a version of the bill that focuses largely on language he said is needed to defend free speech. And Garbarino’s version takes yet another approach to tweaking the law. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re close enough with the discussions on the Senate to get it to figure out which bill will pass and what will get done,” Garbarino said. That leaves another extension tied to any funding bill that replaces the legislation currently funding the government, which also runs through Jan. 30.

CyberScoop [12/16/2025 11:13 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports attackers associated with Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) have targeted Western-based critical infrastructure with a special focus on the energy sector as part of an ongoing campaign dating back to 2021, Amazon Threat Intelligence said in a report Monday. The threat group simplified operations earlier this year by shifting away from vulnerability exploitation to focus on misconfigured network edge devices hosted on Amazon Web Services as the primary initial access vector, CJ Moses, chief information security officer of Amazon Integrated Security, said in a blog post. Researchers said malicious infrastructure used by the attackers overlaps with operations linked to Sandworm, also known as APT44 and Seashell Blizzard, a detail that gives them confidence the activity is associated with Russia’s GRU. Amazon did not say how many attacks it’s attributed to the campaign, nor how the pace of activity has changed since the first wave of attacks occurred in 2021. The company said it has notified customers affected by the intrusions, remediated compromised EC2 instances and shared intelligence with partners and affected vendors to aid further investigations. The Russia state-sponsored threat group has continued to target multiple Western-based organizations in the energy sector including electric utilities, energy providers and managed security service providers specializing in the industry, according to Amazon. Researchers said the threat group has also targeted collaboration platforms, source code repositories, organizations with cloud-based network infrastructure, critical infrastructure providers in North America and Europe, and telecom providers across multiple regions.

HS Today [12/16/2025 6:46 AM, Staff, 38K] reports he Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Defense’s Cyber Crime Center (DC3), and a coalition of global partners have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory titled “Pro-Russia Hacktivists Conduct Opportunistic Attacks Against U.S. and Global Critical Infrastructure.” The advisory calls on critical infrastructure organizations to take immediate action to mitigate the risk of being targeted by pro-Russia hacktivist groups, which are actively engaging in opportunistic, low-sophistication malicious cyber activity across multiple sectors. “Russian-affiliated cyber actors continue to engage in malicious activity aimed at disrupting U.S. and allied critical infrastructure,” said CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala. “As the nation’s cyber defense agency, CISA—alongside our U.S. and international partners—urges all organizations to act now: review this joint advisory and implement the recommended mitigations to strengthen critical infrastructure defenses against these opportunistic threats.” “No matter where it originates, the FBI will not tolerate malicious cyber activity from pro-Russia hacktivist groups, particularly when it threatens critical infrastructure such as energy systems, water treatment facilities, and American farms,” said FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman. “The FBI is committed to holding these actors accountable, and we urge industry partners to review the joint advisory and implement the recommended safeguards.”

CyberScoop [12/16/2025 7:08 PM, Derek B. Johnson, 122K] reports the Federal Trade Commission is ordering a company that publicly touted its cybersecurity capabilities to return recovered funds to victims and implement security reforms, after a software flaw let hackers steal hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies from users. The FTC announced it had reached a settlement with Illusory Systems, which also does business as Nomad, following an investigation into a 2022 incident where hackers exploited a vulnerability in the company’s Token Bridge cryptocurrency smart contract solution. The program provides protocols that connect different blockchains and allow users to transfer assets between them. As part of the deal, the company must implement a comprehensive cybersecurity plan, including addressing security flaws identified in the FTC’s complaint and programs for protecting consumers from theft and fraud. It must also submit the plan and cooperate with independent third-party assessors on any improvements and return stolen money clawed back by law enforcement. “The FTC Act requires companies to take reasonable security measures,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “It’s important that companies live up to their security promises to consumers.”

The Hill [12/16/2025 10:51 AM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports Jewish groups in the United States are urging their counterparts to increase security precautions after a recent attack during a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. At least 15 people were killed and dozens were injured in the violent event overseas. "We need to ask these hard questions. We need to be smart about security and protecting ourselves and our fellow Jews — whether within the synagogue walls, or when we walk down the street wearing a kippah," Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Union for Reform Judaism told The Associated Press after the shooting. "But the spirit of the defiant Maccabees is also part of the Hanukkah story. Our Jewish community will not go into hiding. We are proud Jews and will remain so even as we make the security of our Jewish community a primary obligation," he added. In response to the attack, a coalition of Jewish organizations have banded together to promote safety throughout the final weeks of the year as communities enjoy annual celebrations.

FOX Business [12/16/2025 11:07 AM, Staff, 10085K] reports Former State Dept Deputy Special Envoy under Trump Ellie Cohanim joins ‘Varney and Co.’ to expose how radicalization is spreading in America and how pro-Palestinian groups have gained influence. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [12/16/2025 5:06 PM, Ailsa Chang, Brianna Scott, Christopher Intagliata, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Rob Kilfoyle, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, about evolving safety standards on college campuses.

Daily Wire [12/16/2025 3:54 PM, Hank Berrien, 2494K] reports a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, widely respected for his work in plasma physics and fusion energy, was fatally shot in his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts, authorities said this week, in a killing that has stunned the academic community and remains under investigation. The professor, Nuno F. G. Loureiro, 47, was found late Monday night at his residence with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Tuesday, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. No arrests have been announced, and prosecutors said the homicide investigation was ongoing. At the MIT Alumni Forum, Professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro shared groundbreaking research from the @MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center: https://t.co/qa95fCcM37 pic.twitter.com/aaESXlt9F7. Law enforcement officials said they had examined whether the killing could be connected to a separate mass shooting at Brown University over the weekend, but a senior official briefed on both cases said there was no indication the incidents were related. The FBI echoed that assessment. Dr. Loureiro, a native of Portugal, joined the MIT faculty in 2016 and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming director of the university’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024. The center, one of MIT’s largest research laboratories, employs more than 250 scientists, engineers, and students working on the development of fusion energy and related technologies. In a statement, MIT’s president Sally Kornbluth described Dr. Loureiro as an "imaginative scholar, gifted administrator, and enthusiastic mentor," calling his death a "shocking loss" for the university. "Our hearts go out to his wife and family, and to his many devoted students, friends, and colleagues," she said. Dr. Loureiro grew up in central Portugal and studied physics in Lisbon before earning a doctorate at Imperial College London. He conducted research at leading fusion laboratories in the United States, Britain, and Portugal before arriving at MIT. His work focused on magnetic reconnection and plasma turbulence, and he published widely in scientific journals. In January 2025, he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Students and colleagues gathered quietly near his home on Tuesday to pay their respects, local news outlets reported. The U.S. ambassador to Portugal, John J. Arrigo, also issued a statement honoring Dr. Loureiro’s leadership and contributions to science. "It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems," Dr. Loureiro said last year when he was named to lead the plasma science center. "Fusion energy will change the course of human history.”

NewsMax [12/16/2025 6:41 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports the FBI on Tuesday released a new video timeline detailing the movements of a person of interest in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University, offering the public a clearer look at the suspect’s actions before and after the attack. The roughly six-minute compilation features more than a dozen surveillance angles captured from home security cameras in a residential neighborhood near the Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island. According to the FBI, the footage begins around 2 p.m. ET Saturday — nearly two hours before the shooting — with the individual walking east on Manning Street before turning south onto Cooke Street. During the next hour, the person of interest is seen roaming the neighborhood, repeatedly passing the same homes and lingering primarily along Cooke Street. At one point around 2:16 p.m., the individual appears startled by a passerby and abruptly doubles back, behavior investigators say may be significant. The FBI said the shooting occurred at approximately 4:03 p.m. Moments later, surveillance video shows the suspect walking through Lot 42 toward Hope Street. The final clip in the timeline captures the individual heading north on Hope Street at about 4:07 p.m.

CNN [12/16/2025 1:53 PM, Eric Levenson, 606K] reports that early Sunday morning, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley stepped up to a podium and announced that a "person of interest" in the Brown University shooting was in custody. "The people of Providence should breathe a little easier this morning," he said, announcing that a "shelter in place" for the city had been lifted. But later that same day, officials returned to a podium to announce that person of interest would be released. The evidence in the case "now points in a different direction," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. The rapid turnabout raises questions about the status of the investigation and the community’s safety three days after a suspect opened fire on the Ivy League campus, killing two students and injuring nine others. The false start also reveals some behind-the-scenes friction between the FBI, whose leader announced the detention of the person of interest, and their local law enforcement counterparts. Asked by CNN’s Erin Burnett about why information about the person of interest came out prematurely, Neronha expressed his frustration. "I think because people who aren’t familiar and aren’t experienced in investigations got over their skis," Neronha said Monday night. "This is why I have tried to frankly exert more influence over this in the last 24 to 48 hours, 36 hours, because it’s really important that career prosecutors and career law enforcement officers – people who have been in these situations before – talk about what we have and where we’re going," he added. CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment.

ABC News [12/16/2025 5:55 PM, Kevin Shalvey, 30493K] Video: HERE reports the FBI issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the alleged gunman in Saturday’s fatal mass shooting at Brown University, as members of the bureau’s Boston Division aided the Providence Police Department in their search for the assailant. The FBI released a poster with three images of a person whom they’re seeking, calling them an "unknown suspect" and including a short description: "The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’8" with a stocky build." "We sent additional resources and personnel earlier today to help track down leads, canvass neighborhoods, and develop intelligence," FBI Director Kash Patel said late Monday on social media. "Our Evidence Response Team remains on campus processing the scene, and our Lab at Quantico is assisting as well.". The reward for information came as newly released security video showed what local and federal law enforcement said was a person of interest wanted for questioning in connection with the deadly mass shooting. Gov. Dan McKee said he had directed the Rhode Island State Police, which is assisting in the investigation, to "continue to provide all necessary investigative and patrol support to the city and the campus." "Like so many of us who have been impacted by the tragedy at Brown University this weekend, I am anxious to have the shooter identified, apprehended, and brought to justice," McKee said in a statement announcing the reward early Tuesday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS New York [12/16/2025 10:29 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports authorities knocked on doors in search of video and sifted through snow and dumpsters for other evidence that might lead them to the Brown University gunman, whose face was covered or not visible in footage captured before and after the weekend attack that killed two students and wounded nine others. Officials on Monday released three new videos of the man they believe carried out Saturday’s attack that show him wearing a mask and a dark two-tone jacket. Although his face wasn’t visible, the footage from about two hours before the shooting provided the clearest images yet of the suspect. The FBI said the man is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a stocky build. The agency offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible. "We’re asking for the public’s assistance," Providence’s police chief, Col. Oscar Perez, said at a news conference, urging people who might recognize the suspect to call a tip line. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [12/16/2025 7:42 PM, Kiki Intarasuwan, 39474K] Video: HERE reports police in Providence, Rhode Island, on Tuesday released a new image and what they described as "enhanced" videos of a person of interest in the deadly shooting at Brown University as the search for the gunman entered the fourth day. In several zoomed-in videos police say were captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon, approximately two hours before the shooting, the person of interest is seen walking on a sidewalk and looking around. The person is wearing a face covering. Some of the footage released Tuesday by the Providence Police Department on social media appeared to be digitally enhanced versions of previously released videos. Police urged anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line online or at 401-272-3121. "Even small details may be critical to this," police said. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said investigators have also obtained other videos that have not been released to the public. "I want to be clear because later on there may be other videos that get released in the course of a prosecution. … They show things like chaos after the shooting. What they don’t show is this person of interest," Neronha said at a news conference Tuesday.

NewsMax [12/16/2025 9:20 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K] reports New York City police are investigating an alleged antisemitic attack that occurred on a subway train Monday night, the second night of Hanukkah. In a video shared on social media, a group of visibly Orthodox Jewish men — described as young Chabad-Lubavitch students and emissaries returning to Crown Heights from Hanukkah outreach activities in Manhattan — were harassed and assaulted by two Black men aboard a No. 3 train as it traveled to Brooklyn. The confrontation began after the suspects noticed the men’s Jewish appearance, JFeed reported. The attackers, described as a father-and-son pair, are accused of following the group across stops, escalating from taunts to antisemitic slurs and threats to kill them. The video shows a chaotic struggle in a crowded subway car, with shoving and punching as bystanders largely stood back.

CBS Miami [12/16/2025 6:21 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports a leading Muslim civil rights group in the U.S. has sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his order designating it and another organization as a "foreign terrorist organization," saying the directive was unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed late Monday by the CAIR-Foundation and CAIR-Florida, its affiliate in the state. The suit asked a federal judge in Tallahassee to declare DeSantis’ order unlawful and unconstitutional and prevent it from being enforced. U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also posted Monday on social media about his support for "a Muslim travel ban, radical deportations of all mainstream Muslim legal and illegal immigrants, and citizenship revocations wherever possible." CAIR said in the Florida lawsuit that it has always condemned terrorism and violence. The lawsuit alleges DeSantis targeted the group for defending the free speech rights of people in cases where state officials and officials elsewhere tried to punish or silence those who expressed support for Palestinian human rights. The order by DeSantis last week also gives the same "foreign terrorist" label to the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arab Islamist political movement. President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order that sets in motion a process to designate certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. The governor’s order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

Daily Caller [12/16/2025 1:14 PM, Hudson Crozier, 835K] reports that leftists charged in a suspected bombing plot in California allegedly told an undercover FBI informant of their radical intentions several times before their Friday arrest, even mentioning a "terrorist diary," court records show. The paid informant and an undercover FBI agent were key to infiltrating the leftist group Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF) and disrupting its alleged New Year’s Eve terrorist plot, the FBI said in a criminal complaint filed Saturday. Defendant Zachary Page said during a December in-person meeting — which included the unnamed informant and agent — that he was "100,000 percent" sure the FBI would certainly be tracking TILF’s activities ahead of the attack, according to the complaint. "I kind of had this notebook where I wrote down multiple plans that never happened or got delayed," Audrey Carroll, another of the four TILF defendants, allegedly said in a Dec. 10 text to the informant on Signal. "So it’s like / my terrorist diary / lmaooooo / I have to get rid of that." The same woman gave the undercover operative a handwritten document labeled "Operation Midnight Sun" that outlined the New Year’s Eve bombing plot, which involved detonating bombs at companies across Los Angeles when the clock struck midnight, the FBI alleged. The FBI’s surveillance climaxed with a Friday SWAT raid in the Mojave Desert, where the four defendants allegedly gathered at a campsite to test explosives, officials said Monday.

New York Times [12/17/2025 2:11 AM, Victoria Kim, 330K] reports the surviving suspect in the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney was charged on Wednesday with murder, terrorism and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, the police said. The shooting at a beachside Hanukkah celebration on Sunday left 15 people dead, including a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor who was a grandfather of 11. Two gunmen, who the police said were father and son, were shot by officers; one died at the scene, and the other was taken to a hospital. The authorities said the men appeared to have been motivated by Islamic State-inspired antisemitism. The younger suspect, 24, had been in a coma until Tuesday afternoon, according to Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for the state of New South Wales. He remains hospitalized under police guard, according to the police. He had a bail hearing through a video link and no bail was requested, according to a charge sheet from the court. The man also faces charges of displaying a symbol of a terrorist organization and placing explosives with the intent to cause harm. Officials previously said that two black Islamic State flags and improvised explosive devices had been found in the vehicle that the gunmen drove to the site of the shooting. The police have not officially released the suspects’ names, but Australian news outlets have widely reported the men to be Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. The charges were announced as the first funerals for the victims of the shooting, Australia’s worst mass killing in three decades, began on Wednesday. Throngs of mourners gathered for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the main organizers of the beachside event that became a scene of carnage after two gunmen opened fire with multiple long guns. Two other funerals were scheduled Wednesday for other members of Bondi’s tight-knit Jewish community. Dozens of other people were injured in the shooting, 20 of whom were still hospitalized as of Wednesday. Two police officers who responded to the attack were among the wounded, including a 22-year-old probationary officer who was just four months into the job, and who lost his vision in one eye, according to the New South Wales police. As streams of mourners continued to visit the site of the shooting on Wednesday to pay their respects, some leveled harsh criticism at the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing him of not doing enough in response to warnings that dangerous antisemitism was on the rise in the country. Josh Frydenberg, a former treasurer with the conservative Liberal Party, said Mr. Albanese should personally take responsibility for the deaths. “We as a Jewish community have been abandoned and left alone by our government,” he said. Mr. Albanese has defended his record, noting that his government appointed Australia’s first antisemitism envoy and passed legislation to criminalize hate speech, and that he has condemned the apparent antisemitic motivations behind the attack.

CBS News [12/16/2025 11:29 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the father and son suspects in the antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach were inspired by ISIS, as Indian officials confirmed that the older man was from the massive Asian nation. Authorities also revealed that gunmen had recently returned from the Philippines, where they traveled to an area known as a hotbed for terrorist groups. The mass shooting on the famous beach left 15 innocent people dead, including a 10-year-old girl and an Holocaust survivor, and was "motivated by Islamic State ideology," Albanese said Tuesday as he visited one of the heroes who tried to stop the attackers. Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett also said Tuesday that it was "a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State," referring to the now disparate group that, for several years, held a huge swathe of territory spanning the Syria-Iraq border. The suspects, a father and son aged 50 and 24, used guns owned legally by the older man, whom officials in New South Wales state have named as Sajid Akram. He was shot dead at the scene, and his son was still being treated in a hospital on Tuesday, where Australian public broadcaster ABC said he had regained consciousness. Police in the southern Indian state of Telangana confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Sajid Akram was originally from the city of Hyderabad. In a statement, the police said he earned a degree in Hyderabad before migrating to Australia in November 1998, where he married a woman of European origin. Sajid Akram held an Indian passport, while his son Naveed and a daughter were both born in Australia and are citizens of the country, the police said, confirming previous statements by Australian officials about the son’s nationality. U.S. officials had told CBS News soon after the attack that at least one of the Akrams was believed to be a Pakistani national, but that appears to have been a case of mistaken identity, and a man with the same name as the younger suspect has come forward in Sydney to say he was wrongly identified. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The Washington Examiner [12/16/2025 6:53 AM, Staff, 1394K] reports that it was the first time Australian government officials linked the event to Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has received extra scrutiny for allegedly ignoring warnings about antisemitism in his country, revealed that evidence obtained during the investigation into the shooting included "the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized." Improvised explosive devices were also recovered during the search. Fifteen people were killed in the shooting, and over two dozen were injured. The victims ranged from 10 to 87 years old, according to reports. The suspected gunmen were father and son. Sajid Akram, 50, was killed during the attack. Naveed, 24, was being treated at a hospital. Barrett called the suspects "callous" for how they planned the attack and their lack of regard for human life, regardless of age. "The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims," Barrett said. "It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally.".

Reported similarly:
The Hill [12/16/2025 10:14 AM, Ryan Mancini, 12595K]

FOX News [12/16/2025 12:31 PM, Max Bacall, 40621K] reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham lambasted Australia’s prime minister in the wake of Sunday’s terror attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, saying the country’s leadership has become "pathetically weak" and ignored direct warnings from Israel about the dangers posed to its Jewish community. "Western Europe and now Australia, you’re pathetically weak in the face of religious Nazis," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on "Hannity" Monday night. The South Carolina senator’s comments followed a mass shooting on Bondi Beach at a celebration of the first night of Hanukkah that left 16 people dead, including one of the gunmen, and dozens hospitalized. Graham criticized Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for recognizing a Palestinian state after the Oct. 7 terror attacks, noting that Israeli leaders plainly warned him against the move. "The prime minister of Australia was told by the Israeli prime minister, ‘If you recognize a Palestinian state, after they killed 1,200 Jews, while they’re still in charge of Gaza and the West Bank, you’re putting Jews in Australia at risk,’" Graham said, arguing that "political decisions" lead to the deaths of innocent Jews in Australia. He added that other governments recognizing a Palestinian state after Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel have similarly "enticed more terrorism."

NewsMax [12/16/2025 7:36 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports the Philippines Bureau of Immigration said on Tuesday that the two alleged gunmen behind the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach traveled to the Philippines on Nov. 1 aboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR212 from Sydney to Manila and onward to Davao. A spokesperson for the bureau said that Sajid Akram, 50, an Indian national and Australian resident, traveled on an Indian passport, while his son Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian national, used an Australian passport. Both arrived together on that flight. They departed on Nov. 28 on the same flight number, PR212, from Davao via Manila back to Sydney, weeks before the assault that killed 15 people. The attack on Sunday was Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years, and is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community. It was not immediately clear what activities they undertook in the Philippines or whether they traveled elsewhere after landing in Davao, a city in Mindanao, a region where terrorist groups, including ISIS-linked factions, have operated.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [12/16/2025 11:41 AM, David Brennan, 30493K] Video: HERE
Reuters [12/16/2025 9:47 AM, Karen Lema, 36480K]

The Washington Post [12/16/2025 7:02 PM, Ellen Nakashima and Alex Horton, 24149K] reports President Donald Trump has nominated a career Special Forces officer and current deputy commander of Indo-Pacific Command to be the next head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The nomination and prospective confirmation of Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, a former Delta Force commander, would end eight months of leadership limbo at the helm of the nation’s largest spy agency and its offensive military cyber organization. The nomination was received by Congress this week, said the two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it has not been officially announced by the Pentagon, White House or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. A White House official said that no such nomination had been transmitted to the Senate. Rudd would formally replace Gen. Timothy Haugh, who was fired by Trump in April. The president’s move drew sharp bipartisan rebukes as an unjustified political move engineered by the far-right activist Laura Loomer. The acting head has been Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, who had been Haugh’s deputy at both organizations and was widely expected to succeed Haugh. The nomination never materialized. Some former officials told The Washington Post that he failed to impress some senior Pentagon officials. Rudd’s role at Indo-Pacific Command gives him experience in the U.S. military’s effort to counter China’s aggressive push for regional dominance. NewsMax [12/16/2025 6:58 PM, Michael Katz, 4109K] reports Trump submitted Rudd’s nomination to the Congressional Record on Monday night. The notice stated that it was received by the Senate Armed Services Committee and will be sent to the Senate Intelligence Committee within 30 days. Although the submission does not specify the position for which Rudd is being nominated, it noted that he would be promoted to general, a requirement for the dual-hat role leading Cyber Command and the NSA. The two posts have traditionally been held by a four-star officer and require Senate confirmation.

FOX Business [12/16/2025 8:45 AM, Staff, 10085K] reports U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to warn the SCOTUS ruling could impact national security, discuss President Donald Trump’s Fed chair search and outline how tariffs, tax refunds and growth plans will shape 2026. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [12/16/2025 10:29 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports that the Pentagon has upgraded its review of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., into a formal military investigation, escalating scrutiny of one of six Democrat lawmakers who appeared in a video urging U.S. service members to refuse what they described as "illegal orders." A department official confirmed Monday that War Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with the Pentagon’s general counsel, ordered the preliminary review elevated to a command investigation — a more serious type of military probe typically initiated by a commander. The move marks a significant escalation and signals a formal effort to examine Kelly’s conduct. "Retired Captain Kelly is currently under investigation for serious allegations of misconduct," the official told CBS News, adding that further public comment would be limited to protect the integrity of the proceedings. Kelly, a retired Navy officer and frequent critic of President Donald Trump’s administration, has drawn sharp criticism from military veterans and national security experts since the video surfaced. In the recording, Kelly and five other Democrat lawmakers — all former members of the military or intelligence community — told current service members, "Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders... You must refuse illegal orders." While the lawmakers did not cite any specific orders issued by Trump, critics argue the message undermines military discipline and chain-of-command authority.

Bloomberg [12/16/2025 12:45 PM, Iain Marlow and Caroline Hyde, 18207K] reports that the Trump administration’s recently released national security strategy was not intended as empty criticism of Europe but was designed to help steer the continent back on track, a top State Department official said. “The president’s national security strategy was not an insult, it was a diagnosis,” Jacob Helberg, the under secretary of state for economic affairs said Tuesday in an interview on Bloomberg Television. The Trump national security team’s unusually blunt strategy document warned that a declining Europe lacked “self-confidence” and risked “civilizational erasure” as a result of immigration and weak political leadership. It charged that those leaders were more focused on censorship and “regulatory suffocation” than military spending or “promoting European greatness.” The document was parsed intensely by think tanks and foreign diplomats desperate to decipher strategic intent amid the policy chaos and confusion of Donald Trump’s Washington. According to Helberg, a former adviser to the CEO of defense tech company Palantir Technologies, the strategy document was designed to help Europe. “He laid out in clear and simple terms that there is a turning point that Europe is facing,” Helberg said of the strategy document signed by Trump. “It can choose managed decline, bureaucratic paralysis, or it can choose rejuvenation, secure borders, energy abundance, and fair and reciprocal trade.”

National Herald [12/16/2025 10:48 PM, Staff] reports senior United States national security officials have warned lawmakers that terrorist organisations with roots in South Asia continue to pose a direct and evolving threat to the American homeland, even as their methods shift away from traditional, centrally coordinated attacks. Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent said groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida remain active across South and Central Asia, with Afghanistan again emerging as a permissive environment for extremist activity. Kent told the committee that fragile governance and political transitions in parts of the region have enabled militant organisations to find sanctuary, allowing threats generated in South Asia to reach well beyond its borders. He said intelligence assessments show terror groups with historical links to Pakistan and Afghanistan are increasingly relying on online propaganda, encrypted communications and ideological messaging to inspire violence abroad, including within the United States. According to Kent, the dominant trend in terrorism has shifted from carefully planned, cell-based plots to what he described as an “inspirational” model, in which individuals radicalised by overseas groups act independently, without direct operational command. That assessment was reinforced by Federal Bureau of Investigation National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen, who warned that international terrorist organisations tied to ISIS and al-Qaida remain among the most immediate threats to the US homeland. He noted that some individuals are radicalised largely within the country but are motivated by extremist narratives promoted by foreign groups. Kent also pointed to concerns arising from the post-Afghanistan evacuation process, saying US agencies had identified individuals admitted under emergency programmes who were later found to have links to terrorist organisations. Such individuals, he said, would under normal circumstances have been denied entry because of their associations with jihadist groups. The security-focused testimony was followed by sharp political exchanges later in the hearing, including a tense confrontation between Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Thanedar accused Noem of misleading Congress on immigration enforcement and compliance with court orders. Noem denied the allegation, maintaining that the Department of Homeland Security complies with all federal court rulings and has never detained or deported a US citizen, apart from brief detentions required to verify identity. The exchange escalated, with Thanedar demanding accountability and Noem responding that calls for her resignation amounted to an endorsement of her work.

USA Today [12/16/2025 1:29 PM, Greta Cross, 67103K] reports that TikTok – still – isn’t going anywhere. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in September that delayed the months-long TikTok ban to Tuesday, Dec. 16, giving the administration more time to finalize a sale of the Chinese-owned social media app. However, a few days later, Trump issued another executive order pushing back the ban again to Jan. 23, 2026. Since the start of his second term, Trump has issued five executive orders on the TikTok ban, set by former President Joe Biden in 2024 through the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. In recent years, some government officials have expressed concerns that TikTok poses a national security threat, believing TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, is sharing U.S. user data with China. TikTok has repeatedly denied these claims. In January, the platform went dark for less than 24 hours under Biden’s act, as ByteDance did not divest the platform by a set deadline. In October, government officials claimed Trump had finalized a TikTok deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, though as of Dec. 16, no further details had been shared.

Breitbart [12/16/2025 11:39 AM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports the United States and Paraguay on Monday signed a historic Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) allowing the presence and activities of U.S. military and Department of War civilian personnel in Paraguay. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano signed the agreement in Washington as part of the Paraguayan top diplomat’s official visit. The Paraguayan Foreign Ministry detailed that both Rubio and Ramírez Lezcano ratified the joint fight against transnational crime and drug trafficking with both countries agreeing to work together over the coming months and years. The Status of Forces Agreement signed with Paraguay, the U.S. Department of State detailed, establishes a framework for U.S. military presence in the South American nation for bilateral and multinational training, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and other shared security interests. Sec. Rubio pointed out that the agreement "opens new doors for our collective efforts to advance security and stability in our hemisphere.". "Secretary Rubio emphasized that the SOFA reflects the United States’ commitment to coordinate closely with Paraguay on regional security and Paraguay’s growing importance as a regional leader and champion for security in our Hemisphere," the State Department’s statement read in part. "The agreement strengthens a longstanding partnership and supports our shared priorities. Both officials expressed confidence that the agreement will strengthen both countries’ sovereignty and enhance our cooperation for greater stability and prosperity in the region," the statement concluded.

The Hill [12/16/2025 4:04 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12595K] reports South African authorities raided a U.S. refugee facility in Johannesburg, briefly detaining U.S. staff who have been processing white Afrikaner refugees. The episode is sure to be a source of further tension between U.S. and South African officials who have denied claims from President Trump that the white minority there have been discriminated against by the government. CNN [12/16/2025 5:15 PM, Priscilla Alvarez, Jennifer Hansler, 18595K] reports the South African government briefly held, then released, two US government employees on assignment in South Africa as part of the Trump administration’s bid to admit Afrikaners to the United States, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. The incident appeared to mark an escalation in the already-tenuous relationship between the United States and South Africa, which has rejected the premise of the Trump administration’s push to admit White South Africans as refugees. It also revealed some of the hiccups and hurdles US personnel have faced in the administration’s unprecedented focus on Afrikaners. It isn’t clear why the US employees were questioned. The US government is "seeking immediate clarification from the South African government" and it expects "full cooperation and accountability," State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CNN on Tuesday. "We’ll have more to say once all the facts are confirmed, but the Trump Administration will always stand up for US interests, US personnel, and the rule of law," he said. "Interfering in our refugee operations is unacceptable."

Wall Street Journal [12/16/2025 1:20 PM, Anat Peled and Alexander Ward, 646K] reports President Trump was frustrated at an Israeli operation to kill a top Hamas commander without giving the U.S. prior notice, fearing it could disrupt a fragile cease-fire in Gaza that he considers one of his major achievements, U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter said. His complaints about the Dec. 13 killing were conveyed by the White House to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the officials said. Trump has separately told aides that Netanyahu was derailing “my deal” to halt the fighting and rebuild the shattered enclave, according to a U.S. official. Netanyahu’s office responded by saying that Israel was forced to strike because Hamas has shown no signs of disarming, which a future phase of the plan requires, according to U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter. Trump’s message, which was earlier reported by Axios, highlighted Washington’s growing frustration with Israel over its continued airstrikes and other military moves in Gaza, which have slowed dealing with other terms of the cease-fire, including creating an alternative to Hamas to govern the strip and permanently ending the war. Asked for comment on Trump’s message to Netanyahu, an Israeli official said they have a friendly relationship and there is no disagreement between them on Gaza. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment. Speaking to reporters Monday at the White House, Trump denied he was frustrated with Netanyahu. On a possible Israeli violation of the cease-fire terms by killing Raed Saad, Trump said, “We’re looking into that.”

DailySignal [12/16/2025 5:35 PM, Virginia Allen, 549K] reports America failed to establish a democracy in Afghanistan and then failed to properly vet many of the 200,000 Afghans taken into the U.S. after the fall of Kabul in 2021, according to Simon Hankinson. After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban under President Joe Biden, the U.S. scrambled to evacuate nationals who had served the U.S. government and military. What ensued was an "Afghan vetting fiasco," says Hankinson, who served as a Foreign Service Officer for over 20 years. Hankinson was scheduled to testify before members of Congress on Tuesday on the issue of Afghans nationals being paroled into the U.S., but the hearing was postponed until 2026.

NewsMax [12/16/2025 10:06 AM, Jim Morley III, 4109K] reports the Protecting America Initiative (PAI), a conservative nonprofit focused on countering China’s influence in the U.S., announced Tuesday that it is launching a new six-figure digital ad campaign urging hospitals to stop using Chinese-made medical devices, citing concerns about patient privacy and national security. The campaign’s featured spot, titled "Do No Harm," argues that Chinese-manufactured devices used to diagnose, treat, and monitor patients could create pathways for sensitive health information to be accessed by Beijing. The ad will run on digital platforms in select markets, with an emphasis on Florida and Texas, according to the organization. Chad Wolf, a senior adviser to PAI and former acting Secretary of Homeland Security, said the group believes Chinese-made devices "open the door" for the Chinese Communist Party to access sensitive patient data and called for removing such devices from U.S. hospitals. PAI said the campaign follows polling it commissioned showing concern about Chinese-made medical devices, including a national survey it said found 75% of Americans are concerned, plus state surveys it said found 80% of Florida voters are worried about Chinese companies being compelled to follow CCP directives, and that Texas voters favor steps to curb CCP influence in medical technology. PAI also pointed to a recent report it released on the issue and noted it has run prior ads this fall, including a separate six-figure spot that aired in Washington, D.C., and later expanded to Florida.

Reuters [12/17/2025 4:40 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports China’s defence ministry accused the Philippines on Wednesday of distorting the facts about an incident involving the Chinese coast guard and Filipino fishermen near a South China Sea shoal, and defended Chinese actions as "reasonable and lawful". Manila’s coast guard said over the weekend that three Filipino fishermen were injured and two fishing vessels damaged when Chinese coast guard ships cut their anchor lines and fired water cannon near the Sabina Shoal on Friday. China will "take strong and effective measures" in response to "all acts of infringement and provocation," read the statement from China’s defence ministry on its social media account. The Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing and the Philippines defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

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