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.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 6:18 PM, Jon Jackson, Aila Slisco, 56005K, Negative] reports the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday issued a new warning to the public about "possible copycat or retaliatory attacks" after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14. The public service announcement highlighted "a potential public safety threat from violent extremists in response to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana," the warning said. On New Year’s Day, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran from Texas, drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The Islamic State–inspired attack left 14 dead and at least 30 others injured, and Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police. The incident was the deadliest attack linked to the Islamic State militant group, or ISIS, in the U.S. in several years and has prompted concerns that it could be followed by similar attacks. The FBI and DHS said in the public service announcement that they would "coordinate with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure they have the resources and information necessary to keep our communities safe." It was unclear whether any specific threats of "copycat" attacks had been detected. The New Orleans attack remains under investigation. Federal and local law enforcement agencies are on the lookout for any new threats, although the nature of attacks involving individuals acting alone could make it very difficult to detect similar attacks before they happen. Reuters [1/13/2025 4:48 PM, Jasper Ward, 2717K, Negative] reports "The FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers," the agencies said in a statement. The agencies said such attacks, inspired by foreign "terrorist" organizations, have been carried out in the U.S. and abroad using rented, stolen and personally owned vehicles. Attackers could also attempt to use improvised explosive devices to supplement a vehicle attack, they said. FOX News [1/13/2025 5:18 PM, Greg Wehner, David Spunt, 49889K, Negative] reports that the two federal agencies issued a public service announcement highlighting the potential public safety threat from violent extremists, to about 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. The agencies included local police and sheriff’s departments and warned those who wear the uniform to be hyper vigilant of copycat attacks after the New Orleans attack. The PSA also noted that some of the attackers have used additional weapons such as firearms and knives, to attack individuals once the vehicle stops. Others have attempted to conceal and pre-position improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to supplement a vehicle attack, the PSA added. Not only have attacks been on pedestrians, but they have also targeted law enforcement, military members and crowded public venues like festivals and commercial centers, accessible by roadways. The warning does not provide specific intelligence warning of a specific copycat attack. Instead, it is a general warning to keep people aware.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/13/2025 4:40 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 16346K, Negative]
USA Today [1/13/2025 5:03 PM, Bart Jansen, 89965K, Negative]
Telemundo [1/13/2025 5:43 PM, Staff, 2623K, Negative]

FOX News [1/13/2025 12:14 PM, Audrey Conklin, 49889K, Negative] reports that New Orleans terrorist attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar was radicalized by ISIS online "within weeks," according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Jabbar killed 14 civilians when he rammed a rented Ford F-150 truck through a New Year’s crowd celebrating on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1. He then began shooting at police, who returned fire, killing the attacker. "[H]e appears to have been inspired — from afar — by ISIS. And it is, in many ways, the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face," Wray told "60 Minutes" in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday. "You’re talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude. And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there’s very little time in which to connect them." The FBI noted earlier this month that Jabbar, 42, traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, then returned to the U.S. In a separate trip on July 10, 2023, he traveled to Ontario, Canada, and returned to the U.S. a few days later. Prior to the New Orleans attack, he visited the city twice — once in October and again in November. He used Meta smart glasses to take videos of his surroundings as he rode a bike through the French Quarter months before carrying out the deadly attack.

Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 8:13 PM, Ramsey Touchberry, 2365K, Negative] reports the Laken Riley Act overwhelmingly advanced in an 82-10 vote that brought the bill one step closer to final passage after passing a test vote in the upper chamber last week. It would require federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants charged, arrested, or convicted of theft-related crimes until deportation. But the measure, which cleared the Republican-controlled House last week, is far from being passed in the GOP-led Senate and will eventually require buy-in from at least seven Democrats to clear another 60-vote filibuster. "We have to have amendments. This bill does not work as-is. It creates more problems than it solves," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the Democratic architect of a bipartisan border security bill last year. "It is a massive, unfunded mandate.". Most Democrats say their support is conditional on making changes like requiring a conviction and exempting minors and so-called Dreamers who came to the United States illegally as children. The bill would also empower states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm to citizens caused by illegal immigration, prompting concerns from Democrats of politically charged litigation from Republican state attorneys general. The legislation was named after the 22-year-old nursing student killed last year while jogging at the University of Georgia by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who was previously arrested but released. Critics say the bill could also result in a judge barring visas from entire countries at the request of Republican states.

AP [1/13/2025 3:29 PM, Rebecca Santana, 47097K, Neutral] reports that in the waning days of the Biden administration, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended his agency’s work to tamp down border-crossing numbers and argued against breaking apart the sprawling department in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. President-elect Donald Trump, who promised an aggressive Day 1 effort to stop illegal immigration and remove people in the country illegally, has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to take over the agency responsible for border and airport security, disaster response, protections for high-level dignitaries and more. She faces a confirmation hearing Wednesday. As he prepares to leave office, Mayorkas said he has spoken repeatedly to Noem, including about the Jan. 1 truck attack in New Orleans and the wildfires in California, calling the conversations "meaningful, very productive, very positive." Here are some takeaways from AP’s interview with Mayorkas: Republican critics pointed to the rising numbers to argue that the Biden administration wasn’t doing enough to control the border, and many voters agreed this November. Mayorkas argued the increase actually started toward the end of the first Trump presidency but then the COVID-19 pandemic suppressed migration. The U.S. climbed out of the pandemic faster than other countries in the hemisphere, and the numbers increased, he said. Mayorkas said people are on the move worldwide, not just heading toward the U.S. Mayorkas praised what the Biden administration has done to address the rising numbers, including creating safe mobility offices in other parts of the world and negotiating agreements with other countries to return their citizens.

NPR [1/14/2025 4:01 AM, Steve Inskeep, 19K, Positive] reports NPR’s Steve Inskeep speaks with outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in part 2 of his exit interview. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Federal News Network [1/13/2025 1:36 PM, Tom Temin, 470K, Neutral] reports that stopping human trafficking is a year-round mission for the Homeland Security Department. Last week DHS marked its annual blue campaign, a public awareness effort. For how DHS organizes around this challenge, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin turn to Brandi Bynum of the center for countering human trafficking. Interview transcript: Tom Temin And let’s begin with [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] itself. No single component is really in charge of human trafficking. So give us a sense of the components that come to bear on this particular problem. Brandi Bynum That’s correct. And that’s why DHS and Congress passed legislation to create the Center for Countering Human Trafficking four years ago. And so what it did was it took the 16 components and offices that have a footprint on human trafficking, and it put us all into one place. And so when we talk about the different components, we talk about Customs and Border Protection, who protects our borders? We talk about U.S. Coast Guard, who protects human trafficking or combats human trafficking on the waterways. We talk about The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) who train state and local law enforcement. We can even talk about Homeland Security Investigations, who has authority in the government to not only investigate human trafficking, but over 400 crimes. And then including my program, the Blue Campaign, we were formally in DHS headquarters, and then recently with that legislation, got moved over to the CCH team. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

AP [1/13/2025 5:56 PM, Kate Payne, 153K, Negative] reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling state lawmakers into a special session to help carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s promises for a swift crackdown on immigration. Trump is preparing more than 100 executive orders starting Day One of the new White House administration, in what amounts to a shock-and-awe campaign on border security, deportations and a rush of other policy priorities. While Trump and his advisers have pledged mass deportations, many questions remain about how they would deport anywhere close to the 11 million people estimated to be in the country illegally. DeSantis announced Monday he’s scheduling the special session for the week of Jan. 27, the week after Trump is sworn in, so that state lawmakers will be poised to help implement the incoming president’s policies immediately. "State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws," DeSantis said. "In order to do that effectively, we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials." The Republican governor said he’s prepared to suspend elected officials from office if they are "neglecting their duties" under the new immigration mandates and that he would consider activating the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to carry out in-state enforcement measures. DeSantis said he anticipates allocating tens of millions of dollars in new funding to help state and local officials expand their enforcement and detention efforts.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [1/13/2025 12:37 PM, Mitch Perry, 57114K, Negative]

ABC News [1/13/2025 2:25 PM, Allison Pecorin and Rachel Scott, 33392K, Neutral] reports that many of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to serve in top Cabinet and senior advisory roles are slated to appear on Capitol Hill this week for hearings before Senate committees, a key test for many of them. The marathon of nomination hearings will color the week leading up to Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Republicans hope that by holding these hearings now, many of the nominees will be ready for consideration on the Senate floor shortly after Trump is sworn into office. In total, 14 of Trump’s nominees will appear before their respective Senate panels before the week is out. More hearings will come in the following weeks. There’s expected to be no shortage of fireworks as some of the top nominees face a grilling before their panels, but for some nominees the hearings are largely perfunctory. Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of State, for example, is expected to fly through his hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. Rubio’s experience in the Senate serving as the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, which deals closely with a number of classified issues, gives him the bona fides to make even some Democrats comfortable supporting his nomination.

FOX News [1/13/2025 8:51 AM, Peter Pinedo, 49889K, Negative] reports that Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu is keeping silent after an illegal immigrant was caught using a taxpayer-funded migrant shelter in the Boston suburbs for criminal activity, including storing a weapon and nearly $1 million worth of drugs. Wu failed to respond to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital, despite the migrant shelter involved being just a short drive from Downtown Boston. Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is facing criminal charges in federal court for illegally possessing an AR-15 and ammunition and over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Boston 25 News also reported that Sanchez was also caught possessing cocaine with "an estimated street value of at least $750,000." He is currently being kept in custody by state authorities. Sanchez was storing his weapon and drugs in his room at the Quality Inn Hotel in Revere, Massachusetts, which is a government-funded shelter for migrants. Boston and Massachusetts both have sanctuary policies in place and both Wu and Governor Maure Healey have vowed to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration. Despite this, Healey expressed anger over the incident, saying, "It’s outrageous that this individual took advantage of our shelter system to engage in criminal activity."

NBC News [1/13/2025 3:25 PM, Matt Dixon, 50804K, Positive] reports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is making one thing clear to the incoming Trump administration: We are here to help. On Monday, DeSantis called his state’s Legislature into a special session to, in part, pass a sweeping immigration bill that will aim to align with executive orders Donald Trump is expected to sign shortly after he takes office on Jan. 20. DeSantis said he has personally spoken to the president-elect about the policy ideas, and he and his staff have been briefed on some of the Trump’s early immigration-focused proposals. DeSantis has called the special session for the week of Jan. 27, a week after Trump is sworn in. That allows state legislators time to draft policy changes that complement the Trump administration’s immigration policy. DeSantis generally did not delve into specifics on what sort of details his team has received from the incoming administration. He did say that he anticipates that Trump is likely to expand the so-called 287(g) program, which allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delegate to local officials authority to perform some functions generally reserved for federal immigration officials.

CBS Miami [1/13/2025 11:01 PM, Mauricio Maldonado, 52225K, Negative] reports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for a special legislative session to align state policies with President-elect Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration, but the move has drawn resistance from Republican leaders in the state legislature. Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton sent a joint letter Monday dismissing the notion of a special session as "premature" and criticizing the governor’s proposals as lacking substance. The session is currently scheduled for the week of Jan. 27, shortly after Trump’s inauguration. "As you know, this Legislature will address illegal immigration, condominiums, petition initiatives and hurricane recovery this session, which starts in 50 days. Calling a special session at this time is premature," the letter reads. Republican leaders emphasized their support for Trump and his immigration agenda but argued that acting without detailed guidance from the federal government could hinder the incoming administration’s efforts. "It is completely irresponsible to get out ahead of any announcements President Trump will make, especially when uninformed or ill-timed state action could potentially impair or impede the success of President Trump’s forthcoming efforts to end illegal immigration, close our borders and protect the sovereignty of our nation," they wrote. The letter also took issue with the governor’s approach, saying he had presented only "fragments of ideas" without actual bill language or meaningful details for lawmakers to consider.

CNN [1/14/2025 2:14 AM, Staff, 22417K, Negative] reports a Colorado apartment complex where armed members of a Venezuelan gang were caught on video entering a unit last summer is expected to close in about a month under an emergency court order, city officials said Monday. The city of Aurora had pursued a lawsuit to declare all but one building at the complex a criminal nuisance. Officials last week asked a judge to close the property in the meantime, arguing the situation reached a “breaking point” following the violent kidnapping and assault of two residents last month. The city’s request was granted Friday ahead of a court hearing Monday. Lawyers for the property owner, CBZ Management, dispute the city’s allegations and have asked for a trial to decide the lawsuit. However, the process to close the building will still continue as the lawsuit plays out in court, Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte said at a news conference following the hearing. A lawyer representing the property owner, Stan Garnett, said he was not authorized to comment on the order. While CBZ Management has previously said it was unable to provide maintenance to the complex because a notorious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, took over the buildings, the city has said the company created the problem by abandoning the running of them, which created a vacuum that let crime flourish. Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain backed the closure, saying in a court filing that the complex had become a hub for crime because of a “criminal element that has exerted control and fear” over residents. After the hearing, Chamberlain said he believed that members of Tren de Aragua were part of the problem there, noting that federal authorities say seven of the suspects in the kidnapping and assault are members of the gang. However, Chamberlain said gang members had not taken over the complex and emphasized that the main problem was the lack of management and oversight by the property’s owners. The city said it is working with the surrounding county and others to provide relocation assistance to residents in 52 affected apartments.

FOX News [1/13/2025 5:30 PM, Charles Creitz, 49889K, Neutral] reports a Washington state Democrat is floating a policy to help protect unemployed illegal immigrants who are unable to receive unemployment benefits. The news comes as President-elect Trump and his border czar-designate Thomas Homan signal a crackdown on illegal immigration and talk of "mass deportation" plans in a reversal of the Biden-era status quo. State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña is introducing a bill that would ensure Washington residents legally ineligible to work in the U.S. – a group for which illegal immigrants compose the vast majority – have access to assistance.

CBS New York [1/13/2025 8:14 PM, Jordan Freiman, 52225K, Negative] reports the L.A. County coroner’s office said Sunday night it is investigating at least 24 deaths related to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Eight suspected deaths were linked to the Palisades Fire while 16 were attributed to the Eaton Fire. Only two of the victims were identified as of Sunday night. Charles Mortimer, 84, was killed in the Palisades Fire and Victor Shaw, 66, was killed in the Eaton Fire. Both died on Wednesday, according to the coroner’s office. The Los Angeles Times [1/14/2025 12:22 AM, Staff, 17996K, Negative] reports firefighters continued to battle multiple major wildfires. The “particularly dangerous situation” will go into effect at 4 a.m. Tuesday and last through noon Wednesday for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The National Weather Service reserves the designation for signifying an extreme red flag warning, when especially hazardous fire weather conditions are expected. Burned 23,713 acres and numerous homes, businesses and landmarks in Pacific Palisades and westward along Pacific Coast Highway, toward Malibu. As of Monday morning, the fire was 14% contained, up from 11% early Sunday. Many parts of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Calabasas, Brentwood and Encino are under evacuation orders or warnings. More than 12,000 structures remain threatened. Santa Monica has downgraded its mandatory evacuation orders to warnings. Officials estimate that more than 5,300 structures, including many homes, have been damaged or destroyed. Burned 14,117 acres and many structures in Altadena and Pasadena. As of Monday morning, the fire was 33% contained, up from 27% early Sunday. Officials say 7,000 structures have been damaged in the fire. Most of Altadena was under an evacuation order, as was unincorporated Kinneloa Mesa. In Pasadena, a mandatory evacuation order was in place in the northern half of the neighborhood of Hastings Ranch. In Sierra Madre, mandatory evacuations were in effect in some areas north of Grand View Avenue, and voluntary evacuations were in place in other portions of the city.

Newsweek [1/14/2025 4:36 AM, Giulia Carbonaro, 56005K, Negative] reports President Joe Biden said on Monday that people impacted by the California wildfires will receive a one-time payment of $770 "so they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions.” The announcement sparked a wave of criticism and anger on social media, with many complaining that the one-time payment was not enough—especially in the Golden State, where the cost of living is higher than much of the rest of the country. The wildfires that have ravaged Southern California over the past week are among the most devastating ever in the state—and could be among the costliest in American history. Private forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damages and economic loss caused by the fires to be between $250 billion and $275 billion, as thousands of structures, including many homes and well-known landmarks, are thought to be destroyed. The recovery is expected to be challenging for Californians impacted by the fires, who could face rising property insurance premiums in the coming months as they start rebuilding their homes. On January 8, Biden approved the Golden State’s major disaster declaration, releasing federal funding to affected individuals in Los Angeles County. This includes "grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," according to the White House. Additionally, the federal government will be paying 100 percent of the response cost to the fires for the next six months. "We are not waiting until the fires are over to help victims," Biden said during a briefing at the Oval Office on Monday. "We are helping them all right now.” According to the president, nearly 6,000 people had registered to receive the one-time payment of $770 as of Monday and a total of $5.1 million had already gone out. "I encourage anyone who’s entitled to get assistance to go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362," the president said. FEMA has reported that 33,000 people have registered for disaster assistance. "It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was," Biden said during the Monday briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials. "We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding.”

Reuters [1/13/2025 2:45 PM, David Morgan, 48128K, Neutral] reports top Republicans in the U.S. Congress are considering imposing conditions on disaster aid to Los Angeles communities devastated by wildfires, after President-elect Donald Trump claimed that state and local officials had mishandled the situation. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Monday that leading officials in the Democratic-led state mismanaged water resources and forests in the Los Angeles area before six simultaneous blazes tore across the second-largest U.S. city, claiming the lives of at least 24 people. House Republicans have not yet discussed disaster aid to sections of California stricken by fire, Johnson said. The lawmakers were due to meet behind closed doors early on Tuesday. Johnson said House Republicans are also discussing the possibility of tying California aid to efforts to raise the limit on more than $36 trillion in U.S. debt. The Hill [1/13/2025 3:48 PM, Mychael Schnell, 16346K, Negative] reports that the Speaker also confirmed that conversations are underway about potentially pairing the California disaster aid with a debt limit increase, a prospect Republicans discussed with Trump during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate over the weekend. Johnson did not say what kind of conditions he would like to be placed on the California disaster relief, but the idea is already sparking opposition among Democrats, with one warning that such a move could drive a Democratic majority to do the same in the future. It remains unclear when Congress will begin the process of considering disaster aid since the fires in California are still ablaze, the price tag for such a package is unknown, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said it has enough money at the moment to respond to various disasters, including the wildfires, in the near future. Congress approved more than $100 billion in emergency aid in December. Newsweek [1/13/2025 7:55 PM, Sonam Sheth, 56005K, Negative] reports some Republican lawmakers distanced themselves on Monday from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion that federal disaster aid to California should be conditioned. Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Johnson for comment via email. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose state was hit with catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Helene last year, pushed back on the idea of conditioning federal disaster aid. "I would ask those folks to put themselves in the same position as people [in] western North Carolina," Willis told HuffPost’s Igor Bobic. "You got to be consistent on disaster supplement, period.".

Reported similarly:
ABC News [1/13/2025 4:20 PM, Lauren Peller, 33392K, Negative]
Newsweek [1/13/2025 4:44 PM, Aila Slisco, 56005K, Negative]
USA Today [1/13/2025 9:03 PM, Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Riley Beggin, 89965K, Neutral]
Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 5:35 PM, Brady Knox, 2365K, Negative]

The Los Angeles Times [1/13/2025 6:55 PM, Taryn Luna and Andrea Castillo, Neutral] reports Gov. Gavin Newsom asked legislative leaders Monday to approve at least $2.5 billion in response to the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles County — a move that expands the focus of the special session in California beyond strictly fighting President-elect Trump. The wildfire aid comes as Democrats at the state Capitol find themselves under mounting pressure to spend less time waging a national political battle against Trump as unprecedented blazes have left at least 25 dead and a trail of destruction in their own state. Newsom issued a proclamation that broadens the scope of the special session and calls for the Legislature to approve $1 billion for emergency response, cleanup and recovery in Los Angeles County, which the state hopes to recover through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The plan, if approved by lawmakers, would make $1.5 billion available in state funds to prepare for the threat of firestorms, windstorms and other natural disasters in addition to federal disaster money. Another yet-to-be-determined sum would support rebuilding and repairing schools. The Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 10:40 PM, Brady Knox, 2365K, Neutral] reports "California is organizing a Marshall Plan to help Los Angeles rebuild faster and stronger — including billions in new and accelerated state funding so we can move faster to deliver for the thousands who’ve lost their homes and livelihoods in these firestorms. To the people of Los Angeles: We have your back," Newsom said in a statement. The move was backed by the leaders of the state House and Senate. "California is moving heaven and earth to ensure an expedited and successful recovery and rebuild for all Angelenos," Democratic state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said in a statement. "This early funding is a down payment that will kickstart the clean-up of neighborhoods and start the process of rebuilding lives. And, we’ll do all of this while investing in legal protections for some of our most vulnerable Californians.". Of the $2.5 billion, $1 billion would be for immediate response and recovery efforts, eligible for refund by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and $1.5 billion would be earmarked for future preparedness. The Californian government said that in the current struggle against the deadly wildfires spreading across Los Angeles, 1,900 pieces of firefighting equipment have been deployed. This includes over 1,390 fire engines, more than 80 aircraft, and over 160 water tenders. California’s local and state response to the fires has been heavily criticized, especially in the initial stages when firefighters found many fire hydrants empty. According to Cal Fire, the fires have burned over 40,500 acres, killed at least 23 people, and destroyed over 12,300 structures. At least nine other states have sent emergency personnel to help fight the fires, as well as Mexico and Canada.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [1/13/2025 7:16 PM, Eliyahu Kamisher, 21617K, Neutral]

ABC News [1/13/2025 10:07 PM, Megan Christie, Jenna Harrison, James Hill, Matt Gutman, and Derick Yanehiro, 33392K, Neutral] Video: HERE reports that, as the Los Angeles area braces for another wind system to move in this week, and emergency responders there continue to battle wildfires that erupted last week, investigations are underway to try and determine what might have caused some of the most destructive fires in California’s history. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has now taken the investigative lead in the Palisades Fire, where over 23,000 acres have now burned, and aerial imagery shows approximately 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed as of Monday. Investigators are looking into possible causes -- including arson or the potential rekindling of a fire in that same area that had been started by fireworks on New Year’s Eve, according to fire officials. One possible theory that has neither been substantiated nor ruled out as of Monday, according to officials, is the involvement of transmission lines or electric facilities in inciting any of the LA County fires. In Altadena, where over 14,000 acres have burned and over 7,000 structures are thought to have been destroyed or damaged by what is known as the Eaton Fire, investigators are examining Eaton Canyon in their hunt for clues. Witnesses shared with ABC News Ring cam and cellphone videos that appear to show what they believe to be the start of the Eaton Fire at the base of a transmission tower in the canyon. Fire officials told ABC News they are aware of the videos and that they are part of the investigation. But Edison International, the parent company of one of the country’s largest electric utilities, Southern California Edison, which owns transmission lines in that area, said it has not seen evidence that electrical equipment there started the blaze. In a report filed with the state, Edison said "no fire agency has suggested that SCE’s electric facilities were involved in the ignition or requested the removal and retention of any SCE equipment.". The report stated that "preliminary analysis by SCE of electrical circuit information for the energized transmission lines going through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire.".

CBS Los Angeles [1/13/2025 9:23 PM, Matthew Rodriguez, 52225K, Negative] reports attorneys representing those affected by the Eaton Fire filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison alleging that the company’s equipment sparked the disastrous blaze in Altadena. "This goes beyond a failure of responsibility—it is gross negligence in an area highly vulnerable to wildfires, especially with well-documented weather alerts and high wind risks," said Patrick McNicholas, an attorney at McNicholas & McNicholas. "We are committed to holding Southern California Edison accountable for their alleged negligence and to seeking justice for victims who have lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.". The 14,000-acre Eaton Fire decimated Altadena neighborhoods and spread to communities along the Angeles National Forest line, including Pasadena and Sierra Madre. As of Monday, firefighters have contained 33% of the blaze. As firefighters continued sifting through the rubble a week later, the blaze quickly became one of California’s most destructive and deadliest fires. It resulted in the deaths of 16 people and the destruction of thousands of buildings. "SCE understands that a lawsuit related to the Eaton fire has been filed but has not yet been served with the complaint. SCE will review the complaint when it is received. The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation," said Jeff Monford, spokesperson for Southern California Edison. In its incident report sent to the California Public Utilities Commission, SoCal Edison disputed the claim that its equipment started the fire, citing "no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire.". "To date, no fire agency has suggested that SCE’s electric facilities were involved in the ignition or requested the removal and retention of any SCE equipment," SoCal Edison wrote in its report.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [1/13/2025 5:32 PM, Laila Kearney, 48128K, Negative]
Axios [1/13/2025 8:37 PM, Rebecca Falconer, 16349K, Negative]
Newsweek [1/13/2025 6:06 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K, Neutral]

Bloomberg [1/13/2025 4:56 PM, Mark Chediak and Romaine Bostick, 21617K, Negative] reports Edison International Chief Executive Officer Pedro Pizarro said the utility did not detect any electrical issues on a transmission line near the start of the deadly Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area. The utility was hit with a lawsuit filed on behalf of homeowners that blames the company’s power infrastructure for igniting the wildfire, which according to state agency Cal Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres, killed at least 16 people and destroyed or damaged nearly 2,000 structures. The fire is 33% contained and the cause is under investigation. Edison had turned off distribution lines near the start of the Eaton blaze before it erupted in a canyon near Altadena, Pizarro said. The utility’s transmission lines near the fire’s start didn’t meet the criteria for being de-energized, he said.

Bloomberg [1/13/2025 12:20 PM, Staff, 21617K, Neutral] reports that Regina Mayor, global head of clients and markets at KPMG International, examines the path forward for America’s utility companies and energy usage as California endures hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damages from a spate of deadly wildfires. Regina speaks with Tom Keene and David Gura on Bloomberg Radio. Sullivan’s warning follows a series of high-profile attacks by Chinese hackers against US agencies and companies, including a breach reported in recent weeks into the computers of senior US Treasury Department leaders. Before that, US officials had blamed a series of other espionage campaigns on China, including one targeting US telecommunications companies. He said the recent hacks are “dramatic in their scope and scale and we take them deadly seriously.” Sullivan, who will step down when Biden leaves office on January 20, argued that his team has left President-elect Donald Trump in a better position to confront China in the four years since taking over from him. He cited moves made to protect technology and support alliances while avoiding conflict. At the same time, he made clear that the work was nowhere near complete. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [1/13/2025 10:42 AM, Rhona Tarrant, 52225K, Neutral] reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has reactivated its online rumor response site, which it last used in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall, to address false claims about the agency as it responds to deadly wildfires in California. The agency posted responses to rumors that resurface during major disasters, including setting the record straight on whether FEMA assistance is limited to one payment (it’s not), and whether applying for assistance grants FEMA or the federal government authority or ownership of a person’s property (it doesn’t). The Los Angeles Fire Department has also directly refuted falsehoods as it continues to respond to the fires. "Clearing Up Online Misinformation," LAFD Public Information Officer Erik Scott wrote on X as he debunked claims that they were calling on the general public to help fight wildfires. The rapid and direct response to false claims reflects a new approach to communicating with the public during disasters, according to Jason Davis, a research professor at Syracuse University specializing in disinformation detection. Davis says the rapid spread of false claims, combined with the rise of AI-generated content, has prompted officials to be more direct in confronting the falsehoods.

The Hill [1/13/2025 1:12 PM, Steph Whiteside, 16346K, Negative] reports that three people have been arrested as unauthorized drone flights have doubled in southern California as firefighters work to contain multiple wildfires that have devastated the LA area. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna announced Monday that three people were arrested for two drone incidents during a briefing on the fires. The use of unauthorized drones is hindering the ability of firefighters trying to contain the fires that have burned more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and resulted in 24 confirmed deaths. On Friday, firefighting aircraft trying to contain the Palisades wildfire were forced to leave the area because of unauthorized drones in the air. In an earlier incident Thursday, a Super Scooper aircraft used to drop large quantities of water on fires was damaged after a collision with a small drone. The incident left a hole in the wing and grounded the plane until it could be fixed. The FBI is investigating the incident, saying the drone violated temporary airspace restrictions the FAA instituted during the fires. California authorities say there have been at least 40 incidents in which unauthorized drones have forced firefighting aircraft to pause operations, putting more lives at risk as the fires continue to spread and firefighters on the ground are left without air support.

USA Today [1/13/2025 11:18 PM, Thao Nguyen and Brian Day, 89965K, Negative] Video: HERE reports the FBI announced on Monday that it is seeking information about the collision of an unauthorized drone with a firefighting aircraft that was flying over the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County last week. The crash took place at around 1 p.m. local time Thursday while the aircraft was operating over the Palisades Fire near the Pacific Coast, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott. The aircraft, known as "Quebec 1," was struck by a civilian drone that was not assigned to fire operations, Scott said. "The aircraft, commonly referred to as a ‘super scooper,’ was conducting fire suppression operations at the Palisades Fire near Malibu, California, and was able to land safely," according to an FBI statement. "The collision left a 3-by-6-inch hole in the left wing. Parts of the heavily damaged drone were recovered." The FBI also opened a tipline seeking the public’s help to identify the drone operator. No injuries were reported in the incident, but the aircraft was grounded and remained out of service for five days while firefighters battled several infernos that have raged across Los Angeles County. On Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the aircraft is expected to return to action Tuesday morning, pending approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. "It has been repaired and we’re waiting for the FAA to give us approval to fly again," Marrone said during a news conference. The incident is under investigation by the FBI and FAA, the agencies confirmed in separate statements. The FBI is also asking for the public’s help in tracking down the person responsible for the collision. USA TODAY on Monday reached out to the FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for comment.

The Hill [1/13/2025 1:00 PM, Sharon Udasin, 16346K, Neutral] reports that California Democrats have authorized $50 million in state funding as part of an overall drive to protect residents from what lawmakers believe to be "inhumane" threats posed by President-elect Trump’s forthcoming administration. State Senate Budget Committee Chair Scott Wiener (D) announced Monday he would amend legislation to provide $25 million to support legal aid services for California residents at risk of deportation. The bill is the result of a special legislative session that began last month, amid Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) efforts to "Trump-proof" the Golden State from potential federal interference. Wiener’s Monday announcement, made on behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus, complements another $25 million authorized by state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D). Those funds will go to the California Department of Justice — a measure Newsom began seeking last month, at the start of the special legislative session. "California faces two massive challenges," Wiener said in a statement, noting the first revolves around rebuilding the lives of tens of thousands of residents in the wake of "horrific destructive wildfires in Los Angeles.". The second challenge, he explained, is "an incoming federal administration that has vowed to make it harder for Los Angeles to recover, by withholding disaster relief and deporting immigrant Angelenos who have been impacted by the fires and who are actively helping their neighbors."

Bloomberg [1/13/2025 7:00 PM, Malathi Nayak and Michelle Ma, 21617K, Negative] reports Los Angeles authorities detained scores of people for looting, as arrests over theft and curfew violations surge while wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the area. Nine individuals have been charged for looting in the Palisades and Eaton fires, and one was charged with arson for setting a fire at a public park in the city of Azusa that was extinguished, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday at a press conference. “These are people who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for their own benefit,” Hochman said. The Santa Monica Police Department said it has arrested more than 40 people since the unprecedented wildfires swept through multiple neighborhoods from Jan. 7 through Monday. Ten were arrested for burglary and six were in possession of burglary tools. Police officers found some people with ski masks and nylon gloves and tools including a window punch, who were arrested for being in evacuation areas with the intent of burglarizing homes. Others were accused of flouting curfew orders and driving violations, the police department said in a statement. Curfew orders are in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in areas under mandatory evacuation orders, including parts of Santa Monica. Law enforcement officials at the press conference said the curfews are meant to safeguard against looting and violent criminal activity. In addition to fire risk, water and air quality issues, Angelenos and fire victims have also had to deal with reports of scammers posing as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers and first responders. A man dressed as a firefighter, wearing a fire jacket and helmet, was caught attempting a burglary in the Palisades area, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said at the press conference. “This is despicable,” she said. “We cannot tolerate it.”

FOX News [1/13/2025 7:40 PM, Louis Casiano, 49889K, Negative] reports a man accused of arson and a group of looters targeting homes in evacuation zones amid the wildfires raging in Los Angeles County have been charged, officials said Monday. The charges were filed against a group of people accused of residential looting in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, while arson charges were brought against a man in Azusa, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a news conference. "These are the people who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for their own benefit," Hochman said. "These are people who have engaged in looting and arson. We’ve also investigated price gouging and will be investigating internet scams and the like.". Three suspects identified as Martrell Peoples, Damari Bell and Travon Coleman committed residential burglaries in Mandeville Canyon to the tune of more than $200,000 worth of goods hours after the fires began, Hochman said. They were spotted on a Ring camera inside a home, he said. They were eventually linked to an apartment in Koreatown, where they were arrested. A number of stolen items were recovered from that home, officials said. Peoples, who has two previous strikes, faces a third, meaning he is looking at a potential life sentence under California’s Three Strikes Law, authorities said. Bell faces 22 years in prison. Others charged also include Rudy Salazar and Lucia Jilrara Perez, who face two counts each of first-degree residential burglary in connection with looting in Altadena on Jan. 8 as the Eaton Fire raged. The pair allegedly entered two homes and were caught while entering a third. A third set of alleged looters stole from a home in Altadena, including an Emmy Award, which was recovered, authorities said. They were identified as Roy Sims, Ryan Sims Quan, Naquan Dewey Reddix, and Pierie Obannon. "In the Palisades area and the fires that we’ve experienced in Los Angeles, isn’t it bad enough we have 40,000 people potentially, that have been evacuated from an area, and then we get a handful of people that want to come up with activity to go victimize them," said Los Angeles assistant police Chief Blake Chow. "It’s not enough that they have to worry about their properties and rebuilding and things like that.".

CBS Austin [1/13/2025 11:51 AM, Madelin Morales, 581K, Negative] reports that amongst the wild California fires, firefighters from Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls Area FD have been dispatched to California to assist with the ongoing fires. Fire officials have just arrived in California and gone through the inspection process to assist with the wildfires. The Marble Falls Fire Department Captain along with those from Horsehoe Bay and a member from Pflugerville FD were deployed. Those who were sent are expected to be gone for up to 21 days. This morning officials started their first 24-hour shift on a structural assignment.

Wall Street Journal [1/13/2025 8:46 PM, Katherine Blunt and Jim Carlton, Neutral] reports a large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is out of commission, potentially hampering firefighting efforts, has twice required repairs in recent years, regulatory filings show. The Santa Ynez Reservoir in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is meant to hold 117 million gallons of water, has been offline and empty since early 2024 pending repairs to a floating cover meant to keep its water free of contaminants. The cover also required repairs in 2022, filings show. The cover was installed in 2011 to comply with federal water-quality regulations. It was expected to have a 20-year useful life, according to infrastructure planning documents from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which operates the reservoir. LADWP awarded the cover repair work to specialty contractor Layfield Group in 2022 and again in 2024, records show. LADWP didn’t respond to requests for comment. Layfield declined to comment. LADWP is under mounting scrutiny as firefighters struggle to contain several blazes that have killed at least 24 people and razed thousands of homes, while many in the nation’s most populous county ask whether their government could have been better prepared for a historic disaster. Frustrated residents in Pacific Palisades and other devastated neighborhoods are voicing concerns about L.A.’s water infrastructure, brush clearance and whether there were enough police and fire resources on hand to handle evacuations and defend homes when the blazes were first reported on Jan. 7. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered an independent investigation of LADWP’s response to the blazes, saying the reports of problems with water pressure in some local fire hydrants and the water supply from the Santa Ynez Reservoir “are deeply troubling to me and the community.” “We appreciate the governor’s letter and believe that an investigation will help identify any new needed capabilities for water systems to support fighting wildfires,” a spokesperson for the department said Friday night.

Reported similarly:
CBS Los Angeles [1/13/2025 8:35 PM, Julia Ingram and Jui Sarwate, 52225K, Neutral]

Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 5:59 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 2365K, Negative] reports President-elect Donald Trump is planning a trip to Los Angeles to observe the wildfire damage, according to several reports. Trump has yet to visit the sites of California’s wildfires, which have led to at least 24 deaths and thousands of homes and other structures being burned to the ground. NBC News reported that Trump’s team is "engaged in conversations" about making the trip. The Wall Street Journal reported that the visit is expected as soon as next week.

CBS Sacramento [1/13/2025 6:23 PM, Nina Burns, 52225K, Neutral] reports Luis Magana, an advocate for farmworkers in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, hosted one of many information meetings Sunday night in Stockton after recent immigration raids in California’s Central Valley. The information meetings consist of what to do and not to do if approached by immigration officials. Do not turn over any paperwork. State that you are from where you currently live, not where you were born. "If I am border patrol and ask you, ‘Where are you from?’ They say, ‘Mexico.’ No, you had to say you are from Lodi. That is where you are living. It is simple things I have to explain to the people.". Those are just some of the bits of advice Magana gave out during his informational meetings for farmworkers. "People are talking about what’s happening in Bakersfield. It’s families, not just one single man or one worker. It’s affecting students and everybody. It’s a panic in our community," Magana said of the recent ICE raids. Magana said many of the affected people are workers with families and no criminal record. "They are working hard. They raise their families here. Some of them have small businesses. They have a network of friends in the community," he noted.

San Diego Union Tribune [1/14/2025 12:01 AM, Alexandra Mendoza, 2212K, Positive] reports the Tijuana City Council unanimously approved an emergency declaration Monday night to free up local funds and prepare for a possible increase of migrants arriving in the city from the U.S. if incoming President Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise of mass deportations. The vote, which took place in a virtual special meeting, came a week before Trump begins his second term. Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño highlighted after the council vote that “there was excellent coordination with the federal government.” Burgueño said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is following the city’s plans for preventive measures, which are being taken in collaboration with the state. He added that they want to ensure that migrants are treated with dignity and respect for their human rights, as well as a safe return to their place of origin. The emergency declaration allows the city to quickly access local funds to address the “atypical situation,” reads the proposal sent by the mayor to council members before the meeting. The money — it’s not clear how much — could be used for hiring personnel, leasing facilities, utilities, Internet and legal services, among other needs. The declaration also allows the city to apply for existing federal funds if needed, but that would entail a separate process, officials said. Mexico has been working on a plan in response to Trump’s announced immigration crackdown. The approach includes measures in Mexico’s northern border states and in its 53 consulates in the U.S., including San Diego. About 4.8 million Mexican nationals are living in the U.S. without documentation, Mexican officials estimated last month. In San Diego County, there are about 120,000 undocumented Mexicans, according to the Mexican consulate. Sheinbaum had repeatedly insisted that Mexico will only accept migrants who are citizens of Mexico. But last week, during one of her daily press conferences, she left open another possibility, saying that in cases where the U.S. could not return migrants to their home countries, “we can collaborate through different mechanisms,” the Associated Press reported. Mexico has received people from certain other countries under previous agreements with the U.S. Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila announced last month the opening of new shelters in Tijuana and Mexicali to temporarily house deportees and help them return to their home states if they decide to do so. Ávila said last week that when it comes to Trump’s threats, it is better to “even exaggerate in our actions and preventive measures” and that the state “will help our migrant brothers and sisters who may arrive in Baja California in the best way possible.”

Wall Street Journal [1/13/2025 2:25 PM, Phil Gramm, Neutral] reports my wife’s grandmother, Soon Nam Char, was a picture bride. Orphaned in Korea when the Japanese killed her stiff-necked parents, she came to America in the early 20th century as part of an arranged marriage. My wife’s grandfather, who had come to Hawaii from Korea as a contract laborer, picked Soon Nam’s picture out of a book and signed a contract committing to work in the sugarcane fields in Hawaii for 13 months to pay her passage. Soon Nam arrived in a strange country, whose language she didn’t speak, to marry a man she had never met. Ruth Cymber was my chief of staff when I served in the House and Senate. She was born in a relocation camp in Germany after World War II and came to America with her parents, who were Holocaust survivors. The immigration agent suggested that her family change her first name from Ruchla to Ruth and drop the “knopf” from their last name, Cymberknopf. They did. Immigration has always been a tough issue for me because my life and the life of the nation have been and continue to be enriched by immigrants. When the Senate was debating the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, I felt obligated to point out that if I were in Mexico with my two little sons and they were hungry, you would have to kill me to stop me from coming across the U.S. border. Still, I was committed to dealing with illegal immigration and the 3.2 million illegal migrants in the country at the time. The problem was that I couldn’t see how the legislation could fail to expand illegal immigration—which it did. By granting amnesty to illegal immigrants while failing to secure the border sufficiently, the legislation effectively erected a giant neon welcome sign across the southern border. By January 2007, the illegal-immigrant population had swelled to 11.8 million. The problem persists today: According to July 2024 Congressional Budget Office projections, from 2021 to 2026 the illegal-immigrant population in the U.S. will surge by 8.7 million more than it would have had pre-2020 trends continued. The first step to ending the flood of illegal immigrants is to stop allowing people to come to the U.S. from anywhere and apply for asylum. The 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees developed the principle of nonrefoulement, which dictated that refugees fleeing events that took place prior to 1951 may not be forced back to countries in which their lives or freedom were threatened.

BorderReport [1/14/2025 1:52 AM, Salvador Rivera, 153K, Negative] reports more than 240 political leaders in so-called “sanctuary municipalities” received letters last month threatening them with legal prosecution and up to 20 years in prison if they hinder mass deportations. The letters were sent out by a group called American First Legal, a firm started by Stephen Miller, Donald’s Trumps next deputy chief of staff for policy. In California, state Attorney General Rob Bonta got one, as well as the mayor of Los Angeles and the city’s chief of police. San Diego’s former Board of Supervisor’s Chair Nora Vargas also received one. Many others including the mayors in big cities like Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York got one, as did small-town mayors like Las Cruces’ Eric Enriquez. In short, the letters issue threats saying, “your jurisdictions’ sanctuary policies could expose you and your subordinates to criminal liability for conspiracy to commit a federal offense and conspiracy to impede a federal officer.” Those who received the letters are told they could face “up to 20 years imprisonment.” “The threat of criminal prosecution is really not realistic,” said Robert Shapiro, dean of the University of San Diego’s School of Law. “That letter that was sent out threatens criminal prosecution and things like that, I suppose if state and local officials were actively obstructing what federal officials were doing, there could be those kinds of legal sanctions,” said Shapiro. “In general, when California or other states or other cities talk about being sanctuary jurisdictions, they don’t mean they’re actually going to blockade what federal officials are doing, what they mean is they’re not going to assist.” According to Shapiro, not helping or not wanting to help, is not a crime.

USA Today [1/14/2025 5:09 AM, Sarah D. Wire, 89965K, Neutral] reports Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, told NBC News on Friday afternoon that he is pitching the "fresh idea" of a hotline for Americans to report immigrants they believe are here illegally and have committed crimes. "I want a place where American citizens can call and report," Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said. "We need to take care of the American people. We need to make sure they have an outlet to help report child traffickers, forced labor traffickers. We want to give them an opportunity to be a part of the fix.” But Immigration and Customs Enforcement has had a tip line for more than 20 years that takes in an average 15,000 calls a month, according to the agency. ICE invites tips on illegal immigration along with a range of other legal violations such as drug smuggling and document fraud. "It is for reporting crimes, everything from child pornography, COVID-19 fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking, money laundering, terrorism, worksite enforcement of immigration laws," Alex Nowrasteh, immigration policy analyst at libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, said. "It already exists," Nowrasteh added. "I don’t know what Homan was talking about in terms of having a fresh, new idea.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection also refers people to the ICE tip line to report suspected criminal activity. The Trump transition team did not answer an email asking for additional information about Homan’s proposal or how his hot line would differ from what already exists. Homan did not respond to an attempt to reach him through his charitable foundation. Nowrasteh said the tip line likely isn’t currently a major part of immigration enforcement. "It probably wastes the time of a handful of employees at ICE to have to wade through these 15,000 calls a month and to take them and to write them down. Perhaps it leads to a few tips," Nowrasteh said. "But I have never heard of anything publicly that has come up related to a big operation started by a tip on the ICE hot hotline. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, but I’ve never heard of it.” Some immigration skeptics say that having a tip line focused more specifically on illegal immigration would be helpful at raising public awareness. "It seems like not only is it worth a try, but it’s also an important message to send. Part of the point of it is to make it clear to illegal aliens that they’re not untouchable, that the party’s over," Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for reduced immigration said. "It’s useful, if nothing else, to send a message, both to the public and to illegal immigrants, that just because you’re here and not raping anybody doesn’t mean that you’re untouchable. I think that’s an important message to send even if they only get a handful of actual usable leads.”

Reported similarly:
MSNBC [1/13/2025 6:58 PM, Ja’han Jones, 57114K, Negative]

FOX News [1/13/2025 8:00 AM, Christina Coulter, 49889K, Negative] reports a Massachusetts state senator is calling the state’s emergency housing assistance program into question after an illegal immigrant was allegedly caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. Leonardo Andujar Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, 28, was arrested by Revere Police on Dec. 27 and charged with 11 criminal counts in Chelsea District Court. Ten were related to firearms possession – including one for being an "alien" in possession of a firearm – and one for possession of approximately 10 pounds of the synthetic opiate. Sanchez was also charged in Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday with possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm. He had been living at the Quality Inn in Revere, where authorities found five kilograms of suspected fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, two rifle magazines, digital scales and latex gloves in his room, federal prosecutors said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston estimated that the drugs were collectively worth about $1 million, according to an agency press release. The agency was called in by local police after Sanchez was arrested, and determined that he had entered the U.S. illegally. Sanchez was arraigned on Dec. 30 and denied bail. Judge Jane Prince ordered the court documents sealed, but records in federal court provided some details about Sanchez’s arrest. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/13/2025 5:12 PM, Peter Pinedo, 49889K, Neutral] reports Boston ICE agents had to arrest a Brazilian illegal immigrant charged with rape and extortion twice because of sanctuary policies in the state of Massachusetts. An ICE statement published last week said that Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations officials arrested 29-year-old Agnaldo Moreira da Cruz, for the second time in December. According to the ICE statement, the Barnstable County Superior Court not only ignored their detainer requests but also violated the terms of their own agreement by refusing to return Moreira da Cruz to ICE, after obtaining him through a "writ of habeas corpus." Despite the actions by Barnstable County officials, Moreira da Cruz is currently in ICE custody, pending immigration and criminal proceedings.

KEDM 90.3 Public Radio [1/13/2025 7:18 AM, Staff, 3K, Negative] reports United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Richard Dean Hicks, 68, of Pioneer, Louisiana, has been convicted by a jury in Monroe following a three-day trial. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the trial. Hicks was charged in a superseding indictment September 27, 2023, with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of promotion and solicitation of child pornography and five counts of attempted production of child pornography. The charges in the indictment stemmed from a nationwide investigation that began in 2012 into individuals who were soliciting child sex traffickers in the Philippines to share child sexual abusive material (CSAM) via live stream video. The individuals under investigation paid money for the child sex traffickers in the Philippines to sexually abuse children, while they watched and directed the sex trafficker’s sexual abuse of the children. Through this investigation, agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at a residence in Philadelphia. As a result of evidence obtained, agents were able to identify an individual in the Philippines who was selling the sexually explicit live webcam shows of female adults engaging in the sexual abuse of underage children. Further investigation led to the identification of an individual in Louisiana, later identified as Hicks, who had been communicating with multiple females in the Philippines. From December 2017 through July 2020, Hicks and the females in the Philippines shared approximately 500 text messages and live video Skype calls wherein Hicks would pay the Philippine females to sexually abuse children as young as 5 years of age while he watched and told the women the type of sexual abuse he wanted them to perform on the children. Evidence was introduced at trial proving that Hicks had communicated with these females in the Philippines via text messages and Skype video calls and paid money through Western Union on numerous occasions to view these individuals performing sexually explicit acts with underage children. The payments ranged from $25 to $120.

FOX News [1/13/2025 9:00 PM, Joshua Q. Nelson and Alexa Moutevelis, 49889K, Neutral] reports Chicago officials slammed Mayor Brandon Johnson for issuing new guidelines for dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Johnson on Friday released guidelines for how to handle ICE visits on city property, while reaffirming his administration’s "commitment to the welcoming city ordinance.". Bracing for a change in federal administration, the mayor’s office assured the city would continue to comply with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement. Should ICE enter city property, Johnson’s guidelines advise, "Contact your agency or department’s designated attorney or general counsel for further guidance. Contact the highest ranking official or designated supervisor onsite and do not take any action until that person arrives.". The guidance says to demand copies of warrants, not to consent to ICE entering "any private or ‘sensitive’ locations," but not to interfere with any search, even if refused. There are further recommendations, including taking notes and keeping contemporaneous written records. "The Mayor and Corporation Counsel are in communication with department heads about guidelines to ensure Chicago remains a welcoming city for all of its residents," the mayor’s office said.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 11:17 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports that a Republican sheriff in Wyoming has offered jail space to the incoming Trump administration to hold undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to conduct the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history as part of his immigration crackdown. The proposed deportation was a key part of his reelection campaign. Citing concerns about crime, he has vowed that on "Day One" of his presidency millions of migrants living in the U.S. illegally will be sent out of the country. Brian Kozak, sheriff of Laramie County, Wyoming, is negotiating an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to hold individuals targeted for deportation under Trump’s immigration policy, according to a NewsNation report. Kozak said his county can assist with mass deportations and provide approximately 200 beds. The contract under negotiation stipulates that the sheriff’s department will receive $120 per day for each inmate it accommodates. The sheriff said his department is one of the first to request immigration authority for jail deputies, allowing them to assess an inmate’s immigration status and file federal charges without needing to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Kozak also said his department has six inmates who are in the U.S. illegally and have "ICE detainers," meaning they have committed a crime more serious than a misdemeanor and meet the criteria for possible deportation under the Biden administration.

KIRO 7 [1/13/2025 3:22 PM, Staff, Negative] reports a 43-year-old Snohomish County man pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to producing images of child sexual abuse and trying to entice minors. Bennett S. Park was arrested in August 2023 when, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was caught trying to pick up a 13-year-old at a home in Everett. According to the plea agreement, Park responded to an online add placed by an undercover Homeland Security Investigation agent, who pretended to have two young children that could be molested. After Park’s arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says a review of his electronic devices revealed he had been talking to over 20 minors. In the plea agreement Park detailed his crimes with eight different minors.

FOX News [1/13/2025 2:55 PM, Adam Shaw, Bill Melugin, 49889K, Negative] reports a man seen in a viral video being confronted and apprehended by Los Angeles residents, and who was eventually arrested by police with an alleged blowtorch, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources tell Fox News. Los Angeles police took the man into custody after a group of local residents grabbed him near the Kenneth Fire, allegedly carrying a blowtorch, according to video from Fox 11 Los Angeles. He is shown holding a torch head and a yellow fuel tank, before being tackled to the ground by at least five residents. ICE sources tell Fox that he is a Mexican illegal immigrant named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. He is in custody due to a probation violation and has not been charged with arson. ICE intends to place a detainer request on him - a request that ICE be notified on any release so he can be transferred into their custody and potentially deported. However, they do not expect it to be honored as California is a "sanctuary" state that largely limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with the agency.

AP [1/13/2025 1:29 PM, Staff, 47097K, Positive] reports that From the threat of mass deportations to stringent restrictions on H-1B workers and F-1 students, America’s immigration system is bracing for seismic changes when Trump makes his epic return to the Oval Office on January 20, 2025. In this climate of fear and uncertainty, immigrants (as well as their employers and family members) are looking for answers. Richard Herman, an immigration lawyer for over 30 years, has published guides to help others navigate the complexities of immigration politics in the current political landscape, including a Safety Plan for the undocumented, and guides for H-1B visas, F-1 International Students, TPS and Green Card Holders. Call for Calm, Rational, Economic-Driven Discussion on Immigration Herman and his team at the Herman Legal Group, have long-called for a new discussion on immigration policy in America. Immigrants as Economic Engines: At a time when immigrants are often viewed in a negative light, Herman seeks to raise awareness that the foreign-born demographic is an entrepreneurial and talent-rich resource that helps make America great. “It is no accident that forty-six percent of the Fortune 500 were founded by immigrants, or their children,” Herman states Research demonstrates that immigrants, when compared to American-born, are: Twice as likely to launch a business in the U.S.; Twice as likely to invent and own a U.S. patent; More likely to have the international relationships and cultural skills to navigate new export markets and attract investment from abroad.

CBS News [1/13/2025 9:05 PM, Staff, 52225K, Positive] Video: HERE reports President-elect Donald Trump said he wants to dramatically shift immigration policy once he takes office next week, promising mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez took a trip to both sides of the southern border to see how law enforcement officials and migrants are preparing for the next administration.

FOX News [1/13/2025 4:40 PM, Peter Pinedo, 49889K, Neutral] reports leaders at the southern border are telling Fox News Digital that despite rumors of a sudden rush, illegal immigration numbers are down, and their communities are beginning to regain a sense of "normalcy" ahead of President-elect Trump’s second inauguration this month. Under the Biden administration’s lax border policies, Coe said people in his county had to deal with huge financial losses and a constant sense of danger and uncertainty. He also said there was a dramatic increase in dangerous law enforcement pursuits in his county. But now, with Trump retaking power on Jan. 20, Coe said he is "very optimistic" about the future. He believes the Trump administration will listen to border communities and allow Customs and Border Protection authorities to do their job.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 7:53 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Negative] reports Republicans have reintroduced legislation that seeks to combat child trafficking and human exploitation at the U.S.-Mexico border. The proposed End Child Trafficking Now Act would mandate DNA testing to verify familial relationships between undocumented immigrants and accompanying minors. Newsweek contacted Senator Marsha Blackburn, who previously introduced the legislation, for comment via email outside normal office hours. The second Trump administration, which is set to take office on January 20, has vowed to enact a hard-line immigration agenda, including stricter border controls and mass deportations. Critics of the legislation proposing DNA testing to establish familial relationships between undocumented immigrants say it could lead to further family separations, which sparked overwhelming public outcry during the first Trump administration. In a joint press release issued on Friday, 11 Republican senators reintroduced the End Child Trafficking Now Act, which failed to gain support from Democrats across the aisle in 2024. The legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to deport illegal immigrant adults who refuse a DNA test and would mandate a maximum 10-year prison sentence for those who falsify family relationships or guardianship over minors. It also criminalizes the practice of "child recycling," where the same child is used repeatedly by undocumented adults, who are neither their relatives nor legal guardians, to gain entry into the U.S. Additionally, the bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to treat any child without proven family ties or legal guardianship as an unaccompanied minor under existing law. The Senate Republicans behind the bill are Blackburn, Bill Cassidy, Ted Cruz, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Bill Hagerty, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Thom Tillis, Pete Ricketts and Mike Lee. According to the lawmakers, up to 30 percent of minors DNA tested were found to be unrelated to the adults they were traveling with. Almost 110,000 unaccompanied migrant children crossed the southern border in fiscal year 2024, according to Customs and Border Protection.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 12:11 PM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports that a "sophisticated cross-border" tunnel connecting El Paso to Ciudad Juarez was uncovered by U.S. Border Patrol and special agents with Homeland Security Investigations on Friday, January 10. Newsweek contacted the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for further comment via email. The discovery of the tunnel highlights ongoing border security challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face when he takes office. Trump has pledged to crack down on crime syndicates, drug smuggling, and illegal migration as he looks to implement his mass deportation policy. While mass deportations and the border wall remain a focal point in immigration discourse, tunnels like the one uncovered in El Paso show how traffickers can bypass barriers. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso said it is leading the investigation to prosecute those responsible for the tunnel. Border Patrol officials described the discovery of the tunnel as "historic." HSI said that during the excavation of the "smuggling tunnel," they determined it extends beneath the U.S.-Mexico border into the Boone Street storm drain in South-Central El Paso and measures approximately 4 feet wide and 6 feet high. Authorities said the tunnel is supported by wooden beams, equipped with electricity and a ventilation system, and appears to have been constructed within the past year. Border Patrol reported that their Confined Space Entry Team discovered the tunnel early Friday morning, adding that it extends from Juarez into the El Paso storm drain system. HSI has been collaborating with Mexican authorities in Juarez to secure the underground breach on the border.

BorderReport [1/13/2025 11:17 PM, Julian Resendiz, 153K, Neutral] reports as a former U.S. Border Patrol chief agent in Arizona and West Texas, Victor Manjarrez has come across his share of illicit cross-border tunnels. He’s seen enormous underground constructions with rails to ferry carts loaded with kilos of cocaine and black-tar heroin. He’s seen sophisticated lighting equipment, vents to provide fresh air, and backpackers sent several feet under electronic sensors and Border Patrol agents keeping watch from their parked vehicles. That experience leads him to believe a tunnel originating in Juarez discovered last week in South-Central El Paso was being used by a Mexican cartel to send either illegal drugs or "high value" migrants to the United States. "It would make more sense it was being used to bring people from China, from Southeast Asia or Europe that can pay $25,000 to $30,000 to be smuggled to the United States. If you go for volume, it becomes a risk because someone could talk. This isn’t for the economic migrant you normally see here," he said. "Also, people coming from special interest areas. They may not be on the list itself but come from a terrorist region. Those are the ones more invested in not being detected.". On Monday, many questions still surrounded the tunnel’s discovery last Thursday, which wasn’t publicly disclosed until Friday. U.S. federal agencies in El Paso said the case remains under investigation and referred questions to news releases they put out last week.

FOX News [1/13/2025 8:01 PM, Greg Wehner, 49889K, Neutral] reports a Russian mercenary was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents earlier this month after he illegally entered the U.S. near Roma, Texas, according to reports. ValleyCentral.com in Harlingen, Texas reported that agents encountered Timur Praliev after he crossed the Rio Grande into Texas, carrying two passports and $4,000 on Jan. 4, 2025. He was ultimately arrested. A criminal complaint acquired by the station shows that Praliev was questioned about his citizenship during the encounter and stated he was a citizen of Kazakhstan. Another court document shows Praliev appeared in court last Tuesday with counsel and entered a guilty plea of knowingly and unlawfully entering the U.S. at a place other than as designated by immigration officers. During the court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda McColgan reportedly told the judge Praliev was also in possession of a drone in his backpack when he crossed into the U.S. She added that when questioned, Praliev admitted to being a member of the Wagner Group. The judge presiding over the case ruled Praliev was guilty as charged and ordered a term of imprisonment plus a special assessment of $10. The station reported that when Praliev was asked if he had anything to say, he responded, "Nyet.".

Texas Tribune [1/13/2025 2:31 PM, Alejandro Serrano, 1609K, Neutral] reports that Texas Supreme Court justices on Monday heard oral arguments in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to shut down an El Paso migrant shelter network he has accused of violating state law by helping undocumented migrants. The case began in February 2024 when the attorney general’s office demanded documents from the shelter, Annunciation House, related to its work with immigrants. Annunciation House, which opened its first shelter at a Catholic church nearly 50 years ago, primarily serves people who have been processed and released into the U.S. by federal immigration officials. The shelter’s director, Ruben Garcia, communicates regularly with Border Patrol and other federal officials to help find shelter for immigrants who have nowhere else to go while their cases are processed. Officials from the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division arrived at the migrant shelter’s door on Feb. 7 and demanded a trove of documents within a day. Annunciation House sued the attorney general’s office to delay the release of the records, asking a judge to determine which documents shelter officials were legally allowed to release. Paxton’s office filed a countersuit to shutter the shelter network. The attorney general’s office claimed the shelter was violating state law by helping people suspected of being undocumented immigrants.

BorderReport [1/13/2025 7:46 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 153K, Neutral] reports the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras is readying plans to open warehouses formerly used as maquiladoras to house deported migrants if the incoming Trump administration sends masses south of the border. Four former industrial plants that used to produce goods could be transformed into shelters, said Amerika Garcia-Grewal, a member of the Eagle Pass Border Vigil Coalition. "They have four former maquiladora warehouses that they are planning to house people there if they are deported to Piedras Negras. The Catholic church there is bracing themselves there for a large influx of immigrants. Mexico is preparing," she said. Currently, 40 to 50 people are sent back into Mexico every day and end up Frontera Digna, the largest shelter in Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.

AP [1/13/2025 7:04 PM, Staff, 47097K, Neutral] reports that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today published a final rule providing a framework for federal agency phased enforcement of REAL ID requirements. Federal agencies, including TSA, will begin REAL ID enforcement on the deadline—May 7, 2025. Starting on May 7, only state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security requirements established by the REAL ID Act will be allowed for official purposes, including boarding commercial aircraft. The final rule provides necessary flexibility for federal agencies to begin enforcement in a manner that takes into account security, operational risk and public impact. "Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to enhance security standards for identification, directly in response to the security vulnerabilities highlighted by the 9/11 attacks," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. "Identity verification is foundational to security. I urge those who use a driver’s license or state-issued identity card as their primary form of identification to access federal facilities or board commercial passenger aircraft, to ensure these credentials are REAL ID-compliant. We are committed to engaging with the public, licensing jurisdictions and states to facilitate a smooth transition to REAL ID enforcement beginning May 7, 2025, which this rule supports.". All states are issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. TSA continues to urge travelers to obtain a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license, state-issued identification card or another form of acceptable ID before May 7, 2025 to avoid delays at airport security checkpoints.

NPR [1/13/2025 5:09 PM, Staff, 35747K, Neutral] Audio: HERE reports Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning. She described a "conflagration." Saying they’re not wildland fires with trees burning. They’re structure to structure fire spread. They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn’t stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?

FOX News [1/14/2025 12:46 AM, Landon Mion, 49889K, Neutral] reports FEMA is extending its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program to Jan. 25 for residents of North Carolina, according to a Monday announcement. The program, which was set to expire on Tuesday, funds temporary housing, like hotel or motel rooms, for thousands of people displaced from their homes by Hurricane Helene. The federal assistance gives households extra time to find alternative housing solutions or to make repairs to their homes. More than 3,000 families are eligible for the program’s extension, according to FEMA. The agency said people checking out of their temporary housing on Tuesday are returning to habitable homes or have withdrawn from FEMA assistance. More than 10,000 households accepted temporary shelter in hotels participating in the TSA program following the aftermath of the hurricane, FEMA said last month, but most have since moved to longer-term housing. Each county also has its own shelters and nonprofits to assist people who are not eligible for FEMA’s program. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [1/13/2025 9:20 PM, Jacob Biba, 57114K, Neutral]

FOX News [1/13/2025 10:11 AM, Staff, 49889K, Neutral] reports that FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss how the agency is taking action to help those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles as the death toll continues to climb. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [1/13/2025 5:15 PM, Staff, 48128K, Negative] reports that the Los Angeles wildfires, which have reduced entire neighborhoods to smoldering ruins and left an apocalyptic landscape, could become the costliest wildfires in U.S. history in terms of insured losses if analysts’ estimates of up to $20 billion materialize. Dangerously high winds were expected to resume on Monday in Los Angeles, potentially hampering efforts to extinguish two stubborn wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least two dozen people. The Los Angeles wildfire loss estimates are critical as they underscore the escalating financial risks posed by climate-related disasters, highlighting potential implications for the insurance industry and the broader economic resilience. AccuWeather forecasts total economic losses from the disaster to range between $135 billion and $150 billion, signaling a challenging recovery and likely surging homeowners’ insurance costs. Bloomberg [1/13/2025 4:25 PM, Alexandre Rajbhandari, Negative] reports wildfires that have ravaged swaths of Los Angeles could result in losses of as much as $30 billion for the insurance industry as the blazes rage on almost a week after they ignited. The new estimate from Wells Fargo & Co. analysts significantly exceeds last week’s highest prediction from JPMorgan Chase & Co. that the fires stood to cost insurers roughly $20 billion. Home-insurance providers will bear the brunt of the cost. Los Angeles is grappling with a second week of wind gusts exacerbating wildfires and hindering firefighters’ efforts to contain them. At least 24 people have died and more than 12,000 buildings across over 40,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods burned to the ground. As of Monday, the Palisades and Eaton fires remained largely uncontrolled. NPR [1/13/2025 5:25 PM, Greg Allen, 35747K, Negative] Audio: HERE reports in recent years, insurance companies have begun using sophisticated computer modeling and artificial intelligence to calculate risk in fire-prone areas. That led several companies to stop writing new policies for homeowners and renters in places like Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Along with the destruction of lives and homes, the Los Angeles wildfires will also have a big impact on California’s insurance market. Some estimates put insured losses from the fires at more than $20 billion.

Washington Post [1/13/2025 7:27 PM, Joshua Partlow, 40736K, Negative] reports the town is hushed and somber, residents kept out by a cordon of National Guard troops. The searchers have worked through about a quarter of the town. About 7,000 structures have burned, and authorities expect that the search will continue for at least four more days. At least 16 bodies have been found, making the Eaton Fire the fifth-deadliest blaze in state history, according to Cal Fire data. An additional eight people have been confirmed dead in the Palisades Fire, which swept through Pacific Palisades. Authorities expect they will not be the last. "Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be a lot more," said Reserve Deputy Sheriff Dan Paige, a search-and-rescue operations leader at the Altadena station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Searching for the dead in the ruins of Altadena is slow, methodical work. It can be difficult to identify human remains amid the ash and wreckage of a burned-out home, much of it coated in a uniform gray. "Drywall looks almost identical to bone fragments," Paige said. "It can be very deceiving.". The search in Altadena is being conducted by at least 100 people led by California Regional ​Urban Search and Rescue teams, made up of firefighters and others from throughout the state, plus Federal Emergency Management Agency officials; medical doctors; structural specialists to inspect buildings, roads and bridges; and anthropologists to help identify human remains.

New York Times [1/13/2025 7:15 PM, Jesus Jiménez and Jack Healy, 161405K, Negative] reports tens of thousands of wildfire evacuees in Los Angeles are now scrambling to find — and hold onto — temporary shelter, exacerbating the housing shortage in one of America’s least affordable cities. With 92,000 people across Los Angeles still under evacuation orders on Monday, the displaced were scattered across Southern California, in shelter beds, hotel rooms, relatives’ spare rooms and friends’ couches, unsure about where to go next as extreme fire danger looms for yet another week. The hunt for longer-term housing already has sparked bidding wars in some neighborhoods on the edges of the fires. In the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood adjacent to the Palisades fire, one real-estate agent suddenly got 1,000 applicants for a new rental listing. In Pasadena, a family whose home burned in the Eaton fire in Altadena said they were about to lose their emergency short-term rental where they have been staying since the fires to a family willing to pay $8,000 a month. Some evacuees, like Lila King, have ended up staying in their vehicles. Ms. King, 75, has been bouncing between motels and sleeping in her truck with her 40-year-old son since they were displaced by the Eaton fire. The American Red Cross and other agencies have opened eight shelters in Los Angeles County capable of holding almost 800 evacuees combined; the largest, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Exhibition Hall, had almost 500 people. Evacuees flooded the convention center immediately after the fire, sleeping on cots or even the floor. By Monday, the shelter was quieter, and many appeared to have cleared out. Some displaced by the fires are crashing on couches and spare bedrooms with families and friends. Others are posted up for now in hotels and vacation rentals, anxiously counting the days before they have to find other housing.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 5:18 PM, Anna Commander, 56005K, Negative] reports amid the ongoing wildfires, residents in portions of Southern California have been advised on Monday that a red flag warning is in effect and conditions are "about as bad as it gets," according to the National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles. Strong winds are expected to pick back up on Monday and into the week. Portions of Los Angeles County, Ventura County, and Orange County are also under an "extreme fire danger" and residents are urged to "stay aware" of their surroundings, the NWS Los Angeles wrote in a X, formerly Twitter, post. The wildfires, which have so far killed 24 people and have destroyed thousands of structures, started burning last week amid strong Santa Ana winds. The Palisades fire and the Eaton fire are both currently active as the Palisades fire is 14 percent contained, and the Eaton Fire is currently 33 percent contained. As of Monday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) says the Eaton fire is 14,117 acres, with the cause of the fire remaining under investigation. Nearly 40,000 structures have been threatened. The Palisades fire is 23,713 acres, CAL Fire said its update. The cause of this fire is also under investigation as over 12,000 structures have been threatened.

CBS Los Angeles [1/14/2025 12:04 AM, Matthew Rodriguez, 52225K, Negative] reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency will open two disaster recovery centers in Los Angeles County on Tuesday to help residents affected by the wildfires. The centers are scheduled to open on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at UCLA Research Park West and Pasadena City College Community Education Center. On Tuesday, the centers will open at 1 p.m., however, during the following days the centers will be open during the following hours: UCLA Research Park West: 10850 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064; Hours of operation – Daily: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pasadena City College Community Education Center 3035 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106; Hours of operation – Daily: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Representatives from the state and federal governments can help people apply for financial assistance, provide updates on residents’ FEMA applications and guide victims through the appeals process. FEMA financial assistance may include money for basic home repairs and personal property losses. Other uninsured, disaster-related needs including, childcare, transportation, medical needs, funeral or dental expenses can also be covered with FEMA funds. While these centers are available, anyone can apply for FEMA assistance online by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov or the FEMA app. Victims can also call 1 (800) 621-3362. Applicants who use a relay service, such as a video relay, captioned telephone or other service give FEMA your number for help. Decisions will either be sent by mail or through the DisasterAssistance.gov portal. According to FEMA, letters telling applicants that their claim was "not approved for some categories of assistance" do not mean outright denial of assistance. By law, the emergency agency cannot duplicate benefits received by another source, according to FEMA. "If you receive money from a GoFundMe page for something specific, such as repairs, funeral expenses or other aid, this may affect your FEMA eligibility, but survivors should still apply for assistance and let FEMA determine if you are eligible," a FEMA spokesperson wrote in an email.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 10:04 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K, Neutral] reports thousands of residents in Anchorage, Alaska, faced widespread devastation and power outages Monday after hurricane-strength winds battered the city on Sunday. This latest incident comes as power outages across the United States have become a growing concern as extreme weather events increase in frequency and intensity, often leaving millions of Americans in precarious situations. Hurricanes, wildfires, ice storms and heatwaves have caused widespread disruptions, highlighting the vulnerability of aging electrical grids to severe conditions. Prolonged outages not only hinder daily life by cutting off access to heating, cooling and essential appliances but also pose significant risks to public health, particularly for the elderly and those with medical conditions reliant on powered devices.The Anchorage storm, which began Sunday, delivered gusts reaching 132 mph at a mountain weather station south of the city, according to the National Weather Service. Within Anchorage itself, winds hit 75 mph, toppling trees, scattering debris and partially collapsing a pedestrian bridge over the Seward Highway, the city’s main southern thoroughfare. At the height of the storm, 17,500 customers were without power, according to Julie Hasquet, spokesperson for Chugach Electric Association. As of Monday, roughly 5,700 homes remained offline with full restoration expected to stretch into Tuesday. The storm’s chaos wasn’t limited to neighborhoods. Anchorage’s airport, a vital hub for passenger and cargo traffic, saw significant disruptions. Winds forced 13 aircraft, including a U.S. Air Force plane, to divert to Fairbanks, which sits nearly 360 miles away. On the ground, emergency crews scrambled to clear bridge debris, which had obstructed traffic on the highway. However, no injuries were reported when the side fencing and roof of the bridge fell onto the four-lane divided highway on Sunday. Traffic was rerouted and crews removed the debris..

Reuters [1/13/2025 5:53 PM, Vallari Srivastava, 48128K, Negative] reports electricity provider Hawaiian Electric (HE.N) on Monday laid out a plan to fortify the power grid to help reduce the risk of a wildfire started by its equipment. The utility has faced intense scrutiny in the past for its role in the deadly 2023 Maui wildfire. The fires killed over 100 people, destroyed the historic coastal town of Lahaina and caused damage estimated at $5 billion. Several destructive U.S. blazes in the past have been linked to power infrastructure, leading to devastating financial and legal problems for utilities. Hawaiian Electric said its wildfire safety plan would cost about $450 million from 2025 to 2027, with $137 million already budgeted for work this year. The company added that some of the costs have already been funded through existing programs, including a federal grant it received in 2024 for grid resiliency.

The Washington Post [1/13/2025 6:30 PM, Ellie Silverman, 40736K, Neutral] reports this inauguration comes amid a series of unprecedented high-security events in D.C. and on the heels of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans and a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas that rattled the nation. Law enforcement has worked around-the-clock to manage the Jan. 6 electoral count, former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral and winter storms that closed schools and federal offices, said William "Matt" McCool, the special agent in charge for the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. The inauguration, McCool said at a news conference Monday, "is the third leg of our triple crown.". For Inauguration Day, the third national special security event in January, 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel will be in the District to provide security, including the full activation of D.C. police, 7,800 National Guard troops and about 4,000 officers from around the country, McCool said. There will also be more than 30 miles of anti-scale fencing, more than any prior national special security event, he said. Nearly a quarter of a million ticketed guests are expected to attend the inauguration and thousands of people are planning to protest and rally in the days before and during the event, said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. Among them are the People’s March on Jan. 18, which is organized by leading civil rights, racial justice and reproductive health organizations; Trump’s rally at Capital One Arena on Jan. 19; and a large anti-Trump protest on Inauguration Day, organized by pro-Palestinian coalitions, labor groups and socialist movements. As the nation’s First Amendment capital, District officials said they are well-accustomed to managing crowds across the political spectrum and projected confidence heading into Inauguration Day, which this year coincides with a federal holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "Here in the city, we allow peaceful protests all the time," said D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith. "But when it comes to violating the law, we’re just not going to tolerate it." The Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 2:21 PM, Jack Birle, 2365K, Neutral] reports Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and various federal and local law enforcement officials provided updates on the latest for inauguration security in downtown Washington on Monday. Since the inauguration is a designated National Special Security Event, its security is led by the Secret Service, marking the third NSSE in Washington this month after the certification of the 2024 election and former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. McCool said all attendees of the inauguration will undergo security screenings, and other procedures will include road closures, temporary flight restrictions, 30 miles of fencing to protect the ceremony, and the use of drones. FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg said Monday that the FBI will have two command posts and that it is "not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony." Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the "lone actor" remains the largest possible threat to the event.

Reported similalry:
KCRA.com [1/13/2025 4:20 PM, Christopher Salas, 1810K, Neutral]
DC News Now [1/13/2025 6:07 PM, Paola Belloso, Positive]

FOX News [1/13/2025 6:24 PM, Alec Schemmel, 49889K, Neutral] reports "Lone actors" pose the greatest threat to safety during the upcoming presidential inauguration events, according to U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. He referenced two incidents last week on Capitol Hill where people sought to "disrupt" congressional proceedings with potentially violent tactics. An estimated 250,000 ticketed guests will attend the formal inauguration on Jan. 20, according to law enforcement. That will be supplemented by another 25,000, who law enforcement expect will attend various demonstrations going on around the Capitol on Inauguration Day. The inauguration and its accompanying events have been designated a "National Special Security Event," the highest federal protective status an event can receive, authorities said. "The biggest threat, I think, for all of us remains the lone actor," Manger said Monday. "Just in the past week, while President Carter was lying in state, we had two lone actors show up at the Capitol: one trying to bring in knives and a machete; another one who was trying – what I believe – to disrupt the proceedings by setting their car on fire down in the peace circle area.". "Capitol Police were able to interdict these folks before they had a chance to do any harm. But that threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us being at this heightened state of alert throughout the next week.". Manger’s remarks came during a Monday press conference with federal and local law enforcement officials, including leaders from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police, during which they discussed their preparation for the inauguration. Representing the FBI was the assistant director in charge of the agency’s Washington field office, David Sundberg, who said the FBI was "not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony or to the Capitol complex.".

Everything Lubbock [1/13/2025 4:03 PM, Erica Miller, 240K, Negative] reports the Midland Police Department is asking for help from the community to identify a fraud suspect with possible ties to the Lubbock area. According to the MPD, the suspect, pictured below, allegedly used counterfeit bills to purchase items at Academy Sports in Midland. The same man, who officials believe may be from the Lubbock area, then returned the illegally gotten goods at the Academy store in Lubbock.

KXLG [1/13/2025 1:25 PM, Steve Jurrens, Negative] reports that on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, the Watertown Police Department responded to a gas station following a report that a male had attempted to pass a counterfeit $50 bill. The investigating officer confirmed that the $50 bill was indeed counterfeit. The suspect was identified as 54-year-old Scott Robertson from Sioux Falls, SD, who was found to be staying at a motel in Watertown. On January 10th, 2025, Robertson was located at the motel and placed under arrest. A search warrant was executed for Robertson’s motel room and vehicle, leading to the discovery of additional counterfeit bills, two printers, color printer ink, fine watermarked printing paper, a paper trimmer, counterfeit license plate validation stickers, methamphetamine, digital scales, and drug paraphernalia. Robertson has been charged with forgery, possessing a forged instrument, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a place where drugs are kept, possession of drug paraphernalia, and substitute license plates. He is currently being held at the Codington County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash-only bond. The Watertown Police Department reminds the public to carefully inspect cash before accepting it and to report any suspected counterfeit money to law enforcement.

Yahoo! News [1/13/2025 9:03 AM, Brendan Wiesner and Dan Basso, 57114K, Neutral] reports that with ice starting to build up on the Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard has officially launched Operation Taconite, its annual icebreaking operation, for the 2024-25 winter season. The annual ice breaking effort began Jan. 6, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes sector announced. Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic icebreaking operation, officials said, with efforts taking place on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, the St. Marys River, the Straits of Mackinac and Georgian Bay along the Canadian coast. "One of the missions of the U.S. Coast Guard is to facilitate interstate and international commerce. We are there as stewards of the waterways, so we need to make sure the free flow of people and goods can occur throughout the year," U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Philip Gurtler said. "There’s actually a couple of different ways that you can do ice breaking," Gurtler said. "What we’ll actually try to do is less pushing through the ice, but actually get on top of the ice and then use the weight of the vessel to break it up and maneuver through it." The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is assigned to manage western Lake Superior, specifically the twin ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay is assigned to Green Bay, and U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Katmai Bay and Neah Bay will manage the St. Marys River and the Straits of Mackinac.

CBS Austin [1/13/2025 1:56 PM, Skyler Shepard, 581K, Neutral] reports that thirty-seven Cuban migrants were rescued by the Coast Guard in the Bahamas after they were stranded and in need of help. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said there were a total of two separate rescues -- one on Jan. 9 and the other on Jan. 10. USCG said its aircrew noticed a group of people waving their arms in distress on Cay Sal Bank. The second rescue mission occurred when aircrews saw a group of migrants stranded on Anguilla Cay. Crews were able to drop food, water, and a radio to establish communications with the groups while they awaited rescue. Bahamian authorities requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue the migrants from both uninhabited islands. A USCG boat crew was dispatched and brought the migrants aboard, due to safety of life at sea concerns. Once the migrants were aboard the USCG boat, they were given food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention before repatriation to their country of origin or return to the country from which they departed, according to the USCG. "The Coast Guard and our Task Force partners diligently patrol the Florida Straits, Windward Passage and the Mona Passage to save lives by rescuing migrants from unsafe environments, deterring dangerous attempts to enter the U.S. illegally by sea and preventing human smuggling activity," said Lt. Connor Pascale, Coast Guard liaison officer to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. "These irregular, unlawful voyages in unseaworthy vessels are extremely dangerous and put migrants’ lives at risk."

CyberScoop [1/14/2025 5:00 AM, Tim Starks, Neutral] reports a draft cybersecurity executive order would tackle cyber defenses in locations ranging from outer space to the U.S. federal bureaucracy to its contractors, and address security risks embedded in subjects like cybercrime, artificial intelligence and quantum computers. The draft, a copy of which CyberScoop obtained, constitutes one big last stab at cybersecurity in the Biden administration’s eleventh hour. The order is follow-up to an order published in the first year of his presidency, The new order gives agencies 53 deadlines, stretching in length from 30 days to three years. “Adversarial countries and criminals continue to conduct cyber campaigns targeting the United States and Americans, with the People’s Republic of China presenting the most active and persistent cyber threat to United States Government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks,” the executive order’s opening reads. “These campaigns disrupt the delivery of critical services across the Nation, cost billions of dollars, and undermine Americans’ security and privacy. More must be done to improve the Nation’s cybersecurity against these threats.” Many of its sections are focused on federal cybersecurity. The tasks include measures such as encryption of federal email messages, and requiring contractors to affirm their security commitments — and then having the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency verify them. “In some instances, providers of software to the Federal Government commit to following cybersecurity practices, yet do not fix well-known exploitable vulnerabilities in their software, which puts the Government at risk of compromise,” the order states. It would seek to strengthen CISA’s ability to hunt for threats across federal agencies, by doing things like telling CISA to coordinate with federal chief information officers and chief information security officers to “develop and release a concept of operations that enables CISA to gain timely access to required data.” Some federal officials have complained about aspects of that plan. The section on combating cybercrime and fraud, which the order says burdens taxpayers and “wastes government funds,” is less prescriptive. It suggests that agencies consider using digital identity documents for public benefits programs requiring identity verification, provided they adhere to principles like privacy. But the executive order isn’t confined in its scope to the federal government, let alone the planet. “In light of the pivotal role space systems play in global critical infrastructure and communications resilience, and to further protect space systems and the supporting digital infrastructure vital to our national security, including our economic security, agencies shall take steps to continually verify that Federal space systems have the requisite cybersecurity capabilities through actions including continuous assessments, testing, exercises, and modeling and simulation,” it states.

MeriTalk [1/13/2025 3:26 PM, Weslan Hansen, 31K, Positive] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a Jan. 10 report on adoption of the agency’s cross-sector cyber performance goals that finds four critical infrastructure sectors are seeing decreased cyber threats since putting the performance goals in place. Released in late 2022, CISA’s Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) are a set of voluntary cybersecurity practices that critical infrastructure owners can take to protect against cyber threats. The practices align with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework 1.0, which has five main functions: identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. Using data from its vulnerability scanning service which analyzed 7,791 critical infrastructure organizations across two years, the agency said the four critical infrastructure sectors most impacted by CPG adoption were healthcare and public health, water and wastewater systems, communications, and government services and facilitates.

Wall Street Journal [1/13/2025 6:18 PM, Alexander Osipovich, Neutral] reports two brokerage units of Robinhood Markets agreed to pay $45 million to settle an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into a range of alleged violations, including one stemming from a 2021 data breach that exposed millions of customer names and emails. The settlement is the latest in a string of big penalties paid by Robinhood as it has grown from a disruptive startup into a more established financial firm. Founded in 2013, the company pioneered the practice of zero-commission trading and drew millions of predominantly young customers to its innovative trading app, while repeatedly coming under scrutiny from regulators. In the November 2021 breach, email addresses for about five million Robinhood users were exposed, as were the full names of a different group of about two million users, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company said at the time. The intruder carried out the attack by impersonating a Robinhood employee and accessing company systems, Robinhood said. The SEC alleged that the two units covered by Monday’s settlement—Robinhood Securities and Robinhood Financial—failed to adopt sufficient policies and procedures to protect customer information. “We are pleased to resolve these matters. As the SEC’s order acknowledges, most of these are historical matters that our broker-dealers have previously addressed,” said Lucas Moskowitz, general counsel at Robinhood Markets. Separately, the SEC alleged that the Robinhood units failed to implement an adequate program to protect customers against identity theft, despite a “significant escalation” in hacker takeovers of Robinhood customer accounts in 2020 and 2021. In other parts of the settlement, the SEC alleged that Robinhood was slow to report suspicious transactions and that it failed to preserve communications by employees using unauthorized messaging apps such as WhatsApp. The SEC has imposed similar record-keeping fines against dozens of banks and brokerages over such employee communications. The SEC also accused Robinhood Securities of failing to properly flag short sales, or bets against a company’s stock, in some circumstances.

Washington Post [1/13/2025 4:04 PM, Ellen Nakashima, 40736K, Neutral] reports the administration could decide as early as Monday to designate the firm, whose name has not been released publicly, said the officials. The decision is not yet final, they cautioned. The weeks-long debate has turned on whether to publicly call out and hold accountable the Chinese firm now or to wait and watch in order to develop a better understanding of the hackers’ tactics, tools and targets. While the Biden administration deliberates, the incoming Trump team has signaled it intends to be more aggressive in taking on adversaries in cyberspace.

Bloomberg [1/13/2025 12:28 PM, Jenny Leonard and Courtney McBride, 21617K, Neutral] reports that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said China would face severe consequences if it launches a cyberattack that causes physical destruction in the US, and deterring such a move should be a priority for the incoming Trump administration.

Sullivan said the US has evidence that China is prepositioning for just such an attack at some point in the future, underscoring past concerns from US officials. He spoke in an interview at the Bloomberg News bureau in Washington on Monday. “We’ve sent a clear message to China’s leaders that if they did that — if they actually took a physically destructive cyber attack in the United States — that there would be severe consequences,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to have to continue to deter China from doing that because we have seen them setting up or positioning to be able to do that in the future. That’s something the new team will have to continue to work on internally.”

Yahoo! News [1/13/2025 10:27 PM, Darryl Coote, 57114K, Negative] reports the United States named an online extreme right-wing group of White supremacists a designated terrorist organization on Monday, accusing it and its leaders of promoting race and ethnic-based violence. Members of the transnational Terrorgram Collective connect via Telegram, hence its name, where they promote White supremacy and encourage racially or ethnically motivated violence. Its users have been blamed for a number of violent attacks, including the October shooting outside a Slovakia LGBTQ+ bar that killed three people, including the gunman; a July planned attack on a New Jersey energy facility; and an August kift attack at a Turkey mosque that injured five. "The Terrorgram Collective is being designated for having committed or attempted to commit, posing a significant risk of committing or having participated in training to commit acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy of economy of the United States," the State Department said in a statement. Three leaders of the collective -- Ciro Daniel Amorim Ferreira of Brazil, Noah Licul of Croatia and Hedrik-Wahl Muller of South Africa -- were individually listed as Specially Designated Global terrorists. With the designations, all property and interests in property of the collective as well as those named in the United States is blocked and Americans are barred from doing business with them. According to State Department officials, the terrorist designations expose and isolate those named from using the U.S. financial system.

New York Times [1/14/2025 3:36 AM, Shayla Colon, 740K, Neutral] reports public schools in Montclair, N.J., were closed on Monday after a teacher at an elementary school threatened its principal on social media, the police said. Several hours later, the school district announced that the potential threat had been “neutralized.” The teacher, Amir Doctry, was arrested in Philadelphia on Monday morning and charged with making terroristic threats, a spokesman for the Montclair Police Department, Lt. Terence Turner, said. Mr. Doctry, a teacher at Northeast Elementary School, was put on administrative leave last week when he started showing signs of “erratic behavior,” Lieutenant Turner said. Mr. Doctry was in a “manic state” when he was apprehended and taken to a Philadelphia hospital for a psychological evaluation, Lieutenant Turner added. The Montclair Police Department said it was increasing patrols around all schools out of an abundance of caution. The department added that there was “no further danger” to Montclair, a township in Essex County, N.J., that is about 20 miles from New York City by car. Mr. Doctry is listed as a “long-term teacher” on the school district’s website, but he was not listed as a staff member in the Northeast Elementary School’s directory as of Monday afternoon. A LinkedIn profile for a user with his name says that he owns a business geared toward creating virtual-reality lessons for students and that he previously taught sixth-graders in Montclair and students in Newark. Not long after the school district announced the school closure on Monday, parents began to speculate that it was connected to a YouTube video featuring Mr. Doctry. Lieutenant Turner confirmed the connection in an interview. In the video, Mr. Doctry can be seen holding up a letterman jacket and saying that he believed he would be promoted to school superintendent and planned to get the title “superintendent” stitched onto the jacket once that happened. “That is how confident I am that I am going to be the new superintendent of Montclair Public Schools,” he said. He later added: “We need change. That is the whole point,” before making a series of remarks about artificial intelligence. The video’s lengthy caption contained a string of profane, political and racist assertions. It read, in part: “Joe must die school shooting Montclair school shooting kills Dr. Joe Racsim Racist Joe is dead. He dies tonight.”

FOX News [1/13/2025 7:32 PM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 49889K, Negative] reports nine suspected members of the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) were charged following a violent December home invasion, kidnapping and robbery in Aurora, Colorado. The apartment complex gained widespread national media attention over claims it had been taken over by the Venezuelan gang earlier this year. The Aurora, Colorado Police Department announced the nine arrests on Monday in the armed home invasion and kidnapping that left two victims seriously injured. The suspects face varying charges, including second-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault, aggravated robbery, second-degree burglary, extortion and menacing, the department said. Serpa-Acosta was previously wanted on an active felony warrant for first-degree burglary and menacing with a deadly weapon, police said. His warrant stemmed from Aug. 18, 2024, when a security camera captured Serpa-Acosta and five other armed men knocking on apartment doors at The Edge at Lowry about 10 minutes before a fatal shooting. In addition to the above charges, the department said that they’ve obtained arrest warrants for three additional suspects that are not in custody yet. The charges against the suspected gang members come after a savage saga on Dec. 17, 2024 at approximately 2:30 a.m. The additional seven suspects not yet charged were in ICE custody and remained under investigation, police said. "I will say without question, in my opinion, that this is TdA activity. Some of these individuals have been identified as TdA gang members," Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at the start of the investigation. "It’s something that we are working very close with our partners in HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and DHS [Homeland Security] to establish their relationship with gangs.".

The Hill [1/13/2025 12:54 PM, Julia Shapero, 16346K, Neutral] reports that the Biden administration is further restricting the sale of advanced chips used to power and develop artificial intelligence (AI) amid growing concerns about the use of American-made AI by foreign adversaries. The AI "diffusion" rule announced Monday would place caps on chip sales to most countries around the world. Eighteen U.S. allies and partners would be exempt from the new restrictions. "This policy will help build a trusted technology ecosystem around the world and allow us to protect against the national security risks associated with AI, while ensuring controls do not stifle innovation or US technological leadership," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. The new framework would require licenses for most chip sales, with varying allowances based on a country’s relationship with the U.S. Those that are not U.S. allies would be permitted to purchase up to 50,000 advanced graphics processing units (GPUs), although this number could be doubled through government-to-government arrangements. Individual entities would also be able to apply for a special status to purchase up to 320,000 advanced GPUs in order to facilitate the construction of data centers. Allied countries are exempt from the licensing requirements. These include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [1/13/2025 1:47 PM, Natalie Sherman, 57114K, Neutral]

Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 1:59 PM, Christian Datoc, 2365K, Neutral] reports that Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, suggested Monday that artificial intelligence poses the greatest geopolitical threat to the United States. Sullivan was asked during the penultimate White House press briefing of Biden’s term in office to assess the greatest threat to U.S. national security for the incoming Trump administration. Sullivan opened by noting that he could point to either China or Russia as easy answers but instead responded with "the scale, pace, and breathtaking speed with which AI is going to transform" the world. "It’s either going to work for us, or it’s going to work against us, and in order put to work for us," Sullivan continued. "We have to stay ahead, and we have to shape the rules." Biden is preparing to issue one final AI order later this week, which will reportedly solidify language surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in national defense. Sullivan said Biden administration officials have not been coordinating with President-elect Donald Trump’s team on those actions but have informed them of "what we intended to do." Sullivan urged the Trump team not to make AI a "partisan issue" and ensure that "it’s America making that technology, rather than an adversary making that technology."

New York Times [1/13/2025 5:36 PM, Peter Baker, 161405K, Neutral] reports that President Biden kicked off his final week in office on Monday with a robust defense of his foreign policy, arguing in a speech that America had grown stronger on his watch. With just seven days left until he hands over the White House to President-elect Donald J. Trump, Mr. Biden hopes to use his remaining time to frame his historical legacy as a transformational leader who bolstered the United States at home and abroad even in just one term. The effort got underway with a speech at the State Department focused on what he sees as his successes in the international arena. He said that he strengthened U.S. alliances both in Europe in the face of Russian aggression, as well as in the Asian-Pacific amid the rise of China. At the same time, he argued that America’s adversaries — particularly Russia, China and Iran — were all weaker than when he came to office. “The United States is winning the worldwide competition,” Mr. Biden said. “Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and rivals are weaker.”

Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 12:39 PM, Mike Brest, 2365K, Negative] reports that Italy released an Iranian businessman Sunday whom officials detained last month over his alleged involvement in an attack that killed three American service members in Jordan last year. Mohammad Abedini, 38, was arrested in Milan, and the United States requested his extradition after the U.S. Justice Department charged him and Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi with conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components to Iran in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws. Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio made a request to the Milan Court of Appeal to cancel Abedini’s arrest, saying he could not be extradited to the U.S. because "only crimes punishable under the laws of both (countries)" can result in extradition. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials said Abedini returned to Iran on Sunday. He was arrested on Dec. 16, 2024, and three days later, Iran arrested an Italian journalist named Cecilia Sala, who was freed last week. There is speculation that their releases were part of a deal, but it has not been confirmed. Sala was accused of "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran.". Iranian-backed militias began firing rockets and missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria in the fall of 2023, following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. They carried out more than 180 of these attacks. One of the attacks targeted a small U.S. military post in Jordan, and the drone attack killed three U.S. service members and injured more than 40 others.

Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 12:45 PM, Timothy Nerozzi, 2365K, Neutral] reports that the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army captured from the front lines of the war in Ukraine are, thus far, unwilling to defect from North Korea. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently addressed a closed-door meeting of the country’s National Assembly, during which it reported that the North Korean prisoners had not expressed any wish to defect from their home country. "Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available. In particular, those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity." Videos shared by Zelensky show North Korean soldiers captured by the nation’s military and being subjected to interrogation. In one video, a North Korean soldier appears to tell Ukrainian interpreters that he did not know where he was and that his commander had told his company that they were undergoing special training. The soldier then tells the interrogator that he would prefer to stay in Ukraine rather than return to his own country, contradicting the reports of no willing defectors. The release of these videos, alongside photos and other documents recovered from soldiers, is so far the most comprehensive tranche of evidence that the Korean People’s Army is aiding Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine.

Newsweek [1/13/2025 2:48 PM, Shannon McDonagh, 56005K, Neutral] reports that Russia has warned the United States against President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to acquire Greenland, citing concerns over violations of international law and potential instability in the Arctic region. Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko said "the Arctic should be a territory of peace and harmony," per reports from Russian news service INTERFAX.RU. She added Russia "cannot rule out the possibility of violating international law in advancing to the Arctic." Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and Trump’s office for comment. Recent comments by Trump have reignited cross-continental tensions regarding Greenland. Trump stated that the U.S. needs Greenland for "national security purposes" and refused to rule out the use of military or economic measures to acquire the autonomous Danish territory. European leaders are closely monitoring the situation. Russia has been vocal in opposing unilateral actions in the Arctic. Matviyenko, speaking to reporters in Moscow, said, "We cannot help but be concerned about such as yet unclear approaches. We cannot rule out the possibility of violating international law in advancing to the Arctic. We have already had such examples when the US tried to expand its reach, this cannot be allowed. "We cannot allow violations of international law to the detriment of other states," she added.

The Hill [1/13/2025 1:50 PM, Staff, 16346K, Neutral] reports that the White House held a press briefing on Monday in the midst of another ceasefire deal emerging between Israel and Hamas as the war in Gaza rages on. Several sticking points remain as officials work to secure an end to more than one year of fighting in the coastal enclave. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared with national security advisor Jake Sullivan for an update on the situation as well as other national security and domestic matters. The briefing is among the last to be held by the Biden administration with the president having just one week left before leaving office. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [1/14/2025 3:36 AM, Adam Rasgon, Ronen Bergman and Isabel Kershner, 740K, Neutral] reports high-level cease-fire talks appeared to be gaining momentum on Monday as Arab and American mediators pressed for an agreement to halt the fighting in Gaza and release hostages held by Hamas before President-elect Donald J. Trump assumes office on Jan. 20. It was still unclear whether the parties had reached a resolution on all the central disputes that have proved insurmountable in previous rounds of negotiations, but officials expressed optimism that a deal was achievable. On Monday, President Biden suggested an agreement between Israel and Hamas was imminent. “On the war between Israel and Hamas, we’re on the brink of a proposal that I laid out in detail months ago finally coming to fruition,” he said in a foreign policy speech. Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, said there was “a distinct possibility” that Hamas and Israel could agree to a deal this week. “The question is now can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen,” Mr. Sullivan told Bloomberg in an interview. Mr. Trump said during an interview with Newsmax on Monday: “We are very close to getting it done, and they have to get it done. If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there.” He continued, “I understand it’s — it’s it’s been — there’s been a handshake, and they’re getting it finished. And maybe by the end of the week.” A Hamas official said in a text message that progress had been made on all issues and that a deal was possible in the coming two days as long as Israel does not change its position at the last minute. Earlier on Monday, an Arab diplomat said “real progress” was being made in the talks, and two Israeli officials said a draft agreement was awaiting Hamas’s approval, with the next 24 hours seen as being critical. Other Israeli officials said that the optimal conditions for an agreement had been created, making a breakthrough possible. These officials said that the emerging agreement would allow Israel to maintain a buffer zone in Gaza during its implementation and that Israeli forces would not leave the territory until the release of all hostages. They also said it would allow displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza to return to the north while unspecified “security arrangements” were enforced.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [1/13/2025 12:59 PM, Jennifer Duggan, 21617K, Neutral]

Bloomberg [1/13/2025 9:32 AM, Jenny Leonard and Courtney McBride, 21617K, Neutral] reports that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there’s a “distinct possibility” that Israel and Hamas will be able to reach a ceasefire deal before President Joe Biden leaves office in a week. “The pressure is building for Hamas to come to yes,” Sullivan said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Washington bureau on Monday. “It’s there for the taking so the question is now can we all collectively seize the moment and make this happen.” Sullivan said Biden’s Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, had been in the region for more than a week working out the details of an agreement. He said he’d spoken with Qatar’s prime minister as well as Israeli officials and “there is a general sense that this is moving in the right direction.” The Biden administration has tried to work closely with President-elect Donald Trump’s team on the issue. Sullivan suggested that Trump’s demand for a deal before he takes office hasn’t hurt the talks. “The pressure building here toward the end of President Biden’s term has been considerable,” Sullivan said. “That will help contribute to a positive outcome if we can generate that final yes from both sides. Sullivan said he wasn’t ready to make any promises to get a deal that would end the fighting that began with Hamas’s attack on Israeli on October 7, 2023. “We’ve been here before, we’ve been close before and haven’t gotten across the finish line,” Sullivan said.

Wall Street Journal [1/13/2025 8:12 PM, Alexander Ward and Brett Forrest, Neutral] reports a U.S. push to reach a prisoner-swap deal with the Taliban is in danger of collapsing over President Biden’s insistence that the trade include an American who disappeared in Afghanistan in 2022 in return for an alleged former al Qaeda associate held at Guantanamo Bay. Biden has decided not to surrender Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, whom the U.S. alleges worked for Osama bin Laden, unless the Taliban turns over the missing American, Mahmoud Habibi, according to U.S. officials. Failure of the monthslong talks would leave Biden without a prisoner deal in the final week of his administration and punctuate his inability to close Guantanamo Bay prison, a promise his administration repeatedly made. Though he has brought home more than 75 Americans detained abroad, an Afghanistan deal has proved one of the most difficult to finalize and now looks deadlocked. On a phone call Sunday, Biden informed Habibi’s family and the wives of two other Americans imprisoned in Afghanistan about his decision not to surrender Rahim unless Habibi was part of the exchange, even though the Taliban denies holding him. It was the first time Biden explained his negotiating position to the families. In November, Biden authorized a trade of Rahim for the three Americans—Habibi, Ryan Corbett and George Glezmann—but the offer was rejected by Taliban officials, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The U.S. proposal changed this month when Roger Carstens, the top U.S. hostage negotiator, traveled to Doha, Qatar, where, in discussions with Afghan officials, he offered to exchange two different Afghans in return for Glezmann and Corbett, an offer that the Taliban also rebuffed. The Afghans, Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf and Khan Mohammed, are imprisoned in the U.S. for drug trafficking for the Taliban. Manaf received a 30-year sentence. Mohammed is serving two life terms. Their names haven’t been previously reported as part of the U.S.-Taliban negotiations.

FOX News [1/13/2025 11:00 AM, Bailee Hill, 57114K, Neutral] reports that a woman whose husband has been held hostage in Afghanistan since 2022 revealed the "devastating" details of her long-awaited phone call with President Biden, as he prepares to cement his foreign policy legacy before leaving office. Anna Corbett — whose husband Ryan is being held by the Taliban — has pleaded for a meeting with the president since his detainment began, and was finally able to speak with him on the phone, Sunday. But that phone call did not yield the results she had desperately searched for. "He was very kind and empathetic, but what I heard him say is that he is not bringing Ryan home, and that was absolutely devastating because, as you just said, I have been advocating fiercely on Ryan’s behalf, on my family’s behalf. Ryan just keeps missing milestones," Corbett told co-host Ainsley Earhardt on "Fox & Friends," Monday. "To hear after all this effort, there is a deal on the table, there is a way to bring Ryan home, and it’s not being taken, is incredibly crushing to our family," she continued. Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmoud Habibi, who are being held in Afghanistan. The White House on Sunday confirmed Biden spoke with Corbett’s family, along with the families of George Glezmann, and Mahmoud Habibi – who have also been unjustly held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2022. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/13/2025 11:40 AM, Morgan Phillips, 57114K, Negative] reports that a wife working to bring her husband home from years of wrongful detainment in Afghanistan saw heartening progress over the weekend. After traveling to Mar-a-Lago with no promise that anyone with President-elect Donald Trump’s team would see her, Anna Corbett had a meeting with incoming National Security Advisor Michael Waltz for more than an hour and received a phone call from President Biden. "I have heard from several that President Trump is concerned about our family. He knows that we are down here. He knows about our situation, and is very concerned," Corbett revealed to Fox News on Monday morning. On Sunday, Waltz came to Corbett’s hotel and met with her for over an hour, she said. "I am extremely encouraged, and the contrast of my experience is just mind-blowing right now." Corbett said she "absolutely believe[s]" the Trump administration will bring her husband home, but "the details are unclear.". Corbett spoke with Fox News Digital on Friday as she was heading down to Mar-a-Lago on a last-minute flight to beg for a meeting with Trump. Biden had not called her once, she said, in the two and a half years since her husband was detained, until this weekend.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [1/13/2025 11:19 AM, Mike Brest, 2365K, Neutral]

Wall Street Journal [1/13/2025 1:43 AM, Stu Woo, Neutral] reports Chinese officials, facing a looming U.S. TikTok ban, have internally discussed options including the possibility of allowing a trusted non-Chinese party such as Elon Musk to invest in or take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations, people familiar with the discussions said. China has protested a U.S. law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its Beijing-based parent, ByteDance, divests itself of the operation. The Supreme Court last week seemed inclined to let the law stand. It goes into effect on Sunday unless the court issues a stay. It couldn’t be determined whether the Chinese officials had presented the Musk idea to top leadership. The law is one of many issues straining U.S.-China relations ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Top leadership in Beijing views openness on TikTok as one possible card to play, with confrontations expected over tariffs and other issues, the people said. Trump has said he wants to find a way to let TikTok remain in the U.S. In discussions to date, officials concluded that it was best to let the ban take effect and keep TikTok under ByteDance’s ownership so that negotiations could continue after Trump takes over, the people said. In preparing the tool kit for possible options after Trump’s inauguration, officials have examined possible openness to a deal with Musk, one of Trump’s closest allies, the people said. Tesla, the electric-vehicle maker headed by Musk, has a factory in Shanghai, and China is one of its biggest markets. Musk has frequently met top Chinese officials and expressed favorable views about the country and its leadership. He owns X, another social-media app. Still, any willingness to make a deal would run counter to Chinese leaders’ position that they need to stand up to what they view as an unacceptable American law. “It is sheer robbers’ logic to try every means to snatch from others all the good things that they have,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said last year.

FOX News [1/13/2025 10:01 PM, Greg Wehner, 10861K, Neutral] reports that, as rumors circulated Monday that China was looking to have the owner of X purchase TikTok, a representative for the latter said it was "pure fiction." Bloomberg reported on Monday that Chinese officials were looking at an option involving Musk acquiring TikTok’s US operations ahead of a ban of the platform in the US, "according to people familiar with the matter." The publication wrote that officials in Beijing prefer TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to continue ownership of TikTok as it contests an impending ban through an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Friday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the future of TikTok. Lawyers for the Biden administration reiterated their argument on Friday that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses a "grave" national security risk for American users. At the conclusion of oral arguments, it remained unclear as to how the Supreme Court might proceed in the matter — though a ruling or order is expected before the Jan. 19 ban comes into force. Bloomberg said under a scenario discussed by Chinese officials, X, which is run by Musk, would acquire and control TikTok US. In doing so, TikTok could be an asset when trying to attract advertisers as it has over 170 million users in the U.S. Also possibly benefiting in the deal would be Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, as it could take in massive amounts of data generated by TikTok, the publication reported. Those familiar with the discussions claim the deliberations are preliminary, and no decision has been made on how to proceed. When asked about the discussions, TikTok told FOX News, "We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction." TikTok is facing a potential ban due to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law signed by President Biden that passed in Congress last April with bipartisan approval. By midnight on January 19, the app could be removed from U.S. based app stores unless it is divested from its parent company. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [1/13/2025 10:46 PM, Kim Tong-Hyung, 47097K, Neutral] reports North Korea on Tuesday test-fired multiple missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said, as it continued its weapons demonstrations ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the short-range ballistic missiles were fired from a northern inland area and flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The joint chiefs said the South Korean military has strengthened surveillance while sharing the launch information with the U.S. and Japanese militaries. It said it strongly condemns the test, describing it as a "clear provocation" that poses a serious threat to the region’s peace and stability. It was North Korea’s second launch event of 2025, following a ballistic launch last week. North Korea said the Jan. 6 test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations. North Korea is coming off a torrid year in weapons testing. The systems it demonstrated in 2024 included solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to strike the U.S. mainland and various shorter-range missiles designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea. There concerns that its military capabilities could advance further through technology transfers from Russia, as the two countries align over the war in Ukraine.

Reported similarly:
Miami Herald [1/14/2025 3:15 AM, Thomas Maresca, 6595K, Neutral]

Bloomberg [1/14 /2025 2:51 AM, Neil Jerome Morales, 21617K, Negative] reports the Philippines has raised alarm over a huge Chinese vessel moving closer to its western coast facing the South China Sea, underscoring fresh tensions arising shortly before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. China should immediately withdraw its 12,000-ton Coast Guard ship widely known as “The Monster” which was spotted 77 nautical miles (143 kilometers) off the Philippines’ shores, said Jonathan Malaya of the Southeast Asian nation’s security council. “Lately, we were surprised about the increasing aggression being shown by the People’s Republic of China in deploying the monster ship,” Malaya said at a briefing Tuesday with other security officials. “It’s getting closer also to the Philippine coast. That is alarming.” China defended its actions on Tuesday, telling the Philippines to stop provocations and activities that may complicate the situation and disrupt regional peace. “China Coast Guard’s patrols and law enforcement activities in relevant waters in accordance with the law is beyond reproach,” Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. Manila and Beijing have clashed off the disputed waters in the past months, as both nations assert their claims. The Philippines is a longtime US treaty ally that allows it to call on American help in case of an armed attack in the disputed waterway that holds huge energy potential. China has recently bolstered its sweeping claims in the contested sea through deploying ships and holding large-scale drills, maintaining that these actions were justified. In 2016, an international tribunal said China’s sweeping claims have no legal basis, a ruling which Beijing rejects.

{End of Report} RETURN TO TOP