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 AP [12/21/2025 4:47 PM, Aamer Madhani, 31753K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government. The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a U.S. official briefed on the operation, comes after the U.S. administration announced Saturday it had seized a tanker for the second time in less than two weeks. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the ongoing operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Sunday’s pursuit involved “a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.” The official said the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order. The Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Coast Guard, deferred questions about the operation to the White House, which did not offer comment on the operation. Saturday’s predawn seizure of a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries targeted what the White House described as a “falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil.” The Coast Guard, with assistance from the Navy, seized a sanctioned tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10, another part of the shadow fleet of tankers that the U.S. says operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo. It was not even flying a nation’s flag when it was seized by the Coast Guard. President Donald Trump, after that first seizure, said that the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. It all comes as Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This past week Trump demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a “blockade” against oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions. Trump cited the lost U.S. investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against Maduro, suggesting the Republican administration’s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. Some sanctioned tankers already are diverting away from Venezuela. U.S. oil companies dominated Venezuela’s petroleum industry until the country’s leaders moved to nationalize the sector, first in the 1970s and again in the 21st century under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Compensation offered by Venezuela was deemed insufficient, and in 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered the country’s socialist government to pay $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil. Maduro said in a message Sunday on Telegram that Venezuela has spent months “denouncing, challenging and defeating a campaign of aggression that goes from psychological terrorism to corsairs attacking oil tankers.” He added: “We are ready to accelerate the pace of our deep revolution!” CNN [12/21/2025 4:05 PM, Kevin Liptak, 18595K] reports that on Saturday, the US Coast Guard intercepted the Centuries tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, said it was carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, though the ship itself did not appear on a list of sanctioned vessels. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency includes the Coast Guard, posted a seven-minute video to social media Saturday afternoon showing a helicopter hovering over the tanker. She wrote that the tanker was apprehended in "predawn action" by the Coast Guard with support from the Defense Department and that it was last docked in Venezuela. "The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," she said. The Washington Post [12/21/2025 4:16 PM, Sammy Westfall, Dan Lamothe and Karen DeYoung, 24149K] reports that the Coast Guard effort came after U.S. forces on Saturday boarded a different commercial vessel, the Panamanian-flagged Centuries owned by Centuries Shipping in Hong Kong, off Venezuela. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem posted a video on X showing service members rappelling down from military helicopters onto the vessel, which her department said was suspected of carrying oil subject to U.S. sanctions. These actions represent a further escalation of the United States’ months-long pressure campaign against the government of President Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration wants to force from office. The tanker blockade could impact Venezuela’s already struggling economy, which heavily depends on overseas oil sales. Bloomberg [12/22/2025 4:20 AM, Maya Averbuch, Eric Martin, and Jennifer A Dlouhy, 18207K] reports US forces chased the US-sanctioned Bella 1 on Sunday as it was en route to Venezuela. They boarded Centuries, a ship owned by a Hong Kong-based entity, on Saturday — the first non-sanctioned vessel to be targeted. Another very large crude carrier, the Skipper, was intercepted on Dec. 10. The moves on three separate vessels represent the most concerted attempt to date to sever the financial links sustaining a government that Washington says is led by a drug-trafficking cartel, and one that it has also recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Maduro has so far withstood the onslaught, but the blockade is beginning to limit hard currency and to hurt an already battered economy. State-owned Petróleos de Venezuela SA, known as PDVSA, ships most of its cargoes to China, usually through intermediaries using so-called dark-fleet tankers, older vessels with obscure ownership that ferry sanctioned oil from Venezuela as well as Iran and Russia. Imports of feedstock from Russia are also vital to dilute Caracas’ thick crude. “Washington calculates that Maduro depends far more on oil exports than the US or China depends on his barrels,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group. “With global balances loosening and prices falling, the US judges it has growing leverage and is likely to intensify pressure on the Maduro regime.” Washington’s campaign has caught the attention of oil traders, but Venezuela’s exports have dwindled over the years and now account for less than 1% of global demand. The market is also well supplied, and China has multiple alternative options. Oil prices advanced only modestly on Monday, with Brent crude climbing just past $61 a barrel. China has criticized the US maneuvers as a violation of international law, and said it would support Caracas in “defending its own legitimate rights and interests.” Maduro, for his part, has labeled the Trump administration’s recent moves — deadly strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs, the authorization of the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations and Trump’s order to block tankers — a bid to take Venezuela’s oil and install a puppet government. “This escalation and stronger enforcement point towards a decline in the volume of exports,” said Francisco Monaldi, an energy expert at Rice University in Houston. “These days are going to be critical.”

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New York Times [12/21/2025 7:02 PM, Nicholas Nehamas, et al., 135475K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday tried to intercept an oil tanker linked to Venezuela that is now fleeing away from the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation, days after President Trump said he would crack down on sanctioned vessels involved in the country’s oil trade. The tanker, called the Bella 1, was en route to pick up oil in Venezuela and was not carrying cargo, according to one of the officials and ship-tracking data, and fled northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since last year for transporting Iranian oil, which federal authorities say is sold to finance terrorism. When U.S. forces approached the Bella 1 late on Saturday, it was not flying a valid national flag, the officials said, making it a stateless vessel liable to be boarded at sea under international law. American authorities had obtained a seizure warrant from a federal magistrate judge, which would allow them to take possession of the ship, two of the officials said. The warrant had been sought because of the Bella 1’s previous involvement in the Iranian oil trade, not because of its links to Venezuela. But the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, one of the officials said. A second official referred to the situation as “an active pursuit.” On Sunday morning, the vessel began broadcasting distress signals to nearby ships, according to radio messages reviewed by The Times and first posted online by a maritime blogger. The messages show the vessel traveling northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 300 miles away from Antigua and Barbuda. By Sunday evening, Bella 1 had sent over 75 alerts. The Coast Guard had successfully boarded another tanker earlier on Saturday, and the United States had taken possession of a third tanker on Dec. 10 that is now at port in Texas. The U.S. actions represented a significant escalation of Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. They come as Mr. Maduro has ordered Venezuelan Navy vessels to accompany some oil tankers leaving his country — raising the possibility of an armed confrontation at sea. The Bella 1 had not yet reached Venezuelan waters and did not have such an escort, according to one of the officials and ship-tracking data.

Reuters [12/21/2025 12:07 PM, Staff, 36480K] Video: HERE reports the United States has intercepted an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Saturday (December 20), a move that comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

Reuters [12/22/2025 4:12 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports China’s foreign ministry on Monday said the United States’ seizure of another country’s ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela has the right to develop relations with other countries, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily press briefing, adding that China opposes all "unilateral and illegal" sanctions. On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a second oil tanker in international waters off the Venezuelan coast, days after President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The tanker, Centuries, loaded in Venezuela under the false name "Crag" and was carrying some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil bound for China, documents showed. The crude was bought by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of many intermediaries involved in Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s sales to Chinese independent refiners, the documents showed. A White House spokesperson said the "falsely flagged vessel" carried sanctioned oil and was part of Venezuela’s shadow fleet. The Venezuelan government called the tanker interception a "serious act of international piracy." China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude, which accounts for roughly 4% of its imports.

Breitbart [12/21/2025 11:02 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports in a stealth operation carried out before dawn on Dec. 20, the U.S. Coast Guard—working alongside the Department of War—seized an oil tanker last seen in the terrorist state of Venezuela. The United States accused the ship’s operators of moving sanctioned crude to fuel narco‑terror activity. Officials issued a stark warning to traffickers: "We will find you, and we will stop you. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem released a video on social media showing a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter landing on the deck of an oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump declared the government of Venezuela to be a Foreign Terrorist Organization and ordered the complete naval blockade of the country. "The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," Noem posted on X. "We will find you, and we will stop you.". DHS called the seizure a "lightning strike operation to seize the Motor Tanker Centuries. Officials stated the ship was carrying oil subject to U.S. sanctions. U.S. and Venezuelan officials report that the seizure of the Panamanian-flagged "Centuries" tanker took place in international waters near the coast of Venezuela. The ship was reportedly bound for Asia, possibly China, reports indicate.

NewsMax [12/21/2025 3:54 PM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 4109K] reports Sen. Rand Paul on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump’s military mission off Venezuela’s coast, warning that the U.S. seizures of multiple oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea amount to "a provocation and a prelude to war.". "I’m not for confiscating these liners. I’m not for blowing up these boats of unarmed people that are suspected of being drug dealers. I’m not for any of this," the Kentucky Republican said on ABC News’ "This Week" in an interview with co-anchor Jonathan Karl. Paul called the administration’s approach to suspected drug traffickers "bizarre and contradictory," pointing to what he described as uneven treatment of those accused of narcotics-related crimes. "Then, why is the former president [Juan Orlando] Hernandez of Honduras, who was in jail for 45 years, why is he released?" Paul asked. "So, some narco-terrorists are really OK and other narco-terrorists we’re going to blow up. And then some of them, if they’re not designated as a terrorist, we might arrest them.". The comments came as the U.S. continues maritime operations in the Caribbean tied to the administration’s broader push against alleged trafficking networks and what it says are illicit oil shipments connected to Venezuela. Paul framed the tanker seizures as a step that could escalate tensions and draw the United States closer to a wider conflict.

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NewsMax [12/21/2025 9:47 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K] reports President Donald Trump’s blockade of oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela could have a damning effect on Cuba. Cuba is already buckling under its most prolonged economic crisis in decades, with shortages so severe that many families are skipping meals and enduring long blackouts that leave people sleeping outdoors in sweltering heat, The Wall Street Journal reported. Public health problems are worsening, garbage is piling up, and communicable diseases are spreading, the report said, as millions of Cubans have fled the island in what analysts describe as a humanitarian meltdown. Now Havana’s lifeline of subsidized Venezuelan oil is under direct threat. Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro by targeting sanctioned tankers that carry a large share of the country’s crude exports. One tanker already seized by U.S. authorities was carrying nearly 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, according to the report. If Venezuelan shipments stop or sharply decline, Cuba’s communist rulers fear the consequences would be catastrophic. "It would be the collapse of the Cuban economy, no question about it," Jorge Pinon, a Cuban exile who tracks energy ties at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Journal. The crackdown on tankers comes alongside a broader U.S. pressure campaign against Maduro that the Journal said includes a major military buildup in the Caribbean, actions against vessels allegedly tied to narcotics trafficking, and sharper rhetoric meant to isolate the regime. U.S. forces on Saturday stopped an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast for the second time in less than two weeks following the Dec. 10 seizure and Trump’s announcement of a blockade of sanctioned tankers. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Coast Guard, with support from the War Department, conducted what an official described as a "consented boarding" of a vessel called Centuries after it recently docked in Venezuela. Venezuela’s government called the U.S. action "criminal" and vowed to pursue legal avenues, including complaints to the U.N. Security Council.

FOX News [12/21/2025 11:07 AM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Border czar Tom Homan discusses President Donald Trump’s claim of having the ‘most secure border ever,’ ICE enforcement priorities and what agents refuse to tolerate on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

NewsMax [12/21/2025 12:07 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports the "bloodshed" will continue against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents unless the "hateful rhetoric" from politicians stops, White House border czar Tom Homan warned on Sunday. "I wish the hateful rhetoric from congressmen, mayors, and governors would stop, because I said back in March there’s going to be bloodshed," Homan said in a televised interview. "I don’t want more bloodshed. But unless they stop doing what they’re doing, there will be more, and I worry about that every day.". Homan pointed out that threats against ICE agents are up more than 8,000% and assaults have surged roughly 1,300%, numbers he said are unlike anything he has seen in his decades in law enforcement. The Trump administration is taking a zero-tolerance approach toward anyone who interferes with ICE operations, he added, pointing to stepped-up federal prosecutions under Attorney General Pam Bondi. He said the Justice Department is pursuing record numbers of cases involving impeding or interfering with immigration enforcement, as well as physical assaults on officers. "We’re sending a strong message," Homan said, adding that anyone who "puts a hand on an ICE officer" should expect arrest and federal prosecution. The warning came as Homan praised President Donald Trump’s border agenda, calling it the most secure border in U.S. history and pointing to steep declines in migrant encounters. Homan said nationwide encounters fell to just over 30,000 in November, adding that encounters since Trump was sworn in almost a year ago are down 95% compared with levels under former President Joe Biden. Deportations have accelerated, said Homan, explaining that more than 600,000 illegal aliens have been deported by ICE and that an additional 1.9 million have self-deported.

Washington Post [12/21/2025 9:46 PM, Liam Scott and Scott Nover, 24149K] reports CBS News abruptly pulled an investigative “60 Minutes” segment on the Trump administration’s deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison after the Trump administration refused to grant an interview, according to an email obtained by Washington Post. The decision came directly from the network’s editor in chief, Bari Weiss, according to an internal email sent to producers from the segment’s correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, who called the decision tantamount to handing the White House a “kill switch.” “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Alfonsi wrote. The team had sent questions and requested comment from the White House, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security for the story, according to the email. But the administration declined to grant the journalists an interview. “Government silence is a statement, not a VETO,” Alfonsi wrote. “Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story.” “The 60 Minutes report on ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast,” a CBS News spokeswoman said in a statement. “We determined it needed additional reporting.” The network did not respond to a request to comment on Alfonsi’s statement about Weiss’s intervention and the rationale. Alfonsi did not respond to a request for comment. The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” was set to cover the Trump administration’s deportations of Venezuelan migrants to Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), one of El Salvador’s most notorious prisons. The network had teased the segment for days, but by Sunday the trailer and promotional materials had been removed from CBS News’s website. The original preview said that Alfonsi spoke with released prisoners, who describe “brutal and torturous conditions” inside the prison. Hundreds of Venezuelans who have been deported to El Salvador under Trump’s immigration crackdown have endured systematic torture and abuse — including sexual assault — during their detention, according to a November report by Human Rights Watch. The report said conditions at CECOT breached the United Nations’ minimal rules for the treatment of prisoners. In the email to her team, Alfonsi wrote that she learned Saturday that Weiss killed the story, which she says was screened five times and cleared by both the standards department and the network’s attorneys.

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New York Times [12/21/2025 7:00 AM, Kurtis Lee, 135475K] reports the phone vibrated just as Arash Singh curled onto a mattress in the sleeper cab of his semi truck parked in a lot off Interstate 5 in Northern California. As on most evenings, his parents were calling at the start of their day in a tiny village in Punjab, India. “It’s winter almost. Please always wear a coat,” his mother gently implored on the video call. Mr. Singh nodded into the glow of the screen, before receiving their prayers. His parents, followers of the Sikh faith, asked God to protect their son on his drive of more than 1,000 miles from Pasco, Wash., to Oxnard, Calif. Seventeen hours, if traffic was light. “I will be safe,” Mr. Singh assured his mother. It was an assurance the 25-year-old long-haul truck driver had given himself during his most stressful days on the road. Since coming to the United States a few years ago, Mr. Singh has navigated the perils of America’s highways: the drivers who veer into his lane while texting, ice storms in the Midwest, fellow truckers whose gazes linger on his turban. “As an immigrant driver,” he said, “there is plenty you always must think about.” Mr. Singh has had more on his mind these days than he would like. Driving a truck is a solitary job, but Sikhs suddenly feel very much in the public eye. While estimates vary, around a quarter of Sikh adults in the United States work in the trucking industry, according to the North American Punjabi Trucking Association, which advocates for Sikh truckers, and they are concentrated on the West Coast. Two fatal crashes since August involving Sikh truck drivers led to increased scrutiny by the Trump administration, which escalated a crackdown on immigrant drivers that had begun with new English-proficiency guidelines in the spring. Those crashes killed six people; one driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and the other with both vehicular manslaughter and vehicular homicide. After the first crash, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said foreign drivers without proper training or licenses were a longstanding problem. About 200,000 foreign drivers hold licenses that allow them to drive commercial vehicles. Mr. Duffy issued rules that would make it much harder for many immigrants to drive, amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and persistent verbal attacks from President Trump on immigrants. “We have a government system designed to keep American families on the road safe,” Mr. Duffy said when announcing the rules. “But that system has been compromised.”

Los Angeles Times [12/21/2025 6:07 PM, Josh Funk, 14862K] reports the Federal Railroad Administration has sent letters to two railroad operators demanding they make sure that Mexican crews can speak English and don’t operate a train more than 10 miles inside the United States. A number of Mexican train crews who recently hauled trains over the border to rail yards in Texas had trouble understanding important safety information in English during inspections the Trump administration ordered, U.S. officials said. Railroads Union Pacific and CPKC routinely rely on foreign crews at times to bring trains over the border to their rail yards in the U.S. before switching to American engineers and conductors. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union said handoffs used to happen at the border. The engineers union has been worried about using foreign crews for some time because of safety, security and job concerns. Union Pacific and CPKC said the railroads are committed to ensuring safety and security and will work to ensure they are complying with the rules. The Trump administration has also been cracking down on truck drivers who don’t speak English, saying it seeks to make sure crews can communicate in an emergency and understand crucial instructions. "Whether you’re operating an 80-ton big rig or a massive freight train, you need to be proficient in our national language — English," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. "If you aren’t, you create an unacceptable safety risk.” The Transportation Department has withheld $40 million from California, which it accused of not enforcing the English proficiency requirement. Duffy has also threatened to sanction several other states that he says have improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants. That became a key concern after several deadly crashes involving semitrucks driven by immigrants in the country illegally. Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Fink told both railroads they could face enforcement action if inspectors find additional occurrences of train crews operating in the U.S. without being proficient in English. Inspectors found problems in Union Pacific’s Eagle Pass rail yard and CPKC’s facility in Laredo, Fink said. Union Pacific had a interpreter on hand to help its Mexican crews, but Fink said the railroad might try to remove that person in the future, and inspectors said they worried about how well the crews understood operating rules and required brake tests. At CPKC’s rail yard, Fink said, inspectors found numerous instances of train crews having a hard time understanding operating bulletins and U.S. regulations that require information about hazardous materials and emergency responses to be maintained in English.

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AP [12/22/2025 12:05 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports a federal judge on Monday will hear arguments about whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be returned to immigration custody after being free for just over a week. Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador has become a lightning rod for both sides of the immigration debate, had been in immigration detention since August. In that time, the government has said it planned to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana and, most recently, Liberia. However, officials have made no effort to deport him to the one country he has agreed to go to — Costa Rica. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, in Maryland, has even accused the government of misleading her by falsely claiming that Costa Rica was unwilling to take him. The government’s "persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego Garcia to African countries that never agreed to take him, and their misrepresentation to the Court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego Garcia, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the ‘basic purpose’ of timely third-country removal," she wrote. Xinis’ Dec. 11 order that Abrego Garcia be released from immigration custody also concluded that the immigration judge who heard his case in 2019 had failed to issue an order of removal from the U.S., and he cannot be deported anywhere without a removal order. Abrego Garcia has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, finding he faced danger there from a gang that had targeted his family. In March, he was mistakenly deported there anyway. U.S. officials resisted calls to bring him back until the Supreme Court weighed in. However, officials have said he cannot stay in the U.S. and have vowed to deport him to a third country. In filings last week, government attorneys argued that, with or without a final order of removal, they are still working to deport Abrego Garcia, so they can legally detain him during the process. "If there is no final order of removal, immigration proceedings are ongoing, and Petitioner is subject to pre-final order detention," they wrote. Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that "because immigration proceedings ‘are civil, not criminal’ detention must be ‘nonpunitive.’" They argued that in Abrego Garcia’s case, detention is punitive because the government wants to be allowed to hold him indefinitely without a viable plan to deport him. "If immigration detention does not serve the legitimate purpose of effectuating reasonably foreseeable removal, it is punitive, potentially indefinite, and unconstitutional," they wrote.

FOX News [12/22/2025 1:25 AM, Landon Mion Fox, 40621K] reports the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Paul Coakley, said on Sunday that the Trump administration’s mass deportations are spreading fear and uncertainty in immigrant communities across the country. "It’s instilling, as I said, fear in a rather widespread manner. So I think that’s something that concerns us all, that people have a right to live in security and without fear of random deportations," Coakley said during an appearance on CBS News’ "Face the Nation.” Coakley, the archbishop of Oklahoma City, called on the administration to "be generous in welcoming immigrants" while also acknowledging, "We certainly have a right and a duty to respect borders of our nation.” "There is no conflict necessarily between advocating for safe and secure borders and treating people with respect and dignity," Coakley said. "We always have to treat people with dignity, God-given dignity. The state doesn’t award it, and the state can’t take it away.” "This is kind of a fundamental principle in Catholic social teaching regarding immigration and migrations: People have a right to remain in their homeland, but they also ought to be allowed to migrate when conditions in their homeland are unsafe and necessitate moving to a place where they can find peace and security," he added. Coakley, although frequently aligned with the church’s social conservatives, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Coakley is one of many Catholic leaders who have been criticizing Trump’s mass deportation plan, as fear of immigration raids has slashed Mass attendance at some parishes. After Trump returned to the White House in January, Coakley issued a statement reaffirming that "the majority of undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma are upstanding members of our communities and churches, not violent criminals.” Last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a "special message" in which they slammed Trump’s mass deportation agenda and the "vilification" of migrants, expressing concern over the fear and anxiety immigration raids are stoking in communities, as well as the denial of pastoral care to migrants in detention centers. "We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement," the bishops’ statement reads. "We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care," reads the bishops’ statement, which also opposed "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” The special message was endorsed by Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Ronald Hicks, who the pontiff recently named as the next archbishop of New York, replacing conservative Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the leader of the country’s second-largest Catholic diocese. Dolan announced earlier this year he would resign upon turning 75, which is required by Catholic law. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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CBS News [12/21/2025 12:11 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE

New York Times [12/21/2025 4:30 PM, Elizabeth Dias and Shannon Sims, 135475K] reports When federal agents descended on Louisiana this month to pursue their aggressive deportation campaign, a group of Roman Catholic priests privately brought the Eucharist to the homes of immigrants too worried to step outside. But Lewis Richerson, the pastor of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, planned to take an opposite approach. “I would not knowingly extend communion to an illegal immigrant who is visiting our church,” he said. “That person would be in sin by being in this country illegally, and Christians should obey the law of the land.” Instead, the main way he would minister to them would be “to help them submit themselves to the authorities,” he said. “They should absolutely deport themselves.” Mr. Richerson’s church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with about 12.7 million members. For years, the denomination has supported immigration reforms, especially given its extensive missionary work and theological commitments to helping “the least of these,” as Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew. But while Catholic bishops this year have repeatedly rebuked the Trump administration over its deportation actions, Southern Baptists are contending with an increasingly loud contingent in their ranks that, like Mr. Richerson, supports the immigration crackdown. Even as many rank-and-file churches continue to support immigrant ministries, signs of fracture are emerging. In April, leaders of 13 Southern Baptist ethnic groups came together to ask the denomination’s leaders “to stand firm for religious liberty and speak on behalf of the immigrant and refugee,” and to request that the Trump administration consider penalties other than deportation. At the Southern Baptists’ annual convention in June, the topic was largely absent. Delegates considered resolutions with positions on abortion, pornography and sports betting, not immigration. But delegates also held a vote on dismantling the Southern Baptists’ public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which has spearheaded action on immigration for the convention. The group narrowly survived, but its leader was effectively pushed out, and in September it broke ties with the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition of prominent evangelical groups that it helped start 13 years ago to focus on reform efforts, which had rankled the Baptists’ conservative wing. The acting president said the E.R.L.C. had decided to take a “more independent posture on our immigration-related work,” according to Baptist News Global.

San Diego Union Tribune [12/21/2025 3:52 PM, Agustina Vergara Cid, 1538K] reports Imagine you’re a senior in Law School, about to graduate with honors. You spent years working toward your degree and paid thousands in tuition. You had your dream job lined up at a big law firm after graduation and were planning on buying a home. Two weeks before your graduation ceremony, a student from the School of Business is discovered cheating on an exam. The university president then decides that, to ensure no one else cheats in the future, no degrees will be issued for an indefinite period to anyone in the School of Business, or the School of Medicine, or your school. Your degree is held hostage, along with your dream job and your life projects. This scenario should strike anyone as grossly unjust. No one should be punished for the crimes of another person—let alone those who have done everything right and followed the rules. Yet that’s what’s happening to many legal immigrants after the Trump administration paused immigration benefits after the shooting of two members of the National Guard by an Afghan asylee. Thousands of immigrants are being punished for the crimes of a single person. Rahmanullah Lakanwal is charged with shooting two members of the National Guard in November, killing one, Sarah Beckstrom. NBC News reports that, back in Afghanistan, Lakanwal collaborated with the CIA to hunt down Taliban commanders in “highly dangerous missions.” Lakanwal and his peers “were among the most extensively vetted of any Afghans who worked with American forces.” Lakanwal, along with other members of his unit, were evacuated from Afghanistan and granted work permits in the U.S. under the Biden administration. Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and his application was approved this April, under the Trump administration. The Trump administration claims Lakanwal wasn’t properly vetted by the Biden admin, contradicting statements that the shooter and others who worked with U.S. forces on the battlefield were thoroughly vetted. Lakanwal would’ve also had another round of vetting when he was granted asylum earlier this year, but the administration hasn’t addressed that fact thus far.

FOX News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo [12/21/2025 11:55 AM, Staff] reports Border czar Tom Homan discusses President Donald Trump’s claim of having the ‘most secure border ever,’ ICE enforcement priorities and what agents refuse to tolerate on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

FOX News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo [12/21/2025 11:55 AM, Staff] reports Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reacts to the terror attack at a Hanukkah event in Australia, the Syrian ambush that killed two U.S. service members and an interpreter and more on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

NBC’s Meet the Press [12/21/2025 10:46 AM, Staff, 1435K] reports it’s been two months since President Trump brokered that peace plan for Gaza and Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel could move to phase two of this peace plan as soon as the end of this month. However phase two would involve the disarmament of Hamas and transferring control of Gaza to an international security force. Is Hama ready to disarm? "Absolutely not. One of the reasons I came here is to answer that question. The Trump people – administration deserves a lot of credit for getting a ceasefire. It’s been 90 days now. What did I learn on this trip? That Hamas is not disarming. They’re rearming. Hamas is not abandoning power. They’re consolidating power. That’s what the military intelligence people in Israel told me. That’s what the IDF told me. That’s what our own people told me. So I am all for a stabilizing force. I’m all for board of peace. But you can’t have a board of peace, you can’t have a stabilizing force in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed. They’re not being disarmed. There’s nobody coming over the horizon to disarm them. So I would urge President Trump to meet with President – Prime Minister Bibi next week and come up with a plan. Put Hamas on a time clock. If they don’t turn over their weapons and stop rearming at a date certain, I would unleash Israel on them. That’s what I would do." Graham states.

FOX News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo [12/21/2025 11:55 AM, Staff] reports Fox News senior strategic analyst Jack Keane discusses the latest on the effort to end the war in Ukraine during ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ and why he believes it is unclear where Putin stands.

ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos [12/21/2025 11:58 AM, Staff, 2474K] reports Thomas Massie the force that brought the release of the Epstein files is saying that the attorney general is violating the law and could, and could eventually be prosecuted for doing so. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says that he’s supported the transparency on the Epstein files from the beginning and has repeated voted to get them released. "People tend to believe that some rich people got off scot-free, in the Epstein case, the Epstein files. So, I think it all should be released. I think it’s a big mistake. I mean, look, the administration has struggled for months and months with something they initially ginned up and then sort of tried to tamp down. So, any evidence or any kind of indication that there’s not a full reveal on this, this will just plague them for months and months more. So, my suggestion would be -- give up all the information, release it. You know, what’s going to happen to people if they don’t, that -- that will play out over time. But my suggestion to them is be transparent and release everything the law requires of you." Senator Paul comments.

NPR [12/22/2025 5:00 AM, Ximena Bustillo and Rahul Mukherjee, 34837K] reports an immigration judge issues a stern warning: "If you don’t show up, there is a good chance the court will order you removed." She speaks to an immigrant from El Salvador in a quiet immigration courtroom in Hyattsville, Md., in November. Clad in an all-black dress jacket and shirt, the immigrant — who was identified only by the number of his case — swears that his last immigration notice was lost in the mail. The judge tells him to check his mail regularly, ahead of his next appearance in January. As the room empties out, the judge says out loud that there are a number of no-shows that day. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, attorney in court files motions to remove five people "in absentia." The judge grants it. Those people can now be deported. A similar scene has played out, and increasingly so, in nearly every immigration court nationwide over the past year, according to immigration attorneys and NPR’s early analysis of court data. More immigrants are not showing up for their mandatory immigration court hearings, allowing the government to order their immediate deportation. "What happened is that the word spread that if you go to court, you could get picked up from ICE," said Ruby Powers, an immigration lawyer based in Texas with cases all over the country. "Those instances weren’t consistent around the country, but at least the word had spread, the fear had spread. And so individuals were really hesitant to go into court," Powers said. The number of in absentia removals was generally already on an upward trend each year since 2022, said Andrew Arthur, resident law and policy fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit that advocates for lower levels of migration. Still, the number of such removal orders in fiscal year 2025 nearly tripled that of the previous year — topping over 50,000. Powers said that there are other reasons people may fear coming to court, including that they may not win their case or get deported to a third country. There are logistical barriers, too. "A lot of times people don’t even know that they have a hearing, or hearing dates can change without receiving the notice in the mail," Powers said. Sometimes immigrants can move and addresses are not immediately updated with the court, or go to places like apartment buildings that have less consistent mail delivery, she said. Notices can also be sent to completely incorrect addresses, which lawyers said has been an issue in years past. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Univision [12/21/2025 1:58 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports a traffic stop was the start of a journey for a family after a 22-year-old mother born in Laurel, Maryland, was arrested by federal immigration agents and taken to a detention center in Louisiana, despite her family and lawyers saying she was a U.S. citizen by birth. The woman, identified as Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales, was arrested on December 14, 2025 in Baltimore in what her relatives believed was a routine transit stop. Sirley, sister of Dulce Consuelo, said she tried to explain to the agents that her family is originally from the United States, but said she was not heard. “I shouted at them that we were from here, but they didn’t listen to us,” Thalia Varelas told Univision DC reporter. According to her testimony, the officers went directly to Dulce Consuelo, asked her to get out of the vehicle and arrested her without allowing the family to show documents. “They went straight to my sister. They didn’t let us teach anything, they just took her away,” he said. Díaz Morales is the mother of a 5-year-old boy, who was left in the care of relatives. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains, however, that it is not a citizen and that it is in the country without documents.

AP [12/21/2025 5:42 PM, Staff, 30493K] reports an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fired shots Sunday at a Cuban immigrant living in the U.S. illegally after the man struck the agent and another one with an SUV in Minnesota’s state capital, the Department of Homeland Security said. The man also bit an ICE agent as officers subdued him outside his apartment in St. Paul after he tried to flee on foot, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email. The man wasn’t hurt, and the injuries received by the agents struck by the SUV were not life-threatening, though he and the agents were taken to the hospital for evaluation, McLaughlin said. Tensions have been rising in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area as federal authorities continue an immigration crackdown. Last week, ICE agents and protesters clashed in neighboring Minneapolis. McLaughlin said the man detained Sunday entered the U.S. in 2024 through a now-discontinued program implemented by former President Joe Biden’s administration allowing migrants without proper entry papers into the country while their claims for asylum were reviewed. The incident occurred Sunday morning. St. Paul police said in a statement that they were called to the area by reports of shots being fired, only to learn that the ICE agent had fired the shots. ICE agents saw the man getting into his SUV and approached the vehicle, McLaughlin said, identifying themselves as ICE agents. When the man refused to roll down his window, they told him that they would break it if he continued not to comply, she said. The man drove off, striking one agent, and went to a parking lot of his apartment complex, where agents stopped him again and ordered him out of the SUV, McLaughlin said. He rammed his SUV into an ICE vehicle, striking the second agent, prompting the shots, which did not hit him, she said. After ramming another ICE vehicle, the man got out of his SUV and attempted to flee into his apartment, but agents brought him to the ground, McLaughlin said.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [12/21/2025 7:19 PM, Staff, 4109K]

San Diego Union Tribune [12/21/2025 4:08 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1538K] reports it was the words of President Donald Trump, spoken 2,300 miles away, that prompted Mikaiil Hussein — a U.S. citizen who first came as a refugee from Somalia over 30 years ago — to take steps to protect himself. The labor leader said that he now carries his U.S. passport card with him wherever he goes, in case he is stopped by federal immigration agents. He encourages other Somalis in San Diego to do the same. “It’s unfortunate,” said Hussein, who is president of the United Taxi Workers of San Diego. “Right now, we have to tell our children, ‘Be vigilant,’ and those who are adults, we tell them to take your passport card at least.” Somalis in San Diego have been on edge since earlier this month, when Trump called people from the East African nation “garbage” and said repeatedly during a Cabinet meeting that he did not want Somalis in the United States. He used the same word when talking about Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat. The Dec. 2 comments were made as news reports emerged of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation planned in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which has the largest Somali population in the country. Trump continued to criticize Minnesota officials and Somalis the following day, saying, “They’ve destroyed our country, and all they do is complain.” When asked for comment about community concerns after the president’s remarks, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the Union-Tribune: “President Trump is right. Aliens who come to our country, complain about how much they hate America, fail to contribute to our economy, and refuse to assimilate into our society should not be here.”

FOX News [12/21/2025 10:16 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, discusses President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda and the need to secure U.S. land and maritime borders on ‘One Nation.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/21/2025 2:24 PM, Hanna Panreck, 40621K] reports radio host Charlamagne tha God said President Donald Trump has succeeded in securing the border during an interview Sunday, but added he disagreed with the president’s immigration tactics. Host Jonathan Karl asked Charlamagne about Trump’s successes during ABC’s "This Week.". "I would say probably the border, but it’s the way that it’s happening, right? If the numbers are true, people aren’t coming across the border anymore. But, I mean, man, do you really want to see people who have been here for years — who are actual citizens, are trying to go through the process to get legal citizenship — do you really want to see them snatched off the street the way they are? Do Latino people need to just live in fear?" Charlamagne said. Karl noted that Trump has performed better among Hispanic voters than any Republican on record. "I really just wonder what goes through their minds, and how are they going to vote come 2026, how are they going to vote come 2028?" Charlamagne asked. "Because they bought into a dream, but that dream turned into a nightmare.".

DailySignal [12/21/2025 12:00 PM, John Stossel, 549K] reports Politicians push government IDs. In a Transportation Security Administration announcement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sternly warns, "You will need a REAL ID to travel by air or visit federal buildings.". European politicians go much further, reports Stossel TV producer Kristin Tokarev. They’re pushing government-mandated digital IDs that tie your identity to nearly everything you do. Spain’s prime minister promises "an end to anonymity" online! Britain’s prime minister warns, "You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID.". Many American tech leaders also like digital IDs. The second richest man in the world, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, says, "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything.". "That is a recipe for disaster and totalitarianism!" says privacy specialist Naomi Brockwell. "Privacy is not about hiding. It’s about an individual’s right to decide for themselves who gets access to their data. A digital ID will strip individuals of that choice.". "I already have a government-issued ID," says Tokarev. "Why is a digital one worse?". "It connects everything," says Brockwell. "Your financial decisions, social media posts, your likes, things that you’re watching, places you’re going. You won’t be able to voice things anonymously online anymore. Everything you say will be tied back to who you are.". Digital ID backers say the new ID will make life easier.

CBS Colorado [12/21/2025 3:34 PM, Christa Swanson, 39474K] reports Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are asking President Trump to reverse a decision, saying the president denied disaster declaration requests for major wildfires and flooding across the state earlier this year. In August, lightning strikes near the town of Meeker sparked two massive wildfires that burned over 150,000 acres in Rio Blanco County. The Lee fire became the fifth-largest wildfire in the state’s history. Polis declared a disaster emergency for the Elk Fire on Aug. 3, which was updated on Aug. 6 to include the Lee Fire. That declaration unlocked over $18.5 million in state funding to help with suppression and recovery efforts. The Elk and Lee Fires and subsequent mudslides caused approximately $27.5 million in damage, according to state estimates validated by FEMA. State officials expect that estimate to grow as recovery efforts continue. Polis said the region’s Piceance Basin produces between 2 and 5% of the United States’ daily consumption of natural gas and that the two local utility providers in the area suffered almost $24 million in damage to their infrastructure. He warned that a lack of support could stall production, damaging the local economy and causing rate increases that reach far beyond the region. Polis declared another disaster emergency in October when areas of southwest Colorado along Vallecito Creek, the Piedra River, and the San Juan River basin were struck by intense flooding. According to a statement from the governor’s office, "The Western Colorado Flooding destroyed or damaged essential drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, including near-total sewer system failures in the Pagosa Springs area. Floodwaters breached levees, triggered evacuations for nearly 400 homes, prompted multiple boil-water advisories, and caused at least 11 high-water rescues by local first responders. Rivers reached historic levels — including the San Juan River’s third-highest crest since 1911 — and debris flows, sediment deposits, and rechanneling of waterways have created long-term risks for residents living along Vallecito Creek, the Piedra River, and the San Juan River basin.". Polis made a formal request for support in September. Colorado’s entire congressional delegation — four Democrats and four Republicans — along with both Democratic senators, asked the president to support the request and to issue a major disaster declaration to help the people affected by the fires and floods. According to the governor’s office, that request was denied Saturday night. In a joint statement, Colorado’s governor and senators called on the president to reconsider. In response to CBS News Colorado’s request, White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson provided the following statement regarding the denial: "During the fires, the Administration prioritized and mobilized two Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems, which are jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Department of War, and retrofitted to C-130s operated by the Air National Guard. These systems enhanced aviation support to Colorado as they battled the Lee and Elk fires.

NewsMax [12/21/2025 8:21 PM, Brian Freeman, 4109K] reports Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the state’s two senators called on Sunday for President Donald Trump to reconsider his decision on Saturday night to deny requests for two separate disaster declarations, Colorado.gov reported. These federal declarations would have unlocked FEMA funding to support the recovery efforts for each disaster, providing critical aid to impacted residents and businesses, according to Denver7. This comes as leaders in the state of Washington say they will seek a disaster declaration for historic flooding that occurred earlier this month, The Seattle Times reported. Polis said that "Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing. One of the most amazing things to witness as governor has been the resilience of Coloradans following a natural disaster. Their courage, strength, and willingness to help one another is unmatched – values that President Trump seems to have forgotten," according to Colorado.gov. Polis added, "I call on the president’s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won’t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve.” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said the administration supported Colorado during the Lee and Elk fires by deploying Air National Guard aircraft, Denver7 reported. Jackson added that Trump evaluates disaster‑aid requests carefully "under the Stafford Act with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement – not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.”

AP [12/21/2025 8:02 PM, Staff, 14862K] reports Colorado Gov. Jared Polis accused President Donald Trump of playing “political games” Sunday after the Trump administration denied disaster declaration requests following wildfires and flooding in the state earlier this year. Polis’ office said he received late Saturday two denial letters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The letters follow requests for major disaster declarations following wildfires and mudslides in August and what Polis had described as “historic flooding” across southwest Colorado in October. Polis and Colorado’s U.S. senators, fellow Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, decried the denials. Polis said the state would appeal. “Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing,” he said in a statement. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said Trump responds to each request for federal disaster assistance “with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.” Jackson said there is “no politicization” to Trump’s decisions on disaster aid. Trump has raised the idea of “phasing out” FEMA, saying he wants states to take more responsibility. States already take the lead in disasters, but federal assistance comes into play when the needs exceed what they can manage on their own.

NBC News [12/21/2025 7:00 AM, Evan Bush, 34509K] reports the federal funding for the state that has been held up under the Trump administration might not have made an immediate difference during this month’s storms, given the work’s long timeframe, but the point is to protect communities from future deluges, Washington officials say. "This event — and the one coming whenever in the future — reinforces the importance of investing in the pre-disaster mitigation efforts to reduce damages. If folks on the ground weren’t believers before about the need to do pre-disaster mitigation, they certainly are now," Cook said. He added that every dollar invested in these types of programs saves six, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences. Neither FEMA nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment. A White House official referred NBC News to DHS. The Trump administration announced in April that it planned to end FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, calling it "wasteful" and "politicized" in a news release that is no longer available on its website.

CNN [12/21/2025 3:07 PM, Steven Kern, 18595K] reports massive outage sparks blackout in parts of San Francisc. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [12/22/2025 4:16 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports the National Weather Service said that local law enforcement reported continued heavy rain and flash flooding in downtown Redding, California and nearby areas and roads on Sunday evening. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

San Francisco Chronicle [12/22/2025 12:55 AM, David Hernandez, 4722K] reports authorities launched a multi-agency search Sunday for a swimmer who disappeared off Lovers Point in Pacific Grove (Monterey County) in a possible shark attack. Two witnesses told authorities the swimmer may have encountered a shark offshore near Lovers Point Beach, a popular spot for lounging, kayaking, swimming and other activities. The incident was reported around noon Sunday, officials said. The Pacific Grove Police Department and Monterey Fire Department launched a search-and-rescue mission with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and California State Parks. The personnel included a small boat crew and multiple helicopter crews from the Coast Guard, officials said. The swimmer was still missing as of 8 p.m., police, fire and Coast Guard officials said in a joint statement, adding that the search was expected to continue Monday morning. The name of the swimmer, whose family was notified of the situation, was not released. Lovers Point Beach and nearby beaches in Monterey were shut down and were expected to remain closed through Tuesday. An advisory was in place for Alisomar State Beach, Monterey Municipal Beach, Del Monte Beach and Monterey State Beach through Tuesday, officials said.

Politico [12/21/2025 12:00 PM, John Sakellariadis, 2100K] reports at least six career staffers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were suspended with pay this summer after organizing a polygraph test that the agency’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, failed. The Department of Homeland Security opened an investigation into whether the staff provided “false information” about the need for the test — which was scheduled after Gottumukkala sought access to certain highly sensitive cyber intelligence shared with the agency. This article is based on interviews with eight current and four former U.S. cybersecurity officials, including multiple Trump administration appointees, who have either worked closely with Gottumukkala or have knowledge of the polygraph examination and the chain of events that followed. They were granted anonymity for fear of retribution. The incident this July and the subsequent fallout — which has not been reported before — have angered career staff, alarmed fellow Trump administration appointees and raised questions about Gottumukkala’s leadership of the nearly $3 billion cyber defense agency. “Instead of taking ownership and saying, ‘Hey, I screwed up,’ he gets other people blamed and potentially ruins their careers,” said a current official, who described Gottumukkala’s tenure at CISA so far as “a nightmare” for the agency. In an emailed statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Gottumukkala “did not fail a sanctioned polygraph test.” “An unsanctioned polygraph test was coordinated by staff, misleading incoming CISA leadership,” McLaughlin wrote. “The employees in question were placed on administrative leave, pending conclusion of an investigation. We expect and require the highest standards of performance from our employees and hold them directly accountable to uphold all policies and procedures. Gottumukkala has the complete and full support of the Secretary and is laser focused on returning the agency to its statutory mission.” When asked for clarification on what is considered an “unsanctioned” polygraph, McLaughlin said that “random bureaucrats can’t just order a polygraph. Polygraph orders have to come from leadership who have the authority to order them.”

FOX News [12/21/2025 8:58 PM, Greg Wehner, 40621K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is disputing reports that acting Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed a polygraph after seeking access to highly sensitive intelligence, as an internal investigation and the suspension of multiple career cybersecurity officials deepen turmoil inside the agency, according to a report. Politico reported that Gottumukkala pushed for access to a tightly restricted intelligence program that required a counter-intelligence polygraph and that at least six career staffers were later placed on paid administrative leave for allegedly misleading leadership about the requirement, an assertion DHS strongly denies. The outlet said its reporting was based on interviews with four former and eight current cybersecurity officials, including multiple Trump administration appointees who worked with Gottumukkala or had knowledge of the polygraph examination and the events that followed. All 12 were granted anonymity over concerns about retaliation, according to Politico. DHS pushed back on the reporting, saying the polygraph at issue was not authorized and that disciplinary action against career staff complied with department policy. "Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala did not fail a sanctioned polygraph test. An unsanctioned polygraph test was coordinated by staff, misleading incoming CISA leadership," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "The employees in question were placed on administrative leave, pending conclusion of an investigation.” "We expect and require the highest standards of performance from our employees and hold them directly accountable to uphold all policies and procedures," she continued. "Acting Director Gottumukkala has the complete and full support of the Secretary and is laser focused on returning the agency to its statutory mission.” Politico also reported that Gottumukkala failed a polygraph during the final week of July, citing five current officials and one former official. The test was administered to determine whether he would be eligible to review one of the most sensitive intelligence programs shared with CISA by another U.S. spy agency, according to the outlet. That intelligence was part of a controlled access program with strict distribution limits, and the originating agency required any CISA personnel granted need-to-know access to first pass a counter-intelligence polygraph, according to four current officials and one former official cited by Politico.

FOX News [12/21/2025 1:04 PM, Efrat Lachter, 40621K] reports Israel’s national intelligence chief warns that Iran, ISIS and other jihadist actors remain determined to target Jews worldwide, as senior intelligence officials sound the alarm on a sharp global rise in terrorism. Speaking days after the Hanukkah massacre in Australia, Mossad Director David Barnea said Israel’s spy agency would find "those who sent them wherever they flee, and we will hold them to account," adding that "justice will be done and justice will be seen.". Barnea said the attack in Sydney reflects a broader and ongoing threat. "The criminal idea of terrorism targeting innocent civilians has been and remains a cornerstone of the security strategy of the current Iranian regime," he said. He warned that "jihadist elements, ISIS and others, have also resolved to target every Jew in the world.". "Our hearts are with the families of the Australian victims," Barnea said. He added that the goal of such attacks is to break Jewish resilience, but stressed, "Our spirit will not be broken. We will continue to celebrate our holidays and live our lives in Israel and around the world.". The comments came as Australian and international authorities continue investigating the attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people and wounded dozens more. Australian officials have said the shooters were inspired by Islamic State ideology, and homemade ISIS banners were found inside their vehicle.

New York Post [12/21/2025 3:03 PM, Chris Nesi, 42219K] reports the FBI is keeping mum about whether it plans to pay out the $50,000 reward it put up for information in the Brown University shooting to a homeless man whose tip led investigators to the killer. "As a standard practice, the FBI does not disclose whether a reward has been paid or to whom," the bureau said in a statement to The Post Sunday. The unidentified tipster, known only as "John," posted a detailed description on Reddit of gunman Claudio Neves Valente’s rental car, which he spied parked behind the Rhode Island Historical Society and urged authorities to look into. "I’m being dead serious," his post in the Providence subreddit read. "The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving.". "He used his key fob to open the car, approached it and then something prompted him to back away. When he backed away, he relocked the car. I found that odd so when he circled the block, I approached the car and that is when I saw the Florida plates," he wrote. The car was later linked to Valente, who cops say used the vehicle in the mass shooting at Brown before traveling to Brookline, Massachusetts two days later to murder renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, Nuno Loureiro. Valente, 48, originally from Portugal, was found dead Friday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Providence storage unit as authorities were set to hold a press conference about the case nearly a week into the investigation.

FOX News [12/21/2025 8:55 PM, Sophia Compton, 40621K] reports a former classmate of the suspect in the deadly Brown University shooting — and the subsequent killing of an MIT professor — remembers him as being "socially awkward" and "angry" during his years on campus. Scott Watson, now a physics professor at Syracuse University, told Fox News he attended Brown with Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente in 2000 and described himself as his "only friend" at the time. Watson said the Portuguese national often complained about life in the U.S. and at the university. "During his time at Brown, I was essentially his only friend. He was socially awkward, and so was I, which I think is why we connected," Watson said. "During orientation he was sitting alone, and I walked up and said hello. He was terse at first, but we eventually broke the ice and became close.” Watson said Neves-Valente often expressed frustration with his coursework, claiming the classes at Brown were too easy for him. "He often complained about moving to the United States and about the university," Watson said. "He would say the classes were too easy — honestly, for him, they were. He already knew most of the material and was genuinely impressive.” Even campus food was a source of irritation for Neves-Valente, according to Watson. "I remember him getting irritated about the quality of food on campus, especially the lack of high-quality fish," he said. Watson also recalled Neves-Valente’s troubling behavior toward another student. "We had another classmate that Claudio would insult and call him his slave. I had to break up a fight once," Watson said. However, Watson said there were also moments when Neves-Valente seemed more calm. "I have genuinely fond memories of dinners with him at a local Portuguese restaurant near campus," he said. "There is a community there. He could be kind and gentle, though he often became frustrated — sometimes angry — about courses, professors and living conditions.” The two last spoke when Neves-Valente decided to leave Brown, Watson said. "The last time I spoke with him, we walked to his apartment and I tried to convince him not to leave. He refused, and that was the last time I heard from him," he said. "He told me he was returning to Portugal, though it now appears that may not have been the case.” Neves-Valente, 48, was recently identified as the suspect in the Dec. 13 Brown University mass shooting, which left two students dead and nine others injured. Authorities later confirmed he was also the suspect in the Dec. 15 fatal shooting of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves-Valente was a Portuguese national and former Brown student who studied physics from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001 before withdrawing from the program in 2003. He had no recent affiliation with the university at the time of the shooting on campus. "I am shocked this has occurred," Watson said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/21/2025 10:35 AM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst joins ‘Fox News Sunday’ to detail Operation Hawkeye Strike, Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump on possible Iran strikes and more.

New York Times [12/22/2025 3:49 AM, Yan Zhuang, 153395K] reports the two gunmen who opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, this month also threw homemade bombs into the crowd, but the explosives did not detonate. Two days before the attack, the suspects scouted the Bondi Beach area. And sometime earlier, they filmed themselves training with firearms in the countryside. They had also made a video in front of an Islamic State flag in which they appeared to discuss their motivations for the attack. These details about the two men — a father and son whom the Australian authorities said were inspired by Islamic State, or ISIS — were included as part of charging documents filed by police against the surviving suspect. On Monday, the court ordered them to be released after local news media petitioned for them to be made public. The release of the details comes as officials in Australia and abroad scramble to retrace the activities of the two men in the lead-up to their rampage. The men visited the Philippines shortly before the attack, raising questions about a possible resurgence of militancy in the southern part of the country. Officials in Hyderabad, India, where the father was born and grew up, have questioned his relatives who still live in the city. The police document offers a fuller picture of the two men’s actions leading up to their attack, which killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, and left dozens more wounded. In addition to firing toward the crowd gathered at Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration, the two men threw four homemade explosive devices into the crowd, the police said. The devices — which the police described as three pipe bombs and one tennis ball bomb — did not detonate. The police discovered another large homemade explosive device in the trunk of a car parked near the beach that was registered in the son’s name, alongside two hand-painted Islamic State flags, which had been hung on the inside of the car’s front and rear windscreens, and visible to the public. The two men were armed with three firearms — two single-barrel shotguns and one Beretta rifle — the police said. The police contend that the two men “meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months,” pointing to evidence including videos that investigators later found on Naveed Akram’s iPhone.

Reuters [12/21/2025 6:31 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports talks held between U.S., European and Ukrainian officials over the last three days in Florida aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine were productive and focused on aligning positions, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on ending the nearly four-year-old conflict as soon as possible, but Russia wants to keep the Ukrainian areas it has seized and Kyiv has refused to cede ground. After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Saturday, Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner met on Sunday with officials from Ukraine and Europe, and then separately with the Ukrainian delegation, led by senior official Rustem Umerov. Witkoff, in a social media post, called Sunday’s talks "productive and constructive" and focused on a "shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe.". He did not mention his talks with the Russians. The meetings in Miami were the latest in a series of talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine on a U.S.-drafted 20-point plan to end the war. Witkoff said the U.S.-Ukraine meeting focused on four key points: further development of the 20-point plan, a multilateral security guarantee framework, a U.S. security guarantee framework for Ukraine, and further development on economics and prosperity to rebuild Ukraine. Negotiators focused especially on "timelines" and "sequencing of next steps," Witkoff said. U.S., Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week reported progress on security guarantees for Kyiv as part of the talks to end the war, but it remains unclear if those terms will be acceptable to Moscow. "Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future," Witkoff said.

FOX News [12/21/2025 5:46 PM, Greg Wehner, 40621K] reports U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said talks in Florida between American, Ukrainian and European officials have produced concrete progress toward a structured peace framework, fueling signs that negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine may be entering a decisive phase. "Over the last three days in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners," Witkoff wrote on X. "The Ukrainian delegation included Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Andriy Hnatov.” The American delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum, alongside key national security advisors from Europe. "A separate constructive meeting was also held in a U.S.–Ukraine format, during which four key documents were focused on: further development of a 20-point plan, aligning positions on a Multilateral security guarantee framework, aligning positions on a US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine, and further development on an economic & prosperity plan," Witkoff said. "Particular attention was given to discussing timelines and the sequencing of next steps. "Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace," he continued. "Our shared priority is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity. Peace must be not only a cessation of hostilities, but also a dignified foundation for a stable future. "Ukraine highly values the leadership and support of the United States and the continued close coordination with its partners in the next stages of this important work," Witkoff concluded. The special envoy’s comments come after Finland President Alexander Stubb said Sunday that negotiators are closer than at any point during the war to securing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, crediting U.S. diplomacy and pressure from sanctions on Russian oil as talks enter what he described as their most difficult final stage. "We’re probably closer [to reaching a peace agreement] than we have been at any time of this war," Stubb said on "The Sunday Briefing.” He added that Kushner and Witkoff have spent the past several weeks "working around the clock" to narrow differences between the two sides. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [12/21/2025 12:00 PM, David Kirichenko, 42219K] reports the scramble for battlefield drone experience has become a global phenomenon. While I was embedded with Colombian soldiers fighting on Ukraine’s front lines, several told me they’d battled cartels and insurgents but sought something new: the chance to learn drone warfare. Eastern Europe is where the action is. Ukrainian drones struck a Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker Friday in what Kyiv described as an unprecedented special operation carried out more than 1,200 miles from the country. It was the first time aerial drones, rather than naval drones, were used to disable a shadow-fleet tanker. Ukraine also recently hit a Russian submarine with an underwater drone. Since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, both Kyiv and, especially, Moscow have relied heavily on foreign fighters as casualties have risen. Russia has sourced personnel from the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Asia, including more than 15,000 North Korean troops deployed to the Kursk front. Those North Korean soldiers suffered heavy early losses due to poor preparation, but Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned they are adapting quickly, learning small-unit tactics, first-person-view drone use and counter-drone measures. This unprecedented exposure is being fed back into Pyongyang’s 1.3-million-strong army. Ukrainian defense intelligence deputy head Maj. Gen. Vadym Skibitskyi said in October that North Korea has begun mass-producing FPV and larger attack drones, directly informed by Russian battlefield methods. Indeed, the battlefield learning loop extends far beyond Asia.

AP [12/22/2025 2:02 AM, John Leicester, 19051K] reports two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield. Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called "zone-effect" weapon would seek to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once but also risking catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems. Analysts who haven’t seen the findings say they doubt such a weapon could work without causing uncontrollable chaos in space for companies and countries, including Russia and its ally China, that rely on thousands of orbiting satellites for communications, defense and other vital needs. Such repercussions, including risks to its own space systems, could steer Moscow away from deploying or using such a weapon, analysts said. "I don’t buy it. Like, I really don’t," said Victoria Samson, a space-security specialist at the Secure World Foundation who leads the Colorado-based nongovernmental organization’s annual study of anti-satellite systems. "I would be very surprised, frankly, if they were to do something like that.” But the commander of the Canadian military’s Space Division, Brig. Gen. Christopher Horner, said such Russian work cannot be ruled out in light of previous U.S. allegations that Russia also has been pursuing an indiscriminate nuclear, space-based weapon. "I can’t say I’ve been briefed on that type of system. But it’s not implausible," he said. "If the reporting on the nuclear weapons system is accurate and that they’re willing to develop that and willing to go to that end, well it wouldn’t strike me as shocking that something just short of that, but equally damaging, is within their wheelhouse of development.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t respond to messages from the AP seeking comment. Russia has previously called for United Nations efforts to stop the orbital deployment of weapons and President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear space weapons. The intelligence findings were shown to the AP on condition that the services involved were not identified and the news organization was not able to independently verify the findings’ conclusions. The U.S. Space Force didn’t respond to e-mailed questions. The French military’s Space Command said in a statement to the AP that it could not comment on the findings but said, "We can inform you that Russia has, in recent years, been multiplying irresponsible, dangerous, and even hostile actions in space.” Russia views Starlink in particular as a grave threat, the findings indicate. The thousands of low-orbiting satellites have been pivotal for Ukraine’s survival against Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year.

Reuters [12/22/2025 5:01 AM, Dmitry Antonov, 36480K] reports the Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. intelligence was wrong if it believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to seize all of all Ukraine and parts of Europe that were once part of the former Soviet empire. Reuters cited six unidentified sources last week as saying U.S. intelligence reports continued to warn that Putin has not abandoned what it called his aim of capturing all Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe once in the former Soviet bloc. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow did not know how reliable the sources quoted by Reuters were, but that if the report was accurate then the U.S. intelligence conclusions were wrong. "This is absolutely not true," Peskov said of the intelligence conclusions. Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces now control about a fifth of the country. Some European and Ukrainian leaders have accused Putin of having ambitions beyond Ukraine. The Russian president has never said in public that he wants to conquer the whole of Ukraine. But he has said repeatedly that Russian forces will take more of Ukraine if Kyiv does not agree to cede the remaining part of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Ukrainian forces still control. Moscow sees the eastward enlargement of the NATO military alliance, which now includes states in eastern Europe that were part of the Soviet bloc after World War Two, as a threat to Russia. Putin has said he does not seek to restore the Soviet Union or to attack a NATO member. He said this month that Russia did not want a war with Europe but that if Europe started one, then Russia would be victorious.

Wall Street Journal [12/21/2025 10:00 PM, Chun Han Wong, 646K] reports in 2016, Beijing launched a new aerospace conglomerate called Aero Engine Corp. of China. It had a challenging mandate: to develop top-line aircraft engines, a technology China had long struggled to master. Less than a decade later, Beijing’s newest stealth fighters are entering service with what officials call “Chinese hearts,” or indigenously made engines. The progress marked a milestone in China’s quest to forge an arms industry worthy of a rising global power. For years, China’s rise obscured a sobering reality: It couldn’t make all its own weapons. Beijing is now not only producing its own armaments, it is also selling more abroad. In some military technologies, China appears to be matching major arms producers such as Russia and the U.S., or even pulling ahead. The ability to churn out advanced armaments is a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s vision of making his country less reliant on the outside world for everything from food and energy to semiconductors. A more self-sufficient China is essential for preventing Western nations from locking it into a strategic stranglehold, Xi has argued. Two decades ago, China imported more arms than any other country, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or Sipri, an independent think tank. China used to rely on the likes of Russia and France for warplanes, aviation engines and air-defense systems, and even struck deals to buy military hardware from the U.S. in the 1980s, including radar systems and artillery technology. But China’s share of global arms imports has fallen significantly and the Asian power has dropped out of the world’s top 10 buyers in recent years, according to Sipri data. Analysts say China can now produce most of the military technologies it needs, even if it continues using some foreign hardware for cost or quality reasons.

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