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.

Reuters [12/4/2025 8:06 PM, Ryan Patrick Jones, 36480K] reports the U.S. plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday. Noem, in an interview on Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle," was asked to confirm whether the administration of President Donald Trump would be increasing the number of countries on the travel ban list to 32. "I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries," she said. Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats. The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers. Noem did not specify which countries would be added to the list. "If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?" Noem said. Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable. An expansion of the list would mark a further escalation of migration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week. Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting. Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to "permanently pause" migration from all "Third World Countries," although he did not identify any by name or define "third-world countries." Prior to that, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under the administration of his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries. Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration has frequently highlighted the deportation push, but until now it has put less emphasis on efforts to reshape legal immigration. The Washington Examiner [12/4/2025 10:08 PM, David Zimmermann, 1394K] reports that, after meeting with Trump this week, Noem recommended a full travel ban for numerous countries deemed too "high risk" for national security reasons. Her statement came in response to last week’s shooting in which a 29-year-old Afghan national allegedly ambushed two National Guard troops near the White House in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving. Afghanistan was one of 19 countries that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced would be affected by an indefinite pause in all pending immigration requests for nationals belonging to those countries. Afghanistan and the other 18 nations — Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen — were previously included in Trump’s June 4 proclamation for full and partial travel restrictions. Trump has not commented further on Noem’s recommendation, but on Thanksgiving, he posted that he planned to "permanently pause" immigration from "third world countries" following the shooting. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has since been charged with multiple counts. He pleaded not guilty to the charges this week. One of the National Guard members, Sarah Beckstrom, died. The second member, Andrew Wolfe, had been critically wounded but is slowly recovering. Trump met Wolfe’s family in the Oval Office on Thursday. "The great family of Andrew Wolfe — Our wonderful National Guardsman who was badly injured protecting the Capital of the United States of America. He is in the process of healing," the president wrote on Truth Social, sharing a picture of the family. "His parents, brother, and all of his friends are praying. I just met them in the Oval Office — They are fantastic American Patriots!".

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Daily Caller [12/4/2025 11:01 PM, Mariane Angela, 835K] r

Breitbart [12/4/2025 10:11 PM, Pam Key, 2416K] reports Thursday on Fox News Channel’s "The Ingraham Angle," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Biden administration allowed asylum seekers to have a "free-for-all" into the United States. Host Laura Ingraham said, "What was the reason you think that so many Republicans favored bringing in all these Afghan refugees? I mean, I remember battling with our favorite friends up on the Hill. Oh, we promised them. I looked, I said I didn’t promise America. But now we have 100,000 interpreters that mean this is just nonsense. But when people were, this was like, forced down the throats of the American public. I don’t think anyone wanted this.” Noem said, "Yeah. No, I think that what happened is so many of them, we’re hearing stories of people that were protecting our patriots, our men and women who are serving in our military and wanted to be advocates for their friends. But what I would say is, Laura, when we had these individuals come in, not only that did we have these 120,000, 200,000 different individuals that came in through this program. We also have 1.5 million people that were backlogged in the asylum cases that Joe Biden administration had facilitated in. So if you look at 1.5 million people that they had, allowed to apply for asylum, that they had never vetted, that were backlogged, even if people had wanted to come and claim asylum credibly, they couldn’t, because the Biden administration was just allowing people to come here and allowing them a free for all at the United States and our territories and our country. And then they weren’t vetting them and backlogged their cases." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/4/2025 9:15 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and I.C.E. Deputy Director Madison Sheahan discuss threats against I.C.E. agents, give an update on the Trump administration’s travel ban and more on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [12/4/2025 11:05 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin charged Thursday that the Biden administration "put us in danger" by failing to properly vet individuals brought into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome. Appearing on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America," McLaughlin argued that the Trump administration is now doing the work the Biden team neglected, saying the U.S. is "cleaning up the mess" left by the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. McLaughlin said the Biden administration’s vetting failures have allowed dangerous individuals to obtain entry to the country through parole and related programs. "I don’t think it can be overstated, the position that [former President] Joe Biden put us in, the danger he brought to this country through this botched Afghanistan withdrawal," she said, adding that millions of "unvetted illegal aliens" have entered through various pathways. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [12/4/2025 11:57 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Newsmax Thursday that then-President Joe Biden "broke the law" by allowing nearly 200,000 Afghans into the United States through what he called an abused humanitarian parole process, arguing the policy reflected a broader collapse of border and immigration enforcement. Appearing on "National Report," Schmitt described the Afghan parole program as a "real-life example of the disaster that was our open border system and a really broken immigration system that the Biden administration … administered." He said the scale and speed of admissions after the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 amounted to "suicidal empathy," adding, "This is totally insane. No sane country would do this." Schmitt argued that the administration admitted large numbers of Afghans without sufficient background checks.

CBS News [12/4/2025 3:35 PM, Scott MacFarlane, Jennifer Jacobs, Daniel Klaidman, Pat Milton, Anna Schecter, Joe Walsh, Alex Sundby, 39474K] reports a northern Virginia man was arrested and accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, federal authorities announced Thursday. Attorney General Pam Bondi identified the suspect as Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old from Woodbridge, Virginia, located just outside Washington, D.C. Cole was charged with use of an explosive device, Bondi said, adding that more charges were possible in the investigation, which was still active and ongoing. He’s the first suspect arrested in the yearslong pipe bomb investigation. Cole was arrested early Thursday morning and investigators were still executing search warrants in the afternoon, Bondi told reporters during a news conference. An unidentified FBI agent said in a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday that Cole allegedly bought multiple items in 2019 and 2020 that were consistent with the components used to make the pipe bombs. According to the affidavit, cellphone provider records show that Cole’s phone was located in the vicinity of the DNC and RNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, when the person who planted the bombs was seen on surveillance footage. Cole’s car was also spotted by a license plate reader less than half a mile from where the person was seen on the footage, the document states. The court documents don’t make any references to the Capitol riot that took place the following day. During Thursday’s news conference, Bondi didn’t provide details about the suspect’s possible motive. NBC News [12/4/2025 1:59 PM, Ryan J. Reilly, Michael Kosnar, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Matt Lavietes, and Rich Schapiro, 34509K] reports that the arrest marks a breakthrough in a case that has stymied investigators for nearly five years. Bondi credited investigators and prosecutors for "sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI," noting that no new tips led to the arrest. "This investigation is ongoing," Bondi said. "As we speak, search warrants are being executed, and there could be more charges to come." An FBI official previously told NBC News that the arrest happened on Thursday morning. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who led the investigation, criticized the Biden administration for "focusing on other things" and said he created the multi-agency team to reexamine the evidence that led to a suspect. "You’re not going to walk into our capital city down to explosive devices and walk off in the sunset," Bongino said about the suspect. "Not going to happen — we were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The Washington Examiner [12/4/2025 9:10 AM, Emily Hallas, 1394K] reports that the government’s lengthy investigation and years-long failure to arrest a suspect in connection with the case raised speculation about the incident, including from Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who heads the House select subcommittee on Jan. 6. Last month, Loudermilk requested more information about then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s Secret Service detail, who appeared to miss the pipe bomb planted by the DNC headquarters during a security sweep of the area. Police later discovered the bombs on Jan. 6. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has added fuel to the fire, expressing concern in November that the FBI, CIA, and Capitol Police “are implicated in this story.” The Daily Wire [12/4/2025 4:47 PM, Luke Rosiak, 2494K] reports Brian Cole, Jr. worked for a bail bonds company run by his father that worked to free illegal immigrants from ICE facilities and sued the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security. Weeks before 30-year-old Cole Jr. allegedly planted pipe bombs at the headquarters of the Democrat and Republican parties on January 6, 2021, a court ruled against the company in its lawsuit attacking the Trump administration on immigration issues, The Daily Wire has learned. An FBI affidavit in the case notes that the suspect works for a bail bond company and lives with his mother. Later in 2021, the company held a press conference bemoaning anti-black racism with a left-wing attorney. Cole Sr. and Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, attempted to sic the Biden Department of Justice on a local Tennessee prosecutor who had raised questions about the bail bond company. Charging papers say Cole Jr. began purchasing bomb-making parts by May 2019, during the Trump administration and long before any dispute about election results. They say his cell phone signal showed that he was in the vicinity of the DNC and RNC when the bombs were placed. The New York Times [12/4/2025 5:38 PM, Alan Feuer, Glenn Thrush, and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, 135475K] reports that the arrest of Mr. Cole, taken into custody on Thursday morning at the home he shared with his parents in suburban Woodbridge, provided potential closure for an enduring and politically charged mystery: Who planted bombs outside the national headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties on the eve of congressional certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s 2020 victory? Neither device exploded. But their discovery around 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 added to the fear and confusion on a day when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, and fueled conspiracy theories among Trump surrogates — the now-deputy F.B.I. director among them — that it was an inside job intended to discredit the right. At a Justice Department news conference on Thursday, Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, said the break in the case was not based on new information, but came after agents bore down — yet again — on their investigative files and connected dots that eventually led to Mr. Cole. Mr. Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi both declined to discuss Mr. Cole’s motive.

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National Review [12/4/2025 11:05 AM, James Lynch, 109K]

New York Post [12/4/2025 10:10 AM, Caitlin Doornbos, 42219K] reports federal investigators are looking at whether the Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members in broad daylight was radicalized after arriving in the US — despite clearing vetting by two different presidential administrations, a senior official told The Post. Rahmanullah Lakanwal passed security reviews both when he entered the country following President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Kabul in 2021 and again when he secured asylum under the Trump administration this past April. "You can vet what people have done in the past. You can’t vet what people might do in the future," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News’ "Hannity" in an interview that aired Tuesday night. Authorities are homing in on what happened during Lakanwal’s four years in the United States that would motivate him to drive 3,000 miles from his home in Bellingham, Wash., and shoot two National Guard members in the head in a Thanksgiving eve ambush steps from the White House. Still, federal officials are signaling that Lakanwal underwent a murderous change that vetting wouldn’t necessarily have picked up. "We believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday on NBC’s "Meet the Press." "We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him."

New York Times [12/4/2025 4:57 PM, Edward Wong, Kurt Streeter, Safiullah Padshah, Fahim Abed, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, and Jack Healy, 153395K] reports the emailed plea was urgent and direct: “Rahmanullah needs help.” The warning came nearly two years before Rahmanullah Lakanwal would be named as a suspect in the gunning down of two National Guard troops near the White House on the eve of Thanksgiving. It was enshrined in writing by a volunteer helping to give Mr. Lakanwal a fresh start in America who had become convinced he was unraveling. He had tried to make a go of life in the coastal city of Bellingham, Wash., after he and his family were evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. military in August 2021. In Afghanistan, he had fought in a C.I.A.-trained paramilitary unit. In the United States, he did temporary jobs, took his five sons to a local mosque and hosted visitors for tea in a house decorated in traditional Afghan style, with floor pillows and red rugs. But by early 2023, he started to show signs of depression and erratic behavior, according to accounts from a volunteer in northwest Washington who worked with his family. In the months after, he sequestered himself inside his darkened bedroom, refused to answer his phone, and even failed to bathe or dress his sons when his wife left to take short breaks from him. He dropped out of the English classes he was supposed to take, did not seek work and stopped paying rent. His family received an eviction notice. “Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year,” the volunteer wrote in a January 2024 email for a friend to send to a nonprofit group working with immigrants. “His behavior has changed greatly.”

FOX News [12/4/2025 8:52 PM, Alexandra Koch Fox, 40621K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday announced ICE had detained a Harvard Law School professor accused in a shooting outside a synagogue in October. Carlos Portugal Gouvêa, a Brazilian national, was arrested Oct. 2 after he allegedly fired a BB gun outside a Boston area synagogue the day before Yom Kippur. Gouvêa told authorities at the time he was "hunting rats.” He pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to illegal use of the air rifle, while his other charges of disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and vandalizing property were dismissed. The Harvard Crimson first reported Gouvêa was suspended by the university pending the investigation, with synagogue leaders noting in an email the shooting was not "fueled by antisemitism.” Two weeks after the shooting, the Department of State revoked his temporary non-immigrant (J-1) visa. ICE Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested Gouvêa Wednesday, and he agreed to voluntarily leave the U.S. rather than be deported, according to DHS. "It is a privilege to work and study in the United States, not a right," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement. "There is no room in the United States for brazen, violent acts of antisemitism like this. They are an affront to our core principals as a country and an unacceptable threat against law-abiding American citizens.” McLaughlin added DHS is "under zero obligation to admit foreigners who commit these inexplicably reprehensible acts or to let them stay here.” "Secretary [Kristi] Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and commit anti-American and antisemitic violence and terrorism should think again," she wrote. "You are not welcome here.” Gouvêa was a visiting professor of law at Harvard, and his full-time position was as an associate professor at the University of São Paulo Law School and CEO of IDGlobal in Brazil. The university website noted he led research that shaped major Brazilian Supreme Court decisions, documented violence against Indigenous peoples and participated on the boards of several Brazilian companies, including the Fulbright Commission, Brazilian Students Organization, Generation and Sempre SanFran. Harvard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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AP [12/4/2025 3:53 PM, Jack Brook and John Seewer, 31753K] reports Trump administration officials overseeing the immigration crackdown launched this week in New Orleans are aiming to make 5,000 arrests, a target that some city leaders who oppose the operation say is unrealistic and would require detaining more than just violent offenders. It’s an ambitious goal that would surpass the number of arrests during a two-month enforcement blitz this fall around Chicago, a region with a much bigger immigrant population than New Orleans. Records tracking the first weeks of the Chicago operation also showed most arrestees didn’t have a violent criminal record. Census Bureau figures show the New Orleans metro area had a foreign-born population of almost 100,000 residents last year, and that just under 60% were not U.S. citizens. Federal agents in marked and unmarked vehicles began spreading out across New Orleans and its suburbs Wednesday, making arrests in home improvement store parking lots and patrolling neighborhoods with large immigrant populations. Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said agents are going after immigrants who were released after arrests for violent crimes. To come close to reaching their target numbers in New Orleans, immigrant rights group fear federal agents will set their sights on a much broader group.

FOX News [12/4/2025 12:09 PM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Fox News’ Mike Tobin reports the latest on a new DHS operation in New Orleans to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, also weighed in on Operation Catahoula Crunch and an alleged fraud scheme in Minnesota.

Politico [12/4/2025 2:39 PM, Liz Crampton, 2100K] reports the arrival of federal law enforcement in New Orleans this week further strains a city on the verge of welcoming a new leader — and sets up the latest clash between local Democrats and Republican officials over President Donald Trump’s wide-reaching immigration enforcement agenda. New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, weeks away from taking office, was elected in October on promises to revitalize the city and move it past the chaos caused by its outgoing mayor LaToya Cantrell, who was indicted on federal corruption charges. Now, with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation underway in the Democratic-led city, Moreno faces a national challenge to confront as the city is thrust into the spotlight. “Moreno is going to enter office with neighborhoods severely harmed economically, emotionally, and it’s yet another hurdle,” said Dane Strother, a Democratic strategist who has worked in Louisiana. “We have a city on the brink now with budget woes, and the feds can push it over the cliff.” In a federal operation dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” named after hunting dogs who roam swamps, the Department of Homeland Security said their agents will target violent criminals in New Orleans, though some fear the federal officers could arrest people who committed only minor criminal offenses or have no criminal record. It marks the fourth destination for DHS after similar efforts in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte — but the action in Louisiana marks an escalation of the federal government’s immigration crackdown with its goal of arresting roughly 5,000 people. It also represents the first Border Patrol deployment within a Democrat-led city with the full-throated cooperation of a Republican governor, raising the potential for local and state leaders to be pitted against each other. GOP Gov. Jeff Landry teased the operation on Fox News earlier this week, calling New Orleans a “crime ridden city” that needs “more boots on the ground in order to get crime under control.” New Orleans used to have the highest homicide rate in the country, but crime has reportedly dropped in recent years, like it has for many major U.S. cities. As the Crescent City’s first Hispanic mayor, Moreno has expressed concerns about resident’s due process rights being violated and has criticized federal officials for not providing her with any information about the operation. Ahead of the deployment, Moreno launched a website listing resources for people affected by the law enforcement action. An aide for Moreno declined to comment.

FOX News [12/4/2025 8:12 PM, Bonny Chu, 40621K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that it had made dozens of arrests in New Orleans just one day after launching Operation Catahoula Crunch, the latest federal immigration operation cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants. "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens harming them, their families or their neighbors," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "In just 24 hours on the ground, our law enforcement officers have arrested violent criminals with rap sheets that include homicide, kidnapping, child abuse, robbery, theft and assault.” DHS released several photos of the arrested individuals accused of "terrorizing Americans.” The men, all with criminal histories, are reportedly from Vietnam, Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. Officials said they detained Vietnamese national Binh Van To, who has been convicted of kidnapping, homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Hung Ngoc Tran, another Vietnamese national, was convicted of sexual assault, larceny and "fondling" a child, DHS said. DHS said Carlos Roberto Guardado-Ramirez of Honduras was arrested for simple battery, domestic abuse, child endangerment, resisting an officer and driving while intoxicated. Jose Raul Lopez-Serrano, also a Honduran national, was convicted for marijuana possession and previously arrested for disturbing the peace, DHS added. Luis Fernando Maldonado-Velasquez, a Guatemalan who has an immigration warrant, has previously been arrested for suspected vehicle theft and forging and altering documents, DHS added. Freddy Caldero-Caraballo is from the Dominican Republic and was reportedly arrested for suspected possession of cocaine, public intoxication and driving while intoxicated. McLaughlin condemned sanctuary politicians Thursday for failing to prioritize the safety of American families, echoing previous statements that sanctuary policies have allowed illegal immigrants with criminal allegations to be released. "President Trump and Secretary Noem will stand up to protect American families when sanctuary politicians won’t," McLaughlin said. "If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them. "Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [12/4/2025 6:04 PM, Ali Bradley and Jeff Arnold, 8017K] reports as federal immigration agents settle into New Orleans for their next enforcement operation, suburban neighborhoods outside of the city are already seeing an abundance of activity. In Kenner, 18 miles outside of New Orleans, U.S. Border Patrol agents working under Commander Gregory Bovino have begun targeted enforcement operations that have led to arrests. In a community where 30% of the residents are immigrants, federal agents have found a law enforcement partner willing to help. Unlike previous immigration crackdown operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina, where city police departments took a hands-off approach, Kenner police officers are at the ready, prepared to enforce immigration laws. Police Chief Keith Conley, who has been in his role since 2022, told NewsNation that his department has been actively cracking down on crime while also targeting criminal migrants who the Trump administration considers "the worst of the worst.” The Kenner Police Department signed 287 (g) agreements with the federal government this year. In March, the department opened its jail for detained migrants until they can be moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. The department signed a Task Force Model agreement in October, which allows its officers to work with federal immigration officers in going after targeted migrants. "Our SWAT team, our tactical teams, have been on standby around the clock in case we get the call that we’re needed," Conley told NewsNation. "We’ve helped (federal law enforcement) before …They called us for our TAC teams, and that’s a compliment to us. "They know that we’re well-trained and we can handle those missions. I’ve had great communication with the commander and with some of his deputies, and they know that we stand ready.” Border Patrol agents arrived at a Kenner residence Wednesday while several people were working on the roof of the home. The workers included several migrants, who refused to come down from the roof when Border Patrol arrived.

AP [12/5/2025 12:03 AM, Jack Brook and Sara Cline, 19051K] reports the doors of Carmela Diaz’s taco joint are locked, the tables are devoid of customers and no one is working in the kitchen. It’s one of many once-thriving Hispanic businesses, from Nicaraguan eateries to Honduran restaurants, emptied out in recent weeks in neighborhoods with lots of signs in Spanish but increasingly fewer people on the streets. In the city of Kenner, which has the highest concentration of Hispanic residents in Louisiana, a federal immigration crackdown aiming for 5,000 arrests has devastated an economy already struggling from ramped-up enforcement efforts this year, some business owners say, and had far-reaching impacts on both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. "Fewer and fewer people came," said a crying Diaz, whose Taqueria La Conquistadora has been closed for several weeks now with both customers and workers afraid to leave home. "There were days we didn’t sell anything. That’s why I made the decision to close the business — because there was no business.” On Wednesday, convoys of federal vehicles began rumbling back and forth down Kenner’s main commercial streets as the Department of Homeland Security commenced the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations that have included surges in Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. Bystanders have posted videos of federal agents detaining people outside Kenner businesses and at construction sites. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino also made an appearance in the city, surrounded by agents in tactical gear, to tout to reporters the launch of the operation dubbed Catahoula Crunch, a name derived from the big game hound that is the Louisiana state dog. The state’s Hispanic population has boomed in the last two decades, with many of them arriving in the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild. In Kenner, just west of New Orleans between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, Hispanics make up about 30% of residents. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Thursday that federal agents have already made dozens of arrests, though the agency has not released a full list of people detained. "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens harming them, their families, or their neighbors," McLaughlin said in a statement. "In just 24 hours on the ground, our law enforcement officers have arrested violent criminals with rap sheets that include homicide, kidnapping, child abuse, robbery, theft, and assault.” The office of Mayor Michael Glaser, a former police chief, declined to comment on his stance on the operation. But it said the crackdown "falls under federal jurisdiction" and the mayor expects all agencies operating in the city to conduct themselves "professionally, lawfully and with respect for our community." It also said the city is "not participating in or advising" on the operation. However, the city’s police are among the hundreds of local and state law enforcement agencies nationwide that have signed agreements to be part of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that authorizes them to hold detainees for potential deportation.

Axios [12/4/2025 3:53 PM, Chelsea Brasted, 12972K] reports the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration crackdown continued in the New Orleans metro on Thursday. Protests disrupted New Orleans City Council proceedings as law enforcement agents were spotted around the metro. About 30 people were removed from City Hall as a result, The Times-Picayune reports. The demonstrators’ signs protested collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. City Council members have spoken out against DHS’s actions, and New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has said her department won’t assist in the crackdown because immigration is a civil rather than a criminal issue. A federal judge declined Thursday to pause a state law banning interference with immigration enforcement, according to Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office. The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the 2024 law, and another hearing is expected next week. DHS officials have denied repeated requests from Axios to comment on details such as an operational timeline and regional scope, arrest goals, and the total number of agents involved in the New Orleans blitz. Though DHS has not yet shared the total number of people its agents have detained locally, a press release Thursday said agents have made "dozens of arrests," including a handful it highlighted for having criminal backgrounds. DHS officials this week said agents are targeting criminals who were once in law enforcement custody but were released as a result of New Orleans’ "sanctuary"-like policies. Border Patrol chief agent Gregory Bovino told CBS News on Wednesday that DHS agents had already detained "a lot" of people and were "still counting." Bovino, who has led similar crackdowns in other cities and once led the Border Patrol’s New Orleans office, said that his team included "several hundred agents spread across the New Orleans area" and that Border Patrol would remain until "the mission’s accomplished."

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Daily Caller [12/4/2025 3:49 PM, Nicole Silverio, 835K]

Breitbart [12/4/2025 4:31 PM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports FBI agents and Louisiana State Police have launched a joint effort to safeguard federal immigration officers during enhanced enforcement operations in New Orleans. The partnership, announced Wednesday, aims to deter a surge in assaults on Border Patrol and ICE agents, with officials warning that any interference will bring swift and severe consequences. FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the New Orleans Field Office made it very clear that any attempts to impede or assault immigration agents conducting operations in the Big Easy would be met with serious consequences. On Wednesday, Tapp commented on the newly formed partnership with the Louisiana State Police, saying, "We will not tolerate assaults on law enforcement officers in Louisiana, and there will be consequences. We will be on the streets and partnered with the Louisiana State Police and additional federal law enforcement to investigate and arrest anyone assaulting law enforcement officers, unlawfully impeding federal law enforcement activity, or assisting anyone to commit this criminal activity." The team, comprised of Louisiana State Police and FBI agents, will shadow enhanced immigration operations conducted under "Catahoula Crunch," which was launched by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. According to Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges, his agency will enforce state laws designed to protect people and property, complementing federal law enforcement efforts to safeguard immigration agents operating in the greater New Orleans area. Hodges pledged to take immediate action on state-level violations of law that involved the assault of law enforcement officers or any actions that involved criminal property damage.

CBS News [12/4/2025 8:04 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Joe Walsh, 39474K] reports federal immigration authorities this week began conducting enhanced operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a U.S. official told CBS News, targeting a region with a large population of the Somali immigrants President Trump often rails against. The surge by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to target individuals in the Twin Cities area with deportation orders, the official said. The exact scope and duration of the operation are not clear so far. The crackdown comes as Mr. Trump castigates Minnesota’s large community of Somali immigrants, regularly pointing to the country — often in incendiary terms — as a justification for his administration’s sweeping mass deportation campaign. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Mr. Trump called people from Somalia "garbage" and claimed they "contribute nothing.” "I don’t want them in our country. I’ll be honest with you," the president said Tuesday. "Their country’s no good for a reason. Their country stinks.” In recent days, the Trump administration has halted all immigration cases, including citizenship ceremonies, for people from Somalia and 18 other nations on its travel ban, and has ordered a reexamination of all green cards issued to immigrants from those countries, CBS News has reported. And last month, Mr. Trump said he was ending a deportation protection program called Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants in Minnesota, claiming without evidence that "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people." The TPS program for Somalia is set to expire in March 2026, though the Department of Homeland Security has not formally announced its termination. Mr. Trump has also brought attention to a massive public assistance fraud scandal that has dogged Minnesota politics for years, in which dozens of defendants — most of whom are of Somali descent — were accused of bilking hundreds of millions of dollars from food aid, autism services and housing programs. The president has blamed Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the fraud schemes and claimed Somali immigrants have "ripped off that state.” Democratic officials and members of Minnesota’s Somali community have denounced Mr. Trump’s statements, with Walz on Thursday calling them "vile, racist lies and slander towards our fellow Minnesotans.” "I am not garbage," Hamse Warfa, a Somali-born entrepreneur who lives in the Minneapolis area and runs a nationwide education nonprofit, told CBS News Minnesota. "I’m a proud American citizen.” Minnesota has one of the country’s largest Somali populations, with some 76,000 people of Somali descent statewide — representing just over 1% of the state’s population, according to 2024 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The state’s Somali community grew after the East African country descended into civil war in the early 1990s, causing scores of people to flee Somalia, which still faces instability, threats of insurgency and poverty. In some cases, Somali refugees were resettled elsewhere in the U.S. before moving to Minnesota, drawn in many cases by job opportunities, safety, good schools and a longstanding network of nonprofits in the state that assist refugees, Somali American and Macalester College professor Ahmed Samatar told CBS News Minnesota in 2019. Just over half of Somali Minnesotans arrived in the U.S. before 2010, and one in five moved to the U.S. before 2000. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [12/4/2025 9:03 PM, Heather Schlitz and Andrew Hay, 36480K] reports people of Somali origin are among those arrested in an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, federal officials said on Thursday, two days after President Donald Trump hurled insults at immigrants from the Horn of Africa country and said he wanted them out of the United States. The Minneapolis arrests began on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said in its first statement on the operation. Officials did not give a total arrest figure but gave profiles of 12 people apprehended, five of them from Somalia, the rest from Mexico and El Salvador. In the statement, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin portrayed them all as dangerous criminals with convictions ranging from fraud and vehicle theft to criminal sexual conduct and driving under the influence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, has strongly criticized Trump’s attacks on the city’s Somali population and on Thursday called on Americans to "love and respect" Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, which is the largest in North America. Trump’s racist rhetoric against Somalis, and attacks on Minnesota politicians who defend them, has been applauded by his allies. On Tuesday, during a televised cabinet meeting, he reacted to reports of government fraud among pockets of Minnesota’s large Somali population by calling immigrants there "garbage" and saying he wanted them sent "back to where they came from." Anti-immigration rhetoric was a major part of Trump’s campaign. Since taking office in January he has overseen aggressive operations by masked federal agents across the country in a bid to drive deportations to record levels. Along the way, Trump’s public language when speaking about immigrants has grown harsher. Also on Thursday, federal officials said they had arrested dozens of people in New Orleans, another Democratic-run city. On day two of the New Orleans operation, protesters disrupted a city council meeting to demand councillors declare city property "ICE Free" zones where federal immigration agents could not stage operations. Protesters accused federal agents of indiscriminately targeting people of color, including U.S. citizens, with no criminal record, an allegation the Department of Homeland Security denies. New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said in a statement on Wednesday the operation had created a culture of fear among the city’s most vulnerable residents. "We must do what we can to protect New Orleans and ensure due process is followed for all of our residents," she said, announcing an online portal for citizens to report abuse from federal immigration officers. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, has supported federal immigration enforcement efforts. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX Business [12/4/2025 2:18 PM, Staff, 10085K] Video: HERE reports attorney and American Frontier Strategies CEO Mehek Cooke joins the ‘Mornings with Maria’ panel to discuss the escalating nationwide immigration crackdown, rising fraud concerns and the growing political fallout facing Democrats.

ABC News [12/4/2025 2:47 PM, Staff, 30493K] Video: HERE reports Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey joins ABC News Live to share how he’s prepping his city for the ICE raids.

Axios [12/4/2025 5:01 PM, Jason Lalljee, 12972K] reports President Trump has directed his crackdown on immigrants toward the U.S. Somali community. In the week following the fatal National Guard shooting, the president has ramped up his policies and rhetoric against immigrants including those in the country legally — using fraud allegations to target Somalis. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Tuesday that her agency will be targeting visa fraud in Minnesota, where around 87,000 people with Somali roots live. Trump said last week that he wanted to end temporary protected status for Somalis, which would impact approximately 700 people covered by TPS. The deployment of 100 ICE agents to Minnesota also starts this week, the New York Times reported.

FOX News [12/4/2025 3:55 PM, Breanne Deppisch, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump has recently announced a flurry of new actions to crack down and investigate fraud schemes in Minnesota, which he has assailed as a "hub of money laundering activity," and cited as the basis of his decision to terminate deportation protections for hundreds of Somali migrants. Senior Trump administration officials announced fresh investigations this week, including a new Treasury Department probe into how taxpayer dollars were allegedly diverted to the terrorist organization al-Shabaab, according to Secretary Scott Bessent. Meanwhile, city officials in Minneapolis are bracing for an influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after the agency announced plans for a new operation in the state. And Trump last month cited the fraud as a driver of his decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for thousands of Somali migrants living in Minnesota, saying in a Truth Social post that they should "go back to where they came from." Immigration advocates and local community leaders say they fear the actions and rhetoric could chill or stigmatize Somali residents who are living in the country legally. At the heart of the issue is the sprawling, $250 million "Feeding Our Future" fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded children’s nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump and other officials have zeroed in on this and other alleged fraud schemes in recent weeks, arguing that the criminal activity is a result of mismanagement and "incompetence" from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and former vice presidential candidate.

Washington Post [12/4/2025 5:03 PM, Caroline O’Donovan and Emmanuel Felton, 24149K] reports the usually bustling Karmel Mall, a hub for the city’s Somali residents, is quiet. Signs on the mall’s doors declare, “No ICE enter without court order.” Nearby, a Mexican bakery and a neighboring taqueria are closed. Immigration activists and lawyers say Somali residents have been pulled over, asked for their passports and detained by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this week after President Donald Trump called the state’s Somali immigrants “garbage” that should go back to Somalia. “I have been getting calls all day and night from people who should not be at risk,” said Cameron Geibnik, a Minneapolis immigration attorney who described talking to naturalized citizens or permanent residents scared of being detained. Trump’s rants against Minneapolis, which has the United States’ largest population of people of Somali descent, about 80,000 residents, has put this community in an unusual position. Most Somali immigrants came to the country decades ago and have become U.S. citizens. During the last presidential election, Trump performed better in Minneapolis neighborhoods with large Somali populations than he did in 2020. But Trump has launched diatribe after diatribe against the community in recent weeks, even as advocates and local leaders say the Department of Homeland Security seems to have launched new efforts to target undocumented immigrants. Minneapolis residents and local officials say immigration officers appear focused on Somali neighborhoods. It’s unclear how many people have been detained so far, local officials say. DHS didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

NPR [12/4/2025 6:47 AM, Kirsti Marohn, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports Somali-Americans in Minnesota say President Donald Trump’s racist comments about them and threats of immigration enforcement are stirring up unnecessary fear in their communities. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

DailySignal [12/4/2025 3:59 PM, Tyler O’Neil, 549K] reports a State Department spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Signal Wednesday that no new Somali refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office. The Somali community in Minnesota has gained renewed scrutiny in the wake of multiple fraud scandals, including a massive $250 million fraud scandal involving the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Futures. Since Trump signed an executive order suspending entry into the U.S. under the program, only a handful of refugees have been admitted from three countries: Afghanistan, El Salvador, and South Africa. Thousands of Somali refugees entered the country in the first months of fiscal year 2025, however, which began on Oct. 1, 2024. The program records the admission of 4,992 Somali refugees from October through January. Six hundred and seventy of them settled in Minnesota. Ohio received the second-largest number at 245, followed closely by New York at 211. In fiscal year 2024, 1,267 Somalis settled in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Roughly 76,000 people of Somali descent live in Minnesota, more than half of whom were born in the U.S., according to Census Bureau data cited by CBS News. Multiple high-profile fraud charges and convictions have drawn the Minnesota Somali community into the national spotlight. The office of U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen has charged 78 defendants connected to the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, and 56 of them have pleaded guilty. Authorities have also filed charges in a $14 million fraud case involving an autism program and a multi-million-dollar fraud case involving housing stabilization services.

Wall Street Journal [12/4/2025 9:48 PM, Scott Calvert and Jeanne Whalen, 646K] reports Massive fraud blamed on dozens of Minnesota residents of Somali descent has jumped to national attention, with House Republicans launching an investigation into how pervasive corruption in the state’s social-services system was allowed to fester under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s administration. The probe by the GOP-led House Oversight Committee deepens scrutiny of the scandal in Minnesota, where federal prosecutors say the fraud exceeded $1 billion and that dozens of people bilked taxpayers by setting up scam social-services companies. Close to 60 defendants have been convicted, and federal prosecutors last week charged the 78th person in a prong of the cases that authorities called “the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the country.” Years after some of the Minnesota fraud cases came to light, the issue has stirred up the governor’s race and drawn in President Trump. On social media, he called the state “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and said he would immediately end temporary protected status for Somali immigrants in Minnesota. “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing,” he wrote. “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!” Ahmed Samatar, a Somali-American international relations professor at Macalester College in Minnesota, condemned the alleged fraud. “A small group of Somali-Americans here in Minnesota have engaged in what I think is a despicable act,” he said. “It is civic betrayal, particularly for a state that has welcomed the Somalis with enormous generosity.” He also criticized what he called Trump’s “unhinged” comments about the community. Most people of Somali descent are law-abiding and have made big contributions as doctors, nurses and other professionals, he said, adding that as a Somali-American himself, he has educated countless American students over four decades.

NBC News [12/4/2025 10:32 PM, Nicole Acevedo, Maggie Vespa and Kailani Koenig, 34509K] reports many in Minnesota’s Somali community — even those who are citizens — say they are fearful after Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched an operation in the region and after President Donald Trump’s rants against Somalia and Somali immigrants living in the United States. "Nobody is leaving their homes right now," a 21-year-old Minnesota native of Somali descent, who asked to not be named for fear of harassment, told NBC News. "They don’t even have anything to run for. They’re citizens. They’ve been living here for years.” Many of the shops at Karmel Mall — a hub of Somali businesses, merchants and restaurants in Minneapolis — were closed Thursday, and the normally busy mall was quieter than usual. Some establishments had signs that read "No ICE.” While a senior law enforcement official previously said ICE officers are not specifically targeting Somali immigrants, the operation in Minneapolis coincided with Trump’s saying Wednesday that Somalis have "destroyed Minnesota" and "our country." Trump spoke following news reports that dozens of people of Somali descent have been convicted in fraud schemes related to Covid relief that netted over $1 billion. "The mistakes of a few individuals can never be used to generalize or stereotype an entire community," Imam Hassan Jama, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, said Thursday. He added that the majority "of Somali Americans in Minnesota are hardworking, reasonable and deeply committed to contributing to the prosperity of our state and our country.” Trump has also directed comments at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who fled the civil war in Somalia with her family and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before she moved to the United States and became a citizen. Trump called her "garbage" and "a real terrible person" during a tirade about Somalis on Tuesday. Omar, a progressive Democrat whom Trump has mocked and targeted for years, responded Tuesday on X: "His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.” There are more than 98,000 Somali immigrants in the United States, and about 83% are naturalized U.S. citizens, according to census data. In Minnesota, most of the 80,000 people of Somali ancestry are U.S. citizens. Nearly 6 in 10 were born in this country or are legal permanent residents. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in an interview that ICE arrests had been rising in the Minneapolis area for the last month, with officers predominantly targeting the Latino community. "What changed this week was it was the first time people from the community reaching out over the Thanksgiving weekend to say that Somalis were being targeted," he said. O’Hara sparked conservative backlash at a news conference Tuesday, telling residents to call 911 if they’re unsure whether the masked strangers forcing residents into unmarked vehicles are law enforcement officers. Trump’s "border czar," Tom Homan, called the message "shameful.” Asked about Osman’s comments recommending that Somali Americans carry their U.S. passports, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said people "who are not here illegally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear. Elected officials choosing to fearmonger by distorting reality are doing a great disservice to our country.” "Removing dangerous criminals from our streets makes it safer for everyone — including business owners and their customers," she said.

FOX News [12/4/2025 9:43 AM, Marc Tamasco Fox, 40621K] reports during a Wednesday interview on CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared to struggle to explain how fraud became "so out of control" in Minnesota after federal officials announced an investigation into an alleged Somali fraud network operating in the state. After being pressed by Tapper to explain how fraud became so rampant within her state, the congresswoman gave a meandering response, attributing the problem to inadequate "guardrails" for COVID relief funds that were subsequently exploited. "I think what happened, um, is that, you know, when you have these, kind of new programs that are, um, designed to help people, you’re oftentimes relying on third parties to be able to facilitate. And I just think that a lot of the COVID programs that were set up — they were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created," Omar told the host. After the congresswoman’s response, Tapper criticized President Donald Trump for making "shockingly bigoted" comments about not only Omar, but "the entire Somali community in Minnesota," while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. "These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They’ve taken billions and billions of dollars. They have a representative, Ilhan Omar, who they say married her brother. She should be thrown the hell out of our country. And most of those people, they have destroyed Minnesota. She should not be — and her friend shouldn’t be allowed — frankly, they shouldn’t even be allowed to be Congress people, okay? They shouldn’t even be allowed to be Congress people, because they don’t represent the interests of our country," Trump told reporters. After playing the clip for Omar, Tapper asked the congresswoman whether she had any response to the president’s comments about her and other Somali immigrants. "I’m not shocked, because we know that the president oftentimes resorts to very bigoted, xenophobic, Islamophobic, racist rhetoric when he is trying to scapegoat and deflect from the actual failures that he has himself," Omar said. "We know that this administration has not fulfilled the majority of the promises that they’ve made, whether it is bringing costs down, whether it is the tariffs that are decimating businesses in the United States, whether it is the possible war crimes that his defense secretary is committing.” She continued, "And so, to me, it is important for us, one, to remind folks that we are Americans. We’re not going anywhere, and we will continue to be in this country. And two, that Minnesotans are resilient, and we will continue to thrive.” On Tuesday, the Small Business Administration announced its investigation into a network of Somali groups in Minnesota that it says is tied to a massive COVID fraud scandal highlighting alleged systemic failures by Gov. Tim Walz’s team to properly audit public funds.

New York Times [12/4/2025 6:45 PM, Ernesto Londoño, 135475K] reports Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota on Thursday called President Trump’s recent tirades against Somalis in the state “vile,” warning that xenophobic rhetoric could lead to bloodshed. “This creates danger,” Mr. Walz, a Democrat, told reporters during a news conference. “We know how these things go, they start with taunts, they turn to violence.” The governor made the remarks as his administration announced a new fiscal analysis suggesting that Minnesota will grapple with a nearly $3 billion state budget deficit in the 2028-2029 cycle. That forecast raised new questions about a fraud scandal targeting state social services programs. In recent days, Mr. Trump has lashed out at Somali Americans, referring to them as “garbage” and saying, “we don’t want them in our country.” The president’s outburst followed news reports about the fraud scandal in Minnesota targeting safety net programs designed to feed vulnerable children, help people at risk of homelessness and provide therapy to children with autism. The vast majority of the 86 people federal prosecutors have charged in the fraud schemes are of Somali ancestry. Most are American citizens. So far, 59 people have been convicted in the cases. Mr. Walz and budget experts in his administration said on Thursday that they had no way of determining precisely how hundreds of millions of dollars stolen in the fraud schemes had affected the projected budget shortfall. But the governor said an audit of 14 government programs would likely give state officials a clearer sense of the scope of the problem. “We’ve acknowledged that this is serious, it needs to stop, it’s stopping, people are continuing to go to prison,” said Mr. Walz, who is running for a third term as governor next year. Minnesota Republicans, who have not won a statewide race since 2006, have seized on the issue as they aim to win the governor’s office in 2026. But some struggled on Thursday to keep attention on the fraud scandal as they were asked about the president’s insults against tens of thousands of Somalis who live in Minnesota. “If this had been taken care of early on, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at this time,” said Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House, who is among the Republicans running for governor. Asked whether she agreed with the president’s assertion that Minnesota would be better off without Somalis, Ms. Demuth told reporters: “There is not an entire community that is bad, and there is not an entire community that is good.” Minnesotans of Somali descent have said President Trump’s comments have left them feeling scared and hurt. The Trump administration this week deployed about 100 federal agents from to Minnesota with a mandate to detain Somalis who are subject to deportation.

Daily Wire [12/4/2025 5:16 AM, Hank Berrien, 2494K] reports Minnesota’s leftist Democratic Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan erupted against President Trump, launching a broadside that sounded more like a social media influencer’s meltdown than the words of a sitting state executive. After Trump scorched Minnesota’s Somali community over allegations of massive welfare fraud and ties to terrorism, Flanagan posted on Instagram to sneer: "You know, this vile, racist stream of consciousness from a President ‘Old Man Yells At Cloud,’ you’re disgusting." She filmed herself cruising down Lake Street — the heart of the local Somali community — praising it as "beautiful," "the fabric of our state," and promising to "stand shoulder to shoulder" with immigrants "no matter what.” On November 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity. I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!". For Flanagan, Trump’s blunt warning about fraud and exploitation was "vile" simply because it offends progressive sensibilities. Yet what Trump highlighted has been meticulously documented. During Governor Tim Walz’s tenure, billions in taxpayer funds have vanished into fake nonprofits and shell companies, much of it allegedly tied to Somali-run operations that have misused Medicaid and housing aid. Confidential law enforcement sources have confirmed that some of the stolen money has made its way to Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked terror group destabilizing East Africa. As one independent contractor investigating the scandal put it, "The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.” Instead of reckoning with that shocking reality or demanding accountability for the theft and possible terrorism financing under her own administration, Flanagan turned her indignation on Trump. It’s a deflection pattern that’s become her political brand.

Blaze [12/4/2025 5:30 AM, Cortney Weil, 1442K] reports a Kansas mayor who is not a U.S. citizen, despite residing in the state for most of his life, has been accused of illegally voting "multiple times" — and documents obtained by Blaze News seem to support those allegations. Last month, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) held a press conference to announce that Coldwater Mayor Jose "Joe" Ceballos, 54, had been charged with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury, all felonies. He could face more than five years behind bars if convicted. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, added that a conviction would also prompt "removal proceedings" for Ceballos.

NBC News [12/4/2025 4:08 PM, Julio "Gaby" Acevedo, 43603K] reports an investigation by the New York City Department of Investigations (DOI) revealed that an NYPD officer may have violated sanctuary city laws by cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents. Now, some elected officials are questioning whether the police department can be trusted to uphold the essence of these regulations. As part of its findings, the DOI noted at least five incidents between November 2024 and last summer where the NYPD interacted with federal agencies for immigrant monitoring purposes. The agency found that most NYPD policies comply with City law, but identified one instance where an officer on a Homeland Security task force allegedly honored a federal request to create a digital list of suspected Tren Aragua gang members in contact with the NYPD. No arrests stemmed from this action, but that officer has been removed from the joint task force with restricted access to the NYPD’s database, the DOI report says. The report, for its part, acknowledges the efforts of local authorities with sanctuary city laws and also suggests some recommendations to ensure NYPD compliance. That includes conducting an audit of officers working jointly with federal agencies, in addition to providing guidance on how to handle non-criminal immigration enforcement requests. In a statement, an NYPD spokesperson said that the police department will accept the recommendations of the DOI report and ensure overall compliance.

NPR [12/5/2025 4:58 AM, Allison Sherry, 34837K] reports a federal judge in Colorado says federal agents must stop arresting without warrants people they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Bloomberg Law [12/4/2025 4:38 PM, Megan Crepeau, 803K] reports Chicago protesters’ move to dismiss their suit challenging immigration agents’ use of force was "procedural gamesmanship," a US Department of Justice attorney said Thursday, noting that plaintiffs filed the dismissal motion before an appellate court had a chance to decide the merits of the case. If the case is dismissed with prejudice, as the plaintiffs have requested, that dismissal would prevent protesters and journalists from filing similar suits in the future, attorney Elizabeth Hedges said. Judge Sara Ellis of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois told Hedges she disagreed. The class complaint was brought by a coalition of journalists, clergy and demonstrators alleging that agents in "Operation Midway Blitz," the Chicago-area immigration crackdown, used indiscriminate violence against them. After contentious litigation, Ellis sided with the plaintiffs, certifying a class and issuing a preliminary injunction governing agents’ use of force. The administration appealed the injunction to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which imposed a pause, saying the order was overbroad. Plaintiffs this week moved to dismiss the case altogether, saying immigration enforcement operations have wound down in Chicago such that they haven’t received reports of unconstitutional behavior in nearly a month. Ellis on Thursday didn’t immediately rule on the motion to dismiss so that members of the class would have time to file objections. She scheduled a hearing for early January.

NPR [12/4/2025 2:44 PM, Jaclyn Diaz, 28013K] reports that the Department of Justice has instructed inspectors to stop evaluating prisons and jails using standards designed to protect transgender, intersex and gender-nonconforming people from sexual violence, according to an internal memo obtained by NPR. This population is uniquely vulnerable to attacks while incarcerated, data shows, and advocates say the change will put such people in even more danger. The memo explains that DOJ is in the process of revising federal standards related to the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in order to align with President Trump’s executive order on "gender ideology extremism." The Jan. 20 executive order asserts that the United States recognizes only two sexes: male and female. According to the DOJ memo, while the revision process is underway, detention centers that undergo PREA audits will no longer be inspected using standards specifically designed to keep LGBTQ and intersex people safe. The facilities include federal prisons, state prisons and jails, juvenile detention centers and immigration detention centers. These inspectors, referred to as auditors, are not employed by the DOJ, but are hired by corrections agencies or by individual facilities. The DOJ certifies the auditors and can decertify them. The DOJ did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on the memo.

Chicago Tribune [12/4/2025 5:23 PM, Jason Meisner, 4829K] reports an attorney for the Trump administration claimed in court Thursday that the dismissal of a lawsuit over the use of force by immigration agents in Chicago would bar journalists and protesters from bringing similar claims of constitutional violations in the future. In making her argument, Department of Justice attorney Elizabeth Hedges also told U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis that, contrary to media reports, Operation Midway Blitz has not ended and that the administration of President Donald Trump continues to carry out "lawful" immigration enforcement - though she declined to say when or if another surge in Border Patrol agents would hit the city. Hedge’s position was immediately called out by Ellis, who said it was an incorrect statement of the law to say a dismissal with prejudice would give agents "free reign to violate a protester’s constitutional rights or the press’s constitutional rights ad infinitum." The discussion came as Ellis took under consideration a request by the plaintiffs to dismiss the lawsuit that led to her landmark injunction last month limiting the use of tear gas and other chemical munitions against the media and protesters and also requiring agents to wear body cameras and clear identification. Both sides have agreed on the dismissal but not on what the impact of that would be. Because the lawsuit involved a certified class of plaintiffs, Ellis did not rule on the dismissal Thursday. Instead, she set a deadline of Jan. 8 for any class members to object to it. If none come forward, the suit would be dismissed on that date. The 7th Circuit, meanwhile, has stayed any action at the appellate level pending the dismissal.

Chicago Tribune [12/4/2025 6:00 AM, Talia Soglin, 4829K] reports the city of Chicago ignored concerns raised by an advocate about immigration raids at O’Hare’s rideshare parking lots for weeks before federal agents swept up more than 70 people there, emails obtained by the Tribune show. An advocate for rideshare drivers first emailed the city on Sept. 19, saying she was concerned federal agents might target a parking lot near O’Hare International Airport where rideshare drivers wait for ride assignments. But the city did not appear to take any action in response to her warning until U.S. Border Patrol agents first conducted a raid at the parking lot three weeks later, on Oct. 10. Lori Simmons, lead organizer for the Chicago Gig Alliance, wrote an email outlining her concerns to Tom Stastny, general manager of landside airport operations for the Chicago Department of Aviation. "I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out about the (Transportation Network Provider) lot- specifically our organization is concerned that the lot may become a target for ICE raids," Simmons wrote. "We are curious what airport policy is around this and if it might be possible to be notified of ICE activity so we can reach out to advocates to respond on behalf of the workers.”

The Hill [12/4/2025 6:00 AM, Lexi Lonas Cochran, 12595K] reports international students are taking a close look at their holiday travel plans amid increased concerns over President Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has threatened the status of thousands since he took office. Foreign visitors are eyeing travel with fear after seeing at least one student deported over Thanksgiving break when visiting family and watching other reports of students who have been detained over the past year with no prior notification or criminal activity. Advocates say students and schools are struggling to find the right balance between concern and overcaution amid the administration’s general hostility and lack of transparency. During Thanksgiving travel, Babson College freshman Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was set to fly from Boston to Texas to see her family but was detained by immigration officials after going through airport security. Lopez Belloza, who came to the U.S. at 7 years old, was swiftly deported back to Honduras. The Trump administration said she had a deportation order dating back to 2015, but her lawyer said he cannot find any record of the order and his client was never informed of the decision. “I wouldn’t typically classify her as an international student, which makes it even more alarming that here’s essentially a Dreamer going back to Texas and being stopped in a domestic flight within the United States and then sent back to her home country,” said Shaun Carver, president of the International House Association. “Just anecdotally talking to our residents … there are some that are concerned about these types of stories and this unpredictability of who and when and how enforcement is going to take place, and certainly they’re adjusting the travel plans,” added Carver, who is also the CEO of the International House at the University of California, Berkeley.

Bloomberg Law [12/4/2025 6:35 PM, Maia Spoto, 803K] reports a Los Angeles federal judge who previously ordered federal agents to stop injuring journalists at protests said he’s considering recent reports of excessive force in Chicago as he weighs whether the plaintiffs still have standing to continue their case. Judge Hernan D. Vera in the US District Court for the Central District of California was responding to an argument from a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security that protests are occurring less frequently in LA, and that reporters don’t have reason to worry agents will shoot them with rubber bullets or hit with batons in the future.

Federalist [12/4/2025 8:50 AM, Breccan F. Thies, 785K] reports the Trump administration announced that it will soon stop food stamp funding to 21 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., because they refuse to provide data about recipients, choosing instead to run cover for illegals and massive welfare fraud. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a Tuesday cabinet meeting that 28 states and Guam, run by Republicans, have provided data like names and immigration statuses for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, but that the remaining Democrat-run states are refusing to comply. "So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving federal funds into those states, until they comply and they tell us and allow us to partner with them to root out this fraud and to protect the American taxpayer," Rollins said at the White House. Over 20 million SNAP recipients live in the Democrat-run states, nearly half of all 42 million recipients — a enormous number that should make anyone suspicious of the program. The data was requested earlier this year, but the Democrat states filed a lawsuit claiming the data request violated privacy laws, essentially arguing that the government and taxpayers are not allowed to ensure accountability by tracking people who use the program. The lawsuit is really a ploy to keep illegal immigrants in the country and on public welfare. As the lawsuit points out, the data could be used to inform better immigration enforcement. While the Trump administration maintains that the data will be used to clean up waste, fraud, and abuse, it should absolutely use the data to help deportation enforcement as well.

NewsMax [12/4/2025 6:50 PM, Solange Reyner, 4109K] reports Vice President JD Vance says the connection between illegal immigration and skyrocketing housing costs "is as clear as day.” "We are proud to be moving in the right direction. Still so much to do," Vance said in a post on X that included figures from U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner. "6 months of ZERO illegals released into our country. 2 million illegals removed. Rents drop for the fourth straight month. Coincidence? I think not!" Turner posted. Apartment median rents dropped 1% in November from October, and now stand at $1,367, according to Apartment List. Additionally, rent prices are down 1.1% compared to one year ago. "This is in line with the typical seasonal pattern of rent growth, as fewer renters are looking to move when temperatures dip and the holiday season approaches," the report stated. According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 2 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S., including 1.6 million who have voluntarily self-deported, and more than 527,000 who were deported.

FOX News [12/5/2025 3:58 AM, Landon Mion, 40621K] Video: HERE reports White House border czar Tom Homan on Thursday erupted at a heckler who called him a "racist" during his speech at an event hosted by Turning Point USA on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. Homan was speaking about immigration enforcement operations when an event attendee shouted "racist" and "traitor" at him. "Call me what you want, I don’t care," Homan responded. "Why don’t you grow a backbone, put a Kevlar vest and a gun on your hip and go secure this border?" he added. Homan has alleged that the Biden administration intentionally left the southern border unsecured to create new and permanent bloc of Democratic voters, although he admitted in a congressional hearing that he does not have evidence to support this claim.

CBS News [12/4/2025 8:12 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports the U.S. military continued its assault on what it claims are drug-running boats off the coastal waters of Latin America with another strike Thursday that the Pentagon said killed four people. The strike in the Eastern Pacific was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post that included unclassified video of the attack. "Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific," said U.S. Southern Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea, and the waters off Central and South America. "Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed.” Since early September, the U.S. military has launched at least 22 strikes on vessels in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean that the Trump administration claims, without providing more evidence, are trafficking drugs. At least 87 people have been killed in the strikes so far. Thursday’s was the first known strike since Nov. 15. The boat attacks are part of larger efforts by the White House to put pressure on the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. It also comes as Hegseth has faced scrutiny in the wake of a recent Washington Post report over a Sept. 2 boat strike in the Caribbean that killed 11 people, the first in the series of vessel attacks. The report claimed the U.S. military struck the boat with two missiles, a revelation that the White House confirmed. Some lawmakers have questioned whether the second strike constitutes a war crime. A source familiar with the matter told CBS News on Wednesday that the second strike came as two people who survived the first missile were trying to climb back onto the boat. The survivors were allegedly trying to salvage some of the drugs, according to the source. Hegseth has denied that he ordered the second strike, saying that the decision was made by Navy Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, head of Special Operations Command. Washington Post report also alleged Hegseth had ordered everyone on the boat killed, which he has denied, and which Bradley also denied, lawmakers who were briefed on the strikes told reporters. On Thursday, congressional lawmakers held a closed-door session during which they were shown video of that second strike and were briefed on the incident by Bradley and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After seeing the video, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called it "one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.” However, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he "didn’t see anything disturbing about it.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [12/4/2025 7:04 PM, Samantha Waldenberg, 606K] reports the US military carried out a strike Thursday on a suspected drug boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing four people on board, according to a social media post from US Southern Command. "Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed," the post says. Alongside the post is a 21-second-long video showing the boat being struck. Thursday’s strike comes as the Pentagon is facing bipartisan criticism over a September attack on an alleged drug vessel in which the military fired follow-up strikes, killing surviving crew members. At least 87 people have now been killed in strikes on 23 suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking. The criticism has done little to dissuade the administration. On Thursday, Turning Point USA’s Andrew Kolvet responded to a post on X from Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign. "Every new attack aimed at Pete Hegseth makes me want another narco drug boat blown up and sent to the bottom of the ocean," Kolvet wrote. "Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat," Hegseth replied. Hegseth’s comment came hours after US Navy Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley briefed leaders Thursday on Capitol Hill about the controversial September incident in what is the most significant congressional scrutiny of the president’s military campaign in the Caribbean so far. Top House and Senate lawmakers emerged from the briefing, which included video of the incident, divided along party lines. A top Democrat called video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing "one of the most troubling things" he has seen as a lawmaker. But the panel chairman, Republican Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, said that he thought the second strike was justified. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, also a Republican from Arkansas, echoed that sentiment. It is unclear whether members of the public will get the opportunity to judge for themselves. Trump on Wednesday said his administration would "certainly" release video of the follow-up strike, but it had yet to do so as of Thursday evening – even as officials made public video of the more recent strike. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/4/2025 7:14 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports the Pentagon says Pete Hegseth directed the Dec. 4 operation after intelligence showed the boat was moving narcotics along a known trafficking route. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/4/2025 12:48 PM, Ashley J. DiMella, 40621K] reports the State Department renewed its "do not travel" advisory for Venezuela. Without edits, the travel advisory was reissued Wednesday, with the State Department citing a myriad of high risks related to crime, terrorism, detention and poor health infrastructure. "All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately," the advisory says. In 2019, the U.S. severed diplomatic ties with Venezuela, closing its embassy. It says it no longer has the ability to provide emergency services or consular assistance to U.S. citizens in the country. "There is no safe way to travel to Venezuela," the advisory states, adding that people should avoid traveling to the country by any means. Officials state that tourists have a very high risk of being detained if they even accidentally step a few feet over the border. "Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping and carjacking, are common in Venezuela," the advisory reads. If tourists are detained, the U.S. is generally not informed about the detainee.

FOX News [12/4/2025 6:21 AM, Staff, 40621K] reports White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly joined ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss the news that Venezuela is accepting U.S. deportation flights again, the possibility of land strikes and a new DHS operation in New Orleans. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/4/2025 7:50 AM, Greg Norman Fox, 40621K] Video: HERE reports the U.S. military commander involved in a deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean is expected to tell lawmakers Thursday that a follow-up attack was ordered against two survivors because he believed they were attempting to continue their drug run, a report said. The version of events that Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley plans to describe to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing would push back on claims from some legal experts that the killing of the two survivors in the second strike could have amounted to a war crime, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper, citing two defense officials, reported that Bradley will say that he and his legal adviser concluded that the two survivors were attempting to press forward with their drug run, making them and their already-damaged boat a legitimate target for a follow-up attack. The officials added that Bradley, as part of his decision, considered that "enemy" boats were nearby and the survivors were believed to be communicating by radio with others in their drug smuggling network. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [12/4/2025 7:17 PM, Katie Bo Lillis, Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, 606K] reports the two men killed as they floated holding onto their capsized boat in a secondary strike against a suspected drug vessel in early September did not appear to have radio or other communications devices, the top military official overseeing the strike told lawmakers on Thursday, according to three sources with direct knowledge of his congressional briefings. As far back as September, defense officials have been quietly pushing back on criticism that killing the two survivors amounted to a war crime by arguing, in part, that they were legitimate targets because they appeared to be radioing for help or backup — reinforcements that, if they had received it, could have theoretically allowed them to continue to traffic the drugs aboard their sinking ship. Defense officials made that claim in at least one briefing in September for congressional staff, according to a source familiar with the session, and several media outlets cited officials repeating that justification in the last week. But Thursday, Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley acknowledged that the two survivors of the military’s initial strike were in no position to make a distress call in his briefings to lawmakers. Bradley was in charge of Joint Special Operations Command at the time of the strike and was the top military officer directing the attack. The initial hit on the vessel, believed to be carrying cocaine, killed nine people immediately and split the boat in half, capsizing it and sending a massive smoke plume into the sky, the sources who viewed the video as part of the briefings said. Part of the surveillance video was a zoomed-in, higher-definition view of the two survivors clinging to a still-floating, capsized portion, they said. For a little under an hour — 41 minutes, according to a separate US official — Bradley and the rest of the US military command center discussed what to do as they watched the men struggle to overturn what was left of their boat, the sources said. Ultimately, Bradley told lawmakers, he ordered a second strike to destroy the remains of the vessel, killing the two survivors, on the grounds that it appeared that part of the vessel remained afloat because it still held cocaine, according to one of the sources. The survivors could hypothetically have floated to safety, been rescued, and carried on with trafficking the drugs, the logic went. The other source with direct knowledge of the briefing called that rationale "f**king insane.” The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, who were also briefed, the military used a total of four missiles to sink the boat: two missiles in the initial strike, according to Coons, and two in the second strike. It was the most detailed account of the September 2 strike to date — yet it came no closer to creating a consensus view.

NBC News [12/4/2025 12:19 PM, Courtney Kube, Megan Lebowitz and Dan De Luce, 34509K] reports Adm. Frank M. Bradley saw the two survivors of a September strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat as legitimate military targets based on the rules for the operation, which may have identified them as narco-terrorists, a defense official told NBC News. The military then launched a second strike on the same boat, generating controversy over whether the second strike was legal or could potentially constitute a war crime. After the first strike, the two survivors were in electronic communication with another ship suspected of being involved in narcotics trafficking, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The details of that communication are unclear, but commanders at the Pentagon could cite the survivors’ contact with a “mothership” as evidence that they were continuing to pursue drug smuggling efforts and therefore were legal targets, the sources said. Both the House and the Senate have launched inquiries into the second strike, which killed the two survivors, according to officials.

Los Angeles Times [12/4/2025 12:02 PM, Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro, 14862K] reports a Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinizes an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley “was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. “You have two individuals, in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, were killed by the United States.” Bradley was joined at the Capitol by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for sessions that came at a potentially crucial moment in the unfolding congressional investigation into how Hegseth handled the military operation in international waters near Venezuela. There are mounting questions over whether the strike may have violated the law. Lawmakers want a full accounting of the strikes after the Washington Post reported that Bradley on Sept. 2 ordered an attack on two survivors to comply with Hegseth’s directive to “kill everybody.” Legal experts say the attack amounts to a crime if the survivors were targeted, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding accountability.

CNN [12/4/2025 5:54 PM, Katie Bo Lillis, 18595K] reports top House and Senate lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker. “Any American who sees the video that I saw will see the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors — bad guys, bad guys, but attacking shipwrecked sailors,” said Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. “Yes, they were carrying drugs. They were not in the position to continue their mission in any way.” But the panel chairman, Republican Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, said that he thought the second strike was justified. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, also a Republican from Arkansas, called the strike “entirely lawful and needful.” After reviewing video of the strike, Cotton told reporters, “Just like you would blow up a boat off of the Somali coast or the Yemeni coast, and you’d come back and strike it again if it still had terrorists and it still had explosives or missiles, Admiral Bradley and Secretary Hegseth did exactly what we’d expect them to do.” In what has been the most significant congressional scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s military campaign in the Caribbean so far, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley is on Capitol Hill on Thursday for a round robin of private meetings with lawmakers of both parties to defend the secondary strike on the ship. Most Republicans have signaled support for the overall campaign, which has killed more than 80 people and which a broad range of outside legal experts have argued is likely unlawful. But the September 2 strike has drawn bipartisan scrutiny as a potential war crime — including, most consequentially, a vow from the Senate Armed Services Committee to conduct oversight.

NewsMax [12/4/2025 9:21 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports President Donald Trump will continue military action aimed at stopping suspected drug trafficking by sea, as the matter poses a deadly threat to the United States, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Newsmax on Thursday. She added, in comments to Newsmax’s "Wake Up America," that Trump does not consider Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro to be a legitimate ruler. "The president’s been extremely clear with his position, which is Maduro is, number one, not the legitimate ruler of Venezuela. He is the leader of a narco-terrorist cartel," Kelly said. Trump also has said that Maduro "must stop sending drugs and criminals into our country," Kelly pointed out. "These drug boats, as he says, often, are killing 25,000 Americans with these illicit narcotics," said Kelly.

FOX News [12/4/2025 2:09 PM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports as the U.S. carries out strikes against alleged narco-terrorist vessels in the Caribbean, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. will start carrying out land strikes against suspected drug traffickers "very soon" as well.

Breitbart [12/4/2025 1:21 PM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports that the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, a Venezuelan actress linked to the Tren de Aragua (TdA) terrorist organization. OFAC accused Araya, who goes by the stage name "Rosita," of being part of an entertainment industry network providing material support to TdA. The actress is believed to be romantically linked with TdA’s leader Héctor "The Child" Guerrero and has had past relationships with other notorious Venezuelan criminals who have died in gruesome ways. "Under President Trump, barbaric terrorist cartels can no longer operate with impunity across our borders. The Tren de Aragua network’s narcotrafficking and human smuggling operations have long posed a grave threat to our nation," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said. "At the direction of President Trump, we will continue to use every tool to cut off these terrorists from the U.S. and global financial system and keep American citizens safe." Her known relationships with three notorious criminals in the early 2010s led to Venezuelan entertainment outlets awarding Araya with the title of "The Black Widow of Aragua" in 2015.

USA Today [12/5/2025 4:03 AM, Chris Brennan, 67103K] reports here we go again. Something terrible happened in America, and now agitators on both ends of our political spectrum are oh so eager to blame the other side. A scarcity of information is no impediment in that blame game. It’s been nearly five years since pipe bombs were placed outside of the Washington, DC, offices of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee the night before Jan. 6, 2021, in the hours before President Donald Trump unleashed MAGA mayhem on the Capitol, with his refusal to accept his 2020 presidential election defeat. The FBI on Dec. 4 finally made an arrest, charging Brian Cole of Woodbridge, Virginia with two counts of transporting and placing explosive devices. That’s the good news here – the arrest affidavit shows that investigators traced a trail of evidence to Cole through alleged "purchases of bombmaking equipment," cell phone records about his location and financial records that place him near the scene where the bombs were planted. Cole will now get his day in court. But the judgment about who placed the bombs and why was rendered months ago.

Wall Street Journal [12/4/2025 6:27 PM, Peggy Noonan, 646K] reports Somebody is going to get hurt. Somebody already has. This is a partial list of those killed or wounded recently in politically driven violence: Two members of the West Virginia National Guard ambushed while on patrol near the White House on Nov. 26. Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, killed; Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, is in serious condition. Prosecutors say a nearby guard saw them fall to the ground as the accused shooter, an Afghan exile, screamed, “Allahu Akbar!” Charlie Kirk was assassinated as he spoke at a peaceful outdoor rally at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. On June 14, 2025, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home in Brooklyn Park by a man impersonating a police officer. Earlier the same night state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded in their home. The shooter is reported to have had a list of about 70 targets. In May, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot to death outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. In December 2024 Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was assassinated on the sidewalk outside a Manhattan hotel. The accused shooter was angry about protocols surrounding health-insurance coverage. On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. In September 2024 another assassination attempt was thwarted at a golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla. After the Kirk shooting, Reuters reported the first half of 2025 saw roughly 150 “politically motivated attacks,” nearly double the previous year’s number for that period. This April the residence of the Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, was firebombed. The dining room, earlier that evening used for a Passover Seder, was destroyed. The accused arsonist said he was protesting what Mr. Shapiro “wants to do to the Palestinian people.” The head of the U.S. Capitol Police told Mr. Wallace-Wells that a decade ago lawmakers typically reported fewer than 2,000 threats of violence per year. Around 2017 it began to escalate. “Last year it was almost 10,000.” You cannot trace the incidents of political violence the past 18 months without feeling that we are entering or have fully entered a very bad time. I have been thinking of the dreaded era of assassinations that began with the murder of JFK in 1963, and went on to include Malcolm X in 1965, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and the nonfatal shooting of George Wallace in 1972. It’s hard to pinpoint when this latest era began because eras don’t declare themselves, and such shootings aren’t new. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in 2011, Rep. Steve Scalise and three others at a congressional baseball game in 2017. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was attacked by an intruder in their San Francisco home in 2022. But we’re seeing such cases more steadily now, the tempo is up.

Washington Post [12/4/2025 6:45 AM, Marc A. Thiessen, 24149K] reports the Post reported last week that, based on a “spoken directive” from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military carried out what is known as a “double-tap” strike in the Caribbean Sea — hitting a Venezuelan vessel that had the signature of a drug boat, then launching a follow-on strike that sank the boat and killed the survivors. The Post quoted experts suggesting that second strike was a “war crime” that could subject those involved to future prosecution. Hegseth said Tuesday that he was unaware of that there had been any survivors or a follow-on strike until hours later. But even if he had directly ordered the second attack, there is nothing unlawful about hitting a military target multiple times to make sure it has been eliminated. President Barack Obama did it all the time. Indeed, in targeting cartels it has designated as foreign terrorist organizations, the Trump administration appears to be closely following the playbook pioneered by Obama. On taking office, Obama dramatically escalated the use of drone strikes against terrorism targets after ending the CIA’s terrorist interrogation program — finding it was simpler to vaporize enemy combatants rather than capture them alive for questioning. So Obama forged what the New York Times called at the time a “take-no-prisoners policy,” ordering over 540 drone strikes on terrorists in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen (including one that killed a U.S. citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula). The strikes Obama ordered were similar to those Trump has carried out in the waters off of Venezuela. Obama used what were called “signature strikes” in which the U.S. targeted patterns of behavior denoting terrorist activity (“signatures”) even when the precise identity of the individuals being targeted was unknown. And he routinely carried out so-called “double-tap” strikes — hitting a target once and then striking again to take out any survivors or other terrorists who rushed to the scene after the initial hit. “We used double-taps all the time,” said David Shedd, former deputy director and acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the Obama administration. “You would get the initial signature off of a target that’s been hit,” he told me in a podcast interview, “and if you saw that they ‘squirted’ and were injured … you hit them again.” In fact, he said, “there was often a second predator ready to go … that was fully expected to be used if you didn’t have a 100 percent coming out of the first hit — and maybe a third hit,” adding that “it was done routinely” and there “was bipartisan support on the Hill for doing it.”

FOX News [12/4/2025 11:07 AM, David Marcus, 40621K] reports on Nov. 24, California newlyweds were allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant truck driver who obtained a commercial driver’s license under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lax, horrifying and dangerous policies. William Carter and his new bride, Jennifer Lower, died after slamming into a jackknifed big rig, driven by illegal migrant Rajinder Kumar, who managed to obtain his CDL while in the country illegally, which is exactly as crazy as it sounds. This follows similar incidents involving individuals, with no right to even be in the U.S., mowing down Americans in commercial trucks. Three died in August, three more in October, and now this couple, just starting their lives together, have been killed as a result of Newsom and his fellow progressives’ fecklessness. What is so incredibly galling about this situation is that American citizens are regulated within an inch of our lives when we buy a house, finance a car or start a business, but illegal immigrants just seem to do whatever the hell they want to do. As the holder of a New York state CDL, I can tell you that for me, the process to get it took documents in triplicate, endless paperwork and a doctor’s visit. Yet, somehow, illegal immigrants who can’t even read street signs, much less English, go to one-stop "driving schools" and emerge with the precious document. And let us understand exactly what a CDL is: It is a license to operate by far the most deadly vehicles on our highways, 25,000 pounds of steel and glass that can turn a road trip into a tragedy in an instant. The Department of Transportation under Secretary Sean Duffy is now, thankfully, targeting these driving schools. "We are reining in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses," Duffy said recently.

Daily Caller [12/4/2025 2:26 PM, Natalie Sandoval, 835K] reports that it’s very important you obtain a REAL ID. Unless you have $45 burning a hole in your pocket. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday that it will accept a $45 fee and use of an "alternative identity verification system" in place of an "acceptable form of ID," such as a U.S. passport or REAL ID-compliant driver’s license. REAL ID enforcement began May 7, implementing the REAL ID act passed by Congress in 2005. The act, according to the TSA, "enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government ‘set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.’" This is ostensibly a security boost. But what good is an optional security requirement? Then again, we really shouldn’t expect anything better from the oh-so-crafty TSA. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ended the "shoes-off" travel policy in July, putting an end to our long national nightmare. DHS credited "cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach" for the change, but a more likely explanation is, "we’ve yet to catch someone smuggling a nuke in their crocs."

Axios [12/4/2025 6:42 AM, Brittany Gibson, 12972K] reports the Trump administration is making headway on the key first step towards mass deportations: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have soared since the start of President Trump’s second term, according to data released this week. This year’s arrest pace is well short of the administration’s goal of 3,000 a day as it promises to deport millions of people. But President Trump has moved the numbers way up compared to former President Biden. ICE’s main unit for removing immigration law violators, Enforcement and Removal Operations, has been arresting roughly 1,100 people per day in recent weeks, according to government data released via a Freedom of Information Act request from the Deportation Data Project. ICE’s daily arrest average between Jan. 20 and Oct. 15 was 821. Homeland Security claims it’s arrested closer to an average of 1,800 people a day, based on figures a spokesperson provided to Axios. But DHS has stopped sharing immigration enforcement data since Trump started his second term. "Since January 20, DHS has arrested nearly 579,000 illegal aliens," said Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, on Dec. 3. McLaughlin did not respond to a request about which subagencies at DHS are included in that total. Numerous other agencies have been assisting ICE’s mission, including Border Patrol and the Secret Service within DHS, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the IRS. Arrests can also be made by Homeland Security Investigations, another team within ICE, and local law enforcement who have partnerships with ICE. NewsMax [12/4/2025 4:10 PM, James Morley III, 4109K] reports that the higher benchmark was conveyed to ICE leadership during a May 21 meeting involving top White House aide Stephen Miller and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to prior reporting. ICE has been aided in its mission by other agencies, including Border Patrol and the Secret Service within DHS, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS, to help locate and arrest illegal immigrants. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that, despite legal challenges from lower courts, deportations will continue.

FOX News [12/4/2025 11:22 AM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports Afghan evacuees with rap sheets that include convictions for sexual battery and lewd acts with a minor and arrests for alleged child-fondling and terror-group support were among the "worst of the worst" recently swept up by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. DHS released the list days after one former Afghan evacuee allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, and another was charged in a Newark, Del., terror plot. The agency says the arrests reveal explosive failures in the 2021 vetting system that rushed evacuees into the country after Kabul fell. Biden administration officials insisted their 2021 Operation Allies Welcome vetting was sound, but a senior DHS official said the president’s "trust without verification" approach to evacuee backgrounds helped drive the recent surge in attacks and plots. "Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been going full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and criminal illegal aliens that came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "When Joe Biden let 190,000 Afghan nationals in, they didn’t do criminal background checks, vet social media, someone just vouched for them, and they took the words as truth.” DHS has captured sexual predators, terror suspects, pedophiles and other violent "unvetted" foreigners in their persistent daily work of executing President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement orders, the agency added in a statement.

FOX News [12/4/2025 5:51 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40621K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday announced the arrests of multiple Afghan nationals, released into the U.S. by the Biden administration during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, with convictions for crimes including kidnapping and child fondling. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the Biden administration created "one of the worst and most complex national security crises in American history," which the Trump administration has been working to remedy. The announcement comes after it was uncovered the suspect accused of killing one National Guard member and wounding another in a Nov. 26 Washington, D.C. ambush, was an Afghan national vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan. The Department of State has paused all visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.

FOX News [12/4/2025 3:02 PM, Marc Tamasco, 40621K] reports Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., claimed Thursday that, under the Trump administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been "primarily going after innocent people, including U.S. citizens," in their deportation efforts. "CNN News Central" host Sara Sidner noted that Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the latest ICE raids would focus on targeting "the worst of the worst" and asked Magaziner whether he believed the department had kept its word. Magaziner claimed that 70% of all individuals detained by ICE this year "were not convicted of any crime" before arguing the federal government should focus deportation efforts on violent offenders. Magaziner said DHS is "a lot more than immigration enforcement," and that instead of focusing on issues like terrorism or retail theft, it is "pulling resources away from all of that to go after gardeners and grandmothers and children." White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson pushed back on Magaziner’s claims, telling Fox News Digital, "This is a lie. ICE officers are facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them because of dangerous, untrue smears from elected Democrats. ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism. Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens."

New York Times [12/4/2025 9:06 AM, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Evan Roberts, Dan Powell, Kelly Pieklo, Katie McMurran and Brian O’Keefe, 153395K] reports in a punchy conversation, Alex Karp, chief executive of Palantir, defends his company’s work aiding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and rejects claims Palantir is building mass surveillance tools. He says his support for Mr. Trump is driven by the two issues he cares most about: “immigration and restoring the deterrent capacity of America.” [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Daily Caller [12/4/2025 10:03 AM, Harold Hutchison, 835K] reports George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Thursday that a federal judge’s ruling could slow deportations if it is upheld on appeal. United States Senior District Judge Beryl Howell of the District of Columbia, an Obama appointee, ruled that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not arrest illegal immigrants without "probable cause" and ordered that ICE agents who make arrests must document the facts leading up to the arrests, WJLA reported. Turley told "Fox and Friends" guest co-host Kayleigh McEnany that the decision puts "handcuffs" on ICE. "This really captures the problem that they are facing," Turley said. "The Biden Administration opened up the southern border and let millions of people through and people like [former Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro] Mayorkas said, ‘Well, we are doing everything we can.’ We now know that was a lie, because the Trump Administration shut down the southern border within weeks using the same authority Mayorkas and Biden had.” "But once these millions were in the country, you have many in Congress that said well, we don’t want to make it any easier to remove them," Turley continued. "And so what ICE is looking at, and what the administration is looking at, are millions of people that they would now be required to get individual warrants for and that would just reduce this to a slow crawl when they are trying to gain some ground back of what was lost during the Biden Administration.”

New York Post [12/4/2025 12:37 PM, Nicholas McEntyre, 42219K] reports dramatic new video shows the moment the "criminal illegal alien" mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew was taken into custody by immigration agents outside her Massachusetts condo last month. Bruna Carolina Ferreira was attempting to pull out of her complex’s parking lot in Revere, five miles northeast of downtown Boston, when at least five unmarked vehicles boxed in her silver sedan, according to footage of the Nov. 12 incident obtained by TMZ. Ferreira, clad in a gray hoodie and black leggings, was taken into custody without incident before the convoy drove away. The native of Brazil entered the US on a B-2 tourism visa that expired June 6, 1999, and shares an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s older brother, Michael. After being detained, Ferreira was transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in the remote town of Basile, where she is in removal proceedings. Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told TMZ that the video depicted an "unlawful arrest by officials who appear to be from [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. The Department of Homeland Security described Ferreira as a "criminal illegal alien," citing a previous arrest on suspicion of battery — though Massachusetts records describing such a case could not immediately be found.

USA Today [12/4/2025 3:59 PM, Natalie Neysa Alund, 67103K] reports that a college student deported to Honduras after attempting to fly home to see her parents for Thanksgiving recently broke her silence about the ordeal, saying she was surprised and discouraged. Any Lucia Lopez Belloca, who attends school in Massachusetts, was stopped at Boston Logan Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, and detained by federal immigration officials, and put on a plane back to her birth country in Central America, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau confirmed to USA TODAY on Thursday, Dec. 4. Pomerleau said his client was told there was an issue with her boarding pass, and on her way to customer service, was placed in handcuffs and removed from the airport. In an interview with WCBV in Boston from Hondoras, the college freshmen, who is among swaths of people being targeted by ICE since President Donald Trump took office, said she was headed home to Texas to see her parents before she was taken into custody. Any Lucia Lopez Belloca is a 19-year-old freshman at Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. In a letter addressed to Babson College students obtained by the TV station, the school confirmed it was aware one of its students was detained by ICE while traveling home for Thanksgiving. USA TODAY has reached out to the school. According to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said Lopez Belloca entered the U.S. illegally in 2014, and in 2015, an immigration judge ordered her removal, but she "illegally stayed in the country since."

Reported similarly:
ABC News [12/4/2025 6:11 AM, Laura Romero and Jay O’Brien, 30493K] Video: HERE

Breitbart [12/4/2025 10:45 AM, Elizabeth Weibel, 2416K] reports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) for ignoring that illegal alien rapists were released back onto the streets by New York authorities. McLaughlin responded to a post in which Goldman stated the New York City law “permits coordination with ICE for convicted animals who have completed their sentence.” Goldman also stated that NYC law “does not allow ICE to remove from prison those charged but not yet convicted.” Goldman’s post came in response to another post which shared a video of McLaughlin stating during an interview on Fox News that, “Criminal illegal aliens are exiting the jails and going back onto New York, or Chicago, or these other sanctuary streets to re-perpetuate their crimes.” “Riddle me this, Congressman @danielsgoldman: why did NY release these violent criminals from custody, refuse to turn them over to @ICEgov and put them BACK on New York Streets?” McLaughlin wrote. According to a DHS press release from Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James calling for her to “honor ICE arrest detainers of the more than 7,000 criminal illegal aliens in the state’s custody.” It was also revealed that there are currently around 7,113 aliens who are in “the custody of a New York jurisdiction with an active detainer,” and that the crimes committed by the aliens “include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies,” and 260 sexual predatory offenses, among others.

New York Post [12/4/2025 6:25 PM, David Propper, 42219K] reports a Chinese migrant and his young son living in Queens were separated when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to deport the pair in New York City, according to reports. Astoria resident Fei Zheng was taken into ICE custody at the end of an immigration hearing at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, and away from his 6-year-old boy, Yuanxin, on Nov. 26, community advocates told local outlets. "He said to me, ‘I did what they said I should do. I came in for this check-in.’ And yet they arrested him and his son," activist Jennie Spector told NY1, in reference to Zheng. Zheng, who was reportedly seeking asylum, was being held at a detention center in Orange County in the Hudson Valley, while the exact location of his son was unknown. Queens Councilwoman Julie Won told PIX 11 the child was safe and had legal representation. Federal authorities argued Zheng only had himself to blame for being detained and separated from his son, saying he had "refused" to get on a plane to be deported with the boy. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary to the Department of Homeland Security, told outlets Zheng had a chance to leave the US with his son and "willfully chose not to comply.” She alleged that Zheng "refused to board the plane and was acting so disruptive and aggressive that he endangered the child’s wellbeing.” "He even attempted to escape and abandon his son," she also claimed. McLaughlin argued ICE does not separate families and like past administrations, "parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates," according to CBS 2. She added if a US citizen was pulled over by cops and didn’t obey orders, "the children would be placed in safe custody," The City reported.

Telemundo 51 [12/4/2025 11:05 AM, Staff, 182K] reports that a Mexican man who ran a sex trafficking ring in Miami that involved brutalizing young women and girls has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the Department of Homeland Security. Rafael Alberto Cadena-Sosa was arrested in San Pedro, California, on Tuesday, DHS officials said. In 2015, Cadena-Sosa pleaded guilty and was convicted of involuntary servitude for his role in the operation he ran with family members, where they “approached women and girls—some as young as 14—in Veracruz, Mexico, and lured them to the United States under false promises of employment,” according to the DHS. After smuggling the victims into the country, he and others forced them into prostitution for 12 hours a day, six days a week to pay off their alleged debts. They used “brutal physical force and violence, sexual assaults, and threats of death and bodily harm to the victims and their families” to keep them under control, the DHS stated. Cadena-Sosa was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $1,261,563 in restitution to 16 different victims in that case. “The crimes against humanity and the atrocities he committed against young girls are unspeakable,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary, in a statement. It was not immediately clear whether Cadena-Sosa had been released from prison and then detained again for deportation, or if he was wanted on other charges.

Reported similarly:
Univision [12/4/2025 2:12 PM, Staff, 5004K]

CNN [12/4/2025 8:40 PM, Rick Ferguson, 18595K] reports that, on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was launching an immigration enforcement operation in the New Orleans area. Video obtained by CNN shows federal agents wearing ICE vests chasing a woman back to her home in Marrero, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [12/4/2025 9:56 PM, Michael Sinkewicz, 40621K] reports an Arkansas county jail has become one of America’s busiest hubs for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with hundreds of people arrested this year. More than 450 people have been detained from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15 at the Benton County Jail, according to ICE arrest data from the University of California Berkeley Deportation Data Project reviewed by the Associated Press, a rate of roughly 1.5 arrests per day in a county with just over 300,000 people. The surge reflects the rapid expansion of cooperation agreements across the country between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. In Arkansas, the "Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act" took effect in August and increases penalties for illegal immigrants committing "serious felonies involving violence," among other stipulations. The law signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also allowed Arkansas sheriffs to engage with ICE and permits law enforcement to apply via ICE’s federal 287(g) program to be authorized to serve immigration warrants on illegal immigrants already in custody for other offenses. Most of the Benton County arrests were made through its 287(g) agreement, which allows deputies to question people who are booked into the jail about their immigration status, according to AP. The county’s program accounted for over 4% of all nationwide arrests tied to similar local programs. The program allows deputies to alert ICE of inmates suspected of being in the country illegally, who are then transferred into ICE custody before being moved to a detention center in another county after a couple of days. They are then taken to a detention center in Louisiana to face potential deportation. AP reported that half of the individuals arrested by ICE through the program were convicted of crimes, while the others have pending charges. Recent ICE holds show people charged with forgery, sexual assault, drug trafficking, theft and public intoxication, with many recent cases involving domestic violence allegations and unsafe-driving offenses, AP reported. AP reported that Benton County has a high immigrant population compared to the rest of the state, and arrests increased sharply this year after the expansion of ICE partnerships and state-level requirements for sheriff cooperation. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE announced in September there were more than 1,000 287(g) program agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, a 641% increase from 135 programs. While the program has led to the detention of violent criminals, critics argue it has also swept up minor offenders and legal residents. AP reported that Cristina Osornio, a legal permanent U.S. resident and mother of six children, was jailed after a traffic stop in Benton County months after her husband was deported to Mexico.

AP [12/4/2025 9:40 AM, Ryan J. Foley and Julio Cortez, 31753K] Video: HERE reports Northwest Arkansas has emerged as a hot spot in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the result of one county’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and aggressive traffic stops by police. The region offers a window into what the future may hold in places where law enforcement agencies cooperate broadly with ICE, as the Department of Homeland Security offers financial incentives in exchange for help making arrests. The Associated Press reviewed ICE arrest data, law enforcement records and interviewed local residents. Here are some takeaways from that reporting. More than 450 people were arrested by ICE at the Benton County Jail from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15, according to ICE arrest data from the University of California Berkeley Deportation Data Project analyzed by AP. That’s more than 1.5 arrests per day in the county of roughly 300,000 people. Most of the arrests were made through the county’s so-called 287(g) agreement, named for a section of immigration law, that allows deputies to question people who are booked into the jail about their immigration status. In fact, the county’s program accounted for more than 4% of roughly 7,000 arrests nationwide that were attributed to similar programs during the first 9 1/2 months of this year, according to the data. Under the program, deputies alert ICE to inmates suspected of being in the country illegally. They are usually held without bond and eventually transferred into ICE custody. They are typically moved to the neighboring Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville and then taken to detention centers in Louisiana for potential deportation. Those turned over to ICE were charged with a range of offenses. About half of those arrested by ICE through the program in Benton County had been convicted of crimes, while the other half had charges pending, according to the data. But the severity of the charges varied widely. Jail records show those on recent ICE holds include people who had been arrested on forgery, sexual assault, drug trafficking, theft and public intoxication charges. Offenses related to domestic violence and unsafe driving were among the most common. Local observers say they have tracked an uptick in people facing ICE detention after traffic stops involving violations such as driving without a license. The program produces uneven criminal accountability. Charges are often dropped before defendants are convicted or sentenced so they can face deportation proceedings.

AP [12/4/2025 2:54 PM, Ryan J. Foley and Julio Cortez, 31753K] Video: HERE reports she was already separated from her husband, the family breadwinner and father of her two youngest children, and had lost the home they shared in Arkansas. Then Cristina Osornio was ensnared by the nation’s rapidly expanding immigration enforcement crackdown just months after her husband was deported to Mexico. Following a traffic stop in Benton County, in the state’s northwest corner, she was jailed for several days on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, records show, even though she is a legal permanent U.S. resident and the mother of six children. Best known as home to Walmart headquarters, the county and the wider region have emerged as a little-known hot spot in the Trump administration’s crackdown, according to an Associated Press review of ICE arrest data, jail records, police reports and interviews with residents, immigration lawyers and watchdogs. The county offers a window into what the future may hold in places where local and state law enforcement authorities cooperate broadly with ICE, as the Department of Homeland Security offers financial incentives in exchange for help making arrests. The partnership in Arkansas has led to the detention and deportation of some violent criminals but also repeatedly turned misdemeanor arrests into the first steps toward deportations, records show. The arrests have split apart families, sparked protests and spread fear through the immigrant community, including people born in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the Marshall Islands. "Nobody is safe at this point because they are targeting you because of your skin color," said Osornio, 35, who was born in Mexico but has lived in the U.S. since she was 3 months old.

Chicago Tribune [12/4/2025 6:26 PM, Gregory Royal Pratt, 4829K] reports Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias revoked an Enterprise Rent-A-Car license plate after it was swapped out by federal immigration agents, records obtained by the Tribune show. The move follows widespread concern during Operation Midway Blitz about federal officials changing out license plates while conducting raids throughout the region. Giannoulias opened a hotline for complaints in October and sent a letter to ICE leadership warning against tampering with plates after the Tribune reported on an encounter where a federal agent told a woman, "You can record all you want. We change the plates out every day." Giannoulias this week said his office received hundreds of complaints about immigration agents potentially violating the law and revoked the license plate for a 2026 Chevy Tahoe used by agents. "Let me be very clear. Swapping Illinois license plates is illegal. Period," he said in a video published by his office. "And no one, including federal agents, is above the law." Giannoulias warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Todd Lyons on Oct. 23 that "swapping, altering, tampering, or any other change made to a license plate that is properly displayed on any vehicle is unlawful" under state law, according to a copy of a letter from the secretary of state’s general counsel to Lyons. His office also sent letters to rental car companies warning that they also can have their license plates revoked.

FOX News [12/4/2025 8:16 AM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 40621K] reports an Illinois church is facing criticism for displaying a Nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus with his hands zip-tied and guarded by figures styled as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Lake Street Church of Evanston is displaying the scene outside on its grounds. Baby Jesus is wrapped in a thin blanket resembling aluminum foil, which the church said is a reference to the emergency blankets used in detention facilities. Masked centurions, officers in the ancient Roman army, are depicted in sunglasses and green vests labeled "ICE." It also shows Mother Mary wearing a respirator mask "to protect herself from tear gas," according to the church. Joseph is also masked. In a Facebook post last week, the church said the installation reimagines the Nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee flight and modern immigration detention practices.

Washington Examiner [12/4/2025 1:48 PM, Jack Birle, 1394K] reports that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will take up a case over whether local jails detaining illegal immigrants at the request of federal authorities violates state law, in a case that could hinder federal immigration operations in the state. The lawsuit the justices will hear targets the sheriffs of Walworth, Brown, Marathon, Kenosha, and Sauk counties, over their agreements with federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants for additional time at the request of federal officers. The ACLU filed the lawsuit asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take up the case now, as opposed to going through lower state courts first, and claimed the agreements violate state law. The Badger State’s high court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority, agreed to take up the case on Wednesday, it announced in an order. Conservative Justices Annette Ziegler and Rebecca Bradley dissented from taking up the case, while the other conservative justice, Brian Hagedorn, wrote a statement in which he did not explicitly reveal how he voted but appeared to hint that only the liberal justices opted to take up the case. "Even if some of my colleagues publicly record their dissent, as in this case, that does not necessarily reveal which justices voted for or against the petition in closed conference. A grant order simply means the requisite number of justices voted to grant a petition—in this case, four—nothing more," Hagedorn wrote.

Blaze [12/4/2025 6:00 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement highlighted the Wednesday arrests of several "worst of the worst" criminal illegal aliens, including a man who had been accused of operating an unlicensed dental practice, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News. On Wednesday, federal immigration officials nabbed Jose Alfredo Uzeta, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was previously convicted of dentistry act violation and indecent assault in Harris County, Texas. A 2023 report by KTRK-TV accused Uzeta of operating an unlicensed practice for two decades. Uzeta previously told a judge that he was seeing approximately eight patients a day. During an appointment for her braces, one patient claimed that Uzeta unhooked her bra, massaged her, and attempted to kiss her. Police uncovered the illegal practice when the patient reported Uzeta’s inappropriate conduct. "For 20 years, Uzeta preyed on vulnerable Americans, charging for dental procedures he had absolutely no business of performing. Worse, he sexually violated one of his patients who trusted him," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.

(B) Good Morning America [12/4/2025 9:02 AM, Staff] reports that the 19-year-old college student detained by ICE while trying to visit her family for Thanksgiving then deported against a judge’s order is speaking out. Hours after her detention, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration not to transport her out of state or country. Despite that order, she was flown to Texas and then deported to her native country of Honduras. An ICE spokesperson said an immigration judge ordered Any Lopez Belloza be removed from the country over ten years ago when she was a child and her deportation was justified because she has illegally stayed in the country since.

Univision [12/4/2025 3:27 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports a joint operation between federal and state agents culminated in the arrest of a man of Mexican origin and his son, accused of illegally trafficking more than 70 firearms and ammunition through various markets in Oklahoma and Texas. The arrested men were identified as Andres Avila, 48, who is in the United States illegally, and Anthony Avila, 22, a resident of Houston. According to court documents, both acquired weapons and ammunition at local fairs, using cash and seeking to avoid being tracked by the authorities. The investigation, led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team in Dallas, in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, uncovered the pattern of suspicious purchases that led to his capture. A subsequent review confirmed that Andrés Ávila does not have legal status in the country and, therefore, is prohibited from carrying weapons. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, through prosecutor John W. Dowdell, will carry out the legal proceedings against both defendants

Politico [12/4/2025 7:26 PM, Natalie Fertig, 2100K] reports a city that has repeatedly found itself in the cross-hairs of President Donald Trump is making itself less hospitable to an immigration detention center that has drawn frequent protests. The City Council of Portland, Oregon, has adopted a new ordinance that would enable it to impose fees on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center where authorities, at times firing tear gas and rubber bullets, have clashed with protesters. The ordinance, which passed 9-2 on Wednesday, is a provocative move at a time when the president has deployed federal troops to cities seen as hostile by the administration. In September, Trump said he would send the National Guard to Portland over the objections of local officials, but the deployment is on hold pending legal challenges. The ordinance creates a “detention facility impact fee,” in an amount to be determined later, if ICE seeks to renew its use of a leased property in Portland when it expires in 2033. It also immediately creates “nuisance” fees, also in an amount to be calculated later, for the use of chemicals and munitions that interfere with the “health and safety” of the community. “This ordinance is about fairness and responsibility,” Councilor Angelita Morillo said in a statement announcing the new measure. “For years, our taxpayers, our city bureaus, and most painfully, our neighbors living near detention facilities have shouldered the very real environmental, public health, and safety costs of operations they cannot control.” Portland’s ordinance would apply to any private property owner that leases space for a detention facility but its target is clearly Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

San Diego Union Tribune [12/4/2025 12:35 PM, Teri Figueroa and Alexandra Mendoza , 1538K] reports a 44-year-old man accused of hitting and running from the scene of an accident that killed an 11-year-old boy in Escondido last week was not authorized to remain in the country and had been deported four times previously, immigration officials said. Héctor Amador Balderas pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Vista Superior Court to felony vehicular manslaughter in the death of Aiden Antonio Torres de Paz. The boy was playing soccer in the parking lot of the apartment complex where his family lived when he ran after a ball into East Washington Avenue around 5:00 p.m. on November 26. As he crossed the street, he was struck by a vehicle, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Gerard said during Balderas’ arraignment. The driver did not stop, Gerard said. Aiden died the next morning, Thanksgiving Day. In a statement, DHS Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin urged Governor Gavin Newsom to “do the right thing and honor ICE’s detention order.” A spokesperson for Newsom said Wednesday that “nothing prevents the federal government from doing its job in this case.” “Illegally returning to the United States after deportation is a federal crime, and California honors federal arrest warrants,” the spokesperson said.

Daily Wire [12/4/2025 7:31 AM, Cameron Arcand, 2494K] reports that California has opened its tip line to report federal officers, as Democratic leaders in the state attempt to push back on immigration enforcement measures by the Trump administration. "My office created a portal that will allow Californians to report misconduct by federal agents," Attorney General Rob Bonta posted to X on Wednesday, asking people to send in a tip if they "believe a federal agent is abusing their power or acting unlawfully." "Federal agents have broad authority to enforce federal laws, but they must do so lawfully," he added. The webpage specifically names Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the National Guard as examples of entities that could be reported to the state. However, it disclaims that it cannot guarantee it will "take any action" on a report. The move was quickly blasted by Republicans, as there is a limited scope of what a state government can do regarding federal authorities. "How about if you think state agents or officials have abused their power or committed unlawful acts?" Assemblyman James Gallagher said. "Asking for a friend." Bonta is facing scrutiny for using roughly $500,000 in campaign dollars for legal assistance as part of a federal bribery case probe, KCRA reported. "We have a portal too. People can report California state officials engaged in illegal activity at the following link," First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli posted with a link to the FBI’s tip line.

Blaze [12/4/2025 1:30 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports that California’s Democratic leaders have escalated their war against the Trump administration, taking action to hinder federal immigration enforcement efforts within the state. On Tuesday, state Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced the launch of a new tool, which they claimed would "assist members of the public in sharing information with the California Department of Justice regarding potentially unlawful activity by federal agents and officers across the state." The now-live portal instructs residents to report "potentially unlawful activity" committed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection agents, and National Guard soldiers. Respondents are asked to provide details about the incident, including whether they were physically present or reporting on behalf of someone else, as well as the nature, location, and date. The submission form allows individuals to upload up to five photos and five videos related to the incident. Bonta accused President Donald Trump’s administration of "engaging in a campaign of terror and fear" by enforcing federal immigration laws. "From unmarked military-style vehicles to detainments that more closely resemble kidnappings, Californians are rightly concerned that federal agents may be crossing the line and abusing their authority. The president’s actions these past 10 months only lend support to this conclusion," Bonta stated.

The New York Times [12/4/2025 6:26 PM, Madeleine Ngo, 135475K] reports the Trump administration said it would reduce how long work permits are valid for refugees and asylum seekers, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on legal immigration after an Afghan national was charged with the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington. The federal government will now require some migrants to renew their work permits every 18 months instead of every five years, according to a statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Thursday. The agency said the change would help it screen and vet migrants more often, allowing it to identify people with “potentially harmful intent so they can be processed for removal.” The change applies to refugees, asylum seekers and people granted asylum, among others who qualify to work in the United States. It affects migrants who have pending applications or who file applications on or after Dec. 5. As of June, about 434,000 asylum seekers and about 24,000 people granted asylum had pending applications for work permits, according to the latest government data. More than 12,000 refugees also had pending applications. “Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies,” Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in the statement. “After the attack on National Guard service members in our nation’s capital by an alien who was admitted into this country by the previous administration, it’s even more clear that U.S.C.I.S. must conduct frequent vetting of aliens.” The five-year authorization itself had not been in place long. The Biden administration had expanded it from two years in 2023, saying the change was “in the interest of reducing the burden on both U.S.C.I.S. and the public.” Some immigrant advocates said the move threatened to put migrants in limbo. Kennji Kizuka, the director of asylum policy at the International Rescue Committee, an organization that assists thousands of refugees and other migrants in the United States, said that migrants often tried to renew their work permits well before their expiration date, but that it could take several months to receive approval. The Wall Street Journal [12/4/2025 4:48 PM, Michelle Hackman, 646K] reports that Edlow framed the change, which reverses a Biden-era policy, as the latest action by the administration to crack down on legal immigration in response to the shooting last week in Washington, D.C., of two National Guard members. Federal officials allege the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national. “It’s clear that USCIS must enforce more frequent vetting of aliens,” Edlow said in a statement. “All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right.” In the past week, President Trump has called for a broad “reverse migration” of legal immigrants in the U.S., including from countries such as Afghanistan. A day after the shooting, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform that he planned to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries,” and his administration is working on expanding the list of countries subject to a travel ban. The shortened expiration dates for work permits will primarily affect immigrants seeking asylum or other forms of humanitarian protections, including refugees, immigrants who have won their asylum cases, or who have another form of deportation relief known as withholding of removal. The policy was expected to go into effect Thursday, and only apply to new work permits for now. Bloomberg Law [12/4/2025 3:01 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, Hadriana Lowenkron, 91K] reports USCIS earlier this week also said it would pause all immigration requests from 19 countries listed on a travel ban imposed this summer, which includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Sudan and others. The administration is also expected to expand that list to about 30 countries, Bloomberg previously reported. The US will also launch a "comprehensive re-review" of approvals granted to people from those nations who entered the US on or after the start of former President Joe Biden’s term in 2021, USCIS said in a policy memorandum. The policy change announced Thursday won’t affect foreign workers, including H-1B visa holders, who receive employment authorization as part of their status. Shortening the validity of work permits would require asylum seekers and other immigrants to renew those documents more frequently, putting more pressure on USCIS to process applications. That could result in applicants losing employment authorization while they’re stuck in administrative backlogs. Delays for immigrant petitions, work permits and other petitions at USCIS hit a 10-year high this year as the agency focused more on enforcement operations.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [12/4/2025 4:36 PM, Lauren Kaori Gurley, 24149K]
Washington Times [12/4/2025 3:26 PM, Stephen Dinan, 852K]
CBS News [12/4/2025 3:46 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 39474K]
FOX News [12/4/2025 2:56 PM, Greg Wehner, 40621K]
Daily Caller [12/4/2025 3:01 PM, Jason Hopkins, 835K]

Washington Times [12/4/2025 2:48 PM, Matthew Lee, 852K] reports the Trump administration has instructed U.S. embassies and consulates around the world to prioritize visa applications from foreigners wishing to visit the United States to either invest in America or attend the 2026 World Cup, 2028 Olympics and other major sporting events. At the same time, the administration has added new criteria for highly skilled foreign workers seeking a particular visa. The new rules would deny entry to those deemed to have directed or participated in the censorship of American citizens on social media through content moderation initiatives that have sprung up throughout Europe and elsewhere to combat extremist speech. In a series of cables sent this week to all U.S. diplomatic missions that were obtained by The Associated Press, the State Department said visa applications for businesspeople considering “significant investments” in the United States should be at the top of the list for consideration along with applications from those wanting to travel “for major sporting events which showcase American excellence.” It is the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to crack down on migrants and visitors entering the U.S. But with major sports events planned in the United States, the administration is looking to ensure that fans are able to attend those competitions. The policies are getting heightened attention ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw. As part of a broader initiative to control the entry of foreigners into the U.S., the State Department has said all those who require visas to enter the country would need to submit to an in-person interview and screening to vet them for potential national security risks. This has led to lengthy wait times at many embassies and consulates for interviews to apply for what are known as “B1” and “B2” visas despite a surge in consular staffing. Last month, Trump announced a new initiative, dubbed “FIFA Pass,” for foreigners traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup that will allow them to get interviews for visas more quickly. Nonetheless, he still encouraged them to apply for their visas “right away.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had dispatched more than 400 additional consular officers around the world to handle the demand for visas for the World Cup and that in about 80% of the globe, travelers to the U.S. can get a visa appointment within 60 days — something reflected in the cable.

AP [12/4/2025 1:06 P<, Seung Min Kim, 31753K] reports President Donald Trump will take center stage at Friday’s World Cup draw in Washington, rolling out the welcome mat for teams and fans from around the globe at a time when his administration is expanding restrictions on travel to the United States for people from 19 countries and he has hardened his rhetoric against immigrants. The administration is betting that its push to expedite visa processing for visitors and the excitement about the matchups for next summer’s tournament — hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — will outweigh concerns that Trump’s immigration messaging undercuts the theme of global unity that the World Cup is meant to represent. In the past week, Trump has said he wants to permanently pause immigration from poor countries and he has singled out Afghans and Somalis for particular contempt. The Republican president is also overseeing the signing a peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo on Thursday at an event with leaders from a host of foreign countries and he is expected to be honored for his peacemaking efforts by FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, during the World Cup draw. Critics say the dueling messages are jarring.

Telemundo51 [12/4/2025 3:21 PM, Staff, 182K] reports U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Thursday that it will reduce the maximum validity period of Employment Authorization Documents for certain categories of foreigners, including asylum seekers, to have “more frequent verification” of beneficiaries, the agency explained on its website. USCIS stated that more frequent verification will allow it to "deter fraud and detect aliens with potentially harmful intentions, so that they can be prosecuted for removal from the United States."

Daily Caller [12/4/2025 11:24 AM, Adam Pack, 835K] reports the Nov. 26 shooting of two National Guard soldiers by an Afghan national in Washington, D.C. has become a flashpoint in the ferocious Texas Republican Senate primary with several candidates clashing over past support for refugee resettlement. Republican Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is running an insurgent campaign to unseat Sen. John Cornyn, introduced legislation Thursday to rescind all remaining special immigrant visas (SIV) for Afghan nationals who assisted the United States’ war effort in the country. Hunt and his fellow primary rival, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, have excoriated Cornyn for supporting the resettlement of Afghans who aided the United States following the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who served alongside U.S. forces, is accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. National Guard specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries the next day. Hunt, a 44 year-old combat veteran who entered Congress in 2023, argues Cornyn is in part responsible for Lakanwal’s arrival in the country in September 2021. He highlighted Cornyn’s prior work with Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla in 2021 to spearhead legislation that expedited special immigrant visas for Afghan evacuees amid the chaotic withdrawal from the country. "The Afghan SIV crisis we face today was started at the hands of Senator John Cornyn and radical leftist Senator Alex Padilla," Hunt said. "They authored the very program that opened this door and allowed Rahmanullah Lakanwal to enter the United States and assassinate an American.” However, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the alleged killer entered the United States under humanitarian parole. The agency has not mentioned whether Lakanwal had an approved SIV application. Hunt’s legislation would transfer appropriated funds for the SIV program to housing homeless veterans. The bill also directs the DHS secretary to review all previously awarded SIVs to ensure there is no present danger to Americans.

CBS Philadelphia [12/4/2025 3:30 PM, Alexandra Simon, 39474K] reports that a package full of crystal methamphetamine addressed to the Netherlands was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Pennsylvania. CBP said the parcel was moving through an international shipping service facility in Delaware County on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when an X-ray identified an issue with the package. Once opened, officers found several bags filled with a "cloudy crystalline substance," which tests determined was methamphetamine. The drugs weighed nearly 6 pounds and 12 ounces, and had a street value in the United States of more than $240,000, according to CBP. Depending on its purity, the meth could be worth even more in the Netherlands, the agency said. CBP didn’t say if officers determined where the package was originally shipped from. "Customs and Border Protection officers continue to work diligently to hold the line against the scourge of dangerous drugs along our nation’s borders, and we will continue to intercept that illicit poison before it can harm our communities or hurt our friends overseas," said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. Last year, the CBP said it seized an average of 1,571 pounds each day between air, land and sea entry points.

Washington Examiner [12/4/2025 2:26 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports that enhanced enforcement of immigration laws in North Carolina’s largest city resulted in more than 400 arrests. Led by Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Charlotte’s Web began in earnest on Nov. 15 and carried through most of the next week. Conflicting announcements about its continuation climaxed the following Thursday. Homeland Security’s statement Wednesday saying 425 arrests were made also indicated the operation is continuing. In context, it is believed the volume of federal agents in the area has decreased, and a spotlight on removing people illegally in the country has not decreased for the federal authorities routinely present. Democrats have the mayor’s office in Charlotte – Vi Lyles – and the majorities on the city’s council and county’s commission. Theirs were the leading voices among sympathizers to immigrants both lawfully and unlawfully present, with first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper – a former four-term state attorney general and two-term governor – joining them. Public engagements through social media since mid-November have often below the "high road" of professionalism, headlined by Bovino receiving a "f— you" response from Chairwoman Anderson Clayton of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Criminal records for some of those arrested included domestic violence, battery, aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer, breaking and entering, larceny, driving while intoxicated, and hit-and-run.

NewsMax [12/4/2025 12:03 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the San Ysidro port of entry in California on Thursday seized more than 57 pounds of fentanyl powder concealed inside a vehicle, CBP said. The agency estimated the 57-pound haul is equivalent to more than 2.6 million fentanyl pills. San Ysidro is among the nation’s highest-traffic ports of entry, and CBP officials have repeatedly warned that traffickers continue to rely on passenger vehicles and hidden compartments to move fentanyl into the U.S. Fentanyl smuggling remains a major problem at the San Ysidro port of entry, where CBP officers regularly intercept large loads trafficked from Mexico. The busts are part of a wider multiagency push to blunt the opioid crisis in the San Diego area and across the country. President Donald Trump has focused heavily on the issue of fentanyl trafficking during his second term in office, implementing a mix of legislative, trade, and military policies.

USA Today [12/4/2025 11:00 AM, Zach Wichter, 67103K] reports there are a lot of rules once you set foot in an airport, but some you don’t have to follow. Presenting a REAL ID document? Yes, you do have to do that or face a $45 fee. Shoes off during security screening? No, that’s no longer a thing. What about all the new technology at airports? It is perfectly legal to opt out of the Transportation Security Administration’s scanning technology at airports. Passengers with a boarding pass that indicates they have been selected for enhanced screening may still be required to undergo the scan, but TSA says that "will occur in a very limited number of circumstances." While the TSA is legally obligated to respect your decision to opt out, you’ll need to be prepared for the screening process to take a bit longer.

CBS Miami [12/4/2025 7:21 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports a TSA agent who was arrested earlier this week in a Miami child porn investigation faced a judge on Wednesday, and the arrest report shows that he confessed to the crimes to investigators. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [12/4/2025 5:15 AM, Rebecca Hersher, 28013K] reports on a blustery morning in Dayton, Ohio, eight firefighters from around the country stand in front of a 20-foot concrete cylinder with the words "BELL TOWER" spray-painted on the front. They’re here for a search and rescue training course. Instructor Grant Light holds up a blowtorch. "You’re going inside, and make a cut," he explains, gesturing to the concrete cylinder. "Confined space cutting." A 6-foot-6-inch trainee from Virginia steps forward. "So, I’m going into the hole?" he asks, incredulously, pointing at a narrow-looking slot in the side of the tower. "Oh yeah!" Light says cheerfully. The trainee looks dubiously at the opening and then stoops over, wiggling, grunting and cursing under his breath as he squeezes into the darkness with the torch. The goal of the exercise, and of all the scenarios at this training, is to simulate the actual experience of rescuing people — whether it’s from a collapsed building or a pile of debris after a flood, hurricane or wildfire. The members of the country’s urban search and rescue teams save lives and recover human remains after the biggest calamities. They were the ones who rescued people from rushing water during Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year. They searched through burned homes after wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, and Los Angeles, Calif. They sifted through the rubble after the catastrophic condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., in 2021. "The urban search and rescue program in the United States is by far the most extensive, most highly trained and probably most respected system in the entire world," says Ken Pagurek, the former head of the Urban Search and Rescue branch at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which funds and oversees the national network of task forces. But changes to FEMA proposed by the Trump administration are putting pressure on the country’s search and rescue system. The Trump administration has proposed eliminating FEMA as it currently exists, leaving the future of the agency’s search and rescue teams unclear. "Things are very in flux right now," says Pagurek. The Trump administration is moving to overhaul FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The president and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly said that FEMA should be eliminated as it currently exists. A presidentially appointed council of emergency management experts is expected to make recommendations about the future of FEMA in the coming weeks. It’s unclear what those impending changes will mean for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue system. But the agency has struggled to deploy its resources since President Trump took office. Secretary Noem instituted a new policy that all spending above $100,000 must be personally approved by her, as NPR has reported.

New York Times [12/4/2025 5:49 PM, Erin McCann, Amy Graff, and Michael Levenson, 135475K] reports that an alert that Nevada had been rocked by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake early Thursday sent phones buzzing briefly before the U.S. Geological Survey quickly deleted the warning from its website and said it had been sent in error. The alert for what would have been one of the largest earthquakes in the United States this year set off a chain of automatic warnings as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area as people in Dayton, Nev., and nearby Reno began to report that they had felt no shaking. The warning was released by a U.S.G.S. tool called ShakeAlert that is designed to inform people about earthquakes before they feel shaking. It was the first time the system had botched an alert since it started warning the public in October 2019, said Robert de Groot, the operations team lead for the ShakeAlert system. Within minutes, some news outlets published stories detailing the earthquake’s reported location and strength, and fake images of destruction began spreading on social media. Mr. de Groot said U.S.G.S. officials did not yet know what had caused the false alert. But he said that at least four earthquake-detecting stations in Nevada had reported shaking, which triggered the alert at 8:06 local time.

Breitbart [12/4/2025 4:18 PM, Alana Mastrangelo, 2416K] reports a New Mexico man has been sentenced to approximately 10 months in prison for threatening President Donald Trump’s life on social media, posting his threats to TikTok, X, and Facebook, which sparked a Secret Service and FBI investigation. Between January 2 and 4, 2025, 38-year-old Tyler Miles Leveque, of Albuquerque, made a series of social media posts threatening to kill then President-elect Trump, the United States Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico announced Wednesday. On January 6, Secret Service and FBI investigators contacted Leveque at his Albuquerque home and discovered that he was in the process of obtaining a gun from a local firearms dealer, officials said. While the 38-year-old argued that his online diatribes were constitutionally protected, law enforcement explained to Leveque that he had crossed the line into violent threats, which are not protected under the First Amendment. Ron Emmot, the Albuquerque Resident Office’s Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge, said Leveque’s sentencing "reminds all of us that threatening violence is not protected speech and the United States Secret Service will continue to aggressively investigate and pursue prosecution on all threats against our protectees and elected public officials." Leveque pled guilty to making threats against the president and successors to the presidency. He will be subject to serving three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

New York Times [12/4/2025 6:55 PM, Anna Griffin, 135475K] reports the Trump administration has reversed plans to remove a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter from a fishing and crabbing community in Oregon, lawmakers said Thursday, after facing uproar from worried residents and a temporary restraining order by a federal judge. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, posted on social media that he had spoken with Coast Guard officials and that they had returned the helicopter to the Pacific Coast town, Newport, “and promised to keep it there.” Some residents thought that the helicopter was removed to make way for ICE operations there. It is unclear whether the helicopter’s return means federal officials may still place an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the central coast town. Newport sits where the Yaquina River meets the Pacific Ocean, and the estuary and nearby shorelines are known for dangerous king tides, sneaker waves and storm surges. Crossing the Yaquina Bay bar to reach commercial crab and fishing grounds by boat can be a perilous sprint through high waves and rapidly shifting channels. The helicopter was placed in Newport after a 1985 maritime disaster, when a boat capsized and three crew members died before rescuers could arrive. Residents in Newport fought its removal in 2014, and ensuing federal policy banned the helicopter’s relocation without a lengthy public process. But in October, Newport residents noticed that the helicopter was gone — it had been moved to North Bend, Ore., 95 miles down the coast. They argued for its return at packed town halls and sued the federal government. On Nov. 24, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order demanding that the helicopter return to Newport for at least two weeks. At the time, federal officials said they planned to fight the lawsuit and the temporary order, and a broader hearing on the case is scheduled for Dec. 8. Crabbing season starts later this month. Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, said in a social media video on Thursday that the Coast Guard’s acting commandant had “assured me that they had returned the helicopter because of the court action, but they had intended to return it by the start of crab season anyway, and it was back in Newport to stay.” Along with moving the helicopter, federal contractors have been seeking local businesses capable of providing water and sewer service for a potential ICE facility and have posted job listings for guards, nurses and bus drivers. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond immediately to a request for comment Thursday.

Reuters [12/5/2025 3:10 AM, Olivia Zollino, 36480K] reports top law enforcement officials in Cuba said on Thursday (December 4) the island was prioritizing the fight against narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean and continued to provide information to the U.S. Coast Guard amid escalating tensions and surging U.S. military presence in the region. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CyberSoop [12/4/2025 2:25 PM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports Sean Plankey’s nomination to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency looks to be over following his exclusion from a Senate vote Thursday to move forward on a panel of Trump administration picks. Multiple senators placed holds or threatened holds on his nomination, some related to cybersecurity. But the hold from Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., appeared to be the biggest hurdle. With Plankey’s exclusion from the resolution to advance a bevy of nominees that got a key vote Thursday, procedural issues make it unlikely that he will be the nominee going forward, sources told CyberScoop. The administration would have to re-submit his name for nomination next year. Scott’s hold was related to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem partially terminating a Coast Guard cutter program contract with Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group, multiple sources told CyberScoop. The Government Accountability Office issued a critical report on the program. While awaiting confirmation, Plankey, a 13-year Coast Guard officer, has been serving as senior adviser to the secretary for the Coast Guard.

CyberScoop [12/4/2025 9:25 AM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports the Trump administration is aiming to release its six-part national cybersecurity strategy in January, according to multiple sources familiar with the document. The document, which is a mere five pages long, will possibly be followed by an executive order to implement the new strategy. The administration has been soliciting feedback in recent days, which one source considered more of a “messaging” document than anything, with more important work to follow. According to sources familiar with the strategy, the six “pillars” focus on cyber offense and deterrence; aligning regulations to make them more uniform; bolstering the cyber workforce; federal procurement; critical infrastructure protection; and emerging technologies. An opening section of the draft offers a Trumpian call for a more muscular approach to cyberspace. Despite its short length — the Biden administration’s cybersecurity strategy was 35 pages long — it touches on a significant number of topics. Those subjects include cybercrime, China, artificial intelligence, post-quantum cryptography and more.

HS Today [12/5/2025 3:50 AM, Staff, 38K] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security have unveiled a malware analysis report on BRICKSTORM, a sophisticated backdoor for VMware vSphere (specifically VMWare vCenter servers) and Windows environments used by People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored actors. The report provides indicators of compromise (IOCs) and detection signatures to assist critical infrastructure owners and operators in identifying whether they have been compromised and gives recommended mitigation actions to protect against this pervasive PRC activity. CISA analyzed eight BRICKSTORM samples obtained from victim organizations, including an organization where CISA did an incident response engagement. BRICKSTORM has advanced functionality to conceal communications, move laterally and tunnel into victim networks, and automatically reinstall or restart the malware if disrupted. PRC actors are using BRICKSTORM for persistent access and are primarily targeting Government and Information Technology (IT) Sector organizations. “This advisory underscores the grave threats posed by the People’s Republic of China that create ongoing cybersecurity exposures and costs to the United States, our allies and the critical the infrastructure we all depend on, said CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala. “These state-sponsored actors are not just infiltrating networks — they are embedding themselves to enable long-term access, disruption, and potential sabotage. CISA, in close coordination with our domestic and international partners, urges every organization to treat this threat with the seriousness it demands: review the report, implement the recommended mitigations without delay, and report any suspicious activity. Cyber defense is national defense — and it starts with action.”

CyberScoop [12/4/2025 5:25 PM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports leaked training videos suggest that Intellexa retained the ability to remotely access the systems of customers who had used its Predator spyware, raising questions about human rights safeguards, according to an investigation published Thursday. That was just one finding from a series of separate but overlapping probes released over the past 24 hours. The training video revelations came via a joint investigation by Inside Story, Haaretz and WAV Research Collective in partnership with Amnesty International. Google and Recorded Future also published research Thursday about Intellexa. “The fact that, at least in some cases, Intellexa appears to have retained the capability to remotely access Predator customer logs – allowing company staff to see details of surveillance operations and targeted individuals [—] raises questions about its own human rights due diligence processes,” Jurre van Bergen, technologist at Amnesty International Security Lab, said in a news release. “If a mercenary spyware company is found to be directly involved in the operation of its product, then by human rights standards, it could potentially leave them open to claims of liability in cases of misuse and if any human rights abuses are caused by the use of spyware,” he continued.

Reuters [12/4/2025 5:06 PM, A.J. Vicens, 19051K] reports Chinese-linked hackers used sophisticated malware to penetrate and maintain long-term access to unnamed government and information technology entities, U.S. and Canadian cybersecurity agencies said on Thursday. The Chinese-linked hacking operations are the latest example of Chinese hackers targeting critical infrastructure, infiltrating sensitive networks and "embedding themselves to enable long-term access, disruption, and potential sabotage," Madhu Gottumukkala, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said in an advisory signed by CISA, the National Security Agency and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in an email that the Chinese government does not "encourage, support or connive at cyber attacks," and that "we reject the relevant parties’ irresponsible assertion" about the activities in question, when the parties had "neither put forward any request related to the issue nor presented any factual evidence.” Chinese-linked hackers have been targeting a host of U.S. and global telecommunications companies and other sensitive targets in recent years, according to U.S. government warnings. In October, sources linked a hack targeting U.S. cybersecurity company F5 to Chinese-linked hackers. According to the advisory, which was published alongside a more detailed malware analysis report, the state-backed hackers are using malware known as "Brickstorm" to target multiple government services and information technology entities. Once inside victim networks, the hackers can steal login credentials and other sensitive information and potentially take full control of targeted computers.

CyberScoop [12/4/2025 5:30 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports cybersecurity authorities and threat analysts unveiled alarming details Thursday about a suspected China state-sponsored espionage and data theft campaign that Google previously warned about in September. The outlook based on their limited visibility into China’s sustained ability to burrow into critical infrastructure and government agency networks undetected, dating back to at least 2022, is grim. “State-sponsored actors are not just infiltrating networks, they are embedding themselves to enable long-term access, disruptions and potential sabotage,” Nick Andersen, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said during a media briefing. Brickstorm, a backdoor which Andersen described as a “terribly sophisticated piece of malware,” has allowed the attackers to achieve persistent access with an average duration of 393 days to support immediate data theft and follow-on pivots to other malicious activity, Austin Larsen, principal analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, told CyberScoop. “We believe dozens of organizations in the United States have been impacted by Brickstorm, not including downstream victims,” Larsen said. CISA, the National Security Agency and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released an analysis report on Brickstorm, which targets VMware vSphere and Windows environments to conceal activity, achieve lateral movement and tunnel into victim networks while also automatically reinstalling or restarting the malware if disrupted. CISA provided indicators of compromise based on eight Brickstorm samples it obtained from victim organizations.

Reuters [12/4/2025 9:42 PM, Sarah Lynch, 36480K] reports U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday ordered federal law enforcement to step up investigations into the anti-fascist antifa movement and similar "extremist groups," and asked the FBI to compile a list of entities possibly engaged in domestic terrorism, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. The memo, which was sent to prosecutors and federal law enforcement agencies, calls on the Justice Department to prioritize investigating and prosecuting acts of domestic terrorism, including any potential "tax crimes" involving "extremist groups" who defrauded the Internal Revenue Service. It comes several months after President Donald Trump signed an order targeting antifa as a terrorist organization and pledged to go after left-wing groups following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a "decentralized, leaderless movement composed of loose collections of groups, networks and individuals," according to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremists. A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the memo. "These domestic terrorists use violence or the threat of violence to advance political and social agendas, including opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity," Bondi wrote in the memo. She wrote that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces "shall prioritize the investigation of such conduct." She also ordered federal law enforcement agencies to scour their files for any intelligence they may have on antifa groups and provide it to investigators. The FBI and joint terrorism task forces will also be asked to investigate incidents over the past five years that may have involved acts of domestic terrorism, from the doxxing of law enforcement to the targeting of Supreme Court justices, according to the memo. After the FBI compiles a list of possible groups engaged in alleged acts of domestic terrorism, the agency is required to develop new strategies similar to those used to counter violent and organized crime to "disrupt and dismantle entire networks of criminal activity." The memo also calls on the department’s grant-making offices to prioritize awarding funding to states and municipalities that have programs designed to protect against domestic terrorism, and it instructs the FBI to update and improve its tip line so that "witnesses and citizen journalists can send media of suspected acts of domestic terrorism."

New York Post [12/4/2025 6:06 PM, Alex Oliveira, 42219K] reports the University of Delaware student busted with a huge cache of guns, body armor and a notebook filled with alleged plans to shoot up his school is an Afghan national who spent time as a refugee in Pakistan before immigrating to the US, officials told The Post. Luqmaan Khan, 25, was born in Afghanistan, then fled at some point to Pakistan where he lived as a refugee for "a few years," the Pakistani embassy told The Post. He then came to the US, where he became a citizen. US officials first reported that Khan was a Pakistani immigrant, which the nation’s embassy has since refuted. It remains unclear at what age he came to the US, but Delaware police told The Post he was a "youth" at the time, while Pakistani official said he lived "most of his life" in America. Khan was arrested just before midnight on Nov. 24 after cops found him siting in his truck in a closed public park. When officers tried to speak with him he refused to engage, prompting a search of his vehicle. What they allegedly found inside was terrifying: a handgun, several 27-round magazines, body armor, and a contraption that could convert the pistol to a semi automatic rifle, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. There was also a marble notebook filled with detailed plans to shoot up the campus police department at the University of Delaware, where Khan was an undergraduate student. The notebook also had phrases like "kill all – martyrdom," while Khan allegedly later told cops that becoming a martyr was "one of the greatest things you can do.” And the alarming findings continued when they searched his home.

CBS News [12/4/2025 1:09 PM, Dan Raby, 39474K] reports that the man accused of planning a mass shooting at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will attempt to use an insanity defense, new court documents reveal. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, appeared in federal court on Thursday morning for a pretrial conference hearing to discuss the logistics of future trial dates. In court documents requesting a competency evaluation filed earlier this week, Cagle’s attorneys say they plan to use an insanity defense. Cagle has already pleaded not guilty to some charges. Atlanta police arrested Cagle in the Atlanta airport’s South Terminal on Oct. 20, after his family alerted the Cartersville Police Department that he threatened to "shoot up" the airport on a FaceTime call while driving, abruptly ending the call after saying, "I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat," prosecutors alleged. Cagle arrived at the airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked outside the doors to the terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition. FBI investigators are working to find out how Cagle obtained the weapon. After receiving the alert with Cagle’s photo and description, two officers found the Cartersville man walking inside the terminal. Atlanta Police Chief Darren Schierbaum said investigators believe he was scouting the area before he planned to return to his truck and collect his weapon. Authorities estimate that more than 20 people could have been killed if officers hadn’t been alerted in time. Cagle is facing federal charges of attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats, and possession of a firearm as a felon. He has remained in custody without bond.

Breitbart [12/4/2025 12:42 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen risked compromising sensitive information and could have put troops at risk, the Pentagon’s independent watchdog said Thursday. The report piles further pressure on Hegseth, who is already under fire over US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that experts say amount to extrajudicial killings, with some lawmakers calling for him to quit or be fired. "The secretary sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned US aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately two to four hours before the execution of those strikes," the inspector general’s office said in a report, using an abbreviation for the Department of Defense. "Using a personal cell phone to conduct official business and send nonpublic DoD information through Signal risks potential compromise of sensitive DoD information," it said. The report noted that Hegseth is an "original classification authority" and can decide when materials no longer require protection, but said his actions "created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed US mission objectives and potential harm to US pilots.” Hegseth — who declined to be interviewed as part of the inspector general’s investigation — nonetheless described the report as a "total exoneration," saying in a post on X: "Case closed.” The probe was sparked by the Atlantic magazine’s revelation in March that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials including Hegseth and then-national security advisor Mike Waltz discussed impending strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The magazine initially withheld the details the officials discussed, but later published them after the White House insisted that no classified information was shared and attacked the editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, as a liar. The chat included messages in which Hegseth revealed the timing of strikes hours before they happened and information on aircraft and missiles involved, while Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of the military action. "If this information had fallen into the hands of US adversaries, Huthi forces might have been able to counter US forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned US strikes," the watchdog report said. Trump at the time rejected calls for Hegseth to be fired and largely pinned the blame on Waltz, whom he ultimately replaced as national security advisor, appointing him as US ambassador to the United Nations instead.

Reported similarly:
Roll Call [12/4/2025 2:06 PM, Mark Satter, 548K]

Washington Examiner [12/4/2025 7:32 AM, Jamie McIntyre, 1394K] reports an unclassified report from the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General to be released today concluded that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth put U.S. military personnel at risk by sharing sensitive details of their mission against Houthi rebels in Yemen on the unclassified messaging app Signal last March. “The report reinforced what was already publicly known,” wrote Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in a post on X, after reading the classified version of the report. “@PeteHegseth used a personal cell phone and an unclassified app to share sensitive operational information, including strike times and specific weapons systems used. That kind of sensitive information, on a hackable personal cell phone and DOD-prohibited app, put the lives of our service members at risk.” While Signal messages are encrypted during transmission, the app is not authorized for transmitting classified information, which is intended for use only on the Pentagon’s secure system. The DoD IG report noted that Hegseth has the authority to declassify material and that there is no evidence that the sensitive information, which included the exact times that U.S. warplanes would launch and reach their targets, was leaked or otherwise compromised. "If any uniformed military officer had done the same, he or she would be held accountable," Slotkin wrote. "Secretary Hegseth should have taken accountability from the start. His failure to take basic accountability 8 months ago has made this a bigger problem, and it is a marked trend in his leadership."

Breitbart [12/4/2025 12:50 PM, Lucas Nolan, 2416K] reports Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss AI chip export restrictions and voiced his opposition to state-level regulation of artificial intelligence. CNBC reports that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held discussions with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, focusing on the critical issue of chip export restrictions. The meeting comes amidst ongoing deliberations by lawmakers on whether to include an artificial intelligence chip sales measure in the comprehensive National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). During his interaction with reporters on Capitol Hill, Huang emphasized Nvidia’s support for export controls, stating, "I’ve said it repeatedly that we support export controls, and that we should ensure that American companies have the best and the most and first." The proposed Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act (GAIN AI Act) would prioritize U.S. companies’ access to AI chips produced by manufacturers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices before allowing sales to countries like China. Huang is opposed to the potential law, telling reporters, "The GAIN AI Act is even more detrimental to the United States than the AI Diffusion Act.” Breitbart News reported in November that Huang said China would win the AI race, before walking back those comments: In a stark warning from the head of the world’s most valuable company, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has asserted that China is set to emerge victorious in the global competition for AI dominance. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Future of AI Summit, Huang highlighted the contrasting approaches taken by the two superpowers, with China benefiting from lower energy costs and a more flexible regulatory environment. Huang’s comments were unambiguous — the Times quotes him as saying, "China is going to win the AI race.”

New York Post [12/4/2025 7:53 PM, Victor Nava, 42219K] reports a rift is forming within the FBI on how hard to go after the six Democratic lawmakers President Trump accused of "seditious behavior" over a video imploring military service members to "refuse illegal orders," according to a report. FBI domestic terrorism agents and the bureau’s Washington Field Office are under pressure from FBI headquarters to open a formal, seditious conspiracy investigation into Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Christopher Deluzio (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) over their participation in the controversial video, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Career leaders at the FBI Washington Field Office, however, are pushing back on the demand, arguing that there is a "lack of legal and factual basis to initiate a criminal case" against the six lawmakers behind the Nov. 18 video, according to the outlet. Thus far, FBI and Justice Department officials have sought interviews with the veteran Democrats, and the Pentagon launched a review into possible misconduct from Kelly, a retired Navy commander who is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth. A final decision on whether to escalate the FBI probe – by opening a formal criminal investigation – has not yet been made, according to Bloomberg. FBI headquarters did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. The FBI’s Washington Field Office declined to comment. Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department used the seditious conspiracy statute to convict 14 leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, including Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The FBI domestic terrorism team asked to open the case against the six lawmakers is reportedly the same one that was tasked with investigating the Capitol rioters. Seditious conspiracy convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Slotkin claimed last week that the "FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me," in a post on X. The senator accused Trump of "directing the FBI to target us" and "weaponizing the federal government" in response to the video he "did not like.: "This is not the America I know, and I’m not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution," Slotkin added. FBI Director Kash Patel was adamant in an interview with journalist Catherine Herridge last week that he would leave it up to "career agents and analysts" to determine if there is a "lawful predicate to open up an inquiry and investigation" into the six Democrats.

Reuters [12/4/2025 12:42 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports that NATO must be ready to respond to increasing hybrid threats in order to defend its member states’ territory, the alliance’s top military commander said on Thursday. Hybrid threats refer to both military and non-military tactics designed to undermine an adversary’s security and typically include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sabotage of key infrastructure and use of drones or irregular armed groups. "Hybrid threats are a real issue, and I do think that we can anticipate more of that happening," Alexus Grynkewich, a U.S. Air Force general serving as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters at the alliance’s military headquarters outside the Belgian city of Mons. Speaking of recent incidents in Europe, Grynkewich said some were reckless and some intentional. He said it was important to say who was behind hybrid incidents and that the alliance knew Russia was behind some of them. "We also do think about being proactive... If Russia is attempting to provide dilemmas to us, then maybe there are ways that we could provide dilemmas to them," he said, adding that NATO was a defensive alliance and "there’s nothing offensive about this." Russia regularly denies accusations that it is behind drone incidents or cyberattacks affecting Western countries. It also denies any plans to attack NATO, which has been providing weapons, intelligence and other assistance to Ukraine since Moscow’s 2022 invasion.

Reuters [12/4/2025 10:24 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports that NATO will this week integrate its Nordic nations under the U.S.-based Joint Force Command Norfolk in an effort to improve transatlantic security and boost the alliance’s positioning in the high north, NATO’s top commander Alexus Grynkewich told reporters on Thursday. Under the new structure, all Nordic countries would fall under the headquarters based in the U.S. port of Norfolk, Virginia, which is oriented towards North Atlantic defence, instead of some countries in the region remaining under NATO’s Brunssum command in the Netherlands, which is responsible for NATO’s northeastern flank. Finland joined NATO in 2023 and Sweden in 2024, after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted the two countries to rethink their national security strategies. Their accession to the now 32-member military alliance has strengthened NATO’s position in the north and the Baltic Sea region, leading to the command restructuring. "With the alignment of our adversaries around the globe, it’s imperative that we strengthen the Euro-Atlantic area as much as possible, and reinforce our posture in the high north," Grynkewich, a U.S. Air Force general serving as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters at the alliance’s military headquarters outside the Belgian city of Mons. "Norfolk is the strategic bridge between North America and Europe," he said. The Norfolk command will be responsible for the Arctic, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Blaze [12/4/2025 9:25 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, a pair of convicted hackers based in Alexandria, Virginia, were arrested on Wednesday over an alleged conspiracy to destroy government databases and other crimes. After doing prison time for wire fraud and conspiring to hack into the U.S. State Department, the Akhter twins, one of whom previously served as a cybersecurity contractor with the State Department, managed to secure jobs as federal contractors — working as engineers for Opexus. Opexus, a company that handles sensitive data for most federal agencies and has received over $50 million in contracts from various agencies over the past decade, determined earlier this year that it had been compromised in February by two employees. A Bloomberg investigation revealed in May that after one of the agencies with which Opexus was working, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, flagged the twins as possible threats on account of their criminal records, the duo were fired on Feb. 18. The company later discovered that while being fired and immediately afterward, the twins allegedly accessed sensitive documents and compromised or scrubbed dozens of databases, including those containing data from the General Services Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. The FBI, FDIC Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. The brothers were indicted on Nov. 13 for allegedly working to harm Opexus and its U.S. government clients "by accessing computers without authorization, issuing commands to prevent others from modifying the databases before deletion, deleting databases, stealing information, and destroying evidence of their unlawful activities," the DOJ said in a release.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [12/4/2025 5:55 AM, Landon Mion Fox, 40621K]

Wall Street Journal [12/4/2025 3:19 PM, Laurence Norman and Noemie Bisserbe, 646K] reports in recent days, European leaders have delivered a stark warning to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: Don’t give in to Russian demands without ironclad security commitments from the U.S. The message reflects European leaders’ growing wariness of Washington’s high-speed effort to reach a peace deal that has left them on the sidelines. In particular, European leaders have advised their Ukrainian counterpart to nail down America’s role in security guarantees for Kyiv before accepting Russian demands, according to two European diplomats familiar with the discussions. This message was delivered on a call Monday between Zelensky and European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the diplomats said. The European leaders insisted on the primacy of the U.S. role in security guarantees offered to Ukraine in any deal. Concern is growing in Kyiv and other European capitals that Washington hasn’t detailed what it would do if Russia broke a potential peace deal and attacked Ukraine again. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

AP [12/5/2025 1:03 AM, Omar Albam and Abby Sewell, 13945K] reports a raid by U.S. forces and a local Syrian group aiming to capture an Islamic State group official instead killed a man who had been working undercover gathering intelligence on the extremists, family members and Syrian officials have told The Associated Press. The killing in October underscores the complex political and security landscape as the United States begins working with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in the fight against remnants of IS. According to relatives, Khaled al-Masoud had been spying on IS for years on behalf of the insurgents led by al-Sharaa and then for al-Sharaa’s interim government, established after the fall of former President Bashar Assad a year ago. Al-Sharaa’s insurgents were mainly Islamists, some connected to al-Qaida, but enemies of IS who often clashed with it over the past decade. Neither U.S. nor Syrian government officials have commented on al-Masoud’s death, an indication that neither side wants the incident to derail improving ties. Weeks after the Oct. 19 raid, al-Sharaa visited Washington and announced Syria would join the global coalition against IS. Still, al-Masoud’s death could be "quite a setback" for efforts to combat IS, said Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow with the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank focused on security issues. Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Al-Masoud had been infiltrating IS in the southern deserts of Syria known as the Badiya, one of the places where remnants of the extremist group have remained active, Nasr said. The raid targeting him was a result of "the lack of coordination between the coalition and Damascus," Nasr said. In the latest sign of the increasing cooperation, the U.S. Central Command said Sunday that American troops and forces from Syria’s Interior Ministry had located and destroyed 15 IS weapons caches in the south. The raid occurred in Dumayr, a town east of Damascus on the edge of the desert. At around 3 a.m., residents woke to the sound of heavy vehicles and planes. Residents said U.S. troops conducted the raid alongside the Syrian Free Army, a U.S.-trained opposition faction that had fought against Assad. The SFA now officially reports to the Syrian Defense Ministry. Al-Masoud’s cousin, Abdel Kareem Masoud, said he opened his door and saw Humvees with U.S. flags on them. "There was someone on top of one of them who spoke broken Arabic, who pointed a machine gun at us and a green laser light and told us to go back inside," he said.

Reuters [12/4/2025 2:45 PM, Alexandra Alper, 36480K] reports that a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including prominent Republican China hawk Tom Cotton, on Thursday unveiled a bill that would block the Trump administration from loosening rules that restrict Beijing’s access to artificial intelligence chips for 2.5 years. The bill, known as the SAFE CHIPS Act, was filed by Republican Senator Pete Ricketts and Democrat Chris Coons. It would require the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, to deny any license requests for buyers in China, Russia, Iran or North Korea to receive U.S. AI chips more advanced than the ones they currently are allowed to obtain for 30 months. After that, Commerce would have to brief Congress on any proposed rule changes a month before they take effect. "Denying Beijing access to (the best American) AI chips is essential to our national security," Ricketts said in a statement. The legislation, which was co-sponsored by Republican Dave McCormick and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Andy Kim, represents a rare effort led in part by Trump’s own party to stop him from further relaxing tech export restrictions on China. Faced with new Chinese export curbs on the rare earth metals that global tech companies rely on, Trump’s Commerce Department imposed and then rolled back curbs on Nvidia’s (NVDA.O) H20 AI chips, a move that was criticized by Republican Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the House China Select Committee.

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