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

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

The Washington Post [1/18/2025 7:00 PM, Nick Miroff, 40736K, Negative] reports President-elect Donald Trump’s handpicked “border czar” Tom Homan said in an interview Saturday that the incoming administration is reconsidering whether to launch immigration raids in Chicago next week after preliminary details leaked out in news reports. Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Washington Post that the new administration “hasn’t made a decision yet.” “We’re looking at this leak and will make a decision based on this leak,” Homan said. “It’s unfortunate because anyone leaking law enforcement operations puts officers at greater risk.” ICE has been planning a large operation in the Chicago area for next week that would start after Inauguration Day and would bring in additional officers to ramp up arrests, according to two current federal officials and a former official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal law enforcement planning. Homan said he did not know why Chicago “became a focus of attention” and said the incoming administration’s enforcement goals are much broader than one city. “ICE will start arresting public safety threats and national security threats on day one,” he said. “We’ll be arresting people across the country, uninhibited by any prior administration guidelines. Why Chicago was mentioned specifically, I don’t know.” “This is nationwide thing,” he added. “We’re not sweeping neighborhoods. We have a targeted enforcement plan.” The seesawing reports of possible raids in Chicago can stir up fears that advance the administration’s broader enforcement goals, even if operations are postponed or shifted to other cities. Homan and other Trump aides say they want immigrants living in the United States illegally to once more fear arrest and choose to leave the country on their own, or “self-deport.” Reuters [1/19/2025 7:09 AM, Jonathan Landay and Eric Cox, 48128K, Neutral] reports that officials and rights advocates had said Trump’s administration would launch sweeps in multiple U.S. cities almost as soon as he takes office on Monday, with Chicago considered a likely first location. Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Reuters that as many as 200 ICE agents were expected to start raids in the Chicago area on Monday at 5 a.m., aiming to catch people heading into work or starting their day. The enforcement had been expected to continue for several days, she said. An ICE spokesperson referred questions to the Trump transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported Friday that agents would also conduct raids in New York and Miami. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that ICE would stage a week-long operation in Chicago with potentially hundreds of agents. Trump said in an NBC News interview on Saturday that launching the mass deportations he promised in his election campaign would be a top priority. But he declined to identify the cities targeted or when deportations would start. "It will begin very quickly," said Trump. "We have to get the criminals out of our country." Homan himself had appeared to confirm the raids earlier on Saturday, telling Fox News that "targeted enforcement operations" would quickly pursue some of what he said were 700,000 migrants who are in the U.S. illegally and under deportation orders. He indicated the efforts would occur in several cities. "President Trump has been clear from day one ... he’s going to secure the border and he’s going to have the deportation operation," Homan told Fox News ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Homan said the agency had carefully planned the operation and identified specific individuals for enforcement. "Every target for this operation is well-planned, and the whole team will be out there for officers’ safety reasons," he said. Asked how the detention operations would be received in so-called sanctuary cities, which have pledged not to use city resources for federal immigration raids, Homan said sanctuary city policies were "unfortunate." In the case of targeted individuals who are already in local jails, he said the cities’ stance creates a threat to public safety. Cities would "release that public safety threat back into the community....and force (ICE) officers into communities," Homan said. He urged public officials of those cities to assist in the deportation raids, but added, "We’re going to do this, with or without their help. They are not going to stop us." Newsweek [1/18/2025 9:50 AM, Brendan Cole, 56005K, Negative] reports that when asked about reports that there would be a large raid on Chicago the next day, Homan said that the city will be one of many to be targeted by ICE across the country and with 24 field offices in the U.S. it would go out to arrest "criminal aliens.” He said that ICE is going to enforce U.S. immigration law "without apology" and that initial focus would be on those deemed a public safety risk "but no one is off the table.” Citing sources familiar with the talks, The Wall Street Journal said the Trump administration is discussing how to pay for mass deportations and a national emergency declaration in which military assets are used to remove migrants. One option is declaring a national emergency at the border which could move money from the Pentagon to pay for wall construction and assist with immigrant detention and deportation, although it is unclear if this is legal. A national emergency could also enable military bases to be used for immigrant detention and military planes to help carry out deportations. The Trump team is also considering revoking a Biden administration policy that directed ICE not to pursue immigrants who had not committed other crimes. Prioritized would be the around 1.3 million immigrants who have received final orders of deportation and those with other criminal convictions or charges.

Reported similarly:

Telemundo [1/18/2025 5:24 PM, Staff, 155K, Neutral]

Bloomberg [1/18/2025 12:00 PM, Alicia A. Caldwell, 21617K, Negative] reports Donald Trump has pledged to carry out, as president, the largest deportation effort in US history, vowing to ultimately deport all of the foreigners living in the country without permission. They are thought to number at least 11 million, which would make their expulsion en masse a colossal undertaking. Consequently, many policy analysts expect the plan to be fall short of Trump’s full ambition. Trump has been vague about his plan, other than to say that it will first target undocumented immigrants who are criminals before turning to others without legal status. Tom Homan, who will oversee the effort as the Trump administration’s border czar and served previously as acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has said that people who pose a threat to national security are also an early priority. Arrests will be “targeted,” Homan told the CBS television program 60 Minutes in November. “It’s not going to be a mass sweep of neighborhoods,” he said. He dismissed as “ridiculous” much of the speculation about what the deportation effort will entail. “It’s not going to be a building of concentration camps.” Over the past two decades, immigration authorities under both Democratic and Republican presidents have forcibly repatriated about 300,000 non-citizens a year on average using regular removal processes, with numbers especially high during the presidency of Democrat Barack Obama. In addition, roughly 3 million people were expelled from 2020 to 2023 using an emergency health authority invoked because of the Covid-19 crisis. What’s new is Trump’s promise to scale up arrests and deportations, with a goal of removing any foreigner in the country without permission. Trump has also suggested stripping existing deportation protections from large groups of migrants.

NBC News [1/18/2025 7:00 AM, Iris Kim, 50804K, Negative] reports that, on a Monday evening in January, South Brooklyn Sanctuary is crowded with dozens of volunteers, translators and migrants. The migrants ask a range of urgent questions — What does the incoming Trump administration mean for their pending asylum cases? How do you fight a deportation order? And, in the worst-case scenario, how do you prepare for family separation? They’re fearful that as soon as President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Monday, he will fulfill his campaign promise by ordering sweeping deportations across the country. The 210,000 undocumented people who have arrived in New York City since 2022 are also facing Mayor Eric Adams’ closure of the Floyd Bennett Field shelter, which houses 1,800 people, and his threats to roll back the city’s sanctuary policies by overriding the City Council’s opposition with an executive order. Incoming Trump administration officials and Adams have met to discuss deporting migrants who have committed crimes. Emily Schectman, South Brooklyn Sanctuary director, said the organization is doing what it can to prepare for the uncertainty ahead. In recent weeks, it has had 150 new volunteer sign-ups and expects more after the inauguration. "We’re predicting that we’ll be doing a lot more deportation defense, ICE watch and anti-family separation work," she said. South Brooklyn Sanctuary is one of dozens of groups across the country that operates as a pro se community, teaching migrants to represent themselves "on their own behalf" in the legal system with volunteer support. The nonprofit has worked with over 5,000 migrants since opening in 2022 with a pool of over 100 trained and active volunteers. Last year alone, they helped 715 migrants file change-of-address forms so they don’t miss their court dates and risk deportation. Once in office, Trump has promised to launch the "largest deportation program in American history," send Congress a bill to ban sanctuary cities and request funding to hire and retain 10,000 new border agents. He has also said he will restrict federally funded benefits to only American citizens and reinstate and expand a travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries. During a December interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press," Trump claimed that he had "no choice" but to deport millions of people, and that "they’re costing us a fortune," a claim that has been disputed by economists.

FOX News [1/18/2025 1:38 PM, Staff, 49889K, Neutral] reports Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan joins ‘Fox News Live’ to lay out the administration’s deportation plan. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 10:25 AM, Filip Timotija, 57114K, Negative] reports President-elect Trump’s "border czar" Tom Homan said the incoming administration is going to take "handcuffs" off of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the inauguration next week, allowing the agency to do "their job.". "ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. That’s what’s going to happen," Homan said during his Friday night appearance on Fox News’ "Jesse Watters Primetime.". Homan argued that during the previous four years, under the President Biden administration, ICE was not able "to do much" due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ leadership. "Secretary of Homeland Security has told ICE that you can’t arrest an illegal alien if he’s just here illegally. He’s got to be convicted of a serious crime or be a national security threat. He told immigration officers not to enforce immigration law," Homan said "Well, we’re telling ICE you’re going to enforce immigration law without apology.". ICE’s first action under the new administration is reportedly coming on Tuesday.

Washington Post [1/19/2025 6:00 AM, Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti, 40736K, Neutral] reports President-elect Donald Trump campaigned for office depicting the U.S.-Mexico border as an out-of-control disaster, even as illegal crossings fell steadily throughout 2024 and are now lower than when he left office four years ago. He has continued to cast migrants as dangerous criminals and promised the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history, glossing over the complexity and cost. His nominees to lead U.S. law enforcement agencies have continued to repeat his distortions. On Monday, Trump and his team will inherit the U.S. immigration system as it really exists, rather than the one he has often caricatured. He is expected to quickly undo several of President Joe Biden’s policies and issue a raft of immigration-related orders and directives, potentially disrupting the current fragile equilibrium at the southern border and upending U.S. cities and towns where immigrants and their children have found jobs and enrolled in schools. It will be the first time Trump’s immigration policies are put to the test in a post-pandemic world and a U.S. economy that remains hungry for workers. Trump has boasted that his previous border restrictions deterred mass migration, but analysts say the pandemic toward the end of his term played a more powerful role by stalling global travel and sending U.S. unemployment soaring. Trump’s campaign promises come with great risk: By rounding up immigrants who fill otherwise vacant jobs, he could hurt the U.S. economy he has pledged to supercharge. By antagonizing Mexico with a rush of deportees, perhaps coupled with tariffs or military strikes on drug cartel targets, he could alienate a crucial partner in enforcement and trade. By pushing ideas that rally his core supporters, he could further divide a nation he has promised to unite. "I’m concerned that as the new administration embarks on enforcement activities to make a headline, they’re going to encounter an equal and opposite pushback which undermines public safety all around," said Jeh Johnson, who served as the Department of Homeland Security secretary during President Barack Obama’s second term. "Images of agents dragging an undocumented person off church steps or out of a school will lead to a backlash and turbocharge the "sanctuary city" movement, making it more difficult for ICE to reach the most dangerous people in these communities," Johnson said, referring to policies adopted by cities and states that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

PBS [1/18/2025 11:37 AM, Hannah Grabenstein, 12036K, Neutral] reports Homeland security secretary nominee Kristi Noem said in her confirmation hearing Thursday held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that on her first day in office, she would shut down an app that asylum-seekers use to enter the country. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Noem about the app, CBP One, which has been designated by President Joe Biden’s administration as the only way migrants can seek asylum on the southern border. "Senator, if confirmed and I have the opportunity to be secretary, on day one, CBP One will be shut down," Noem said, adding "there’s data and information in there that we will preserve, so that we can ensure we know who’s coming into this country and who’s already here, that we need to go find.” Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is a rancher and a former member of Congress. A close ally to Trump, Noem has called migration across the U.S. southern border "an invasion.” If confirmed, Noem would play a key role in carrying out his promised immigration crackdown by leading the Department of Homeland Security, one of the largest federal agencies. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [1/18/2025 2:59 PM, Philip Marcelo, 30936K, Neutral] reports New York City’s Democratic mayor, who faces federal bribery charges, is defending his private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump as the Republican prepares to retake the White House on Monday. Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday brushed off questions that his criminal case — or the possibility of a presidential pardon if he is convicted — came up during the Friday sit-down near Trump’s Florida estate, saying the case is something his legal team is handling. “I made this clear a few days earlier that I was seeking to sit down and talk to the president about the issues concerning the city infrastructure, the migrant asylum-seeker issues, the settlement of the crisis in the Middle East,” he said. “I’m the mayor of the biggest city in America,” Adams added, following remarks about the city’s preparations for a weekend snowstorm. “I’m supposed to speak with the president, like I spoke with President Biden.” Adams issued a statement Friday night in which he stated the two “did not discuss my legal case” but instead focused on topics such as bringing manufacturing jobs back to the city and the Gaza ceasefire deal. Trump has criticized the case against Adams and said he is open to giving the mayor, who had been a registered Republican in the 1990s, a pardon. Adams is scheduled to go on trial in April on charges that he accepted luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors, including helping the Turkish officials resolve city approvals for a diplomatic building in Manhattan. Adams stressed Saturday that he does not intend to be “warring” with the Trump administration on immigration and other critical issues. “Donald Trump received the popular vote. Donald Trump received the electoral vote,” he said. “America has communicated in a very loud and clear voice that we need to do something about our borders. America has communicated about how we need to build our economy and make sure jobs stay here. They have communicated around affordability.”

Newsweek [1/18/2025 3:57 PM, Adeola Adeosun, 56005K, Negative] reports three high-ranking MS-13 gang leaders have pleaded guilty to orchestrating nine murders in New York City suburbs between 2016 and 2017 according to the Associated Press. Kevin Torres, David Sosa-Guevara, and Victor Lopez-Morales admitted to using machetes and guns in brutal killings carried out across Long Island, with each defendant now facing decades in federal prison. MS-13, also known as "Mara Salvatrucha," is believed to have been founded as a neighborhood street gang in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by people fleeing civil war and violence in El Salvador. The guilty pleas come at a pivotal moment as President-elect Donald Trump’s administration signals an extremely aggressive approach to gang-related crime and border security. Torres, 29, led the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside clique on Long Island, while Sosa-Guevara, 33, commanded the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas. Lopez-Morales, 36, served as a high-ranking member. The murders occurred in secluded parks and wooded areas, with bodies concealed in shallow graves that remained undiscovered for months or years. The victims included Samuel Martinez-Sandoval, Oscar Acosta, Kerin Pineda, Josue Amaya-Leonor, Marcus Bohannon, Javier Castillo, Carlos Ventura-Zelaya, Angel Soler, and David Rivera. Under their plea agreements, Torres and Sosa-Guevara face up to 65 years in prison, while Lopez-Morales could serve up to 60 years. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly emphasized the brutality of the crimes: "These defendants carried out vicious and senseless violence to instill fear and assert their dominance. Today’s guilty pleas bring us one step closer to ridding this dangerous gang activity from Nassau County communities." Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming "border czar," took a confrontational stance on Donald Trump Jr.’s "Triggered" podcast in November, declaring "my gang’s bigger than your gang, and we’re going to take you out, too" about MS-13. Homan has also promised "shock and awe" tactics, stating, "You’re going to see us take this country back."

Washington Examiner [1/18/2025 2:46 PM, Bethany Blankley, 2365K, Negative] reports DeSantis called a special legislative session to position Florida to quickly carry out President-Elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. His call has been met with opposition by members of his own party. The special session would address proposed legislation he recommends, including mandating maximum participation by local law enforcement authorities in the federal in the 287(g) program, including imposing penalties and suspending officers in jurisdictions that don’t comply. The program gained publicity under the Trump administration but was created by Congress in 1996 through the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The law added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to authorize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate limited authority to state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration functions under ICE oversight. The program allows ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove incarcerated criminal noncitizens as an alternative to them being released into the community while they await criminal trial or immigration removal proceedings. Multiple so-called sanctuary jurisdictions have refused to comply with ICE ERO detainer requests, creating national security and local security risks, ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner argues. Some local jurisdictions "have reduced their cooperation with ICE, to include refusal to honor ICE detainer requests, even for noncitizens who have been convicted of serious felonies and pose an ongoing threat to public safety," he told Congress. "However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities.".

Wall Street Journal [1/18/2025 9:00 AM, Ruth Simon and Arian Campo-Flores, 40736K, Neutral] reports Florida’s 2023 law cracking down on illegal immigration has prompted some workers to leave the state and made filling jobs harder for some small businesses. Still, the law hasn’t resulted in huge disruptions to the state’s labor market, as some predicted. Certain provisions were watered down before the bill passed or in its implementation, and the state has done little to enforce the law. “Initially, when the law came out, there were a lot of people that left,” said Tibor Torok, president of Bob Hilson & Co., a roofing company in Homestead. “I’ve since heard and seen that a lot of them have come back because there was no real enforcement.” Torok said about five of his 35 employees departed suddenly after the law passed, some heading to North Carolina and Indiana. Three have since returned, seeking their old jobs, said Torok, who wasn’t able to hire them back because of concern about their paperwork. The law, which took effect in July 2023, requires businesses and other private employers with 25 or more employees to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to check workers’ eligibility for employment, or face fines of up to $1,000 a day. It also invalidated out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to people unauthorized to be in the U.S. and toughened penalties for transporting immigrants entering the country illegally. “Florida’s economy continues to strengthen following the implementation of Florida’s historic E-Verify law,” said a spokeswoman for FloridaCommerce, a state agency.

Reuters [1/18/2025 2:57 PM, David Ljunggren, 48128K, Negative] reports U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has sharply criticized California’s response to devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, on Saturday said he would most likely pay a visit to the area next week after his inauguration. The fires have killed at least 27 people as of Friday and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the residential enclaves of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. "I will be (going), probably, at the end of the week," Trump, a Republican who will be inaugurated on Monday, told NBC in an interview. "I was going to go ... yesterday but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.” California Governor Gavin Newsom last week invited Trump to visit the area, saying people should not "politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines". As the blaze raged, Trump demanded that Newsom, a Democrat, resign, claiming his policies caused a water shortages that hampered fire-fighting efforts. Newsom said the charges were groundless. Trump also accused Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of incompetence and said President Joe Biden had left him no money in the Federal Emergency Management Agency budget. The wildfires, which began on Jan. 7, spread quickly under dry conditions and extremely strong Santa Ana winds. Los Angeles officials told most evacuees on Thursday to stay away from their homes at least another week. Estimates of the damage range anywhere from $20 billion to $45 billion. Rents have surged and uncertainty over insurance settlements has left some of the displaced in limbo.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [1/18/2025 2:04 PM, Kathryn Watson, 52225K, Negative]
NBC News [1/18/2025 12:54 PM, Alexandra Marquez, 50804K, Negative]

Reuters [1/18/2025 6:10 PM, Jose Luis Gonzalez, 48128K, Negative] reports migrants trying to avoid arrest set fire to blankets and mattresses at a camp in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua during a raid by government forces to clear the site in the early hours of Saturday. The enforcement action near the U.S. border come just ahead of the inauguration on Monday of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has accused Mexico’s government of not doing enough to curb migration to the U.S. and threatened sweeping tariffs. About 250 Mexican officials, including National Guard military police in anti-riot gear, surrounded the encampment at around midnight, according to a Reuters witness. Migrants began setting fire to mattresses and blankets in protest, the witness said, and tried to slip out of the site carrying babies and belongings. No deaths or injuries were reported in the blaze, which was extinguished in under an hour. Mexico’s migration agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A migration official, who was not authorized to speak to reporters, told Reuters that the goal of the operation was to bring the migrants to Mexico’s southern border, where they would be told to return to their home countries. It was not clear how many people were detained. Many among the 150 migrants were Venezuelan families who had stopped at the camp in Chihuahua city, about 220 miles (360 km) from the border city of Ciudad Juarez across from El Paso, Texas, as they headed north to the U.S. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS New York [1/18/2025 11:33 PM, Alecia Reid, 52225K, Neutral] reports President-elect Donald Trump is promising the largest deportation effort in American history as soon as he retakes office, and that has some New Yorkers on edge. CBS News confirms the locations expected to be targeted by deportation teams from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement include those with large populations of immigrants, such as the Chicago area. Sources tell CBS News that includes targeting "sanctuary jurisdictions." "There’s going to be a big raid all across the country. Chicago is just one of the many places. We got 24 field offices across the country. on Tuesday, you’re gonna expect ICE, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job," incoming White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview. Trump is expected to undo rules from the Biden administration that limit who ICE agents should prioritize for arrest and deportation, which once shielded undocumented immigrants without criminal histories. Homan has said there could be some "collateral arrests," where law-abiding migrants are also arrested. The New York Immigration Coalition held a unity walk Saturday ahead of Trump’s inauguration. "Be careful where you place your marker of hate because someone else’s marker is different and it includes you," New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. "What we’re bracing for as well is the houses of worship, which are supposed to be protected as well as schools and other vulnerable sites," said activist Power Malu, executive director of the organization Artists, Athletes, Activists. A number of organizations have been on alert, including Win, training employees at their 16 shelters on what to do if ICE shows up. "We want to make sure they know that if ICE comes to your door, you never have to open that door. You don’t have to engage with them," Win President and CEO Christine Quinn said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [1/18/2025 11:15 PM, Noel Brennan, Sara Machi, 52225K, Neutral] reports that, with President-elect Donald Trump having pledged to stage a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration immediately after he takes the oath of office on Monday, local leaders and immigrant rights groups in Chicago met Saturday morning in the Pilsen neighborhood to make sure the community is prepared. The incoming Trump administration is planning to ramp up operations to arrest unauthorized immigrants across major U.S. cities next week after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, targeting "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration officials, two sources familiar with the plans tell CBS News. Sources tell CBS news sanctuary cities like Chicago will be targeted as early as Tuesday. ICE officials in the Chicago area recently put out a request for agents to participate in the post-inauguration arrest operations, unbeknownst to top agency leaders in Washington, a U.S. official familiar with the developments told CBS News. Many immigrant rights groups in the Chicago area have been reaching out to undocumented immigrants ahead of Trump’s inauguration, in an effort to get ready for what might be coming. Mari Rodriguez said "there are good days and there are bad days," but she’s grateful for every day she works selling tamales to the Pilsen community. Rodriguez said she’s fearful about what might happen on Tuesday if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrive in Chicago as promised by President-elect Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, who has said Chicago will be "ground zero" for their mass deportation efforts. "We’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois," Homan said during a visit to Chicago last month. U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL) said such threats are nothing new to the migrant community. "This community has been the subject of attacks and immigration raids going back to the 1960s," he said. "That they want to intimidate a city that would stand up for justice and protection for everyone is to be expected.” The AP [1/18/2025 4:09 PM, Todd Richmond and Elliot Spagat, 30936K, Neutral] reports “We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen,” Homan said Friday. “What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to go enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.” Trump told NBC News on Saturday that mass deportations remain a top priority. He didn’t give an exact date or city where they’ll start, but he said they would begin soon.

Newsweek [1/18/2025 1:29 PM, Rachel Dobkin, 56005K, Neutral] reports recent reports that President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration is to carry out a "post-inauguration" immigration raid in Chicago next week, kicking off his promised mass deportations of people who are in the U.S. illegally, has sparked alarm and backlash on social media. Newsweek reached out to Trump’s transition team via email for comment. It also reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who referred to the incoming Trump administration for questions regarding post-inauguration activities. During the 2024 presidential election, Trump campaigned largely on the issue of immigration, promising to carry out mass deportations of roughly 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S., according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Recently, the president-elect’s allies have been downplaying some of Trump’s immigrant rhetoric. If the reports are true, this "post-inauguration" immigration raid will be a showing that Trump is serious about his immigration plans from the start of his administration. The Wall Street Journal first reported that ICE plans to send between 100 and 200 officers to carry out the Chicago raid, citing multiple people familiar with the matter. In the article published Friday, the Journal said the operation is set to begin on Tuesday, one day after Trump’s inauguration, and last all week long. New York Times, citing their own anonymous sources and correspondence reviewed by the publication, shared similar details about the raid, and Trump’s incoming "border czar" Tom Homan told Fox News when asked about the reports about the planned Chicago raid that the city will be one of many to be targeted by ICE across the country and with 24 field offices in the U.S. it would go out to arrest "criminal aliens.” Keith Olbermann, former MSNBC host and current host of the political commentary podcast Countdown, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday: "I always say democracy’s greatest defense is the stupidity of those trying to destroy it. This would explain the Trump administration leaking its own schedule of secret surprise immigration raids in Chicago to a bonehead on Fox FOUR DAYS BEFORE THEY ‘SURPRISE’ ALL THE MIGRANTS.” Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist who previously served as a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote on X on Saturday, "Over 200 ICE officers are heading to Chicago on Tuesday to begin Trump’s mass deportations. If you’re in the city, stay safe and be smart. Spread the word to keep people informed.”

AP [1/18/2025 11:17 PM, Jim Gomez, 57114K, Neutral] reports nearly 200 Afghan nationals have been flown on to the United States after their special immigration visas were processed in the Philippines as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said Sunday. The Afghans left the Philippines in several groups on commercial flights last week after completing their application process for resettlement in the U.S., according to the embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay. An embassy statement expressed “deep appreciation to the government of the Philippines for their cooperation and support for U.S. efforts to assist Afghan special immigrants.” The Afghans, including many children, arrived in the Philippines on Jan. 6. Details of their numbers and location were kept secret by U.S. and Philippine officials. Washington covered the cost of their stay in the Philippines. The Afghans primarily worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan or were deemed eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas but were left behind when U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war in August 2021 as the Taliban seized power. At the time, the Taliban takeover exposed Afghan supporters of U.S. forces to potential retaliatory attacks by Afghanistan’s new rulers. Outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have blamed one another for the chaotic pullout of U.S. forces. Biden discussed the Afghan resettlement issue with Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when he visited the U.S. last year, Philippine officials said. In July, the Philippines agreed to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for the Afghan nationals although there were concerns over security due to threats faced by some of the Afghans trying to flee from the Taliban rule. A senior Philippine official said last year that the accommodation in the Philippines was a one-time deal. Marcos has rekindled relations with the U.S. since his 2022 election victory and has allowed an expansion of the American military presence under a 2014 defense agreement in a decision that has alarmed China.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 8:53 AM, Chris Pandolfo, 57114K, Neutral] reports that a federal appeals court on Friday ruled against an Obama-era policy that provides amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled unanimously that a new version of the policy issued by President Biden in 2022 overstepped the executive branch’s authority. The decision by two Republican-appointed judges and one Democratic-appointed judge is the latest blow to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in a string of legal challenges that has kept 500,000 so-called Dreamers waiting for a resolution for more than a decade. The decision Friday does not immediately change the status quo. Program beneficiaries can still renew temporary permits to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. But the federal government remains prohibited from issuing new applications. However, Friday’s decision does create an opportunity for DACA to be appealed to the Supreme Court for a third time. And it comes just three days before President-elect Trump assumes office with his promise to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 6:12 PM, Don Jacobson, 57114K, Neutral] reports a federal appellate court has agreed with opponents of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that it is illegal, but in its ruling limited the focus of an injunction to the state of Texas. The three-judge Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled unanimously on Friday that Republican-led states challenging the so-called "Dreamers" program are correct in arguing the Biden administration’s rules governing the effort are unlawful and should be blocked, thus handing a victory to Texas, Nebraska, South Carolina and Mississippi. Under a final rule issued by President Joe Biden in 2022, federal prosecutors are given discretion to defer the removal of young people who came to the United States illegally years earlier as children, who have no current lawful immigration status, and who were already generally low enforcement priorities for removal. Known as "Dreamers," there are believed to be more than 500,000 such young immigrants currently living the in the United States. The future of DACA under President-elect Donald Trump remains in doubt given his hardline campaign promises and announced plans to deport millions of illegal migrants from the United States. He also attempted to end the DACA program during his first administration. However, Trump last month signaled a willingness to work with Democrats to spare Dreamers from deportation. DACA has remained virtually frozen while the Fifth Circuit mulled the GOP-run states’ suit challenging whether the executive branch has the authority to create such a consequential program. Judge Andrew Hanen of the southern district of Texas ruled in 2021 that President Barack Obama exceeded his authority when creating the program in 2012, and in Friday’s ruling, the Fifth Circuit agreed, affirming that states have sufficient legal standing to bring suit against it. But, in a setback to the plaintiffs, the panel also ruled that Texas is only state with such standing, meaning it declined to uphold the lower court’s nationwide injunction against the Biden rule. The decision also left in place the lower court’s decision allowing current DACA recipients, even in Texas, to renew their status while the case is on appeal. Analysts said that mixed ruling has set up a likely Supreme Court challenge to sort out the inconsistencies, which would mark the first time the nation’s highest court weighs in on the long-running battle over DACA. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called Friday’s decision a "major win.”

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 12:00 PM, Staff, 57114K, Neutral] reports South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem appeared Friday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is considering her nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The senators questioned her on issues from cyber security to Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. But the main topic of the hearing was the U.S.-Mexico border. "We have had over 13,000 murderers that are loose in this country that have come over that border," Noem said. "We have had over 16,000 rapists and sexual assault perpetrators that are loose in this country right now.". Noem said the new administration will focus on immediately "rounding them up.". "The No. 1 priority of the President is to secure the border and to deport these criminal actors," Noem said. Ariz. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D) said large parts of the border run through tribal lands. "We have 22 federally recognized tribes (along the border)," he said. "They want to be collaborative partners when it comes to border security. "As DHS secretary, what is your plan to consult with our border tribes and work together to balance both national security but also their sovereignty?". Noem cited her work with tribes in her state of South Dakota. "I believe my experience as governor and relationship working with our tribes is going to be a powerful tool," she said. "I offered to train federal law enforcement officers, BIA officers, but also their tribal police at no cost to our tribes.". In 2024, all nine Oceti Sakowin tribes in South Dakota banned Noem from their lands after she claimed drug cartels were operating on tribal lands, a belief she reiterated Friday. "We saw increased crime and we saw increased drug activity. We saw cartels and their affiliates moving into our state and proliferate trafficking," Noem said. At Friday’s hearing, North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer (R) presented a letter from Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairwoman Janet Alkire that praised Noem and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Interior.

Yahoo! News [1/19/2025 3:42 AM, Staff, 57114K, Negative] reports a clandestine tunnel discovered on the US-Mexico border allowing entry from Ciudad Juarez into the Texan city of El Paso will be sealed by Mexican authorities, an army official said Saturday, adding that its construction was under investigation. Discovered on January 10 by US and Mexican security agencies, the tunnel measures approximately 300 meters (1,000 feet) in length on the Mexican side and is equipped with lighting, ventilation and is reinforced to prevent collapses. Hidden in a storm sewer system operating between both cities, its access is about 1.8 meters high and 1.2 meters wide (6 feet high and 4 feet wide), making for easy passage of people or contraband, said General Jose Lemus, commander of Ciudad Juarez’s military garrison, which is guarding the tunnel. The tunnel’s construction "must have taken a long time... it could have been one or two years," Lemus told reporters, declining to give details about how long it had been operating as well as its possible builders and operators. He said the Mexican Attorney General’s Office was responsible for the investigation and would be in charge of determining if there was complicity by the authorities due to the fact that it was built without them noticing. Lemus also said clues about the tunnel’s existence and location were discussed by human traffickers on social media platforms like TikTok. Ahead of the US presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, both sides of the US-Mexico border have reinforced security measures, as the returning Republican has vowed a massive deportation of migrants soon after he takes office. In the state of Chihuahua, which includes Ciudad Juarez, authorities reported a fire in a temporary camp for undocumented migrants, which led to the evacuation of 39 adults and 17 minors, according to the state police. According to the Mexican newspaper Reforma, the fire was started by some of the migrants who were camping there to resist attempts by immigration authorities to detain them and transfer them to Mexico City for later deportation. The National Institute of Migration did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

Washington Examiner [1/18/2025 2:35 PM, Bethany Blankley, 2365K, Negative] reports that in Hidalgo County, an OLS Texas Department of Public Safety brush team apprehended four SIAs who illegally entered the U.S. from Turkey, in Mission, Texas. They were led into the country by a coyote from Mexico. DPS arrested the coyote for human smuggling. The Turkish nationals were referred to Border Patrol. DPS officers have also been arresting SIAs from Afghanistan, the Congo, Egypt and Iran, The Center Square reported. SIAs are noncitizens who, based "on an analysis of travel patterns," are "known or evaluated to possibly have a nexus to terrorism" who "potentially poses a national security risk to the United States," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security explains. OLS Texas National Guard soldiers are also using advanced technology to stop illegal activity along the southern border. In a single day, they used a combination of ground surveillance radar and thermal imaging to detect and turn back 62 foreign nationals illegally entering from Mexico. They’re also conducting "Migration Operational Readiness Exercises" (MORE) with DPS and other law enforcement partners along the Rio Grande River. OLS Texas Task Force East – Strike Team is training to provide a quick reaction force to respond to potential mass migration emergencies, 1Lt. Jacob Eggimann said in a recent video announcement. "We are conducting a MORE," using M2S2, drones, boats, Humvees and other equipment working with law enforcement partners, he said. Many under his command trained as military police and are making "a clear statement that this is the border," he said.

Washington Examiner [1/18/2025 2:38 PM, Cameron Arcand, 2365K, Neutral] reports a key provision in Proposition 314 does not have any explicit funding in Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ executive budget proposal released Friday. Proposition 314 with numerous border and immigration-related policies passed with over 62% support, but the most notable is the ability for local, county and state law enforcement to be able to detain those who allegedly crossed the border illegally, which traditional has been left to federal authorities. However, the concept is being held up in federal court due to a mirrored proposal in Texas legislation. If it ends up getting the green light, some agencies may be seeking greater funding to enforce it. "We can’t budget based on hypotheticals … and we’re still waiting on the court cases," Christian Slater, a spokesman for Hobbs, said. It’s unclear if grant funding provided to authorities could be used for the enforcement of that specific part of Prop. 314. Proponents argued that it would serve as a necessary enforcement method, specifically when federal border agents may be overwhelmed, whereas opponents, including Hobbs, argued that it was an "unfunded mandate" that could open the door to racial profiling. Regardless, Republicans remain optimistic that illegal immigration will continue to trend down at the southern border once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday, as he is expected to reinstate policies like "Remain in Mexico" and possibly start mass deportations of the presumably millions of people that crossed illegally during the Biden administration. The executive budget released Friday afternoon will likely look a lot different than the budget that will actually get passed this session, as the Democratic governor will have to negotiate with Republican leadership in the legislature to strike a deal.

San Francisco Chronicle [1/18/2025 7:00 AM, Emma Gallegos, 4368K, Negative] reports advocates have called upon school leaders to take action to protect immigrants in the wake of an extensive operation by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Kern County last week. Immigrant families have been afraid to send their students to school in the wake of the extensive operation, some opting to keep them home. "Students are scared," said Belen Carrasco, a middle school teacher at Bakersfield City School District, who reported an increase in student absences in her classroom over the last week. Students have told her that Border Patrol agents knocked on their doors, and in one case, detained a parent. Students are asking Carrasco for information on what they should do if agents approach them. One resident, Samantha Gil, said that her daughter’s immigrant friends at West High School in Bakersfield are "hidden in their houses. She is very sad for them.” The fear is so great that community members have been afraid to show up to school sites in rural communities where food is being distributed, according to Ashley De La Rosa, education policy director for the Dolores Huerta Foundation, a Bakersfield community advocacy organization. Advocates are encouraging immigrants to know their legal rights under the U.S. Constitution and to document any encounters with immigration officials. They are encouraging school leaders to get in touch with community groups that can provide this education or pass out cards with information about people’s constitutional rights, as Delano Union School District does. Above all, families are looking for assurance that schools are safe places that will not alert immigration authorities to their immigration status or address. "The parents are really looking to school districts to take action," De La Rosa said.

ABC News [1/18/2025 1:58 PM, Luke Barr, 33392K, Neutral] reports that, whether it is a hurricane, major tornado, wildfire or anything in between, disasters "don’t discriminate" in where they will be and whom they might affect, according to the outgoing top emergency manager. "We know that these types of severe weather events, they don’t have borders, they don’t discriminate and we [at] FEMA … have the ability to make sure that anyone impacted doesn’t have the barriers to access our programs," outgoing Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told ABC News. Criswell, a member of the Air National Guard for 21 years, has also been the top emergency manager in Aurora, Colorado, and in New York City. "All disasters start and end at the local level, and our job as federal emergency managers is to enable their ability to be successful, and I’ve been in their role," she said. The outgoing administrator said she "never lost sight" of putting herself in the local emergency managers’ shoes and made policy changes based on that thinking. Criswell noted she received criticism for putting "equity" into her strategic plan to run the agency but defended it, saying the agency needed a "mindset shift" to reach everyone who may be affected by a disaster. "Having been a customer and understanding the barriers that people experience, whether that’s an individual or a small community, and being able to remove those barriers so everybody has the ability to get what they’re eligible for, was my focus with equity," she said. Criswell said the agency is "nonpartisan" and that it should stay that way. "The only way that we are going to be successful in helping communities recover, helping them rebuild in a way that makes them more resilient to future events, is by maintaining that level of nonpartisanship because if we don’t have it, then we’re going to also lose trust in the communities that we’re going in there to help," she explained.

New York Times [1/18/2025 1:44 PM, John Keefe, 161405K, Neutral] reports a fast-moving winter storm is expected to drop snow across the Northeast on Sunday, with at least half a foot expected from Maryland to Maine, forecasters at the National Weather Service said on Saturday. The heaviest band of snow is likely to fall north and west of Interstate 95, with up to eight inches possible, according to the Weather Service. The New York City metropolitan area could receive up to five inches. Some areas could see snowfall rates of one inch per hour at times. Heavy lake-effect snow is also expected on the eastern shores of the Great Lakes. Forecasters said the snowstorm would start in the Appalachian Mountains early on Sunday, move northeast across the region through the day and clear out by Monday morning. Winter storm watches — issued when hazardous weather is possible within the next day — were in place across the area on Saturday. Behind the storm is a mass of arctic air, which is expected to bring several days of frigid temperatures to much of the country starting on Monday. The forecast prompted organizers of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration to move the event indoors.

Reported similarly:
USA Today [1/19/2025 5:10 AM, Doyle Rice, 89965K, Neutral]

Washington Examiner [1/18/2025 2:48 PM, Alan Wooten, 2365K, Neutral] reports that additional time through the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene has been requested of FEMA and its Temporary Sheltering Assistance Program. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein penned a letter to outgoing Administrator Deanne Criswell on Thursday. "Many of these families’ homes need long-term rebuilding and are not and will not be safe for some time," Stein wrote in part. He asked for a time just over eight months away "so that these folks have certainty that they will have a safe place to live until their home is safe and habitable.". Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It was expected to come north to the Appalachian Mountains; however, the rainfall total from its dissipation there exceeded all forecasts. Helene killed 104 in North Carolina and 18 in Tennessee. Estimated damage in North Carolina was $53 billion, according to former Gov. Roy Cooper. Volunteer State lawmakers are expected to consider a $450 million disaster relief package during a special session; damage is estimated at $1.35 billion for the state.

Washington Post [1/19/2025 6:00 AM, Diana Leonard, 40736K, Negative] reports southern California is facing another round of dangerous fire weather on Monday and Tuesday — driving new risk as the region reels from the destructive firestorm that ignited during a high-wind event earlier this month. The latest Santa Ana winds — set to return Monday, with the strongest gusts expected Monday night into Tuesday morning — arrive amid a record dry stretch and what experts have described as unprecedented conditions ripe for fire. After the National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening and destructive” winds earlier this month, a devastating set of wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area beginning Jan. 7. The two biggest blazes — the Palisades and Eaton fires — would consume more than 37,000 acres combined and kill at least 27 people. They are still burning. These volatile conditions would be notable even for summer, noted a bulletin last week from the National Interagency Fire Center. But they’re "extraordinary for January." The center warned that fires are likely to be uncontrollable during windy episodes. The forecast for early this week is looking "very concerning" for the wind-prone corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said. "A STRONG and dry Santa Ana event with EXTREME fire weather conditions is increasingly likely," the weather service wrote in a forecast discussion Saturday. The office noted that this latest event "may be considerably stronger for many areas than the event" this past Monday to Wednesday. Winds are forecast to gust to 60 mph and up to 80 mph in the windiest locations. Red-flag warnings for possible rapid fire spread have been issued from Ventura County to the Mexican border, from 10 a.m. local time on Monday to 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Damaging #SantaAnaWinds and extreme fire weather is expected Mon through Tue, with winds peaking Mon evening through Tue morning. Wind will be strongest along the traditional wind prone corridor of #LosAngeles and #Ventura counties.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/18/2025 7:45 PM, Amy Graff, 161405K, Neutral]

Los Angeles Times [1/18/2025 5:44 PM, Jack Dolan and Melody Gutierrez, 6595K, Neutral] reports firefighters are taking advantage of a lull in the wind to make steady progress against the massive fires that have ravaged Los Angeles since Jan. 7. As of Saturday morning, the Palisades fire, which has burned nearly 24,000 acres and killed at least 10 people, was listed as 43% contained, according to the CAL Fire website. That’s up from 31% on Friday morning. The Eaton fire, which tore through Altadena burning 14,000 acres and killing at least 17 people, was listed at 73% contained, up from 65% on Friday morning. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and calm winds through Monday morning should give firefighters a much needed respite for the rest of the weekend, giving them a chance to put out existing fires without too much fear about new ones, said Joe Sirard, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. "It’s actually very favorable for fighting any ongoing fires," Sirard said. "It will be minimal fire behavior with these kinds of winds and humidities.” As the mop-up work continues, officials are allowing for the slow "repopulation" of certain neighborhoods in the Palisades. Its residents only, so far, and you’ll need an ID with your name, photo and address - like a driver’s license - to get past the checkpoints manned by the Los Angeles Police Department and the National Guard. On Friday, security was still tight inside the Palisades, with police and troops at most major intersections and others patrolling on horseback and dirt bikes to keep an eye out for looters. President-elect Donald Trump, who is scheduled to be sworn into office on Monday, has announced that his first official trip as the nation’s leader will be to Southern California to tour the devastated areas. Trump has spent much of the last 10 days hurling abuse at California’s leaders for what he sees as their mismanagement of the crisis sparked when hurricane force winds flames tearing through multiple locations in greater Los Angeles. "One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground," Trump posted to Truth Social on Jan. 8. "It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!". Trump is expected to arrive late next week, according to a story published by The Hill.

CBS Los Angeles [1/18/2025 2:48 PM, Chelsea Hylton, 52225K, Neutral] reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced commitments from five major financial institutions that will offer mortgage relief for property owners affected by the Los Angeles area fires. Newsom’s office said Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank will offer impacted homeowners a 90-day forbearance on their mortgage payments, without reporting the payments to credit reporting agencies. "After so much trauma, we hope this deal will provide thousands of survivors a measure of relief. These financial protections will enable residents to concentrate on taking care of their immediate needs rather than worrying about paying their mortgage bills," Newsom said. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation will also be reviewing state-chartered financial institutions to secure additional commitments in the coming days. Borrowers should contact their mortgage servicer to receive relief.

Newsweek [1/18/2025 7:47 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K, Negative] reports that, as the California wildfires continue to burn, a crime spree has recently reignited a petition from Vallejo residents for more authorities to step in and help. Newsweek has reached out to the petition starter via Change.org email form and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office via email. While California continues to battle multiple destructive wildfires, residents are also grappling with a surge in crime. According to state authorities, since the fires erupted more than 50 people have been arrested and have been charged in connection with looting, burglary, impersonation, arson, or curfew violations. This comes as the Pacific Palisades fire has been roaring through Los Angeles County, spreading throughout the region spurred by powerful Santa Ana winds. The fire was estimated to cover more than 11,802 acres and has forced at least 30,000 to leave their homes. Vallejo, which is about 30 miles outside of San Francisco, landed a spot on the FBI’s nationwide watchlist for small cities due to its growing crime rate. A Change.org petition initially created a year ago to address crime in Vallejo has garnered support in the past week amid the fires. "As a resident of Vallejo, I am deeply concerned about the safety of my community. Vallejo is currently experiencing an alarming increase in crime rates," Paula Conley, 55, wrote in the petition addressing the escalating crime. The petition demands Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom to deploy state and county officers such as the California Highway Patrol (CHP) "to assist Vallejo with its spiraling crime problem." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AZCentral [1/18/2025 7:30 PM, Rey Covarrubias Jr., 57114K, Neutral] reports utility workers from the Navajo Nation headed to Los Angeles on Thursday to help rebuild the electrical grid damaged by historic southern California wildfires. The Navajo Tribe Utility Authority announced 11 team members specializing in electric line work were sent from Fort Defiance, Arizona, to the Los Angeles area. The Navajo crews would support the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to restore the local power grid, support that came as part of a mutual agreement between the agencies to aid each other in times of disaster. "In the past, LADWP helped us considerably by helping extend electricity to Navajo families... They helped us and now we are helping them," wrote Walter Haase, general manager of NTUA. The crew members were the utility company’s first to be sent on a "major and massive mutual aid project outside the Navajo Nation," read the news release. Haase said NTAU was the only tribal utility company to send crews to Los Angeles. "We are very proud of that and will be honored to represent the Navajo Nation," wrote Haase. The news release expressed gratitude to LADWP for previously sending electric line workers to bring electricity to 170 Navajo homes, in addition to nearly 100 electric wiring and meter installations at other homes. Over 20 Navajo Scouts from the Navajo Nation went to Los Angeles to battle the wildfires last week. The Palisades and Eaton fires have claimed the lives of 27 Californians, scorching roughly 40,000 acres of southern California hillsides and destroying numerous neighborhoods. The Eaton Fire, at 14,117 acres in size, is burning in eastern Los Angeles and was closest to being extinguished as firefighters reached 73% containment. To the west, near the coast, the Palisades Fire has burned 23,713 acres and is roughly 43% contained.

Reuters [1/18/2025 11:48 AM, Gabriella Borter, 30936K, Neutral] reports thousands of people gathered in Washington on Saturday to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, as activists for women’s rights, racial justice and other causes rallied against incoming policies they say will threaten their constitutional rights during the Republican’s second term. Some in the crowd wore the pink hats that marked the much-larger protest against Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. They wound through downtown amid a light rain, past the White House and toward the Lincoln Memorial along the National Mall for the "People’s March." Protests against Trump’s inauguration are smaller this time, in part because the U.S. women’s rights movement seems more fractured to many activists after Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in November. Organizers predicted 50,000 would attend, while local police expected about 25,000. More than 300 other marches were planned nationwide. Reproductive rights groups joined activists for civil rights, the environment and other causes in organizing the march against Trump. The New York Times [1/18/2025 3:45 PM, Juliet Macur, 161405K, Negative] reports that it was a sequel of sort to the Women’s March in 2017, which also was held around Inauguration Day. That one took place right after Mr. Trump was sworn in for his first term, and the protest focused on women’s reproductive rights. But for this iteration, the march was rebranded and expanded to include more people and a wider range of issues. Various sponsors, including the Sierra Club and Time to Act, a group against authoritarianism, backed the event on Saturday. With signs that called Mr. Trump a felon, an oligarch and a danger to democracy — one read, “such a disaster that even grandmoms have to take to the streets to resist” — protesters yelled chants such as, “Stand up! Fight back!” and “No justice, no peace, no Trump,” at times injecting an expletive into the chant. Many, if not most, attendees said they were nervous that Mr. Trump would try to roll back more rights they valued than he did in his first administration, during which he nominated Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. They were hoping that he would not strip away climate change protections and L.G.B.T.Q. rights, and that he would not follow through with his threat to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
FOX News [1/18/2025 2:34 PM, Michael Dorgan, 49889K, Neutral]

CBS News [1/18/2025 8:21 PM, Kris Van Cleave, 52225K, Neutral] reports about 750 feet above the nation’s capital, a brand-new state-of-the-art D.C. Police helicopter will be in sky over Monday’s inauguration. What will pilot Jeff Hertel be looking for? "The different crowd parameters and crowd control," Hertel told CBS News. "And suspicious vehicles, maybe, outside the perimeter area, larger trucks and stuff, make sure there’s people with them." Hertel says being in the skies gives law enforcement "the ability to see distances." "You can see a car running fast, you can see, like, a rooftop at night to see if there’s a burglar on top, or if he has a weapon," he said. Although the inauguration ceremony for President-elect Donald Trump was moved into the highly fortified and secured U.S. Capitol because of forecasts calling for extreme cold, helicopters will still be a key tool as the inaugural parade also moves indoors, to Capitol One Arena in the heart of D.C. that will host about 20,000 people. D.C. Police will also be watching for crowds, as many of those who would have gone to the National Mall are expected to still gather across the city. The helicopter’s on-board cameras can read a license plate from 1,000 feet up, sending back live video to the department’s real time crime center. "It gives us the opportunity to really see what’s happening across the city, especially in large crowds," D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith told CBS News.

Wall Street Journal [1/18/2025 4:07 PM, Mariah Timms, Joshua Chaffin and Vera Bergengruen, 40736K, Neutral] reports the agency charged with guarding the president will be under the microscope during Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday in the wake of two assassination attempts on the campaign trail. The decision Friday to move the Washington, D.C., ceremony indoors because of the frigid weather could hand the embattled Secret Service a gift in preparing for the high-level security event. The agency will pivot from managing a crowd of more than 250,000 ticket holders outside to securing the U.S. Capitol rotunda for a streamlined crowd of elected officials, dignitaries and high-profile guests. To secure the 96-foot-diameter room, they can turn to elements of the well-tested playbook for annual events such as the State of the Union, usually held nearby in the House chamber. Securing an indoor, familiar location is likely to make the job easier for physical security, according to Tim Gallagher, former special agent-in-charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office. The process of moving a smaller guest list through metal scanners will be simpler and it is less complicated to lock down a building instead of dealing with the variables of the outdoors, he said. Calls to increase the president-elect’s security rose after a gunman shot the president-elect at a rally during the summer and another man pointed a rifle at Trump through a fence where he was playing golf. The incidents fueled doubts about whether the Secret Service is capable of protecting him, given the risks of political violence during the election cycle. After his swearing-in, Trump said Friday he plans to join a viewing party and host a modified version of the traditional inaugural parade at the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena across town. Police on Friday evening said areas outside the U.S. Capitol building initially open to ticketed attendees would be closed under the changed plans. Details on where the rest of the quarter-million ticket holders may end up remained unclear on Friday evening.

Washington Post [1/18/2025 7:38 PM, Michael Brice-Saddler, 40736K, Neutral] reports that, with President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration set to shift mostly indoors because of dangerously cold weather projected for Monday, shaking up the traditional run of show, officials say that they are falling back on contingency plans to ensure public safety. As events move indoors, the Inauguration Joint Public Information Center, which includes officials from the Secret Service, National Park Service and D.C. police, revealed a series of changes related to street closures, Metro service and restricted areas. But details remain murky on how ticketing and access will work for many of the key inaugural activities Monday. Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, inaugural address, and other prayers and speeches will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda, Trump announced Friday on Truth Social. And rather than the traditional inaugural parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump said he has ordered the event to be held in D.C.’s Capital One Arena, where he also plans to host a rally Sunday night. The public safety center announced that spectators, entering through designated checkpoints, will also be able to watch a motorcade traveling from Capital One Arena to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday — though they stressed that this is not a parade and that the motorcade will not be stopping. Officials also say they will expand a planned security perimeter around Capital One Arena that will take effect at 8 a.m. Monday, though a smaller perimeter will be installed ahead of Trump’s Sunday night rally. The security areas immediately surrounding Capital One Arena, Union Station, U.S. Capitol and the convention center will be limited to guests who have tickets for specific events. Additionally, a stretch of the National Mall that was to be closed will now be open to the public Monday, officials said. Video screens that had been set up on the Mall will be taken down.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 10:39 AM, Tim Renaud, 57114K, Neutral] reports that the United States Coast Guard will enact a security zone in the waters near the International African American Museum ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit this weekend. The blocked-off area of the Cooper River adjacent to the museum will be in place from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19 encompassing all waters within an area approximately 680 yards long and 500 yards wide. No vessels or people will be allowed within that space unless authorized by official patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a marine bulletin Saturday morning. "Mariners are encouraged to plan transits accordingly to avoid unnecessary disruptions," USCG said. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend Sunday morning service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston Sunday morning before touring the International African American Museum in the afternoon. He is expected to deliver remarks at the museum on his last full day in office. President Biden and the First Lady will return to Washington after they tour the museum.

San Diego Union Tribune [1/18/2025 8:00 PM, Caleb Lunetta, 2212K, Negative] reports a 25-foot panga carrying 15 people collided with a U.S. Coast Guard boat Thursday off the coast of Point Loma, federal officials said. The crash was reported about 25 miles off the coast of Point Loma after the Coast Guard caught up to the boat and ordered it to stop, Coast Guard officials said in a news release. The panga operator then abandoned the steering controls, which caused the vessel to drift erratically. Coast Guard officials were able to gain control of the panga and turn the engine off, but not before the two boats collided, causing damage to the Coast Guard’s vessel, officials said. Border Patrol agents took a person experiencing hypothermia-like symptoms to UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center for evaluation. On board the boat were people from multiple countries, including: China, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Ecuador, Vietnam and El Salvador. All 15 individuals were safely transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody, officials said. No other information was immediately available.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 10:57 AM, Amber Coakley, 57114K, Negative]

Yahoo! News [1/19/2025 12:01 AM, Kevin Knodell, 57114K, Neutral] reports first responders were searching today for a missing 17-year-old girl and 18-year-old man last seen on Ke Iki beach near Sharks Cove late Friday night. U.S. Coast Guard officials said in a news release that the young man’s mother reported them missing at 10 :45 a.m. today after they didn’t return home. Belongings of both teens were found onshore, according to the Honolulu Emergency Services Department. Personnel from Honolulu Ocean Safety, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Honolulu Police Department and the Coast Guard were searching today with multiple boats, helicopters and at least one drone combing the area. According to authorities, waves had estimated 40-foot faces on Friday night and roughly 18-foot faces during today’s search. The Coast Guard, which has a helicopter searching, reported that searchers were facing winds of 12-to-15 mph and "poor visibility " near the shore. The search is ongoing and agencies said they plan to continue to search Sunday if the missing teens are not found.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 1:00 PM, Victor Tangermann, 57114K, Negative] reports that the FBI admitted that hackers appear to have broken into AT&T’s systems last year to steal months of call and text logs — data pilfering that could endanger the agency’s own operatives. According to a document reviewed by Bloomberg, the FBI scrambled to contain the disaster. The infiltrators got access to data from all devices used by FBI agents under the bureau’s AT&T service for public safety agencies, according to the outlet’s reporting, though exactly how they did so remains unclear. It’s nonetheless an egregious lapse in telecommunications cybersecurity, which could aid hackers in tracking down FBI agents’ sensitive communications with informants, among other data. According to one of Bloomberg’s sources, the stolen information contained the call logs of at least one agent. The hack also highlights lapses in the cybersecurity of the FBI itself, turning the hack into a considerable risk to its operations and even national security — not to mention potentially undermining its ability to keep confidential informants safe. The agency is already dealing with a separate data breach affecting nine different telecommunications companies. In November, US officials blamed Chinese state-sponsored hackers, part of a spy group called Salt Typhoon, for a "broad and significant cyber-espionage campaign.". The latest hack adds even more pressure on telecommunications companies like AT&T, as well as the FBI.

Newsweek [1/18/2025 3:04 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K, Negative] reports the Department of Justice (DOJ) has linked the arrest of a serving U.S. Army soldier in December to a massive hack of AT&T and Verizon last year, according to a court filing on Friday. Newsweek has reached out to the DOJ via online email form for comment. The hack was one of the most wide-reaching attacks of 2024, with more than 160 companies impacted and saw the theft of millions of phone records from telecom giants AT&T and Verizon. Victims also included major corporations such as LendingTree, Santander Bank, and Ticketmaster. The hackers reportedly exploited weak cybersecurity measures, including the lack of multi-factor authentication, to siphon customer and corporate data using stolen passwords infected with malware. This latest incident adds to a growing list of cybersecurity issues that remain a growing concern, as individuals and U.S. adversaries increase their hacking attempts. U.S prosecutors on Friday linked Cameron John Wagenius, who was arrested on December 20 in Texas on charges of unlawfully transferring confidential phone records, to being connected to an earlier case involving two alleged hackers, Connor Moucka and John Binns. Wagenius, who was later extradited to Washington state, is accused of being connected to the pair who were charged with breaching cloud-computing platform Snowflake, resulting in the theft of sensitive data from numerous corporate clients. Court filings revealed on Friday that the stolen records included nearly all customer call data from AT&T and a significant number of Verizon’s customer logs. This marks the first time prosecutors have publicly tied Wagenius to the Snowflake data breaches, an attack that compromised sensitive information from over 160 companies. Security journalist Brian Krebs had previously connected Wagenius to the Snowflake hacks. Krebs reported in November that Wagenius allegedly threatened to release stolen data, including call logs of Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump if Canadian authorities did not release Moucka. The breached data encompassed a vast range of sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, payment details, and personal identification records. These breaches in corporate cloud security came at a time when reliance on cloud services was surging. Wagenius, 20, was a soldier at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas. His Facebook page, which boasts 27 friends, is mostly related to his time in the Army, with photos and videos of guns and what appears to be him in training. It’s unclear if Wagenius’ role in the Army helped him in carrying out the alleged crimes.

San Diego Union Tribune [1/18/2025 8:00 AM, Jemma Stephenson, 2212K, Neutral] reports the San Diego County Office of Education has been selected by the Federal Communications Commission to join a three-year cybersecurity pilot program, the agency said this week, days after a number of local school districts were hit by a data breach affecting a vendor. The hundreds of participating schools, districts, libraries and consortia around the country, including 64 in California, will get support for the costs of eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. In turn, they’ll share data with the FCC so it can better understand how universal service funds could be used to better defend school networks and data against cyber attacks. The release said that $200 million budget uses "reserved, unused universal service funds" so that any improvements to enhanced cybersecurity would not impact E-Rate success in basic connectivity and promoting digital opportunities for everyone. Samantha Womack, director of communications for the county office of education, said the agency looks forward to using the program to keep supporting schools and districts against cyber attacks. "SDCOE has been committed to leading the effort to meet ever increasing cyber security challenges in K-12 schools and district, and this is another tool to help keep our students and staff members safe," she said. The Thursday announcement of the program comes after San Diego Unified School District told families last week that their data may have been affected by a breach involving the ed-tech platform PowerSchool.

Reuters [1/19/2025 4:24 PM, Caitlin Webber, 2717K, Neutral] reports the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and cybersecurity company Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., accusing both of being involved in a series of hacks against American telecom companies. The intrusions, known under the name Salt Typhoon, have allegedly exposed a huge swathe of Americans’ call logs to Chinese spies and rattled the U.S. intelligence community. In some cases, hackers are alleged to have intercepted conversations, including between prominent U.S. politicians and government officials. Some lawmakers have described them as the worst telecom hacks in U.S. history. In a statement, the Treasury described Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. as a hacking company with strong ties to China’s Ministry of State Security, an intelligence agency. It said that Yin Kecheng was based in Shanghai, had worked as a hacker for more than a decade, and also had ties to the MSS. It further alleged he was tied to the recent breach at the U.S. Treasury. Reuters was not immediately able to reach Yin Kecheng or Sichuan Juxinhe. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing routinely denies responsibility for cyberespionage campaigns.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 10:32 PM, Linda Cook, 57114K, Negative] reports a 34-year-old Key West, Florida, man was in custody Saturday night after being accused of making threats of terrorism, extortion, stalking, and bribery involving a victim and Scott County officials, according to court records. Jacob Pautsch faces felony charges of threat of terrorism; false report of explosive or incendiary device – hate crime; stalking – violation of protective order; bribery; extortion; and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of accessory after the fact, court records show. Starting in May of 2024 to December of 2024, Pautsch sent emails, text messages and made several phone calls to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Scott County Attorney’s Office demanding that criminal charges be dropped against Pautsch’s relative; otherwise, Pautsch said, he would file lawsuits, make personal calls to have Pautsch’s contacts at the Department of Justice, FBI, and other federal agencies "raid the Scott County Sheriff’s and the Attorney’s Office," according to affidavits. Affidavits show Pautsch sent an email July 5 and July 9, 2024, to Scott County Sheriff’s deputies and Scott County officials claiming to have evidence of modifying meta data by the victim of his relative’s charges. On July 8, 2024, officials say in affidavits that Pautsch sent text messages to the victim in a domestic violence case who was staying in a residence after a court-ordered no-contact order. Messages include "Bring the bomb squad," "I paid for the house. It’s rigged," and "Tell Tim Lane to call you you filth.” Pautsch sent several text messages and emails over several weeks to a victim making threats including federal charges, federal prison, presenting the victim in a false light to law enforcement, threats to protect property (awarded to the victim within the no-contact order) by deadly force along with comments for the victim to comment suicide, with racial slurs toward the victim and the victim’s family, according to affidavits. On July 8, officials say in affidavits, Pautsch sent an email to an employee of the Iowa Clerk of Courts stating "If you’re willing, the bureau of investigations is willing to compensate for disclosures relating to RICO and otherwise on a confidential information basis and so am I and my family as it relates." Affidavits say this implied that Pautsch was acting on behalf or as an agent of the federal government. Pautsch has claimed that several Scott County Sheriff’s Office and several Scott County Attorneys’ names have been delivered to several federal agencies and these agencies are "watching" the conduct of these employees, according to affidavits. Pautsch has sent text messages and told Scott County Sheriff’s Office deputies that DEA agents (Pautsch used agents’ names) are investigating a victim in Pautsch’s relative’s case. Affidavits say that Pautsch is using this information, under deception, to have Scott County Sheriff’s deputies respond to his relative’s residence to intimidate the victim.

Washington Examiner [1/18/2025 2:44 PM, Bethany Blankley, 2365K, Negative] reports that in Vienna, Virginia, 34-year-old former CIA analyst Asif William Rahman pleaded guilty Friday to retaining and transmitting "Top Secret National Defense Information," including removing classified documents, photographing them, transmitting them, and destroying devices, according to a federal complaint. He was indicted by a grand jury and arrested last November. He remains in federal custody and faces 10 years in prison for both counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to national defense. Classified documents he shared appeared on social media platforms detailing a U.S. foreign ally’s planned actions against a foreign adversary, the complaint states. Raham, who had a Top-Secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information, also "deleted and edited journal entries and written work product on his personal electronic devices to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy and drafted entries to construct a false narrative regarding his activity," investigators said. He also admitted to destroying multiple electronic devices, including a personal cell phone and internet router he used to transmit classified information and photographs of classified documents. He also admitted to discarding them in public trash receptacles to avoid being caught. For roughly six months last year, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified national defense information, took them to his residence, reproduced them, altered them and communicated top secret information from his job to multiple people, the complaint states. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber said, "Rahman’s actions placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future.". On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael Easley Jr. announced a criminal complaint against a 29-year-old Durham, North Carolina, resident was unsealed for his plan to join ISIS and engage in acts of terrorism. Alexander Justin White was arrested prior to boarding a flight to Morocco to join ISIS. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. From May to October last year, under the name "Sulaiman Al-Amriki," he allegedly made multiple social media posts supporting ISIS, including posting ISIS recruitment and fundraising videos. He was also involved in financial transactions with refugee camps known to be fronts to funnel money to ISIS members, according to the complaint. His alleged goal was to join ISIS and become "a mujahideen," a martyr, to fight "jihad," Islamic holy war, according to the complaint. When making travel plans, he made it "appear as nothing more than a vacation when he in fact claimed that he would rather die than return to the United States," the complaint states. "We work closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to shut down suspected terrorist activities in the United States, including American citizens willing to commit violence against our troops," Easley said. The investigation involved the FBI’s Raleigh-based Joint Terrorism Task Force, including multiple local and state law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and Morocco General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance were involved. In Orlando, Florida, 44-year-old Jordanian Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen recently pleaded guilty to four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility. In convicted, he faces decades in prison. According to court documents, beginning last June, a masked man began targeting and attacking Orlando-area businesses because of their perceived support for Israel. "Warning letters" to the federal government were left, including political demands and threats to "destroy or explode everything here in whole America. Especially the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel," according to the complaint.

Bloomberg [1/19/2025 5:35 AM, Alexandra S. Levine, 21617K, Negative] reports Apple Inc. and Google removed TikTok from their mobile app stores in the US as required by a law that took effect Sunday, after the social media company’s legal challenges failed to head off the measure passed last year to address national security concerns. Their moves followed TikTok’s decision to proactively suspend its services to US-based users a few hours earlier when it took its platform offline. Apple said it’s obligated to follow the laws in jurisdictions where it operates, while Google didn’t respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours. The law, signed in April by President Joe Biden, ordered TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance Ltd. to divest its US business, which ByteDance refused to do, or face a shutdown. American companies that host or distribute TikTok in the US are now obligated to cease doing so, or risk fines potentially in the billions of dollars. The law doesn’t cite US firms by name, but says it would be unlawful for “an entity,” “marketplace” like a mobile app store, or “internet hosting services to enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating” of TikTok and other ByteDance products. That’s forced Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google to wipe TikTok from their US app stores. The New York Times [1/18/2025 10:23 PM, Sapna Maheshwari, Madison Malone Kircher, Eli Tan and Meaghan Tobin, 161405K, Neutral] reports that hours before a federal law banning TikTok from the United States was set to take effect on Sunday, the Chinese-owned social media app went dark, and U.S. users could no longer access videos on the platform. Instead, the app greeted them with a message that said “a law banning TikTok has been enacted.” “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution,” the message said. “Please stay tuned!” TikTok also appeared to have been removed from Apple and Google’s U.S. app stores, some users said. In addition, TikTok’s sister app, Lemon8, stopped working and showed U.S. users a message saying that it “isn’t available right now.” Both TikTok and Lemon8 are owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet giant. TikTok became unavailable after the Supreme Court decision on Friday upholding the law, which calls for ByteDance to sell the app by Sunday or otherwise face a ban. The law was passed overwhelmingly by Congress last year and signed by President Biden. TikTok, which has faced national security concerns for its Chinese ties, had believed it could win its legal challenge to the law, but failed. The blackout capped a chaotic stretch for TikTok, which had made last-minute pleas to both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald J. Trump for a way out of the law. Until Saturday night, no one — including the U.S. government — was entirely sure what would happen to it when the law took effect. The United States has never blocked an app used by tens of millions of Americans essentially overnight. The law has a provision to penalize app store operators like Apple and Google and internet hosting companies like Oracle for distributing or maintaining the TikTok app. Under the law, those companies face penalties as high as $5,000 per user who can access the app. TikTok, Apple and Oracle didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Google declined to comment.

Yahoo! News [1/18/2025 1:25 PM, Jack Dunn, 57114K, Negative] reports that the fight for TikTok may not be over just yet. While speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he will "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day grace period to avoid getting banned in the U.S. once he takes office on Jan. 20. "I think that would be certainly an option that we look at," Trump said. "The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.". Trump added that if he decides to save the social media giant from its Sunday deadline, he would "probably announce it" during his first day in office.

Washington Post [1/19/2025 6:00 AM, Greg Miller, Robyn Dixon and Isaac Stanley-Becker, 40736K, Negative] reports ruptures of undersea cables that have rattled European security officials in recent months were likely the result of maritime accidents rather than Russian sabotage, according to several U.S. and European intelligence officials. The determination reflects an emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services, according to senior officials from three countries involved in ongoing investigations of a string of incidents in which critical seabed energy and communications lines have been severed. The cases raised suspicion that Russia was targeting undersea infrastructure as part of a broader campaign of hybrid attacks across Europe, and prompted stepped-up security measures including an announcement last week that NATO would launch new patrol and surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea. But so far, officials said, investigations involving the United States and a half-dozen European security services have turned up no indication that commercial ships suspected of dragging anchors across seabed systems did so intentionally or at the direction of Moscow. Instead, U.S. and European officials said that the evidence gathered to date — including intercepted communications and other classified intelligence — points to accidents caused by inexperienced crews serving aboard poorly maintained vessels. U.S. officials cited "clear explanations" that have come to light in each case indicating a likelihood that the damage was accidental, and a lack of evidence suggesting Russian culpability. Officials with two European intelligence services said that they concurred with U.S. assessments. Despite initial suspicions that Russia was involved, one European official said there is "counter evidence" suggesting otherwise. The U.S. and European officials declined to elaborate and spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of ongoing investigations. The probes center on three incidents over the past 18 months in which ships traveling to or from Russian ports were suspected of severing key links in a vast underwater network of conduits that carry gas, electricity and internet traffic to millions of people across northern Europe. In the most recent case, Finland seized an oil tanker suspected of dragging its anchor across an undersea power line connecting Finland and Estonia. Finnish authorities said the vessel, the Eagle S, is part of a "shadow fleet" of tanker ships helping Moscow sell oil on global markets in violation of international sanctions.

AP [1/19/2025 12:53 AM, Regina Garcia Cano, 33392K, Neutral] reports things seemed to be looking up for Venezuela in 2022. Following years of authoritarian rule and withering economic sanctions, President Nicolás Maduro had agreed to work toward a democratic presidential election. The White House, in return, granted him a financial lifeline: a permit for U.S. energy giant Chevron to pump and export Venezuelan oil. Oil wells roared back to life and massive tanker ships returned to Venezuela’s coast to be filled with heavy, hard-to-refine crude destined for the U.S. Maduro’s promised election was neither fair nor free, and the longtime president was sworn in this month for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that his opponent got more votes. Yet, the sanctions reprieve the U.S. offered "to support the restoration of democracy" is still helping fill state coffers. Venezuela’s opposition says Maduro’s government has earned billions of dollars from exports allowed by the permit. The White House has ignored calls from the main opposition coalition, as well as Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, to cancel a permit that now accounts for around a quarter of the South American country’s oil production. Senior administration officials have struggled to explain why the permit has been left in place under questioning by reporters, saying only that sanctions policy toward Venezuela is frequently reviewed. President Joe Biden told reporters last week he "didn’t have enough data" to adjust oil-related sanctions before he leaves office Monday. Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest proven oil reserves and once used them to power Latin America’s strongest economy. But corruption, mismanagement and eventual U.S. economic sanctions saw production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999, when the fiery Hugo Chávez took power and began his self-described socialist revolution, to less than 400,000 barrels per day in 2020.

The AP [1/19/2025 5:33 AM, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg, 14K, Neutral] reports a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday. Israel had vowed to keep fighting until it received the names, as the long and uncertain process aimed at ending the war got off to a bumpy start. Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay, which underscored the fragility of the agreement. The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is a first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered it. An Israeli official confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were set to be released later on Sunday. Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the other two were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen. The official said the families had approved the publication of the names. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners before the original time for the ceasefire to start. The military said it would continue to attack targets in Gaza until the names were provided. An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis after the ceasefire was delayed. Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday’s strike, which it said had occurred around two hours after the truce was supposed to take effect. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another three deaths from strikes on Sunday in Gaza City. Hamas had earlier blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week. The Wall Street Journal [1/19/2025 5:39 AM, Jared Malsin and Anat Peled, 40736K, Neutral] reports that the halt in fighting was delayed by about three hours after Hamas failed to hand over the names of hostages it planned to release by the time the agreement was meant to come into effect Sunday morning, highlighting the challenges ahead to implementing an agreement between two bitterly opposed sides. Hours later, the militant group made a public announcement of the names of the first three Israeli women to be released, a move that put the deal back on track but which sidestepped the official negotiating channels with Israel and undercut Israel’s ability to inform the families of those set to be freed. The Israeli prime minister’s office said the cease-fire had begun at 11:15 a.m. local time and confirmed it had received the names of hostages set to be released later on Sunday.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [1/19/2025 6:05 AM, Chantal Da Silva, 50804K, Negative]
VOA News [1/19/2025 5:00 AM, Staff, 2717K, Negative]

Washington Post [1/18/2025 7:00 AM, Craig Whitlock, 40736K, Neutral] reports that Trump had just approved a conditional peace agreement with the Taliban that called for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops within 14 months. Waltz, a Green Beret who had served two combat tours in Afghanistan, pleaded with the president to reconsider, arguing that the Taliban couldn’t be trusted and that the U.S. military needed to stay indefinitely. Yet Trump, who had campaigned on a promise to end the war, was unmoved. "We’ve been there so long," he told Waltz, according to the congressman’s recently published memoirs. "It’s time.". Despite their fundamental disagreement over the longest war in American history, Trump has tapped Waltz to return with him to the White House as national security adviser. The job does not require Senate confirmation but is one of the most powerful posts in Washington. In an administration that Trump is stacking with figures who share his isolationist leanings, Waltz stands out as the opposite: a post 9/11 veteran who still favors long-term commitments of U.S. troops to fight al-Qaeda, Islamic State and other terrorist groups overseas. Waltz’s views are a reminder that sharp differences exist within Trump’s inner circle about how his "America first" campaign rhetoric should apply to myriad national-security challenges that his administration will inherit when it takes power next week. In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Waltz, 50, downplayed his differences with Trump over Afghanistan and pledged to faithfully execute the boss’s wishes, pointedly drawing a contrast with aides who tried to obstruct Trump’s foreign policy decisions during his first term. "He welcomes disagreement. He welcomes the vigorous debate. But when he makes the decision, he expects you to implement it, and I will do that," Waltz said. At the same time, Waltz has made clear that his National Security Council staff at the White House — including career government employees — must be loyal to Trump. Last week, he told Breitbart News that he would ensure all staffers "are 100 percent aligned with the president’s agenda.". Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump’s transition team, described Waltz’s difference of opinion with Trump over the 2020 deal with the Taliban as "not a disagreement but a discussion. Rep. Waltz clearly agreed with President Trump that there had to be a political solution in Afghanistan.". In an email, Hughes noted that Trump decided at the end of his first term to leave a small military presence at Bagram air base in Afghanistan "to ensure the Taliban would honor their agreement." Hughes blamed the Biden administration for bungling the final withdrawal. When he moves into his West Wing office on Monday, Waltz will be responsible for coordinating U.S. policy on the world’s most pressing flash points, including relations with China, Russia, Ukraine and Iran. But he — and Trump — will also have to confront lingering fallout from Afghanistan and who should be held responsible for the war’s many failures.

Wall Street Journal [1/19/2025 5:27 AM, Alex Leary, Alexander Ward and Lingling Wei, 40736K, Neutral] reports President-elect Donald Trump has told advisers he wants to travel to China after he takes office, according to people familiar with the discussions, seeking to deepen a relationship with Xi Jinping strained by the president-elect’s threat to impose steeper tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump visited Beijing in 2017, nearly a year into his first term. Aides cautioned that no decision has been made for him to go again. One of the people familiar with the discussions said Trump has expressed interest in traveling to China in his first 100 days in office. Trump’s transition team didn’t respond to a request for comment. Trump and Xi spoke by phone on Friday for the first time since the November election, discussing trade, fentanyl, TikTok and other subjects. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump wrote on social media after the call. People close to Beijing’s decision-making said Trump and Xi, through their representatives, have discussed meeting in person, with one option involving the incoming American president inviting the Chinese leader to the U.S. It wasn’t clear if Trump raised a visit to China in his Friday conversation with Xi. Trump had invited Xi to his inauguration on Monday, but the Chinese leader is sending Vice President Han Zheng instead. With economic pressure building in China, Beijing has a strong interest in engaging in negotiations to fend off, or at least slow down, tariff hikes promised by Trump. A summit between the two leaders, the people close to Beijing’s decision-making said, could help jump-start the process. Trump has pledged to impose tariffs of up to 60% on imports from China. China’s official account of Friday’s phone call between Trump and Xi said the two leaders agreed to establish a strategic communication channel. It quoted Trump telling the Chinese leader that he was “looking forward to meeting with President Xi as soon as possible.”

VOA News [1/18/2025 8:27 PM, Kasim Kashgar, 2717K, Negative] reports U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, is pledging to press Thailand to prevent the deportation of 48 Uyghurs held there since 2014 after fleeing alleged persecution in Xinjiang, in northwest China. "Thailand is a very strong U.S. partner, a strong historical ally," Rubio said during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. "That is an area where I think diplomacy could really achieve results because of how important that relationship is and how close it is." Describing the Uyghurs’ plight in China as "one of the most horrifying things that has ever happened," he said, "These are people who are basically being rounded up because of their ethnicity and religion, and they are being put into camps … stripped of their identity… and into forced labor — literally, slave labor." Human rights advocates say returning the Uyghurs to China risks torture, long imprisonment, or disappearance. Rubio, a leading critic of Beijing, co-sponsored the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports from Xinjiang unless free of forced labor. His stance for human rights in China has subjected him to Chinese sanctions since 2020. Both the Biden and previous Trump administrations have classified China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide, while a 2022 United Nations report said Beijing’s policies may constitute crimes against humanity. China rejects these accusations, framing its actions as anti-terrorism measures. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok claimed on Wednesday that Uyghur detainees in Thailand had terrorist ties. "A small number of individuals, enticed by external forces, fled abroad and even joined the ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement,’ [ETIM] a terrorist organization recognized by the United Nations, becoming terrorists themselves," the embassy stated.

Reuters [1/19/2025 12:37 AM, Staff, 48128K, Neutral] reports the Philippines and the United States carried out joint maritime exercises for a fifth time in the South China Sea, Manila’s armed forces said on Sunday, in a move that would likely irk China. The Philippine military said in a statement it held a "maritime cooperative activity" with the U.S. on Friday and Saturday, its first for the year and fifth overall since launching the joint activities in 2023. Security engagements between the two allies have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington, allowing the expansion of military bases that American forces can access, including facilities that face Taiwan. The joint maritime activity included the United States’ Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, two guided missile destroyers, two helicopters and two F-18 Hornet aircraft. The Philippine side deployed its Antonio Luna frigate, Andres Bonifacio patrol ship, two FA-50 fighter jets, and search and rescue assets of the air force. The activities "reinforced bilateral maritime cooperation and interoperability", the Philippine armed forces said. Their joint activity came at a time when the Philippines had called out China over the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels inside its maritime zone, including the 165-m (541 ft)-long ship that it describes as "the monster" for its size. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond for a request for comment on a weekend.

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